Mazda and Mazdaspeed Performance Blog

July 26, 2017April 10, 2024

Friends Keep You Going When Your Car Hits the Skids

Mazdaspeed 3 ready for mods — A red gen1 ready for street tuning.

To start this story, we have to go back almost two years. Since a few high power builds and a lot of bolt on cars were all being finished up at the same time, the UtahMazdas crew decided that we would fly Will and Ryan from PDTuning out for the weekend to street tune everyone’s cars.

Meeting the Mazda gremlins

We all got ready and awaited the arrival date. As we got closer to the date, I learned that Zach (the previous owner of my red gen1) was going to be unable to attend as he had a scheduling conflict due to a family vacation. So, being the nice guy that I am, I offered to swap our cars and take his car down to meet up with everyone and get the tune done for him. Since I had driven the car before (on the 400 whp setup), it seemed like a good fit.

Long story short, at the meetup, the first thing I noticed about the car is that it would randomly die at idle for some reason. After spending the weekend trying to diagnose all the gremlins with this freshly built car, we ran out of time and were unable to tune it.

I had the car for a few more days, and even though it left my girlfriend and me stranded, I still loved the car. It brought a smile to my face that I couldn’t wipe off.

Time to get to the bottom of the trouble

Fast forward a few weeks, and we’re still having trouble. Finally, Zach stopped by my desk at Mazda. He was frustrated since the car was still riddled with issue after issue and wasn’t getting any better. He said he was probably just going to sell it.

Mazdaspeed engine pulled apart — On the hunt for trouble.

After very little thought and some hasty decisions, we struck a deal. I picked the car up a few days later unsure of what I was getting myself into. The only thing I knew was that there was something about this car that made me happy in a childlike way.

After a lot of work, and some great help from my amazing group of friends, the issue of dying at idle was taken care of along with a whole new Mazdaspeed VVT kit. The car was, at long last, now ready to begin the tuning process. As the car started to make more and more power, it started to show its weaknesses and it just felt like it was never going to work. But I kept pushing on and fixing it along the way.

At last, a breakthrough

Finally, it happened — a day I thought would never come! The pump gas tune was finished just in time for the very first Mazdaspeed takeover in Boise. We met up a few days later and headed to Boise. I drove the car all the way there without issue.

We attended a few different events and the car not only didn’t let me down, but it continued to impress me. After hours of hanging out with everyone at the dyno day, I loaded up the slicks and went to Firebird Raceway for the track night at the takeover. As I didn’t have much seat time in the car at the track, it was not as fast as I would have hoped. But with Barett by my side and with some helpful coaching — all that engineering stuff that makes no sense to me — the car started getting faster and faster.

Then, on the last run, the unimaginable happened. The connecting rod decided that it’d had enough and wanted to see the world. After a whole bunch of noise and smoke, the motor was done and we were sitting in Boise trying to decide what we were going to do. Thanks to some quick thinking from the locals, and my amazing partner in crime Marisa, we got the car on a tow truck and headed back to Keith’s house.

Keith, being the great man that he is, let me store my ride in his garage for a week while we made the drive home and back with a trailer to come and get it.

Back to the drawing board

A week later, we picked her up and took her home. There she sat and waited while I tried to figure out what I was going to do to fix the problem. Once again, my friends — who are really more like family to me — came to the rescue. We all met up one Sunday morning to tear the motor out of the car and find out what was salvageable.

Once we tore down the motor, we realized that very little could be saved, so I contacted FJ Performance to have a new motor built. After waiting for what felt like an eternity, the motor was delivered and, once again, the UtahMazdas crew got together. The only difference? This time we’d graduated from the storage unit to a two-post lift.

We installed the motor and, after a few hiccups, we had it running for the first time in seven months. Safe to say, I was ecstatic.

After many oil changes and a careful break-in procedure, I noticed that the new motor was still having issues, but I kept pushing forward with assurance that it would get better. Sadly, it did not. The motor ate a head gasket a mere 2,000 miles into boost ‘n chill.

