Product Release! CorkSport Underbody 4-Brace Set for Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3

CorkSport is happy to announce another addition to our suspension performance line-up for Mazda 3 and Mazdaspeed 3 vehicles with the CorkSport Underbody 4-Brace Set.

The CorkSport underbody 4-Brace Set for Mazda 3 and Mazdaspeed 3 will reduce undesirable chassis flex and increase control during hard cornering and acceleration.

The lightweight double wall I-bean construction will increase rigidity without adding unnecessary weight to the vehicle.

Using the latest in computer aided technology, the CorkSport Underbody 4-Brace Set has reinforced machined brackets that tie load points together for reduced flexing and distortion of the chassis to improve both the stability and responsiveness of the vehicle.

“Reinforcing the chassis is often an overlooked performance enhancement, especially on vehicles with lots of modifications,” said Rich Harris, President of CorkSport Mazda Performance, “Adding an underbrace set will reduce twisting of the chassis by linking the frame to the sub-frame, locking the front sub-frame in place.”

The CorkSport Underbody 4-Brace Set for Mazda 3 and Mazdaspeed 3 has been anodized black and includes an etched CorkSport logo for added durability, longevity and a genuine CorkSport look.

As with all CorkSport products, the CorkSport Underbody 4-Brace Set includes a two-year warranty, full color installation instructions, all of the needed installation hardware, and knowledgeable telephone installation support. It can be purchased today at CorkSport.com for $249.00.

Product Release! CorkSport Oil Catch Can Development and Release Notes

Sometimes projects take a lot longer than expected to get to release. After several design changes, lots of simulations, and plenty of mounting revisions, we are happy to announce the release the CorkSport Oil Catch Can for Mazda and Mazdaspeed vehicles.

Oil catch cans are designed to separate the water, oil and other contaminants from your PCV system. The PCV system feeds directly in the intake manifold causing all these contaminants to be pushed to the back of the valves then into the engine cylinders. As cars wear, we see more and more contaminants in the PCV system and then into the engine.

Many of you have followed the development as we moved through our design revisions beginning with our first concept, a titanium oil catch can that used stainless steel wool to separate out the oil and several versions in-between before we came to the design that we are happy to be releasing today.

Unlike other catch cans on the market that simply expect the contaminates to fall out of the PCV vapors, our newly released oil catch can has a unique cyclonic vacuum design that forces contaminants to the walls of the can before the air can move back into the intake system. This Solidworks simulation shows how the system was designed. You can see that the air swirls around the outside of the can trapping the contaminants at the wall. This allows them to fall through a disk that is welded between two chambers used to separate the PCV vapors and the contaminants. Once the contaminants are separated you can view them with a sight tube located on the side of the catch can.

We were particularly surprised to see how much water vapor builds up in the crank case of these cars. After a few miles of driving with the catch can on our shop Mazdaspeed 3, we could really see what separates our catch can from the competition. After only 500 miles we had separated out a great deal of contaminants from the PCV system. Most of which was water vapor that had been trapped in the PCV lines and engine block. This alone should ensure that oil doesn’t break down quickly on our DISI MZR engine.

After 3000 miles we performed our first oil change. The results were exactly what we expected, a much smaller concentration of water but a noticeable amount of oil. MZR engines are notorious for slight amounts of blow by getting back into the engine. As you can see from the picture this is something you don’t want getting back into your engine. We took this sample and sent it out for particulate analysis. The results really prove that you don’t want this in your engine. Along with a large amount of oil, which can be seen, there was metal and water present in the oil. All of which we don’t want to be reburned in our engine or stuck to the back of our valves.

Even though it took a little longer than we expected to release this, I’m sure everyone will agree that there are certain things you want done right and somethings are worth the wait. When it comes down to it there are just some contaminants that you never want entering your motor. Most of them are listed on the sheet to the right.

The CorkSport Oil Catch Can will enhance the reliability of your engine and improve performance and fuel economy. It is made from high-grade aluminum with a pressed annodized top cap and includes a chemical resistant sight tube. It comes with a complete mounting kit and can be purchased from CorkSport here.

For more information about this product or to purchase one today, please visit our product page on our online catalog at https://corksport.com

Cast Your Votes for April’s Featured Car of the Month!

Over the last eight months we have highlighted some of our favorite customer cars in our popular blog segment “Featured Car of the Month”, including CJ Ramos’ Gen1 Mazdaspeed 3, Robbie Stiff’s Gen 2 Mazdaspeed 3, Domenique’s Mazda 2, Will Buck’s Mazdspeed 3, Josh Mackey’s Mazda 3, Matt Kellogg’s Mazdaspeed 3, Jordan’s RX-8 and Tony’s 2011 Mazdaspeed 3.

