Mazda3 | CorkSport Mazda Performance Blog

June 4, 2020August 8, 2023

4th Gen Mazda 3 Sport Springs

The 2019+ 4^th generation Mazda 3 is a car that certainly divided opinions when it came out. From its divisive looks to the new torsion beam suspension, even we weren’t quite sure what to make of it at first. However, we have since fallen in love with our shop 4^th GEN, a big part of it is what we are releasing today: the CorkSport Performance Lowering Springs for 2019+ Mazda 3 (Sedan & Hatchback for both AWD & FWD). Give your new Mazda 3 an aggressive look that is sure to turn heads while improving the handling for those twisty backroads!

2019-2021 Mazda 3 lowering springs — Gen 4 Lowering Springs

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Let’s start off with the elephant in the room: ride height. When we developed these springs, it was somewhat difficult as we had to account for different body styles, transmission options, and now even driveline options. With all things taken into account, we found the right range of ride height that looks great on the lightest, heaviest, and all options in between.

The perfect balance of lowering for the 2020 Mazda 3 — Why Lowering Springs?

On the lightest GEN4: hatchback, front-wheel drive, manual trans, the CS Mazdsa 3 lowering springs offer 1.5” front and 1.8” rear ride height drop. On the heaviest GEN4: sedan, all-wheel drive, auto trans, the CS lowering springs offer 1.6” front and 2.2” rear ride height drop. Depending on your vehicle’s options, you will end up at or between these extremes. Don’t worry though, your ride ends up sitting level no matter what combination of options you have. The images below show the lightest (upper) and heaviest (lower) Mazda 3.

AWD Mazda 3 low down springs — CorkSport

We also focused heavily on improving the handling with the CS GEN4 MZ3 lowering springs. A lower ride height means a lower center of gravity which when combined with a stiffer spring rate, means less body roll. This improves handling feel and driver confidence when attacking a backroad. We even increased the rear spring rate more than the front to reduce understeer and help with turn-in.

The CorkSport 2019+ Mazdaa3 springs went through a few different iterations of spring rate and ride height before we found the best balance of ride quality, handling, and appearance. The final spring rates are 3.4K front and 5.9K rear. Compared to the OEM rates of 2.23K front, 4.20K rear, we made a decent jump in rate; however, the new springs are well within the OEM damping rates. The ride is obviously stiffer than OEM yet is not bouncy and you can still comfortably daily drive on the springs.

The perfect lowered stance for your 4th Gen Mazda3 — CorkSport

During development, we even tested for the natural frequency changes in the suspension from installing lowering springs. Essentially, the natural frequency is a good way to compare how “stiff” one car feels compared to another, even if their suspensions are different (for more background info on natural frequency, check out this blog). We went from an OEM of ~1.6Hz front and rear to 1.75Hz front and 1.8Hz rear on the CS lowering springs. This increase is enough to feel “sporty” but not enough that it will ruin your drive to work.

FWD or AWD the springs work on all 2020 MZ3 — Gen 4 Springs

As with all CS lowering springs, they are a direct fit install that can completely change your car in only a few hours. The only permanent modifications are trimming the OEM bump stops to account for the lower ride height. To ensure they will last as long as your car, each spring is made out of high tensile strength spring steel, which is then powder-coated blue for corrosion resistance and a great look. The rear springs even include spring silencers to prevent any added noise from the lowering springs.

Back of Mazda 3 hatchback lowering springs installed

Front Mazda 3 Lowering Springs installed

The CorkSport GEN4 Mazda 3 Lowering Springs have really changed our opinion on the new body style. With the right set of wheels, our CS shop car turns heads all day long and would fit right in at any car show. If you’re ready to upgrade your 3’s handling and give it an aggressive look, we are happy to help! Give us a call if you have any questions, and be sure to check out the product video on the web listing!

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May 21, 2020November 15, 2022

2019 Mazda 3 – What’s new with the suspension?

With the introduction of the 4th generation Mazda 3 there are many questions around the new chassis, engine, interior, and many other components. Here we are going to start investigating the suspension as we move through the process of developing sport lowering springs for the 4th Gen Mazda 3.

If you didn’t know already, we recently purchased a 2019 Mazda 3 Premium with the 6 manual transmission and Snowflake white paint. Right out of the box the 2019 has impressed us with its intuitive driver feedback through the steering wheel, pedals, and gear shifter. The interior is phenomenal and the exterior is…growing on us.

BUT enough of the chatter lets throw the car on the lift and take a look at the suspension.

