Keeping you up to date with the latest CorkSport Mazdaspeed news!
Category: Mazda Performance
Look up the definition of Mazda Performance and you will find CorkSport as the leader in supplying performance parts at a great value and level of executution
CorkSport is happy to announce touring car availability for those people/teams who want a fun-to-drive and great-looking race/track-focused Mazda 3! The goal of the build was to make a competitive and reliable TC race car and get Mazda back into multi-make competition, which goes back to the Speed Vision and World Challenge days of the early 2000s.
For the 2024 season CorkSport has been validating the design work and lessons learned racing the CorkSport Mazda 3 TC in the SRO TC America TC class. We had multiple podium finishes and ran at the front proving the competitiveness of the Mazda platform against the Hyundai, Honda, and Mini TC class cars.
The base of the build is the Mazda 2.5 Skyactiv engine with a CorkSport bespoke turbo kit developing well over 300 wheel hp in TC trim. The TC car engine management is handled by a Motec M1 ECU, in conjunction with a Bosch Motorsports LC2 wideband controller, and a Motec C125 dash/logger.
The 6 speed Mazda gearbox is equipped with a clutch type LSD and upgraded 3-4 gears with a transmission cooler, while the clutch is an off the shelf X-Clutch single disc clutch/flywheel combo.
Penske shocks/Swift springs, CorkSport upper mounts, and upgraded suspension pick-up points handle road racing while allowing for accurate suspension settings.
Braking is handled by a 364x32mm 6 piston CorkSport race brake kit which uses floating front rotors paired with upgraded rear pads and brakelines on OEM calipers. The brakes are covered with 18×10 Enkei lightweight RPF1 wheels.
To top off the build is the widebody kit which includes, front bumper, splitter, front and rear fenders, side skirts, rear bumper and TCr spec rear wing.
SRO Circuit of the Americas 2024
There is limited availability for the start of the 2025 race season. Currently 2 cars are left for delivery early 2025 for the 2025 TC America race season.
A few years back, I had grand plans of going Spec Miata (SM) racing with a good friend in southern California during the winter months, intent on improving my on-track driving and racecraft overall. After the 1st event, things changed as my friend passed away.
My SM was only raced a few times during 2022 season, but after that, it was parked along with its fellow spec Miatas.
I brought the car back home in December 2023 along with an additional spec Miata on the trailer – with the intention of racing this year. I finally got the car out of the trailer to start cleaning it up and making sure it was solid to race.
Besides cleaning the car inside and out, and ensuring all its safety parts were still good, the car was pretty much ready to go. The biggest challenge was cleaning up from the cheese bois, which made the trunk a party house for a while.
I had several sets of Toyo RR tires that had been purchased back with the grand plans that were made in 2021. They had been sitting in a trailer since then and baking in the California sun. I chose a few that looked like they may still be soft and signed up for the race weekend.
The Friday test day, gave me a few chances to remember how to drive this car fast, as it had been more than five years since I raced an SM at Portland Intl Raceway. I double-checked the alignment settings and headed off to my weekend racing adventure.
Test lap times were pretty slow compared to what I needed for the PNW Spec Miata Tour. I was turning 1:35 lap times, and if you want to be in the top ten, low 1:32s or better were going to be needed to get there. I focused on cleaning up the exits to turn 7 and 12, which lead onto the straights, as these were the sections of the track I was losing time according to my lap timer.
After consulting a few friends about the tire pressure settings and how to close up the gap, I headed out Saturday morning in qualifying to see what I could do. After dealing with a bit of traffic, I got some breaks from people who let me through, and I hit a 1:32.595, which I felt was about as good as I was going to get, so I called it quits for the sessions.
After a quick driver’s meeting and 30 minutes doing a nut and bolt check, I was ready for the afternoon race, which is a 25-minute affair. I have been racing for ~13 years now, and it is fun how you still get the butterflies heading around the last corner in double formation for the start heading for the green flag.
The starts at PIR, as always, are pretty wild mid-pack, and everyone is trying to get an edge on everyone else around you. I made it through the first corner without hitting or getting hit and proceeded close up on the car in front of me as much as possible.
During the race, I noticed that the car felt a little numb on feedback, and I found myself waiting for my Miata to respond to inputs. Waiting is relative, as I am talking about milliseconds, which seems like forever when racing cars. There were plenty of spots swapped, people spinning off the track, and great race action!
I started in 13th, and by keeping it clean and on track, I made it up to 11th place when the check flew. My goal was to be in the top 10, so I was pretty happy that I ended up 11 out of the 32 cars that had signed up for the weekend.