Let’s try this again

At this point, I was devastated. I wasn’t sure if I was going to part the car out or just sell it as a roller with no motor.

After thinking it over and talking to everyone that has helped me along the way — oh, and don’t forget Luke McCarvel hitting me up every day demanding that I keep the car — I decided that there was only one thing to do. So, once again, it was time to take my baby back to EP and, this time, the motor would be built by Artem and myself so that there would be no doubt it’d be perfect this time around.

If there is one thing that this whole experience has taught me, it’s that you can always count on your friends to be there when you need a hand. And you can always count on the crew at CorkSport to keep you motivated.

July 19, 2017April 10, 2024

NATOR: The Pyramid Scheme You Want to Join

A look at the parking situation at a NATOR group meet up. — If you see a bunch of Mazdaspeeds by a garage, you’re probably looking at a NATOR group.

I’ll admit it up front: NATOR is a pyramid scheme. “What?!” you proclaim. “Isn’t NATOR like family? Who would do that to family?” Let me explain why and how you can become the next Platinum Emerald Neon Iridium special level NATOR member! But seriously, here’s what I’m talking about.

The beginnings of NATOR

Back in the early days of NATOR AL (AL for Alabama), all we had was a few people posting on MazdaSpeedForms.org (MSF) in the South East section. I was relatively new to wrenching, having only recently learned how to change my own oil (yes, I know) or install an intake. Some guy named Ryan invited a few of us to his apartment for burgers, wings (spoiler: the wings weren’t fully cooked), beer, and wrenching. The meet was only four people, but the spark was there. Many stories were traded, laughs were had, and plenty of beer was consumed.

Over the next year, we steadily grew and started really wrenching on cars. Our first big “project” was HPFP internal installs. Only Ryan had done them before. Tension was high for this (now) trivial install, but everything went smoothly. Quick pro tip: There’s no reason to pull the intake or battery box.

Now here’s where the pyramid scheme comes in: It’s about knowledge transfer instead of products or sales. Whereas Ryan was the self-proclaimed “Mazda master tech” that knew everything about working on Speeds, Jason and I quickly picked up the new skill and were able to do HPFP internals later without Ryan’s oversight.

NATOR groups are great for learning about all sorts of Mazdaspeed repairs and mods. — A NATOR teaching moment.

The benefits of NATOR communities

I can hear some of you now: “But Shane, HPFP internals are stupid easy.” And you’d be right. That’s exactly why it’s such a great thing to teach new guys that are timid with a wrench. Eventually, things such as intakes, test pipes, and internals were jobs that I didn’t have to participate in. This is when I realized the greatness of the NATOR pyramid scheme: If I teach someone what I know, then later I can sit back in a lawn chair drinking beer and not lift a finger at a meet. Over the years, I’ve seen countless people with no wrenching experience become comfortable working on their car by themselves. In one case, a member used his knowledge about starting an engine with no fuel pressure to reassure a friend working on a GTI that the car not immediately starting was due to pressure needing to build in the rail before it started cleanly.

Now, we haven’t simply stuck to the basic “intake, test pipe, tune” mods in AL. We’ve pretty much done everything performance-related there is to do on a Mazdaspeed 3. Countless Mazdaspeed turbo swaps, a handful of transmission jobs, engine swaps, head rebuilds, VVT timing jobs, suspension swaps, interior gutting — all of these have been done in a NATOR AL garage.

A Mazdaspeed gets towed from a NATOR event. — The helping hand of a NATOR community.

One of the best parts of NATOR is that if you put in work helping someone else out, they’re willing to spend many weekends getting your car working again. We had a local member’s transmission die a horrendous death without any warning. He’d been at meets before and was always willing to lend a hand, so we offered to swap out his transmission. Five weeks, and a TON of fail later, he was back on the road as happy as could be.

