Tag: Cool Stuff

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2010 MS3 – Best Way to Get 40+ HP Without Becoming an Amputee, Divorcee, or Both

I recently received an email asking which CS part combinations would be the best way to achieve a 40+ horsepower gain in the 2010-2013 MazdaSpeed 3 without breaking the bank, or having your significant other make you call and cancel your order.

Your new MS3 breathes just like you do. Maximizing the intake of air and freeing up the expulsion of used gasses (exhaust) will help your vehicle breath better, and go faster.

On the intake side of things, you can get our Short Ram Intake which includes our mandrel bent turbo inlet pipe and custom designed MAF housing and silicone coupler. This will free-up flow into the turbo and allow your MS3 to breath deeper. The average gains seen here are 10-15 hp.

For exhaling, you want to expel all those used gasses as quick as possible. With the CS turbo-back exhaust, you are reducing the back-pressure and allowing your MS3 to utilize the potential of its turbo. The kit comes with Corksport’s full 80mm catback dual exhaust, racepipe, and downpipe. This setup will give the average MS3 owner 28-31 hp at the wheels for just over $1,000 for all 3 parts.

Shown below is our 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 with the CorkSport Short Ram Intake & Turbo-back exhaust compared to our car completely stock. The before number is 226 hp and came out to 272 with the SRI and Turbo-back exhaust. That is a 46 hp increase to the wheels with two products.

This is my suggestion on the easiest and cheapest way to gain 40 hp at the wheels. If you have a different/better way to do this using CS products, I would love to hear your comments.

For those of you on more of a budget, may I suggest just the Short Ram Intake  and racepipe , for an increase in wheel hp of upper 20’s to lower 30’s.

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Tools: Revisited

One question I get a lot is “Can I install this part?” My answer: “Do you have the right tools to do the job?” Depending on the part you are installing just about anyone can get the job done with the directions we supply, a basic idea of how the job works and the right set of tools. Looking back at a previous blog we did about tools, I thought I would add on a bit and tell you about what tools I would start with.

At my previous job, my tools paid the bills so it was a must to have the right tools for the job. There is a big difference between quality tools and the cheap set of ratchets and wrenches you find in the plastic cases at most auto parts stores. I have broken the gears in a number of cheap ratchets and rounded off bolts because the wrench is just not quite the size it says it is. I have always been a fan of Craftsman tools for a few reasons, but mainly because you can just take it back to the store when you break one and get it replaced with no issues. Snap-On has the same policies, but unless you can get the guy in the truck to come by your house you’re going to have to hunt one down to exchange the tools you need.

A basic set of tools is always a good thing to have around the garage. Tools will save you time and save you money. If you don’t have the right tools for the job it’s going to make the job very frustrating and hard to complete. Buying a good quality tool set to start with is a good idea if you want to start working on your car yourself. With a vast majority of cars, even domestics, using metric bolts you can save some money buying an all metric tool kit. I am not saying you need to spend thousands of dollars on a Snap-On kit or Craftsman Pro kit, but they do make good starter sets that will come with just about everything you will need to do normal jobs on your car.

– Chris

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Old vs. New

I drive a 92 Ford Escort that has had many different changes in its life, including a transformation from the gutless Ford 1.9L to a sub 12 sec. weekend racer. I drive this car daily with a “stock” 1.8L Mazda 323 GTX turbo engine with the boost cranked up, putting to the ground something around 250hp. The car has no power options, no I take that back, it does have power mirrors! It is 18 years old and sure it’s got some rattles here and there, but it’s a blast to drive. The turbo on the GTX engine is a bit on the small side so it doesn’t make tons of power but it spools up amazingly fast for almost instant peak boost. With an open differential in the transmission, it makes putting the power down really tricky but fun.

Over the weekend I took our 2010 MazdaSpeed3 to a car show. It’s been a while since I had driven a new car, and I discovered that I like all the options on the car. Rolling down the windows with a switch! Who does that? Cool air while you drive on hot days? What! All of these options are nice. They make me want to rush out and buy a car with some options, not to mention that the MazdaSpeed3 is a bit more refined than my car; to say the least. This car is making as much if not more than my car in the HP area but driving it I did not get that feeling. I could definitely feel the computer robbing power in first and second gear whereas my Escort is ready to tear the tires off in 1st-3rd gear any chance it gets.

Being less refined, my car feels like it has more raw HP than the Speed3 does. The Speed3 eases you into the power and tries hard to keep you going in roughly a straight line, whereas almost anything over half throttle in the Escort is like I’m entering a burnout contest.

Overall I would definitely take the 3 over my car, duh! It’s updated in every way and still fun to drive. I’m really beginning to appreciate new, comfortable cars.

– Chris

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Jake Needs Your Help!

Before starting work here at CorkSport a little over 2 months ago, owning a Mazda had never crossed my mind. Now that I spend the majority of my waking hours working on them, I am starting to spend other hours of my day dreaming about them (You would be surprised how many more Mazdas you see once you start looking for them). Being a CorkSport engineer gives me great enjoyment in designing parts that make cars go faster and handle quicker. However, owning a Jeep Grand Cherokee and being able to use parts I design on my own vehicle limits my options to, well, nothing.

That being said, I have been looking into upgrading from my current ride to something a bit more work friendly, not to mention more fuel efficient (not that I don’t love getting 16mpg in town). Now that I no longer live in the land of eternal snow (Minnesota), my need for an SUV has diminished greatly (however, my love for AWD has not).

I love the look and handling of the MS3 hatchbacks, but would really enjoy the AWD and comfort of an MS6. That leaves me contemplating what my next vehicle and/or next work project should be (an AWD MS3?).

Any suggestions would be more than welcome.

– Jake

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CorkSport LED Kit for 2010 MazdaSpeed 3 and Mazda 3

Tired of your yellow looking interior and license plate lights? Tired of searching the internet for each bulb individually? CorkSport now has the answer.

Soon to be released will be a kit which includes the dome light, driver and passenger reading lights, the trunk light, and both rear license plate lights. All of these lights will be a very cool white light with a hint of blue. The photo shows the stock yellow incandescent bulb on the right, with the CorkSport LED light kit installed on the left.

I personally have these in my vehicle and would never switch back from LED. The main advantages to the LED kit will be less power draw, a cool white light, and a bulb life that will outlast the vehicle.

The kit will include installation instructions as well as customer support should you have any questions. The projected retail will be right around $35 for the entire kit.

If this kit is as popular as I am hoping, I plan on expanding the kit to offer turn signal, brake, and backup lights for an additional cost. I am still working on getting the bulbs to include resistors so the blinkers flash normally without the need for a new relay or inline resistor.

If you want a kit for a different Mazda vehicle, just shoot me an email and I will work on getting a kit setup and released for your vehicle.

– Jake