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Breathing Life Into the 2010 MazdaSpeed3 Downpipe

As many of you may or not be aware of, CorkSport recently re-released our downpipe for the 2010 Mazdaspeed3’s. This downpipe will also fit the prior generation of Speed3’s 2007-2009, however the devil is in the details.

I have been relentlessly pursuing the elusive check engine lights that are associated with removal of the stock downpipe on the 2010 Speed3’s. These models are a bit more elusive and harder to pinpoint the sweet spot for the secondary oxygen sensor to eliminate a check engine light. This sweet spot is becoming harder and harder to find due to stricter emission controls.

This past week I have been driving our company car from home to work and back. As much as my boss loves me racking up miles, to the tune of 67 a day, on a brand new car from Vancouver, WA to Oregon City, OR it’s all done in the name of science. In an effort to understand the cars behavior and make slight corrections, documenting as much information as the data logging software will allow. Checking voltage to 02 sensors, Catalytic temperature and Engine RPM and Run time.

While driving down the local highway I am constantly monitoring the cars behavior, hooked up to the OBD-II port, viewing data on the laptop sitting in the passenger seat. Wires dangling over the steering wheel, chords draped across my legs power inverter plugged into the 12V outlet, in a way I feel like a mad scientist who is monitoring the vitals and trying to resurrect a sick patient.

The code I am battling right now is P0421. This trouble code means that the oxygen sensor downstream of the catalytic converter is detecting that the converter is not working as efficiently as it should be (of course, it is not even there!). As I continue to work on this non-life threatening issue, rest assured that the CorkSport Mazda Medical Center is actively perusing an antidote to rectify these symptoms.

– Troy

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CorkSport License Plate Bracket

Soon to be released will be a kit for the 2010 MazdaSpeed 3 and Mazda 3 which will move your front license plate to the driver’s side of the vehicle. This will allow more air to flow to the engine, radiator, and FMIC, should you have one installed. It does this by using the factory tow hook mount located inside your factory bumper. The kit will include tamper resistant license plate screws as well as the bit to remove them.

We currently have this product installed on our vehicle as you can see in the above picture. We do not have factory license plate holes on our vehicle, but plans are to include bumper plugs in the kit that will fit in your stock holes to cover them up.

The kit will include installation instructions as well as customer support should you have any questions. The projected retail will be right around $89 for the entire kit.

Right now the kit will only be available for the 2010+ MazdaSpeed 3 and Mazda 3 (i & s) hatchback and sedan. If this is something you would be interested in for your Mazda, shoot me an email and I’ll see what I can do.

As always, if there is anything that we don’t make that you think we should, let us know.

– Jake

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Mazda Rumors

I heard a piece of interesting news last week in regards to the replacement for the Mazda CX-7. The most interesting part of the description I heard was that “it will make the CX-7 look dated”. I thought about it for a while and I am taking some liberty with this and saying that the new Mazda that was described to me will look similar to the concept Hakaze shown below.


Hakaze Concept

My reasoning is that after taking look at the Mazda MXCrossport (you can view the concept on Mazda’s webpage) that was shown in 2005, Mazda released the CX-7 late in 2006 as a 2007 model, and it was almost exactly the same.


MXCrossport Concept


2007 CX-7 Production Model

Looking at the pictures above of the concept and the production vehicle you can see there are some minor differences but overall the concept shown was the production vehicle. There were some concept ideas which did not make it to production like the incredible navigation system and the cool wheels. With the Nagare design theme Mazda is bringing out in all of the new models the Hakaze will fit right in. Following the bold styling of the new Mazda 3 there’s no reason that they wouldn’t continue along this path.

For the powertrain I am thinking that Mazda will offer it with the Sky D and Sky G engines, backed up with the next generation of transmissions which should be hitting the market in the 2011. The one question I do have is if Mazda offers a more powerful engine option what will it be? The Ford based V6 engines currently used in the CX-9 and Mazda 6 don’t conform to the Mazda goal of increasing fuel economy and dropping emissions. Maybe Mazda has a surprise for us on this one?

Remember you heard it here first.

– Derrick

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CorkSport and Mazda Dealers

Here’s the story, CorkSport is looking for Mazda dealers willing to sell our products directly to you. We have several already who are great, and are more than willing to sell our products.

For example, we have a dealer in Canada that regularly sell our products and has them on display in their showroom:

Chambly Mazda In Chambly, QC does a great job representing CorkSport brand parts. We encourage you to check them out if you are near them.

If you know of any dealers that are kind to customers with aftermarket parts, we would like to hear from you. What’s in it for you? Well, you can take a first hand look at our parts before you buy them and then get the dealer to install them! Plus, if they have the parts in stock, you get it the same day.

So if you know of a ‘mod’ friendly dealer near you, let us know and we will do our best to get them to carry CorkSport brand parts!

– Chris

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CorkSport FC RX-7 Silicone Radiator Hoses

CorkSport just debuted our first set of silicone radiator hoses. This two piece set will fit the 1986 to 1991 Mazda RX-7. Who says we forget about the rotary powered Mazdas! The radiator hose kits are designed to replace your original equipment coolant hoses and will provide superior quality, looks, and durability over the original rubber hoses. These hoses are extremely durable and hand wrapped to 4 layers thick for incredible abrasion resistance. If your current set of RX-7 radiator hoses are deteriorated, weather checked, saturated with oil and swelled up, then I suggest you retire them and replace them with our silicone radiator hoses. The three inner layers are blue with a single layer of gloss black and are specifically built for RX-7 automotive applications, not parts we just found that happened to fit.

Also in the works are the Mazdaspeed3 silicone radiator hose kits, and they should be on out on the shelf ready to ship in a couple weeks.

– Troy