Are you looking for an exterior mod that will freshen up the look of your first gen Mazdaspeed 3? Well if that’s the case then the Carbon Fiber Spoiler is the perfect part to install on your build. The Carbon Fiber Spoiler retains the OEM look with the much-appreciated addition of carbon fiber. Keep on reading below for more info on the carbon spoiler.
Since the Carbon Fiber spoiler is based off of the factory Mazda piece, installation is a breeze and requires no drilling or other modifications to the hatch. We have also pinned the third brake light so that it can reuse the OEM connector with no modification to the harness needed! The Carbon Spoiler also comes with all the necessary hardware to install the spoiler so you can be back on the road in no time. Fitment with other add-on parts such as spoiler extensions or gurney flaps should work with the OEM style shape, however, we have not tested it. The same goes for GEN1 Mazda 3, the CF spoiler should fit, however, you may have a different 3rd brake light setup and/or have additional holes from the smaller Mazda 3 spoiler
The Mazdaspeed Spoiler features a fiberglass base that is then topped off with a layer of carbon fiber on the top side of the spoiler. The underside of the spoiler is finished in gloss black and the whole thing is then coated with a UV-resistant epoxy resin to provide a mirror-like finish and the necessary protection from the elements. The two halves come together on the rear edge so there is a small seam, however, once installed, the seam all but disappears!
If the CS Carbon Fiber Spoiler is a mod that you would like to add to your build, then head over and check out the product page for additional photos! Also, feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.
Have you been waiting for the CorkSport Heat Shield to go along with a CS SRI to snag one? Well you don’t have to wait any longer because the CS heat shield is here! Whether you have the CS SRI already or want to get both at the same time, the CorkSport Heat Shield for both the Mazda 3 and CX-30 with the SkyActiv 2.5T is a great mod to include in your build. Keep on reading to see how the CS Heat Shield is able to achieve lower intake air temps that allow your motor to make power easier.
For the Mazda 3 Turbo Heat Shield our main focus was keeping cool air supplied to the filter. The shield was designed to seal off the intake from as much heat produced from the radiator, engine and transmission as possible. This lead to a multiple piece design that is riveted together which allows us to utilize the OEM air ducting which supplies cooler outside air to the filter. The shield does not fully surround the filter because we have also found that there is cool air that also comes from the area in front of the tire and underneath the headlight while driving, helping to ensure that your intake sees as much cool fresh air as possible.
Now with all of this cooler air being supplied, how does it help performance? The basic concept is that since cold air is denser than warm air, your engine gets more air per cycle, and thus allows more fuel to be added to make more power. However, when a car is turbocharged, the process is a little more complicated. A turbo compresses and heats up your intake air and then sends it to an intercooler that cools the air back down. What that means is that the “colder air will make more power” generalization may not be as significant, especially with the advancements in modern turbocharged vehicles. Colder intake air does offer a benefit in the form of less stress on your turbo system. This means that your turbo does not have to work as hard to flow the same amount of air at the same boost pressure. Also a reduction in intake air temps can translate to slightly cooler air exiting your turbo compressor, which helps take some stress off the intercooler as well.
With all of the theory covered, let’s get to the real world results! In daily driving testing we found decreased intake air temps with the CorkSport Heatshield installed. When cruising or when it’s cold outside, we were actually surprised at the low intake temps of the CS SRI alone—there’s actually a surprising amount of fresh air that gets into the engine bay. Where the heatshield really comes into its own is when sitting stationary or driving on a very hot day. That’s when we saw our biggest improvements in intake air temp.
Lastly about the manufacturing, the CorkSport Heat Shield is made out of carbon steel that is laser cut and precision formed. Carbon steel was selected for its strength and lower heat transfer over aluminum. To fight off corrosion, the heatshield is powder coated wrinkle black and gives the heat shield a great look that helps it blend in with the other parts in the engine bay. Both sections of the shield are attached together using stainless steel rivets for corrosion resistance and a nice look. Lastly, we include rubber seals along the top edge of the CS Heat Shield to keep as much heat out as possible, and to prevent any unwanted vibrations or noise.
