At CorkSport we value innovation. We’ve got dozens of products that are unique on the market. Our Blow-off valve is being patented. How do you innovate a shift knob? That’s a tough one but we found a way!
Are you ready for one of the first shiftknobs that you can adjust? At its lightest, weighing in at 175 grams, and adjustable up to 320 grams, you will be able to tailor your shift weight to your driving style.
To really feel your shifts, adjust the weight to the lighter side, as low as 175 grams and feel the intricate shift points as you flow through the gears. For those that like heavy knobs, you can max it out to 320 grams, giving you smoother shifts that easily falling into gear as you shift up and down through the gears.
For example the first generation Mazdaspeed 3 (2007-2009) OEM shiftknob weighs in at 260 grams and the 2nd generation Mazdaspeed 3 (2010-2013) weighs in at 280 grams. You can find that sweet spot above or below that OEM weight to customize your driving style.
After you find that ideal and magical weight, installation will take about a minute as you screw on the knob. There are no set screws or adapters, it will screw straight on the OEM shaft as they were designed specifically for your Mazda vehicle. CAD designed and manufactured out of a durable deep blue or sleek black aluminium for a long life and incredible feel.
CorkSport is proud to announce the SkyActiv Aluminum Oil Catch Can. An excellent product to help increase the life of your engine, helping capture the oil and contaminants is now available for the SkyActiv.
Specifically designed to to fit the 2012-2013 Mazda 3 SkyActiv models. Easy installation and a direct OEM fitment.
An oil catch can is designed to “catch” unwanted vapors that are in your crankcase and PCV system and prevent these contaminates from entering your motor. With no catch can installed, you have the potential to get build up in the intake manifold causing dirty valves and poor compression.
For a good understanding of how the Oil Catch can can add years onto the life of your motor check out this past blog write up.
What does it all mean? The above picture gave us some great views into what the car is going to be like from a performance standpoint.
The obvious thing is the motor,a 2.0 Skyactiv engine with a decent looking header(ala the rest of the skyactiv models which have the cool looking scavenging headers). There are more subtle details like how compact Mazda made the alternator/A/C compressor and throttle body location. Mazda really hugged the block with them which makes me wonder how tight the engine bay will be in the production car.
You can see that Mazda is going with electric power steering which is built into the rack which is great, it keeps the weight low in the chassis and there is no power steering pump or lines to mess with. If Mazda has the feedback setup like they do in the Mazda 2 which also uses electric assist this will be an incredible car with feedback through the steering.
If you look at the current MX5 chassis below you can see one of the similarities from the one above.
2014 MX5 Chassis
The rear suspension looks similar to the current MX5 but there are several subtle changes to make things better. #1 look how the rear shock mounts to the new upper arm compared to the lower location on the older model. This makes for a smaller/lighter shock and a stronger control arm. The 4 bolt hubs and brake rotors are a move obvious difference which is saving weight too. The last piece that come across as different is the PPF (power plant frame), the current generation is pretty narrow and the new version is much wider, much like the older FD Rx7s where is wraps around the transmission and differential more. I’m sure Mazda spent the equivalent of months testing out the design difference in that piece alone to meet the requirements of the Skyactiv chassis.
I am still excited for the new chassis but I am bummed there is no turbocharger sitting on the motor but if Mazda can get us 200 wheel HP I will be happy! We shall see.
The Cobb Tuning Accessport is a device that communicates with your ECU (Engine Control Unit). When you own an accessport you will be able to read error codes, modify engine settings, and take informational logs of data to keep your Mazda running reliably, and to give it more power.
The main reason people purchase the accessport is to install maps on their car.
What is a map?
A map is a preconfigured group of settings or parameters for your car. Want your Mazdaspeed to get better gas mileage? Run the “Economy Mode Map.” Want your Mazdaspeed to run faster? Remove the boost limits in 1st and 2nd gear, then run a “Stage 1 Map.”
