Posts

Posted on

Derrick Ambrose and the Ultimate Mazda Performance Guide

Recently our own Derrick Ambrose here at CorkSport released a book about modifying Mazda’s titled The Ultimate Mazda Performance Guide. I sat down to speak with him about it.

Front cover of the Ultimate Mazda Performance Guide CorkSport

CorkSport (Joel): Derrick, first off let’s get the bias questions out of the way. Obviously you work here so many will assume this is just a book to sell CorkSport parts. What is it exactly that you do at CorkSport?

Derrick: Thanks Joel, in addition to being one of the founders, I am the Sales and Motorsports manager.

CorkSport: What made you decide to write a book about Mazda Performance and why?

Derrick: I really just wanted to give some of the new enthusiasts some of the knowledge that I have gained about Mazda’s from my involvement with them since the mid 90’s. Many people are just now buying their first Mazda and don’t really know where to begin. I wanted to help ease them into what they really need to know. It can be quite scary for some to jump into modifying or go into the forums and not know anything.

CorkSport: We know all about the forums haha.

Derrick: Exactly, the purpose of the book was to help give people a path and empower them with information that may take a lot of years or a lot of searching to find. I didn’t want it to just be about selling CorkSport parts, we actually mention, and feature, many non-CorkSport parts in the book. That being said, I’m very proud of CorkSport and what we have done to help the Mazda community.

Inside pages of the Mazda Performance Guide CorkSport

CorkSport: So who is this book really for?

Derrick: I wrote this guide for the beginner to intermediate enthusiast that really wants to learn more and really get the most bang for their buck. I wanted to answer some of the most common questions I’ve seen on the forums and in person. If you have changed your turbo or are cross-weighing your coil-overs, you are probably past this book in terms of technical ability. I did however, include many sources for additional information, contacts and even a brief history of Mazda itself; which is a topic I may even write another book on for the true Mazda fanatic.

CorkSport: I see, what do you think was the most challenging thing about creating a book?

Derrick: Everything, (laughs). When you have no idea what you’re doing, it takes a LOT more time than you could ever imagine. I was lucky to have a lot of help from some truly amazing people and am very grateful to all of them. Writing a book is a much bigger endeavor than I would have every thought, but having an actual piece of history afterwards is truly a special moment. Having that glossy cover in my hands, seeing the ISBN on the back and knowing that I will be in the Library of Congress forever is just an amazing feeling. It’s weird how just making a book can make you feel patriotic, but it really did. I honestly cannot wait to write another book.

CorkSport: Well hopefully we can talk you into signing a few for us and we look forward to help making the next one. Thanks for letting us get a little more insight into this great addition to the Mazda community.

Derrick: Thanks, I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did making it. If just one person gets the mod bug I did when I was younger because of this book then I will be happy.

Posted on

Grams Per Second Explained

At CorkSport we’ve had a lot of questions over the years about mass airflow (MAF) signals. Including some great discussions about a pesky measurement called grams per second (g/s) and what that really means. There is a lot of interesting misinformation out there that we have heard and wanted to take the time to explain how grams per second actually work and what it really translates to. To understand what grams per second really is, we will first discuss where the reading comes from.

CorkSport Mazda SkyActive Short Ram Intake CX5 Mazda 6

When you are logging a MAF signal you have a few options. One is MAF voltage and one is MAF signal. They are really the same thing, just expressed in different ways. The MAF sensor itself is a 5-volt system that gets a signal from the air traveling in the MAF housing. A typical MAF sensor uses a wire or film that is heated electrically. The incoming air cools the element to which the sensor has to regulate; this regulation lets the ECU know how much air is going through the engine. This voltage is then converted in a table stored in the ECU (Engine Control Unit) and this is where you get your g/s reading.

Picture of MAF sensor from Mazdaspeed 3

Now for the fun part: when you purchase an aftermarket short ram intake the MAF housing shape and diameter determine the voltage reading and thus the g/s reading. If the housing has been engineered correctly then the reading should be fairly close to the factory reading. Often the factory runs cars on the rich side for fueling when they are in open loop. The sizing of the MAF can be adjusted to create more power at the top of the rev range by leaning out the air/fuel mixture. The MAF signal also is a major part of calculating load values which control timing and most other functions of the engine. This is not a part that should be taken lightly or changed indiscriminately. In our extensive testing we have found that even half a millimeter in diameter of a MAF can cause measureable differences.

