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The Wait is Over for the 2021+ Mazda Turbo Downpipe V2

Fits Models Mazda 3, CX-30, CX-50

Unleash the potential and growl from your car and take the step forward into more power! A full 80mm Turbo Back exhaust is now possible with CorkSport’s new Catted Turbo Downpipe for the 2021+ 4th Gen Mazda3 Turbo (as well as CX30 & CX50 Turbo Models)!

2021 Mazda Turbo Downpipe

Our downpipe uses a two-piece design, making installation easy without the need to wrestle with a single large, cumbersome pipe. The Downpipe starts with a high-flowing cast 304 Stainless Steel Bellmouth, then joins the 80mm mandrel-bent piping with a V-band connection for a leak-free seal.

We used 3D scan data from the OEM downpipe when designing our CS pipe, which means fitment is just like OEM and the CorkSport Downpipe will fit with any aftermarket Cat-back exhaust system, or even OEM!

Best Downpipe for the 2021 Mazda 3 Turbo

An updated high-flow catalytic converter is utilized in our V2 downpipe. Our V1 downpipe used a Euro 3 300cel catalyst that showed mixed results with check engine lights (CELs). Our new and improved V2 unit uses a Euro 6, 500cel catalyst for the best in emissions control while minimizing those pesky CELs. Euro 6 is (generally speaking) a more strict set of emission parameters than in the USA. We also went for a more dense catalyst (500cel), which, when combined with an upsized 5” diameter, showed no significant power difference from the V1 300cel or even a fully catless prototype unit (catless not available).

Best Mazda 3 Turbo Downpipe with Cat

The updated catalyst has shown no check engine lights through our testing. We cannot guarantee no CELs as testing all possible climates, driving conditions, local fuels, elevations, and any and all combinations of these is nigh on impossible! However, we are happy to report no CELs through ~10 months and ~14,000 miles of driving!

Installed Downpipe Mazda 3 Turbo

Do I Need A Tune?

Addressing the other elephant in the room: Tuning. We highly recommend getting a tune after installing the 80mm downpipe as there are very strict airflow limits in the stock tune that severely limit power. This will result in some mild stutters, surging, or “hiccups” at wide-open throttle. This does not do any damage as it is simply a very conservative safety limit for stock components.

With more flow-efficient parts (i.e upgraded intakes , Turbo Inlet Pipe, and exhaust systems), these limits are being reached much easier and the ECU will limit the power output of the engine. The vehicle will be drivable on the stock tune and still give you an aggressive growl out of your 2.5T!  

Here you can see the power gains with a fully-bolted Mazda 3 Turbo that is tuned vs stock downpipe and stock tuning. 

Dyno information for the Mazda catted downpipe
Dynograph of the Mazda 3 Turbo Downpipe with CorkSport CBE, TIP/SRI – Tuned vs Stock Downpipe + CorkSport CBE, TIP/SRI – Stock tune.

Each Downpipe kit comes with a complete pack of all the hardware and gaskets needed for installation. This includes: 

  • New turbo studs and crimp nuts
  • Stainless Steel V-band Clamp
  • Exhaust connection hardware
  • Remflex exhaust gasket
  • Custom headshield and mounting hardware
Hardware for the Mazda Catted downpipe

Be sure to check out the CorkSport Mazda Catted Downpipe for more images, pricing, and installation instructions.

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Keep IATs in check with the Turbo Air Intake Box for 2021+ Mazda 3, CX-30 and CX-50


Introducing the Turbo Mazda 3 Cold Air Box! Designed specifically to integrate alongside the existing CorkSport Skyactiv Turbo Short Ram Intake, and when combined, the complete intake system provides the best of both worlds. This includes both an intake that is less restrictive than OEM and Intake Air Temperatures that are colder to maximize performance potential.

Mazda 3 turbo cold air intake airbox

Through the utilization of the OEM intake snorkel and an opening that accesses the driver fender area, it provides multiple sources of “cooler air” that the SRI can draw from that are away from engine bay heat to capture the coldest air available.     

