CX-50 | CorkSport Mazda Performance Blog

March 16, 2023August 15, 2023

The New Look For Your Mazda CX-50 with Hood Mount Light Brackets!

Looking to turn your CX-50 into a more overland or camping-ready vehicle? CorkSport is happy to help with our Hood Light Brackets for 2022+ Mazda CX-50! We make it easy to add some additional auxiliary lights near the corners of the hood for better visibility when away from civilization. They offer optimized fitment, an easy install, and plenty of freedom to choose lights that work best with your build. Read on for full details, and check out our product page for plenty of images!

CorkSport Hood Light Bracket Kit with Rigid Lights for Mazda CX-50

The CS hood mount light brackets were CAD designed specifically around the tight clearances of the CX-50. To eliminate the need for any drilling or trimming, the brackets mount to the hood mounting bolts and fit carefully in the small gap between the plastic wiper cowl and the hood. There is just enough clearance to prevent the lights from hitting the hood and wipers and keeps the lights very low profile for minimal obstruction to your view while driving. This mounting location is a common spot for auxiliary lights, frequently known as “ditch” lights, and allows for added visibility in two possible areas. With a “spot” style light aimed forward, some additional forward visibility is gained beyond the factory high beams. With a “flood” style light aimed roughly 45 degrees outwards, you can better peripheral visibility. It’s the best Mazda CX-50 hood light mount bracket kit.

Mazda CX-50 with Hood Rigid Lights Installed.

Each CorkSport ditch light bracket is made from laser cut 11 gauge steel that is precision formed for perfect fitment. They were designed with functionality in mind so the laser cut profile has features that optimize their usability. The mounting for the lights uses a very basic hole so most LED pod lights will fit with no issues. Anything that mounts with an 8mm or 5/16” bolt can be used. Simple mounting also allows for plenty of adjustability depending on how you want to aim & utilize your lights. We also include zip tie holes to keep your wiring in check for a clean install.

To make things even simpler, we offer optional Rigid D-Series lights to go with the CS hood light brackets. You can buy the brackets by themselves and supply your own lights, or buy a full kit that includes everything you need! Choose from spot or flood light with bracket variants depending on your desired lighting. Each Rigid kit includes a full wiring harness and interior switch for a simple install.

P.S.

The Hood Light Brackets is one of our first “overland” style Mazda CX-50 parts but we have plenty more to come! We hope to turn your CX-50 into a more capable “soft-roader” soon! Keep tabs on all our socials for news of new products. Have a product idea for your Mazda CX-50? Complete our new product request form HERE!

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Get The CS Hood Mount Light Bracket Kit. Choose between brackets only or add the lighting kit for a complete look.

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January 25, 2023January 26, 2023

Improve Your Mazda CX-50 with SRI Heat Shield

Long awaited; the CorkSport Heat Shield is now available for your Turbo CX50 CorkSport SRI System. Whether you have the CS SRI already or want to get both at the same time, the CorkSport Heat Shield for both Mazda CX-50 with the SkyActiv 2.5T is a great mod to include in your build. Keep on reading to see how the CS Heat Shield is able to achieve lower intake air temps that allow your motor to make power easier.

For the CorkSport Heat Shield our main focus was keeping cool air supplied to the filter. The shield was designed to seal off the intake from as much heat produced from the radiator, engine, and transmission as possible. This led to a multiple piece design that is riveted together which allows us to utilize the OEM air ducting which supplies cooler outside air to the filter. The shield does not fully surround the filter because we have also found that there is cool air that also comes from the area in front of the tire and underneath the headlight while driving, helping to ensure that your intake sees as much cool fresh air as possible.

Turbo Mazda CX-50 heat shield for CS SRI

Now with all of this cooler air being supplied, how does it help performance? The basic concept is that since cold air is denser than warm air, your engine gets more air per cycle, and thus allows more fuel to be added to make more power. However, when a car is turbocharged, the process is a little more complicated. A turbo compresses and heats up your intake air and then sends it to an intercooler that cools the air back down. What that means is that the “colder air will make more power” generalization may not be as significant, especially with the advancements in modern turbocharged vehicles. Colder intake air does offer a benefit in the form of less stress on your turbo system. This means that your turbo does not have to work as hard to flow the same amount of air at the same boost pressure. Also a reduction in intake air temps can translate to slightly cooler air exiting your turbo compressor, which helps take some stress off the intercooler as well.

With all of the theory covered, let’s get to the real world results! In daily driving tests, we found decreased intake air temps with the CorkSport Heatshield installed. When cruising or when it’s cold outside, we were actually surprised at the low intake temps of the CorkSport SRI alone—there’s actually a surprising amount of fresh air that gets into the engine bay. Where the heatshield really comes into its own is when sitting stationary or driving on a very hot day. That’s when we saw our biggest improvements in intake air temp.

CorkSport 2023 Mazda CX 50 SRI heat shield data

Lastly about the manufacturing, the CorkSport Heat Shield is made out of carbon steel that is laser cut and precision formed. Carbon steel was selected for its strength and lower heat transfer over aluminum. To fight off corrosion, the heatshield is powder coated wrinkle black which gives the heat shield a great look and helps it blend in with the other parts in the engine bay. Both sections of the shield are attached together using stainless steel rivets for corrosion resistance and produces a nice look. Lastly, we include rubber seals along the top edge of the Mazda CX-50 Heat Shield to keep as much heat out as possible, and to prevent any unwanted vibrations or noise.