I also improved my fastest race lap, which means I would start higher up the field. I wasn’t the only one who was faster, so starting on Sunday for race #2, I was in 18th, and it was all downhill from there…
Race 2 TL;DR
I spun a few times and lost one spot overall during the race. Long version, the “wait” for the front end to turn was getting worse as the race progressed. There wasn’t a lot I could do with that so it was a race full of trying to drive around my problem by braking in different areas and turning in early to try to hit the apex and marks to make the corners.
Race 3
I got to start in 18th place again, as no one made up any more time/places in order to change the starting position in the middle of the field. The start went okay, and I didn’t make up or lose any spots as the field sorted itself out.
Lap 4 I went up the inside of another driver into turn 4 and lifted as I felt the car start to slide out. This was the wrong thing to do as it upset the chassis as I was ½ on a curb and ½ on the track, so around I went off into the grass. I felt a little boop from the other driver I was passing as he bailed out. I got stopped before the tire wall and headed back on the track now in 24th position. I was able to get a pass on another car and get back to the 23rd position, but I was really struggling to get the car to bite on the front-end grip.
Lap 13, heading into turn 1, aka the chicane, the car pitched more into the corner than I expected, and I looped it. I got going again and in turn 4 the car cut out briefly which means I was running out of gas. I limped it back into the paddock and called it a day.
I made sure to go talk to the other driver, which I failed to execute the pass on, and apologized for dragging us both off into the grass. He was pretty cool about it, but his wife gave me the stank eye the whole time. There is not much you can do but go say sorry, and he was happy with that. I would be if I were in the same position.
The fuel calculation miss was all on me. You usually run a specific amount of fuel per lap and toss in some extra for wiggle room. I did not put any wiggle room in the SM, so I ran out.
The front-end grip problem was due to the tires. When you usually get off track, you can feel the heat from the wheels and tires. After many sessions, you can barely touch the wheel because the heat is being transferred from the brakes to the wheels and the tires. The tires are normally very warm/hot to the touch after coming off the track. The Toyos were barely warm, which means they were not hitting the operating temperature, which is needed to generate maximum grip and allow me to do what I wanted to with the car.
The picture above of the left front tire from the car after 3 test sessions, a qualifier, and 3 races looks like it has been out for a warm-up only. The left front tire takes all the abuse at Portland, so it should show signs of heavy wear. The racing season is over for the Northwest, so I will be sure to get some newer tires on the car next season.
Want to race Spec Miata with the rest of the NW people? The PNW Spec Miata tour page is NWmiata.com. Shout out to A-Aron for hanging out and watching me spin off the track and having a good time doing race car stuff.
Many community members are asking, “What clutch should I buy for my Speed3/Speed6?” or “What’s the best clutch for Mazdaspeed 3/6?” and there isn’t a perfect answer because the right answer depends on your goals with your car.
While I can’t say what the best clutch is, I can share my experience to date with my Twin Ceramic Rigid Disc X-Clutch in my Mazdaspeed 3.
First Impressions
Opening the box I found a very well-packaged assembled clutch kit. This included the assembled pressure plate, discs, and flywheel along with a new throw-out bearing, flywheel to crank bolts, and a nice alignment tool. XClutch also included some generic instructions – They certainly don’t rival CorkSport instructions, but are better than most clutch instructions I have used.
Getting into it
Disassembling the clutch assembly I found some nicely constructed components. The material fit and finish was great along with the identification of transmission vs engine side of the discus laser engraved was a nice touch.
Something worth noting: Some clutch kits come to you in separate pieces. This makes you 100% dependent on their instructions for the assembly process (and a lot of times those instructions are lacking), but with the XClutch the whole thing came assembled. I like this because it gave me the chance to see how it was assembled and therefore made me more confident I would assemble it correctly on the engine.
Now let’s get the clutch on the engine. After disassembling the clutch kit, the first part to go on the engine is the flywheel after a quick cleaning of the machine parts and surfaces. Using the provided hardware and some lock-tight the flywheel gets torqued down. The flywheel was a perfect fit on the snout of the crank…a little persuasion was needed which tells me the flywheel will be perfectly centered.
Next is the first clutch disc (make sure you can read “transmission side”) then the middle floater plate. Following that is the next clutch disc (and again make sure you can read “transmission side”) along with the provided alignment tool.
The Tool
So I want to take a minute to talk about the alignment tool. I’ve installed many clutches in many vehicles throughout my life ranging from an OE replacement in my 92’ Mazda b2600i, Mazdaspeed3, and a twin-disc in a Dodge. Every single kit came with the generic plastic alignment tool that doesn’t fit great and flexes.