The g/s reading can also be used to check power-increasing mods such as exhaust or intercoolers. If you log power runs you can see the g/s increase with different mods. Although, be careful when comparing data on the same car. If you aren’t testing on the same day or conditions you can see slight differences because of air density or other environmental conditions. Unfortunately, when you want to compare different intakes you will not be able to show an apples-to-apples comparison. Because the MAF housings are not the same sizes between brands the signal will be different. If you check a MAF housing that is larger than stock you will read less g/s and one that is smaller you will read more g/s. Simply put, when comparing different intakes or any other factors that are different: Grams per Second does not equal power.

 

CorkSport MAF Housing

With all the complications in making a MAF to perform exactly how you want, we chose a one-piece fully machined aluminum MAF housing. This way you can precisely control quality and sizing. Then by creating an air straightener that is injection molded, we can have the most control over our MAF signals. There can often be issues with purchasing lesser quality MAFs housings that are welded together or bolted to pipes. Not only can you have leaks but you cannot preserve the shape perfectly. Look for more intake articles and an explanation of what a big MAF intake is and when you actually need one soon.

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

* indicates required

You may also like:

Posted on

Why Durometer Doesn’t Matter

What is durometer and what does it mean? If you know what it is, when does it actually matter? Every day at CorkSport we are asked this question. Many times, we are told that many of you assume that the higher the durometer or something attached to a car, the more noise and vibration will be transmitted into the passenger compartment. This however, is not always the case.

CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3 Race Rear motor mount

 

Durometer is the measure of the hardness of a material. The higher the number, the harder the material is. When talking about rubber or polyurethane, you will often hear durometer numbers between 60a and 90a. There are several scales for the measurement of durometer, in the case of bushings, you will almost always hear about the Shore A scale. The letter at the end of the rating will tell you which scale you are rating.

When designing engine mounts or suspension pieces, the durometer can be very important, but the shape and how the piece is used can be even more important. The overall durometer number will give you the first idea of how much vibration the mount or bushing might transmit, but this can easily feel different depending on the surface area used.

If you have an engine mount that has to fit a certain area and you decide to design it with a very small bushing, or a bushing that has to do more than just isolate the two parts, you can end up transmitting a lot more vibration. If you compare a 1” diameter bushing and a 2” diameter bushing you don’t end up with double the amount of surface area, you actually increase the surface area by 4 times! That isn’t the only way bushings work though. Depending on the direction of the force, you could use a bushing much smaller and obtain a much better isolation than one with a bigger available surface area subjected to more force. In many cases, only the durometer of the bushing is taken into consideration when many mounts are designed; not how the bushing is used, its size or the forces applied to it.

CorkSport Passenger Side Motor Mount

Recently I was asked by Kevin Pugh (the owner of MazdaSpeed Forum) the durometer of a mount we released. I replied to him; “it doesn’t really matter, but I will tell you anyway”. We had a good laugh and talked about many of these points; and because of that conversation this blog post was born. Much like many of the topics on the CorkSport blog, we recognize the market and what is important to you. This information is as important to you as it is to us, and whether you buy our entire catalog or just read our blog and stay stock, we always want to be of service to the Mazda community that we have been dedicated to since 1998.

Cheers,

Joel

Posted on

CorkSport invades Orange County Choppers!!!

Mazda OCC Meet

This weekend Derrick and I left the eerily sunny northwest on a red-eye flight and touched down to a sunny Newark (seriously, what are the odds?)
After collecting our Dodge Avenger from Enterprise we set off for Newburgh New York. A short 70 miles and many conversations about how Chrysler is still in business we arrived at the Hilton Garden Inn which thankfully is within stumbling distance of OCC.

The entrance to Orange County Choppers

A quick shower and a change of clothes later, we crossed the parking lot only to be met by some of the finest Mazdas in the area along with some of the finest tuners and tuning companies for the Mazda community. We met up with a few of our sponsored drivers (Steve Kritzberg and Matt Kellogg) and then touched base with the leader of the event, Storm Sasaki and set out to talk to some fine folks.

Storm, Joel and Kritz

As you can see by the pictures, OCC featured almost every kind of Mazda you could imagine and really brought out a lot of cars. Obviously with the popularity of the Mazdaspeed 3 in recent years, that car was VERY well represented. The atmosphere at OCC is very laid back, with everyone anxious to see what the next trends are and hoping to meet some of the people they have befriended on the forums in real life. I personally was able to finally put some faces to names of some very incredible people and felt very lucky to encounter a few other that I didn’t know but now am proud to have spoken with.

