When designing an aftermarket rear swaybar, there are two main concerns, the weight of the bar, and the stiffness of the bar. The design chosen for the bar needs to be strong enough to resist chassis roll, while being light enough to keep weight down.
To battle the weight issue, we used a hollow tube for the main shaft of the bar. Hollow tubes are able to provide a greater torque resistance than a solid tube of equal weight. In addition, the two arms that connect the bar to the end links were optimized for weight by using finite element analysis. This allows me to design a bar that is structurally rigid, while removing material from areas of low stress. The image below simulates a load coming from the end link of the vehicle and the stresses that it puts on the arm. The deflection is exaggerated to give an idea of how the bar flexes during cornering.
The increased stiffness of the bar comes from increasing the diameter of the tube. To allow this, we utilized a set of larger diameter urethane bushings with greasable fittings. This allows for a more rigid mount, while giving you the option of greasing the bar without having to remove the bushings. The whole system is topped off by having 3 adjustable mount points of varying stiffness from 20% to 80% stiffer, while offering roughly 3 pounds of weight savings. The bar is powdercoated to protect it from the elements and keep it looking nice.
I’ve attended quite a few events over the last two months, everything from a pre-release Mazda 2 measuring session in LA to the All Mazda Meet in Newburgh, NY. Take a look at where else we have been:
May 12th, MazdasNW
There was a really big turnout at the May monthly meet at NorthGate mall in Seattle. There was a huge range of vehicles, RX-7s, B series trucks, Mazda 3s, Mazda 6s, MX-6, etc. This meet was surprising simply in the quantity of people and cars. There were several notable vehicles at the meet. A really nice FD RX-7 showed up at the event, which was all built by the owner. The whole car was well thought out and looked amazing. There was a really nice B Series truck with quite a long list of modifications as well, which I liked.
The whole range of Mazdas
Really nice FD RX-7
May 19th, Mazda 2 Measuring Session.
For the first time ever Mazda put up a vehicle and let companies get a chance to look at a new model before it is released through what they call a SEMA measuring session. This gives companies like CorkSport a chance to get measurements and start getting parts built and ready to sell as soon as the car is available. We flew down to Irvine, CA to spend the day collecting information to make new parts. Mazda provided two cars to look at and get information from.
While we were in Irvine we stopped by Tuttle Click Mazda, a Mazda dealership that offers our CorkSport brand products. If you’re in the greater Irvine, CA area stop by and check them out!
Tuttle Click Mazda
Their parts department showroom was in the middle of a remodel for better product displays while we were visiting so we couldn’t check out their awesome CorkSport display. If you are in So Cal and want to pick up CorkSport products locally give George a call at 949 421 3200. He is the parts manager for Tuttle Click Mazda. They had a good selection of Mazdas on the lot including a Red 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 with powder coated wheels and no front plate.
New and black powder coated wheels and no front plate
June 9th, MazdasNW
The June MazdasNW monthly meet had a smaller turnout than usual due to the Junuary weather the NW was experiencing. Despite the threat of rain we trekked to Federal Way, WA to attend the meet. One lucky customer was able to have their CorkSport Mazdaspeed6 cat-back exhaust delivered, saving him quite a bit in shipping costs.
Ecstatic new owner of a CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Exhaust
We also got a chance to do investigative work into the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 as to why the factory keyless entry system was not working on our Project Mazdaspeed3. More details on that adventure can be seen in my blog post about it.
Troubleshooting the elusive keyless entry problem
June 5th, OCC All Mazda Meet
One June 4th at 9:30pm Chris and I hopped on a plane headed to for Newark, NJ to attend the OCC Mazda Meet. The plane landed at 5:30am local time (Sleep?? What’s that?) and we jumped in our rental and headed north to Newburgh, NY. Heading up the freeway we got passed by a train of Mazdaspeed3s on their way to the meet.
A train of Mazdaspeed 3s
The event didn’t officially start until 10am but people started showing up early. When we arrived at 7:30 people were already getting cars parked in the lot. Due to an unexpected surprise our parts we had shipped to the event via UPS did not arrive so we were limited on the parts we had crammed in our carry-on bags to show at the event. This was one of the bigger all Mazda non-rotary specific events which I have attended. The RSVP list had 532 people signed up and 273 vehicles. Here’s a few pictures from the event, there were lots of cool cars there.
Really nice and rare yellow MP3 Protege
Rotaries including a really clean RX-3
Chris milking a giant NY cow
June 19th, MazdasNW Summer BBQ
MazdasNW hosted their annual summertime BBQ in Carnation, WA at Tolt McDonald Park. MazdasNW provided the food, drink, and cooking (thanks!) for the BBQ. The weather was unusually kind to us and there was no rain all day.
In true MazdasNW style, a parts installation immediately took place. A CorkSport SRI was installed at the event on a Mazdaspeed 6.
Installing the CorkSport SRI
Installation complete
Well, that’s it for events for the last two months. We have plenty more events lined up for the next 3 months, so stay tuned here for all the updates!
