Tag: Mazda Aftermarket Parts

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Project Mazdaspeed 3 Update!

It has been awhile since we provided an update on the shop Mazdaspeed 3. Because we are in a constant state of development for Mazdaspeed 3 parts, our shop car always has parts moving on and off it.

We recently took the speed3 back to stock in order to baseline it on our new dyno. We have been building the car back out again with bolt ons to determine what our max power is on the stock turbo. The car is efficient enough that it can only run 18psi at redline and makes slightly more power at less boost which is interesting see on the dyno. For the final tune, we are running 26psi tapering to 17psi by redline. The peak torque is up 100ft.lbs over stock and really comes on hard. Overall we have seen a 36% increase in peak power and 50% increase in peak torque.

The next thing to do is figure out where the factory injectors die off. With only bolt-ons we are at 85% duty cycle to keep the air/fuel ratio in the 11 to 1 range. Generally a good rule of thumb is to not go over 85% so I can see a huge need for aftermarket injectors or a secondary fuel system.

As for the suspension, not only does the car run our coilovers, camber arms, prototype toe arms, front and rear swaybars, front and rear endlinks, and a few other braces but also some upcoming suspension components that include motor mounts and some others we will be announcing in the coming months.

With the power up and the handling on point, we needed to address stopping. We are currently using our prototype brake pads on the Mazdaspeed 3 and our Mazda 2. We went with a compound that is made for the daily driver. They don’t have to be heated up to work very well, will last longer, and stop better than the factory pads. They also dust less which is nice if you like keeping your wheels clean.

The interior is getting a prototype shift knob that should have come from the factory. How many times have you thought that the mazdaspeed3 or mazdaspeed6 shift knob just doesn’t match the rest of the red and black interior? After running a few aftermarket knobs, my biggest complaint was that most of them are made from machined aluminum. Aluminum is not only lighter than the factory weighted knob which makes shifting harder but the first time you grab a metal shift knob on a hot summers day and your skin is on fire you will never forget it. Proper shift knobs should be wrapped and weighted which ours will be and made to compliment the interior styling of the vehicle. Other than that the interior has not much changed.

The exterior is back to having the AutoEXE front bumper and is about ½” lower than it was last year which really shows off the 19” Advan RZ wheels.

Current mods:
Engine and Drivetrain
CorkSport Stage II Short Ram Intake
CorkSport FMIC for SRI Kit
CorkSport Cat Back Exhaust
CorkSport Catted Downpipe
CorkSport Silicone Radiator Hose Set
CorkSport Aluminum Skidplate
CorkSport Oil Catch Can

Suspension
CorkSport Adjustable Rear Swaybar
CorkSport Front Swaybar
CorkSport Coilovers
CorkSport Lower Tie Bar
CorkSport Trunk brace set
CorkSport Shifter Base Bushings
CorkSport Front Adjustable End Links
CorkSport Rear Camber Adjusters
CorkSport Braided Brake Lines
CorkSport Rear Adjustable Endlinks

Interior/Exterior Styling
CorkSport LED Light Kit
CorkSport Stub Antenna
CorkSport License Plate Frame
CorkSport Mud Flaps
J-Spec LED Tail Lights
CorkSport License Plate Relocation Kit
AutoExe Front Bumper
Advan RZ 19×8.5 wheels
Yokohama S-drive 235/35/19 tires

In Prototype
CorkSport Transmission Motor Mount
CorkSport Rear Motor Mount
CorkSport Rear Toe Adjusters
CorkSport Aluminum Coolant Expansion Tank
CorkSport Front/Rear Brake Pads

Brydon-

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Featured Car of the Month: Kritz’s Speed3

When Steve first approached me about being sponsored by CorkSport, he smartly sent along some swag from a recent surf competition near his home on the south shore of Long Island NY. Being an ex-surfer myself, it certainly didn’t hurt his chances, but buttering me up with free stuff wasn’t what convinced me that Steve would be excellent at representing CorkSport in the community. It was his passion for Mazda performance and for CorkSport, his unrelenting positive attitude, and his enthusiasm for being a part of the Mazda community that made him an ideal candidate to wear the CorkSport badge.

Steve Kritzberg (Kritz on the forums) is a true Mazda enthusiast if you’ve ever met one. This may be a more recent obsession for him, but he has immersed himself in the forums and become an active member in his local Nator New York group and the surrounding chapters in NJ and PA, hosting install days, BBQ’s, and helping to plan events for the local chapter.

His 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 is his first Mazda, but he has always had a love for cars. Modding took a backseat to raising kids and his work as a local 1 plumber for a while, but his wife of 18 years has been very understanding about his recent affliction of the “mod-syndrome” and all things car related. Now a weekend autocrosser and recent winner of Best Mazdaspeed at the annual Torontomazda3 Forum Meeting of the Mazdas, Steve’s work is really starting to pay-off.

Mazdas handle really well right off the lot, but Steve has spared no expense on perfecting the handling and suspension on his speed 3 adding a CorkSport Coilover Suspension Kit with Camber Plates, CorkSport Front Sway Bar with CorkSport End Links, CorkSport Rear Sway Bar, CorkSport Rear Chassis Brace Set, CorkSport Mid-Chassis Brace, Volk TE37 wheels with Dunlop Star Specs 245/45/17’s, and a CorkSport Short Shift Plate and Shifter Bushings.

But just because he has spent a lot of time perfecting the suspension doesn’t mean he forgot the go-fast parts with the addition of a CorkSport Downpipe, CorkSport Racepipe, CorkSport Large Core FMIC, Turbosmart BPV, and a custom tune by none other than Rob Finkle (da man) 50% E85.

