You likely already invested in our SRI and rear sway bar, but if you are looking to further enhance the driving characteristics of your Mazda, the CS Camber Plates are a great mod to add to your build. Whether you want to fine-tune your setup for the track or you are looking to upgrade to a more aggressive wheel and tire combo, the CorkSport Camber Plates will give you the extra adjustability needed. Continue on reading for more details on the CS Camber Plates.
The camber plates are designed to take the place of your factory strut top so that whether you are on lowering springs or factory springs, installation is quick and simple. For previous generation camber plate kits, it was required to cut the top of the strut tower to gain access to the camber plate to be able to adjust it while installed. This is not the case, however, for the 4th GEN Mazda 3 and CX-30! Making camber adjustments is easy and if they ever need to be removed, permanent modification was not required during installation. The Mazda 3 Camber Plates also feature a pillow-ball bearing that replaces the factory rubber mount and makes sure that the strut bar does not move excessively while driving in demanding situations.
Now let’s get to the amount of camber adjustment the CorkSport Camber Plates provide. On the Mazda 3 you can expect camber adjustment ranging from -2.4 to +0.9 degrees. There is a noticeable difference between the two, so if you are looking to fit a more aggressive wheel and tire combo the camber plates may help you achieve it without rubbing the paint off your fenders. The camber adjustment will also help if you plan on tracking your car or want to fine-tune your setup to your driving style on the backroads.
Finally, let’s go over the construction of the CorkSport Camber Plates. The camber plates feature a top and bottom plate. The top plate houses the adjustment slots for the lower plate and is made out of 6061-T6 aluminum that is then CNC machined. The lower plate features the pillow-ball bearing and is manufactured out of steel to provide the necessary strength needed to secure the strut in place so it does not move during hard driving. Also included with the CS Camber Plates is all the necessary hardware so you can get back out on the road to find your optimal camber setting quickly.
The CorkSport Camber Plates are a great mod to continue to enhance the handling performance of your Mazda 3 or CX-30 and also if want to build upon the aggressive appearance at the same time. Be sure to check out the website for additional photos and video on the camber plates and feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.
Today we’re taking another dive into OEM Mazda parts to better understand how they function. Specifically, OEM suspension springs, since there are CorkSport Lowering Springs coming soon for the 2018+ Mazda 6 2.5T. While a simple concept, springs are very important to the handling, appearance, and comfort of your vehicle.
The new Mazda 6 Turbo uses a lot of the same components as the GEN 3 Mazda 3 and Mazda 6, however, the suspension has been optimized for the new “premium” feel and to deal with the extra weight that comes when adding a turbo. The SkyActiv chassis has primarily remained the same though, with the same MacPherson strut front suspension and multi-link rear suspension shown below.
Now, onto the springs themselves; both the front and rear suspension of the Mazda 6 use standard compression springs. The spring’s job is to support the weight of the vehicle when at rest and adsorb impacts when hitting bumps or going quickly around a corner. That’s it. Seems simple enough right? Since the springs are the parts of the suspension that “suspends” the vehicle though, their characteristics and how they interact with the rest of the suspension system are critical.
There are two main characteristics that define a spring: rate and free length. Both are pretty easy to understand. Free length is simply the length of the spring with no weight or force acting on it. So set a spring by itself on a table, measure how tall it is, and there’s your free length.
Spring rate is a little more complex, as it is the measure of how much weight it takes to compress a spring a given distance. So, if you have the same weight and put it on two different springs the one with the higher rate will compress less. The rate is usually measured in kg/mm (often shortened to K) or lbs/in.
For example, if you had a 2K spring and a 4K spring and applied 100kg to each, the 2K would compress 50mm and the 4K would only compress 25mm.
What do these measures mean for your car though? If we keep the rate the same but only change the free length, the shorter the spring, the lower the car. For a given car, a spring can be too short, causing poor ride (sitting on the bump stops all the time), or the risk of a spring coming out of place, causing noises or at worst, the spring falling out of the vehicle.