Troubleshooting problems in a car can be a daunting task for some people. I got a reminder of how interesting it can be to chase down a problem and find a solution. The situation came up recently where our project 2010 MazdaSpeed 3 had a problem with the keyless entry system. The remotes would not operate the door locks and you could not start the car normally with the push button start. You would have to hold the remote close to the start button or use the key from the remote to activate the system so the start button would work. The outside push button door locks would not work either. The whole car acted like the security system had been activated as the stereo would not work as well.
The first step I took was to check out the owner’s manual. If there is a manual or users guide to the part you have installed, or a service book for your car this can be very helpful for finding the place to start your investigation. The MazdaSpeed 3 was flashing the red light above where the key goes when the clutch was engaged. When depressing the clutch pedal in the MazdaSpeed 3 the system checks to see if a remote is in close proximity and allows the car to turn on which prompted the red light. After going through the alarm section and keyless entry areas the solution for the problem I had the only solution was to take it to the dealer according to the owner’s manual.
Not being a big fan of hauling the car to the dealer. I did a quick check through the fuses related to the keyless entry system to see if something had blown out causing the problem. I could not find a blown fuse in the system for the security system, stereo, or Bose equipment. The MazdaSpeed 3 had been jump started a week prior so my next thought was maybe the logic units for the alarm got knocked out of whack. So I disconnected the negative battery cable from the car and hit the brake likes to drain the power from the system. After a minute I got everything connected back up and gave it another try. Still nothing responded the way it should.
It was getting later into the evening at this point so I was going to give the owners manual one more shot to see if there was something I had missed. I reached up and hit the map light which I found was not working. I hit the interior manual light switch and nothing there either. When the lights did turn on it set off a memory of an experience I had in the past in my 2001 MP3. Sometimes the interior circuits like the lights are connected into other interior systems since the lights are always live. This was the case with the MP3 where the factory stereo was not working but the fuse was good. The power feed for the memory was tied into the interior lights which had blown a fuse causing the stereo to not power up. I found the section with the fuses in the MazdaSpeed 3 owner’s manual which pointed me to the fuse box in the engine bay. Sure enough the 15 amp fuse for the interior lights was blown. I popped in a new fuse and hopped back in the car. I hit the start switch and car fired up like it should with the stereo working.
One person’s theory:
“The actual cause of the fuse being blown was one of our product engineers was checking out the visor light bulbs to see if there was a part we could supply which would work in that location. The fuse for the lights was tripped during the work which was not noticed since the car was not running and it was daytime. It wasn’t until the next day when a different person tried to move the vehicle that we noticed the problem.”
Another person’s (a person implicated in the above theory) theory:
“It was related to the dead battery and jumping the car.”
No matter what caused it, in the end the problem was pretty small and it took about 30 minutes to figure out. Remember if something electrical isn’t working, check those fuses.
As many of you may or not be aware of, CorkSport recently re-released our downpipe for the 2010 Mazdaspeed3’s. This downpipe will also fit the prior generation of Speed3’s 2007-2009, however the devil is in the details.
I have been relentlessly pursuing the elusive check engine lights that are associated with removal of the stock downpipe on the 2010 Speed3’s. These models are a bit more elusive and harder to pinpoint the sweet spot for the secondary oxygen sensor to eliminate a check engine light. This sweet spot is becoming harder and harder to find due to stricter emission controls.
This past week I have been driving our company car from home to work and back. As much as my boss loves me racking up miles, to the tune of 67 a day, on a brand new car from Vancouver, WA to Oregon City, OR it’s all done in the name of science. In an effort to understand the cars behavior and make slight corrections, documenting as much information as the data logging software will allow. Checking voltage to 02 sensors, Catalytic temperature and Engine RPM and Run time.
While driving down the local highway I am constantly monitoring the cars behavior, hooked up to the OBD-II port, viewing data on the laptop sitting in the passenger seat. Wires dangling over the steering wheel, chords draped across my legs power inverter plugged into the 12V outlet, in a way I feel like a mad scientist who is monitoring the vitals and trying to resurrect a sick patient.
The code I am battling right now is P0421. This trouble code means that the oxygen sensor downstream of the catalytic converter is detecting that the converter is not working as efficiently as it should be (of course, it is not even there!). As I continue to work on this non-life threatening issue, rest assured that the CorkSport Mazda Medical Center is actively perusing an antidote to rectify these symptoms.
Soon to be released will be a kit for the 2010 MazdaSpeed 3 and Mazda 3 which will move your front license plate to the driver’s side of the vehicle. This will allow more air to flow to the engine, radiator, and FMIC, should you have one installed. It does this by using the factory tow hook mount located inside your factory bumper. The kit will include tamper resistant license plate screws as well as the bit to remove them.
We currently have this product installed on our vehicle as you can see in the above picture. We do not have factory license plate holes on our vehicle, but plans are to include bumper plugs in the kit that will fit in your stock holes to cover them up.
The kit will include installation instructions as well as customer support should you have any questions. The projected retail will be right around $89 for the entire kit.
Right now the kit will only be available for the 2010+ MazdaSpeed 3 and Mazda 3 (i & s) hatchback and sedan. If this is something you would be interested in for your Mazda, shoot me an email and I’ll see what I can do.
As always, if there is anything that we don’t make that you think we should, let us know.