If you’re looking to complement your CS SRI with some added heat protection or want to pick them up together, check out the product listing for the CorkSport Heat Shield for additional photos and video! Also, feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.
2021-up Mazda 3 Turbo and CX30 Turbo Intake Heat Shield March 5th, 2024CorkSport
Cold air intake systems, are they necessary? Are they worth the extra cost? Does it matter if the engine is turbocharged or not? Will the engine or its performance be hurt without one? We have repeatedly seen these questions on forums and social media groups regarding Mazda’s 3rd and 4th Generation Mazda 3 & 6. To help the Mazda community grow and learn about their cars and what to do with them, we have written a blog that we hope will help shed some light on these questions and others.
Most importantly, you will NOT hurt your engine if you use an SRI only on Turbo or Non-Turbo applications.
What are the typical intake systems available for your Mazda? At CorkSport, we have two primary intake system setups: Short Ram Intake (SRI) System and Cold Air Intake (CAI) System. It is essential to distinguish between the two because you (the Mazda enthusiasts) will ultimately decide which system to use.
Short Ram Intake (SRI) System:
This CorkSport system consists of a filter, billet MAF housing, silicone coupler, a few clamps, and may or may not have a mounting bracket (depending on the application). This system is efficient and straightforward (an unrestricted airflow path increases power). This system removes the factory airbox and snorkel (optional). The cost is very effective for the results and provides excellent induction sounds.
Cold Air Intake (CAI) System:
CorkSport’s system consists of the SRI (as mentioned above) plus a heat shield or airbox designed to keep the engine bay heat away from the intake system’s inlet and help direct cold air induction. This system removes the factory airbox and may or may not reuse the factory snorkel. The cost will be higher than a short ram intake due to the additional components involved and may muffle some of the induction noises but provide better heat control.
OK, is a Cold Air Intake System worth the extra cost and complexity? Does it do anything? Well, in our opinion, yes and no. We have tested this, and we have proven that a heatshield does improve (read reduce) “heat soak” of the intake system, BUT not in the ways most people expect. Below is some data from our 2018 Mazda 6 Turbo SRI and then also with our SRI + Heat Shield:
This first graph shows the vehicle idling for a period of time, much like sitting at a stoplight or in traffic. The red graph shows the short ram intake only, and the blue chart shows the SRI+Heat Shield. It’s pretty apparent the heat shield is helping reduce the amount of engine bay heat being ingested by the intake while the vehicle is sitting. The maximum temperature delta is approximately 15-20deg F. That’s a respectable improvement, and this lower amount of heat soak should, in theory, improve the vehicle’s acceleration from a complete stop. Now let’s look at a graph that combines idling and acceleration up to 50mph
The second graph indicates similar data for the stationary idling period, but more importantly, is what the data tells us once the vehicle starts moving. You see a small spike for both systems (this is due to the engine suddenly ingesting more air), then you see the air temp drop rapidly as the vehicle increases in speed. The vehicle’s forward motion/speed is important because that is how fresh cool ambient air enters the engine bay.
You’ll notice that both the red and blue graphs meet at the same point after the rapid cooling then have a small amount of fluctuation. In a nutshell, both the SRI and SRI+Heat Shield perform about the same once the vehicle is moving. Again, they perform almost identically once the car is rolling.
Next question, does it matter if the vehicle is turbocharged or not? Before we answer that, let’s go over the differences between turbocharged and non-turbocharged systems.
Turbocharged:
The engine is equipped with a turbocharger and an intercooler system to cool the boosted air temperatures before entering the engine. The intercooler system is required to negate the by-product of turbocharging an engine (and thus boost), which is heat. The airflow path is intake -> turbo -> intercooler -> engine.
