CorkSport Community | CorkSport Mazda Performance Blog

May 14, 2020September 27, 2023

Performance Parts for the 4th Gen Mazda 3

Today we are going to lay it all out; we are going to tell you about what we are working on for your Mazda 3 and WE ARE EXCITED! Who are we? If you don’t know already, we are CorkSport Mazda Performance based out of Vancouver, Washington. We are the number one Performance Aftermarket Mazda Parts Company and we have set our sights on the 4^th Generation Mazda 3.

Below are the first projects we are developing for the 4^th Gen Mazda 3 and CX30. Engine performance, suspension performance, and styling are all covered here and we are closer to launch than you may realize. Sit back and enjoy, there’s a lot here and we want you to see it all.

White 4th Gen Mazda 3 — CorkSport – Lowered on CS Springs

One of the most sought-after and anticipated performance items for the 2019+ Mazda 3 are the CorkSport Lowering Springs. The CS springs provide the most aggressive drop on the market today while providing a sporty and comfortable ride for daily driver use. With that, we have confirmed fitment on FWD manual transmission hatch and AWD automatic transmission sedan. We found that the Auto AWD Sedan rides just slightly lower, but is still within proper ride height for suspension function.

Blue CorkSport Mazda 3 lowering springs — See all of our Lowering Springs

We design our springs with more than just looks in mind (but they do look great). Spring rates and suspension frequency are critical to performance and comfort. With that being said we increased the front spring rate 52% and rear rate 40% based on the OEM 2019 FWD Hatch MT springs.

Mazda 3 Hatch Back stance with lowering springs — White Mazda 3 Rear Stance with Springs and Axle Back Exhaust

Now if you’re looking at the images and thinking “Damn those wheels look good” then you are correct and we agree; they look amazing and fit the car and CorkSport springs perfectly.

Here are the specs: Advan RS 19×8.5 +38 with 235/35 Kumhos. We have just the slightest rub on the inner fender on large bumps. Besides that they are perfect and you can have this setup too!

Best 2019+ Mazda 3 Axle Back Exhaust — See all of our Axle-Backs

Next up is the CorkSport Axle-Back Exhaust. Off the showroom floor, the Mazda 3 is ghostly quiet which is pretty disappointing. Our goal with the Performance Axle-Back Exhaust is a noticeable but mellow tone that you can enjoy every single day; gents this is Wife/Girlfriend approved.

Red Mazda 3 Sedan — CorkSport – Using OEM Springs

We are proud to announce that will we be supporting multiple models on launch. We have confirmed the Sedan, Hatch, Hatch w/Aero Package, and the CX-30. Along with that we have confirmed fitment for both FWD and AWD models for all cars listed.

Look closely, there are a couple new products in this engine bay…long in development is the Short Ram Intake System which replaces the OEM airbox with a high flow dry element filter, billet aluminum MAF housing, 4-ply silicone coupler, and stainless steel T-bolt clamps.

Upon launch we will be offering various color combinations between Black, Red, and Blue. You can see them below.

Mazda 3 Short Ram Intake System — See all of our Intakes

In our testing we have seen repeatable 5whp gains at peak with a nice increase across the RPM range. Street driving our butt dyno agrees with crisp throttle response and a lovely intake induction noise. The combination of induction noises, exhaust note, and sporty feedback from the sport springs really turns the Mazda 3 from an A-to-B car to a great enthusiast hot hatch.

Mazda 3 with CorkSport products installed in engine bay — Mazda with CorkSport Products

The other project sitting in the engine bay is the CorkSport Front Strut Brace. Bracing the strut towers to each other improves chassis stiffness and reduces suspension complicity. This results in increased driver feedback and thus a better driving experience. The powder coated steel brackets and polished aluminum cross bar add a nice loot to the engine bay.

Rear sway bars designed for the 2019 Mazda 3 — Click to See all of our Swaybars

Lastly, and still in development, are the rear sway bars for the FWD and AWD 4^th Gen Mazda 3. This project has been interesting because of the new torsion beam rear suspension found on the 4^th Gen Mazda 3. It’s interesting because there is no factory equipped sway bar. Instead of just developing a larger rear sway bar, we are developing a sway bar from scratch along with the attachment methods.

You also notice that there are two different bars in the image. This is because the AWD and FWD torsion beams are different due to the AWD drivetrain. Long story short, we are developing a RSB for each drivetrain specifically because that’s the correct way to do it.

