I recently had a birthday and was thinking about all of the awesome things I could spoil myself with. Then a thought occurred to me: We’ve never made it clear to your loved ones what to get you as gifts. I mean, wouldn’t it be nice to hand the wife a list or shoot her a quick link to let her know what’s awesome to get you?!
So here it is: THE LIST!
2006-2007 Mazdaspeed 6
CorkSport Rear Motor Mounts: Get rid of that nasty engine movement with our upgraded rear engine mount. This component is one of the weak points when trying to make big power.
Whether you want a lower center of gravity for better handling or you want to get rid of that ugly wheel well gap, lowering springs are a great buy.
From hitting the track on the weekend to a spirited drive through the countryside, CorkSport lowering springs are the upgrade you’ve been looking for. By adding our lowering springs, you’re lowering the center of gravity. This allows the car to stay more planted to the road.
One of the biggest things to note on the stock suspension is how far upward the suspension travels when hitting bump. It can make the car feel like it wants to lift off of the road, depending on how fast you’re taking corners. Lowering springs help correct the car’s suspension travel when you hit a bump in a turn.
Lowering springs also have about 25% increased stiffness. For the Mazdaspeed platform, increased stiffness in the rear is a must. Mazdaspeeds like to squat pretty hard when hitting full boost, so any way you can manage to stiffen up the rear is a great modification for your car.
Adding lowering springs also gives your baby amazing eye appeal and a much more aggressive look. Whether you drive a MS3, MS6, Mazda 3, or MX-5, lowering springs will get rid of that ugly wheel well gap. If your model wasn’t just mentioned, springs will still work for you too! The result is a Mazda that carries a much cleaner look and gives you the ability to take it to the track if you want to.
Some people want to drop their Mazda as much as possible, and some don’t. CorkSport lowering springs don’t deliver a super aggressive drop. If you’re not interested in scraping your front bumper on every road bump, the CorkSport lowering springs have the right drop for you and provide the increased handling capabilities you’re looking for.
“This is my race car. There are many like it, but this one is mine. Without it I am nothing. With it, I am everything.” If you couldn’t tell, we love racing over here at CorkSport. It’s in our DNA, and after time, racing has become an extension of who we are. Most people count down the days until the weekend so they can go have a sex on the beach at their favorite bar. We’re the polar opposite. For us, we look forward to the weekend because we know when Saturday comes, it’s time to line up or shut up. It’s the time to prove to yourself that you have what it takes to shave off track times. If you’re a drag racer like me, there are a few things that make a big difference at the track that you should consider when trying to set new personal goals.
Money is always a hindering factor when trying to modify your car. However, if you have the Benjamins then you will easily be able to modify your car the way you want, and get the most potential out of the parts you have. There are a couple of key performance parts you can add to beat your track times:
1. AccessPort: This is the most popular tuning device used by Mazdaspeed enthusiasts. It lets you adjust parameters in the ECU to increase power and fuel economy. This is a must-have when modifying your Mazdaspeed.
2. Fuel Pump Internals: In order to run more boost, you want to be able to run more fuel. You have to upgrade the fuel pump shaft so the pump can flow more fuel. This is also a must-have modification when trying to put more power down.
3. Rear Motor Mount: The stock rear motor mounts on the Mazdaspeed are known to be weak when the torque gets to a certain level. Rear motor mounts are a key modification to reduce wheel hop and put the power to the ground.
Now that you have those three modifications done, you can have some real fun. You’re able to install the big power modifiers to really start increasing power and torque. Follow this list of modifications for maximum performance:
4. Full Intake: The stock intake is very restrictive. The turbo inlet pipe has a pancake design, which makes the stock turbo choke itself out in the higher rpm range.
5. Turbo Back Exhaust: The stock downpipe has a huge canister catalyst right off of the downpipe flange. That catalyst makes the exhaust flow speed go slower which will take away power from the motor. By opening up the exhaust section, you’re able to let the exhaust gases free flow, creating more boost and more power.
6. Upgraded Intercooler: The stock TMIC does its job fairly well on the stock platform. However, if you’re planning on running more boost, an upgraded intercooler will be able to handle the added boost without sacrificing cooling efficiency. This is a must-have part. The cooler the boost air temperature, the more power you can make.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
Now that you’ve drained the bank account, you need to tie everything back together with a tune. To get the maximum performance out of your Mazdaspeed, you want to be able to make the ECU recognize the performance parts you’ve added. If you want to squeeze the most out of your set up, you can run E85 fueling which allows for reduced knock which makes it possible to run more boost. Personally, I’ve noticed an extra 40whp going from my pump gas tune versus my E85 tune.
If you really want to kill it at the track, most people try to get their car to what’s called “fully bolted.” This means the car has every performance upgrade possible (minus an upgraded turbo, exhaust manifold, and intake manifold). Once you’ve become fully bolted, you should be able to slam down some really good times at the track. I’ve been able to get my car into the twelves on the stock turbo, which is considered pretty good for stock turbo!
The Upgrade Checklist For Your Mazda to Kill It at the Track September 3rd, 2020CorkSport
We’ve got something your Mazdaspeed engine bay has been needing for a long time: Our new exhaust manifold heat shield—or as some folks like to call it: The Pimp Shield.
A new heat shield, you ask? Isn’t that just aesthetic?
Sure, you could stick with the OEM shield, but ours is manufactured from 5052 aluminum and ceramic coated, made to be durable and guaranteed to clean up the look of your engine bay.
Your current OEM shield sticks out like a ratty POS. Pop your hood and imagine this instead. The difference is clear:
Our Mazdaspeed exhaust manifold heat shield was CAD designed specifically for the MZR DISI engine, so it’ll fit over the stock manifold like a glove. Whether you drive a 2007–2013 Mazdaspeed 3 or a 2006–2007 Mazdaspeed 6, you need to order this for your bay today.
After countless hours designing, testing, and adjusting, we released our drop-in turbo for the Mazdaspeed, and we’re very proud of it—and thrilled about the responses we’ve already received from our beta testers. (See the first reviews on the listing.)
Obviously, with a product this big, we wanted to inform our CorkSport customers as much as possible about the advantages of our turbo vs. the OEM and competitors, and how much power buyers could expect to gain.
Barett wrote a huge white paper on the turbocharger, detailing all of this. From the benefit of a drop-in (no new coolant lines, oil lines, or a intake system are required to install and operate it) to the details of a turbocharger’s anatomy, you can read all about what makes our turbo stand apart.
Our goal was to create a performance-driven turbocharger that wouldn’t break your bank or require a mechanical engineering degree to install. We’re happy to say we succeeded, but see for yourself.
