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
Are you looking for an exterior mod that will freshen up the look of your first gen Mazdaspeed 3? Well if that’s the case then the Carbon Fiber Spoiler is the perfect part to install on your build. The Carbon Fiber Spoiler retains the OEM look with the much-appreciated addition of carbon fiber. Keep on reading below for more info on the carbon spoiler.
Since the Carbon Fiber spoiler is based off of the factory Mazda piece, installation is a breeze and requires no drilling or other modifications to the hatch. We have also pinned the third brake light so that it can reuse the OEM connector with no modification to the harness needed! The Carbon Spoiler also comes with all the necessary hardware to install the spoiler so you can be back on the road in no time. Fitment with other add-on parts such as spoiler extensions or gurney flaps should work with the OEM style shape, however, we have not tested it. The same goes for GEN1 Mazda 3, the CF spoiler should fit, however, you may have a different 3rd brake light setup and/or have additional holes from the smaller Mazda 3 spoiler
The Mazdaspeed Spoiler features a fiberglass base that is then topped off with a layer of carbon fiber on the top side of the spoiler. The underside of the spoiler is finished in gloss black and the whole thing is then coated with a UV-resistant epoxy resin to provide a mirror-like finish and the necessary protection from the elements. The two halves come together on the rear edge so there is a small seam, however, once installed, the seam all but disappears!
If the CS Carbon Fiber Spoiler is a mod that you would like to add to your build, then head over and check out the product page for additional photos! Also, feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.
Cold air intake systems, are they necessary? Are they worth the extra cost? Does it matter if the engine is turbocharged or not? Will the engine or its performance be hurt without one? We have repeatedly seen these questions on forums and social media groups regarding Mazda’s 3rd and 4th Generation Mazda 3 & 6. To help the Mazda community grow and learn about their cars and what to do with them, we have written a blog that we hope will help shed some light on these questions and others.
Most importantly, you will NOT hurt your engine if you use an SRI only on Turbo or Non-Turbo applications.
What are the typical intake systems available for your Mazda? At CorkSport, we have two primary intake system setups: Short Ram Intake (SRI) System and Cold Air Intake (CAI) System. It is essential to distinguish between the two because you (the Mazda enthusiasts) will ultimately decide which system to use.
Short Ram Intake (SRI) System:
This CorkSport system consists of a filter, billet MAF housing, silicone coupler, a few clamps, and may or may not have a mounting bracket (depending on the application). This system is efficient and straightforward (an unrestricted airflow path increases power). This system removes the factory airbox and snorkel. The cost is very effective for the results and provides excellent induction sounds.
Cold Air Intake (CAI) System:
CorkSport’s system consists of the SRI (as mentioned above) plus a heat shield or airbox designed to keep the engine bay heat away from the intake system’s inlet and help direct cold air induction. This system removes the factory airbox and may or may not reuse the factory snorkel. The cost will be higher than a short ram intake due to the additional components involved and may muffle some of the induction noises but provide better heat control.
OK, is a Cold Air Intake System worth the extra cost and complexity? Does it do anything? Well, in our opinion, yes and no. We have tested this, and we have proven that a heatshield does improve (read reduce) “heat soak” of the intake system, BUT not in the ways most people expect. Below is some data from our 2018 Mazda 6 Turbo SRI and then also with our SRI + Heat Shield:
This first graph shows the vehicle idling for a period of time, much like sitting at a stoplight or in traffic. The red graph shows the short ram intake only, and the blue chart shows the SRI+Heat Shield. It’s pretty apparent the heat shield is helping reduce the amount of engine bay heat being ingested by the intake while the vehicle is sitting. The maximum temperature delta is approximately 15-20deg F. That’s a respectable improvement, and this lower amount of heat soak should, in theory, improve the vehicle’s acceleration from a complete stop. Now let’s look at a graph that combines idling and acceleration up to 50mph
The second graph indicates similar data for the stationary idling period, but more importantly, is what the data tells us once the vehicle starts moving. You see a small spike for both systems (this is due to the engine suddenly ingesting more air), then you see the air temp drop rapidly as the vehicle increases in speed. The vehicle’s forward motion/speed is important because that is how fresh cool ambient air enters the engine bay.
You’ll notice that both the red and blue graphs meet at the same point after the rapid cooling then have a small amount of fluctuation. In a nutshell, both the SRI and SRI+Heat Shield perform about the same once the vehicle is moving. Again, they perform almost identically once the car is rolling.
