Representing CorkSport Mazda Performance

Representing CorkSport Mazda Performance.

Since starting here at CorkSport HQ, I find myself searching the lanes of traffic for Mazdas. I can’t deny that it gets my heart pumping a little bit when I see a Speed3, but that’s merely because I have a preference for them and the “zoom-zoom” effect.

What keeps me looking is that I don’t always see Mazdas of what I’ll call the “proper persuasion”. It may just be a Pacific Northwest thing, but there are a lot of sexy performance cars roaming the streets disguised as family vehicles. Now don’t get me wrong, a family car is always necessary, but after seeing what the enthusiasts are capable of, I get a little disappointed when I don’t see a CorkSport branded vehicle behind every Mazda emblem.

Over Labor Day weekend I was driving home from camping and having a conversation with a fellow car enthusiast (he’s into Mitsubishis, yuck) about how often we see cars “repping” their favorite performance brand. He was actually doing a great job of making me defensive, saying that he’d never seen a good looking performance Mazda. He said it was a rare occurrence out here to see a clean/stance one and then for it to also be repping CorkSport, “like seeking unicorn’s”. I was disagreeing with all that I had, and yes I mean that in reference to volume control.

We were in a deep, what I’ll refer to as an, “elevated and passionate” conversation, when low and behold, there in the lane just left of us, was a tiny 6” decal on the back right of a very clean Speed3 (Gen2). A perfectly pitched screech of “TOLD YOU SO” bellowed from my mouth, followed by a quick cell phone pic and a good long laugh at how “I (Kim) am always right, get used to it.”

Since then, we have found and rewarded the owner of this beautiful beast https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151905810739257&set=a.317272679256.181853.126409094256&type=1&theater, but it got a great conversation going in the office of “where is the best spot to place a decal?”

So, this is the question I pose to you, our readers: “Where do you think is the perfect spot to rep your favorite performance brand?” I prefer them to go along with the elegant lines of the car, but others say that having them stand against those brings a slick look as well. What do you think?

Here are some of the pictures that we have seen the in past, please feel free to post yours so we can check it out!

Can’t wait to see what you all show us!

Sincerely yours,

The very passionate and boisterous CorkSport Customer Service Representative,

Kim

September 5, 2013January 11, 2020

Just Released: CORKSPORT 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed 6 Transmission Mount Insert

A Brand New Car in Just 1 Hour:

Wheel hop, driveline slack, and excess movement of the engine, what do these all have in common? All of these issues are easily fixed with the new CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Transmission Mount Insert. Within minutes your Mazdaspeed 6 will feel tight, fresh and ready for action, after installing the Transmission Mount Insert. Don’t be surprised when it becomes easier to shift and smoother to drive. Enjoy a new feeling car with a simple fix.

Unlike complete replacement motor mounts on the market which can transmit excessive vibration, the CorkSport Motor Mount Inserts fill in the gaps in the factory mount allowing it to retain its vibration isolation while providing a simple and cost effective upgrade to your Mazda for a more enjoyable driving experience.

The CorkSport Advantage:

Constructed from high durometer polyurethane: Designed to fill in the gaps in the factory rubber motor mounts to limit the movement of the engine and transmission
Patterned after the OEM Mazda mounts for accurate fitment
CorkSport Service and Support: Receive a 2 year warranty, full color installation instructions, all of the needed installation hardware and knowledgeable telephone support

The CorkSport 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed 6 Transmission Mount Insert is available on our online catalog here: https://www.corksport.com/corksport-2006-2007-mazdaspeed-6-transmission-mount-insert.html

August 27, 2013September 12, 2023

Keep your Mazdaspeed Engine Running Cleaner and Better with the CorkSport Aluminum Oil Catch Can and Drain Valve Kit

Introducing the Aluminum Oil Catch Can and Drain Valve Kit:

After many months of studying our previous design and listening to you, we are proud to announce the CorkSport Mazdaspeed Aluminum Oil Catch Can. The new and improved CorkSport Oil Catch Can will help rid your vehicle of contaminants, sediment, and other unwanted crankcase particles that can cause damage and premature wear to the engine components.

The added protection that an Oil Catch Can provides will increase the longevity of your engine. The Oil Catch Can is made of billet aluminum for strength and lightweight. Everything needed to install on your Mazdaspeed 3 is included, even the mounting bracket.

Don’t let your Mazda get contaminated by sediment, crankcase vapors, or unclean oil. With the CorkSport Oil Catch Can you will remove unwanted debris that would normally contaminate the intake tract. This allows for cleaner air entering the engine, lower detonation rates and increased longevity. Complete with 11 feet of reinforced silicone hose you can mount the Oil Catch Can in multiple locations.

For added convenience, we have developed the Oil Catch Can Drain Valve Kit which can be purchased separately. Draining your Oil Catch Can becomes a simple matter of twisting one lever with this simple-to-use kit. With both the Oil Catch Can and Drain Valve Kit you will have an all-in-one system for prolonging the life of your engine by keeping it clean.