Mazda 3 turbo cold air intake kit

Below is a model of the Turbo Air Box assembly with the OEM snorkel that illustrates the locations that the air box draws from while blocking out the heat radiating from surrounding components like the radiator and engine.

How the Mazda 3 turbo air intake pulls cold air and operates

Testing was an important part of the process as it shows to what degree the CS Turbo Cold Air Box is impacting IATs. The test was designed to represent what could occur if you were stopped for a long time during heavy traffic or when waiting for a long traffic light. After the stop, we then accelerated back up to highway speeds. The tests were conducted with an ambient temperature of roughly 45 degF so those of you that live in hotter climates will see elevated temperatures.   

Skyactiv Mazda 3 Turbo performance data for air intake temperatures

The start of the test begins with a 5 minute period where the car is stationary and from there we accelerated up to ~50mph. For the duration of the test, we observed that the addition of the CS Turbo Air Box netted average IATs that were 13 degrees colder than the SRI alone.

For the stationary section of the test, the graph shows that the gap in temperature between the SRI and SRI + Air Box continues to get wider as time progresses. This demonstrates the advantage of the Air Box and the lower rate at which the IATs increase when it is installed. Once the car takes off from the stop, the SRI + Air Box combo also returns to ambient temperature quicker, allowing the engine to take advantage of the colder ambient air sooner and help maximize power.

Mazda 3 turbo 2.5 internal image of the air intake airbox

The material and construction of the CorkSport Air Box plays a role just as important as it performs so that it will last for many years to come. We kept the same manufacturing method and material that we used previously for the non-turbo Air Box, as it has been thoroughly tested and proven to excel in this application.

XDPE plastic makes up the main body of the Air Box and features properties that help it withstand chemicals and the elevated temperatures seen in the engine bay. Other CS parts that are located in the engine bay also utilize this same material, including the MASSIVE 4th GEN Mazda 3 Turbo Inlet Pipe.

Finishing off the top of the Air Box is the acrylic lid that is translucent with a grey tint to provide a convenient way to check on the condition of the air filter. The lid is removable and allows for servicing of the filter to be completed without the removal of the full Air Box assembly.  

2024 Mazda 3 turbo air intake airbox installation picture

Rounding out the CorkSport Turbo Air Box is the inclusion of all necessary hardware and detailed instructions, allowing you to install the Air Box in as little as 30 minutes. Be sure to head over to the web page or reach out to the team if you have any questions and stay tuned throughout the coming year for more CS releases for your Mazda. 

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Transform Your Style with the New CorkSport Lowering Springs for the 2020+ Mazda CX-30

Get a sportier look for your 2020+ Mazda CX-30 with the all-new CorkSport Performance Lowering Springs. The CS springs will turn heads with a new ride height that looks aggressive and provides better driving dynamics. Those looking to get even more performance out of their CX-30 on the backroads or a better look to their ride will want to grab a set of these. These springs make the CX-30 look better and make for a more comfortable ride for extended trips or daily excursions around town.    

Performance lowering springs for the 202+ Mazda CX-30.

A Better Ride Height

We all want a great-looking Mazda that is also an enjoyable ride. The CX-30 lowering springs do not disappoint. We dropped the CX-30 height, which comes in 1.5in (38mm) front and 2.2in (56mm) rear. We selected these heights since they balance practicality and handling performance well. The new ride height retains good suspension travel while delivering the more aggressive stance and look we aimed for. The CX30 now looks and feels fantastic, riding or driving – So much better than OEM!

Best Lowering Spring Upgrades for the Mazda CX-30

Improved Control

The new lowering springs give you more control while maneuvering or taking turns. We focused on the spring rates during development that provide a more sporty spring option. We wanted to reduce body roll while not being too stiff, compromising the ride quality, or impacting the stock dampers from controlling unwanted bouncing. Considering those aspects, we ended up with a front spring rate of 3.4K and a rear spring rate of 5.9K. These spring rates help reduce the amount of body roll while cornering and give you additional feedback so you feel more confident when taking corners.