If you’ve ever been to Storm’s OCC All Mazda Meet, you may have met Steve there and if you went last year, you may remember a little prank dreamed up by the local Nator crew with the help of CorkSport as Steve was given the CorkSport Senior Citizen award which he now proudly displays on his fireplace. He may be a little older than some of the crew he hangs with on the weekends, but “old man” Kritzberg is still young at heart!

What’s next on the list for Steve’s build? Well, big turbo of course!

Gwynne-

Full List of Mods:
CorkSport Coilover Suspension Kit w Camber Plates
CorkSport Front Sway Bar
CorkSport Front End Links
CorkSport Rear Sway Bar
CorkSport Short shift Plate
CorkSport Shifter Bushings
CorkSport Rear Chassis Brace Set
CorkSport Mid Chassis Brace
CorkSport Large Core FMIC
Turbosmart BPV
CorkSport Downpipe
CorkSport Racepipe
Resonator delete
James Barone Trilogy MM
Spherical shift knobage
CorkSport Interior LED Light Kit
Next Mod Front Grille Insert
Volk TE37 wheels with Dunlop Star Specs 245/45/17’s
Custom tuned by Rob Finkle (da Man) 50% E85

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Turbo Inlet Pipe Differences

There are some significant differences about how we designed our turbo inlet pipe compared to the other solutions offered for the DISI engine. We get a couple common questions that we thought would be worth reviewing for our readers about our design vs. the other options on the market today.

The first question we get asked most often is also the most obvious difference, which is why we chose metal over silicone. CorkSport uses a mandrel bent aluminum pipe to replace the factory plastic pipe instead of silicone. The reason we chose metal in place of silicone is to maintain a better flow through a very tight area. Metal cannot distort in shape or size and provides a smooth pipe to flow through that does not have the rougher characteristics associated with the nylon braid used in silicone.

The second question that comes up most frequently is, can a metal turbo inlet pipe transfer heat to the air rushing through the pipe at a rate that would increase the temperature of the air going into the motor? To begin with, the pipe itself is insulated from touching the turbo or block by silicone so the actual heat transferred into it is very low. It is insulated from the bracket that it bolts to by rubber and has no other contact with the engine bay other than through the air. The physical air in the engine bay should be the same no matter what intake you run so the turbo inlet pipe will eventually reach the same temperature.

In order to test this we ran our test car on the same day with less than 10 degrees difference between ambient air temp between tests. We put the car on the dyno and ran the car at the same load from the same rpm range at 20psi. This was about 2500 to 6500rpms. The above graph shows the difference between intake air temp and boost air temp. The intake air temp is basically outside air temp and the boost air temp is the temperature of the air entering the engine. There was basically no difference from metal to plastic telling us that the metal is not able to transfer heat any faster than the plastic to the actual air traveling into the motor.

Bottom line, during testing, the CorkSport Turbo Inlet Pipe showed a 14% improvement in flow over the stock turbo inlet pipe, resulting in improved boost levels, and customers can rest easy knowing that the aluminum piping will not affect the temperature of the air running to the motor

Brydon-

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Product Release! CorkSport Mazda CX-7 Airbox

We know CX-7 owners do not get a lot of attention from Mazda aftermarket performance companies and can often times be overlooked when it comes to performance parts that would otherwise be considered a standard offering for DISI engine Mazda vehicles.

With that said, CorkSport is happy to provide a little love for the CX-7 family with the release of the all new CorkSport Mazda CX-7 Air Box.

Designed specifically for the Mazda CX7, the CorkSport CX-7 Air Box for CorkSport SRI provides protection from the hot underhood air of the engine bay while adding additional access to ambient air temperatures, resulting in greatly reduced temperatures in and around your SRI for less heat soak and more power.

The CorkSport Mazda CX7 Cold Air Box for CorkSport SRI connects to the air induction scoop and can be further modified with an additional opening that can be connected to piping leading to the fenderwell.

The CX-7 Air Box is easy to install allowing customers to quickly upgrade their SRI and get the added advantage that comes with a CAI without the pressure drops inherent to longer intake piping.

For more information or to purchase today, please visit our online catalog at www.corksport.com

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Product Release! CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Short Shift Plate

CorkSport is pleased to announce the all new CorkSport Short Shift Plate designed specifically for the Mazdaspeed 6!

Mazdaspeed 6 Short Shift Plate Complete Kit

CorkSport’s Mazdaspeed 6 Short Shift Plate has been designed to provide a 33% reduction in shift throw for more spirited driving. The unique design of our shift plate provides maximum benefit to Mazdaspeed 6 drivers by changing the geometry at the shifter end to remove the feeling of synchros where it is most noticeable, in gears one and two, and bolts directly to the car eliminating the need to bolt to the factory or an aftermarket counterweight.

Unlike some of the other shift plates on the market today, because the CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Shift Plate installs on the shifter end of the transmission, it eliminates any possibility of binding or rubbing on the shift links that shift plates installed at the transmission end may cause. It also makes installation a breeze, taking just 15-20 minutes install, allowing for customers to quickly transition back and forth between the factory shifter to short shifter if they so desire.

Speed6 Short Shifter

Made from precision machined steel plate with a powder coated black finish, the CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Short Shift Plate is built for lasting durability and good looks. It comes with all the needed hardware, full color installation instructions, and is backed by CorkSport’s full two year warranty.

The CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Short Shift Plate is available at www.corksport.com