Wow, that was a lot, and trust me there is more we are investigating, but we can’t let ALL the secrets out yet. We would love to know what products you would like CorkSport to develop for the 2019+ Mazda 3 platform, you can do so right here by Submitting a Product Idea.

Also, we love sharing with the community directly and have been doing so in these groups. If you don’t know about them then check them out and join for more info.

White Mazda 3 stance with lowering springs

Thanks for tuning in with CorkSport. We hope you are as excited about the 4^th Gen Mazda platform as we are!

-Barett @ CS

May 6, 2020July 31, 2023

Barett’s 1/2 Mile Mazdaspeed 3 Build – Part 1

Hey Everyone, if you don’t know me already I’m the engineering manager at CorkSport Performance & @Halfmilespeed3. I want to make a formal greeting and invite you to follow along as I take the next huge step with my personal build. I drive a 2009 Mazdaspeed 3 that has been through many iterations. I bought it nearly 6 years ago and have since used it in excess to support CorkSport R&D. Hundreds if not thousands of passes on the dyno with so many parts…it’s been a beaten test mule. The time has come to set a focus.

Now, with the 4^th engine going in it, I’m setting the build focus for ½ Mile Drag Racing. Power, Aero, and some “Mad Scientist” R&D is going into this build. (see WTF is THAT)

Mad Scientist Add-ons — 600hp Mazdaspeed Build Path – CorkSport Barett’s 2009 Mazdaspeed

My goals are 700whp on the CST6 stock flange (with Will @ PD Tuning giving it the sauce) and 180mph in the standing ½ mile. I plan to play in the 1320, but half mile is the focus. My first event was going to be Never Lift @ Coalinga Munical Airport in Late March, but with recent events, this was canceled and a new date has not been set. Fingers crossed the country gets through this and the next events hosted by Shift S3ctor Airstrip Attack in June and November hold.

Back to the build…I know that pushing a Mazdaspeed through the air at 180mph is a lofty goal and that physics are against me. With the help and advice of Aaron O’neal @ English Racing I am exploring high-speed aero design.

The primary goal is stability at high speed. I want to be safe in this type of racing so I need to do what I can to make the car stable and predictable at speed. This means I need the car to cut through the air as smoothly as possible, and if possible, generate downforce.

To do this I’ve made a prototype drag wing (which I will share more detail on in a later blog) per the advice of Aaron and my research. This wing is two feet long at the top! And with the closed sides, this should reduce the amount of lift generated at the back of the car.

There is still a lot more work to do here but you get the idea so far.

Upfront I am still very much in the conceptual phase of design. Nearly the whole front bumper will be sealed off with a single sheet of ABS plastic formed to the front of the car. The only opening will be a rectangle about the size of the intercooler for cooling airflow. I also plan to build a chassis mounted splitter. The red parts in the image above are the one-off brackets I designed to mount the splitter to the chassis and still be able to adjust the height (Again I’ll share more detail in future blogs as the prototype comes together).

The other less intuitive aero bit I’m doing on the front of the Speed is hood venting. Thanks to Jonathan Castro @ JC Speedworks for the hood vent I’m able to kill two birds with one stone here. If you’ve done any type of racing you know heat is a killer and must be managed. With this hood vent, I am both evacuating any high-pressure air build up in the engine bay and promoting more efficient airflow through the intercooler and radiator.

With the 300 miles I’ve put on the car, I can already see a huge difference in normal operating temps. Maybe more vents are in the works? 😉 Oh and shout out to @mz_rawr (Aaron Maves) for cutting holes in my hood.

CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3 Transmission Mount Blog

In the process of getting the engine and transmission together, I wanted to fix a 2^nd gear drop out issue I had. Over a weekend @thatonepnwguy (Bryce Peterson) and I split my transmission and replaced the shift forks. We certainly did it the wrong way and had to chase some balls around and get them back into their respective locations; despite all that, don’t be afraid to tear into things and learn the hard way.

How To Achieve 400 WHP In Your Mazdaspeed Blog

The powerplant made it in the car and is running great. Right now I’ve got about 300 miles on the engine. I’ve been working out some little details with heat management and setup of the Vacuum Pump (WTF is THAT). I am just now starting to do logs and tuning with Will Dawson at Purple Drank Tuning. With these goals, I still intend to keep the car street legal and driven on a nearly daily basis (I wish you could see the stares I get from people). I’m putting this out to all of you as an invite to follow along with the build on Instagram @halfmilespeed3. All the inside info and goodies are there for you to see along with @corksport for other stories and build updates. I’m stoked for this season and to explore a racing series that has largely been untouched by the Mazdaspeed community. I will be finding limits and new challenges for the platform that I hope to overcome.