At the front of the car, we have a pretty typical McPherson strut assembly with a lower control arm. This type of suspension is very common in modern passenger cars because it is simple, durable, and cost-effective. There are tons of aftermarket support for this type of suspension because it is so common, but from a purely performance standpoint, it does leave something to be desired.

Comparing the 2019 to our inhouse 2018 3rd Gen you can see one major difference. The connection from the steering knuckle to the strut body is now a simple clamp collar vs the two-bolt connection on the 3rd gens. We imagine this was purely a cost-cutting design change. For you, the result is just a slightly more difficult installation.

At the rear of the car, things are drastically different. Instead of the more standard multi-link trailing arm suspension, we have a torsion beam style suspension. Mazda says this was “to reduce unwanted movement in the suspension and increase driver comfort”, but sadly we believe this is straight-up cost cutting at the sacrifice of performance.

We could go into a bunch of nerdy details here, but in a nutshell, going from multi-link trailing arm to torsion beam takes away our ability to adjust and control camber, toe, and rear roll stiffness because all of these major suspension dynamics are integrated (or discarded) with the torsion beam design. Never fear, the Team at CorkSport Mazda Performance is working on solutions to this, but it will be a challenge.

Now specifically looking at the rear springs, you can see that the spring is very short. This caused some difficulty in design, but we have successfully overcome this hurdle.

View all of our current lowering springs

We’ve tested the OEM springs rates and WOW are they soft. We developed prototypes to validate our target springs rates and have been driving on those for about a few months now. Happily, from this testing, we’ve found that the OE struts/dampers damping rate is more than sufficient for proper sport lowering springs. With that complete, we’ve designed multiple sets of lowering springs with various ride height targets and our tested springs rates.

Lastly, we tested various final prototypes to get our final ride height just right. Ladies and Gentlemen, these will be LOW and will work with Sedan, Hatch, AWD, and FWD!

We are excited to release final production units to the public in #twoweeks. It is important to note, CorkSport 7th Gear Members will have an opportunity to purchase these springs a week before the general release and they will receive free shipping (in the lower 48 states), as part of their membership benefits!

If you have not seen what the future holds for your 4th Gen Mazda 3, see our product pipeline blog here. If you have ideas or feedback, please let us know. We are listening, we want to hear from you!

-Barett @ CS

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May 14, 2020September 27, 2023

Performance Parts for the 4th Gen Mazda 3

Today we are going to lay it all out; we are going to tell you about what we are working on for your Mazda 3 and WE ARE EXCITED! Who are we? If you don’t know already, we are CorkSport Mazda Performance based out of Vancouver, Washington. We are the number one Performance Aftermarket Mazda Parts Company and we have set our sights on the 4^th Generation Mazda 3.

Below are the first projects we are developing for the 4^th Gen Mazda 3 and CX30. Engine performance, suspension performance, and styling are all covered here and we are closer to launch than you may realize. Sit back and enjoy, there’s a lot here and we want you to see it all.

White 4th Gen Mazda 3 — CorkSport – Lowered on CS Springs

One of the most sought-after and anticipated performance items for the 2019+ Mazda 3 are the CorkSport Lowering Springs. The CS springs provide the most aggressive drop on the market today while providing a sporty and comfortable ride for daily driver use. With that, we have confirmed fitment on FWD manual transmission hatch and AWD automatic transmission sedan. We found that the Auto AWD Sedan rides just slightly lower, but is still within proper ride height for suspension function.

Blue CorkSport Mazda 3 lowering springs — See all of our Lowering Springs

We design our springs with more than just looks in mind (but they do look great). Spring rates and suspension frequency are critical to performance and comfort. With that being said we increased the front spring rate 52% and rear rate 40% based on the OEM 2019 FWD Hatch MT springs.

Mazda 3 Hatch Back stance with lowering springs — White Mazda 3 Rear Stance with Springs and Axle Back Exhaust

Now if you’re looking at the images and thinking “Damn those wheels look good” then you are correct and we agree; they look amazing and fit the car and CorkSport springs perfectly.

Here are the specs: Advan RS 19×8.5 +38 with 235/35 Kumhos. We have just the slightest rub on the inner fender on large bumps. Besides that they are perfect and you can have this setup too!

Best 2019+ Mazda 3 Axle Back Exhaust — See all of our Axle-Backs

Next up is the CorkSport Axle-Back Exhaust. Off the showroom floor, the Mazda 3 is ghostly quiet which is pretty disappointing. Our goal with the Performance Axle-Back Exhaust is a noticeable but mellow tone that you can enjoy every single day; gents this is Wife/Girlfriend approved.

