When it comes to the breathability of your Mazda, a short ram intake is the best place to start. The benefits are immediate, the installation is quite simple and it’s genuinely the best first step to getting some power and fun out of your Mazda or Mazdaspeed.
Bringing more air into the intake chamber, the intake system allows you to increase horsepower and torque for your Mazdaspeed. Each is designed to maintain optimal flow and generate ideal performance for your Mazda, with exacting tolerances and using the latest in computer-aided manufacturing techniques to bring you the highest quality and best-performing part for your money. You can expect to gain up to 30+ HP from this simple-to-install short ram intake system.
Types of Air Intake Systems
Short ram air intakes suck in large amounts of heated air within the engine to help in efficient combustion. These are short and wide pipes because it uses a shorter pipe than the cold air intake, it only has access to warm air near the engine. To make up for this, it sucks in more air than cold air intakes.
Cold air intakes are a type of ram air intake system that works by drawing in cool air from outside and into the Mazda’s engine. This type of intake often has minimal bends and has a long duct with access to cool air. With cooler air coursing through the engine, combustion requires less heat and fuel.
Mazdaspeed Air Intake
Why Replace Your Mazdaspeed or Mazda Air Intake System
More often than not, car enthusiasts and expert mechanics recommend that you purchase an air intake as soon as possible. Even vehicles of the latest make and models benefit from an aftermarket air intake system. Below are five of the reasons why an air intake system can improve your Mazda engine’s performance.
Mazda 3 Short Ram Intake
Keep in mind, when an intake is paired with a cold air box or battery box, you create a great look for your engine bay and increase your overall Mazda performance. Also, when paired with fuel pump internals, you’ll be able toincrease the efficiency, power and set yourself up for future modifications as well!
Why replace your intake system?
1. Increased Acceleration
With an upgraded intake, your Mazda can experience increased horsepower. Upgraded intakes can also increase your engine’s responsiveness when speedy acceleration is required. Because there is more air available and ready for combustion with aftermarket air intakes, your engine reaches the desired speed faster compared to the stock intake that comes with your Mazda. Those who enjoy racing, autocross, or drag strips with their Mazda or who if you just like quick acceleration as soon as the traffic light turns green, an aftermarket air intake can help you enjoy your get up and go a bit more.
2. Greater Fuel Economy
Engines rely on a mixture of fuel and air to create an explosion that powers your Mazdaspeed. When there is not enough air pumping through the engine, your Mazda consumes more gas to compensate for the lack of oxygen. Stock intakes that come with your Mazda are designed to be quiet instead of fuel efficient, and as a result, they tend to use more gasoline. Pumping in more air via an upgraded intake can reduce gas consumption and translate to savings on fuel expenses. For those who are concerned about fuel efficiency…we should note here: that the enhanced sound may cause you to have a heavier foot and decrease your fuel efficiency in exchange for spirited driving.
3. More Effective Filters
The stock air intakes that come with your Mazda normally have disposable paper filters to catch debris. While these filters do their job in trapping particles that may potentially wreak havoc on your engine, the filters eventually require replacement (often a great upsell item for your local technicians). Aftermarket intakes, on the other hand, are equipped with filters that typically have to be cleaned every 20,000 to 50,000 miles (just some soapy water and let it dry completely before reinstallation). This not only saves money but it also provides a more effective filtration method that not only keeps debris out but also lets a larger qty of air inside.
4. Enhanced Sound
Those who like the aggressive sound of a roaring Mazdaspeed engine should enjoy our upgraded intakes the most. Because more air enters through the intake to the engine, it produces a sound that our Mazda enthusiasts find thrilling.
5. Better Overall Performance
With the simple installation of an upgraded intake, you can increase the overall performance of your Mazda. Whether you decide to go for the short ram intake or the cold air intake, you increase your Mazda’s efficiency, speed, power, and sound.
Looking for an intake system or upgraded intake components to fit your Model?
Ever wonder about the key factors of making a decision about your aftermarket exhaust? Why Cat-back?
Is it the diameter of the exhaust that says performance? Or is it the type of metal used? What about fitment to your current setup? None of these questions alone answer what you need when making the decision on how to get more power out of your Mazda. Why the CorkSport Cat Back is the choice for your Mazda.
At CorkSport, we have made it our #1 priority to make our customer’s dreams a reality. Whether you drive a Mazdaspeed or a regular Mazda, we’ve made sure to engineer a great fitting exhaust that maximizes engine performance.
