Unleash the potential and growl from your car and take the step forward into more power! A full 80mm Turbo Back exhaust is now possible with CorkSport’s new Catted Turbo Downpipe for the 2021+ 4th Gen Mazda3 Turbo (as well as CX30 & CX50 Turbo Models)!
Our downpipe uses a two-piece design, making installation easy without the need to wrestle with a single large, cumbersome pipe. The Downpipe starts with a high-flowing cast 304 Stainless Steel Bellmouth, then joins the 80mm mandrel-bent piping with a V-band connection for a leak-free seal.
An updated high-flow catalytic converter is utilized in our V2 downpipe. Our V1 downpipe used a Euro 3 300cel catalyst that showed mixed results with check engine lights (CELs). Our new and improved V2 unit uses a Euro 6, 500cel catalyst for the best in emissions control while minimizing those pesky CELs. Euro 6 is (generally speaking) a more strict set of emission parameters than in the USA. We also went for a more dense catalyst (500cel), which, when combined with an upsized 5” diameter, showed no significant power difference from the V1 300cel or even a fully catless prototype unit (catless not available).
The updated catalyst has shown no check engine lights through our testing. We cannot guarantee no CELs as testing all possible climates, driving conditions, local fuels, elevations, and any and all combinations of these is nigh on impossible! However, we are happy to report no CELs through ~10 months and ~14,000 miles of driving!
Do I Need A Tune?
Addressing the other elephant in the room: Tuning. We highly recommend getting a tune after installing the 80mm downpipe as there are very strict airflow limits in the stock tune that severely limit power. This will result in some mild stutters, surging, or “hiccups” at wide-open throttle. This does not do any damage as it is simply a very conservative safety limit for stock components.
With more flow-efficient parts (i.e upgraded intakes , Turbo Inlet Pipe, and exhaust systems), these limits are being reached much easier and the ECU will limit the power output of the engine. The vehicle will be drivable on the stock tune and still give you an aggressive growl out of your 2.5T!
Here you can see the power gains with a fully-bolted Mazda 3 Turbo that is tuned vs stock downpipe and stock tuning.
Dynograph of the Mazda 3 Turbo Downpipe with CorkSport CBE, TIP/SRI – Tuned vs Stock Downpipe + CorkSport CBE, TIP/SRI – Stock tune.
Each Downpipe kit comes with a complete pack of all the hardware and gaskets needed for installation. This includes:
A few years back, I had grand plans of going Spec Miata (SM) racing with a good friend in southern California during the winter months, intent on improving my on-track driving and racecraft overall. After the 1st event, things changed as my friend passed away.
My SM was only raced a few times during 2022 season, but after that, it was parked along with its fellow spec Miatas.
I brought the car back home in December 2023 along with an additional spec Miata on the trailer – with the intention of racing this year. I finally got the car out of the trailer to start cleaning it up and making sure it was solid to race.
Besides cleaning the car inside and out, and ensuring all its safety parts were still good, the car was pretty much ready to go. The biggest challenge was cleaning up from the cheese bois, which made the trunk a party house for a while.
I had several sets of Toyo RR tires that had been purchased back with the grand plans that were made in 2021. They had been sitting in a trailer since then and baking in the California sun. I chose a few that looked like they may still be soft and signed up for the race weekend.
The Friday test day, gave me a few chances to remember how to drive this car fast, as it had been more than five years since I raced an SM at Portland Intl Raceway. I double-checked the alignment settings and headed off to my weekend racing adventure.
Test lap times were pretty slow compared to what I needed for the PNW Spec Miata Tour. I was turning 1:35 lap times, and if you want to be in the top ten, low 1:32s or better were going to be needed to get there. I focused on cleaning up the exits to turn 7 and 12, which lead onto the straights, as these were the sections of the track I was losing time according to my lap timer.
After consulting a few friends about the tire pressure settings and how to close up the gap, I headed out Saturday morning in qualifying to see what I could do. After dealing with a bit of traffic, I got some breaks from people who let me through, and I hit a 1:32.595, which I felt was about as good as I was going to get, so I called it quits for the sessions.
After a quick driver’s meeting and 30 minutes doing a nut and bolt check, I was ready for the afternoon race, which is a 25-minute affair. I have been racing for ~13 years now, and it is fun how you still get the butterflies heading around the last corner in double formation for the start heading for the green flag.
The starts at PIR, as always, are pretty wild mid-pack, and everyone is trying to get an edge on everyone else around you. I made it through the first corner without hitting or getting hit and proceeded close up on the car in front of me as much as possible.
