2010 MS3 – Best Way to Get 40+ HP

Your Mazda breathes just like you do. Maximizing the intake of air for your Mazdaspeed 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 set yourself up with a Stage II Power Series Short Ram Intake which includes our mandrel bent turbo inlet pipe, custom designed MAF housing, and silicone coupler. This will free-up flow into the stock turbo and allow your Mazdaspeed to breath deeper. The average gains seen here are 10-15 hp.

For exhaling, you want your Mazdaspeed3 to expel all those used gasses as quick as possible. With the CorkSport turbo-back exhaust, you are reducing the back-pressure and allowing your Mazdaspeed 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.

Shown below is our 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 with the CorkSport Short Ram Intake & Turbo-back exhaust and stock turbo, compared to the same Mazdaspeed3 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.


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

All About That CatBack Exhaust

Mazda Catback Exhaust Installed

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.

Mazda Cat Back Exhaust

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 CorkSport Catback Exhaust, you’re getting T304 stainless steel piping that has been polished to a mirror-like finish.

Mazda Cat Back Exhaust by CorkSport

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 to us. We make sure our exhaust systems are mandrel bent and TIG welded to make a perfect bolt-on fitment.

Mazda 6 Power Series Cat Back Exhaust

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.

Mazda 6 Cat Back Exhaust

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.

When find yourself ready for a cat-back exhaust, be sure to check out CorkSport to ensure you get the highest quality for your ride.

CorkSport Cat Back Exhaust for CX-9

Time to bring some CS love to those who need some more space than what a hot hatch can offer. Introducing the CorkSport Power Series Cat-Back Exhaust for 2016+ Mazda CX-9 AWD.

Mazda CX-9 Installed CorkSport Cat Back Exhaust

The CX-9 has great potential with its turbocharged 2.5L engine but it is bottlenecked by the small stock exhaust. The CorkSport catback ups the exhaust diameter to 80mm (from the OE 60mm) and utilizes high flow pass-through resonators to really help that turbo breathe better.

The Cat Back Exhaust for CX-9

To go with the better performance, the CorkSport cat-back also looks great. Made from CNC bent, fully polished, T-304 stainless steel, it’s definitely an attention grabber that will stay looking great for years to come. The dual exhaust tips were upgraded to 100mm outer diameter and extended to really fill out the bumper cutouts. Don’t worry though; the tips are noticeable without being obnoxious and detracting from the clean look of Mazda’s Kodo design philosophy.

Last but certainly not least: the sound. The upgraded piping diameter and less restrictive resonators combine to create a sound that is certainly louder and more pleasant than stock without being unbearable for the daily commute. You hear the exhaust when you want to but it quiets down while cruising and does not drone. As a final bonus, you get a little taste of turbo noise as it spools up. Check out the video down below to hear a comparison between the CS CX9 cat-back and the OE exhaust for yourself.

All of these benefits come with the same CorkSport quality and customer service that you all have grown accustomed to. This means OE style fitment that retains all existing exhaust hangers and oxygen sensors since no one likes a check engine light.

Mazda CX-9 Cat-Back Exhaust CorkSport exhaust tip

Whether you have moved on from a Mazdaspeed but miss the sound or just want to spice up your grocery getter with a little extra noise, the CorkSport Mazda CX-9 cat back is an upgrade that hits all the right notes. Check out the product listing for full details.

Want more for your CX-9? There may be a few more things coming down the pipeline, but submitting a product idea helps us to know what you’re looking for!

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2016+ Mazda CX-3 Axle Back Exhaust

Breathe Some More Life into Your CX-3

Bought a new CX-3 and wish it was a little more exciting? CorkSport can help with our lowering springs, short ram intake, and now we are proud to introduce the CorkSport Axle Back Exhaust for 2016+ Mazda CX-3 AWD.

Mazda CX-3 Axle Back Exhaust

The Axle Back Design

The CorkSport axle back really gives the little bit extra that the Mazda CX-3 needs to be a fun & practical little car. By increasing the piping diameter to 60.5mm and using dual high flowing resonators, the CS CX-3 axle back provides much better sound than OE without being “buzzy” or annoying like so many exhaust option on the market. It’s louder than OE but not drastically so, plus, it avoids any drone while cruising down the highway. Check out the video below to hear how the CorkSport axleback sounds.

