Keeping you up to date with the latest CorkSport Mazdaspeed news!
Category: News
Looking to find out about the latest Mazda news, Performance parts news, and future Mazda performance products. We also love to speculate about new models being released.
Renderings, Concepts, Images and Rumors about the Next MX5
Mazda recently released an official image of the next 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata. Sadly, it is blanketed. So though we can tell the overall shape of the car (spoiler alert, it looks like a car) we can’t see much else. What we can do though is speculate.
Here is the official Mazda image:
Now, though we all probably want a fancy, blanket draped MX-5, I have a feeling that some of us plan to actually drive it, and not keep it under wraps in our garage. So, I decided to pull from the web some next generatino renderings of the MX-5. Which one do you think most resembles Mazda’s official image?
But, moving on. If you’ve had enough of renderings, let’s check out the engine. This shot of an engine bay is supposedly from a source that found the little Miata mule at a port on the west coast months ago. The big news here is that it’s a turbo. The question, is if this is going in the Miata for real, or if it’s going in the Fiat/Alfa since Mazda has partnered with them. (source)
So, though we leave you today with nothing but more rumors and speculation, we again see some pretty solid evidence of a good looking, and possibly turbocharged, 2016 MX5 Miata.
Oh, and don’t forget this video from Mazda.
(P.S. do you hear a turbo?)
Until Next Time
-Spencer
All the 2016 Mazda MX5 Renderings We Can Find September 13th, 2018Derrick Ambrose
We talk a lot about the next Mazdaspeed, will it be AWD, will it be FWD, will it be a 3? the 6? a 2? Though little is known or confirmed, I want to point out a few things we DO know as a fact.
Mazda has been working on their SkyActiv D engines for a few years. They have already shown their SkyActiv D engines, they even race them. What many people fail to realize it that the SkyActiv D runs in the Mazda 6 with a two-stage turbocharger.
The two-stage turbocharger gives you the best of both worlds, it will run a smaller turbo in the low RPM range in order to give you more power and cut emissions, then at higher RPM ranges it flips a lever and runs the bigger turbo to produce more power with no noticeable lag between the two. According to Mazda’s own website “SKYACTIV-D utilizes a two-stage turbocharger in which one small and one large turbo are selectively operated according to driving conditions.” (Source)
What else do we know? Well, Mazda has been actively racing the SkyActiv D engines in several endurance races. This is a mildly modified version of the SkyActiv D that is known to put down about 400hp.
So why would Mazda try and rework a new regular gas powered engine with a turbocharger for the next speed? Why not take the 400 hp Two-Stage turbo diesel that they already have, and pull a little power from it, and release it as a street legal vehicle?
More questions: Why has the SkyActiv D release been delayed? Is it emissions related? According to Mazda their engines pass with flying colors, no treatment necessary. So it can’t be that. In fact when the SkyActiv D was delayed Mazda spokesman Jeremy Barnes was quoted as saying: Skyactiv technology can meet it [emissions] — and it can — but the challenge is engineering a car that delivers the kind of performance that a Mazda needs to have and we’re unable to do that given where we are right now.”
Wait a minute. So what you are saying is that the 2.2L passes emissions, (source) but doesn’t have enough performance? If Mazda has already passed the emissions testing for the engine then why delay it. We know they have released it in the CX-5 in other markets, they even confirmed they will be releasing it in the Mazda 3 in Australia come September. (Source) Along with this the CX-5 has been selling in Japan at a rate of “four 2.2L SKYACTIV-D purchases for every one 2.0L SKYACTIV-G.” (Source) So why would they work on a turbo gasoline variant when the Diesels (which already have a turbo) are already clearly being sold at such a significantly greater rate? My answer? I don’t think they will.
So what’s the delay. My guess is that they plan on announcing the SkyActiv D release date at the same time as the performance oriented version, the Mazdaspeed SkyActiv D which may be a variant of the engine seen above. Even the SkyActiv D that is currently running in the CX-5 pushes 310 lb ft of torque and 173 hp. Still impressive, especially that torque! Imagine bumping the hp by even 100 and the torque would be incredible!
Last but not least, check out these two videos from Mazda that were released almost 2 years ago. Starting at minute 2 they say some interesting things.
https://youtu.be/cK5SQkEUBdo?t=2m
“An exceptionally high redline or 5200rpm. When we were done we had created a beast … delivers the driving performance of a 4.0L V8.”
A 4.0L V8!! Just do a quick google search for standard HP from common 4.0L V8s and you should be more than impressed with the results. Is this Mazda teasing us and we just failed to notice?
In the long run, whether we get a Mazdaspeed version of the SkyActiv D or not, I can’t wait until it hits our shores for good. Let’s hope it’s soon!
Until next Time,
-Spencer@CorkSport
2016 Diesel Mazdaspeed 3 Rumors December 18th, 2017Derrick Ambrose
We all know Mazda has been working on Diesels for the US market, and that they have already been released in Europe, Australia and other places. We also have seen Mazda’s electric Demios (Mazda 2). Well, now we have just heard from torquenews.com that Mazda might be releasing a Diesel Hybrid.