During the race, I noticed that the car felt a little numb on feedback, and I found myself waiting for my Miata to respond to inputs. Waiting is relative, as I am talking about milliseconds, which seems like forever when racing cars. There were plenty of spots swapped, people spinning off the track, and great race action!
I started in 13th, and by keeping it clean and on track, I made it up to 11th place when the check flew. My goal was to be in the top 10, so I was pretty happy that I ended up 11 out of the 32 cars that had signed up for the weekend.
I also improved my fastest race lap, which means I would start higher up the field. I wasn’t the only one who was faster, so starting on Sunday for race #2, I was in 18th, and it was all downhill from there…
Race 2 TL;DR
I spun a few times and lost one spot overall during the race. Long version, the “wait” for the front end to turn was getting worse as the race progressed. There wasn’t a lot I could do with that so it was a race full of trying to drive around my problem by braking in different areas and turning in early to try to hit the apex and marks to make the corners.
Race 3
I got to start in 18th place again, as no one made up any more time/places in order to change the starting position in the middle of the field. The start went okay, and I didn’t make up or lose any spots as the field sorted itself out.
Lap 4 I went up the inside of another driver into turn 4 and lifted as I felt the car start to slide out. This was the wrong thing to do as it upset the chassis as I was ½ on a curb and ½ on the track, so around I went off into the grass. I felt a little boop from the other driver I was passing as he bailed out. I got stopped before the tire wall and headed back on the track now in 24th position. I was able to get a pass on another car and get back to the 23rd position, but I was really struggling to get the car to bite on the front-end grip.
Lap 13, heading into turn 1, aka the chicane, the car pitched more into the corner than I expected, and I looped it. I got going again and in turn 4 the car cut out briefly which means I was running out of gas. I limped it back into the paddock and called it a day.
I made sure to go talk to the other driver, which I failed to execute the pass on, and apologized for dragging us both off into the grass. He was pretty cool about it, but his wife gave me the stank eye the whole time. There is not much you can do but go say sorry, and he was happy with that. I would be if I were in the same position.
The fuel calculation miss was all on me. You usually run a specific amount of fuel per lap and toss in some extra for wiggle room. I did not put any wiggle room in the SM, so I ran out.
The front-end grip problem was due to the tires. When you usually get off track, you can feel the heat from the wheels and tires. After many sessions, you can barely touch the wheel because the heat is being transferred from the brakes to the wheels and the tires. The tires are normally very warm/hot to the touch after coming off the track. The Toyos were barely warm, which means they were not hitting the operating temperature, which is needed to generate maximum grip and allow me to do what I wanted to with the car.
The picture above of the left front tire from the car after 3 test sessions, a qualifier, and 3 races looks like it has been out for a warm-up only. The left front tire takes all the abuse at Portland, so it should show signs of heavy wear. The racing season is over for the Northwest, so I will be sure to get some newer tires on the car next season.
Want to race Spec Miata with the rest of the NW people? The PNW Spec Miata tour page is NWmiata.com. Shout out to A-Aron for hanging out and watching me spin off the track and having a good time doing race car stuff.
Have you ever seen a timing kit with an integrated bottle opener? I didn’t think so! We here at CorkSport know that when replacing the timing chain or installing other modifications that require you to time your 2.3L DISI MZR engine, something cold and refreshing is a must-have. That’s why we chose to make the CS Timing Kit with a bottle opener so that it can be more than a tool that is just used for timing your motor.
Included in the CorkSport Timing Kit, are two 6061-T6 aluminum crankshaft timing pins. The timing pin is used to set the number 1 piston to the Top Dead Center (TDC), which is a necessary step when timing the 2.3L DISI MZR engine – especially after replacing your refreshing Mazdaspeed 3 or Mazdaspeed 6 with a Mazda OEM VVT Kit!
We picked aluminum over Stainless Steel in this case because if the pin is accidentally left in after the motor has been timed and the motor is turned over, the aluminum pin will give way instead of damaging the motor which could happen if a steel pin is used. This is also why we decided to include an additional timing pin, so you’ll have a backup if needed.
Finally, we chose to anodize the timing pin in a bright red, so that is easily visible when installed in the motor so it doesn’t get left in by accident.
Also included in the CS Timing Kit is the cam alignment plate which is made out of 1/4″ 304 Stainless Steel to provide a long-lasting finish as well as the durability needed to ensure the pockets in the alignment plate stay at the proper specifications.