If you’re looking for the complete package, then CS is the ultimate solution from the air filter to the turbo. The CS designed intake system integrates seamlessly with the SRI, Heat Shield and Turbo Inlet Pipe.

best intake system for 4th gen mazda cx-50 turbo

If you have any question please feel free to contact our team via phone, messages or email!

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CX-50 SRI Heat Shield

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Improve Your Braking with the All New Big Brake Kit for the Mazda CX-50

Introducing the CorkSport 13” Big Brake Kit for 2023+ Mazda CX-50 owners! This includes both the Turbo and non-Turbo models! The CS BBK improves braking performance with larger diameter rotors and 4-piston calipers. Also included in the kit are stainless steel braided brake lines and all the brackets and hardware needed for installation. It’s an all-in-one package that makes it just as fun to stomp on the brakes as it does to hit that skinny pedal! Read on for more details.

To start off, let’s look at the CorkSport brake rotors. The CS rotors are 13” (330mm) in diameter and 1.20” (28mm) thick. The OEM Mazda CX50 turbo uses 12.79” (325mm) rotors and 0.98” (25mm) thick rotors. This change provides for more braking torque to be generated from the same amount of braking force. Think like how a longer wrench makes it easier to loosen a stuck bolt. The added thickness and diameter is also simply more mass for the brake system to reject heat into. This keeps your brakes from overheating for much longer than the OEM units.

The CS rotors are not all about size however, they also have a decent amount of tech built in to further help your braking performance. Each rotor is made up of two pieces. A center “hat” is made from aluminum and an outer “ring” is made from a more typical rotor material: iron. The center hat uses aluminum for its light weight and rapid heat dissipation. The rotor ring uses iron for long lasting and reliable function. To further improve cooling efficiency the rotor has special “vanes” in between the inner and outer faces to further help with brake cooling. These vanes are directional and help to draw air through the rotor while the rotor is spinning. The rotor rings are also directionally slotted to help sweep away brake dust, gases, and any other debris that may affect your braking performance. The two piece design has the added benefit of cost savings as when it comes time to replace them. You can simply give us a call to purchase replacements of just the rotor rings instead of the entire rotor!

Moving onto the calipers, the CorkSport BBK uses 4-piston calipers made from forged aluminum. The use of forged aluminum is critical in reducing weight and maintaining rigidity. Typically, OEM calipers are a single piston sliding design due to its compactness and low cost to produce. This is fine until you start pushing the brakes harder. The sliding design tends to flex and move around when in use and can reduce the confidence in your brakes. With the more rigid and opposed piston design of the CorkSport Caliper, you can really push the brakes and hold them there with confidence. Great for the street and trail.

Having many small pistons in the calipers also allows for maximized brake pad area that will wear evenly. Brake pad wear is also evened out by having pistons pushing from both sides of the caliper instead of just one like OEM. We even stagger the pistons within the CS calipers, making the leading edge piston slightly smaller, to really ensure even and consistent pad wear. The result is a brake pad that has 32% more surface area in contact with the rotor.

Finally, each piston in the CS calipers is made from stainless steel. Stainless was chosen for its low coefficient of heat transfer. Compared to aluminum or regular steel, stainless will transfer heat slower, meaning your brake fluid stays cooler for longer so you can stay out on track longer.

The CorkSport calipers come pre-loaded with upgraded brake pads that slot in fairly well between a street pad and a full on track pad. For the street, they offer low noise in most situations, with a squeak here and there when coming to a stop, and relatively low dust. On a backroad or track, they offer good performance when cold, and even better performance when warmed up a little. For extended track time, we do still recommend a full track pad, but for auto cross or a short hot lapping session, the default CS pads work well. Thankfully, the CS calipers use a standard brake pad shape, so you have plenty of options from the big name brake manufacturers.

Each CorkSport BBK comes with all the brackets and hardware needed for installation. We use high strength billet caliper brackets for rigidity and consistent caliper placement. All the hardware that keeps your brakes attached is grade 12.9 with a corrosion resistant coating. We even include stainless steel braided brake lines with each kit. The brake lines offer a stiffer and more consistent pedal feel. Even with all the added complexity, the CorkSport BBK ends up drastically lighter weight than the OEM turbo brakes (approximately 6 lbs lighter on each side).

To fit the CorkSport BP Mazda 3 Big Brake Kit, it is much easier with 17” or larger aftermarket wheels. Typically an aftermarket wheel will have much more brake clearance than an OEM wheel. You can use the 18” OEM wheels; however, for enough clearance for the large calipers, we found that you need a 10mm spacer. With that much spacer, we strongly encourage purchasing extended wheel studs for safety. In either case, we have a template available that you can cutout to check clearance to your wheels. Click this link to download the wheel fitment template!

Wheels & Tires Shown: 255/55R18 Falken Wildpeak AT3W with 18×8.5+35 Momo Etna Wheels

We can’t wait for you all to experience the stopping power of the CorkSport Mazda CX-50 Big Brake Kit! Check out the product listing to purchase and for even more images. We have plenty of good stuff still to come for the CX-50s so stay tuned!

Get The Mazda CX-50 Big Brake Kit!

The BBK provides peace of mind and better stopping.

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Get The Mazda CX-50 Big Brake Kit!

The BBK provides peace of mind and better stopping.

BUY NOW

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.

Get The Mazda CX-50 Big Brake Kit!

Get The Mazda CX-50 Big Brake Kit!

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