Another great benefit is that the community is nationwide and international now. Twice a year, we do epic meets. One’s in April on the East Coast and the other is in late-August/early September in the Midwest. Enthusiasts from all over the country (plus some from Mexico, Canada, and even once someone from Germany) gather to celebrate these awesome cars and the community we’ve built around them.

Perhaps my favorite NATOR story was one involving the Epic Midwest NATOR Meet (EMWNM) in 2015. The meet was incredible with lots of great people attending, tons of alcohol was consumed, go-karts were raced, and many smiles were had. The conclusion of the meet was a track day on Monday at Autobahn Country Club. I spent the first two sessions feeling out the car and learning the track. On the third session, I was chasing down a BMW I had just let pass when I tried to accelerate out of the corner and got nothing. Seconds later, my oil light came on and I dove into the grass to (hopefully) save my engine. No luck … It spun a bearing.

After a very brief diagnostic session in the paddock, I asked a NATOR member if I could have my car towed to his house. He said “yes” immediately. I ordered an engine from Mazda Motorsports and was dropped off at the airport to catch a flight to get home for work. Fast forward three days later to Thursday, I arrive back in Chicago to an engine almost entirely out of the car. I literally took two clamps and a hose off the engine and it was free-hanging on the hoist. NATOR basically took my engine out of my car for me and then helped me put my new one in. Less than a week after I blew my engine, I was back on the road headed home thanks to this community.

A NATOR group in action at a local meet over a Mazdaspeed — A NATOR group in action.

What happened to me (free engine removal) isn’t the norm, but I’d do the same for any of those guys should they ever break down in Alabama. And that’s what NATOR is about: helping a fellow Speed owner in need, whether that’s “I need parts” or “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

How to join NATOR

So how can you get in on this awesome pyramid scheme? Search MSF, MSO (mazdaspeeds.org), or Facebook and find your local NATOR and show up to meets. Heads-up: Local might mean a two- to four-hour drive. Bring food, beer, or tools if you have specialty stuff. Wrench on cars with the NATOR group, or if you aren’t skilled in that, be the guy who grabs tools or makes runs to the parts store. Ask questions to expand your knowledge. Take a new guy under your wing and teach him what you know. As you spend more time with your group, you’ll find others offering help or parts when you need it.

Cheers,

Shane Fry

July 17, 2017August 15, 2023

The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Modding Your 2017 Mazda 6

If you just bought a 2017 Mazda 6, these are the mods you need to upgrade your ride. — Time to take this 2017 Mazda 6 to the next level.

You’re the proud owner of a new Mazda 6, so we know you’re a discerning customer when it comes to cars. Off to a good start. And while modding a new vehicle might not be something you’ve considered (“It’s brand new, what could it need?“), there are loads of benefits that your ride can achieve with some simple modification. That’s where CorkSport comes in. Or, if you’ve upgraded your ride to something that looks a bit more professional in the parking lot of your new job, but you still want to tear up the road to and from the office, well … that’s where CorkSport comes in, too.

In the past, we’ve shown you how to take a 2014 Mazda 6 and upgrade it to your liking. We’ve even showcased some great customer success stories when it comes to modding the Mazda 6. Our commitment to our CorkSport family — that’s you guys — doesn’t stop there. We wanted to create the ultimate starter kit for folks that may be new to our family. So here’s where to start if you’re a Mazda 6 beginner looking to mod your new 2017 Mazda 6.

Mazda 6 power mods

Power mods like our 2014+ Mazda 6 SkyActiv Power Series Short Ram Intake are a great place to start. — Our 2014+ Mazda 6 SkyActiv Power Series Short Ram Intake is a great, efficient power mod for your Mazda 6.

Let’s start with speed. You’re not taking your Mazda 6 out racing, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want to have a little fun from time to time. CorkSport’s power mods for the Mazda 6 add impressive improvements in RPMs, throttle response, and other performance aspects of your new ride. That means you get speed, but you’re also getting efficiency from your vehicle. We’ll get into handling next, but let’s get you set up with some power that requires handling adjustments first.