If we change the spring rate and leave the free length the same, things are a little more complicated. The higher the rate, the stiffer the ride is, plus your ride height will increase. Since the weight of the car is not changing, the higher rate spring will now compress less when the car sits on it, meaning your car sits higher at rest. Too large of a rate and your OEM shocks cannot keep up causing a bouncy ride, and vice-versa if too soft you are hitting bump stops over the smallest bump. Obviously, there is a balancing act to get the spring rate and free length correct for the application for the best in appearance, handling, and comfort.
Now that the basics are covered, let’s look specifically at the Mazda 6 2.5T. The OEM springs give a good ride as to be expected (likely very soft spring rates) as this can be a huge issue for potential customers if the car ride quality is harsh. Handling is decent overall but has a few quirks. When going around a corner quickly, the car rolls over onto the rear springs excessively before settling and getting through the corner. When at the limit of traction, the car understeers severely, like most cars sold today.
Finally, the ride height is pretty high, likely to prevent any issue with driveways saying hello to the new front fascia. Interestingly, the MZ6T sits a little higher in the rear; we think it ensures enough suspension travel in case there’s a full load of passengers and a full trunk.
For further analysis, we also had the OEM springs tested for rate and ended up with the following: 3.05K front, 5.05K rear. While these numbers are fairly arbitrary right now, they are a necessary data point to have when designing lowering springs. These rates also contradict a very common misconception. Many people think that because there is less weight in the rear of a front-wheel drive car, the spring rates must be softer in the rear for a good ride & handling. This is simply not true in most cases, after all why would Mazda do the opposite? Due to the design of the rear suspension, the spring is basically being pushed on by a lever. This means the spring needs to be stiffer in order to support the same amount of weight as if the lever wasn’t there.
So overall, the OEM springs are good, but have plenty of room for improvement. I just touched the surface of suspension design and as we go through more of this project we’ll get into dampers, natural frequency, and much more. Stay tuned for more info and if you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask! Check out the release blog for the Mazda 6 lowering springs.
I want to know…who is excited for summer to begin!? The Pacific Northwest has given us a roller coaster of winter and just doesn’t seem to want to let go of the rain, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and that light comes in the form of car season.
In preparation for summer (that is welcome to show up any time now) I thought I put out a summer setup guide for all you car enthusiasts to consider. This week I’m going to start with suspension and handling, then move on to power and styling in the coming weeks. Grab a beer, take a seat and let’s get started.
A look inside the CorkSport shop.
For the sake of helping car enthusiasts at any level of modification, let’s pretend I just bought a brand new 3rd Gen Mazda 3; a clean slate to modify and define as my own. I have had the car about a month now and love it. I’ve put it through its paces on the back roads and really appreciate what it can do in stock trim, but I’m ready for more.
Now here comes the first big decision; what do I do first? This could be highly debated and I’m sure there are many paths to success so I’m just going right to how I would proceed, but first some technical backstory.
Going through college and being a major part of the Portland State Formula SAE program, I was taught that suspension that moves is a suspension that works. Long story short, slamming the car to the ground with overly stiff coils is not the path to a compliant suspension that also performs.
There are three major aspects to your vehicle’s suspension: bump, roll stiffness, and damping. Bump (and/or squat) are mainly managed by the spring rates. Stiff springs are great for the track where you have a very smooth and consistent surface, but out on the public streets this is not the case so let’s not go crazy with the spring rates.
Next is the roll stiffness of the vehicle. This is managed by the springs and the swaybars, but ideally mostly by the swaybars. Sway control is important to keep the body roll in check while entering, apexing, and exiting a corner as well as many other vehicular maneuvers. The front and rear roll stiffness also dictates the oversteer and understeer characteristics of the vehicle so this can be a major tuning tool.
Lastly is the damping of the struts and shocks. This is the fine tuning of the springs and sway bars and also the main reason why your car does not continually oscillate up and down like a boat after hitting a bump. These are very important.
Ahhh, dreaming of summer fun!
First Modifications To Make
The first modification I would do is…swaybars! Here’s why. Bumping up the roll stiffness has two major benefits. First, it’s a great way to “tidy up” the body movement without adding much harshness to the ride quality so you’re not giving up much for this modification.
