You likely already invested in our SRI and rear sway bar, but if you are looking to further enhance the driving characteristics of your Mazda, the CS Camber Plates are a great mod to add to your build. Whether you want to fine-tune your setup for the track or you are looking to upgrade to a more aggressive wheel and tire combo, the CorkSport Camber Plates will give you the extra adjustability needed. Continue on reading for more details on the CS Camber Plates.
The camber plates are designed to take the place of your factory strut top so that whether you are on lowering springs or factory springs, installation is quick and simple. For previous generation camber plate kits, it was required to cut the top of the strut tower to gain access to the camber plate to be able to adjust it while installed. This is not the case, however, for the 4th GEN Mazda 3 and CX-30! Making camber adjustments is easy and if they ever need to be removed, permanent modification was not required during installation. The Mazda 3 Camber Plates also feature a pillow-ball bearing that replaces the factory rubber mount and makes sure that the strut bar does not move excessively while driving in demanding situations.
Now let’s get to the amount of camber adjustment the CorkSport Camber Plates provide. On the Mazda 3 you can expect camber adjustment ranging from -2.4 to +0.9 degrees. There is a noticeable difference between the two, so if you are looking to fit a more aggressive wheel and tire combo the camber plates may help you achieve it without rubbing the paint off your fenders. The camber adjustment will also help if you plan on tracking your car or want to fine-tune your setup to your driving style on the backroads.
Finally, let’s go over the construction of the CorkSport Camber Plates. The camber plates feature a top and bottom plate. The top plate houses the adjustment slots for the lower plate and is made out of 6061-T6 aluminum that is then CNC machined. The lower plate features the pillow-ball bearing and is manufactured out of steel to provide the necessary strength needed to secure the strut in place so it does not move during hard driving. Also included with the CS Camber Plates is all the necessary hardware so you can get back out on the road to find your optimal camber setting quickly.
The CorkSport Camber Plates are a great mod to continue to enhance the handling performance of your Mazda 3 or CX-30 and also if want to build upon the aggressive appearance at the same time. Be sure to check out the website for additional photos and video on the camber plates and feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.
Hello! If you’re reading this and wondering who I am, I don’t blame you. I’ve posted a few times on CorkSport’s 7th Gear page but never really introduced myself. My name is Quintin Gunn, one of the Development Engineers here at CorkSport, and I have a Mazda RX8 that I am building into the Time Attack weapon it was always meant to be. Follow along here and on social media as I record each track event and document the build process from stock to full-on race car.
Now, I’d like to introduce the real star of the show, Roxy:
Roxy – The Mazda RX-8 Car
Roxy is a 2005 GT Trim Mazda RX-8 that I bought in May of 2021. Why an RX8, you ask? I knew I wanted a robust RWD platform for building a racecar without it being a Miata (because I can barely fit in one). Naturally, working at CorkSport, Mazda was the obvious choice, which meant the best option in my price range was a Mazda RX-8. Having my first sports car purchase be a rotary was risky, but I have plans to address that in the future (more on that another time).
By far, the shining jewel of the Mazda RX-8 is how it drives. Mazda outdid themselves with the Chassis engineering on this car, and the handling is like nothing else for the price. Over the last couple of years, I have been slowly working up my (and Roxy’s) track confidence while modifying the car to extract as much out of the chassis as possible.
The first track event of 2023 took place at Ridge Motorsports Park, nestled in the southern shadows of the Olympic Mountain Range in Shelton, WA. This 2.47mi, 16-turn Race Track offers a unique challenge of car control and driving skill featuring crests, compressions, and blind corners – the perfect place then for a Time Attack showdown.
I was joined by Derrick Ambrose, CorkSport’s Motorsport Manager and Owner (…and Founder…and Mechanic…and Tuner…and Racecar driver…he wears all the hats). Anyway, he came armed with CorkSport’s TC America Mazda3 racecar, which served as one of the testbeds for our Skyactiv Turbo Kit. Freshly retired from professionally sanctioned race events, the car can now participate in Time Trials in OnGrid’s Touring Class, the same class I am building the RX8 to compete in. Derrick came looking to kick butt and take names with s2000s, BRZs, and Miatas locked firmly in his sights.
