Posts

Posted on

PRESS RELEASE: CorkSport Rear Chassis Brace Set 2004 – 2011 MazdaSpeed3 & Mazda 3

CorkSport Rear Chassis Brace Set 2004 - 2011 MazdaSpeed3 & Mazda 3

CorkSport’s Rear Chassis Brace Set for the 2004-2011 MazdaSpeed 3 & Mazda 3 is a direct direct bolt-on one inch diameter four bar kit that stiffens up the rear-end of your vehicle’s chassis. The bar set requires you to trim a small amount of carpet out of your cargo area and utilizes stock mounting locations.

The four bar kit installs in about an hour and a half and includes all the necessary hardware to complete the installation. It fits with all existing (three bar set available if you already have our Quick-Release Rear Chassis Brace) and future CorkSport brand parts and offers a design that will set your 3 apart from the crowd.

Features:
The CorkSport Rear Chassis Brace Set utilizes powdercoated 0.25” steel brackets that mount to factory locations on the side of your cargo area and are completely hidden behind the trunk carpet except for the bar mounting holes. The bottom mounts are small and stay close to the corner of your hatch to minimize taking up precious cargo space. The bars feature a black anodized aluminum design with our CorkSport Logo etched into the bars (the two shorter bars do not have the logo). The top bar is attached to the brackets by aircraft grade quick-release pins that allow the bar to be removed quickly and effortlessly in an event that you need to fold down your rear seats and haul a large object in your 3. The end links are threaded for full stiffness adjustablility. Turn the bar one way to stiffen the rear end, turn the bar the other way to lessen the stiffness.

Testing:
The CorkSport Rear Chassis Brace Set has been tested on our own vehicles to ensure fit, form and function. The bar set increases stiffness in the rear end by tying load points together. This results in reduced chassis flex that is a common issue with the hatch-back’s open cargo area design. We have tested the design and with the bars installed, you can expect to see a 12% decrease in rear end deflection.

Available Now:
As with all our CorkSport Brand Mazda Products, the Rear Chassis Brace Set ships with all the hardware you need for installation. Full color step by step installation instructions and telephone technical support are also included with your purchase.

Posted on

Aftermarket Parts and your Warranty

Now that our CorkSport Power Series Short Ram Intakes for the 2.3L DISI turbo-charged engines are 50-state legal (Press Release), I would like to revisit a past blog post as I think it is important for every car owner to understand.

A little over a year ago, we put a blog post on our webpage that outlined some of the laws and tips regarding your vehicle’s factory warranty and aftermarket parts you put on your vehicle. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (US code – Title 15, Chapter 50, Section 2301-2312) was put in place to make it illegal for your dealer to void your warranty just because you put a non-OEM part on your vehicle (see SEMA Article). However, if you bring in your vehicle for a warranty claim, and it was obvious that the aftermarket part caused the issue, then you are out of luck.

The best way to avoid an issue is to have a good relationship with your dealer and to know in advance how accepting they are of vehicle modifications. Even though you have the law on your side, if they are not accepting of your vehicle modifications, you may want to find another dealer. No one wants to spend time dealing with a lawsuit or fighting over something that you can just as easily avoid in the first place. However, if you do run in to the unfortunate event where you believe that your dealer has wrongfully voided your warranty, you can contact the BBB Auto Line at 1-800-955-5100.

Please note that improper installation of any factory or non-factory parts that cause damage to your vehicle, are not covered under your warranty. Also, driving through water deep enough to cause water to be ingested into the engine will not be covered even with the factory intake installed.

If you have a specific question or concern about a CorkSport product, feel free to call us at 360-260-2675 or email and we will be happy to answer your questions.

– Jake

Posted on

Dealership Friends of CorkSport

Back in June Chris wrote a blog post about how we have been actively looking for dealerships who are “Mod Friendly”. We are happy to announce that our list of dealers who carry our products and are more accepting of performance products on your Mazda is growing! We have 6 Mazda dealerships in various parts of the US who have access to all of the CorkSport brand product line. Here they are in no particular order:

Continental Mazda in Anchorage, AK

Continental Mazda
Located in Anchorage, AK

Continental Mazda in Anchorage AK. Continental Mazda is the best source of Mazda parts for the enthusiasts in the Anchorage area. AJ in parts is the go to guy for our CorkSport brand products.

Roger Beasley Mazda in Austin, TX

Roger Beasley Mazda
Located in Austin, TX

Beasley Mazda keeps an active calendar of local events for Mazda enthusiast on their dealer webpage. There are enough things there to keep most people busy all month long. If you need to contact them you can email Danny in parts or stop by their location and talk to Adam at the parts counter.

