Tag: Featured Car of the Month

Posted on

Featured Car of the Month – Tony’s 2011 Speed3

Mazdaspeed 3’s are a rarity in Mexico. Only 500 are imported a year, so when Tony decided to buy his 2011 Mazdaspeed 3, it took three months for the car to arrive.

Tony has been a car fanatic since he was very young. He learned to drive at the age of eight with a set of pillows and coke cans so he could reach the pedals and at age 12, this Mexico native started driving his first 1947 Ford F1.

Tony drove German cars for the better part of his life and even raced amateur and DE in TX in a 2005 911GT3, but when he decided to get a new car in 2010, he looked at some of the vehicles that were not available in the US like the Puget 307 and the Alfa, but at the end of the day it came down to two cars, the Speed3 and the Focus RS. What swayed him to the Speed3? After a lot of research and decided he wanted a car that had a good performance support from companies like CorkSport!

When his car finally arrived in Mexico, he got straight work on his mod’s. He started by adding a CorkSport Stage II Power Series Short Ram Intake and CorkSport Airbox, CorkSport DISI Silicone Boost Tubes and Silicone Bypass Valve Hose, and a Forge stock location recirculation valve. He also added a large top mount intercooler and downpipe along with upgrading his fuel pump.

He upgraded his lighting with the CorkSport LED DRL kit, LED Interior Light Kit, and LED Underhood Light Kit and adjusted the drivetrain with a short shifter and engine mounts.

To improve handling Tony added a CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3 Front Sway Bar and Front Tower bar, a CorkSport Adjustable Rear Sway Bar and CorkSport Lowering Springs. To compliment his TSW wheels, he added CorkSport Lightweight Lug Nuts.

“After the suspension was done on the car, the change was so dramatic that it felt like it handled as well as the GT3” said Tony, “The first time I tested it out on the open road in Mexico, I blew by a couple of AMG 6.3’s and M3’s. The look on the the owners faces in my rear view mirror was priceless!”

Tony has no projects for the speed 3 planned until he moves back to the states, but as far as we are concerned, CorkSport is well represented in Mexico when Tony is around!

Gwynne

Posted on

Featured Car of the Month January 2012 – Jordan’s RX-8

Jordan has always been a fan of rotary engines. His first Mazda was a 1988 RX7 T2 that he bought and then rebuilt and street ported the engine on, so it is no wonder that when the RX8 came out, Jordan was hooked.

His father always owned Corvettes and Porsches and Jordan has owned several sports cars throughout his driving career and, but nothing gives him the satisfaction quite like his RX-8 does.

Standard, the 2004 RX-8 comes with a 1.3-liter 250 HP rotary engine that is like no other. Jordan then added in a Mazdaspeed Modified Intake and a CorkSport Single Resonated Exhaust to give the car some extra boost and decibel levels 20′ outside the car off the back bumper that are 64dB at idle, 95dB at 4000rpm and 103dB at 5000rpm free rev. Inside the car it posts 72dB at 38mph in 4th gear, 94dB at 30% throttle acceleration in 4th gear and 88dB at cruise 60mph in 6th gear.

He also modified the engine with a Flex Innovations Grounding Kit, CorkSport Oil Cap, a Universal Oil Catch Can and Black Halo Racing Ignition System.

The RX-8 features a double-wishbone suspension at all four corners. The upper and lower arms in both the front and rear are considerably longer and allow for consistent grip regardless of changes in roll and camber for top-notch cornering performance so Jordan hasn’t done much yet to the suspension, but now that he has gotten into autocrossing, he will be looking into getting some suspension mods. He plans to swap out his Tein S-Tech Lowering Springs for a set of coilovers and add a CorkSport Front and Rear Strut Bar Set to further improve his lap times.

To enhance the sporty look on the car, Jordan has added a Mazdaspeed front bumper, Mazda Clear Corner Lenses and 35% window tint in the front and 20% in the rear

“The car is beautiful and gets looks from people everywhere I go,” said Jordan, “It is also a huge amount of fun around the autocross track. And did I mention it has a rotary engine?”