High strength lowerings springs for the CX-30

The improvement in spring rates results in better ride quality than the original Mazda springs. Whether you’re on the highway, driving daily, or hitting those backroad twisties, the lowering springs make the drive more enjoyable!

CorkSport Aftermarket Lowering springs with dampeners

Installation

CorkSport offers full-color instructions to help you with the installation. Even though the springs are designed to be a direct OEM replacement, a mild modification of trimming the bump stops allows for the same travel as the OE setup before the bump stop is engaged. All other components are installed like stock springs, so there are no surprises. The CS CX-30 lowering springs also carry the same high tensile strength spring steel as all our lowering springs. Spring isolators are installed to reduce unwanted suspension noises. Like all CorkSport suspension upgrades, we’ve powder-coated these springs in black for added protection against corrosion, and they will look fantastic for years to come.  

Mazda CX-30 with CorkSport Lowering Springs

Those interested in improving the style and handling of their CX-30, should head over to the product page and check out the additional details and pictures! Also don’t forget to contact us if you have any questions about lowering springs for your CX-30. Let us know what you think about the lowering springs.

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Enhance Handling with a Stiffer Chassis: Lower Tie Bar for 4th Gen AWD Mazda3 & AWD CX-30

Introducing the CorkSport Lower Tie Bar for the AWD 2019+ Mazda 3 & AWD CX-30! Improve your cornering characteristics and steering feel by stiffening the front subframe of your vehicle.

For example, anytime chassis bracing is added, the stiffened subframe/chassis allows the suspension and tires to do their job better, giving you the performance and feel you want on a twisty backroad. We are proud to bring one of our favorite simple Mazdaspeed 3 mods to the 4th GEN Mazda 3 and CX-30 communities!

Lower tie bar on the Mazda

Improved Handling

While cornering or under heavy acceleration, all the forces that come from your tires must be counteracted by the suspension and chassis of your vehicle. With lateral cornering loads, a lot of these tire forces are transmitted into your subframe. ( See Image Below) The red arrows show the forces as they act through the control arms and into your subframe.

CorkSport No Lower Tie Bar Diagram showing only tire Forces

How It Works

Since the 4th GEN subframe is essentially a large square, these forces can flex the subframe, pushing in the sides and/or turning the square into more of a parallelogram. This flex will dull your handling feel and slow the vehicle’s response to steering inputs. The CS lower tie bar connects the lower control arm mounting points, stiffening the subframe and allowing the CS bar to help counteract any forces that were flexing the subframe previously!

The Tie Bar on a Mazda shows Improved support for better handling

Drivers Report It Handles Better

Okay enough theory, what does this mean for your car? We tested opinions of the car with and without the tie bar, and our drivers reported good improvements! Specifically, better steering feel, reduced bump steer, and more responsive turn-in. The upgrade is perfect for driving on the street, track, or autocross! There is a minor enhancement to the brake pedal feel when under hard braking. Like on the MS3 lower tie bar, the CS GEN4 lower tie bar will even help to control wheel hop and torque steer during those hard launches.

Best suspension upgrade for the CX-30

Shape of the Lower Tie Bar

While the shape appears a bit unconventional for chassis bracing, it is for a simple and good reason: so the bar will actually fit! The clearances around the engine, transmission, and transfer case are pretty tight on the GEN4, so the bendy shape had to be used. Rest assured, it fits without issue and installs in just about 30 minutes! This design did present an issue: a bent bar will be less robust than a straight bar. Don’t worry; we used FEA software to simulate a high-load corner and found that our design is more than strong enough to take all of the forces directly without issue. This is a worst-case-scenario as in reality, these cornering forces are distributed among the suspension components, subframe, and rest of the chassis, but we felt it necessary to prove that the CorkSport lower tie bar can handle whatever abuse you can throw at it!

