Mazda Performance | CorkSport Mazda Performance Blog

May 6, 2024May 14, 2024

Mazdaspeed 3 X-Clutch First Review

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.

-CS

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May 4, 2023May 28, 2024

See Daniel’s 600+ WHP Mazdaspeed 6 Build Part 1

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!

Mazdaspeed 6 at car show with lowering springs and brake kit — 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.

Mazdaspeed 6 project build — 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.

Mazdaspeed 6 black in stance — 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’s birthday, 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.

Mazadaspeed 6 in black at boat dock — 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!

Close up of modded Mazdasped 6 with upgraded wheels and CorkSport Big Brake kit — 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 Black photo — 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!

-Daniel

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April 18, 2023May 3, 2023

Race Better with the Mazda 3 Transmission Gears Upgrade

Racing is brutal! When pushing a vehicle to the razor’s edge, you tend to find the platform’s limitations rather quickly – then set out to overcome them! This is precisely where the CorkSport 3^rd & 4^th Upgrade Gears come in.

Mazda 3 manual transmission gear upgrade

In the years of racing our Touring Car class Mazda 3, we found many pitfalls that have been easy to overcome. However, we found the gears’ limit with the 317whp/355wtq of the CorkSport Turbo Kit pumping through the manual transmission. Pair that with a limited-slip differential and wide sticky racing tires…well, it’s shocking the drivetrain has held up as well as it has.

Destroying a transmission during a race weekend was not a viable path to success, so we developed our own race-quality CorkSport High Strength Gears to solve the problem. As you might imagine, this posed some significant challenges. For example, to retain the 6-speed setup, we had to stick with the same gear widths – which are very narrow.

Mazda 3 performance upgraded gears manual transmission

To gain the strength and durability needed, we opted to use a higher strength material; SAE9310 steel, and to further increase the durability, the surfaces are shot peened. The shot peening process helps durability by reducing the chances for stress cracks to develop, increasing fatigue life and bending strength.

Since then, we have been running these gears in our TC Racing Car for a complete season to validate that there are, in fact, better than OEM. Racing is the ultimate test for performance parts, and we are happy to report the transmission has caught every shift!

So why might you need these upgrade gears? Do you have a turbo or supercharger kit on your manual Mazda 3 or Mazda 6? Do you like driving your car hard and even doing some structured racing events? If yes, these may be in your future, so you can push your Mazda to the limits without worrying.

Thanks for tuning in!

Barett @ CS

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April 4, 2023October 24, 2023

How to Get A 900 Horsepower Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Swap – The Intro

Have you ever felt like you try and try and try, but just can’t get the traction to make forward progress on your Mazdaspeed 3 car build? Ya, it happens to the best of us and the 2022 season was my time…both in literal traction and life.

If you haven’t seen my build yet, the @halfmilespeed3, go check it out. It’s an awesome combo of DIY, Teamwork, Innovations, and CorkSport goodies you all love.

Back to this traction conundrum. Racing an 800+hp FWD Mazdaspeed 3 on small airport airstrips with no prep and plenty of dust has proven to be challenging. There have been many successes and many challenges, but ultimately it comes down to those two tiny patches of rubber that meet the road.

LITERALLY NO TRACTION

Yes, Motec helped substantially with traction control and Justin’s ramp-up in power delivery also helps, but really…I just didn’t have any damn traction. Sticky tires with meaty sidewalls also help, but again traction was such an issue! There had to be a better way!

Wheel & Tire Setup:

Front: Toyo TQ 255/50 on 16×8+38

Rear: Toyo R888R 255/40 on 17×9+45

And there was and I had been talking about the idea for a year or so already. Then life happened.

As you can see with the racecar; I like to go fast. I carried that enthusiasm into my love of mountain biking one day in June 2022 and well…I got a lesson in physics let me tell you.

Five broken ribs, a double punctured lung, level 3 AC separation, and a fractured collar bone and scapula. Resulting in weeks of hospital stays and three surgeries; then months of recovery and physical therapy. Let’s just say the 2022 season did not go as planned.

But it did get me focused on solving my traction problems…

Mazdaspeed 3 drag racing 800 hp CorkSport

Mazdaspeed 3 performance parts racing — Mazdaspeed 3 with CorkSport Mazda Performance Parts Back (AKA HalfMileSpeed3)

The Goal…Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Swap

So I decided it was time to stop talking about it and actually take action (well as soon as I physically could that is). I made a plan and figured out the details and order of operations to finally get my traction back.

It was time to AWD Swap the Halfmilespeed3.

While I am not the first to do a Mazdaspeed AWD swap. I did have a goal to make my build unique in the sense that the AWD swap is catered to racing performance. Meaning the strength of custom parts and the rear suspension design and the new fuel system are capable of handling the 4-digit horsepower goal I have and the abuse of racing.

Talking horsepower…what does the car make right now?

