Tag: Mazda Performance

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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

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CorkSport Product Sneak Peek and Look Back 2011-2012

As we jump into the New Year I would like to share with you a rundown of the products we launched in 2011 and give you a first look at what you will be seeing to start off 2012.

2011 proved to be a busy year for CorkSport with 28 new products coming to market. In order of release, we added the following to our list of offerings:

Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3 Rear Chassis Brace Set
2010+ Mazdaspeed 3 Front Strut Bar
Mazda 2 Lightweight Crankshaft Pulley
Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3 Polyurethane Mud Flaps
Mazdaspeed 3 Lightweight Crankshaft Pulley
Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3 License Plate Relocation Kit
2010+ Mazdaspeed 3 Front Sway Bar
Mazda 2 Power Series Exhaust
2010+ Mazda 3 Power Series Air Box
RX-7 and RX-8 Banjo Bolt
Mazda 2 Quick Release Chassis Brace
Mazda 2 Front Strut Bar
Mazdaspeed 3/Mazdaspeed 6/CX-7 Turbo Top Mount Intercooler
Stubby Antenna
Mazdaspeed 3 Lowering Springs
Mazda Radiator Caps
Mazdaspeed 3 FMIC kit for SRI
Mazdaspeed 6 Mud Flaps
Extended Lightweight Lug Nuts
Mazdaspeed 6 Rear Sway Bar
2001-2003 Mazda/Mazdaspeed Protégé Skid Tray
Mazda 2 Front Sway Bar
Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3 Front End Links
Mazdaspeed 3 Short Shift Plate
Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3 Shifter Bushings
Mazdaspeed 3 Catted Downpipe
LED Underhood Lighting

So what can you expect from CorkSport to start off 2012?

Early next week we will be launching the CorkSport Front Camber Kit for Mazdaspeed 3. This kit is designed to provide camber adjustability and dial in performance on the Mazdaspeed 3 with up to -3 degrees of camber adjustability.

Next we will be rolling out a new and improved turbo inlet pipe for those who are running a stock or non-CorkSport intake system. The newest version of our turbo inlet pipe has been redesigned to provide seamless fitment with OEM or other aftermarket intake systems by replicating the fitment of the factory TIP to the intake while maintaining all of the characteristics that have made our turbo inlet pipe a top selling product.

We will also be introducing our staged intake systems with the addition of a stage one CorkSport short ram intake without turbo inlet pipe for those that want to upgrade to a basic package. The stage two intake system will be our number one selling CorkSport short ram intake with turbo inlet pipe and the stage three intake system will be the new CorkSport Cold Air Intake which has been designed to push the filter away from the engine and will have the unique feature of being interchangeable with our short ram intake system for customers wanting to run a cold air intake in the summer and short ram in the winter!

We will also be launching the highly anticipated CorkSport Oil Catch Can early this year. This has gone through several iterations to find the ideal design that would provide functionality and be simple to install. The end result is an aluminum, bolt-on oil catch can that will help keep your intake clean by filtering out the junk that would otherwise end up in your intake manifold and possibly on your valves. You can see a full string on the development of this product on the Mazdaspeedforum.

Also to come early this year is the new addition to our CorkSport LED lighting product line with the CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3 Bumper Lights.

Let’s also not forget our Mazdaspeed Protégé drivers out there, we have something for you as well with Mazdaspeed Protégé Silicone Intercooler Hoses expected to be out soon!

This represents just some of the great products you can expect to see from CorkSport in the coming year!

Gwynne-

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More Turbos from Mazda

CorkSport likes to be in the know on what Mazda is up to so I spend a good deal of time keeping in touch with my contacts at Mazda headquarters and searching the internet for clues on what Mazda is developing. I recently ran across a fascinating bit of information looking up patent applications with the US patent and trademark office that gives us a very interesting clue as to what Mazda may have in store for us in the future.

Mazda had a patent approved on January 12, 2010 for a forced induction engine with two sources of boost. The patent refers to an electric driven compressor (electric supercharger) which disengages when the engine reaches a pre-determined mid-range RPM point at which point the engine switches over to an exhaust driven compressor (a turbo charger).

This could be really handy for a small displacement engine when you want to get a large amount of power. The electric supercharger gives the engine the necessary boost to get the mid-range where the engine can then develop enough exhaust flow to spin the turbocharger.

This is the same theory used for a twin turbo charged engine but with instant boost from the electric supercharger. It can give a small displacement engine a decent torque improvement and the turbocharger will add the benefit of top-end power.

The whole idea gets even better with a variable vane turbine that would adjust to the engine speed. The faster the engine speed the more exhaust volume, allowing you to get the most out of the turbocharger efficiency.

This whole patent has the fingerprints of 2015 Mazdaspeed 3 written all over it if you ask me. You would still be getting the smaller, eco-friendly, SkyActiv engine but when you put your foot on it there is a big turbocharger lurking to give you gobs of torque just like the current Mazdaspeed 3.