Second, most passenger cars are setup to understeer from the factory. There’s good reason for this as the solution to control understeer is to apply the brakes which is most people’s automatic response in an adverse situation. If you’re more experienced, then getting the car to a more balanced under/oversteer setup will be great. The vehicle will be much more alert and predictable. Side note: to me both of the benefits mentioned above also inspire more confidence while driving which is a huge bonus.
So what do you need for this? A new performance Rear Swaybar would be the first choice and I would set it on the softer setting. This will make the car more balanced while still defaulting to understeer. If you are really serious then step up to the Front Swaybar as well to really get the roll stiffness in check with the rear bar on the stiffer setting.
CorkSport Swaybar installed on a Mazda 3
Springs, Shocks, And Struts
The next modification I would do is a set of performance springs and shocks/struts. (Coilovers now available!) I really suggest doing these at the same time because that is how you are going to get the most out of them. The performance springs are going to add a bit more roll stiffness and bump/squat control while also lowering the car a bit which will help with the center of gravity. You will sacrifice some ride quality, but your car is going to feel like it’s on rails. (Earlier I said don’t go too stiff and that holds true, most performance springs range from 10%-40% stiffer than OE which is usually still softer than a coil over setup).
Now the shocks/struts combo is important because with the higher spring rate you will need more damping to keep it under control and with the rebound adjustability you will be able to fine-tune the damping. It’s a win-win.
CorkSport Adjustable Shocks and Struts for Mazda 3
Now you’re probably wondering if these can be broken down and purchased separately. Yes, they can. There is no issue with purchasing the shocks/struts first as they will complement the swaybars and work fine with the OE springs. For example, the CorkSport Adjustable Shocks/Struts are designed with this in mind. The softest rebound setting basically matches OE damping, but you also have the adjustment range of up to 70% stiffer rebound to accommodate fine-tuning and stiffer performance springs. Now doing the springs first may result in some compromise.
Due to the stiffer spring rate, you will have a bit bouncier ride quality since the OE damping was not designed for the higher spring rate, but you will survive, I promise. So if you need to break it into chunks then I would start with the shocks/struts first. Do note that it’s recommended that you get rear camber arms and front camber plates with lowering springs so you can get the camber back to OE specs or to have the ability to set the camber.
CorkSport Camber Arms for Mazda 3
Wheels, Tires, And Brakes
Lastly and arguably the most important handling modification is a set of tires! If you have never indulged in a set of high-performance tires then wow, you don’t know what you are missing. Tire technology has improved leaps and bounds over the last decade and because of that there are many performance all –season tires available, but a jack of all trades is a master of none. I highly suggest this tire and wheel combination.
Get yourself a set of performance wheels (I know there are at least a few brands that can be had for less than ~200/wheel and weight less than 20 lbs each) and throw some high performance or ultra high-performance tires on them for the summer. These tires are usually in the 200-300 treadwear rating and cost 2-3 hundred each depending on size. Do this NOW! I’m serious! And keep you OE wheels for some dedicated winter tires which again will blow you away with how much better they are than all-seasons.
CorkSport Big Brake Kit for Mazda 3
Let’s wrap this up with one last suggestion if everything above isn’t enough for you. Brakes… The best way to go fast is with better brakes. There are a few options you can take here. A set of performance rotors and pads would be a great budget-friendly setup with great benefits. If you want to step it up even further than I suggest a Big Brake Kit like the one above.
Performance breaks are a great addition to any vehicle for both performance and safety. Performance wise you can dive into corners later and harder without worry. Safety wise I think it’s pretty obvious. Have you ever rear-end another vehicle and thought “if only I could have stopped five feet sooner”, well there you have it.
Alright, one last thing before we wrap this up. Now that we have a really well setup Mazda 3, go to a track day! Yes, take your daily commuter to the track one day so you can find you and your car’s limits. I can’t express this enough. First off its so much FUN! Really it’s a blast and it’s safe. Most track days like High-Performance Driving Education (HPDE) events even provide you with an instructor. This also gives you a chance to safely push the car to the limits and even past them. This provides much more confidence on the public roads and avoiding accidents.
#BecauseRaceCar
Alright, I’m done. I hope you enjoyed this and look forward to the next blog! I’m going for a drive!
-Barett @ CS
Mazda 3 Suspension and Handling Guide September 28th, 2020CorkSport