The cam alignment plate features precision machined pockets that are used to align the cams ensuring a tight and accurate fit. The purpose behind using a camshaft alignment plate during the timing process is that it is used to locate the intake and exhaust camshafts so that they are properly synced with one another.
After the cams have been properly aligned with the timing plate, the camshaft gears that connect the timing chain to the cams can now be tightened using the wrench flats built into the cams to hold them in place while you torque down the cam gear bolts.
Even though similar timing tools have been out for a while, the main goal behind the CS Timing Kit was to provide anyone with a 2.3L DISI MZR engine, a single place where you can get both the Mazda OEM Timing Chain Kit and the tools necessary for the job. We hope that the CS Timing Kit helps gets your 2.3L Mazdaspeed back up and going in no time.
We are all car enthusiasts. We all work hard to make our cars, our Mazdaspeed, the car that performs and looks just how we want…even down to the nuts and bolts. That’s exactly why we have developed a new and unique valve cover hardware kit for the Mazdaspeed DISI-MZR engine!
Unlike anything else on the market today, the CorkSport Valve Cover Hardware was developed as a one-piece design like OEM. This is very important for proper installation and use of the hardware!
Like OEM, the lower edge of the spacer has a small lip on it. This lip is critical to the function and installation of the valve cover gasket by holding the gasket in place during installation and use. With that, the lip would be useless without the one-piece design.
Let’s look at how the OEM hardware works: When you remove/install your valve cover, the gasket stays in place on the valve cover. Imagine fighting to keep that gasket in place and lined up when trying to install the valve cover…silly right? Then you get leaks and oil dripping down the side of your engine…nobody wants that.
That’s exactly why we retained the OEM features…the lower lip and one-piece design.
Now what are the colors!? You can choose from Black, Red, Blue, Gold, Purple, and Clear (Raw AL with a clear finish) and you can choose the color of the bolts as well! We will have the option to choose raw stainless (community standard) or black stainless bolts if you want a less bling look.
If you want to add some color to your Mazdaspeed 3, Mazdaspeed 6, or even CX-7 with the DISI-MZR turbo engine AND you want it to work just like OEM then this is the hardware kit for you. Looks fantastic, installation is straightforward and you can choose from an assortment of colors to fit your build.
Introducing the new CorkSport Cat Back Exhaust for the 2023+ CX50. We are excited to bring another awesome performance product to the CX50 community…this time we really want to make some noise about it! Stainless steel construction, 4-inch tips, and an exhaust tone you’ll love every day. This defines the new CorkSport exhaust.
The Exhaust to Match the CX-50
The CX50 is already a fantastic-looking SUV (heck, we have two of them in the lot!) with great power and capabilities on and off-road. Much like our development of the Mazda 3 & CX30 exhaust systems, we pursued a design that would add to the overall driving experience of the CX50, but it’s so quiet. Like a dog without a bark! We sought to change that with the CorkSport Performance Exhaust.
The CorkSport asymmetric design may not be conventional, but it has a purpose. The long high-flow resonator on the driver side controls the drone and rasp that would otherwise entire the passenger compartment, while the shorter passenger side utilizes 63.5mm mandrel bent piping to allow an exciting growl out of the exhaust. Combined, we found the balance of noise output and drone control, creating a fun and comfortable performance exhaust for your daily driven CX-50.
Exhaust Options
Our current release is for the entire Cat-Back Exhaust system, which will provide a more pronounced exhaust note. For those looking for a less aggressive exhaust note, we offer the CX-50 Axle-Back exhaust system that still provides an improved look and sound. Add the Axle back to your OEM midpipe and you’re ready to go!
Designed to Fit
Like all CorkSport Exhaust Systems, the performance CX50 exhaust is designed to fit like OEM and maintain great ground clearance & departure angles for those off-road adventures. The 4-inch dual wall slant cut tips fit tightly in the OEM bumper cutouts and follow the great body lines of the CX-50. Designed for all AWD models of the CX-50 Turbo and non-Turbo.
In our R&D testing, we found that Mazda allowed some manufacturing inconsistencies in its OEM exhaust components. As a result, we redesigned our exhaust with an adjustable flange that will compensate for these disparities.
What does that mean exactly? We’ve incorporated a new “ball & socket” connection that allows for maximum adjustment to ensure the perfect fit.
Quality Design
Construction of the CorkSport exhaust systems uses 304 stainless steel mandrel bent piping and TIG welded joints that are strong and beautiful. All the necessary hardware is included for a quick and easy installation with basic hand tools. Supporting all that are color step-by-step instructions and the support of the CorkSport team by phone, email, and message.