Connect with us

March 15, 2016

Dear Car Guy: Engaging with the CS Fam

Dear Car Guy,

I was admiring how different all of your rides are. As a general statement, there are lots of ways to make your baby unique and personalize it to your style. At CorkSport, we try to do the same thing with our brand, our name and our reputation.

We love when we hear back from you that we’ve done great things with customer service:

Following up with your questions via email, phone calls, Facebook, forums, and face to face.
Sending out a little bit a joy with some of your packages.
Supporting you when something goes wrong and keeping in touch throughout your order fulfillment.
And just being a part of the conversations that happen within the Mazda platform.

We want (and try) to get you to engage with us too!

You frequently make us laugh by telling a joke or letting us know what you’re thinking in the comment section that comes with your order.

WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU and often we find a fun way to show you that we read your note, joke, sarcasm, or saw that you had a question.

Here are some of my favorites from recent months:

Jennifer sent out a “few” valentines to bring a smile and some happiness when you opened your order:

Our shipping team drew on some of your packages:

We sent out some extra goodies for you and your loved ones:

And we even shared a little bit of Mazda history with you!

We hope you enjoy it as much as we do! It makes the day go by that much faster and gives us an opportunity to really connect with you and figure out what we can do to best serve you and your ride! We’re here to help by bringing knowledge, parts, supplies, support, and hopefully good-natured humor and joy every once in a while!

ALWAYS leave a comment in your order. The more original you are with your notes, the more fun we can have in return!

Thanks for passing along the joy! Stay safe, stay fast, stay happy!

December 11, 2015December 10, 2015

And the Top Pics of the Week Go To…

Congratulations to our double the Mazda, double the fun duo @nateridems3 and @pjwallington, shot by the talented @thatkevinc, for having our most liked pic this week!

Then @nichnobre just had to go and melt our manly hearts with his winter mode pic featuring his pup Zoey.

We love growing our CS fam and sharing your great Mazda pics. Let’s keep them coming! Use #CorkSport for a chance to be featured on our page and maybe you’ll be our next pic of the week.

Cheers,

CorkSport

November 22, 2013

CorkSport Gets Down and Dirty… For the Community!!

A rainy afternoon playing in the mud, a sun-shiny day hanging out and making children smile, and another rainy morning, fighting a storm to pick up trash on a local beach. These are just a few of the ways that CorkSport gives back to its local community. Once every three months we put together a group of our employees to give back in some pretty unexpected and challenging ways.

In February 2013, we paired up with some local ‘pros’ through a program that rebuilds worn out trails in the local parks. We hiked 2 miles in with our tools and lunches in tow, dressed for what we were hoping was a fair weather day. Boy, were we wrong!

We repaired parts of an older trail, and put in a couple switch backs to help with draining in the future so the trail might have a chance of being a little less muddy. Tools in hand, we dug in some places a full foot of mulch and mud out in order to level out and give proper foundation to what will be a fully graveled trail in the future.

Off and on showers, some ankle deep mud trenches, and some ‘Seniors’ who made us feel as though we were slacking for taking a break or two made for a memorable team building experience. All in all it was a worth-while and enjoyable day, we felt accomplished and closer as a team after having completed some strenuous work with beautiful results.

Most Recently we took a Saturday morning and went to a local river-beach for some clean up.

Once again the weather laughed and laughed as we fought the wind, rain, and waves to find anything from cigarette butts and bed sheets to broken bottles and pieces discarded and forgotten clothing.

Wonderful to be outside, but we could have done without the temperatures and onslaught of the local weather system/left-overs from far away hurricanes.

We have volunteered for the community with some children’s outings, given back to the local work crews, and done some trash digging at the beach. We always make sure to do this on our own time so as not to interfere with business, but the rewards that come from volunteering are worth it any day!

-Cheers

Kim

Stay up-to-date on the latest news and product updates from CorkSport.

Stay up-to-date on the latest news and product updates from CorkSport.

We want (and try) to get you to engage with us too!

Here are some of my favorites from recent months: