Tag: MX5

Posted on

Understanding Intake Systems for Mazdas

The CorkSport Cold Air Box pairs perfectly with the CorkSport Short Ram Intake.

When it comes to the breathability of your Mazda, a short ram intake is the best place to start. The benefits are immediate, the installation is quite simple and it’s genuinely the best first step to getting some power and fun out of your Mazda or Mazdaspeed.

Bringing more air into the intake chamber, the intake system allows you to increase horsepower and torque for your Mazdaspeed. Each is designed to maintain optimal flow and generate ideal performance for your Mazda, with exacting tolerances and using the latest in computer-aided manufacturing techniques to bring you the highest quality and best-performing part for your money. You can expect to gain up to 30+ HP from this simple-to-install short ram intake system.

The CorkSport Cold Air Box pairs perfectly with the CorkSport Short Ram Intake.

Types of Air Intake Systems

Short ram air intakes suck in large amounts of heated air within the engine to help in efficient combustion. These are short and wide pipes because it uses a shorter pipe than the cold air intake, it only has access to warm air near the engine. To make up for this, it sucks in more air than cold air intakes.

Cold air intakes are a type of ram air intake system that works by drawing in cool air from outside and into the Mazda’s engine. This type of intake often has minimal bends and has a long duct with access to cool air. With cooler air coursing through the engine, combustion requires less heat and fuel.

Mazdaspeed Air Intake

Why Replace Your Mazdaspeed or Mazda Air Intake System

More often than not, car enthusiasts and expert mechanics recommend that you purchase an air intake as soon as possible. Even vehicles of the latest make and models benefit from an aftermarket air intake system. Below are five of the reasons why an air intake system can improve your Mazda engine’s performance.

Get your 2014 Mazda 3 the cold air it needs with the CorkSport cold air box that goes perfectly with the CorkSport SRI.
Mazda 3 Short Ram Intake

Keep in mind, when an intake is paired with a cold air box or battery box, you create a great look for your engine bay and increase your overall Mazda performance. Also, when paired with fuel pump internals, you’ll be able to increase the efficiency, power and set yourself up for future modifications as well!

Why replace your intake system?

1. Increased Acceleration


With an upgraded intake, your Mazda can experience increased horsepower. Upgraded intakes can also increase your engine’s responsiveness when speedy acceleration is required. Because there is more air available and ready for combustion with aftermarket air intakes, your engine reaches the desired speed faster compared to the stock intake that comes with your Mazda. Those who enjoy racing, autocross, or drag strips with their Mazda or who if you just like quick acceleration as soon as the traffic light turns green, an aftermarket air intake can help you enjoy your get up and go a bit more.

2. Greater Fuel Economy


Engines rely on a mixture of fuel and air to create an explosion that powers your Mazdaspeed. When there is not enough air pumping through the engine, your Mazda consumes more gas to compensate for the lack of oxygen. Stock intakes that come with your Mazda are designed to be quiet instead of fuel efficient, and as a result, they tend to use more gasoline. Pumping in more air via an upgraded intake can reduce gas consumption and translate to savings on fuel expenses. For those who are concerned about fuel efficiency…we should note here: that the enhanced sound may cause you to have a heavier foot and decrease your fuel efficiency in exchange for spirited driving.

3. More Effective Filters


The stock air intakes that come with your Mazda normally have disposable paper filters to catch debris. While these filters do their job in trapping particles that may potentially wreak havoc on your engine, the filters eventually require replacement (often a great upsell item for your local technicians). Aftermarket intakes, on the other hand, are equipped with filters that typically have to be cleaned every 20,000 to 50,000 miles (just some soapy water and let it dry completely before reinstallation). This not only saves money but it also provides a more effective filtration method that not only keeps debris out but also lets a larger qty of air inside.

4. Enhanced Sound


Those who like the aggressive sound of a roaring Mazdaspeed engine should enjoy our upgraded intakes the most. Because more air enters through the intake to the engine, it produces a sound that our Mazda enthusiasts find thrilling.


5. Better Overall Performance


With the simple installation of an upgraded intake, you can increase the overall performance of your Mazda. Whether you decide to go for the short ram intake or the cold air intake, you increase your Mazda’s efficiency, speed, power, and sound.

Looking for an intake system or upgraded intake components to fit your Model?

Shop Our Selection of Intakes By Model Year

2010-2013 Mazdaspeed3
2007-2009 Mazdaspeed3
2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6
2019+ Mazda3
2014-18 Mazda3
2010-2013 Mazda3
2004-2009 Mazda3

2014-2017 Mazda6
2009-2012 Mazda6
2003-2008 Mazda6
2016+ MX-5
2016+ CX-3
2013+ CX-5

Shop Our Selection of Intakes By Model Category:

Connect with us:

Stay up-to-date on the latest news and product updates from CorkSport.

