Help Build the Mazdaspeed of Your Dreams

You may remember that we had to get a new shop testing vehicle after our last Mazdaspeed 3’s untimely demise See here; but what you may not know is how much time and effort was put into that car. Building a rolling showcase isn’t easy, cheap or quick. We were sad to see it go but now have a brand new canvas to start over on.

Our Genpu

With our new speed we decided to go white, with that pearly white paint job we wanted to go towards a “panda” style going forward, mixing white and black parts in our build. We have started with a few small black and white things (intake, BOV, etc.). We’re really looking for input from you to really make this car unforgettable.

CorkSport new Mazdaspeed 3

We’re looking at every detail to try to make an overall car that hasn’t been seen before that goes deeper than just bolting things on. We want to try new things, make combinations that have never been seen before and really try to make something that you would want if you never had to make a compromise.

Corksport White Intake

Check us out on Facebook and let us know what you think we should add to this car to make it really unique.

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

Corksport dyno testing of fuel pumps for Mazdaspeed 3

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.

corksport

Corksport

 

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 (2nd 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.

dyno results for different fuel pumps on mazdaspeed 3

Our dyno is able to adjust load, so in our testing we chose a load value typical of 4th 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!!!

Inside the upcoming CorkSport Blow Off Valve

When you look at the blow off valves (BOV) and bypass valves (BPV) on the market today you see many examples of the same thing with little to no innovations. For those of you that aren’t aware, BOV’s and BPV’s are valves that vent pressurized air in the tract between the turbo and the throttle body. This prevents the turbo from suddenly stopping or slowing as those can cause unwanted bearing wear on the turbo. A BOV vents this pressurized air into the atmosphere (into the engine bay). A BPV vents that air back into the intake just after the mass air flow (MAF) sensor. Venting back into the intake allows the ECU to correctly meter that air that it has already accounted for. Many times when venting to atmosphere you can get a momentarily rich condition because the ratios are off.

We were talking about innovation though, the last great innovation in valve technology for turbos was probably years ago with pull type valves like the SSQV from HKS. Many years have passed since then and not much has changed, outside of the few valves that partially vent to atmosphere and route the rest back to the intake tract. Typically now you just see one copy after another of someone else’s idea. SURE, it can be hard to innovate in the blow off valve market but we were convinced there was something exciting we could do.

We speak often about your ideas sparking our innovative minds, this project was started by just one of those customer suggestions. We started with a customer submission of using wave springs that led us to design a new valve design to reduce the size and weight of the moving parts.

Key Features of the upcoming patent pending CorkSport Blow Off Valve:

Reduction of spring height  Corksport Blow off valve 1

With the use of a wave spring we are able to reduce the spring height by 50%. The traditional spring sits at 40mm and the CS wave spring sits at a 20mm height. These springs both provide the same force and will move the same distance before experiencing coil-bind.

Reduction of piston size

Corksport blow off valve 2

Because the spring is 50% smaller we are able to reduce the piston and still maintain the same amount of movement. As you can see, just changing to the wave spring we were able to decrease the piston by 33%!!!

What does that all mean?

The reduction in mass is all well and good, but just being smaller isn’t the only benefit (even though that is pretty cool). With the force (F) being the same and the mass (m) decreasing by 33% we can see how the mass relates to acceleration (a) in the formula F=ma. Rearranged, this becomes a=F/m. This means we have accelerated the actual speed of the valve, which means the valve is able to react much faster than a larger valve with a traditional spring (33% faster!) Because the blow off valve is a safety feature to protect the turbo from premature wear, this increase in acceleration can help increase the longevity of the turbo and the system as a whole.

What does all this innovation look like?

Corksport Blow off valve 3

With the reduction in the size of these key parts, we can reduce the body size. This can be especially helpful in situations with airboxes, custom turbo and intercooler kits or even in universal situations where space is at a premium. Below you can see a comparison of similar BOV’s, the spring chamber on our design is significantly smaller but the function is not lost; in fact, we improved it!

Corksport blow off valve 4

To maximize flow, we pushed the piston area out to ensure a larger venting area, this reduces the time it takes to vent the air and allows larger turbos to vent more efficiently. As a blow off valve, this certainly pushes the envelope, we think we can find even more applications for this kind of innovation. We are very proud to be able to offer things for the Mazda market we helped create and will continue to engineer parts that push the scene for you.

Product Release!!! CorkSport 4 Piston Big Brake Caliper Kit for Mazdaspeed

After a long wait and a lot of testing, we are proud to announce the availability of the CorkSport 4 Piston Big Brake Caliper Kit for the 2007 and up Mazdaspeed 3. With almost 300hp stock, the Mazdaspeed 3 can easily outrun and outperform its stock single-piston calipers, this is amplified when more power is added. With the CorkSport big caliper, you can count on a better braking feel and a more balanced setup to give you the confidence you need to use all those horses you paid for.

CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3 Big Brake Calipers

Crafted from extremely lightweight billet aluminum, the CorkSport calipers use an opposed-piston design that is fixed to provide significantly improved pad wear, and caliper rigidity over the OEM design. At just over 7 lbs, the aluminum CorkSport Mazdaspeed Big Brake Kit shaves almost 8 lbs of unsprung weight off each corner of your Mazdaspeed, adding more stopping power and a much better pedal feel. Available in 3 anodized colors, this brake system has everything you need to easily upgrade your stock braking system and includes high-strength steel brackets, calipers, stainless steel braided front brake lines, brake pads, and the all necessary hardware.

CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3 with 4 Piston Brake Kit Colors

The CorkSport Advantage:

  • Superior Construction: Crafted from billet aluminum and made to last with durable components
  • Longevity: With dual O-rings far away from the brake pads these calipers are able to handle much more abuse than typical dust boot-equipped calipers.
  • Lightweight: At just over 7 lbs a side, this kit saves almost 8 lbs of unsprung weight per corner!
  • Versatile: Designed around a popular brake pad style (Hawk #HB750), you can use almost any brake pad compound available on the market.
  • Available in Three Colors: Choose from Black, Red, or Blue in a durable anodized finish
  • Ease of Use: With simple hand tools you can change brake pads in minutes and with full re-buildability you can be back to fresh factory brakes in no time.
  • CorkSport Service and Support: Receive full-color installation instructions, all of the needed installation hardware, and knowledgeable telephone support.
Full CorkSport Big Brake Kit Mazdaspeed 3 with brake lines and pads
Mazdaspeed 3 Brake Kit

The CorkSport 4 Piston Big Brake Caliper Kit is available at: https://www.corksport.com/corksport-mazdaspeed-3-big-brake-caliper-kit.html

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The Summer of CorkSport

CorkSport Mazdaspeed6 Rear Diff Mount

At CorkSport we are working hard on innovative new products. We know that you want to see parts that push the envelope and make you excited. We strive to be the go to source for everything you do to your Mazda, and to do that, we are working on new exciting products that the other guys aren’t going to be able to copy. With our team of engineers and our experience as the #1 Mazda performance company we are working tirelessly to bring out the best products on the market this year.

CorkSport Big Intake Battery Box

We’re calling it: “The Summer of CorkSport” and you’re invited. In the coming months you will be seeing some of the most exciting and inventive parts available on the Mazda market. We’ve reached out to you, asked questions, found needs and we’ve listened to make these parts a reality for you. Stay tuned for the next few months to see the most releases the Mazda community has ever seen in one year from any company.

CorkSport Mazdaspeed Big Brakes

Also, make sure your voice is heard by visiting our website and submitting your own product idea!!! https://www.corksport.com/product-ideas.html