Project Car | CorkSport Mazda Performance Blog

March 21, 2013March 21, 2013

CorkSport Prepares for Battle… Again

So after a long 5 month break it is time to get the CorkSport Mazda 2 and the driver prepped for track abuse again for the 2013 season.

For the Mazda 2 it is pretty easy to take care of being it is a relatively stock car still. Going over the car to check out the bushings, tire rod ends, and the whole chassis to make sure nothing is in need of replacement turned up zero items this year. There are only a few non stock components which we gave an extra once over to make sure they are up to spec as well. The brakes got a really close inspection being that take a huge amount of abuse on the track. The stock rotors and CorkSport pads are still in good shape so only a brake bleed was on the menu for work. With the car getting a clean bill of health it is time to move on to other things.

The next item on the list is to get the Mazda 2 through its annual tech inspection with the SCCA. The inspection covers the safety gear of the car and the driver to make sure nothing has expired in the off season. With our car being built last year the seat, harnesses, and other safety gear in the car passed the inspection with flying colors. They also check the drivers helmet, HANS (head and neck) device and drivers suit to make sure they are suitable.

During the off season our Mazda 2 has been a test mule for several parts which resulted in the suspension being removed from the car and re-installed several times. This has left the suspension out of spec for road racing which required a re-alignment. Thanks to a lifetime alignment at the local Firestone we had everything dialed back it to what we wanted with the -1.5 degrees of front camber and correct toe settings.

One last thing which we needed to do was go over the rule book to make sure there were no surprises for the new year which I did not find.

In the title I mentioned prepping the driver for the new year. Racing is a demanding sport and there wasn’t a trip out on the track where I didn’t come into the pits sweating. Being in good shape requires some out of the car effort which I put in over the off season. Starting in November at roughly 185 lbs I started training daily with cardio to do two things. First was to get my heart into great shape and second was to assist in weight loss. Over the past 3 months I have dropped to a low weight of 158lbs and lowered my body fat to roughly 12.5%. With the cardio work along with other training and change of diet I am in the best shape I have ever been in my life to attack the next season of racing.
We will see how the prep for the car and the driver pays off during the next season of racing. We will be posting updates as the season progresses.

-Derrick

November 16, 2012November 15, 2012

Project Mazdaspeed6

Project MS6 was purchased used off of Craigslist with almost 90k miles on it in early 2012. It is an ’07 Mazdaspeed 6 GT and was completely stock when it was picked up. Since this is not a new car and has been available for many years you’re likely already familiar with what the car was from the factory. It has the same turbo charged power train as the MS3 but is an AWD sedan and is larger and heavier than the MS3.

The first thing we did to it was what anyone modifying a car should start with, the CorkSport Stage II Intake with Turbo Inlet Pipe. Within a week we had also added an HKS BOV and well as one of our Top Mount Intercoolers.

Our engineering department jumped straight into development mode and within the first couple of weeks we had a prototype CorkSport Short Shifter and Catted Downpipe on the car. Today, we are running a CorkSport Catted Downpipe with the factory cat back to keep it in sleeper status. It has a much better exhaust flow with close to factory noise levels.

With the intake and exhaust systems both already upgraded we started testing some other products on the car. We fitted it with a CorkSport Oil Catch Can which proved incredibly valuable at getting 90k miles worth of condensation and such out of the crank case. We also began prototyping a Rear Motor Mount (just released this week) for the Mazdaspeed 6 and have been running it on this car for quite some time now. The Rear Motor Mount made a noticable improvement in throttle response. Changes in the throttle are felt instantly now instead of a second later after the mounts have absorbed some of the torque.

With the speed6 now able to breathe in all of the cold air it wants combined with the free flowing exhaust we have seen some serious power improvements so we thought we’d move on to making some handling improvements to complement it. We added the ever so important CorkSport Front and Rear Sway Bars which improved the handling of the car exponentially. Next, we wanted to get the center of gravity down a bit which we accomplished with a set of H&R lowering springs. Now that the Mazdaspeed 6 had a proper stance we thought it looked a bit odd with the factory wheels so we threw on a set of factory RX8 wheels.

With future plans for this car in mind, we recently decided to upgrade from the CorkSport Top Mount Intercooler to the CorkSport Front Mount Intercooler for Short Ram Intake. Oh, and I can’t forget the ever important CorkSport license plate frames and the vinyl across the windshield (I’m pretty sure the vinyl added +5 HP).