* indicates required

You may also like:

Posted on

CorkSport Steering Wheel for ND Miatas

We love the look and feel of the CorkSport Mazdaspeed steering wheels and thought we would throw some love to the Miata guys. Designed to inspire confidence during aggressive driving while improving day to day comfort, this steering wheel is a complete package and will complement your other CorkSport Performance Upgrades.  

 

The CorkSport Steering wheel is a direct OE replacement as it retains all trim, buttons, airbag, and even paddle shifters for automatic models. It’s also a perfect fit for all ND Miata models (yes even those of you with a RF). Check out the image below, it shows exactly what you will get in the box (right) next to an assembled performance steering wheel (left). Once you remove your OE wheel you just need to transfer all of the trim and accessories and you’re ready to install.

 

 

In designing the wheel we knew we wanted performance without sacrificing comfort. Let’s face it, the steering wheel is the one thing you are (hopefully) always touching while driving. We knew right away we wanted a thicker wheel as the stock one is awkwardly thin. We increased thickness without increasing the overall diameter of the wheel.

 

The flat bottom of the wheel makes it easier to get in and out of the car, especially for those of us who barely fit in Miatas anyways. To further enhance the aggressive style we added a center stripe to the top of the wheel. Finally we carried over the deep thumb grooves from the CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3 steering wheels to really lock your hands in place during spirited driving.

 

All of the features are wrapped up in plush black leather, with perforated leather on the high use areas to keep your hands cool. If that wasn’t enough we’ve also added an option for alcantara inserts. Why?  Because Racecar!

 

If you’re looking for an easy mod that will upgrade the feel, comfort, and style of your ND Mx5 let the CorkSport Steering Wheel find a home in your interior.

Posted on

Working on the Driver

I have been racing Mazdas on the track in wheel-to-wheel competition since 2013 and I have learned quite a bit.

I am nowhere near being the best driver. I have good moments and plenty of “WTF Derrick” things that happen on the track, which are masked by good car control.

Mazda Spec Miata racing

2 years ago, I bought a Spec Miata (SM). Locally the number of B-Spec and Touring 4 classes are smaller.  This is not great for me, as I find my racecraft suffers when I get too big events where there are more than 5 cars and the racing is close.  I can always fight my way to 2nd or 3rd place, but the top step has been elusive.  Don’t get me wrong, I can go to events where there are other T4 cars (they are not unicorns), but the travel cost, time away from CorkSport, and fuel gets pricey really quickly when constantly towing to southern California.

I took the SM out a few times last year and found I was way off the pace I needed to be to even get into the top 25% of a Ppec Miata field at any events.  The Northwest has a really strong group of SM racers who are more than happy to beat the illusion out of you that you can drive fast on the track.

This year I have been working on the car setup and updating the drive train to the best I can get for my car.  I worked with Haag Performance to get one of their SM 1.6 engines, which have been winning races up and down the West Coast. I have also been talking with Joe Jordan on car setup and general SM advice, as he has gone down this road before with multiple SM drivers, including Joey Jordan and Will Rodgers, to get them to the top.

Before the season started, I knew I wanted to get some top-level coaching, so I looked locally at Pro Drive Racing, which offers race school for SCCA certification and high-performance driving classes.  After a few emails finding out which event I should attend with my SM, it was determined that the June 5th high-performance school would be the best bet, and I could get some one-on-one coaching with Todd Harris, the head instructor.

I have struggled with the braking too much in the corners, as past instructors/coaches I have consistently mentioned this to me. I needed to overcome this if I was going to have a chance to match times with the top 25% of the field. With Todd strapped into the “Thrill Seat”, we hit the first session at speed so he could see how/what I doing and work on it.

This was a good news and bad news sort of ride.  He found my approach and driving style to corners works, but it was not the fastest way through them – I was giving up cornering speed and able to get back to the throttle quicker. By simply backing up my braking zones, I had more control in the corner, which allowed me to stay committed to the throttle without having to modulate it after the steering wheel was turned.  This doesn’t seem like a huge thing but the feedback from the SM was drastically different. I was able to roll speed into the corners and carry a few more MPH. Heading onto a straightaway, this is huge. I spent the rest of the day fine-tuning the changes and making sure they stuck with me.

By the time this blog goes up, I will have raced again at the Oregon Region SCCA event at Portland Intl Raceway and will discover how much the school improved my driving technique.  If I don’t screw it up too badly, I should be able to take a second out of my lap times which in SM is HUGE! The weekend of June 29th I will be at Sonoma racing against 40 other SM drivers to really get a feel for where I am at skill level wise, I am prepared for this to be humbling, lol.