2014+ Mazda 6 SkyActiv Power Series Short Ram Intake 2.5 Engine: Reduce your ride’s intake restrictions for some dramatic power improvements throughout the entire RPM range. Bonus: This mod improves your gas mileage, too!
2014+ Mazda 3/6/Cx5 Short Shift Plate Kit: Reduce shifting throw by 33 percent and get more control over the weight of the knob to hone in on the perfect shifting experience.
2014+ Mazda 3 And 6 Crankshaft Pulley: This part reduces the weight of the engine’s rotating assembly to increase throttle response, horsepower, and torque.
Rear Motor Mount for 2014+ Mazda 3 and 6, 2013 Mazda CX-5: This part works with many Mazdas, but for your Mazda 6 it decreases engine movement to boost power transfer from engine to tire. In short, better throttle response, gear-shifting, and driver feedback.
Mazda 6 2014+ Power Series Exhaust: If you’re looking for something a bit more intense, you can give your ride some aggressive sound and power with this part that also adds some nice style.

Mazda 6 handling mods

See how CorkSport handling mods can increase your Mazda 6's drivability. — Drive quality is something that handling mods can boost on a daily basis.

Maybe you needed a more family-friendly ride than your souped-up Mazdaspeed. Maybe you just wanted some of that Mazda kick in your new daily driver. Regardless, CorkSport handling mods are going to make driving your new Mazda 6 a joy. Whether you’re on the morning commute or picking up the kids from soccer practice, we know the urge to accelerate into that turn is strong. Here’s how you can get the handling you crave.

Mazda 6 Adjustable Struts and Shocks: Let’s kick things off with our newest part! With 15 adjustable positions, these shocks and struts reduce rebound up to 70 percent so you can achieve the smooth ride you want. Easy to install and adjust!
2014+ Mazda 6 Lowering Spring Set: Not only will this part give your car a sleeker look, but by lowering your ride you get faster turn response — great for ride quality and responsive, safe driving.
2014+ Mazda 3/6/CX5 Big Brake Kit: Not only does this mod reduce your vehicle weight for better handling, it adds brake power as well. Pretty nice when you can get a mod that improves drivability and boosts safety at the same time. That’s an easy one to talk your wife into!
2014+ Mazda 6 Rear Sway Bar: Crank that handling up a notch and fine-tune to your heart’s content with our sway bar. Take those corners exactly how you want, no holding back.

Mazda 6 style mods

CorkSport style mods, like our headlight level adjuster, are a great addition to your Mazda 6. — Style and safety come together in our Mazda headlight level adjuster.

If you’re already set on power and handling, or maybe you just want to tweak the look of your vehicle, CorkSport style mods are the next thing on the list — because you want to look at a car you’re happy to drive. From interior improvements to external upgrades, adding a little style and luxury is a nice way to treat yo’self. Here are a few ways to get started.

Mazda Headlight Level Adjuster: A good call (especially if you’ve added our lowering springs) is making sure your headlights are illuminating the road properly. It’s safe, it’s functional, and it gives you the ability to make quick strut and shock adjustments.
Leather Shift Knob for 2014+ Mazda3/6 and Cx5: Let people know you’re part of the CorkSport family and pick up this smooth-as-butter black leather shift knob.
Fog Light Kit: Powerful LEDs that look good while brightening your way, uniting function and style in one mod.

These mods should get you started, but the CorkSport fam knows that there’s always more you can add. Check out the rest of our Mazda 6 parts and, if you plan to mod on the regular, make sure to check out 7th Gear, our new exclusive membership club.

If you’ve got questions as you’re modding your 2017 Mazda 6, give us a call. And follow the CorkSport blog for regular news, modification advice, Mazda tips, Mazda lifestyle talk, and much more!

July 14, 2017September 22, 2023

The CorkSport Guide To Modifying The Mazda 3

White Mazda 3 from CorkSport — Ready to mod your Mazda 3? You will be after you read this!

