Customer Collaboration Designs Excellence

We say it a lot here at CorkSport, but it’s true, we really enjoy getting our customers involved with the development process and as an engineer at CorkSport, I get to interact with customers on new product ideas and collaborate on their development regularly.

Many of our new product ideas actually come from customer submissions which have been collected and reviewed during our development meetings. Once we have established whether the idea submission has merits and we feel it is a project worth pursuing, it gets added to our project plan and we begin the process of product development.

It’s important for us to keep our customers close to the development process to make sure we don’t lose sight of the original intention of the product or miss an important feature during development that was desired, so once an idea is approved, we reach out to the customers that submitted the idea and determine their interest level in helping CorkSport test the product and discuss getting involved in the development process by providing additional ideas or expressing concerns about the design.

We stay connected with the customer advocate and make sure things are progressing how they feel is best for the product. Once we have a prototype we will find customers who want to help with the testing and validation process to determine if anything needs to be adjusted prior to proceeding to production.

We also make sure to share our new products with the Mazda community through forum interaction. This gives us exposure to a larger audience of customers who may be interested in the product, and because forums can sometimes be brutally honest it really helps us see what may be lacking or needing change.

A good example of this would be our newly redesigned mud flaps for the Mazdaspeed6. We had originally released these using the same mud flaps that we developed for the Mazdaspeed3 but some customers felt they were too hard to install. We then went back and completely redesigned the front mud flaps specifically for the Mazdaspeed6.

I posted pictures of our prototypes on the Mazdaspeed Forum and Mazda6 Club to see if anything needed to be changed before we got ready to release them. During the discussion thread, some comments were made on the length of the front mud flaps and fitment issues that may occur depending in your ride height, so we incorporated a template into the installation instructions that allows customers to trim the mud flaps to their desired length.

Customer collaboration does not end once the part is released either. We like to follow up with customers who purchased our new product releases and get their feedback and have an active knowledgebase that customers can go to for questions and can contribute to with comments and feedback.

It is important for us to make sure that customers are happy with the product and that the installation instructions are clear, concise and easy to follow. If a step is identified that requires additional clarification or could use additional product pictures, we incorporate that feedback into the new version of the instruction sets that go out. This collaboration helps us improve our products and makes us aware of things that may need to be addressed on other projects.

We welcome questions and comments from our customers at any time. If are installing a CorkSport product and have any questions we encourage you to contact us so we can help and if you ever have any suggestions on ways we can improve any of our products please let us know. It is important to us to remain close to the Mazda enthusiasts that have made our company the success it is today.

Andrew-

Compete and Win!

The Oregon Region SCCA Solo Director stopped by CorkSport this week and during our discussion, he brought up the topic of the national event and contingency awards that he and the other driver for his car had won. I missed the national tour event this year from other obligations, but it got me thinking, “what if I had competed and won my class.”

So I hopped on the computer and took a look at the SCCA national webpage to see what contingencies are offered to the winners of the National Solo tour.

#1 Mazdaspeed. Mazda pays out $200 for first and $100 for second for any Mazda who is registered with their program.

#2 Kumho. I am currently running #2 Kumho EXS tires on the CorkSport Mazda 2 and Kuhmo pays out big time if you win especially in the street tire classes. First place pays out $600 in product credit, second place is $400 in product credit and third place is $300. The tire size I use is 205/50/15 which goes for around $90 a tire. Even third place would almost pay for a set of new tires.

If you wanted to give it a shot in the Pro-Solo event (the Pro Solo event was the weekend after the national solo tour) there is even more available if you can get a class win.

#1 Mazdaspeed. Mazda pays out $200 for first and $100 for second for any Mazda who is registered with their program for a class win. If you go on the challenge they bump it up to $400 for a win and $200 for second place.

#2 Kumho. Kumho pays out the same for the street tire classes as the national solo win. For the challenge first place pays out $300 in product credit, second place is $200 in product credit and third place is $150.

#3 Hawk Performance. Hawk gives out $100 per class win and $100 for the challenge win.

So hypothetically if I could pull off a class win for two weekends of racing it would add up to a total of $2500 in products. Not too shabby for having a great time driving around cones. I am fortunate that the events are only 2 hours away for me. Some of the competitors I saw in the entry list came from as far as Texas.