I will give a word of warning though, not all things which have patents ever see the light of day, but the fact that Mazda spent the time and effort to patent this idea with the US patent office, gives me hope we will see a version of this patent in the next 3-4 years.

-Derrick

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Photos and Recap: Car Shows Across The NW 2011

CorkSport Sponsored, CJ Ramos, Recaps 2011’s Events and Car Shows Across the Northwest:

Car shows are amazing events where people show off their creativity, ingenuity, and the hard work they put into their rides. Seeing what others do to their cars is what keeps me going to these events and helps to inspire me to try to make my ride even better.

This year I went to 10 events. Some were new to the region (like Driven to Perform and Xtreme Drift Competition) and some were recurring favorites of the Pacific Northwest (like Nos Forum Fest and Import Faceoff). It all started with a car show premiere of Fast Five and then culminated at MazdasNW’s Summer Bash at Corksport HQ in Vancouver, WA.

Here are some highlights from just a few of the events I went to…

Fast Five Premiere Party and Car Show – Tukwila, WA – April 29, 2011
NW Motiv and NOS teamed together to throw a release party for the premier of the movie Fast Five. Situated on the top floor of one of the parking garages at Southcenter Mall, spectators and car enthusiasts were treated to giveaways throughout the day including free tickets for a private showing later that night.




Nos Forum Fest – Kent, WA – June 25, 2011
One of the most memorable events of the year. Forum Fest had something for everybody, a car show, drag racing, and drifting. Once again, MazdasNW won and defended its title of Best Forum with its members grabbing five out of the six available belts for the Mazda categories of Best five door and Best two, three, and four door.









Driven to Perform – Vancouver, BC, Canada – July 16, 2011
DTP is the biggest car show series in Canada. The show was plagued with constant rain showers but that didn’t scare the diehard car enthusiasts from entering their cars and enjoying what the show had to offer.




Xtreme Drift Circuit and Remix Car Show – Kent, WA – August 13, 2011
A drifting competition that featured local and national, amateur and professional drifters.




My Fiance and baby boy came out and visited me at the show. He amazed everybody as he slept through the loud revving and squealing of tires of the drifting competition. He was only 3 month at the time.


It was a fun and memorable year. I didn’t win as many shows as I did last year but I didn’t mind. I was happy to see more Mazdas competing and participating like Rob McChord in his wild protege, Martin Chen in his blacked out Mazdaspeed 3, Brendan Hughes in his green accented Mazda 3, and even the 40+ members that entered the Forum Fest car show.

Being voted by my peers for Car of the Year on mazda3forums.com and featured on Mazdas Meet the Tuners and NWmotiv.com were great honors and happily made up for those times I went home empty handed.

2011 Accomplishments
Mazda3Forums.com 2011 Member Car of the Year
CorkSport Featured Car of the Month – July 2011
Nos Forum Fest Best Mazda 5 Door
Featured on Mazda’s US Site’s Meet the Tuners Section
NWMotiv’s Editor’s Choice Award at MazdasNW Summerbash, which led to a nwmotiv.com web feature.
CorkSport 2012 Calendar Cover

-CJ

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i-ELOOP: Mazda Reveals New Regenerative Braking System

Mazda recently announced a new groundbreaking system called i-ELOOP that they are claiming as the first regenerative braking system that uses a capacitor. Mazda will be introducing this new technology into their 2012 models, which they say will improve fuel economy by 10%.

Mazda says that the odd name is an adaptation of “Intelligent Energy Loop” and represents the company’s intention to efficiently cycle energy in an intelligent way.The i-ELOOP will use a capacitor which is an electrical component that stores large volumes of electricity in place of a battery to convert the vehicles kinetic energy into electricity when the vehicle decelerates. The energy it produces will be used to power the climate control, audio system and other electrical components of the car.

This type of system is already used in EV technology, with the difference being that regenerative braking systems in electric vehicles use an electric motor and dedicated battery to operate. Mazda avoids the need for this by featuring a new 12-25V variable voltage alternator, a low-resistance electric double layer capacitor and a DC/DC converter.

In their press release, Mazda said “The variable voltage alternator generates electricity at up to 25V for maximum efficiency before sending it to the Electric Double Layer Capacitor (EDLC) for storage. The capacitor, which has been specially developed for use in a vehicle, can be fully charged in seconds. The DC/DC converter steps down the electricity from 25V to 12V before it is distributed directly to the vehicle’s electrical components. The system also charges the vehicle battery as necessary. “

Mazda has yet to name the production model that will feature i-ELOOP but it has been designed to work in harmony with the new SkyActiv engine and transmission technologies that are currently rolling off the production line in the new 2012 Mazda 3’s.

Mazda continues to amaze by combining new technologies with traditional concepts in order to improve fuel efficiency for its vehicles without sacrificing performance.

Gwynne-