CorkSport-sponsored driver Phil Dandurand joined us in his stripped-out 4th Gen Mazda3 Turbo for his first track day! He was eager to get his feet wet (pun intended) and push the 4th gen platform to its limit. His car serves as one of the testbeds for all of our 4th Gen Turbo parts, including a full 80mm exhaust, downpipe, coilovers, and rear sway bar (among other things).
Sadly, I don’t yet qualify for the Time Attack group, so I was in the HPDE sessions for the day. Nevertheless, we were excited to get back out on-track for the first time since the end of September. Unfortunately, it wasn’t ideal conditions for laying down fast lap times…we all got our feet wet.
Rain. Lots of it
The thing about the Pacific Northwest that a naïve Southerner like me took a while to comprehend is the concept of seasons, specifically winter. See, where I’m from, there are no seasons – at least NOT like this. Winter was no more than a mild summer for most places. Winter meant highs of 68°F (20°C), sometimes low 70s, a cool breeze, and a light jacket. However, in Oregon, it means rain and highs of no more than 45°F (7°C). It means non-stop cold, rain, and clouds from November until May. The stereotypes about Northwest Rain are absolutely accurate. Today was no different, and this meant adjusting our expectations and driving styles to fit the conditions.
Session 1 started the morning with loads of standing water and rooster tails two or three times the car’s height. The track staff tried their best to sweep the rain off the track with a roller and big-fancy blowers, but it was useless. The rain kept coming. Derrick, being the madman he is, brought his Pirelli Racing Rain Tires, and even he struggled for grip.
Luckily I was starting the day in the 3rd session, meaning plenty of cars were on track before me, and a dry line was forming on the surface. While that does mean that it’s the grippiest part of the track, it also means it is the only grippy part of the track. So now, instead of a 40ft wide race track, it is only a car width. Deviate anywhere off this line, and you slow down or risk getting out of control. I learned this lesson quickly by driving up the hill at Turn 11 and hitting a patch of standing water, sending me off the dry line and mere millimeters away from the grass.
The BMW, a couple of cars in front of me, must’ve done the same thing, and it spooked him enough to slow to a crawl in the blind part of the crest, causing the car in front and myself to take evasive action. With the chaos and the track conditions, I chose to pull back into the pits and end my session early.
Knowing your limits and lessons learned
Normally, I wouldn’t mind racing in sub-optimal conditions. I think it’s a great opportunity to learn car control, situational awareness, and how to find and push to limits at a lower speed. Today, however, was different.
Contrary to what most people believe, racing is not giving 100% all of the time. Yes, “if in Contrary to what most people believe, racing is not giving 100% all the time. Yes, “if in doubt, throttle out,” but that’s easy to say when you have an unlimited racing budget with spare parts and even an extra car. Most of us don’t have that kind of support. So racing is methodical and all about finding the limit of your car, yourself, and dancing on that edge – trying to push it further. Sometimes though, edging closer to the limits isn’t worth the risk.
Over our lunch break, temperatures dropped, and the nonstop rain turned into ice. As we sat under the canopy trembling from the cold and watching the ice accumulate on the cars and our tents, we decided to cut our losses and head home. Nothing was to be gained by staying longer; there was everything to lose if we did. Our decision was confirmed by watching our paddock neighbor’s Porsche Boxster return from the track on the back of a flatbed with a crumpled fender and snapped lower control arm – the face of defeat and dejection worn by its owner said it all. Not wanting to meet the same fate, we promptly loaded up and headed home.
Annoyingly the entire 2-hour drive back home was bone dry, and the Portland/Vancouver metro area didn’t see a drop of rain all day…
As they all say: that’s racing folks.
Join us next time at Portland International Raceway as I try to set a new personal best and beat Derrick’s lap times in his Non-Turbo Mazda 3 SCCA T4 car. Follow CorkSport on social media and me @qg_autosports on Instagram for more updates.
Have you ever felt like you try and try and try, but just can’t get the traction to make forward progress on your Mazdaspeed 3 car build? Ya, it happens to the best of us and the 2022 season was my time…both in literal traction and life.
If you haven’t seen my build yet, the @halfmilespeed3, go check it out. It’s an awesome combo of DIY, Teamwork, Innovations, and CorkSport goodies you all love.