Remember, even if you think you might try to attend a national event, make sure you register with the contingency sponsor before the event. Some require registering at the beginning of the year so read the fine print.

-Derrick

CorkSport Announces Expansion of Mazdaspeed 3 Front Mount Intercooler Product Line

CorkSport Performance is pleased to announce another addition to our Front Mount Intercooler line for the 2010+ Mazdaspeed 3. The latest kit is designed specifically to accommodate the CorkSport Power Series Short Ram Intake, giving customers the flexibility to purchase a kit that will accommodate a short ram intake while providing the maximum air cooling capabilities that can only be achieved with a front mount intercooler.

The factory top mounted intercooler can easily be over worked and overheated due to its smaller size. In return, the intake air temperatures rise causing a loss in power. Rather than mount the intercooler under the hood where it receives minimal air flow and is constantly surrounded by engine heat, the CorkSport Front Mount Intercooler Kit for the 2010+ Mazdaspeed 3 features an optimum front mount position to maximize exposure to ambient airflow. This not only increases overall cooling at every boost level, but dramatically reduces heat soak.

Unlike many other front mount intercoolers, the CorkSport Front Mount Intercooler for Short Ram Intake does not require any cutting or trimming of the vehicle and features a 24x6x3.5” aluminum core with custom cast end tanks and 2.25” aluminum mandrel bent piping with bead rolled ends connected with your choice of black, red, or blue silicone couplers and stainless steel T-bolt clamps.

The CorkSport FMIC Kit for SRI has been developed and tested specifically for the 2010+ MazdaSpeed 3 in all types of conditions including hot and cold, rain and snow, freeway driving, and stop and go traffic. During testing, the Front Mount Intercooler saw a pressure drop of approximately 2psi and a maximum efficiency of 85%. When coupled with the CorkSport Short Ram Intake, customers will benefit from substantial gains in torque and horsepower.

The best value on the market, CorkSport will be offering the new Front Mount Intercooler Kit which includes all of the needed installation hardware and a two-year standard warranty. As an added value, customers will now also be able to purchase the CorkSport Power Series Short Ram Intake at a reduced price with the purchase of the Front Mount Intercooler Kit.

For more information about the CorkSport 2010+ Mazdaspeed 3 Front Mount Intercooler Kit, please visit https://www.corksport.com/corksport-2010-mazdaspeed-3-fmic-kit-for-short-ram-intake.html

Mazfest: The Mazda Family Reunion

Mazfest returned once again this year to the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana CA. Sponsored by Mazda Owners Club of California, Mazdas247, and the Southern California RX Club, this years event featured autocross, an HPDE track day (high performance Driver Education), and of course the car show. On the day of the event, CorkSport was there in full force and the weather gave us sunny skies and a decent breeze and of course we were greeted with the usual smog from the east end of LA.

Mazfest showcases one of the widest varieties of Mazdas of any event CorkSport attends each year and the cars being shown this year ranged from a beautiful R100 to a brand new 2011 Mazdaspeed 3 and everything in between.

CorkSport recruited two of our California Mazdaspeed 3 customers to showcase their rides in our booth. One had the complete package of CorkSport power series products installed including the Downpipe, 80mm Racepipe, 80mm Cat Back Exhaust, and a CorkSport Ram-Air FMIC kit.

The other Mazdaspeed 3 had the CorkSport TMIC installed along with a host of other performance parts and was also the featured ride of the month on the Mazdas247 forum in July.

There were run groups out on the track all day with their owners putting their cars through their paces. Cars on the track ranged from stock to full on race cars including a turbocharged road race Rx8. There were a few mishaps on the HPDE event that you could find when walking around the garages.

The worst example I saw was a blow out suffered on the track by a Porsche. It took out the rear bumper, damaged the paint, and looks to have hit the radiator too.

All in all, it was a great day and we got to connect with many of our CorkSport customers and enjoy the show. I recommend attending next year if you are able to.