Until now, the customer car of the month has been selected by CorkSport, but this month we wanted to try something a little different and get our customers involved in the selection process.

We have two randomly selected customers that have submitted their cars for consideration and we want to know which one you think should be featured as this month’s CorkSport customer car!

This month we have two solid contenders for the feature:

Derek Katayama’s 2004 Mazda 6

“I went for a full JDM look to the car; including the aero body kit from Kenstyle of Tokyo. Derrick helped me bring in ALL the parts I needed to convert the front and rear of the USDM Mazda 6 to accept the JDM body kit.”

Samuel Martinek’s 2010 Mazdaspeed 3

“So far I have spent about $4k on my speed three and there are still plans for more!”

To cast your vote on which customer car you want to hear more about, simply comment on this blog post, our Facebook thread, or our Twitter Feed. The one with the most votes will be featured later this month in our April newsletter and blog.

Interested in submitting your car for our feature? email a photo and current mods to gwynne@corksport.com

Gwynne-

Featured Car of the Month – Tony’s 2011 Speed3

Mazdaspeed 3’s are a rarity in Mexico. Only 500 are imported a year, so when Tony decided to buy his 2011 Mazdaspeed 3, it took three months for the car to arrive.

Tony has been a car fanatic since he was very young. He learned to drive at the age of eight with a set of pillows and coke cans so he could reach the pedals and at age 12, this Mexico native started driving his first 1947 Ford F1.

Tony drove German cars for the better part of his life and even raced amateur and DE in TX in a 2005 911GT3, but when he decided to get a new car in 2010, he looked at some of the vehicles that were not available in the US like the Puget 307 and the Alfa, but at the end of the day it came down to two cars, the Speed3 and the Focus RS. What swayed him to the Speed3? After a lot of research and decided he wanted a car that had a good performance support from companies like CorkSport!

When his car finally arrived in Mexico, he got straight work on his mod’s. He started by adding a CorkSport Stage II Power Series Short Ram Intake and CorkSport Airbox, CorkSport DISI Silicone Boost Tubes and Silicone Bypass Valve Hose, and a Forge stock location recirculation valve. He also added a large top mount intercooler and downpipe along with upgrading his fuel pump.

He upgraded his lighting with the CorkSport LED DRL kit, LED Interior Light Kit, and LED Underhood Light Kit and adjusted the drivetrain with a short shifter and engine mounts.

To improve handling Tony added a CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3 Front Sway Bar and Front Tower bar, a CorkSport Adjustable Rear Sway Bar and CorkSport Lowering Springs. To compliment his TSW wheels, he added CorkSport Lightweight Lug Nuts.

“After the suspension was done on the car, the change was so dramatic that it felt like it handled as well as the GT3” said Tony, “The first time I tested it out on the open road in Mexico, I blew by a couple of AMG 6.3’s and M3’s. The look on the the owners faces in my rear view mirror was priceless!”

Tony has no projects for the speed 3 planned until he moves back to the states, but as far as we are concerned, CorkSport is well represented in Mexico when Tony is around!

Gwynne

Product Release! CorkSport Eyelids for 2004-2009 Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3 Hatchback

We have been selling our popular Mazda 3 and Mazdaspeed 3 Eyelids to our Gen2 customers for some time now and in June received a product idea from customer Nick Miller to develop eyelids for his 2008 Mazdaspeed 3. With his idea in hand and the huge sales success of the gen2 eyelids, it only made sense that we should find a good option for our Gen 1 customers as well.

We went to work on the design and development of eyelids for the Gen1 Mazda 3 and Mazdaspeed 3 customers and after several months of design and testing, we are happy to announce the release of our all new CorkSport 2004-2009 Mazda 3 and 2007-2009 Mazdaspeed 3 Hatchback Eyelids!

Made from ABS thermoplastic for increased strength and warp resistance, the CorkSport Gen 1 Hatchback Eyelids will give the Mazda 3 and Mazdaspeed 3 a more aggressive, sporty look. This simple to apply enhancement is sold as a pair with 3M backing tape for easy installation.

Our Gen 1 eyelids were specifically designed using a hatchback Mazdaspeed 3. During testing we found that will only work with the hatchback models due to the different headlights used on the sedan models.

As with most exterior styling products, we recommend test fitment prior to painting or finishing work and have found that some minor finishing work or trimming may be required to achieve the best results.

In addition to the installation instructions we include with purchase of this product, we have also included a “How-To” on painting your eyelids for the dedicated DIY’ers out there.

The CorkSport Gen 1 Mazda 3 and Mazdaspeed 3 Eyelids for Hatchback Models can be purchased today at the following link, https://www.corksport.com/corksport-2007-2009-mazda-3-mazdaspeed-3-hatchback-eyelids.html.