Mazda hopes to release a vehicle that can hit a greater gas mileage than the Prius C (50mpg) which is the leading seller in Japan (known as the Aqua). Of course, we are doubting that even if this wonder vehicle gets created that we would ever see it in the US, but we can hope. At this point we are still hoping for Mazda to simply release the Diesel CX-5 and Diesel Mazda 6.
Would you trade the extra emissions of a diesel vehicle, for the extra emissions it also produces? If you keep an eye on the current cars that Mazda is racing, we see that the most prominently featured are all diesels. Whether it is the several Mazda 6’s racing with their Skyactiv-D engine, or the Mazda Prototypes #00 and #70 (source) Mazda is definitely focusing on their diesels.
Ultimately we know one thing, the Hybrid Diesel won’t be making it to our shores anytime soon, and it’s unlikely it would make it before their standard diesel.
Mazda to Offer Diesel Hybrids September 13th, 2018Derrick Ambrose
Just this morning some images of the next generation, or ND, MX-5 were posted to the internet. There are some interested aspects that can be seen through the camouflage cover it is wearing. Most noticeable is that large backend! We also notice the front seems to slope significantly more than the current generation, and of course, that it’s a soft top. We assume there will be plenty of room in that giant bottom though to fit a PRHT (Power Retractable Hard Top) as an option. It certainly appears to be bigger, and smaller, all at the same time.
I could speculate more on the shape and style, but I’ll just leave these photos here for you to see:
Though the lines are hard to tell thanks to the camo wrap, we also had a teaser from Mazda of the car hidden under a blanket cover. You can see some of the lines more distinctly, though they only give a rear shot.
I think it’s looking good so far, and can’t wait to see it for real! Stay tuned for more info and the official release on September 3rd!
-Spencer@CorkSport
P.S. If you missed this sneak peak video, you might want to check it out!
2016 Mazda Miata MX5 Spy Shots December 18th, 2017Derrick Ambrose
If you’re a car enthusiast that wants performance, reliability, and of course cost effective upgrades, then Mazdaspeed injector seals should be on your wish list…wait doesn’t everybody want that for their Mazda? I think so; let me tell you why…
As car enthusiasts, we all ultimately seek more power. It starts with an air intake, and then we need more fuel, which leads to the high flow pump internals, but that only scratches the surface. Oh, then, Mr. Cobb finds himself plugged into your OBD II port, and you’re running 20+ psi, grinning ear-to-ear. It’s OK; we are all guilty, some more than others, but something has to give, and so it does. What that is that gives, well, it’s easy to miss because your car is smart and compensates for it, but it’s happening. You’ve got bad injector seals! Don’t believe me? I’ll prove it!
You have probably run across injector seals while shopping for various other parts but didn’t pay attention to them. Essentially, they are fancy little cups that fit over the nozzle of the injector. Now for the real question: have you ever seen an OEM injector seal? Doubtful. They are tiny steel washers designed to crush and seal…the stock ones are pitiful.
What happens when a seal doesn’t seal? All of your hard earned power escapes around it, making a mess of the injector and fuel rail. Look below you’ll see that the injector ports in the cylinder head are filthy.
Starting on the left, the injector port is clean and shiny like freshly machined aluminum. Now look at the port farthest to right; black as night and a bit gritty. That seal gave up before the rest and I have a sneaking suspicion that it has to do with the EGR going through mainly that cylinder, but we will save that for another day. Here is a close up of the dirty injector before and after a scotchbrite rub down.
Now that is a big difference huh! Do you believe me yet? Maybe? Let’s compare the seals…
Look at that picture below and let that sink in…
New CorkSport Mazdaspeed Seals:
Mazdaspeed OEM Seals:
Are you flabbergasted like I am? Huge difference! So, why do the differences matter? First off, it’s no longer just a washer with one sealing surface. It’s a cup, so it seals in the OEM location AND along the side of the cup. That’s not all! The secret is in the design (which is all thanks to @Tokay444; from MazdaSpeedForums.org). Here is how it works. The lip at the bottom of the cup is flared just a bit so that it crushes down tight against the cylinder head, and as it crushes down it also crushes outward, pushing against the wall of the port much like an O-ring.
These four little beryllium copper cups are cheap and reliable, but how do they improve performance? Let’s go back to our power hungry example running 20+ psi; with blow-by around the injector seal. That leak has now disappeared, which means if it’s not escaping there then it must be doing “something”. That “something” is more power to your wheels and a happy MZR. Our previous dyno testing with the OEM seals and 21psi were never consistent, declining with each consecutive run. Our new seals restore that decline, each dyno pull now falls on the previous line perfectly and that was in 90+ degree weather.
Have I convinced you yet? Stay tuned for part 2; we are going to put some hard miles on the Mazdaspeed3 and then inspect the seals.