Check out the Cat-Back Exhausts by Car Model Below:
Take the Mazdaspeed 3, for example. When you purchase a Mazdaspeed 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 for us. We make sure our exhaust systems are mandrel bent and TIG welded to ensure a perfect bolt-on fit.
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 cat-back 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 enjoy the deep growl your Mazda now possesses. Our exhaust has one of the best-sounding tones on the market. With a quality made exhaust, comes quality sound.
Whether you want the better handling that comes with the lowered center of gravity, or you want to rid yourself of the wheel gap eyesore. Lowering springs will give you want you’re looking for.
Improved Performance
For running the track, or a spirited drive through the countryside, CorkSport lowering springs are the upgrade you’ve been looking for. By adding lowering springs and lowering the center of gravity of your Mazda allows the car to stay more planted to the road.
One of the biggest things to note on stock suspension is how far upward the suspension travels when hitting a bump. It can make the car feel like it wants to lift off of the road; depending on how fast you’re taking corners. Lowering springs help to correct the car’s suspension travel when you hit a bump in a turn.
Lowering springs also have about 25% increased stiffness. For the Mazdaspeed platform, increased stiffness in the rear is a must. Mazdaspeeds like to squat pretty hard when hitting full boost, so any way you can manage to stiffen up the rear is a great modification for your car.
A Better Look
Adding lowering springs also gives your baby amazing eye appeal and a much more aggressive look. Whether you drive a Mazdaspeed3, Mazdaspeed6, Mazda 3, Mazda 6,CX-5, CX-3 or MX-5, lowering springs will get rid of that ugly wheel well gap. The result is a Mazda that carries a much cleaner and more aggressive look and gives you the ability to take it to the track if you want to.
Some people want to drop their Mazda as much as possible, and some don’t. CorkSport lowering springs don’t deliver a super aggressive drop. If you’re not interested in scraping your front bumper on every road bump, the CorkSport lowering springs have the right drop for you, and provide the increased handling capabilities you’re looking for.
If you’re curious about other suspension pieces for your Mazdaspeed, check out our Struts and Shocks combo kits, that give you just what you need for suspension.
CorkSport is proud to introduce the first and only performance transmission motor mount for GEN3 Mazdas. It’s a simple upgrade that can really change how shifting feels in your 2014-2018 Mazda 3, 2014-2017 Mazda 6, or 2013-2018 Mazda CX-5. We saw how an upgraded mount can drastically affect the characteristics of your car with our Mazda 3/6/CX-5 RMM and wanted to take the next step in getting the best driver feel you can out of your car.
We followed a design similar to the OE mount to ensure proper fitment and function for all engine and transmission options. Whether you have a 2.0L Mazda 3 Auto, a 2.5L Mazda 6 Manual, or anything in between, the CorkSport TMM will bolt right in with no issues. We even retained the OE battery tray mounting location to ensure the battery stays stationary. Don’t be mistaken though, the CorkSport Mazda Transmission Motor Mount is a completely different mount than OE.
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The OE mount uses relatively soft rubber to ensure the least amount of noise and vibration makes its way into the cabin. It also allows the engine and transaxle to move around a surprising amount while accelerating, decelerating, or changing gears. By using 70A durometer polyurethane, the CorkSport TMM helps to lock down the engine and transaxle for better throttle response, less wheel hop, and much-improved gear changes. When we first installed a prototype TMM in the CorkSport Mazda 3 racecar, we immediately noticed the lack of delay and slop coming from the transmission when setting off from a stop and changing gears.
Don’t think we forgot about vibration and noise though. The size and stiffness of the polyurethane pucks were chosen to help minimize the adverse effects of stiffer mounts. That being said, there is still some added vibration and noise, most noticeable in automatic cars, when lugging the engine, and/or when using the A/C system. Once you are up and cruising on the highway, however, the added NVH is virtually eliminated solely by road noise.
Much like the CorkSport RMM, the TMM uses billet aluminum for the main body of the mount. After machining, it is anodized black for durability and finished off with a laser etched CS logo. A zinc-coated steel sleeve is used through the center of the bushings so you can be sure that your mount is tightened to spec. Finally, stainless steel is used for the hardware, angled mounting plate, and side washers. All of these materials were selected for their strength and corrosion resistance so that your CorkSport Mazda TMM will stand the test of time.
The CorkSport Mazda 3, Mazda 6, and CX-5 Transmission Motor Mount will liven up your Mazda GEN 3 whether you use it as a daily driver or racecar. The TMM is even better when combined with our RMM however, it works standalone perfectly fine. While not for everyone, those who are willing the sacrifice a little comfort for a boost in driver feel will love this mount.