Exhaust Quality & Design

Mazda CX-3 Axle Back Exhaust with exhuast pipe

To go with the sound the CorkSport CX3 axle back looks great. Made from fully polished T-304 stainless steel, it will add some style to the rear of your CX-3 right away and stay looking good for years to come. The tips have been enlarged to 90mm, slant cut, and lengthened slightly to really fill out the bumper cutouts. For a final detail, a stainless CorkSport nameplate is attached to each tip and just barely peeks out from under the bumper.

CorkSport 2016+ Mazda CX-3 Axle Back Exhaust

As usual, you get the same OE fitment and reliability that you can always expect from us at CorkSport. As a result, this really is a no drawback product that adds a little bit more excitement to the Mazda CX-3. If you want to add some extra sound and style to your CX3 look no further than the CorkSport Axle Back Exhaust.

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Performance Turbo Exhaust Manifolds – Tubular or Cast?

If you have been in the car scene for a while, you have probably seen or heard of performance exhaust manifolds.  Like any other component on the engine that affects flow, performance exhaust manifolds can have a significant improvement to the engine’s peak performance and power under the curve amongst other aspects that the exhaust manifold can affect.  

You have also probably asked the question. “What type of exhaust manifold do I need?” In this blog, we at CorkSport would like to help you better understand the differences between cast and tubular so you can make the best decision for your Mazdaspeed.  

There are two main styles of performance exhaust manifolds; tubular and cast. Both have their pros and cons to consider as an end user (that’s you the enthusiast) and as the designer/manufacturer (that’s us at CorkSport).   

First, let’s look at tubular as it’s the most common in the performance industry.  Tubular is the most popular option because of its manufacturing flexibility.  Unlike casting, tubular does not require expensive molds to develop even a single prototype. Not needing expensive molds allow great flexibility in design and manufacturing, which lends the tubular manifold as an exceptional option for one-off builds.  

Prototype Mazdaspeed Exhaust Manifold tubular installed

To fabricate a tubular exhaust manifold you need just the raw components: flanges, tubular sections, collector and fabrication supplies, and of course the expertise to fabricate the manifold.  Let me emphasize the necessity of fabrication skills here. To produce a reliable and performance-proven tubular exhaust manifold takes the correct skills, tools, and patience…it’s honestly a work of art.  

Exhaust Manifold development for the Mazdaspeed with a tublar design

With this work of art does come some compromises.  To create the necessary runner routing, many tubular sections will need to be welded together.  This increases the chance for weld impurities and slag which can later result in cracking and poor performance.  Any reputable fabricator should be able to avoid this, but it does come at a premium due to the many man hours that must go into each and every manifold.  

Next up is cast.  Manufacturing via casting provides a different set of opportunities and difficulties to overcome.  The process of casting alone has restrictions that must be considered; such as mold design and molten flow in the casting.  Assuming these issues are overcome, casting can provide unique opportunities for the design to improve reliability, performance, and packaging.  

Cast Exhaust Manifold for the Madaspeed

A well-designed cast exhaust manifold can have great reliability due to its one-piece design.  There are no welded joints that can crack or fail and casting typically has a higher threshold to heat before issues arise.  The wall thickness of the casting can also be defined for the application which can improve strength if the exhaust manifold is the only part supporting the weight of the turbocharger.  

Overall performance can also be affected due to the casting design flexibility with each runner.  Unlike tubular, a cast is not restricted to standard tubular elbows and straits. The runners can bend and change profile as desired to aid in performance and packaging.  

CAD design of the Mazdaspeed cast manifold

Speaking of packaging, casting can really change the game here.  Since each runner does not have to be accessible for welding, the entire design and each runner can be tightly packaged together to reduce the overall size of the exhaust manifold and better retain heat which aids with turbocharger response.  

Mazdaspeed Tial with Exhaust Manifold model

Lastly, comes the cost to you the enthusiast.  Although the upfront cost of a cast manifold can be high, typically the unit cost and necessary man-hours are low which helps keep cost down for you.  

As a designer and manufacturer of performance parts for you Mazdaspeed, these are all things we have to consider providing you with the best parts possible.  We’ve explored both and are happy to stick with casting as we feel it provides the best balance reliability, cost, and performance. Keep a look out for future projects and updates!

Thanks for tuning in with CorkSport.

-Barett @ CS

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