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.
For many people across the USA, the days after Thanksgiving means one thing. To them, it’s the start of the Christmas season. The beginning of holiday shopping, pumpkin spice lattes, and the best home-cooked meals you can’t wait to dive into.
However, for a small select few group of individuals and teams, it’s a time for something completely different. It’s a time to see what you are made of, a time to put it all out on the table. A time where you know if the past year of planning, testing, and preparation are about to reward you greatly or tear you down completely. It’s the time when you hope to be able to stand up on a Sunday at noon and say proudly, “I survived the 25.”
For those lucky few (some call them crazy or stupid) the weekend after the Thanksgiving Holiday is what you might call a different type of holiday.
For the past 15 years, the 1st weekend of December is when some of the world’s best pro and amateur drivers descend upon a small city in Northern California known as Willows. Just on the outskirts of this quaint little city lies a little well-known road course titled merely “Thunderhill.” Now what makes Thunderhill so unique, well it’s probably the fact that this venue host the longest and most extreme endurance race in all of North America. For 25 hours straight; teams, coaches, drivers, and fans endure the rain, cold, dark, lack of sleep and more to try and make a name for themselves, and this year CorkSport did just that. Made History…
While attending the 25 Hours of Thunderhill is nothing new for CorkSport as we have spent the past several years supporting Mazda North America and their racing efforts with logistics, crew, and parts. This year was the first year where we entered a new team ourselves and brought our car, crew, trailer, and everything else you need to try and survive 25 hours of racing.
Sadly MNAO did not attend this year so it was up to us to make sure that the brand and name would make a forceful showing at the event and that is precisely what we did.
To start this whole thing off, we brought out our 2016 Mazda 3 GT. You guys are more than familiar with this car as Co-owner, and founder of CS Derrick Ambrose has been piloting this ride for two race seasons now in SCCA racing. We spent several weeks leading up to the event preparing the CorkSport Mazda3 for this daunting task.
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We got extra safety equipment installed, upgraded our data acquisition package, optimized and engine tune for the 2.5L engine, and even installed some upgrade prototype pieces to have the car suited for the race.
Some of the CS goodies that were on the car during the run where our SRI, Cat-back exhaust, RMM, sway bar, and some prototype pieces like our aluminum skid tray and upgraded transmission engine mount. We needed the best parts we could get in there if we wanted to be competitive and make history.
No one has ever raced the 3rd generation Mazda 3 for this long in any endurance race. This car started off just like any other Mazda 3 and still retained a full OEM chassis, transmission, and engine. The engine internals where untouched and the transmission received a CorkSport LSD.
The team showed up on a brisk and cold Thursday morning, and we went to work. We immediately set up and got the drivers briefed.We got some practice in on Thursday, followed by some qualifying on Friday, all to be prepared to push this car to the limit for 25 hours. The team grabbed the pole position, and we were 1.5 seconds ahead of the next car which was fantastic. It showed we had the pace and, ultimately, the faster car. Fast forward to Saturday, and the flag drops green.
We had a great start and excellent drivers in the car. We struggled a bit through the night with consuming tires at a rate faster than we had anticipated and also had a few issues with how quickly we could get fuel into the car, despite the problems the team and the car pushed through the night. With just a brake change and tweak to the exhaust through the night, we maintained a good pace that ultimately got unwound due to the fuel issue mentioned above.
There was a Miata in our class that could get better fuel economy and tire consumption and slowly crawled there way up to lead during the night.
As the sunlight begins to break through, we are in a healthy 2nd place but a bit far off the leader, however, it does not worry us too much as we still have a shot at a win. Things were looking good till right about hour 22. One of our driver’s radio’s in and let us know he lost 4th gear (that’s not good). None the less we keep pushing knowing we have a spare transmission should we need to swap.
Now at hour 23 we get another message. “I lost 2nd gear” The transmission has now lost two gears, and we get a bit nervous. The car is still going and driving strong but our lap times do suffer from not being able to use all of the gears. After a quick powwow with the team, the decision is made to leave the car out on track and finish the race between 3rd and 5th gear.
With only 2.5 hours to go swapping out the transmission did not make sense as we were very secured in 2nd place. So we did just that and pushed on through, and you know what happened? We did it. While we didn’t get the P1 spot like we had wanted we did what no other SKYACTIV-G Mazda3 had done before.
We survived the 25. We proved the chassis and the platform, we pushed harder, longer, and further than absolutely anyone else has. The car was relatively unscathed, and minus the transmission, the vehicle performed excellently. All of the CorkSport parts did precisely what they needed to and outperformed all expectations.
We took the 3rd gen platform and solidified it as a competitive car and chassis that can be used and used well at all levels of motorsports.
