Product Release! Mazda 3 / Mazdaspeed 3 Rear Toe Arms

The Mazda 3 and Mazdaspeed 3 are already some of the best handling sedans and hatchbacks on the market, but what if you could make it just that much better? Well, with the release of CorkSports Adjustable Rear Toe Arms you can now fine tune the handling for increased corner performance and reduced tire wear.

 

CorkSport Rear Adjustable Toe Arms

Whether you need fine tuning for track days, or just want to balance your everyday ride, adjustable toe arms help you dial in the handling of your car. With an easy install and simple adjustment the Rear Adjustable Toe arms  are perfect for you and your Mazda 3 or Mazdaspeed 3. Balance uneven tire wear, improve cornering performance and ultimately increase handling. Designed for precise toe tuning, the CorkSport Rear Adjustable Toe Arms offer +/- 5 degrees of adjustability allowing drivers the ability to align their suspension to match their enthusiastic driving style on and off the track.

 

Rear Toe Arm Install Picture

 

The CorkSport Advantage:

  • Superior Design: Spherical bearings replace the soft rubber bushings used in OEM and other aftermarket toe arms. This will truly attach the toe arm to the suspension of the vehicle for more control and added road feel
  • Made from reinforced high strength extruded steel tubing: Stronger, less brittle and more durable than aluminum
  • Fine Tuned Adjustability: +/- 5 degrees of toe adjustment for fine tuning of your suspension
  • Easy Adjustment: Can be easily adjusted with a wrench while still installed in the vehicle
  • Sold as a Set: We know you need two so we simplified the math for you by selling them as a set
  • CorkSport Service and Support: Receive a two year warranty, full color installation instructions, all of the needed installation hardware, and knowledgeable telephone installation support

The CorkSport Adjustable Rear Toe Arms are available at our online catalog for only $149.99 and are in stock today. For more information please visit our product listing at: https://www.corksport.com/corksport-adjustable-rear-toe-arms.html

Derrick Ambrose and the Ultimate Mazda Performance Guide

Recently our own Derrick Ambrose here at CorkSport released a book about modifying Mazda’s titled The Ultimate Mazda Performance Guide. I sat down to speak with him about it.

Front cover of the Ultimate Mazda Performance Guide CorkSport

CorkSport (Joel): Derrick, first off let’s get the bias questions out of the way. Obviously you work here so many will assume this is just a book to sell CorkSport parts. What is it exactly that you do at CorkSport?

Derrick: Thanks Joel, in addition to being one of the founders, I am the Sales and Motorsports manager.

CorkSport: What made you decide to write a book about Mazda Performance and why?

Derrick: I really just wanted to give some of the new enthusiasts some of the knowledge that I have gained about Mazda’s from my involvement with them since the mid 90’s. Many people are just now buying their first Mazda and don’t really know where to begin. I wanted to help ease them into what they really need to know. It can be quite scary for some to jump into modifying or go into the forums and not know anything.

CorkSport: We know all about the forums haha.

Derrick: Exactly, the purpose of the book was to help give people a path and empower them with information that may take a lot of years or a lot of searching to find. I didn’t want it to just be about selling CorkSport parts, we actually mention, and feature, many non-CorkSport parts in the book. That being said, I’m very proud of CorkSport and what we have done to help the Mazda community.

Inside pages of the Mazda Performance Guide CorkSport

CorkSport: So who is this book really for?

Derrick: I wrote this guide for the beginner to intermediate enthusiast that really wants to learn more and really get the most bang for their buck. I wanted to answer some of the most common questions I’ve seen on the forums and in person. If you have changed your turbo or are cross-weighing your coil-overs, you are probably past this book in terms of technical ability. I did however, include many sources for additional information, contacts and even a brief history of Mazda itself; which is a topic I may even write another book on for the true Mazda fanatic.

CorkSport: I see, what do you think was the most challenging thing about creating a book?

Derrick: Everything, (laughs). When you have no idea what you’re doing, it takes a LOT more time than you could ever imagine. I was lucky to have a lot of help from some truly amazing people and am very grateful to all of them. Writing a book is a much bigger endeavor than I would have every thought, but having an actual piece of history afterwards is truly a special moment. Having that glossy cover in my hands, seeing the ISBN on the back and knowing that I will be in the Library of Congress forever is just an amazing feeling. It’s weird how just making a book can make you feel patriotic, but it really did. I honestly cannot wait to write another book.