In a turbocharged engine, the need for and use of a Cold Air Intake System is typically not deemed necessary or very useful. The turbocharger superheats the cooler air it receives from the intake before passing it to the intercooler. The boosted air exiting the turbo is substantially hotter than the ambient air temperatures in your engine bay before it enters the intake – especially true while the vehicle is moving.
More focus is placed on performance improvements of the intercooler system because that is the primary method to cool the incoming boosted (read “hot”) airflow before it enters the engine. The use of a cold air intake system has little effect on the resulting boost air temps, so the cost-effectiveness is not great. This is precisely why the Mazdaspeed platform focuses on increasing the intake size (ingesting more air = more power), adding a larger turbo (more boost), and increasing the size of the intercooler (additional surface area for cooling) coupled with a professional tune to maximize power.
Non-Turbocharged:
The engine is not equipped with a turbocharger and, therefore, does not require an intercooler system. The airflow path is more direct and does not have a cooling system built-in; intake -> engine.
Since there is no intercooler to cool the incoming air (it’s not needed), the best way to improve air density and performance is with cooler air entering the engine directly. So, a cold air intake on a non-turbo engine can be helpful – especially in warmer climates.
Let’s Recap:
In either turbo or non-turbo applications, a heat shield or CAI system will provide varying degrees of benefit in some driving situations. For a turbo application specifically, the usefulness of the CAI system is marginal due to the turbo heating the air it receives from the intake. Instead, investing in a short ram intake and performance intercooler system is a much better plan.
For the non-turbo applications, a cold air intake system is a worthwhile investment because the airflow path is so much more direct, and it’s the only way to help reduce intake air temps and thus increase air density which equals power.
We hope this has been a helpful and educational blog and lends support as you decide the right path for you and your Mazda! Thanks for tuning in!
Time for more horsepower and boost with the Skyactiv 2.5 Turbo engine.
The Mazda 6 just got its next upgrade in the form of the CorkSport Downpipe for 2018-2022 models equipped with the 2.5L Turbo engine. We took the OEM downpipe and improved on it in every way, including sound, flow, power potential, and even ease of install! Help unlock power with the Mazda6 Turbo downpipe and take a step forward to more making power!
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The CorkSport downpipe uses a 2-piece design that starts with a cast 304 stainless steel bellmouth. This provides a high-flowing, smooth transition from the turbocharger to the piping that will stand up to the test of time and the high heat of the turbo. The piping is upgraded from the OEM 65mm diameter to 80mm mandrel bent piping to maximize flow and reduce restrictions. The bellmouth is joined to the piping using CNC machined v-band flanges which ensures a leak-free seal.
The two-piece design is not all about flow through. We optimized the casting design to be easy to install and tighten all the hardware. Since you do not have the piping in the way, like you would with a one-piece downpipe, the mounting hardware at the turbo is very easy to access! Fitment is also spot on, as we used 3D scan data from the OEM downpipe when designing the CS downpipe. That means great fitment with your existing aftermarket exhaust, or even the OEM one! With exhaust, the CorkSport downpipe will change the exhaust note of your Mazda 6. With the full CS catback exhaust, we noticed a different tone with some extra “growl” and a very slight increase in volume. This goes for both the catted and catless setups, with just a hint more drone with the catless setup.
All of the efforts to reduce flow restrictions are in the name of power! By smoothing the exhaust path and eliminating restrictions, the turbocharger can breathe better. While we have not been able to fully tune the car to take advantage of the flow gains (more on that later), typically an upgraded downpipe offers faster spool times, better peak power, and can help hold power better at higher RPMs. We hope to be able to test & validate the power potential of the MZ6T downpipe soon, but for now, know that the CorkSport Downpipe has enough flow capacity to efficiently support 500+ WHP, assuming you’ve got the mods to make that power!
