News | CorkSport Mazda Performance Blog

March 5, 2010

Portland Auto Show AKA Derrick checks out the Mazda 2

I went to the Portland Auto Show a few weekends ago to see the new cars for the upcoming year, I know we’ve talked about it already but I really wanted to talk about it. Ok, ok you got me, I really just want another opportunity to talk about / drool over the Mazda 2. Mazda brought a standard model green version to the show. They had it on a fancy display pedestal surrounded with one of those black rope separators you use to keep people in line at the bank.

My first thought after seeing the car in person is “small”. Seeing it in pictures and looking at one in person gives you a better scale of a vehicle size. If you haven’t seen a Mazda 2 in person it is bigger than a 88-92 Ford Festiva but smaller than a 90-94 323 hatchback.

On the outside the cars lines look better than pictures have shown. I walked around the car checking it out from all angles and I couldn’t find a spot that look off or I would want to change right off the bat. The wheels they used on the Mazda 2 are a good looking 8 spoke wheel.

One thing I did not see was the cool looking tail lights that can bee seen on the Japanese models. You can see the LED pattern in the tail light housing below. If they are not an option for North America we will be importing the lights.

I wasn’t allowed to hop in the car but I was able to get a good look at the inside. It is roomy for a small car. The inside of the car says Mazda 3. The trim, and design of the interior will make any Mazda 3 owners feel right at home. I had a chance to ride in a 2008 model tuned by AutoExe in Tokyo several years ago. The interior looks really close to the earlier models not sold in North America. Mazda says the interiors for the North America models will be upgraded and have a better feel. I am thinking this will be quality of materials more than styling.

Last but not least Mazda was giving away cool cans of Mazda 2 energy drink! They told me it tastes like Red Bull but I and going to save this souvenir.

Can -O-Zoom

While I was at the show I checked out the Ford Fiesta to see how close it was to the 2 since they share the same platform. The fit and finish of the Ford left something to be desired. From the exterior to the interior styling you can see where Mazda had put in little touches to make the car look or perform better. Even the exhaust on the Mazda 2 looked better constructed than the Fiesta.

After my trip to the auto show I can say I still want a Mazda 2 and I can’t wait to get one.

– Derrick

February 11, 2010February 5, 2010

2010 MS3 Cold Air Box Prototype Testing

Just got done doing the initial testing on our prototype cold air box for the 2010 MS3. We put a box together that is a bit different from our existing boxes on the previous generation vehicles.

Previously, we closed out the entire front corner of the engine compartment with the box. With the 2010, the fuse block is in that vicinity and there’s a large wiring harness that crosses over the boundary region where we profiled for the box edge. We were also curious to see if we could build an efficient box that would allow our customers to retain access to the headlight assembly and fuse block for quick bulb and fuse changes.

We’ve done three extended runs on the 2010 MS3 with Cold Air Box and come to some interesting conclusions. In previous tests on the MS3 and MS6, we found that the dynamic pressure zones under the hood of the vehicle can be counter-intuitive as to the areas that provide cold air and/or allow ingress of hot underhood air into the filter.

The first run with a box that had multiple areas of access to the hot zones in the engine compartment was surprisingly successful. On a 51F day, we hit a 40+ degree max differential between underhood (immediately outside the box) and filter surface temperatures. Not bad! On the hotter days (86F) this summer when we were running the tests on our MS6 we hit around 35 degrees max thermal delta.

The next test we performed was with a number of the holes and reliefs in the box (clearance around the silicone coupler, closeout to the headlight assembly and a clearance hole for the recirculation valve) shored up and sealed off, we took the car out for another run this morning (waiting specifically until the outside air temp hit 51 again). We were hoping to get to ambient air temperature, which would have been a 60 degree temperature differential. Just like the MS6 tests last year, we got close, but stopped short at 5 degrees above ambient for a maximum in the box to out of the box temperature differential of 51 degrees F.

Wanting to see that 5F disappear, we went berserk and busted out our mad Scotch packing tape fabrication skills and sealed the entire box off to body and inner fenderwell. Absolutely no change. Which was honestly a relief. The simpler we are able to make the design, the more margin we have to spend on the aesthetic design and provide our customers with design that looks as seamless as possible with the factory underhood environment. Justin did a great job with the initial mockup, matching the contour of the factory intercooler cover, but we’ve got a ways to go. Next step is to pull the box out, bust out the bondo and shaping tools to fine tune the look and feel of the box. Meanwhile I’ll be chucking some delrin up in the lathe to knock out some fittings and fasteners as well as fabricating some finished brackets to ensure a solid fit with the OEM airbox grommets, battery box and radiator crossmember.