CorkSport: Well hopefully we can talk you into signing a few for us and we look forward to help making the next one. Thanks for letting us get a little more insight into this great addition to the Mazda community.

Derrick: Thanks, I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did making it. If just one person gets the mod bug I did when I was younger because of this book then I will be happy.

Help CorkSport help you!!!

Here at CorkSport we know you, the customer, are what really drives our business. We don’t just build parts we think you need, we build parts YOU ask for.  We understand Mazdas and we love to innovate, but some of the best product ideas we’ve ever had, have come from our customers. We’ve gone to great lengths to make sure we stay involved with you and have a genuine interest in the parts that you want. We’ve set up a link on our website to help make it easier to get your great ideas to our great engineers. If you go to our site and scroll down to where it says “Collaboration” underneath it is a link that says “Request a Product”

Picture of CorkSport Mazda Performance website with link to collaboration highlighted

We’ve worked hard to make sure we provide exciting products that live up to your expectations and who better to tell us what’s needed then the very people who get excited about it? In the past we’ve worked with our customers to decide everything from the colors we offer for our upcoming brake caliper kits to sending out test parts to customers with high horsepower to try and see if they can expose any weaknesses that we may not have seen.

Picture of CorkSport Mazda Performance Mazdaspeed brake kit

As we ramp up for the race season we want to make sure your voice is heard and you get the best from us. Please feel free to add your suggestions online, email us or even pick up the phone and let us know what you think. We can’t wait to see what amazing things we can do together with you this year!

 

Product Release! Mazda 3 Short Shift Plate

Having a Mazda 3 with a 6 speed is amazing. Having a Mazda 3 with an amazing 6 speed is AMAZING-er?? Whatever you want to call it, with the new CorkSport short shift plate, your Mazda 3 will shift with much shorter throws and with more precision that it ever did when it rolled off the factory floor.

Short Shifter Mazda 3 from CorkSport

Reduce the throw of your shifter and improve precision and performance with the CorkSport Mazda 3 Short Shift Plate. Providing a 33% throw reduction, the CorkSport Mazda 3 Short Shift Plate is designed for spirited driving and will reduce throw while keeping the height of the OEM shifter unchanged. The installation takes a mere 20-30 minutes with some simple hand tools and will provide a serious improvement to the quality of your shifting experience.

The CorkSport Advantage:

  • Made from CNC Machined Steel Plate with powder coated finish for a long lasting durability
  • Adjustable: Reduce the throw by 33% to customize your shifting experience
  • Self Locking Nuts: Pre-applied locking patch nuts included with shifter plate
  • CorkSport Support and Service: Receive a full 2 year warranty, all of the needed installation hardware, and knowledgeable telephone support. Takes 20-30 minutes to install

The CorkSport Mazda 3 Short Shift Kit is available at our online catalog and is in stock today. For more information please visit our product listing at: https://www.corksport.com/corksport-mazda-3-short-shift-plate-kit.html

Fuel Pump Comparison Part 1

Adding power to your Mazdaspeed 3 and Mazdaspeed can be amazing and very rewarding. One of the most important decisions you can make when tuning these cars is which fuel pump to use. Since we have never seen a proper comparison of the currently available models we decided to test them for the Mazda community. In this multi-part series, we will talk about the basics, the differences and the advantages with all of the available options.

Most aftermarket fuel pump upgrades consist of changing the internal parts of the factory pump with an enlarged piston and sleeve. By enlarging the piston, you increase the volume of the pump; thus creating more flow and the ability to maintain pressure at higher power levels.

Black residue on Fuel pump internals

When you first start taking the fuel pump apart, the first thing you are met with is the sight of a strange black deposit in the cap of the pump. Shown above are the deposits common to most caps. The bottom is a machined surface that should be clear of debris. In order for us to more clearly understand the situation we sent the cap out to undergo chemical analysis.

Chart of analysis for black residue in fuel pump

The spectrum analysis shows that the buildup is made of motor oil and defoaming agents that are added to motor oil. The oil in the cap is from the camshaft case that drives the pump, a slight amount leaks by the seal and into the pump. When installing new internals it would be a very good time to clean that area as best as you can and possibly replace the O-ring that seals the area inside the cap.

Once we understood what the substance was we then set out to see the options available. We purchased a CP-E pump (APR), Autotech internals and KMD internals to compare and test. Next time we will be measuring all the internals and comparing expected increases while determining what the real differences were. If you already have a pump, are thinking about getting one or are still scared, you’re going to want to see the next blog in this series.

Cheers,

Joel