New to modding your Mazda 3? No worries! CorkSport has you covered. Check out this guide to the parts that can turn your Mazda 3 into something special — and something more fun. I’ll be covering the main Mazda 3 performance checkpoints: power, handling, and styling. Feel free to hit me up if you have any questions along the way!

Let’s get started …

Power Modifications

One of the first questions I always hear when Mazda 3 owners call me on the phone is, “What can I do to get some more horses out of this?” As many of us know, the SkyActiv engine that comes in the Mazda 3 isn’t exactly designed with big power in mind. It was built for fuel economy and efficiency. Even so, Mazda 3s are still very enjoyable to drive. With some bolt-ons products and a tune, you can definitely squeeze out some more ponies.

Short Ram Intake

One of the most restrictive parts of these cars’ induction systems is the factory air box and paper filter. We offer a much more free-flowing solution with our short ram intakes for Mazda 3. It looks a little something like this:

Utilizing a machined billet aluminum MAF housing and a Dryflow filter, we saw gains up to 6 HP on the 2.5 L models and 2.0 L models on an untuned ECU. On top of achieving these gains, the intake also provides amazing induction sounds — this probably won’t help you lighten your lead foot, though!

Exhaust

If you’re considering any brand for an exhaust, be sure you keep us in mind. We spent a lot of time creating the perfect exhaust for these cars, including the sedan model and the hatch.

Constructed of 65 mm piping and made from T304 stainless, CorkSport Mazda 3 exhausts will provide long lasting durability and performance! We can sell you just the axle back if you are going more for sound, or you can pick up our full Mazda 3 cat back if you want to get as much flow out as possible. (Please note: The cat back does delete the second unmonitored cat so it may be illegal based on your local emissions laws.) We saw 5 whp out of the 2.0 L and 10 whp out of the 2.5 L with our cat back on an untuned ECU!

Handling mods

One of the things that Mazda really hit out of the park with the Mazda 3s is the suspension and handling department. For a FWD econobox, these things carry momentum through turns really well. We offer some mods that cater specifically to this aspect of the car!

Springs, Shocks, and Struts

Dropping the car a bit on some adjustable damping shocks, struts, and lowering springs is a great place to start. Lowering the center of gravity while upping the spring rates will help improve your handling responsiveness. Slap a rear sway bar on there as the cherry on top and help the car rotate around corners while reducing the infamous understeer problems that FWD cars are often cursed with!

CorkSport suspension springs. — Drop that Mazda 3 with our lowering springs.

Our shocks and struts are 15 way adjustable, with 70 percent higher rebound damping. They allow you to run stiffer springs without needing to worry about the life of the strut being deteriorated.

The springs drop the car a tasteful 1.75” in the front and 2.00” in the rear.

Sway Bar

The rear sway bar comes paired with some very nice billet aluminum brackets with Zerk fittings for servicing. The bar is a solid piece so you’ll never have to worry about breaking it. It’s also two-way adjustable, allowing for stiffer or softer settings depending on how you like to drive and what you’re driving.

Brakes

CorkSport's Mazda 3 big brake. — Here’s the breakdown on our brakes.

Not only do these suckers stop, but they’re also lighter, removing 7 pounds of unsprung weight. Stainless steel braided lines are also included to help improve the pedal feel.

The brakes are 4 pot calipers made from 6061-T6 aluminum, which comes anodized for a long-lasting finish. The rotors are 28mm larger than the factory rotors.

Styling mods

Although these cars already look great, we offer a few tasteful touches that you can add to your car to really help tie the whole package together.

Exterior

Every car enthusiast hates a front license plate, but we also hate getting pulled over for not having one. A good compromise is choosing not to drill into your bumper, offsetting it poorly and blocking your car’s sexy curves. Our license plate kit utilizes your factory tow hook so it’s easily removable if need be!

CorkSport License Plate Relocation Kit — A much more stylish way to showcase your plates.

