Tag: MazdaSpeed 3

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Turbo Inlet Pipe Differences

There are some significant differences about how we designed our turbo inlet pipe compared to the other solutions offered for the DISI engine. We get a couple common questions that we thought would be worth reviewing for our readers about our design vs. the other options on the market today.

The first question we get asked most often is also the most obvious difference, which is why we chose metal over silicone. CorkSport uses a mandrel bent aluminum pipe to replace the factory plastic pipe instead of silicone. The reason we chose metal in place of silicone is to maintain a better flow through a very tight area. Metal cannot distort in shape or size and provides a smooth pipe to flow through that does not have the rougher characteristics associated with the nylon braid used in silicone.

The second question that comes up most frequently is, can a metal turbo inlet pipe transfer heat to the air rushing through the pipe at a rate that would increase the temperature of the air going into the motor? To begin with, the pipe itself is insulated from touching the turbo or block by silicone so the actual heat transferred into it is very low. It is insulated from the bracket that it bolts to by rubber and has no other contact with the engine bay other than through the air. The physical air in the engine bay should be the same no matter what intake you run so the turbo inlet pipe will eventually reach the same temperature.

In order to test this we ran our test car on the same day with less than 10 degrees difference between ambient air temp between tests. We put the car on the dyno and ran the car at the same load from the same rpm range at 20psi. This was about 2500 to 6500rpms. The above graph shows the difference between intake air temp and boost air temp. The intake air temp is basically outside air temp and the boost air temp is the temperature of the air entering the engine. There was basically no difference from metal to plastic telling us that the metal is not able to transfer heat any faster than the plastic to the actual air traveling into the motor.

Bottom line, during testing, the CorkSport Turbo Inlet Pipe showed a 14% improvement in flow over the stock turbo inlet pipe, resulting in improved boost levels, and customers can rest easy knowing that the aluminum piping will not affect the temperature of the air running to the motor

Brydon-

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Product Release! CorkSport Cold Air Intake for the 2010+ Mazdaspeed 3

When CorkSport set out to develop a Cold Air Intake (CAI) we took several things into consideration. First and most obviously, we wanted the CAI to make more power over stock and allow for free-flowing air into the intake chamber. The factory intake overall on the Mazdaspeed 3 is chock-full of poor bends and choke points. Just by changing the filter section, you can get a large increase in horsepower and when coupled with an aftermarket turbo inlet pipe that runs between the intake section and the turbo, the increase is even greater.

Mazdaspeed intake system

The new Stage III CorkSport Power Series Cold Air Intake does just that by replacing the factory airbox with a cold pipe intake system to dramatically reduce intake restrictions and provide an impressive improvement in power throughout the entire engine’s RPM range. During initial testing the CorkSport Stage III Cold Air Intake for 2010+ Mazdaspeed 3 saw a 10-12% increase in power and torque when tested against the stock intake system.

Dyno of air intake

Next, we thought about the best intake system to run in all weather conditions and came up with a system that is convertible between a short ram intake and a cold air intake. This gives customers an optimal set-up for their intake system year-round. During the warmer months, a cold air intake can be run which will suck air from the fender liner instead of the hot engine bay where a short ram intake would be situated. While testing, we saw differences of up to 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the moderate climate of the northwest. This could be higher in other parts of the country that hit much higher temperatures. While driving the engine bay is not much warmer than outside but while you sit the engine bay becomes very warm. Moving the intake to the fender liner pulls air that is not in the engine bay so the air is much cooler.

Then during the cooler rainy and snowy months, you can switch out your CAI with the Stage I or Stage II SRI intake just by quickly and easily removing a pipe and moving the filter location. With the SRI set-up the path to the turbo is greatly decreased and there is almost no chance of sucking up water during the wet months making it ideal for cold, rainy weather.

Mazdaspeed 3 Short Ram Intake System

Finally, we compared our product to the competition on the market. We purchased a popular competitor Cold Air intake and did a head-to-head test, of their intake against ours on the dyno. We also attempted to verify the competition’s claims of a 33hp gain. The below graph shows the results. The red line is the Stage III Corksport Cold Air Intake with Turbo Inlet Pipe, green line is the Corksport Cold Air Intake without turbo inlet pipe and the pink line is the popular competitors Cold Air Intake.

Dyno data for short ram intake system for the Mazdaspeed 3

Notice the peak power is almost the same between the CorkSport’s two intake set-up’s but there is a massive increase in mid-range power and torque with the optional turbo inlet pipe. If you look at the competitor’s results compared to the Corksport intake, you will notice the lines stay together for a while before diverging slightly in the mid-range and top-end. Both intakes show improvements over stock but the CorkSport Intake shows slightly more mid-range and upper rpm power and torque.

The Corksport Stage III Intake that comes with optional turbo inlet pipe shows the most gains overall being at some points 7% more efficient than the popular competitors. The turbo inlet pipe is also not offered by the competition making the upgrade to the full system a perfect choice for those that want the most efficient system posible. At no point could we duplicate the +33hp gain or roughly 15% improvement claimed by this competitor.