The Autobarn Mazda of Countryside in Countryside, IL

The Autobarn Mazda of Countryside
Located in Countryside, IL

Autobarn Mazda has been racing and modifying Mazdas for quite some time. The more recent events Autobarn has been involved with are MX-5 Playboy Cup series and the One Lap of America. The One Lap event was done in a Mazdaspeed 5 which was built by Autobarn. Contact either Dan or Julio in the parts department.

Ralph Thayer Mazda of Livonia, MI

Ralph Thayer Mazda
Located in Livonia, MI

Thayer Mazda has been supporting local rally cross events and now has moved up to supporting the Sno-Attack event at the Snodrift rally in Atlanta, MI the weekend of Jan 28-29th (the Sno-Attack event is on the 29th). I will be at the Sno-Attack event so if you are in Atlanta, Michigan stop by the Thayer Mazda tent and say hello! Talk with Kyle in parts for your CorkSport parts needs.

Continental Mazda in Naperville, IL

Continental Mazda
Located in Naperville, IL

Continental Mazda has been offering CorkSport products for the last 9 months. They are active in support of motorsports including spec Miata racing. They approached us about offering our products to their customers. Ed in parts is the best person to contact to get our products there.

Hayes Mazda in Kalamazoo, MI

Hayes Mazda
Located in Kalamazoo, MI

Hayes Mazda is active in the local Mazda scene in Kalamazoo and supports other automotive events. Last year Hayes Mazda supported the Kalamazoo Miata Club 2010 Sports Car Show Extravaganza at the US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, MI. Shoot Bob an email if you are near Kalamazoo to get our parts.

If you have any dealerships in mind that you think will be good candidates for CorkSport brand parts feel free to email me with the name and I will be in contact with them.

– Derrick

Posted on

I Need a New Ride (Part 2)

Back in June I wrote a blog post that expressed my need for a new vehicle. Given that I have had about six months now to ponder various suggestions and my own personal wants in a vehicle, I have come to a conclusion.

A month or so after that blog post I did end up purchasing a vehicle. It was a 2006 Yamaha R6 in perfect condition. I have had several other bikes in the past, but none in as good of shape as this one:

After less than two months of owning my new vehicle (and on my birthday weekend none the less), it was stolen out of my apartment complex (I blame myself for not locking it up better).

I still have my Jeep Grand Cherokee that gets me a whapping 10.2 miles per gallon (I only drive it 5 miles round trip to work and back on 35mph streets). My better half gets a company vehicle and free fuel, so I have no desire to drive my SUV for anything besides work (bad gas mileage and not fun to drive).

After looking into it further, an AWD MS3 is too cost prohibitive for me to take on. I want to stick with a Mazda (not either gen MS3 or Mazda 3). I have had Subaru’s in the past and can’t say anything bad about them (well, maybe that isn’t entirely true), but I would love to add something to our vehicle line-up for product development purposes (i.e. I think I would get fired if I pulled up to work in an STI).

I have decided to wait until Mazda releases the CX-5. If they are able to offer AWD and an option for the 2.3L DISI turbo engine, I will definitely be on board for purchasing one of these fuel efficient cross-over utility vehicles. Until then, I will patiently wait in hopes that I can one day have a Mazda to call my own.

– Jake

Posted on

Similar differences

I recently went back to Minnesota for Christmas to visit family and take a little vacation (far from a tropical vacation) from the daily grind here at CorkSport. I flew in to Minneapolis, but needed a rental car for the final leg of the journey. Naturally, I picked the cheapest vehicle they had available (Cobalt or similar is what the description read). I ended up getting a white Toyota Matrix (actual rental shown below).

Being that I work on Mazdas every day, I began to compare everything about this vehicle to its similar, but very different competition, the Mazda 3 hatchback. The following two pictures show that the two share similar side profiles and the same 5-door hatchback design. This is where (in my opinion) the similarities end. The 3’s front flared fenders give it a much more aggressive look and stance than the Matrix. The 3 is also fun to drive and holds to the road well. The Matrix seemed to drift wherever the wind blew and never felt secured to the pavement. I also found that the interior of the 3 is much superior to that of the Matrix. The creature comforts and center console layout in the 3 give a much more luxurious feel than the very, very minimal layout in the Matrix.

After driving about two hours from the airport to my parents’ house and hearing repeated clunking in the rear of the vehicle, I decided to investigate. It turns out that the rear hatch cover does not secure to anything and freely bounces when I hit one of the many potholes on my drive.

In conclusion, my job may in fact bias me towards the 3, but in my opinion, the 3 hatchback is far superior to the Matrix.

Have a new product idea or question? Feel free to Jake