Next question, does it matter if the vehicle is turbocharged or not? Before we answer that, let’s go over the differences between turbocharged and non-turbocharged systems.
Turbocharged:
The engine is equipped with a turbocharger and an intercooler system to cool the boosted air temperatures before entering the engine. The intercooler system is required to negate the by-product of turbocharging an engine (and thus boost), which is heat. The airflow path is intake -> turbo -> intercooler -> engine.
In a turbocharged engine, the need for and use of a Cold Air Intake System is typically not deemed necessary or very useful. The turbocharger superheats the cooler air it receives from the intake before passing it to the intercooler. The boosted air exiting the turbo is substantially hotter than the ambient air temperatures in your engine bay before it enters the intake – especially true while the vehicle is moving.
More focus is placed on performance improvements of the intercooler system because that is the primary method to cool the incoming boosted (read “hot”) airflow before it enters the engine. The use of a cold air intake system has little effect on the resulting boost air temps, so the cost-effectiveness is not great. This is precisely why the Mazdaspeed platform focuses on increasing the intake size (ingesting more air = more power), adding a larger turbo (more boost), and increasing the size of the intercooler (additional surface area for cooling) coupled with a professional tune to maximize power.
Non-Turbocharged:
The engine is not equipped with a turbocharger and, therefore, does not require an intercooler system. The airflow path is more direct and does not have a cooling system built-in; intake -> engine.
Since there is no intercooler to cool the incoming air (it’s not needed), the best way to improve air density and performance is with cooler air entering the engine directly. So, a cold air intake on a non-turbo engine can be helpful – especially in warmer climates.
Let’s Recap:
In either turbo or non-turbo applications, a heat shield or CAI system will provide varying degrees of benefit in some driving situations. For a turbo application specifically, the usefulness of the CAI system is marginal due to the turbo heating the air it receives from the intake. Instead, investing in a short ram intake and performance intercooler system is a much better plan.
For the non-turbo applications, a cold air intake system is a worthwhile investment because the airflow path is so much more direct, and it’s the only way to help reduce intake air temps and thus increase air density which equals power.
We hope this has been a helpful and educational blog and lends support as you decide the right path for you and your Mazda! Thanks for tuning in!
CorkSport is proud to announce the new and improved Version 2.0 Lowering Springs for the 2007 – 2013 Mazdaspeed 3. While the changes are subtle, it never hurts to go back and refine a product that is so well loved by the community
When designing performance lowering springs we want to find the right balance in performance, comfort, and style. When done right performance springs can make a huge improvement in the vehicle’s overall driving experience. That is our goal at CorkSport HQ.
The CorkSport V2.0 springs are very similar to the V1.0 with a ride height drop of approximately 1.1” front and 1.2” rear. This is a fairly aggressive drop, but does cooperate with the stock struts after a bit of bump stop trimming. That is all clearly laid out step-by-step in the included installation instructions.
Now ride height isn’t everything. While it looks great, it also needs to perform great. The CorkSport Sport Springs have specific spring rates so that they perform and feel great for the spirited and daily driven Mazdaspeed 3.
Up front the spring rate is a linear 3.5K and the rear is a linear 4.5K. We specifically design the springs with a higher rear spring rate to help the vehicle understeer vs oversteer characteristics and maintain a proper suspension frequency so your Speed feel solid and planted through the curves and over road imperfections.
Overall, the car is going to feel more lively and connected to the road, giving you more feedback and control to enjoy your Mazdaspeed 3.
You probably also notice a new color! Yes, our new V2.0 are now blue via a durable and corrosion resistant powder coat finish.
A couple years ago we developed performance lowering springs for the new 2018-2021 Mazda 6. Read the Release Blog. Our goal was to transform the full-size sedan from a commuter to a fun luxury sedan you can daily and enjoy in the back country roads. While we succeeded, we also heard from the community that you wanted more LOW LOW. V2.0 Mazda 6 Lowering Springs gives you exactly that!
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Let’s start off with the big one: ride height changes. The Mazda 6 Lowering Springs V2.0 springs offer a more aggressive drop from the stock springs with about 1.75 inch lower in the front and about 2.00 inches lower in the rear. This height is more aggressive than the previous CorkSport Sport Lowering Springs (1.00in front & 0.75in rear) while still maintaining good ride characteristics for the daily commute.
