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Featured Car of the Month – Mackey’s Mazda 3

The CorkSport Sponsored 2010 Mazda 3, driven by Josh Mackey, photographer and marketing specialist by day and Editor and Chief of NWMotiv.com by night, has gotten a lot of attention lately (including a feature in the December issue of Import Tuner Magazine), and for good reason. Mackey started his 2010 Mazda 3i Sedan project in June of last year with the goal of taking the mid-range sport compact car to the next level using a variety of styles and showcasing realistic modifications that anyone could do while maintaining a practical everyday car.

Mazda 3 driving fast

Josh was attracted to the Mazda 3 because of the loyal community and followers, the price point and the suspension that, even from the factory, was sportier and more fun than anything else he had test driven. Even so, he immediately set to work improving the suspension of the 3 by adding a CorkSport Front Strut Bar, CorkSport Lower Rear Sway Bar, and Stance USA GR+ Coilovers. He also replaced the tires and wheels with Konig Lace 18×8” +35 wheels and Hankook V12 215/40/18 Tires.

strut bar and sway bar by CorkSport

Mackey went with the 2.0 liter base model Mazda 3 so that he could design the car from the ground up by starting with the most common package that the everyday tuner might select, so when it came time to upgrade the engine and exhaust, Josh knew to get the vehicle to the next level he would need the trifecta of I/H/E (Intake, Header, and Exhaust).

He added the CorkSport Power Series Short Ram Intake and opted for the addition of the CorkSport Performance Power Series Cat Back Exhaust that features dual resonators, a single tailpipe design and a 60mm racepipe. He finished off the engine modifications with a MSDS 4:1 Ceramic Header.

corksport mazda exhaust pipe and cat back exhaust

Once the Mazda 3’s suspension and basic engine modifications were complete, adding the proper equipment to stop it was a no brainer so Josh went to work on some brake modifications with the CorkSport Stainless Brake Lines, EBC 3GD Zinc Coated Slotted Rotors, EBC Red Stuff Brake Pads and Motul Brake Fluid.

Mazda brake lines and suspension products

A fan of clean lines, Josh has also done some tasteful exterior modifications that include a 3M 1080 Carbon Wrapped Roof, V-LED Platinum LED bulbs and V-HID lighting, a CorkSport Front Plate Relocation Kit, Mazda Accessory Side Skirts and a 35% Matching front and rear tint.

Continuing with the same exterior design, Mackey wanted to make a point by taking his interior to a whole new level with a full leather installation provided by Katzkin Leather. Two-tone leather interior combining dark midnight grey leather that is stitched together with dark slate perforated suede is installed in both the front and rear seats and the door cards. Stage 2.0 of the build will focus on finishing the rest of the interior by wrapping the headliner and pillars in the same material. The rest of the interior is accented with 3M carbon wrap installed by Graphix by Tex and soon-to-be-installed SRP Racing two-tone aluminum racing pedals.

2nd Gen Mazda 3 Interior

This particular Mazda 3 did not come with the aftermarket BOSE system that most Mazda’s get from the factory. Mackey knew that if he wanted to take this project to the next level and maintain a competitive level with other Mazda’s in the industry, a completely new audio system would be needed. Diamond Audio provided a complete setup of front and rear component speakers, amps, and low-profile subwoofer. The entire system was expertly installed by James Anderson, all controlled by an Alpine In-Dash DVD/GPS Head unit.

Mazda 3 audio setup

What’s next for the NWmotiv Project 3? “Lots of tiny little things that need to be finished up, new bumper lenses, new wheels, front lip, maybe a dptune ecu upgrade” said Mackey “The NWMotiv Project3 takes everything that I’ve learned from the years. Clean lines, clean mods, nothing overdone, and everything tasteful.”

Mazda3 with mountain in background

If you want to follow Josh Mackey’s progress on his project3, you can check out his regular posts at https://www.nwmotiv.com

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Product Release! CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3/Mazda 3 Front End Links

CorkSport is pleased to announce the addition of the Mazda 3 and Mazdaspeed 3 Adjustable Front End Links to our growing list of suspension upgrades developed to enhance your Mazda’s performance.

Made to fit OEM and aftermarket front sway bars, the CorkSport Mazda 3 Mazdaspeed 3 Front Adjustable End Links allows customers to tune any sway bar and remove the preload commonly associated with the suspension.