How about something a little different from the usual CS blog? I thought I would give you all a little insight into all the different Mazdas that are owned by employees. Some are daily drivers, some are full racecars, and some are…different (more on that later). So grab a cold refreshment, we’ve got quite a few cars to go through.
Modifications: Full Flyin’ Miata CAI, polished stainless piping, Turbosmart recirculating bypass valve, manual boost controller, O2 signal modifier, boost gauge. Recent Mustang Dyno showed a consistent 189.9WHP.
Corey’s Comments: Purchased new to me at 17,000 miles in 2012 for my 40th birthday. The Mazdaspeed Miata had been stored for 4 years-everything was original, even the tires. This Miata came from California and had never seen rain. I keep it in the garage and it’s mainly a fair weather/weekend car except during the summer. I enjoy taking a ride in the MSM with each of my kids, but love honking the horn at people and making my son wave back…like he knows them.
Owner: Luke Year/Model: 2009 Mazdaspeed 3 GT Mileage: 124,000
Modifications: Full bolted, built engine, CS prototype turbo, methanol injection. Too many CorkSport Parts.
Luke’s Comments: Car has been through stock turbo/stock block, CS turbo/stock block, CS turbo/built block, 35r/built block, and now CS prototype turbo/built block. Fun fact: my girlfriend went faster in my car than I did when I first bought it. Stock turbo went 12.8 @ 110mph in the 1320.
Owner: Daniel Year/Model: 2007 Mazdaspeed 6 Mileage: 68,000
Modifications: Custom front license plate delete, CS Interior LED Kit, daily driver dirt.
Daniel’s Comments: Just bought the Mazdaspeed6 a few weeks ago, doing a ton of maintenance before mods. This er fleet vehicle (whatever that means). Bought it from a guy who owned it the past ~9 years. Hoping to sneak some new Mazdaspeed 6 parts into the CS catalog and feed the zoom-zoom obsession!
Modifications: Virtually everything in the CS catalog for MS3. Plus a few prototype parts that never made their way to the market.
Comments: Affectionately called “Whitey”. On its 2nd built engine (we use and abuse this thing). This was one of Vincent’s first projects when he arrived at CS: rebuild Whitey’s engine. He just got done rebuilding it for the second time and is now breaking it in.
Modifications: Manley internals, L19 head studs, CS cams, bowl work & porting, all the bolt-ons, 28gph methanol injection, prototype CS turbo, 330mm BBK, other suspension bits.
Barett’s Comments: More info on the engine build here. Made ~465whp at the 2017 CS dyno day. My car hates me and is a constant work in progress. (Check out all the updates for Barett’s Mazdaspeed 3)
Modifications: Full CS bolt-ons, big turbo, meth injection, making 430whp 385ft-lbs. BC coilovers w/ custom rated Swift springs, BMSPEC front splitter, Varis rear diffuser, custom side skirt extensions, Volk TE37SL: front 18×11 rear 18×10, paint matched 240Z flares, 330mm Mazdaspeed3 Big Brake Kit.
Brett’s Comments: I’ve had the Mazdaspeed3 for about 4 years now. It has every CS bolt on in the catalog. Helps that I work here now. This MS3 makes ~430 WHP, and is a stock block for now; built block soon to come. I take more pictures of this car than I do anything else.
The GEN 3’s
Ready to mod your Mazda 3? You will be after you read this!
Owner: Jennifer Year/Model: 2014 Mazda 3 2.5L Hatch Mileage: 100,000
Jennifer’s Comments: The car has been used for the majority of the Mazda3 research and design at CS. This Mazda 3 is daily driven ~80miles each day to torture test CorkSport parts, it helps that the commute to my house is that far round trip. Basically, my daily drive is a perfect example of “running up a hill both ways” for this Mazda 3.
Collin’s Comments: Aside from the performance parts available at CS, I chose this car due to the extra ~30HP compared to most commuter cars. I still get 42MPG on my freeway commute. This is my first New Car I bought myself and I have loved learning how to modify on it.
Rich’s Comments: I drove around the same B2300 for many years while we built CorkSport from the ground up. I finally decided to treat myself and picked this Mazda6 up in 2014. Big shift, and I’ve loved having the luxuries of this Mazda 6.
Owner: Derrick Year/Model: 2014 Mazda 3 2.5L Sedan
Modifications: Caged, stripped, CS SRI, straight pipe to CS axleback, bunch of custom adjustable suspension, Big Brake Kit (sometimes), custom racetrack-modified bodywork.