The CorkSport Cold Air Intake can be purchased as a standalone performance part and includes our precision machined MAF housing made from billet aluminum with included air straightener, durable dry flow air filter, mandrel bent aluminum cold pipe and custom reinforced silicone connectors. It is also available as an upgrade kit for current customers with a CorkSport Stage I or Stage II Short Ram Intake with included mandrel bent aluminum cold pipe and custom reinforced silicone connector and optional Turbo Inlet Pipe.

The kit is available to purchase in powder-coated black or polished aluminum with any combination of red, blue, or black fliter and silicone connectors and the choice of polished aluminum or stealth black T-bolt clamps to truly customize the look of your engine bay.

To find out more or purchase a CorkSport Cold Air Intake today, please visit the CorkSport catalog online today at www.corksport.com or call 360-260-CORK.

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Featured Car of the Month – It’s July in August! Tommy’s Speed3

July’s featured car ended up coming to you in early August this year. It was a hard fought battle between two 2010 Mazdaspeed 3’s that went down to the wire!

In total we had over 100 people vote on which car they wanted to see featured in our blog post with Tommy’s supporters coming in heavy in the end and pushing him above Kennedy FTW.

Tommy has a passion for extreme sports as a BMX racer and avid auto racing fan, but it wasn’t until he purchased his first Mazdaspeed 3 that he truly got into tuning cars.

It started innocently enough with a K&N Cold Air Intake that he admits purchasing before he knew about CorkSport. But once he found out about CorkSport and started spending some time on our website, the mods started adding up beginning with a CorkSport Front Tower Brace and Stoptech front and rear slotted rotors.

By then he was hooked and more go fast parts got added to the list with a CorkSport Racepipe, CorkSport Cat Back Exhaust, CorkSport Exhaust Hangers, and a Turbosmart dual-port B.O.V.

For some added style Tommy also picked up some CorkSport Lightweight Lug Nuts, LED Interior Light Kit, and LED Rear Bumper Light Kit along with an updated front grill color matched painted.

“Speed3’s are some of the best looking cars on the road today,” said Tommy when asked what attracted him to Mazda, “What I love about not just my car, but all speed3’s, is when you see one on the street it grabs your attention. People stop what they’re doing to check it out, just like I do when I see another one”.

Well Tommy’s Speed 3, or as his daughter calls it, his “roller skate” is definitely worth a second look!

Gwynne-

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Product Release! CorkSport Coilovers for Mazdaspeed 3 and Mazda 3

I know many of you have been anticipating this release. Well, the day has finally arrived! CorkSport is pleased to announce the release of our all-new Coilovers for the Mazdaspeed 3 and Mazda 3!

Offering superior handling without sacrificing comfort, the CorkSport Coilovers feature 15-way adjustable dampening settings and full-length adjustment that can be lowered -.8” to -2.5” in order to meet every drivers handling desires.

The CorkSport Mazda 3 and Mazdaspeed 3 Coilover Kit is manufactured using chrome silicon metal alloy with a cool bend process that give the springs strong tensile strength while offering precision down to 10/100th of a kg.

The front springs have been designed using a linear 7k spring rate with helper springs for a more comfortable ride and include 45mm inverted gas-filled dampers to maximize unsprung weight, reduce side loading, and increase efficiency.

Also included with the front coilovers are front adjustable camber plates to replace the factory rubber mounts. The camber plates add additional adjustability with up to 3 degrees of negative camber and are designed with built-in M10 studs for easier installation and solid pillow ball bearings and housing to reduce unwanted upper strut mount deflection.

The rears have been designed using a progressive style spring to compliment the linear fronts for improved handling and steering control. The pillow ball mounts have been designed to provide additional feedback by eliminating the deflection in the OEM rubber bushings. A spherical bearing is used in place of the rubber bushing for improved tire grip and more accurate wheel alignment.

The CorkSport Coilovers have been fully tested and every damper is tested for compression and rebound. They are also fully rebuildable, making them a long-term solution for your suspension set-up.

For more information about this product or to purchase a set today, please visit CorkSport’s online catalog at https://www.corksport.com/corksport-mazdaspeed-3-mazda-3-coilover-suspension-kit.html

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Vote for July’s Featured Car of the Month!

Time for our July face-off to see who will become CorkSport’s next featured car of the month!

This month it is really going to come down to looks and current mods because we have two evenly matched competitors with Tommy Taberski’s 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 and Mark Kennedy’s 2010 Mazdaspeed 3.

Kennedy’s speed3 is all CorkSport featuring a Stage II SRI, Racepipe, Top Mount Intercooler, Interior LED Light Kit, Motor Mount Inserts, and several other performance parts including an Access Port, HPFP upgrades, recirculation Valve, and lowering springs.

Tommy has been building up his speed3 choosing to do a cold air intake over the short ram, adding a little suspension tuning with a front tower bar and upgrading his brakes with slotted front and rear brake rotors. His most recent additions include a CorkSport Cat Back Exhaust and Racepipe for some go fast power.

It’s anyones guess who will win this month’s honored award. Let us know by voting today on Facebook, Twitter, or commenting on this post!

Gwynne-