Back to this traction conundrum. Racing an 800+hp FWD Mazdaspeed 3 on small airport airstrips with no prep and plenty of dust has proven to be challenging. There have been many successes and many challenges, but ultimately it comes down to those two tiny patches of rubber that meet the road.
LITERALLY NO TRACTION
Yes, Motec helped substantially with traction control and Justin’s ramp-up in power delivery also helps, but really…I just didn’t have any damn traction. Sticky tires with meaty sidewalls also help, but again traction was such an issue! There had to be a better way!
Wheel & Tire Setup:
Front: Toyo TQ 255/50 on 16×8+38
Rear: Toyo R888R 255/40 on 17×9+45
And there was and I had been talking about the idea for a year or so already. Then life happened.
As you can see with the racecar; I like to go fast. I carried that enthusiasm into my love of mountain biking one day in June 2022 and well…I got a lesson in physics let me tell you.
Five broken ribs, a double punctured lung, level 3 AC separation, and a fractured collar bone and scapula. Resulting in weeks of hospital stays and three surgeries; then months of recovery and physical therapy. Let’s just say the 2022 season did not go as planned.
But it did get me focused on solving my traction problems…
Mazdaspeed 3 with CorkSport Mazda Performance Parts Back (AKA HalfMileSpeed3)
The Goal…Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Swap
So I decided it was time to stop talking about it and actually take action (well as soon as I physically could that is). I made a plan and figured out the details and order of operations to finally get my traction back.
While I am not the first to do a Mazdaspeed AWD swap. I did have a goal to make my build unique in the sense that the AWD swap is catered to racing performance. Meaning the strength of custom parts and the rear suspension design and the new fuel system are capable of handling the 4-digit horsepower goal I have and the abuse of racing.
Talking horsepower…what does the car make right now?
This is at a modest 40-41psi using a Xona Rotor 9569s with the X3C compressor housing and 1.03A/R turbine housing. Later Justin @freektune and I turned it up a bit more to see how close we can get to the 600wtq threshold and hold it. Clipping off an 881whp run…damn! This was supported by the many CorkSport Mazda performance parts you can get for your Mazdaspeed as well. From engine mounts to manifolds, anything that isn’t a one-off custom is CS.
Anyways…I have since updated the compressor wheel to a 99 lb/min design compared to the above 95 lb/min design and a larger compressor housing which is more efficient. This setup has not been dyno tested yet, but talking to the engineers at Xona…2023 is going to be spicy!
Close up because who doesn’t like billet turbo shots!?
Dare I say this is the largest turbo in the stock location ever on a Mazdaspeed? Go ahead…prove me wrong. To compare, this competes with a Precision 6870.
The Start of the Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Swap
Anyways, this is the introduction to my Mazdaspeed 3 AWD swap here at CorkSport HQ. I actually started the swap in October 2022 and have been making big steps each month. We are going to be sharing blog updates rapidly as I wrap up the swap over the next couple of months.
There will be much more technical info and images coming up so grab a drink and enjoy!
You can also find updates on my IG @halfmilespeed3, the CorkSport 7th Gear Membership, and on mazdaspeeds.org.
We have listened to your requests and are excited to offer Lowering Springs for the 2016+ Mazda CX-9. Car enthusiasts will enjoy the new look of the CX-9 with a more reasonable ride height. The CorkSport lowering springs give you an OEM fit, while providing an increase in handling performance and a decrease in ride height. The CS springs lower your CX-9 while retaining great ride quality so it remains a usable and fully functional SUV, but gives you the ability to hit the back roads and corners harder when you feel like it.
Look and drive better with the best performance lowering springs for your CX-9. The CS lowering springs will drop your Mazda ~1.45 in (37mm) front and 1.30 in (33mm) rear on the turbo models. We found that this is a great height to make sure your CX-9 stays practical while still providing a great look and the improved handling that comes along with it. Since we are working with a large SUV to start, the amount of drop that we selected still allows for ample ground clearance. The amount of height reduction also leaves plenty of suspension travel for those larger bumps you might encounter even when you’re at full capacity with cargo in the back.