But not X-Clutch, their kit included a very nice billet steel alignment tool that fit snugs and did not sag or move when installed. This seemingly simple tool made a huge difference in the whole installation process.
Back to the install steps; next up is the pressure plate floater plate. Typically this is part of the pressure plate assembly, but with the Xclutch design, this is separate.
Last is the pressure plate itself which is what applies the force to the clutch discs. The installation of this is slow and tedious, but important to follow. The hardware must be installed and torqued down evenly around the perimeter, much like torquing a wheel but with a lot more lug nuts.
X-Clutch has clear instructions on this so don’t worry.
Bringing it back together
So your clutch is all buttoned up and now it’s time to attach the transmission to the engine. I’ll admit this was a task I was dreading…many times I’ve fought this process because the damn input shaft in the transmission just would not line up with the clutch disc and crank, but I was pleasantly surprised.
I don’t know if it was luck or if the alignment toll was really that perfect, but in one try the transmission slid right onto the clutch and aligned perfectly. It was honestly shocking. I can only hope your installation goes as smoothly.
Now the review you have been wanting…
First impressions are great. The peddle pressure is very similar to OEM, maybe just a hair stiffer, but is nearly identical so if you’re worried about a stiff pedal DON’T, it’s cake. The engagement point is around the middle right now, but I expect it to move up in the pedal stroke slightly as it breaks in further. I like this, but this is a preference thing.
Engagement control is interesting. Going from an ACT 6-puck ceramic to this is very similar in the “grabbiness” of the clutch since they are both ceramic puck discs, but the X-Clutch I would say is a bit more aggressive. This makes sense with the rigid disc design and the very high torque capacity…1,350 ft/lbs!
So here’s my suggestion and you can check them out here. Learn More!
Conclusion
If you want a OE replacement with a bit more headroom for power then the Street single disc organic is going to be your closest bet. If you want good street manners but have more power to hold then the Street Plus twin disc organic is going to be your best balance. Lastly, if you are pursuing motorsports and high heat capacity then the Race twin disc ceramic will be your go-to clutch kit.
We are excited to announce another product for both the 4th Gen Mazda 3, 2021+ Mazda 3 Turbo, and 1st Gen Mazda CX-30! The new offering to the lineup is the CorkSport Skid Plate which utilizes our tried and true 11 gauge aluminum construction with a 2-piece design for an OEM-like installation. The CS Skid Plate is perfect for anyone who is lowered or anyone who likes to take their car out on forest roads and wants more protection over the thin factory splash guard. Keep on scrolling for more details!
OEM Splash Guard vs CorkSport Skid Plate
Starting with the OEM splash guard, there is much to be desired in terms of protection. The factory piece is made of thin plastic that is only designed to protect the bottom of your engine and transmission from things such as water, dust, and small debris. This can lead to a problem when you have lowering springs on your car or go on a camping trip.
In both of these situations, there is a greater chance of objects such as rocks and other larger debris hitting the splash guard and puncturing or even ripping off the splash guard completely, leading to potential damage to your oil pan or other critical components.
The CS Skid Plate on the other hand is all aluminum and can better protect against these threats to ensure that you can get to your destination and back intact. This provides you with peace of mind whether you like to go on rocky forest roads, up to the mountain through snow & ice, or are lowered and trying to get over speed bumps.
Improved Plate Design
To provide a factory fit, we have CAD-designed the CS Skid Plate to mount directly in place of the OEM splash shield. This means no drilling, cutting, trimming, or issues during the installation.
The Skid Plate is also a 2-piece design similar to the OEM splash shields so that installation is easier and that there is some adjustability for minor variation between vehicles and to also help reduce the shipping cost. We also implemented an air duct into the CS Skid Plate that is similar to the one on the factory AWD splash shields to help supply cool air to the front differential.
Finally, there is an oil access cover that you can move out of the way to easily change your oil and filter without removing the 2 main skid plate sections.
Quality Matters
Each CorkSport Skid Plate is made from laser cut and precision formed 11 gauge 5052 aluminum. This ensures a consistent fitment that will make installation straightforward as well as the much-needed increase in engine protection. Included with the CS Skid Plate are stainless steel button head bolts that provide great corrosion resistance and are lower profile than a traditional hex bolt to reduce the chance of them getting snagged.
If you want to increase the protection to the underbody of your Mazda, the CorkSport Aluminum Skid Tray is a great option! Head over to the product listing for the video and more images and feel free to call us with any questions!
Hey everyone, this is Daniel, one of the engineers at CS. In case you don’t know me (I’m quiet on socials, but I’m working on that!) I’ve been with CorkSport since the middle of 2017, so I’ve probably had my hands on any product released in the last five years. For example, the exhaust manifold for the Mazdaspeeds was my baby for a while, and I’m still super proud of how it turned out. In this blog, I’ll be going through my Speed 6 build. It has been a long time coming, but it is finally getting close to how I want it!