Red Mazda 3 Sedan — CorkSport – Using OEM Springs

We are proud to announce that will we be supporting multiple models on launch. We have confirmed the Sedan, Hatch, Hatch w/Aero Package, and the CX-30. Along with that we have confirmed fitment for both FWD and AWD models for all cars listed.

Look closely, there are a couple new products in this engine bay…long in development is the Short Ram Intake System which replaces the OEM airbox with a high flow dry element filter, billet aluminum MAF housing, 4-ply silicone coupler, and stainless steel T-bolt clamps.

Upon launch we will be offering various color combinations between Black, Red, and Blue. You can see them below.

Mazda 3 Short Ram Intake System — See all of our Intakes

In our testing we have seen repeatable 5whp gains at peak with a nice increase across the RPM range. Street driving our butt dyno agrees with crisp throttle response and a lovely intake induction noise. The combination of induction noises, exhaust note, and sporty feedback from the sport springs really turns the Mazda 3 from an A-to-B car to a great enthusiast hot hatch.

Mazda 3 with CorkSport products installed in engine bay — Mazda with CorkSport Products

The other project sitting in the engine bay is the CorkSport Front Strut Brace. Bracing the strut towers to each other improves chassis stiffness and reduces suspension complicity. This results in increased driver feedback and thus a better driving experience. The powder coated steel brackets and polished aluminum cross bar add a nice loot to the engine bay.

Rear sway bars designed for the 2019 Mazda 3 — Click to See all of our Swaybars

Lastly, and still in development, are the rear sway bars for the FWD and AWD 4^th Gen Mazda 3. This project has been interesting because of the new torsion beam rear suspension found on the 4^th Gen Mazda 3. It’s interesting because there is no factory equipped sway bar. Instead of just developing a larger rear sway bar, we are developing a sway bar from scratch along with the attachment methods.

You also notice that there are two different bars in the image. This is because the AWD and FWD torsion beams are different due to the AWD drivetrain. Long story short, we are developing a RSB for each drivetrain specifically because that’s the correct way to do it.

Wow, that was a lot, and trust me there is more we are investigating, but we can’t let ALL the secrets out yet. We would love to know what products you would like CorkSport to develop for the 2019+ Mazda 3 platform, you can do so right here by Submitting a Product Idea.

Also, we love sharing with the community directly and have been doing so in these groups. If you don’t know about them then check them out and join for more info.

White Mazda 3 stance with lowering springs

Thanks for tuning in with CorkSport. We hope you are as excited about the 4^th Gen Mazda platform as we are!

-Barett @ CS

April 23, 2019April 22, 2019

The Design – 2.5L SkyActiv-G Exhaust Header

A few months ago we broke down the complicated design of the exhaust manifold found on the 2014-2018 Mazda 3 & 6 2.5L SkyActiv. Mazda put extensive R&D into the design and packaging of the OEM header to optimize the exhaust gas pulses and overlap.

In this blog we are going to explain some of the design features in the CorkSport 4-2-1 header and why those features are important.

Below is a diagram showing the primary, secondary and collector routing of the OE header.

Mazda 2.5L SkyActive Header — The OEM header for the 2.5L SkyActiv engine has a 4-2-1 design.

When designing a performance header we have to ask ourselves, “what is the goal with this performance part?” and then fulfill that goal. With the performance header for the 2.5L SkyActiv our goal was to increase mid-range torque, retain good fitment and user installation, and improve the sound output of the exhaust system.

CorkSport Aftermarket Exhaust Header — CorkSport 2.5L SkyActiv header design.

Immediately you’ll notice a significant difference in the design of the OEM header and the CorkSport Header. There are three major differences:

Primary, secondary, and collector diameters have been increased to promote better exhaust gas flow.
Primary and secondary runner lengths have been increased to optimize power/torque lower in the RPM range.
The design is two-piece to drastically improve the installation process.

The primary runners (these are the runners that mate directly to the engine) have been increased in diameter from 1.55” to 1.75” and the secondary runners (these are the runners that combine only two cylinders before the collector) have been increased in diameter from 1.87” to 2.00”. Both of these changes improve peak flow per cylinder throughout the RPM range. Lastly, the collector has been increased from 2.00” to 3.00” to be paired with the CorkSport 60.5mm or 80mm Cat-Back Exhaust Systems.

CorkSport Exhaust Header Installed — CorkSport Header Installed.

Here’s where things got a bit tricky. Increasing the length of the primary and secondary runners forced us to be a bit creative in routing all the piping. In order to achieve the primary runner length we wanted, we had to route the piping upward first (as you can see below) then back down between the engine and firewall. The results were better than we expected with a “Medusa” style header peeking out of the engine bay and the lengths we wanted.