There are multiple benefits to lowering your CX-9 in addition to the more aggressive stance. The handling characteristics are improved due to both the lower center of gravity and the increased spring rates front and rear. These changes offer reduced body roll in corners so the vehicle will feel more planted and give you more room to push in the corners if you find yourself wanting to fly through some backroads in your 4000+ lb SUV. The spring rates were increased more in the rear than the front and the final spring rates selected were 3.1K in the front which is a ~20% increase and 9.5K in the rear which is a ~35% increase over the factory springs.
All of these changes discussed above don’t negatively impact ride quality and it remains similar to how the OEM springs ride. To achieve this we tested multiple springs and compared their natural frequency to the OEM values to make sure the ride quality was still comfortable but with a little added sportiness. The spring rates also work well in combination with the OEM dampers so there is little to no bounciness after bumps and they continue to operate in the normal range so they don’t wear out prematurely.
The installation of the CorkSport CX-9 lowering springs is just like stock and retains all of the OEM components. The only modifications required include trimming the bump stops to account for the lower ride height and making the hole in the rear shock dust covers larger to fit the modified bump stops. The springs are made from high tensile strength spring steel and the rear springs feature spring isolators so any unwanted noises are eliminated. The springs are finished off in our CorkSport Blue powder coat to offer good corrosion resistance so they stay looking good for years to come.
Thanks for checking out the new lowering springs for the 2016+ CX-9. Be sure to head over to the web page and check it out for more details and images!
Control is key when it comes to pushing your Mazda to the limit…that’s exactly what CorkSport has set out to give you with the new CorkSport Rear Toe Arms for your 2014-2018 Mazda 3 and 2013 and newer Mazda 6. Control, precision, & strength define what the CS Toe Arms are all about; let’s see why.
The Adjustable Toe Arms overall construction provides durability and control which come from the high-strength steel that is coated in an awesome CS blue finish. Durability is not an issue with the CorkSport Toe Arms (more on that later).
The Toe Arms Replace the OEM rubber bushings providing strength to your Mazda. Factory rubber bushings are soft and compliant…great for a grocery getter, but not great for the spirited driver. The CS design replaces this flimsy bushing with a rigid spherical rod end to remove that compliance and give you a solid and planted feel from the back of the car.
Pair these with CorkSport Camber Arms and you’ve effectively removed half of the soft rubber bushings from the rear suspension. You will notice this in how the car feels and drives.
Lastly, the adjustability of the toe arms puts you in control of your driving performance. You have more than enough range. from OEM to 2.5+ inches, to dial in the rear toe of your Mazda 3 or Mazda 6. Being able to adjust the toe independent of camber and track provides. You have full control of the setup which can help with handling and tire wear significantly.
Now back to the durability testing. We push our parts to the limit on the track so you can have confidence with your Mazda. The CorkSport Powered Mazda 3 TC car, equipped with our performance toe arms, is being pushed to the limits in Turn 4 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. The track pushes the toe arms to the limit. Enjoy!
Put your confidence in CorkSport for your Mazda needs. Let us know if you have any questions! Our knowledgeable team would love you hear from you!
FAQs About Rear Toe Arms
What do adjustable rear-toe arms do?
Adjustable toe arms are one of the multiple suspension arms that connect your wheel bearing hub to your vehicle chassis. The arms allow you to fine tune the angle of the wheel & tire relative to the chassis for optimal performance. This results in greater steering response, control in turns & maneuvers, and increased tire tread life.
Do you need rear toe arms?
Yes, if you are a spirited driver, racing driver, or looking for more control. Adjustable toe arms also help resolve the uneven tire wear that often results from aftermarket lowering springs and coil overs. OEM suspension arms have very limited range or no range to correct the new angles caused by the installation.
How do rear toe arms affect handling?
Toe arms improve handling by changing the angle of wheels when looking from directly above the vehicle. In performance, the toe of your tire may point out or in when modifying your vehicle. By having the flexibility to set your vehicle alignment, you are able to adjust the toe-in or toe-out position to reduce understeer or oversteer and improve handling at high speeds or through tight corners.
Are adjustable toe arms worth it?
Upgraded toe arms improve the quality of ride, reduce flex in the suspension, and provide more control in high speed and tight turns. Aftermarket suspension modifications can often create uneven wear and tear if supporting parts like toe arms are not used. Adjustable toe arms solve this issue and extend the life of your tire. In addition, the higher-strength metal provides durability and more responsiveness in handling.