Finally, I need to make some phone calls and get some quotes on a pre-preg Carbon Fiber lid as well as a Dry Carbon lid. We’d love to make this a reality, but the numbers confirm or deny the reality of that option.

I know you’ve all waited a long time for this and it’s been for good reason -we want to raise the bar with this design and we’re excited to make it a reality.

– Jason

January 29, 2010September 13, 2018

Mazda Racing Around the World

I enjoy reading up on how Mazdas are being raced around the planet and seeing how teams use their tools (in this case Mazdas) to race it out with the other manufacturers. There are plenty or examples out there but I want to show just a few from overseas.

Starting off in Australia, the Bathurst 12 hour race is set to take place on Feb 12-14th. In Class C performance hatches and sedans there will be a pair of Mazda MPS 3 (Mazdaspeed 3 to us in North America) being raced by Osborne Motorsport. Hopefully there will be no off course adventures like in the past where Len Cave rolled his car 9 times. The good part is Len walked away from the wreck, the bad part the car was a write off.

New Zealand’s GTRNZ race series had a win by Brian Gray in the GT2 class recently He is running a “made it myself” RX-7 which features a 26B 4 rotor, 6 speed Holinger gearbox and a winter quick change rear diff. If you have never heard a 4 rotor, it is an incredible sound; it really reminds me of a Formula 1 engine at higher RPM. Picture credit goes to Dave Ayers below.

On the Japanese front, Knightsports placed 2nd in a battle during the Macao Grand Prix in the Road Sport Challenge. It was a great race and it came down to Tanigawa in his RX-8 and Sun Tan in a Mitsubishi Evolution at the end. You can see the video from the race here. The end of the race came down to less than a half a second between the two drivers. If Tanigawa had another lap I think he could have passed Sun for the win.

So what are you waiting for? Get your Mazda out there and join in the fun! Even a local autocross event or a high performance driving school or event can provide you with a chance to see what your Mazda can really do.

– Derrick

January 26, 2010September 13, 2018

I-Stop

Mazda has developed a system for the DISI direct injected engine which allows the engine to turn off when you come to a stop. When you push the throttle again the vehicle starts back up smoothly and you continue on your way. Why is this important you ask? The biggest reason is the fuel savings. In city driving it seems (and feels to me) like you spend more time at stop lights than actually moving. While sitting at the stop light your car is running and burning fuel. Mazda decided to do something, and make the car not run while stopped to save fuel. Mazda says the i-stop system can improve fuel economy by as much as 10%.

The picture below is from Mazda’s webpage and it shows the i-stop system and how it functions.

When you come to a stop the car turns off at a precise point, this allows the i-stop to turn back on smoothly. Because the motor is direct injected the system is able to restart in .35 seconds when you touch the throttle to move again. Mazda says this is half the time that conventional electric motor systems take. In reality, .35 seconds would be pretty tough to notice when you hit the throttle in your car.

You can gain up to 10% better fuel economy with a system that is invisible to the driver, what’s not to like? The 10% fuel savings is made during the Japanese government drive tests to rate fuel economy. The Japanese testing is different from how the US EPA does fuel testing, which results in a .25 mile per gallon increase with the i-stop system in place. Mazda has been discussing this with the EPA, and trying to get the testing changed but so far nothing has come out of it. With the gains not showing up with EPA testing Mazda is not sure if they will be offering the i-stop system in the North America. The extra cost and not being able to market the improvement is the biggest factor, because the US EPA testing does not allow for accurate estimations of gains. Cross your fingers the EPA will be willing to adjust their methods or we will get left out from one of Mazda’s good ideas.

I am hoping the system is available when the Mazda 2 arrives this summer. You could get a decent 40+ MPG car that you wound not be ashamed to drive every day.

– Derrick

January 21, 2010January 22, 2010

Attack of the Smile!

Mazda is continuing to keep the smiles coming for the entire product line. The 2011 Mazda 5 will be shown at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in March. The new model really gets the Nagare styling (Nagare means flow in Japanese) even more so than the upcoming Mazda 2 and current Mazda 3.

So why am I writing about the Mazda 5? The new models that come out point to styling changes and show the direction Mazda is headed for future models. There is a chance for a new RX-7 in the future, and this gives us some idea of what kind of styling we can expect from Mazda. Overall I like the look of the new 5. The flowing lines on the side break it up a bit and it looks less like a box compared to the current model.

The most interesting item I see when I look at the new model is that I almost see a knife/sword image in the flowing style of the van. In the above pictures it really stands out. It makes me wonder what Mazda is saying.

– Derrick