The height drop will be noticed when you’re outside the car, but the handling improvements will be apparent when driving. By lowering the center of gravity and stiffening the springs, body roll is reduced in corners, giving you extra confidence when attacking that backroad. In addition, we stiffened the rear springs more than the fronts, reducing understeer. By number, this meant 4.6K front springs and 8.1k rear springs). Derrick, our resident racecar driver and Mazda 6 Turbo owner, loves the new V2.0 springs and is sitting on some Rays 57FXZ 18×10+40 with 265/40 tires.
While this may sound like a big jump, they ride very similar to the OEM springs, but do feel stiffer. We used natural frequency analysis to ensure we achieved comfortable characteristics. This affects how the car feels and responds when going over bumps, braking, accelerating, and through corners. While the overall spring rates are stiffer, the overall ride quality will not suffer like a Honda Civic on cut stock coils.
Last but not least, the CorkSport Lowering Springs are made from high tensile strength spring steel and come powder coated in our new CS Blue for long-lasting quality and corrosion resistance. They install just like stock, reusing all your OEM components. The only permanent modification is trimming the bump stops to match OEM suspension travel.
Be sure to check out the product listing HERE for more images, a product video with more comparisons to OEM, and pricing. Make your new Mazda 6 yours with just the right styling and handling boost from CorkSport.
Putting a turbocharged engine in the GEN4 Mazda 3 was a step in the right direction for Mazda but it still misses the mark of a “hot hatch”. Well, that’s where we come in! Introducing the CorkSport Lowering Springs for 2021+ Mazda 3 Turbo. We took what we learned from the naturally aspirated Mazda 3 and applied it to the slightly heftier turbo models. This resulted in a great new ride height and improved handling to push the GEN4 closer to a hot hatch, without ruining the daily driving comfort. Read on for full details and images of the great new look!
Let’s start off with what everyone wants to know: ride height! With only one driveline & transmission option, we could really dial in the ride height for both turbo hatchback and sedan models. The CS lowering springs for the turbo models offer a similar ride height drop to the N/A models. For the turbo hatchback, this means a ride height drop of approximately 1.5” in the front and 1.8” in the rear. For the slightly heavier turbo sedan, expect a drop of 1.5” in the front and 1.9” in the rear. While the sedan is a slightly larger drop in the rear than the hatchback, it still sits level and looks great!
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This ride height is low enough to look great yet not too low to cause you issues on your daily commute. We found that this ride height can clear most driveways and speed bumps no problem. On really steep driveways, taking it slow and at an angle will help you keep your front bumper safe. We haven’t really found a driveway that was an issue though! One final note: we did test our regular, non-turbo Mazda 3 lowering springs on a turbo car. While they fit, the extra weight from the turbo system had the car sitting way too low in the front & looking ugly. We would not recommend doing this!
Moving on to the next best benefit from lowering springs: handling! The CorkSport lowering springs offer some much needed sharpness to the MZ3-T. By lowering the ride height, you lower the center of gravity of the vehicle. Combining this with stiffer than OEM spring rates, body roll is reduced, which greatly helps driver confidence through the twisties. We carefully chose our upgraded spring rates to also help reduce understeer when at the limit of traction. By increasing the rear spring rate more than the front, your turbo 3 gets better turn in and more neutral handling.
The final spring rate numbers for the Mazda 3 2.5T lowering springs actually surprised us. We tested a few different spring rate combinations to find the best balance of ride and handling. Ultimately, the same spring rates as the naturally aspirated Mazda 3 won out (this was due to both cars using the same suspension design). A 3.4K front spring and a 5.9K rear spring offered a compliant ride for daily driving, yet great handling characteristics on a backroad. The OEM dampers on the turbo models are just a hair stiffer as well, so the increase in spring rate fits fantastic with no bouncy ride!
Each set of CorkSport lowering springs for Mazda 3 turbo are made specifically to fit directly in place of the OEM springs. The only small modification that is needed is to trim the bump stops to allow for correct suspension travel before the bump stop is contacted at the new lower ride height. The springs are all made from high-tensile strength spring steel. This ensures a consistently performing spring that will stand the test of time and will not settle. We finish off each spring with a powder coated red finish. We chose red instead of the typical CS blue to help the turbo models stand out and because red things are proven to go faster! We even include a spring silencer on the rear springs to prevent any noise.
That about wraps up the launch of the CorkSport Lowering Springs for Mazda 3 Turbo. Check out the product listing at the link below for more pictures. Be sure to give us a call with any questions you have, we’re happy to help!
P.S. The car in the above images is riding on Advan GT wheels in 19×8.5 +38 size, wrapped in Kumho 235/35 R19 summer tires.