You can read more about why a catch can is a good idea and why a catch can from CorkSport is an even better idea here: https://www.corksport.com/blog/the-dangers-of-direct-injection/ and here: https://www.corksport.com/blog/the-inner-workings-of-the-corksport-oil-catch-can/

The CorkSport Oil Catch Can is available at: https://www.corksport.com/corksport-aluminum-oil-catch-can.html

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July 25, 2013October 8, 2024

“Which intercooler should I get?” The Pros and Cons of a TMIC & FMIC

“Which intercooler should I get?” At Corksport, we get this question almost every day. The debate of top mount intercooler vs. front mount intercooler has been one that has raged on in the forums for years. Just looking around you will see both options on all sorts of cars. So what is the answer?

The Mazdaspeed 3 and Mazdaspeed 6 both come with a top mount intercooler (TMIC) from the factory. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is that it is much cheaper to manufacture and install. A top-mounted intercooler can be installed directly into the engine at the factory so it is ready to drop into the car, saving both time and money.

Pros of the TMIC

The upside of the TMIC is that it uses the shortest possible path from the turbo to the engine. This reduces the amount of time it takes for the car to accelerate, this feeling can be amplified between shifts when the power comes back on very quickly. The TMIC is also very simple and compact, with very few connections and possible places for air leaks. A TMIC will also weigh very little compared to a FMIC setup and usually is in a place with very good airflow. With our TMIC, it’s a simple replacement as it fits like OEM. Generally, it is more affordable than an FMIC. So, if you’re on a budget, the TMIC may be what you want.

CorkSport-Intercooler-Mazda-Mazdaspeed-3-Front-Mount-vs-Top-Mount-2

Cons of the TMIC

The downside of TMICs is that they are generally limited in size by the design of the car. Often times they are much smaller than most FMICs. They are typically placed very high in the engine bay, raising the car’s center of gravity. Most importantly, the biggest downside of the TMIC is that it sits in a hot engine bay. Just by sitting on top of the motor, the TMIC can soak up heat, thereby decreasing its effectiveness in cooling the air compressed by your turbo.

CorkSport-Intercooler-Mazda-Mazdaspeed-3-Front-Mount-vs-Top-Mount

Pros of an FMIC

The principles are mostly the same for the pros and cons of the FMIC. The core of an FMIC can be much larger and, in the case of a properly designed system, can cool temperatures much more effectively. Being placed further away from the engine and out into the stream of air of your car can make the FMIC much cooler and, more importantly, more consistent. One last reason that many people love FMIC’s is the look, nothing says I mean business more than a massive bar and plate core smiling in your rear view.

CorkSport Front Mount intercooler for 2007-2013 Madaspeed

Cons of an FMIC

The biggest downside of an FMIC is that the installation process is much longer, requiring your car to be out while you do the work. Another downside of an FMIC can be the much longer piping needed to route compressed air to them. This piping can increase turbo lag and usually has many couplers that may cause the potential for air leaks or other issues.

So what does CorkSport say? As a general rule, we would say that if you don’t plan to add more than 50-100 horsepower, a top mount intercooler will work just fine and be much easier on your plans and wallet. If you eventually want to go wild with your car and build it up much higher than stock, you will want to seriously consider a front mount intercooler. Our advice would be to try to plan in advance what you want out of the car so that you only have to buy parts once.

Happy spooling!

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July 10, 2013February 28, 2018

Fuel Pump Comparison Part 3

Welcome back to the Fuel Pump Comparison, Part 3. If you haven’t been following along with us feel free to read Part 1 and Part 2.

Now that we have a good understanding of the basics for these high pressure fuel pumps we can start to really dig deeper into the specifications. One of the items we were really curious about were the materials used in the construction of these pumps. We decided to have the hardness tested and ascertain the materials used. The factory pump internals do not use any coating, the hardness test showed us that the internals went through a hardening process as the core was significantly softer than the surface. Because of these hardness requirements, many other aftermarket internals use a coating of some sort to decrease friction between the piston and the sleeve. As for what the stock internals are made from, we answered that. Except for the hardening procedure, according to their chemical breakdown, they match a common die steel, so nothing too fancy.

We now understand why it is so common to hear that the factory pumps are machined to such tight tolerances. At high rates of speed and pressure with a hardened material, you could easily have failures if tolerances were not correct.

When testing the fuel pumps on the dyno, we chose a Mazdaspeed 3 (2^nd gen) with bolt-ons and a stock turbo. The factory boost levels we maintained 1700psi all the way to redline with no issues. As soon as we raised the boost slightly, the fuel pump began to drop pressure. With a Cobb AccessPort and a stage 2 reflash, the pressure of the pump would drop under 1000psi by 5000rpms. If you’re going to turn up the boost or run a reflash, an upgraded fuel pump is a must.

Our dyno is able to adjust load, so in our testing we chose a load value typical of 4^th gear on the street and tested all pumps with the same load on the same day, only hours apart from each other. All the pumps tested performed very similar for power but the stock pump actually ran a lower air/fuel ratio. This is because all of the pumps were tested with no tune. When we changed to the Cobb stage 2 map, the power levels increased but we could not complete the test with the stock pump as it just could not keep up with the demand. With the stage 2 tune, we found the air/fuel ratios to be very, very rich and had a very real possibility for causing high load misfires. We actually experienced that several times on colder days. With no tune, this does not happen but the car did still run very rich in boost with all the aftermarket fuel pumps. With a custom tune though, there should be no difference between the pumps and you can raise the boost without worry of running low on pressure.

Now that you have read Part 3, see Part 1 and Part 2.

Stay tuned for part 4 in our fuel pump comparison series, things are about to really heat up!!!