So the elephant in the room: tuning. While the CorkSport Downpipe can be installed and driven on an otherwise stock Mazda 6 Turbo, we strongly recommend a tune after installing the CS downpipe. There are some fairly strict limits to airflow and torque in the OEM tune that can result in some mild surging or “hiccups” especially when at wide open throttle. This is simply the car hitting those limits and pulling back power. We have experimented with these limits and have found no long-term effects of hitting the limits or even going beyond. They are very conservative limits for safety with stock parts. With more efficient parts, your engine works easier and is able to produce added power/torque and consume more air so the limits are simply hit easier.
Let’s go through some housekeeping on the Mazda 6 Turbo downpipe. We offer the downpipe in both fully catless and with a high flow 300cel cat. As modifying or removing the primary cat is illegal in most areas, both options are sold for off-road or race use only. The fully catless setup will be the best for power gains but also comes with an all but guaranteed check engine light. The catted option cuts down on the smell of a fully catless setup but will sometimes still throw a CEL. This CEL can however be disabled with a tune.
Finally, what comes in the box with your MZ6T downpipe? Each kit comes with all the hardware needed for installation. This includes new turbo studs & crimp nuts, exhaust connection hardware, a Remflex exhaust gasket, and the stainless steel v-band clamp for connecting the upper and lower sections. Also included is a support bracket for the downpipe and even a custom heatshield to deflect heat away from engine bay components. Both come with required mounting hardware as well!
Be sure to check out the product listing HERE for more images, a product teaser video, and pricing. Ready your Mazda 6 Turbo for some big power with downpipe kit from CorkSport!
Stickers are worth 5hp right?…So it was only logical to wrap the whole car in a GIANT sticker! Anyways, on a real note we knew that the @Halfmilespeed3 couldn’t just be fast, it had to look good and what Car Guy or Gal doesn’t want their car to look good?
We have a plan at CorkSport to wrap all of our R&D Shop Cars with an awesome blue that aligns with our “CorkSport Blue”, but we want each car to have a little unique character to it. Thinking about the halfmilespeed3 build and goal we had the brilliant idea of a split wrap…seems fitting right? Half and Half…
So what did the car look like before the wrap?
Metro Grey Mica is the color name and its pretty bland in my opinion. I added the white roof and hood accents along with white wheels to help brighten up the car, which it did, but it was time for change. Oh yeah; white wheels and track spec brake pads don’t mix, just an FYI.
So what is like to get your car wrapped? What’s the process? I can’t personally give you details as I did not do the wrap myself, but I was close to the action and watched it all come together. Respect to those that take this on themselves and to the professionals out there. It is a tedious process that requires attention to detail to get a great final result.
A local friend is a professional and was open to doing the work in the CS shop since the Speed was not in a running and driving state at the time.
Saul S. (@saulywood) did the work over a few weeks’ time in evenings and weekends. He kicked a** on a project that turned out to be a bit more difficult than expected.
Installing a wrap is a process of pulling, stretching, heating, cutting…lots of different skills and abilities to get the job done. All this has to happen without damaging the vehicle you are wrapping. It’s quite a feat.
Going through the process the build kind of evolved if you will. Luckily Saul was very open-minded to it and even a bit eager to try some new things.
Probably my favorite aspect of the wrap is the unique and new wrap from 3M. Called “Shadow Black” this wrap has a slight texture to it that depicts patterns sort of like camouflage.
We used this on the roof and in a narrow strip over the seam between Satin Black and Blue Gloss; it really added a unique aspect to the look and style and brought the two colors together. Pictures just do not give it justice nor can you feel the texture.
So let’s wrap this up (see what I did there?) with some finished images.
I have to admit I’ve fallen in love with my car again. The exterior of my car was pretty beat up and neglected with rock chips, scuffs, and just generally not well taken care of paint. With the new wrap there is a whole new rush of pride and enthusiasm to keep it looking amazing.
Lastly, and this is bit cheesy, I requested Saul to match my helmet to the car…
Why not right? It’s not just another black helmet and I love it.
With that I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek into wrapping a Mazdaspeed. Stay connected as we share more and more about the @halfmilespeed3 build…engine, seats, roll-cage, and power! At some point this season an event will open and we can actually race!
