Tag: 2010 Mazdaspeed 3

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CorkSport 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 – The Tireless Worker

CorkSport currently develops parts to support 22 Mazda models and at times one of the trickiest parts of designing parts for all of these cars is finding a car to use during the development process.

Occasionally it can be hard to source a car and find someone who is willing to let you start cutting on their brand new car, which is why it is so great to have our 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 at the shop to use for product development.

Many of you have seen pictures of the CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3 and say how great it looks, but little do you know that it’s a true workhorse.

In the past few months I have seen more parts go on and come back off of this car than I ever would have guessed. Hardly a day goes by when something is not being done to it to further development of our Mazdaspeed 3 line. In the past couple weeks alone it has had three different exhaust combinations on it and at one point even had a TMIC on it for a day while the FMIC piping was still installed but disconnected.

One of the great parts of being an engineer for CorkSport is not spending all day sitting at a desk. I’m able to get out and actually work on a car, put it on the lift, prototype parts, test fit samples, and get some actual real world testing on our new parts. This allows us to develop top of the line parts that have been thoroughly tested in real world environments on a shortened development schedule because we don’t have to develop, send parts out to identified R&D cars, wait for feedback, then tweak the design and start the process all over again. Being able to just walk out into the shop to look at something or install a prototype for testing is great. We can get immediate results so we can get the product out to you, the customer sooner.

We recently released our Front Mount Intercooler Kit for Short Ram Intake and some of you with large power aspirations had questions about the fitment of a larger intercooler. The kit we released with the 24x 6x 3.5″ does not require you to remove the crash bar and in order to accommodate a larger intercooler, removal of the crash bar is necessary. Having our shop car not too far from my desk, I was able to go out and fit a larger intercooler onto the speed 3, prototype some brackets, test and then adjust the design to accommodate the larger intercooler core in just over a month. We now have an option for those of you that want to upgrade your turbo and run a CorkSport FMIC for SRI. The new larger intercooler core is 24x 11x 3” and can support up to 700hp.

Having the car here also means we get to drive it and experience how new parts will act in the real world. We can find out how it handles in stop and go traffic, how comfortable it is on the freeway, and how it looks driving down the road. A couple days this week I was able to drive the car to and from work and I can definitely say that even with all of the performance parts installed, the car is still a great daily driver.

I must say having a car like the CorkSport 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 available to use as a development tool really helps us create the best possible product for CorkSport customers.

Andrew-

Current List of Performance and Accessory Parts on the CorkSport 2010 Mazdaspeed 3

Engine and Drivetrain
CorkSport Short Ram Intake
CorkSport FMIC for SRI Kit
CorkSport Cat Back Exhaust
CorkSport Racepipe
Corksport Motor Mount Inserts
CorkSport Lightweight Crankshaft Pulley
CorkSport Silicone Radiator Hose Set
CorkSport Aluminum Skidplate

Suspension and Wheels
CorkSport Adjustable Rear Swaybar
CorkSport Front Swaybar
CorkSport Lowering Springs
CorkSport Trunk brace set

Interior/Exterior Styling
CorkSport LED Light Kit
CorkSport Stub Antenna
CorkSport License Plate Frame
CorkSport Mud Flaps
J-Spec LED Tail Lights
AutoExe Front Bumper
Advan RZ 19×8.5 wheels
Yokohama S-drive 235/35/19 tires

In Prototype
CorkSport Shifter Base Bushings
CorkSport Front Adjustable End Links
CorkSport Oil Catch Can
CorkSport Camber Plates

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Quality Improvement through Product Redesign

CorkSport is dedicated to providing top quality, reliable products to our valued customers. To ensure that our products can keep meeting the demands of the market and adopting forward-looking design techniques, CorkSport may periodically announce product changes or cease product on obsolete models.

One such example of this is the CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3 Front Sway Bar that was released in March of this year. The bar had gone through several design iterations and had been tested on the CorkSport 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 to ensure fit, form, and function during the development phase, however once the product was released, one of our customers identified an issue, and with his help, we took steps to update the design.

Long time CorkSport customer and autocross enthusiast Steve Kritzberg was one of the first to purchase the sway bar. Upon initial installation of the bar, Steve immediately noticed the difference in handling over OEM bar, “The bar was a big improvement over the OEM bar in handling,” Steve recalled, “It kept the car flatter in the turns, as well as quicker turn in.” Unfortunately the stress that Kritzberg’s sway bar was under during autocrossing and his daily commute to and from work on the pothole and crevasse strewn roads of NYC, caused the bar to fail.