Steve Kritzberg's Fastest stock turbo Mazdaspeed 3

After a short lunch at the OCC cafe (which has a surprisingly good Rueben sandwich) we were back out into the sun. With over 200 cars on hand, there was quite a bit to keep any Mazda fan busy.

A Mazda 3 at CorkSport OCC meet

Miata at CorkSport OCC meet

Mazdaspeed 6 at CorkSport OCC meet

Mazdaspeed 3 at CorkSport OCC Meet

After the raffle (where lucky contestants won everything from CorkSport gift certificates to a new set of tires from Continental) with the sun sinking low into the sky we headed to a restaurant and spent a good few hours having a great time with many other Mazdaheads. The rest of the night went very quickly with a parking lot roundtable discussion and somehow ended with us partying with a group of newlyweds at the Hilton.

The next day we hit the road to head to the famous Long Island (pronounced Lon Guyland) to hang out with Steve and Matt. Steve showed us the amazing repairs he had done to his house after hurricane Sandy and then showed us the destruction to the famous boardwalk that has yet to be repaired. It was truly amazing what that storm did to the town, but even more amazing was the way the town pulled itself back up and seemed to be just as New York as it had ever been!

Lido Beach Boardwalk

Finally, before we headed back to the airport, no trip to New York is complete without a visit to a Kosher deli. Luckily, Steve knew just the place. The Lido Kosher Deli left Derrick and me speechless. The pickles, the slaw, the hot pastrami on rye… If you’re ever looking for a discount on CorkSport gear, you can get both of us to do just about anything to taste that food again.

Lido Beach Deli

Inside the Lido Beach Kosher Deli

It was with heavy hearts (and bloated stomachs) we got on our plane knowing that this was the last OCC meet and that we had to leave New York behind, but Storm is already planning the next meet and you can bet your short ram intake that we will be there! Thanks again to everyone who made this possible and everyone who came out… and anyone who wants to overnight us some Pastrami…

Cheers,

Joel

 

 

Posted on

CorkSport B-Spec World Domination!!!

CorkSport Mazda 2 on trailer
Last weekend CorkSport headed to the second SCCA majors event of the season held at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in California. A “short” 15 hour drive and we arrived in sunny California with a full crew and a driver hopped up on Red Bull ready to go.

CorkSport Mazda 2 competition

The competition for the weekend was stiff as Honda brought out a few factory backed B-Spec Fits to be driven by workers in the racing program, along with some T4 Civics to see how well they would do in the heat of battle. Our driver and fearless race leader Derrick had never driven at Buttonwillow and the track configuration did not favor the Mazda 2 which is down almost 15hp to the Fit’s; with that in mind, practice was of the utmost importance.

CorkSport map of Buttonwillow

As you can see from the map, there are a few long straights that are an advantage for the Fit’s and the fastest portion of the track is Riverside which is taken flat out (if you have the guts).

On Saturday there was a practice session which Derrick took advantage of to learn the track and prepare for qualifying just a few short hours later. Right off the bat Derrick was laughing like a madman through the radio after spinning the car coming over Phil hill, which he seemed to think was hilarious. I suppose the thought of being able to actually spin a 100hp car on racing slicks is pretty impressive. After settling down he managed to set one of the fastest practice laps of the day.

Derrick Ambrose in CorkSport Mazda 2 racecar

After a quick inspection of the car we were back out on the track for qualifying. B-Spec cars are usually the slowest group of cars on the track and Derrick usually stays towards the back of the pack in qualifying so he can get a clean lap without traffic. Derrick used this approach to get a decent lap and was able to qualify in 2nd between two Fit’s.

Derrick Ambrose trohpy presentation with CorkSport Mazda 2 race car

After the green flag waved, Derrick was able to hold his position despite the power of the Fit behind him and challenged the faster Fit for the lead. With just one lap to go the CorkSport Mazda 2 B-spec car was reeling in the more powerful Fit and got within 3-4 car lengths before traffic got in the way. In the end, Derrick had to settle for 2nd place but learned Buttonwillow and a little bit more about the CorkSport Mazda 2 B-Spec car. Derrick is currently 4th in the standings for the entire west coast and we look forward to more quality finishes and more trophies in his office for us to shoot spitballs at.