-Derrick

Making Your Mazdaspeed3 Handle

In my last year of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah, I was able to participate in the Formula SAE program. The concept behind Formula SAE is that a fictional manufacturing company has contracted a student design team to develop a small Formula-style race car. Then the prototype race car is to be evaluated for its potential as a production item. When deciding what team I wanted to be on I chose suspension because I knew the real trick in making a fast car is designing a great performing suspension and tuning it to perfection.

In the formula SAE program, the suspension is unrestricted except for safety regulations. Most teams opt for four-wheel independent suspension and almost universally a double-wishbone. Active suspension is legal. Unfortunately, most of us can’t design a one-off suspension for our everyday cars, but we have the ability to upgrade and tune our suspensions to achieve handling nirvana.

The Mazdaspeed3 is a great platform to tune on for power and handling, however, it is a heavier front-wheel drive (FWD) vehicle and some measures need to be taken to minimize understeering. If you are not familiar with understeering, it is when the car doesn’t want to turn as much as you are telling it too. Many of you may have experienced this in other FWD vehicles over the years and know that this tends to be a universal problem. Actually, most production cars are designed to understeer from the factory for safety reasons, but it is especially prevalent in FWD cars. With a few tricks, you can make your car handle much better and minimize unwanted understeer.

Mazdaspeed 3 Rear Sway Bar

The first step to achieving a great performing suspension is upgrading the rear sway bar. The CorkSport Rear Sway Bar is adjustable to help you tune your car to your driving style. By installing a stiffer rear sway bar, the car will want to lose traction in the rear first instead of the front, reducing understeer. If you go stiff enough, the car will begin to oversteer in hard corners, so we recommend starting in the outer-most position with our Rear Sway Bar. If the car feels like it’s still understeering, move the end link to a stiffer setting. If you feel like the car is oversteering too easily, move the end link to a softer position.

Mazdaspeed 3 Front Sway Bar blue and black

For the next step, the CorkSport Front Sway Bar would be a good path. Anti-Sway Bars do more than just keep the car from rolling side-to-side when cornering; they help with the weight transfer of the vehicle during a turn. Normally most of the vehicle weight wants to transfer to the outside tires, but a stiffer sway bar helps weight transfer more evenly, which means the outside tires won’t lose traction as easily. The reduced roll of the vehicle can also help increase driver confidence by improving the cornering potential of the vehicle.

With stiffer sway bars, more of the suspension load is transferred into the chassis. To combat this, extra bracing is helpful to keep the chassis rigid. CorkSport produces a great 1-Piece Front Strut Tower Bar that helps transfer the loads from the struts onto the car more evenly between the strut towers.

Mazdaspeed Front Strut Tower Bar

The CorkSport Rear Chassis Brace Set also reduces rear chassis flex by 15% which can help the stiffer sway bar in the rear by putting more force on the chassis. If you don’t want the full set you can also just get the Rear Chassis Brace that ties together the rear shock towers which will still help out greatly or you can get a CorkSport Chassis Brace to replace the stock chassis brace underneath the car which will increase the stiffness of the chassis between the Mazdaspeed 3 front and rear suspensions.

Once you have gotten to this point your chassis is well braced and your sway bars have reduced the weight transfer during cornering, but there are still a couple more things you can do. CorkSport’s newly released Lowering Springs will lower your car’s center of gravity and increase the spring rate over your stock springs. This provides a stiffer ride that will increase the handling performance of your car while still being great for the street. Not only do they add to the handling of the car, but they will also improve the look by giving your car a more aggressive stance and decreasing the gap between your wheels and fenders. Be careful not to over-lower your vehicle. While it looks good, it can negatively affect the suspension geometry by throwing off the roll center of the vehicle. The CorkSport Lowering Springs decreases the ride of your vehicle to achieve a great look while maintaining the geometry of the suspension.

After springs, upgrading the dampers would be the next suspension improvement I would recommend. CorkSport sells Coilovers for the Mazdaspeed3.  These will replace your factory front struts and rear shocks and give you an adjustable rebound to help dial in your Mazda’s ride.

In this post, I have laid out a great path to making your Speed3 handle even more brilliantly than it already does, but remember, for those of you who autocross, check your rule book to see if any of these upgrades will force you to change to a faster class.

If you have any questions about these products please feel free to gives us a call or shoot us an email, we are more than happy to talk to you. Thank you for supporting CorkSport.

CorkSport

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