Derrick’s Comments: This Mazda3 could not be sold as a road legal car, so I don’t drive it on the road. There are a TON of track hours on this Mazda 3 and all of it’s modifications. We basically TRY to break our test parts before we let them hit the market, which is good for me because I love to go fast.
Comments: Mainly stock so far, big things to come to the “CBR” (CorkSport Branded Ride). Brett, who has been dailying the CBR, somehow only is getting 23mpg. Expect more parts for facelifted GEN3’s with the CBR’s arrival.
The Others
Just because you may not have seen much about them and they don’t get their own category does not mean they’re not special. For me, some of the most interesting cars are down below.
Modifications:Sweet stickers for extra HP, tire shop wheels, custom faded paint
Comments: Vincent used to own this truck before selling it to be the “new” CS shop truck. He notes that it was involved in 3 accidents, each time the insurance company did not total the truck, leaving Vincent with more money than he spent to buy the truck. No power steering provides an arm workout for those lucky enough to drive this beast.
Derrick’s Comments: The ND is an interesting car for me as being a lifelong Mazda enthusiast I had never owned a Miata before. When the ND was announced I had already converted the Mazda 2 into a B-Spec car so I stopped street driving it and went back to my Rx7 turbo as my daily driver so I had gotten used to driving a car with “issues” again. When I got into the ND for the first time and drove it home it was very surreal expecting some weird sound or smelling hydrocarbons (the Rx7 is old and catless) and the car handled incredible right out of the box. Of course that lasted all of 3 months until we have Kenton Koch behind the wheel helping us out with the suspension development. It is one of those cars that I warn people, if you drive it you will want to buy one.
Owner: Vincent Year/Model: 2010 Mazda RX-8 R3 Mileage: 60,000 (original engine, no issues)
Vincent’s Comments: I had been wanting a 2nd gen RX-8 since high school. This thing revs out to 9400RPM and is super fun to drive. Just recently sold (hi Aaron) but too good to not include in this blog.
Owner: Derrick Year/Model: 1993 Spec Miata Mileage: “Lots and lots” (this car has run 25hours of Thunderhill a few times on top of all its other racing)
Modifications: Spec Miata Bilstein shock package, Eibach swaybars, illegal plunge cut cylinder head (lookup spec Miata plunge gate 2014), GLoc brakes, 949 6ul Spec Miata wheels, AIM dash & datalog system, ESR drive side drop floor, Really big radiator.
Derrick’s Comments: I took the advice of all the spec miata people and bought a built car so I didn’t have to spend 6 months building one myself. The local car was raced for a long time in the northwest and was a front running car before it was parked for a few years. I picked it up for ~6k with some extra spares and was immediately able to get on the track and go racing after the installation of the drop floor and new seatbelts. The big question I have people ask me is why did you get a SM? The real answer is the level of drivers in the class. At any sanctioned race event weekend there are always SM and someone to race against and I have personally known several drivers go into SM a novice and come out the other side in pro racing. To win at SM you have to have your shit together. To be the best you need to compete against and beat the best so here I am.
Owner: Barett Model: Mazda B2600i Mileage: ?
Modifications: Solid axle swap with Toyota running gear, 4.88:1 axle gears, rear locker, 3 feet of articulation, 8000lb winch, high bolstered seats, 35×14.5R15 Super Swamper Bogger Tires, “lots of f*ckery fabrication.”
Barett’s Comments: This was my first real vehicle, and it taught me lots about owning a vehicle, modifying a vehicle and I have more memories with this beast than I can come up with right now. I beat the SH*T out of this truck and it’s always put away wet.
Owner: Rich Model: 1988 Mazda Rx- CONVERTIBLE
Modifications: Turbo engine swap, Apexi Power FC, CS Border Style body kit, CS front mount intercooler, CS turbo back exhaust, many other mods.
Rich’s Comments: The Rx-7 is kept in the garage and it’s mainly a fair weather/weekend car except during the summer. I take it out for special occasions or to just show off every once in a while. It’s a nostalgia piece for me.
Not Pictured:
2016 Mazda 3 Sedan. Derrick’s 2nd racecar. Caged, stripped, 2.0L AT converted to 2.5L MT.
Mazda RX-7 FC. Owned by Derrick.
NA Mazda Miata. Parts car for Derrick’s Spec Miata
For those keeping score, that’s 22 Mazdas in the CorkSport garage. The cars have come and gone over the years but one thing will always stay true: our cars will be fun to drive because they are Mazdas. Here’s to more Mazdas finding their way into the CS (and your) garage.
Oh and if you have any questions on the above cars, please let us know down below, we’ll be sure to pass on your question to the car’s owner.