Maps also allow you to tell your ECU specifically what power modifications you have done and how you want them running. If you have a new downpipe that flows better and Max Flow Fuel Pump Internals, then your ECU will need a new map installed that tells it how to control the boost levels by controlling the waste gate, the spark advance, ideal fuel pressure, fuel trims, and many other things.
So where do I get these maps?
The Cobb Accessport will come pre-installed with a few maps that are known as OTS (Off-The-Shelf) Maps. They are basic maps that should cover a wide variety of parts. Though they are more beneficial than keeping a stock ECU tune, they are nowhere near as beneficial as doing a custom tune. Custom tunes can be done by anyone with Accesstuner Pro who is willing to devote time to learning the ins and outs of engine control management. Most people who don’t want to spend hours tweaking small variables to meet safe and powerful conditions choose to get a tune done by a professional.
For the Mazdaspeed platform there are many tuners to choose from:
Or you could find a local tuner who will do a Dyno Tune
How do I use this thing?
The accessport is really rather simple. If you can use a modern smartphone, you can figure out the accessport.
Step 1: Find the OBD II port on your Mazdaspeed 3 (located on the left side of the dash above the hood lever, below the traction control switches.) and then plug the accessport cable in.
Step 2: Tell it to install. Make sure you follow all directions on the screen and don’t shut your car off halfway through install.
Once installed to your car the accessport will not be able to be installed in any other vehicle unless you uninstall it. This is called by many “marrying “ the accessport. You can only install an “unmarried” accessport to your car. If it’s already “married” it will not work, which is why buying one used can be so sketchy.
Now that it’s installed, you can change maps, do datalogs, and view check engine lights right from inside your car. When it isn’t installed, you can easily connect it to your computer and load the accessport manager to copy new maps to the device, or open datalogs in Excel. You can eve use tools such as Virtual Dyno to monitor performance gains.
The Final Step
Once you have installed the accessport and decided on the map to use there is only one thing left to do: Drive. Get out there and enjoy your car with its new power curve, removed boost limits, and better breathing. If you thought your car was fun before, just wait until you get an OTS map installed with your accessport and put the pedal down for the first time!
Once you’ve done that and realize how amazing it is, I dare you to get a custom tune for your specific car, modifications, gas, elevation, and driving habits. You will be BLOWN away.
Overall, the accessport is an amazing device that every Mazdaspeed owner should have for safety, reliability, power, and to learn more about your car. Let us know if you have any questions about them, or purchase one here.
As a avid driver, and a person who loves to punish my speed on the street and at the track, I’m always looking for parts that help me in any way possible.
Being able to test the short shifter, got me excited, because anyone who has ever tried to drag race at the track knows, the 1-2 shift is the most crucial shift. Having used several different short shift plates, and driven gen1 and gen2 speeds with full replacements, I always felt there could be room for improvement. The short shift plates I have used in the past, no matter how much I adjusted the cables, would either cause gear grinds, or lock me out at high rpm during a flat foot shift. The full replacements, were set too low and too close, causing me to hit my pinky finger against the ashtray lid.
With this shifter, I can set it where I want it, both with the height, and with the throw. I love how it feels going into every gear, no matter how fast I shift, or just cruising around. The night I installed this, I took it out for a test to see how well it would perform. The first thing I noticed right away was how there was no longer any play, or shifter slop. And then taking it all the way thru 3rd to 7200rpm, I flat footed with zero issues. This thing is a winner. I’m confident that when I track next weekend, it will give me a bit of an advantage over the stock shifter, and those crucial 1-2 shifts will be on point. I’ve let several of my friends drive it with it installed, and everyone loves it. It’s a great product, and in my opinion there is no comparison to the TWM full replacement. At more than half the cost, it’s a no brainer.
Anyways, I will keep you informed on how it performs at the track next weekend, even though I know it will perform flawlessly.
Sincerely,
A CorkSport Custoemr
Customer Review – Mazdaspeed Adjustable Short Shifter August 7th, 2014CorkSport