Steve immediately got in touch with CorkSport, “I got on the phone with Derrick and dropped him an email with photos.” CorkSport’s customer service manager, Kelly, then kicked into action and sent a stock bar to Steve to put in while engineering worked with him to identify the issue.

“The original design was pretty unorthodox,” said Steve, “The welds and finishes were nice, but during the CorkSport redesign process, I recommended they go with a more conventional design.”

As part of CorkSport’s design procedures, any major change that may impact form, dimension, quality, function, endurance or reliability, will be directly communicated to customers affected, so while CorkSport worked with Steve to improve the design of the bar, our customer service department reached out to each of the other purchasers to make them aware of the potential problem and CorkSport put out a public statement regarding the product issue.

“As soon as the problem was identified, CorkSport posted on the Mazdaspeed Forums and put the issue on the table,” Steve stated, “That is just good business!”

The redesign took approximately six weeks to complete. “I was contacted by Kelly and Derrick several times during the process to ensure the problem was being taken care of to my satisfaction,” said Steve, “The service was awesome. Not only did CorkSport send out a thank you gift in consideration for helping them with the redesign process, but also contacted me once the new design was completed to ask if I would be willing to test the bar.”

When asked how the new product is performing for Steve, he had this to say, “I really like it! I especially like the combo of the bar and the CorkSport Lowering Spring Set. The new bar is definitely stiffer than the first bar and the car feels more balanced.”

When asked if Steve had it to over again, would he still purchase from CorkSport, he responded with a resounding, YES. “Without a doubt! Great product and great service!”

Every product that is developed by CorkSport is handled with personal accountability and though we develop, design, and test our products thoroughly prior to release, from time-to-time, it is our dedicated customers that help us to refine and perfect our products to the uncompromising standards people have come to expect in CorkSport products.

A special thanks to Steven Kritzberg for working with us to develop a top performing Mazdaspeed 3 Front Sway Bar and for taking time out of his busy schedule to co-author this post!

Gwynne-

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CorkSport Announces Expansion of Mazdaspeed 3 Front Mount Intercooler Product Line

CorkSport Performance is pleased to announce another addition to our Front Mount Intercooler line for the 2010+ Mazdaspeed 3. The latest kit is designed specifically to accommodate the CorkSport Power Series Short Ram Intake, giving customers the flexibility to purchase a kit that will accommodate a short ram intake while providing the maximum air cooling capabilities that can only be achieved with a front mount intercooler.

The factory top mounted intercooler can easily be over worked and overheated due to its smaller size. In return, the intake air temperatures rise causing a loss in power. Rather than mount the intercooler under the hood where it receives minimal air flow and is constantly surrounded by engine heat, the CorkSport Front Mount Intercooler Kit for the 2010+ Mazdaspeed 3 features an optimum front mount position to maximize exposure to ambient airflow. This not only increases overall cooling at every boost level, but dramatically reduces heat soak.

Unlike many other front mount intercoolers, the CorkSport Front Mount Intercooler for Short Ram Intake does not require any cutting or trimming of the vehicle and features a 24x6x3.5” aluminum core with custom cast end tanks and 2.25” aluminum mandrel bent piping with bead rolled ends connected with your choice of black, red, or blue silicone couplers and stainless steel T-bolt clamps.

The CorkSport FMIC Kit for SRI has been developed and tested specifically for the 2010+ MazdaSpeed 3 in all types of conditions including hot and cold, rain and snow, freeway driving, and stop and go traffic. During testing, the Front Mount Intercooler saw a pressure drop of approximately 2psi and a maximum efficiency of 85%. When coupled with the CorkSport Short Ram Intake, customers will benefit from substantial gains in torque and horsepower.

The best value on the market, CorkSport will be offering the new Front Mount Intercooler Kit which includes all of the needed installation hardware and a two-year standard warranty. As an added value, customers will now also be able to purchase the CorkSport Power Series Short Ram Intake at a reduced price with the purchase of the Front Mount Intercooler Kit.

For more information about the CorkSport 2010+ Mazdaspeed 3 Front Mount Intercooler Kit, please visit https://www.corksport.com/corksport-2010-mazdaspeed-3-fmic-kit-for-short-ram-intake.html

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Featured Car of the Month – Michigan Speed3

On Friday nights, you are guaranteed to find Robbie Stiff’s 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 on Woodward Ave in Royal Oak, Michigan meeting up with all kinds of other tuner cars, from Evo’s, STI’s, SRT4’s and Cobalt SS’s. This work hard, play hard, Farmington Hills, Michigan family man has always had a need for speed, but it was the three years that he spent working in Marketing for Mazda that lead him to his love for the Mazdaspeed3.

There was no question in his mind what he would be purchasing when de decided to trade-in his SVT focus. The speed3 was a natural choice for this 27 year old that grew up racing on the Waterford Hills Racing Course with his father, a life member of the Oakland County Sportsmans Club.

Though he says he is not even close to being done with the mod’s on his speed3, Robbie has already invested in a CorkSport Turbo Inlet Air Intake, CorkSport Racepipe, and CorkSport Cat-Back Exhaust.

“The sound of the 2.3 with the full exhaust is amazing!” said Robbie, “I love to hear that little K04 turbo spool up and smash whomever I am racing”

To prevent compressor surge and get a nice distinct hissing sound, Robbie has added an HKS-SSQV BOV set to BPV and installed some CorkSport Motor Mount Inserts to reduce wheel hop and torque movement under high performance conditions.

In addition to his plans to drop the car, he has also already invested in styling that includes CorkSport Mud Flaps and CorkSport Vinyl, a 3M wrap for his hoodscoop, and window tinting courtesy of DJ’s window tinting and graphics in Eastpoint MI.

What’s next for This Michigan Speed3? His future plans for the car include a Cobb Access Port, Corksport TMIC, Corksport Lowering Springs, a fuel pump, and injector’s (just to name a few).

When asked what Robbie loves about his Mazdaspeed, he said “I view my 2010 Speed3 as an extension of myself. It’s fast, a go getter, and never lets you down. With a little help from Corksport my MazdaSpeed3 is becoming a monster and this car has not even scratched the surface of mod’s. Breaking 400whp is the goal.”

Well put Robbie!

Full List of Modifications
CorkSport Turbo Inlet Air Intake
CorkSport Racepipe
CorkSport Cat-Back Exhaust
HKSssq BOV
CorkSport Motor Mount Inserts
CorkSport Mudflaps
Window Tint
CorkSport Vinyl
3M Hood Wrap

Pictures by: Chris Blunden

-Gwynne

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PRESS RELEASE: CorkSport Power Series Front Mount Intercooler Kit For the 2010-2013 MazdaSpeed 3

Mazdaspeed-3-FMIC

Due to the popularity of our Front Mount Intercooler (FMIC) Kit for the MazdaSpeed 6 and first generation MazdaSpeed 3, we are proud to release the kit for the 2010+ MazdaSpeed 3. This kit will bolt on with no bumper modifications needed and increase boost levels while decreasing intake temperature. The kit also takes advantage of the hood scoop by mounting the intake under the stock intercooler shroud, leaving a stock look and maximizing airflow.

Features:
The CorkSport FMIC Kit features an aluminum core intercooler (24 x 6 x 3.5 in) with custom cast end tanks. Flowing into and out of the intercooler is 2.25” aluminum mandrel bent piping with bead rolled ends. These are connected via silicone couplers (your choice of black, red, or blue) and stainless steel T-bolt clamps. The kit includes everything needed for installation including our uniquely designed ram-air box. The ram-air box counts to the factory intercooler location to utilize the stock plastic cover and hood scoop to maximize airflow to the engine.

The CorkSport FMIC Kit can be ordered for use with the stock, HKS, or Greddy Blow-off Valve flanges. The kit can also be custom powdercoated to match your engine bay, or give it a totally custom look.

Testing:
Our FMIC Kit has been developed and tested specifically for the 2010+ MazdaSpeed 3. It has been tested in all types of conditions including hot and cold, rain and snow, freeway driving, and stop and go traffic. The kit decreases pressure drop by about 2.5 psi over the stock intercooler (down to 3 from 5.5 psi). The FMIC kit also offers an icrease in thermal efficiency of roughly 20% over the stock intercooler (up to 86% from 66%)*. On top of all of this, the core flows 30% more air than the stock intercooler. All of these features add up to a kit that was designed and optimized for the 2010-2011 Mazdaspeed 3.

Available Now:
The CorkSport Front Mount Intercooler Kit for the 2010+ MazdaSpeed 3 ships with all the hardware needed for installation and is available now via our website or CorkSport Customer Service (360-260-2675). Full color step by step installation instructions and telephone support are also included with your purchase.