It makes us grin every time we pop the hood open, we hope you love it as much as we do.

CorkSport 2.5L Exhaust Header broken down for install. — The final design of the CorkSport 2.5L header is installed in two pieces.

However, the complicated CorkSport design did create a new problem. Installation! We always try to create a performance part that can be installed by the average enthusiast in their garage and this was no exception. In a one-piece design, the header was nearly impossible to install. We went to the drawing board and realized that separating the upper and lower halves of the header was the best option.

We considered a conventional flange, gasket and hardware setup, but realized it to was far too complex in the close quarters behind the engine. We then moved to a v-band connection that proved to be the best setup for installation, weight, and sealing ability.

That wraps up the design, next we’ll breakdown the testing and results! Let us know if you have any questions or thoughts down below.

-Barett @ CorkSport

March 19, 2019April 27, 2023

New & Improved: The CorkSport Aluminum Skid Plates for Mazdaspeed 3

While not a new product, there is still plenty to be excited about. Say hello to the new and improved CorkSport Aluminum Skid Plates for 2008-2013 Mazdaspeed 3 and 2004-2013 Mazda 3. We took all of the great features present in the original one-piece design, and then went back to the drawing board to improve the fitment, make installation easier, and make shipping cheaper for everyone. Read on as we go through the full details of this redesign.

CorkSport MazdaSpeed 3 Skid Tray — GEN 1 Skid Plate for 204-2009 Mazda 3.

Designing the GEN 3 Skid Plate

While designing the GEN 3 Skid Plate for 2014-2016 Mazda 3, we realized that utilizing a two-piece design is a fantastic way to save you some money on shipping. The overall design is smaller which allows us to use a smaller box to eliminate any oversized package charges from shipping companies. This is the same reason why our GEN2 Speed3 Front Lip is made of multiple parts. By designing the skid plate into two pieces, installation on your vehicle becomes more flexible when aligning the front and rear sections. The multi-piece lineup creates wiggle room to help get everything all lined up properly on your car. Since each and every car is just a bit different, the extra wiggle room helps to achieve the best alignment possible, even on cars that have had their subframe, radiator support, and/or bumper removed and not reinstalled perfectly.

CorkSport Skid Plate for MazdaSpeed 3 — Skid Plate for 2010-2013 Mazda 3 and Mazdaspeed 3

The Perfect Fitment

Going to a new design gave us the freedom to improve fitment even further. We have revised the mounting locations to ensure the easiest installation possible and reshaped a few areas to best fit on your car. Like the original though, no permanent modification to your Mazda is needed as we use all OEM mounting locations. Plus, the CorkSport Aluminum Skid Plates for Mazdaspeed 3 ship with all of the tools that you will need to install it.

CorkSport Underbody Skid Plate for MazdaSpeed 3

Ultimate Protection Without the Weight

Both GEN1 and GEN2 CorkSport skid plates are made from laser cut and precision formed 0.090” aluminum sheet. This thickness offers great protection from road debris and the occasional tall speed bump without adding a ton of weight to the front of your Mazda3. Where an OEM plastic splash shield would crack and fail, the CorkSport skidplate can take a beating, offering you peace of mind whether you’re riding at stock height or have lowered your MazdaSpeed 3. Speaking of riding low, the CS under tray sits up slightly higher than the OEM shield, giving you that little bit of extra clearance when you need it.

CorkSport Aluminum Skid Plate Installed — CorkSport Aluminum Skid Plate on MazdaSpeed 3

If this is just your next mod in a long list of mods do not worry. The CorkSport Aluminum Skid Plates fit with both GEN 1 and GEN 2 Front Mount Intercooler Kits as well as the CorkSport Lower Tie Bar. The CS GEN2 Front Lip will fit as well but may require some modification to the skid plate and/or front lip. For all of you Mazda 3 owners, just a heads up that these skid plates were designed for the Mazdaspeed models so you may require some minor trimming for best fitment, all of which can be done with a simple hand saw or razor knife.

There you have it folks, the new and improved CorkSport Aluminum Skid Plates for GEN1 and GEN2 Mazdaspeed 3 & Mazda 3. Let us know if you have any questions down below and we will be sure to help you out!

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Stay Up-to-date with CorkSport

Stay up-to-date on the latest news and product updates from CorkSport.

Stay up-to-date on the latest news and product updates from CorkSport.

Designing the GEN 3 Skid Plate

The Perfect Fitment

Ultimate Protection Without the Weight

Stay up-to-date on the latest news and product updates from CorkSport.