There is a lot more to come with this car as we’re currently working on more prototypes for her that I can’t talk about yet, but all of you CorkSport fans with MS6’s, we haven’t forgotten about you and there are great new products on the way!

Until next time,

Dustin

October 19, 2012

Project Mazdaspeed 3 Update!

It has been awhile since we provided an update on the shop Mazdaspeed 3. Because we are in a constant state of development for Mazdaspeed 3 parts, our shop car always has parts moving on and off it.

We recently took the speed3 back to stock in order to baseline it on our new dyno. We have been building the car back out again with bolt ons to determine what our max power is on the stock turbo. The car is efficient enough that it can only run 18psi at redline and makes slightly more power at less boost which is interesting see on the dyno. For the final tune, we are running 26psi tapering to 17psi by redline. The peak torque is up 100ft.lbs over stock and really comes on hard. Overall we have seen a 36% increase in peak power and 50% increase in peak torque.

The next thing to do is figure out where the factory injectors die off. With only bolt-ons we are at 85% duty cycle to keep the air/fuel ratio in the 11 to 1 range. Generally a good rule of thumb is to not go over 85% so I can see a huge need for aftermarket injectors or a secondary fuel system.

As for the suspension, not only does the car run our coilovers, camber arms, prototype toe arms, front and rear swaybars, front and rear endlinks, and a few other braces but also some upcoming suspension components that include motor mounts and some others we will be announcing in the coming months.

With the power up and the handling on point, we needed to address stopping. We are currently using our prototype brake pads on the Mazdaspeed 3 and our Mazda 2. We went with a compound that is made for the daily driver. They don’t have to be heated up to work very well, will last longer, and stop better than the factory pads. They also dust less which is nice if you like keeping your wheels clean.

The interior is getting a prototype shift knob that should have come from the factory. How many times have you thought that the mazdaspeed3 or mazdaspeed6 shift knob just doesn’t match the rest of the red and black interior? After running a few aftermarket knobs, my biggest complaint was that most of them are made from machined aluminum. Aluminum is not only lighter than the factory weighted knob which makes shifting harder but the first time you grab a metal shift knob on a hot summers day and your skin is on fire you will never forget it. Proper shift knobs should be wrapped and weighted which ours will be and made to compliment the interior styling of the vehicle. Other than that the interior has not much changed.

The exterior is back to having the AutoEXE front bumper and is about ½” lower than it was last year which really shows off the 19” Advan RZ wheels.

Current mods:
Engine and Drivetrain
CorkSport Stage II Short Ram Intake
CorkSport FMIC for SRI Kit
CorkSport Cat Back Exhaust
CorkSport Catted Downpipe
CorkSport Silicone Radiator Hose Set
CorkSport Aluminum Skidplate
CorkSport Oil Catch Can

Suspension
CorkSport Adjustable Rear Swaybar
CorkSport Front Swaybar
CorkSport Coilovers
CorkSport Lower Tie Bar
CorkSport Trunk brace set
CorkSport Shifter Base Bushings
CorkSport Front Adjustable End Links
CorkSport Rear Camber Adjusters
CorkSport Braided Brake Lines
CorkSport Rear Adjustable Endlinks

Interior/Exterior Styling
CorkSport LED Light Kit
CorkSport Stub Antenna
CorkSport License Plate Frame
CorkSport Mud Flaps
J-Spec LED Tail Lights
CorkSport License Plate Relocation Kit
AutoExe Front Bumper
Advan RZ 19×8.5 wheels
Yokohama S-drive 235/35/19 tires

In Prototype
CorkSport Transmission Motor Mount
CorkSport Rear Motor Mount
CorkSport Rear Toe Adjusters
CorkSport Aluminum Coolant Expansion Tank
CorkSport Front/Rear Brake Pads

Brydon-

May 23, 2012January 11, 2020

Product Release! CorkSport Mazda CX-5 LED Lighting Kit

CorkSport is pleased to add the new Mazda CX-5 LED Lighting Kit to our growing list of products designed to enhance the look and performance of the new Mazda CX5 models!

This kit expands CorkSport’s line of LED light kits specifically designed for Mazda and Mazdaspeed model vehicles by adding a lighting kit that has been customized for the CX5 and designed to replace the standard yellowish lights with cool white/blue ambient light for an enhanced look in the interior of the vehicle and license plate lighting.

“We are the only Mazda Performance Company on the market right now that supports the new Mazda CX-5 models and SkyActiv technology,” said Rich Harris, President of CorkSport Mazda Performance, “The CorkSport Skyactiv Short Ram Intake, Skyactiv Exhaust for Mazda 3, and our new lighting kit represent just the beginning of what will be a full line of performance products to support the SkyActiv brand.”

