Five CorkSport Releases You Still Need to Buy

2015 was a good year here at CorkSport. We released a whopping 26 new products! With the New Year upon us, it’s not too late to snag some of our favorite new parts we released. Here are our top five picks for upgrades you still need in 2016.

Mazdaspeed 3 Adjustable Short Shifter

Improve your driving experience with the CorkSport double-adjustable short shifter for the 2007-2009 MS3. You can personalize the throw distance and shift knob height just how you want it. Not only is your shift time faster with our shifter, it’s more precise and controlled. Got a newer MS3? Don’t worry, there’s a short shifter for you too.

Mazdaspeed 3 Front Mount Interiorcooler Kit

Cool down your boost air temperatures without compromise with our front mount intercooler kit with either the small or large intercooler. Featuring all new piping for better fitment and performance, our FMIC comes standard with the high flow small core or the optional big core with crash bar. Our FMIC Kit features a new variable diameter piping that reduces boost lag and improves throttle response.

3.5 Bar MAP Sensor

Introducing the first Plug-N-Play 3.5 Bar MAP sensor designed for the MZR DISI. The MAP sensor provides instantaneous manifold pressure information to the engine’s ECU. The custom injection molded body features the OEM style connection for a quick and clean installation; no adapter wiring harness needed! And we made it even easier for you by putting the necessary calibration scalars directly onto the MAP sensor, making tuning calibration a breeze.

MX-5 Miata Axle Back Exhaust

Great sound, great looks, and great quality. It’s that simple when it comes to the MX-5 axle back exhaust. We’ve tested multiple designs to provide you with an exhaust that delivers top performance without the annoying drone so typically found in aftermarket exhaust systems. Our exhaust is manufactured from T304 stainless steel, CNC mandrel bent, and TIG welded for a perfect fit and long lasting durability. Only the best for your new Miata.

Mazdaspeed 3 & 6 Drop-in Turbo Upgrade

You know we’re all about that boost life. Experience a serious boost in performance with our drop-in Mazdaspeed turbocharger. It easily bolts in and replaces your undersized OEM turbo with no mechanical modifications. Yes, you read that correct. No mechanical mods. Our turbocharger comes with all the necessities you need for increased power performance so there’s no need to buy additional parts.

What’s on your mod list for 2016?

Cheers,

CorkSport

December 11, 2015December 10, 2015

And the Top Pics of the Week Go To…

Congratulations to our double the Mazda, double the fun duo @nateridems3 and @pjwallington, shot by the talented @thatkevinc, for having our most liked pic this week!

Then @nichnobre just had to go and melt our manly hearts with his winter mode pic featuring his pup Zoey.

We love growing our CS fam and sharing your great Mazda pics. Let’s keep them coming! Use #CorkSport for a chance to be featured on our page and maybe you’ll be our next pic of the week.

Cheers,

CorkSport

November 18, 2015September 3, 2020

The Upgrade Checklist For Your Mazda to Kill It at the Track

“This is my race car. There are many like it, but this one is mine. Without it I am nothing. With it, I am everything.” If you couldn’t tell, we love racing over here at CorkSport. It’s in our DNA, and after time, racing has become an extension of who we are. Most people count down the days until the weekend so they can go have a sex on the beach at their favorite bar. We’re the polar opposite. For us, we look forward to the weekend because we know when Saturday comes, it’s time to line up or shut up. It’s the time to prove to yourself that you have what it takes to shave off track times. If you’re a drag racer like me, there are a few things that make a big difference at the track that you should consider when trying to set new personal goals.

Money is always a hindering factor when trying to modify your car. However, if you have the Benjamins then you will easily be able to modify your car the way you want, and get the most potential out of the parts you have. There are a couple of key performance parts you can add to beat your track times:

1. AccessPort: This is the most popular tuning device used by Mazdaspeed enthusiasts. It lets you adjust parameters in the ECU to increase power and fuel economy. This is a must-have when modifying your Mazdaspeed.

2. Fuel Pump Internals: In order to run more boost, you want to be able to run more fuel. You have to upgrade the fuel pump shaft so the pump can flow more fuel. This is also a must-have modification when trying to put more power down.

3. Rear Motor Mount: The stock rear motor mounts on the Mazdaspeed are known to be weak when the torque gets to a certain level. Rear motor mounts are a key modification to reduce wheel hop and put the power to the ground.

Now that you have those three modifications done, you can have some real fun. You’re able to install the big power modifiers to really start increasing power and torque. Follow this list of modifications for maximum performance:

4. Full Intake: The stock intake is very restrictive. The turbo inlet pipe has a pancake design, which makes the stock turbo choke itself out in the higher rpm range.