Also, check out our fog light kit to replace those yellow factory ones. They consist of a very crisp 6000K LEDs that will definitely add to the front end and provide that high line look you want.

Interior

The average American spends approximately 17,600 minutes in the car every year. That’s a lot of time to spend holding onto your shifter and steering wheel. So, treat yourself to an upgrade! Our leather steering wheel features a much thicker ring, flat bottom, and aggressive thumb grooves, all while maintaining OEM fitment, stereo controls, and an airbag. As most people come to find, it’s your favorite mod — you just don’t know it yet.

CorkSport Mazda 3 steering wheel upgrade — Look at this beauty of a steering wheel!

Our leather shift knob (for those of you with manuals) is an incredibly nice touch that ties in with the steering wheel perfectly. At 325 grams, it’s heavier than stock to help you smoothly change gears. The leather is also much nicer to the touch.

CorkSport leather shift knob upgrade — Shift into high gear in style.

Also, If your car didn’t come from the factory with LED lights, then you don’t need to miss out! We sell a full kit for the interior that features all the lights you need for the inside as well as the license plate. You’d be amazed at how much better the inside feels with that extra touch of ambiance.

CorkSport Interior LED light kit. — See the light with our LED light kit.

I hope that this helps you figure out some awesome things to start doing to your 2014+ Mazda 3. We have plenty more that I didn’t even get to talk about, so check us out at www.Corksport.com!

And if you have questions, just give us a call at 360-260-2675.

July 10, 2017July 26, 2017

Dear Car Guy: Our Beginnings and Our Why

That old CorkSport logo is a blast from the past!

Dear Car Guy,

It’s been a bit. I hope you’re well and having a great time getting your baby ready for the summer weather!

Recently, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about why CorkSport sticks with the Mazda market. Some of these are more like comments, but really it seems like a continuous surprise to some that we find ourselves still innovating and providing for this market that we work in daily. The answer to this question was simpler than I expected to be once I gave it a good thinking over.

Mazda is in our blood. It’s who we are.

Where it all began

From the beginning, the founders of CorkSport were Mazda guys. They worked on their own cars with big dreams of racing and of building the biggest, baddest, most amazing Mazda parts around!

Yes, you’re welcome to giggle. I know I did when I went through some of these pics of our history.

When you’re a company in the early going, you take pride in some of the simplest things — like our first time in the Yellow Pages or CorkSport’s first blog. Or in something like our new website back in 2009. Or even when we finally got a banner in our window with the new logo.

CorkSport Yellow Pages ad. — CorkSport’s Yellow Pages premiere.

You should check out this blog about how we came up with our name and logo designs for some excellent throwback CorkSport information.

We love the Mazda community

We always love getting out and meeting more members of the Mazda community.

We’ve continuously stuck with the Mazda community due to their passion, support, and — of course — the NATOR Club! We’ve written about this in the past, and you can find a ton of blogs that reference this club, but here are a few of my favorites to check out if you’re interested.

Mazda community members working together. — What unites this group? The Mazda platform we all love.

While we love you, Car Guys, we love our lady drivers, too. Find out what it means to be a Car Girl.

The community that plays together stays together.
See what that NATOR life is all about with this recap of a great event a few years back in 2014.

We love our customers, we love our community, we love Mazdas. So why do we do what we do? What’s our reason why? It all comes down to you, Car Guy!

CorkSport’s reason why

We stay in the Mazda market, we continue to innovate, and we push ourselves — sometimes to the breaking point (yes, sometimes breaking cars, hearts, minds, and wills in our offices!) — in order to supply this amazing platform with great parts, awesome community, and realized dreams!

CorkSport's Mazda family. — Community is key. You’re our family. You’re our reason why.

It’s short, it’s sweet, and it’s our reason why: It’s all for you.

I almost wish it were more complicated than that.

Thanks for the support, Car Guy! Until next time …

Stay safe, stay fast, and stay happy, my friends!

-Kim

CorkSport Mazda Performance Blog

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