Mazda and Mazdaspeed Performance Blog

March 14, 2011March 18, 2011

PRESS RELEASE: CorkSport Front Strut Bar for the 2010-2011 MazdaSpeed 3

CorkSport’s Front Strut Tower Bar for the 2010+ MazdaSpeed 3 is a direct bolt-on Aluminum brace that stiffens up the front-end of your vehicle. The bar is made from polished aircraft grade 6061 aluminum and utilizes stock mounting locations. The brace is optimized using an extruded and CNC bent cross member with laser cut mounting plates for a precise fit.

The bar installs in under one half hour and only requires the removal and reinstallation of six (6) 14mm hex head bolts.

Features:
The CorkSport Front Strut Tower Bar utilizes the factory strut mounting locations to maximize the effectivness of the bar. The bar features a polished aluminum design with our CorkSport Logo located on the top side of the bar (can be removed if desired). The one-piece design maximizes the stiffness of the bar and ensures easy installation. Custom anodization or powdercoating can also be done upon request to match other parts in your engine bay.

Our one-piece strut tower bar design has been proven effective to reduce slalom times when tested at a local autocross event. (https://www.corksport.com/PDFs/Shock_Tower_Brace.pdf ).

Testing:
The CorkSport Front Stut Tower Bar has gone through several iterations of design and has been tested on our own vehicle to ensure fit, form, and function. The bar increases stiffness and reduces chassis flex in the front end of the vehicle by tying load points together (strut towers).

March 10, 2011March 4, 2011

Broad Horizons

Since the arrival of the 2nd generation MazdaSpeed 3, we have developed and released numerous parts for many happy customers. After reading through several of your product idea submissions, we are trying to make sure we get several products in the pipeline for vehicles that we may not offer as many products for. For example, we have had several customers ask for a CorkSport brand Short Ram Intake for the 2nd generation V6 Mazda 6. The picture below shows our MAF housing, which was redesigned to accommodate the slot style MAF sensor that comes with the V6 Mazda 6. The kit will feature our dry-flow filters, 5 layer silicone couplers, stainless steel T-bolt clamps, and full installation instructions.

Next up we have our SRI Cold Air Box (CAB) for the 2010+ Mazda 3. Several people submitted product ideas for the CAB and it will be available within the next month. The CAB features fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) with a high temperature automotive grade black gel coating. The air box mounts to factory hole locations in about 15 minutes and only requires a 10mm long socket and ratcheting wrench to install.

Finally, we are developing our own line of sway bar end links. They will be fully adjustable to match any ride height and specifically designed to pair with our sway bars. Look for more details along with some prototype pictures in the next month or so.

Don’t forget, the best way to get what you want is to submit a product idea.

– Jake

March 8, 2011December 18, 2017

Flo-Rida!

The SFLA Mazda Crew hosted their second Epic Florida Meet at Lou Bachrodt Mazda on Feb 21st and CorkSport was invited to attend. Agreeing to attend and getting to the event which was 3230 miles away made for some tough choices for us. We decided to forego bringing a booth and parts show up with a backpack full of t-shirts, can koozies, and the new CorkSport license plate frames to hand out.

Lou Bachrodt Mazda is located in Coconut Creek which is about 45 minutes north of Miami Florida. The weather for the event was beautiful, 80 degrees with a light breeze all day. Compared to Vancouver, WA which was 45 degrees and cloudy, it was a huge difference for winter weather.

RX-7s

160 Mazdas showed up to the event and they ranged from a beautiful 1971 RX-2 to a 3 Rotor 1000+ Hp RX-8. The RX-8 was a beast with a turbo the size of my head.

RX-2

RX-8

There was a portable dyno on hand for the day but it suffered a failure which kept anyone from getting pulls completed. The failure occurred when the first car was on the first power run.

There was a great turnout of Mazdaspeed 3s, both 1st and 2nd gens. There were several standouts I saw at the show for both generations.

A visit from the Red Bull girls kept everyone going all day long. The aftermath at one of the garbage cans shows the carnage of drinks consumed.

I would like to give a big thanks to the SFLA Mazda Crew for organizing the Epic Meet and Lou Bachrodt Mazda for hosting the event. For more pictures of the event check out our CorkSport Facebook Page.

Hosting a Mazda enthusiast event this year? Contact us and we might just show up.

– Derrick

March 3, 2011March 3, 2011

What A Difference

One thing I have noticed over the years how much the little things can make a big difference in the appearance of a car. Take our Mazda 2 for example, as we got it ready for the Portland Auto Show.

Before the AutoShow

Our Mazda 2 has H&R lowering springs, a CorkSport license plate relocation kit, H&R wheel spacers, J-Spec tail lights, and a CorkSport LED light kit installed for the visual/exterior mods but it still looked like a Mazda 2 you would find on the street. To spice up the car we added the CorkSport graphics, 5 Zigen wheels with Kumho tires, and replaced the hood which had some minor damage from a re-tread incident. Those items really transformed the look of the 2 into something that really gets attention while driving. I can see people giving the car double takes while I am driving past which makes driving the 2 even more fun.

Auto Show Prepped

To get a whole list of what we have done with the Mazda 2 be sure to check out our Mazda 2 Project Page for a step by step modification list of what we have done.

– Derrick

February 22, 2011February 18, 2011

Smiling 3 Goes “Under the Knife” to Come Out Not Quite As Happy

Debuting at the Canadian International Auto Show this weekend, the 2012 Mazda 3 received numerous changes from its predecessor. The most visually obvious change is the new front bumper. Mazda went from full grin, to a more laid-back smirk along with changing up the fog light bezels to flow with the new grill. The change is not a drastic one, but may help convince on the fence buyers who were not in love with the happy face of the 2010-11 3’s. The rear end also received some slight lipo in the form of a slightly redesigned bumper and some new taillights. Mazda will also be offering new designs for the 16 and 17 inch rim options (One option shown below).

The 3 will also get a slight brow lift in the form of some redesigned headlights. The most obvious change being that they will no longer have the “arrow” on the inside of the projector housing.

The biggest change, in my opinion, is not something that can be easily seen from afar. The 2012 Mazda 3 will receive a heart transplant in the form of the all new Mazda engine with Skyactiv technology. The engine features a low-friction block with an ultra high compression ratio of 14.0/1. It can also recirculates exhaust gases back into the engine for decreased emissions. Future plans for this engine include idle-stop and regenerative braking, with the possibility of a hybrid in the works. Displacement, fuel efficiency, power and torque numbers have yet to be released.

As an engineer at CorkSport, I am excited to see the final production 2012 Mazda 3 in person and hopefully get some great new products released for it as well.