“Adjustable end links will allow you to properly balance and tune your suspension to give you the best setup possible” Said CorkSport Engineer, Andrew Gilbert, “Our end links will reduce link flex and fatigue, increase sway bar effectiveness and allow for corner balancing suspension.”

The CorkSport adjustable front end links come in a black anodized finish and include an etched CorkSport logo for a custom and long lasting finish.

The CorkSport Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3 Front End Links can be purchased for the competitive price of $109.00 making this an easy to install and affordable upgrade for your vehicle.

For more information: https://www.corksport.com/corksport-mazdaspeed-3-front-adjustable-swaybar-end-links.html

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One Day Sale and So Much More!

The holiday shopping season is officially underway and to show our appreciation to our customers for their support and dedication throughout the year, we have rolled out NOT ONE but TWO promotions during the month of November!

We already reward our customers for shopping with CorkSport by providing 5% back in the form of rewards points to be used on any future purchase on CorkSport.com, but for the month of November, we have sweetened the pot! Purchase anything from CorkSport.com from November 5- November 30, 2011 and DOUBLE YOUR REWARDS POINTS. That’s right, all month long – 10% back when you purchase from CorkSport.com.

Now here’s where we really blow your mind! TODAY ONLY we have an 11/11/11 sale that gets you 11% off any CorkSport brand product you purchase on corksport.com! To receive your 11% discount, simply use coupon code ELEVEN11 during your checkout to get the discount applied to your order.

11% + DOUBLE REWARDS POINTS…that’s essentially 21% off CorkSport brand products all day long!

Some of you may be asking yourself, should I wait until CorkSport does a black Friday sale? Don’t wait CorkSport fans, our 11/11/11 sale will be the only one day sale of the month so take advantage today to get the best deal of the year!

Many of you may already have a laundry list of CorkSport products that you have been waiting to purchase, but some of you might be asking yourself right about now, “what’s new at CorkSport?” and I am here to tell you that we have something for everyone!

Today, we are officially rolling out our new black oxide hose clamps for the CorkSport Power Series Short Ram Intake. Now you can black out your intake and give your engine a stealth look with CorkSport’s black oxide T-bolt clamps for no additional charge. You asked, we answered, what more can we say.

Drive a Mazda 2 and thinking about suspension tuning? Great, because we just released the CorkSport Mazda 2 Front Sway Bar! It has been designed and tuned to compliment the CorkSport Mazda 2 Rear Torsion Bar and if you purchase the two as a kit you get an additional 10% off. That means you get 21% off your purchase and 10% back to spend later.

Any Mazdaspeed 6 drivers reading this post? We just released the all new CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Rear Sway Bar.

Mazdaspeed 3 drivers, if you’ve been waiting to upgrade to a FMIC, today just might be the day.

Again, we want to thank our loyal customers and the Mazda community for supporting CorkSport.

Happy Shopping!

-Gwynne

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Product Release! CorkSport Mazda 2 Front Sway Bar

CorkSport would like to announce a new addition to the CorkSport Mazda 2 line of suspension products, the Mazda 2 Front Sway Bar, developed to enhance Mazda 2 performance and handling.

The newly released Mazda 2 Front Sway Bar will reduce body roll during cornering and give the driver a crisper road feel. By strengthening the lower suspension connection across the front of the Mazda 2, the CorkSport Mazda 2 Front Sway Bar is able to reduce oversteer or understeer by complimenting other suspension upgrades and reduces body lean which keeps the outside tire in better contact with the ground in turns.

The Mazda 2 Front Sway Bar is made from CNC machined 7/8” 4130 steel tube and provides 60% more stiffness than stock front sway bar. The powder coated black finish offers long lasting durability and performance. The included polyurethane mounting bushings eliminate the sloppy handling caused by stock rubber bushings and offer long life and resistance to common contaminants that would destroy rubber bushings.

Thoroughly tested by CorkSport during autocross and recently listed in Mazda’s booth at SEMA 2011 in the concept Mazda 2 turbo car, the CorkSport Front Mount Sway Bar provides the Mazda 2 with a distinct racing advantage over stock sway bar and has been highlighted in publications such as Car Throttle, Autoweek, and Carbuzz.