5. Turbo Back Exhaust: The stock downpipe has a huge canister catalyst right off of the downpipe flange. That catalyst makes the exhaust flow speed go slower which will take away power from the motor. By opening up the exhaust section, you’re able to let the exhaust gases free flow, creating more boost and more power.

6. Upgraded Intercooler: The stock TMIC does its job fairly well on the stock platform. However, if you’re planning on running more boost, an upgraded intercooler will be able to handle the added boost without sacrificing cooling efficiency. This is a must-have part. The cooler the boost air temperature, the more power you can make.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Now that you’ve drained the bank account, you need to tie everything back together with a tune. To get the maximum performance out of your Mazdaspeed, you want to be able to make the ECU recognize the performance parts you’ve added. If you want to squeeze the most out of your set up, you can run E85 fueling which allows for reduced knock which makes it possible to run more boost. Personally, I’ve noticed an extra 40whp going from my pump gas tune versus my E85 tune.

If you really want to kill it at the track, most people try to get their car to what’s called “fully bolted.” This means the car has every performance upgrade possible (minus an upgraded turbo, exhaust manifold, and intake manifold). Once you’ve become fully bolted, you should be able to slam down some really good times at the track. I’ve been able to get my car into the twelves on the stock turbo, which is considered pretty good for stock turbo!

October 26, 2015October 23, 2015

Prototypes, R & D, and the New MX-5: A Day at the Track

I bet you know this already, but we’re very excited about the new Mazda MX-5 and really, what’s not to be excited about! The ND MX-5 is sleek, sexy, efficient, modern, and an absolute blast through the apex.

Here at the CorkSport HQ, we’ve been working on a handful of awesome products and even had our first prototypes before we even had the car to test them on. But the wait is over. With prototypes in one hand and keys in the other, there was only one thing needed….Portland International Raceway. Oh, and for good measure we brought in Kenton Koch, of Kenton Koch Racing, to put our MX-5 and prototypes through their paces. Here’s how the day went.

The morning was a cool 55 degrees, but the CS team was buzzing with excitement. First session of the day was about to start, so Kenton was sent out with OEM springs and the CS front and rear swaybars in their softest setting. A couple laps later, Kenton came to the pits with concern for the rear suspension. Too our surprise, the coins of the RSB had bent, rendering the RSB useless. This was a real bummer, but a failed part in testing is a great day for warranty. Luckily, we were able to set the RSB to the stiffest setting to continue testing. Back to the track he went.

Kenton was able to finish the session without issue and returned to the pits with more feedback than we could absorb. He loved the car, but the springs were just too soft and the FSB needed a stiffer setting. Great! This is exactly the feedback we wanted to hear! For the next session, Kenton went out in an employee’s club edition to get a baseline feel of the OEM swaybars. In the meantime, the CS team swapped the springs out with our 35% stiffer springs.

Session three: launch edition MX-5 with 35% stiffer springs and the swaybars on the stiffest settings. Kenton came into the pits around the halfway mark and requested we move the FSB back to the softest setting. The session ended and Kenton returned to the pits with even more feedback! In the first half of the session, he was fighting a lot of understeer which is what merited the FSB adjustment. In the second half of the session, the understeer was much improved, but was still the most prevalent driving characteristic. We had another set of springs that were only 20% stiffer, so we installed them in the front and sent him out for the next session.

This was the ticket! Kenton stayed on track for the whole session this time. He was very happy with the car’s balance and had complete control of understeer/oversteer with just a small amount of throttle modulation. This was great news! For the final session, we adjusted the FSB back to the stiffest setting. This would tell us if the swaybars were a good compliment to the springs. Another session went by and again Kenton was very happy. The stiffer setting on the FSB pushed the car’s balance a little more towards understeer. This is great because understeer is typically much easier and safer for a novice driver to control, but the FSB also had the adjustability to put the car at a balanced state. More experienced drivers will appreciate this.

We wrapped up the day extremely satisfied with our results. We had a failure, we had many successes, and we learned a lot about the new MX-5. We can confidently say that the CorkSport MX-5 components are track tested and designed with the customer in mind. Look for swaybars, springs, and endlinks in the near future!

October 21, 2015

2017 Mazdaspeed Engine

I noticed something interesting today while checking out the “Spy Shot” Cx9, which has been driving around for road testing here in the U.S. Check out the intercooler parked in the front end of the vehicle.

What will the new Mazdaspeed engine look like and what can we expect from Mazda? — Photo Credit: caradvice.com.au

This can mean one of two things. The first, which is massively unlikely courtesy of VW, is a 2.2 SkyActiv diesel engine. The second, is that we’re looking at a 2.5 turbo engine out in the wild, which means all those rumors of the future Mazdaspeed 3 are looking better and better for next year.