Dynograph of Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Swap 800 WHP

This is at a modest 40-41psi using a Xona Rotor 9569s with the X3C compressor housing and 1.03A/R turbine housing. Later Justin @freektune and I turned it up a bit more to see how close we can get to the 600wtq threshold and hold it. Clipping off an 881whp run…damn! This was supported by the many CorkSport Mazda performance parts you can get for your Mazdaspeed as well. From engine mounts to manifolds, anything that isn’t a one-off custom is CS.

Anyways…I have since updated the compressor wheel to a 99 lb/min design compared to the above 95 lb/min design and a larger compressor housing which is more efficient. This setup has not been dyno tested yet, but talking to the engineers at Xona…2023 is going to be spicy!

Close up because who doesn’t like billet turbo shots!?

Dare I say this is the largest turbo in the stock location ever on a Mazdaspeed? Go ahead…prove me wrong. To compare, this competes with a Precision 6870.

Mazda 3 performance parts awd swap Mazdaspeed 3

The Start of the Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Swap

Anyways, this is the introduction to my Mazdaspeed 3 AWD swap here at CorkSport HQ. I actually started the swap in October 2022 and have been making big steps each month. We are going to be sharing blog updates rapidly as I wrap up the swap over the next couple of months.

There will be much more technical info and images coming up so grab a drink and enjoy!

You can also find updates on my IG @halfmilespeed3, the CorkSport 7^th Gear Membership, and on mazdaspeeds.org.

https://mazdaspeeds.org/index.php?threads/awd-speed-3-project-halfmilespeed3.15154/

Thanks for tuning in!

-Barett @ CS

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July 7, 2022December 27, 2022

New Product – Mazda 3 Hatchback Rear Spoiler 2019+

Enjoying your 4^th GEN Mazda 3 but wanting to change up the look? Introducing the CorkSport Performance Spoiler for 2019+ Mazda 3 Hatchback. We went for an OEM+ design that incorporates the great fitment and lines of the OEM aero kit spoiler but in a much more aggressive package. Taller, longer, and with an upturned rear edge, the CS spoiler add some much needed sportiness to the look of your 3. Available in multiple finishes to suit your budget and build, the CS spoiler is a great next mod for your build! Read on for more details and check out the product listing here to purchase.

We like the OEM spoiler but were disappointed at how insignificant it looks when installed, especially when paired with the fairly aggressive OEM front lip & rest of the aero kit. The CorkSport Spoiler takes design cues from the OEM aero kit spoiler however, the design is unique to CorkSport. We started from scratch and polled the community for design opinions before settling on a final design that is both higher off of the rear hatch than OEM and extends further rearward than OEM. The design is finished off with an upturned rear edge for a great “duckbill” style look which is aggressive without being too much. You’ll be turning heads, especially when paired with CorkSport Lowering Springs and a nice set of wheels!

Fitment was equally important as aesthetics when we designed the CS spoiler. We 3D scanned an OEM aero kit wing to get the exact mounting surfaces and edge profiles so that the CS version fits just as good as OEM. We use the same mounting locations as OEM as well. This means no drilling if you’re switching from OEM aero kit to CorkSport spoiler. If you do not have the OEM spoiler you do have to do some drilling, however, Mazda pre-marks the holes for a relatively easy install! By using the same mounting locations and more adhesive mounting tape than OEM, you can be sure your CorkSport spoiler won’t be going anywhere!

The CorkSport Mazda 3 spoiler is offered in three finishes so you can choose what is best for your build. Each option uses a fiberglass base with different top layers. Regular woven carbon fiber, forged carbon fiber, and basic black fiberglass are each available. The carbon fiber options feature a UV resistant epoxy top coat for great protection from the elements and a mirror like finish. The full fiberglass option comes in a satin black coat with some light scratches and will require some finishing. We recommend some finish sanding and a final layer of paint or wrap. The shape is the same for each unit however the purchase price varies so you can really choose the best option for your build & budget.

Finally, each CorkSport spoiler comes with all the hardware and accessories needed for installation. This includes mounting bolts, washers, mounting tape, and rubber washers for waterproofing. We even include new replacement OEM Mazda clips that almost always break with removing the upper trim panel on the hatch! All of this comes with full color install instructions and great customer service & support!

2021 Turbo Mazda 3 spoiler fits with the body style well

So if you’re ready to take your GEN4 build to the next level, check out the CorkSport Performance Spoiler for 2019+ Mazda3. We think it’s what the OEM spoiler should’ve been and you will not be disappointed! Don’t be shy to contact us with any questions!

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Get the Mazda 3 Hatchback Rear Spoiler 2019+

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Get the Mazda 3 Hatchback Rear Spoiler 2019+

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First Impressions

Getting into it

The Tool

Bringing it back together

Conclusion

Stay up-to-date on the latest news and product updates from CorkSport.

Stay up-to-date on the latest news and product updates from CorkSport.

Stay up-to-date on the latest news and product updates from CorkSport.

The Goal…Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Swap

The Start of the Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Swap

Stay up-to-date on the latest news and product updates from CorkSport.

Get the Mazda 3 Hatchback Rear Spoiler 2019+

Get the Mazda 3 Hatchback Rear Spoiler 2019+