The CorkSport Mazda 2 Front Sway Bar and has been tuned to compliment the CorkSport Mazda 2 Rear Torsion Bar and can be purchased as a kit for the competitive price of $268.20 or as an enhancement for your existing suspension upgrades for $199.00.

For more information about the CorkSport Mazda 2 Front Sway Bar, please visit the product page at https://www.corksport.com/corksport-mazda-2-front-swaybar.html

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SEMA & EECMM 2011 – Mazda Events and Car Shows East to West!

The CorkSport team has been on the road this week first sponsoring and attending the 5th annual EECMM (Epic East Coast Mazda Meet) held in Robbinsville, NC (think Tail of the Dragon) and then onto Las Vegas for the SEMA (specialty Equipment Market Association) show where more than 100,000 attendees and 2000 exhibitors met for four days at the largest annual automotive gathering and car show.

Appropriately named, EECMM was truly an epic event. Mazda enthusiasts from all over the east met up in Robbinsville, NC for five full days of cruising stretches of the famous Hwy 129, deals gap, a car show with awards and plenty of raffle prizes and evenings of BBQ’s and parties at the smoky mountain mansion with no shortage of good times had by all.

If you are not already familiar, the Tail of the Dragon is an 11 mile stretch with 318 curves and is America’s number one sports car road. The nearby Cherohala Skyway is another 60 miles of scenic mountain highway for the driving enthusiast to enjoy a more leisurely ride with it’s long, sweeping corners and scenic views.

CorkSport spent Saturday with the Epic crew. The car show featured about 60 cars and CorkSport was on hand with giveaways for the all of the attendees. Following the show the group went out for a ride on the Tail of the Dragon run while CorkSport prepared back at the mansion for a focus group. We then sat down with a group of customers and got the unique opportunity to gain feedback on what we are doing that works and what we can do to improve our products and services for the Mazda community. We stayed for some of the evening’s festivities, but had to run so we could catch an early flight out and onto Las Vegas the following morning.

What a great group of people and awesome event! If you haven’t made it to EECMM yet, you need to go! Keep posted on 2012’s event and stay connected on the EECMM facebook page.

Back to the other side of the country, SEMA kicked off on Monday.

Mazda had the MX-5 Spyder on display at this year’s show. This Lighterweight version of the Miata ditches the heavier retractable roof and in its place had a single-panel bikini soft top made by Haartz. Weight savings came in other forms as well with a light weight lithium ion racing battery and light weight Advan RS wheels. It got a the 2.0 liter 4-cylinder turbo enabled biofuel engine which promotes the greener direction Mazda is moving in.

As promised, the concept Mazda 2 turbo was also on display at the show with a Speed3 263-horsepwer turbocharged, direct-injected MZR 2.3 Liter engine under the hood.

The body gets a track-ready look, thanks to a body kit, some ground effects and the Sonic White tri-coat paint job with a black and green accents. Also included on the concept car were HR coilovers, CorkSport Mazda 2 Sway Bars, CorkSport front tower brace, CorkSport rear chassis brace, CorkSport rear torsion bar, a modified CorkSport SRI from a Mazdaspeed 3 and Yokohama Neova 215/40/17 tires with OZ racing wheels.

If you can’t wait for the Mazdaspeed2 to go into full production, the concept car built by Autobarn for the one lap of America race is available for purchase for an astounding ticket price of $94,999.

The booth also had a slightly less modded Mazda2 tuned by 3dCarbon, a MX-5 Super 20 custom and a classic Cosmo on display.

Flat-finished paint was all the rage at this year’s show and was embraced by hotrods and custom cars alike. The level of flatness/gloss ranged in scale from matte to reduced sheen and was available in every color from pearl white to bright orange.

There was a lot to be seen at this show. It could not possibly all be covered in this post, but an honorable mention extends to the new Lamborghini LP700-4 Aventador in the Pirelli booth. It has a v12 engine and can achieve 700 HP and top speeds of 270 mph. It was hard to resist falling in love with it!

The show continues today with Derrick still in attendance who I am sure will follow this post with some thoughts of his own from the show.

It’s been a long week, but it is always great to get out and and get to know our customers better, put faces to names, and find out what’s going on in the community.

Gwynne –