Daniel’s Mazdaspeed 6 at HIN
I got my MS6 back in January of 2018. It was a bone stock 2007 Sport with ~68k miles, but I got a decent deal due to some scratches/dings from the previous owner’s kids. I was familiar with the Speed6 because a high school buddy bought one shortly after we graduated, so I had been looking off and on since I started at CS. Since we didn’t have one in the fleet at CS then, and I wanted the AWD, it was an excellent fit for me. In typical speed fashion, I got a check engine light on the ~2-hour drive home from where I bought it! Clearing the CEL would require an EGR cleaning before I could register it, but I was still in love, despite the stock wheels & monster truck ride height.
Daniel’s Mazdaspeed 6 Before Modifications
From humble beginnings, the modifications started slowly. The first six months were the “basics”; HPFP internals, downpipe, exhaust, lowering springs, upgraded TMIC, and plasti-dipped stock wheels. I was still surviving on the stock intake and using the OTS tunes on the Cobb Accessport – standard new Mazdaspeed owner things. I completed a VVT replacement at around 70K miles as the chain started hitting the valve cover, but then things started getting interesting.
Black Mazdaspeed 6
Just before the 1-year of ownership, my stock K04 turbo began smoking as expected. Being the only Mazdaspeed 6 at CS meant my car was in the shop off and on for R&D, so I took advantage of one of the early exhaust manifold test fits to throw in a CST4 Mazdaspeed Turbo (still known as the “CS 18G turbo” back then), a 3.5” intake (with a custom & very early prototype of the Mazdaspeed 51R battery box), a few other supporting mods, and some special sauce from Erik @ Dramatuned. So just before my car’sbirthday, it was FBO minus manifolds. Somewhere in there, I was also the guinea pig for the CorkSport 330mm Big Brake Kit on the MS6 (still one of my favorite mods to date) and some wheel spacers to clear.
Image: CorkSport-MS6-BBK
2019 was a bunch more R&D for the Mazdaspeed 6 platform. I spent a few months driving around without a front bumper during the MS6 Front Mount Intercooler development! Then came some even more fun stuff. I was able to snag some early production run intake manifold and exhaust manifold along with an EWG setup (Exhaust Manifold, Tial, and Dumptube). Finally, I was “full bolt-on” and completed tuning. While its v-dyno was a little overestimated, here’s an idea of power to expect for a similar setup on pump gas (red line) and on a couple of E mixes (the blue line was E30, green was E25). Ethanol is worth it!
After having gone through most of the CorkSport catalog for power mods, I began to do a few aesthetic mods, which is where the “SPDBOAT” plate came in, a simple play on Mazdaspeed and how heavy and “boaty” the cars can feel at times. It’s dumb, but I love it! Also came some miscellaneous mods. An upgraded rear sway bar, diff mount, as well as the transfer case, and rebuild with billet bearing caps all were added.
Daniel’s Mazdaspeed 6 SPDBOAT at the Lake
By birthday number two, a long-awaited wheel setup was introduced. Initially, I ordered a set of Gram Lights that would’ve fit without too much effort. However, after many issues and shipping delays, I canceled that order and went something much more aggressive. I settled on 18×9.5 Enkei GTC01RR wheels on a 255/40 tire. I was going for meaty with this setup, and it looks great. After a fender roll all around, camber, and spacers in the front to clear brakes, final offsets are +35 front, +42 rear with ~2.5 degrees of negative camber. There’s only so much wheel and tire you can fit without more intense modifications, but the handling boost was amazing!
Enkei GTC01RR Rims for the Mazdaspeed 6
I ran the car on this setup for another year. This configuration was a great “all-rounder,” and I loved it. Not perfect at any specific thing, but a great daily that’s fun in the corners, decent enough to go to a show, and with enough power to do well on the occasional trip to “Mexico.” But then, it started consuming oil. Just after my third year with the car (early 2021 for those keeping track), I found cylinder four down about 40psi of compression and cylinder 1 with about 20% leak down. Still working fine, but eating about of quart of oil every ~600 miles meant it was time for a rebuild.
Mazdaspeed 6 at Mazda Takeover
While I hate to leave on a cliffhanger, that’s the end of part 1. Stay tuned for part 2, where things get spicy, including a built motor, a bigger turbo, and a broken bone…?
I hope you enjoyed my tale, and please let me know if you have any questions. By now, I know more than I need to about the MazdaSpeed 6!