So, my advice to you is if you ever have a chance to take a driving school, I really recommend it, specifically, Ally Pro Drive, if you are in the Portland, Oregon, area.  They run a great program, and you get one-on-one seat time with some of the best local drivers and instructors.

Look for future updates here at the CorkSport the blog on how it went.

-Derrick

Stay up-to-date on the latest news and product updates from CorkSport.

* indicates required
Posted on

Alcantara for Your Mazda

Yes, I said the “A” word, but before we dig into the detail let’s talk steering wheels in general.

The steering wheel in your Mazda (and most all other cars) is probably one of the most used yet disregarded parts of the vehicle.  Its round, it has buttons for controls and the horn, and in modern cars and airbag which could save your life one day. More or less we don’t notice because it just works, but what if we could make that a much more exciting part of your Mazda?  

There are few, if not any, other components that you interface with more than the steering wheel so why not give it the attention it needs without sacrifice?  At CorkSport we did just that.

Every CorkSport Performance Steering Wheel is designed with you, The Driver, in mind.  We want you to be connected to your car and the experience it can provide you every single day.  The performance design is inspired by race-only steering wheels without the sacrifice. Thick grips with countered thumb grooves provide a secure and comfortable control surface.  High-quality smooth and perforated leather is used for durability and breathability in tense driving situations. These all come together without compromise, retaining your OEM controls, horn, and most importantly the airbag.  

Now back to that “A” word…

A few years ago we introduced the CorkSport Performance Steering Wheel for the 2nd Generation Mazdaspeed 3.  We were super excited to bring such an awesome performance part to the community and even more stoked by how much love that steering wheel has received over the years.  Today we are happy to announce that a select few of the CorkSport Performance Steering Wheels are getting some extra awesomeness real soon.

Say it with me…Alcantara…

That’s right; we’ve heard you and we’re calling you out.  In a very short time, we will be launching the Alcantara Leather option for the 2010-2013 Mazdaspeed 3, 2016+ MX-5, 2014-2016 Mazda 3, and 2017-18 Mazda 3.  

If you’ve been on the edge about a CorkSport Performance Steering Wheel; well the wait is over.  I can’t say enough what a change a steering wheel makes to the driving experience. It really is like getting a whole new car and now it can be even better with Alcantara.  

Don’t wait or it might be too late!

Stay up-to-date on the latest news and product updates from CorkSport.

* indicates required
Posted on

Versatune Packages for Mazda MX-5 Miata

Despite not being the ideal season to pull the top down, we have been busy giving the CorkSport ND Miata some love.  Unfortunately this love does not come in the form of another CorkSport Performance part, but instead better takes advantage of your CorkSport Performance parts thanks to the Versatuner Tuning Solution.  

With that, we are proud to announce our partnership with Versatuner and the ability to provide to all models supported by Versatuner.

Mazda MX-5 in Shop

Back to the 2016+ Mazda MX-5; working with the Versatuner Tuning Solution we setup pre-calibrated tunes that are designed to work with the CorkSport Performance Cold Air Intake System, Cat-Back Exhaust System, and the combination of the two.  

Mazda MX-5 Power Pack Dynograph

Jumping right to Power Pack 3, that combines the CorkSport Cold Air Intake and Cat-Back Exhaust; you see a power increase of 9 wTQ and 13 wHP using 92 octane fuel.  These aren’t just peak gains either, power/torque increases from 3000rpm up to redline which has been increased to 7400rpm.  If you are not ready to pull the trigger on the CorkSport CAI and CBE together, then check out Power Pack 1 and Power Pack 2.  

Power Pack 1 offers a combination of the CorkSport MX5 Cold Air Intake and Versatuner Tuning Solution with a pre-calibrated tune.

Mazda MX-5 Under the Hood

Power Pack 2 offers a combination of the CorkSport Mx-5 Cat-Back Exhaust and Versatuner Tuning Solution with a pre-calibrated tune.

Mazda MX-5 Exhaust Installed

What’s great about the Versatuner Tuning Solution is its flexibility to provide data logging, tune editing and diagnostics troubleshooting with any installed parts and any fuel type.  The CorkSport pre-calibrated tunes are designed for 92 octane fuel, so we do recommend having a custom tune performed for your MX-5 if 91 octane is the highest grade fuel available in your area.  Those of you with 93 octane fuel need not worry, but there could be more to ring out of your little 2.0L Sky-G with custom tuning.

Lastly, you might be wondering why the Power Packs have any significance to you? Well along with power, aesthetics, and glorious noises, we are able to cut you deal when you get the combination of CorkSport Performance parts and Versatuner Tuning Solution.  We’re here to make modifying your Miata easy and fun.

Thanks for tuning in with CorkSport Performance.

-Barett @ CS