At CorkSport, we can’t wait for the new 2016 MX-5.
We pre-ordered ours as soon as the sale went live, and we’ve been planning new Miata parts and upgrades since we first heard about the launch. The actual R&D has to wait until we have the MX-5 in our garage, but that hasn’t hampered our excitement—especially when we read the reviews of the lucky first drivers, who all love the car’s new updates.
This little roadster has been turning heads since it first hit the roads. During a recent balance test, Dave Coleman, the Miata Product Manager, said, “The Miata really is the most pure, elemental, simple, straightforward sports car you can get.” Whether you own one or not, it’s hard to disagree that the MX-5 is a beautiful piece of engineering. Just about every Miata model looks pretty and effortless—but at CorkSport we always want to know: How does it fare on the road? (Or better yet, at the track?)
We love speed, power, and handling at CorkSport, and most our products are designed to give your Mazda the most boost and control possible. From all of its initial reviews, it sounds like the new MX-5 engineers had similar aspirations, and from the videos we’ve seen, it looks like they succeeded.
Mazda UK just released a test drive video, showing how the new 2016 MX-5 compares to the original 1990 MkI. Given how much has changed in engine technology over the past 25 years, they gave the original a nice 4-second head start, just to make things fair. The result reveals the beauty of both designs—and promises viewers that the new Miata will be just as fun (and great) to drive as the first one.
If that doesn’t make you want to hit the track in a Miata, nothing will. We can’t wait to do tests of our own, so stay tuned.
Cheers,
CorkSport
How Fast Is the 2016 MX-5? June 18th, 2015CorkSport
After countless hours designing, testing, and adjusting, we released our drop-in turbo for the Mazdaspeed, and we’re very proud of it—and thrilled about the responses we’ve already received from our beta testers. (See the first reviews on the listing.)
Obviously, with a product this big, we wanted to inform our CorkSport customers as much as possible about the advantages of our turbo vs. the OEM and competitors, and how much power buyers could expect to gain.
Barett wrote a huge white paper on the turbocharger, detailing all of this. From the benefit of a drop-in (no new coolant lines, oil lines, or a intake system are required to install and operate it) to the details of a turbocharger’s anatomy, you can read all about what makes our turbo stand apart.
Our goal was to create a performance-driven turbocharger that wouldn’t break your bank or require a mechanical engineering degree to install. We’re happy to say we succeeded, but see for yourself.
Feel like your SkyActiv-powered Mazda is lacking a bit of throttle response and driver feedback?
We hear you, that’s why we’re introducing the all new CorkSport Race Rear Motor Mount for 2014+ Mazda 3 and Mazda 6, as well as 2013+ Mazda CX-5.
Manufactured from 6061-T6 aluminum and anodized, the CorkSport Race RMM is strong, durable, and lightweight. What truly sets the CorkSport Race RMM apart from the competition goes to the 70a polyurethane. This RMM does not use polyurethane inserts that can loosen up and degrade. The 70a polyurethane is poured directly into the mount for a permanent bond with the aluminum body and bushing collar.
More than a handful of prototypes have been tested to ensure that the product arriving at your door is the very best it can be. We tested different durometer polyurethane from 60a to 80a (as well as different bushing sizes) to find the maximum improvement of throttle response and driver feedback without excessive noise, vibration, and harshness. Check out one of the prototypes below.
Now you might be thinking: “How does a motor mount improve throttle response and driver feedback?” In FWD vehicles it is typical for the engine to be oriented in a transverse layout. This means the engine is parallel to the axle centerline, whereas in a longitudinal layout (typical of V8’s and RWD vehicles) the engine is perpendicular to the axle centerline. Anyway, the engine/transmission applies a rotational force (torque) to the drive shafts, in turn rotating the wheels/tires forward.
“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” – Newton’s third law of motion.
The amount of torque applied to the wheels is equal and opposite to what is applied to the engine itself, but what keeps the engine from just rotating? Enter the engine mounts. Unfortunately, the OEM engine mounts are very soft, so the engine is able to move and rotate substantially while driving. This makes for a very plush ride inside the cab, but sacrifices throttle response, driver feedback, and really the general driving experience. Replacing the RMM drastically reduces the amount of rotation the engine is allowed which in turn forces more of the engine’s torque to the tires sooner instead of just rotating the engine in the engine bay. This holds true for any action that affects the engine: throttle inputs, up-shifting, down-shifting…etc.
Who wants a small, practical, cheap, gas efficient car?
Everyone, right?
If that’s really true we will point you towards the new Mazda 2 that should be available in the USA in just a short amount of time. We think it’s a great-looking car that will be fun to drive and easy on the gas budget.
The problem with the Mazda 2, though, is that people seem to love sedans in the USA. Why? I’m not sure. The practicality of a hatchback seem to far outweigh any benefit (Maybe looks? Maybe?) of the sedan. Hatches have more storage room, more headroom, more trunk space, and get the same exact gas mileage usually. Nonetheless, we have proven again and again that we prefer sedans in America, so what do you do?
The answer is simple: Buy a Scion.