So, what happens next?
The Mazda 3 made it back home and now lay dormant inside of HQ. We will be spending the next few weeks going through a ton of data and running through the car with a fine tooth comb.
We’ll take the transmission apart and see what her demise was. We’ll likely strip the SKYACTIV 2.5L down as well to check out what two years of racing looks like on her. The oil is already out of the car and on its way to the lab so be sure to stick around and see what we find out there.
Now one of the great things about this is what our success brings to the community. Everything we learned here can and will be applied to all of our parts and products moving forward. When we win, you guys all win. So, celebrate our accolades with us and wish us luck as we begin to prepare for the 2018 race season.
Do we tackle the 25 hours again next year? Do we show up with a turbocharger and more aero? And do we fight our ways to a P1 finish? You better believe I am going to try.
There are two types of Mazda 6 owners in the community: a person with a CorkSport Axle-back and the person that sadly still has the OE exhaust. Well sit back, grab a beer, and I’ll explain why that needs to change!
First, the cat-back exhaust sounds great! Watch the video below and compare the axle-back and cat-back exhausts. While they both sound awesome, you can tell the cat-back brings a whole new level of greatness. It’s not especially louder than the axle-back, but it provides a deeper rumble to the exhaust note throughout the RPM range. Best of all there isn’t a significant increase in cabin drone, so you can still enjoy your long cruises to the beach with friends.
Second, the cat-back exhaust looks great! Starting from the exhaust manifold, you have a thick, laser-cut flange that bolts right to the OE exhaust manifold. Following that is the machined O2 sensor bung that is precision-TIG welded. Next up are some multi-point hangers to get your exhaust in place with a large packing-filled resonator that helps manage the cabin drone we talked about earlier. Continue along those gorgeous lines of the Mazda 6, and you find yourself at the axle-back section. Here you will find two packing-filled resonators and two double-wall tips that only extenuate the curves of the Mazda 6.
Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about the most exciting aspect of the CorkSport Power Series Cat-back Exhaust. It makes power! That’s right ladies and gentlemen: More power could be yours if you improve your exhaust style and sound.
For an otherwise 100 percent stock car with no additional tuning, the improvements are impressive. I think the real turning point is the unsightly squashed section of the mid-pipe. Check it out below.
Yeah, that looks awful. Now let’s see the numbers. Check out this dynograph to see some other impressive curves. The Mazda 6 performs a whole lot better with the addition of the cat-back.
If that doesn’t convince you that the change is worth it, nothing will! Although, have I mentioned that the CorkSport Power Series Cat-back Exhaust is manufactured and CNC-formed from 60.5mm T-304 stainless steel pipe? It’ll look great for years to come.
Our reaction? Roughly summed up, it looks something like this:
We love it, and we want you to love it too. So we’re going to share what this little number’s got going on under and above the hood, and let you know about the ace aftermarket parts we’ve got for you to make it even better.
There you are, sitting behind the computer screen trying to decide which type of catback exhaust you want to purchase. It’s a stressful time considering you want to make sure you’re getting the best possible quality exhaust system.
So, what are some key factors that come into play when trying to make a decision? Is it the diameter of the exhaust that persuades you? How about the type of steel used? Do you care about perfect fitment? These are all things to consider when making a decision on an exhaust.
Here at CorkSport, we make it our number one priority to meet the expectations of our customers. Whether you drive a Mazdaspeed 3 or a regular Mazda 3, we’ve made sure to engineer a perfect fitting exhaust that maximizes engine performance.
Take the Mazdaspeed 3 for example: When you purchase a CorkSport Catback Exhaust, you’re getting T304 stainless steel piping that has been polished to a mirror-like finish.
You’re also getting true 80mm piping, which is slightly bigger than three inches, making our exhaust one of the biggest bolt on catback systems.
Fitment is also a big concern to us. We make sure our exhaust systems are mandrel bent and TIG welded to make a perfect bolt-on fitment.
Now that you know our exhaust is 80mm piping, polished to perfection, and made to be a direct fitment, you can bet this exhaust will increase performance and sound. By installing our catback exhaust, you’re removing the secondary unmonitored catalyst making the exhaust flow much faster out of the motor. By increasing the velocity of exhaust gases out of the motor, you increase power and make your turbo spool up a little bit faster.
Among the power gains you’ll see from installing the CorkSport Catback Exhaust, you’ll also have a car with a deep growl. Our exhaust has one of the best-sounding tones on the market. With a quality-made exhaust comes quality sound.
When you’re ready for a catback exhaust, make sure to check out what CorkSport has to offer to ensure you get the highest quality parts.
Everything A Noob Should Know About The Catback Exhaust August 12th, 2024CorkSport