When Jordan isn’t working, he is spending time with his longtime girlfriend and fellow Mazda enthusiast, Domii, who you may recall was profiled in our September feature.

They are both looking forward to the autocross season and we look forward getting updates on how this Mazda match made in heaven do on the track this coming year!

You can also check out his progress on his project car at his blog.

Gwynne-

Full List of Modifications:
Engine
• Flex Innovations Grounding Kit
• Corksport Oil Cap
• Universal Oil Catch Can
• Black Halo Racing Ignition System

Intake/Exhaust
• Mazdaspeed Modified Intake
• Corksport Single Resonated Race Pipe

Transmission/Drivetrain
• Axial Flow Engineering Short Throw Shifter

Suspension
• Tein S-Tech Lowering Springs

Footwork
• Axxis ULT Brake Pads
• Agency Power Stainless Steel Brake Lines
• Toyo R1R 265/35/18 Tires
• Enkei RP03 Racing Wheels 18×9 et35

Exterior
• Mazdaspeed Front Bumper
• Mazda Clear Corner Lenses
• Window Tint 35% Front, 20% Rear

Interior
• Voodoo Piano Black Shift Knob
• RedlineGoods Custom Leather Shift Boot

Electronics
• Escort Passport 9500 Radar Detector
• Pioneer Avic F-700BT Navi
• 10″ Boston Acoustics G10 Subwoofer in Custom Fiberglass Box

Posted on

Featured Car of the Month – Michigan Speed3

On Friday nights, you are guaranteed to find Robbie Stiff’s 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 on Woodward Ave in Royal Oak, Michigan meeting up with all kinds of other tuner cars, from Evo’s, STI’s, SRT4’s and Cobalt SS’s. This work hard, play hard, Farmington Hills, Michigan family man has always had a need for speed, but it was the three years that he spent working in Marketing for Mazda that lead him to his love for the Mazdaspeed3.

There was no question in his mind what he would be purchasing when de decided to trade-in his SVT focus. The speed3 was a natural choice for this 27 year old that grew up racing on the Waterford Hills Racing Course with his father, a life member of the Oakland County Sportsmans Club.

Though he says he is not even close to being done with the mod’s on his speed3, Robbie has already invested in a CorkSport Turbo Inlet Air Intake, CorkSport Racepipe, and CorkSport Cat-Back Exhaust.

“The sound of the 2.3 with the full exhaust is amazing!” said Robbie, “I love to hear that little K04 turbo spool up and smash whomever I am racing”

To prevent compressor surge and get a nice distinct hissing sound, Robbie has added an HKS-SSQV BOV set to BPV and installed some CorkSport Motor Mount Inserts to reduce wheel hop and torque movement under high performance conditions.

In addition to his plans to drop the car, he has also already invested in styling that includes CorkSport Mud Flaps and CorkSport Vinyl, a 3M wrap for his hoodscoop, and window tinting courtesy of DJ’s window tinting and graphics in Eastpoint MI.

What’s next for This Michigan Speed3? His future plans for the car include a Cobb Access Port, Corksport TMIC, Corksport Lowering Springs, a fuel pump, and injector’s (just to name a few).

When asked what Robbie loves about his Mazdaspeed, he said “I view my 2010 Speed3 as an extension of myself. It’s fast, a go getter, and never lets you down. With a little help from Corksport my MazdaSpeed3 is becoming a monster and this car has not even scratched the surface of mod’s. Breaking 400whp is the goal.”

Well put Robbie!

Full List of Modifications
CorkSport Turbo Inlet Air Intake
CorkSport Racepipe
CorkSport Cat-Back Exhaust
HKSssq BOV
CorkSport Motor Mount Inserts
CorkSport Mudflaps
Window Tint
CorkSport Vinyl
3M Hood Wrap

Pictures by: Chris Blunden

-Gwynne