Buy a Scion? Really? Why would a Mazda performance parts company tell me to buy a Scion!?
Easy: The new Scion iA is actually just a Mazda 2 that is a sedan version and re-badged as a Scion. According to jalopnik.com, “This iA is actually more Mazda than Toyota, based on Mazda’s SkyActiv platform and sharing a lot of its guts with the new Mazda 2.”
It sure looks like a small Mazda 3, and the fact that it will be badged Scion is a good thing! Not only does this mean that you can essentially buy a Mazda 2 Sedan that Mazda won’t be offering in the US officially, but it has two other aspects that we really like.
One, a partnership between Toyota/Scion and Mazda means that hopefully the iA can use all the same parts we develop for the Mazda 2. This means we should reach a new audience that wouldn’t typically be aware of our parts.
Two, a partnership between Toyota/Scion and Mazda means that Mazda should be selling more cars, even if it is under the name Scion and through a partnership. This means extra revenue and thus, more money to put toward cars like the next Mazdaspeed or Rotary. Mazda has always been a smaller player in the automotive world and so a partnership to get more people in a “Mazda” (even if they are buying it as a Scion) will benefit the brand overall and bring more money to them. This is a win-win we believe!
So keep an eye out! This could be one of the next big sellers, and you can be “in-the-know” that Mazda will be selling a Sedan Mazda 2 badged Scion.
Last weekend I experienced my first track day ever, and quite frankly it was awesome. I didn’t really know what to expect because I only knew autocross and track in the context of a Formula SAE race car. In short: Ripping around a track at 100mph is far more exciting than ripping around a cone at 35mph.
Oregon Raceway Park (ORP) is located in Grass Valley, OR in the rolling hills just south of the gorge—also know as “BFN.” Now, that’s not intended to be a negative, just an observation. The location of the track is open and beautiful, which you’ll see in the following images. It’s a bit of a drive, but oh: So worth it.
OK, back to the track. The image below is the terrain track map with the descriptions of each straightaway, turn, and associated components of a fully functional road race course. 16 turns make up this beautiful 2.3 mile loop that has as many elevation changes as a roller coaster.
At the Track
So what was my first track day experience like?
First, let me provided some background information. My car is a 2009 Mazdaspeed 3 with CorkSport springs/struts, RSB, and a handful of goodies under the hood. That’s all great, but most important to a race car are brakes and tires, and mine are lackluster to say the least. OEM calipers and rotors with some old P ZERO NERO All Seasons are not the best combination for a track day, but that wasn’t going to stop me.
The track day was put on by ORP and Team Continental. The instructors were top notch, and the officials made the event a complete success. The actual event was a High Performance Driving Education (HPDE) with 4 levels ranging from beginner to licensed racing driver, each racing in separate sessions.
A Little Advice
My first suggestion: Get off your high horse and go to an event that provides you with an instructor. I’ll admit, I signed up for the intermediate level HPDE because I thought I had enough experience from autocrossing. Fortunately, the officials running the event kicked me down to the beginner level, which requires an instructor. Mine, Brian, ended up being a wealth of knowledge. He knew the ORP track extremely well, and as a bonus, he had a Ford Focus RS, so he understood the FWD issues I would be facing.
Next suggestion: Don’t be afraid to go off track, but do be cautious of it. ORP is very forgiving for noobs, as there wasn’t anything to hit off track; but plenty of tracks out there are not at all forgiving. Below, you can see one of the Nator OR guys, Vincent Pham, doing a little off road adventure after coming into a corner too hot. He got his MS3 stopped, then waited for a clearing in traffic and continued on. No harm, no foul. I’m guilty of this as well. I went completely off track once in turn 16, and I still drove my car home.
My last piece of advice: Go with your buddies! There is nothing more rewarding than passing your buddy in the straightaway and him giving you the one finger salute. Below is a handful of the Nator OR members, and one of the track officials.
All right, one more suggestion: Have fun! That’s why we do this, right? Don’t get frustrated with your driving or your car’s performance, because then you stop having fun. My car was probably one of the more powerful Speeds there, but I had by far the worst tires and most faded brakes holding me back. I decided to focus on my lines and being smooth instead of going for the best lap time I could. My results: Best lap of 2:07 and a day I’ll never forget.
Track Day Outcomes
I highly recommend you participate in a track day, even if you’re only a smidgeon interested. There are two possible outcomes from participating in a track day:
First, you have a good time, but decide one track day in your life was enough. There’s nothing wrong with that, because your daily driving will be improved from just a few hours on the track. Pushing your car on the track lets you find you and your car’s limits, so you’ll be better at assessing and controlling an emergency situation on a public road.
Second, and most likely, you become hooked just like me. You begin scheduling family events around track days, going through tires and brakes like they grow on trees, and calculating your fuel mileage in smiles per gallon. Do yourself a favor as a car enthusiast and participate in the next local track day. I promise you will love it!
Oh! And check out the video below I made from my last session at ORP.
Track Day at the Oregon Raceway Park April 3rd, 2015CorkSport