The CorkSport Mazda CX5 LED Lighting Kit includes replacements for your dome light, map light, rear hatch and license plate bulbs and retains the interior dimming feature in the Mazda CX5. The bulbs emit a very white color with just a hint of blue that resides in the 6000-7000k color range.

This practical and attractive addition to the vehicle improves the look of the interior and generates less heat, will have a longer lifespan than the standard bulbs, and resists shocks and vibrations better.

This CorkSport Mazda CX5 LED Light Kit is an easy to install accessory that includes vehicle specific installation instructions and is at https://www.corksport.com/corksport-mazda-cx5-led-light-kit.html

May 18, 2012May 18, 2012

Hitting the Track

The time had come to see what the Mazda 2 could do at the track. The race weekend I signed up for was the Oregon Region SCCA April Showers Event which was a two day race. Each day there was a 20 minute qualifying session in the morning and a 25 minute race in the afternoon.

With the car being brand new to the race track, there were a few extras which were required so I showed up early. I had to get the Mazda 2 a log book and the car received a full tech inspection which included checking out the cage and safety equipment which takes some extra time. The car passed with flying colors and the cage received lots of compliments on the design and quality of the installation.

Saturday morning was looking like it would be a raining all day but the clouds cleared up and the sun came out in time for the new race slicks to be installed. This was the first time I had driven the 2 on a race compound tire which was an interesting experience. I let the tires warm up for the first lap of qualifying before I really started pushing the tires. The level of grip with the BF Goodrich R1S tires is outstanding on the 2. I was able to increase my speed through the corners as the qualifying session when on. I was able to drop the lap times from a 1:46 to a 1:40 which is a good start.

Out of the 23 cars which were in the run group I qualified 15th overall. Considering the cars in the run group this wasn’t too bad, 8 Porsches, a 350Z, a couple of STL and STU miatas, and 1976 HP Rabbit driven by Monte Shelton. Behind me were an ITJ Mazda Rx7 and a Ford Maverick and a few Porsches which finished less laps during the qualifying session. The Rx7 was the closest car in group to the Mazda 2, it was faster on the straights but the 2 was better in the corners. The maverick was really fast in the straights but horrible in the corners making it difficult to get around because it was all over the place.

We lined up Saturday afternoon and the race went as expected. There were two slower cars behind me as the faster cars slowly pulled away…ok, the Porsche GT3 disappeared really quick. He completed 18 laps to my 15 lap, due to a 20 second faster lap time. During the race I discovered several of the Porsches were slower than the Mazda 2 in corners. There were a few times when they would try to pull away in the corners and would get squirrely and have to slow down so I could get closer. Once the straights came up they would disappear down the track again and I would be back to checking my mirrors for the next fast car to come up on me again. The result of the first race in the 2 was 15th overall. The lap times were slower during the race which was a surprise to me. With letting the faster cars go past you give up some speed around the track.

On Sunday our run group was merged with another since there were only 3 cars running in the group. One of the more notables was a tube frame SPO Panoz which was running close to the same lap times as the Porsche GT3. Qualifying was improved over the day earlier, the lap times were consistently in the 1:42s to 1:40s with a best time of 140.527. The qualifying location came up 15th again in the run group with the ITJ Rx7 behind me again.

The race on Sunday was a smaller group as we lost a few cars in the morning qualifying. A bmw lost a connecting rod bearing and a few vehicle break downs which took out a few more cars. The race had 17 cars in it which gave more time for speed and less time getting out-of-the-way of the faster cars. The race itself has some interesting points. During the second lap the Panoz pulled off the track on a side road with the race being over. There was a 944 turbo which also suffered a failure and did not finish either. One of the laps one of the faster Porsches was catching up to me on the front straight. I had been working on braking into the corners later and later. With the approaching speed of the car I knew he wanted to get in front of me before the chicane. He found out that I could brake 100 feet later than he could as I watched him disappear from my vision on my right and I went through the corner first. It was an interesting feeling of satisfaction as I let him past me into corner 4 and I stuck with him through the rest of the corners until the straight came up again and he pulled away. The overall result from the race was 14th place overall.

The whole experience was a great first event and I learned a ton about the Mazda 2 and its characteristics at the limit. My goal for the next time out is to get the 2 into the 1:39s.

Derrick-

Pictures courtesy of Illiad Boyce and video courtesy of Brendan Hughes. Thank you both for the support and the footage!