Angular design show the tie bar handles extreme forces

Testing the Tie Bar

Like our Mazdaspeed 3 tie bar, the 2019+ MZ3 bar is made from 1-inch diameter, 0.120-inch wall steel tubing with 0.190-inch thick mounting brackets on the ends. The material and same design philosophy have proven to take every bit of abuse on 600, 700, and 800 horsepower MS3s so you can be confident in its reliability on your GEN4! Each bar is finished off with a satin black powder coat and a small CS decal for a great-looking bar that will stay looking great for a long time.

Quality design and materials make this the perfect Tie Bar for your Mazda

While not required, the CS Lower Tie Bar works even better when paired with our other chassis braces, like the CS Strut Tower Bar, Sway Bar, and Mazda 3 Rear Hatch Brace. Check out our listing linked below for more info, and be sure to give us a call with any questions!

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Built to Protect, CX-50 Skid Plate is Designed for Adventure!

Traveling off the beaten with your Mazda CX-50 just got a whole lot better with the CorkSport Skid Plate. The new skid plate ensures you make it there and back again with the engine and transmission properly protected for all your on trail adventures.

Featuring an extra thick 5mm aluminum main plate that will withstand substantially more abuse than the factory plastic piece and an optional front plate for complete coverage, provides a substantial improvement to the OEM tray. So, if you plan on venturing off-road or want more on-road protection and peace of mind, keep reading below for more details on the CS Skid Plate for the CX-50.

Complete protection with the Aftermarket CX-50 skid plate

From the factory, the CX-50 comes with a basic plastic splash shield/aerodynamic cover as found on other Mazda models. They provide the minimum protection needed for everyday street driving, but they are absolutely insufficient when faced with highway debris, through mid to extreme snow conditions, or more adventurous driving on forest roads.

When driving on these less traveled roads and trails, the probability of encountering large rocks or tree limbs is much higher and thus exponentially leading to the probability of damage to the underside of your CX-50. The damage that these objects can do to critical components, such as the oil pan, is a major concern, as it can leave you stranded.

The primary purpose behind the CorkSport Skid Plate is to better protect the engine and transmission from these potential threats. This allows you to traverse trails and forest roads with more confidence and helps ensure that you will get back home safe.

CX-50 Skid plate designed to fit like OEM

The CorkSport skid plate has multiple options so you can choose how much protection you want for your CX-50. The OEM splash shield is made up of two pieces: (1) a main rear section that covers the underside of the engine, transmission, and transfer case and (2) a front section that sits underneath the front bumper and radiator.

Option 1 of the CS skid plate is a replacement rear section only. The thick 5mm aluminum plate protects the critical drivetrain components while integrating with the plastic OEM front section.*

Option 2 of the CS skid plate replaces both sections of the OEM splash shield. It includes the same thick rear section but also includes a thinner front section (The same 2.25mm material used in our other skid plates). The front section offers much better protection for the radiator and front components than OEM, but the thinner material reduces added weight.

*Don’t worry, though; you can always start with the rear section and upgrade to full front & rear coverage later with our upgrade kit!

The design of the CorkSport Skid Plate is modeled after the factory shape of the OE cover to ensure proper fitment and coverage of the underside of your CX-50.

We changed where the skid plate attaches to the vehicle for sturdier mounting. We use aluminum standoffs in four key locations that allow for M10 hardware to be used instead of the OEM M6 hardware and push clips.

A slight modification is required if you install only the main CS skid plate, as two holes must be drilled in the plastic OEM splash shield to accommodate the new mounting points. This does not cause any issues if you decide to go back to the OEM splash shield at a later date. Good news, though—if you chose both sections of the CS skid plate, no permanent modifications are required for installation!

Skid Plate with optional front plate

We were careful to incorporate all of the features of the OEM splash shield as well! This includes an air duct to keep the transfer case at the proper operating temperature when you are out on the trail (just like OEM).

We also designed a recessed oil change access panel to provide protection to your oil pan while allowing for quick oil changes without full skid plate removal.  The oil cover is flush with the rest of the skid plate, providing a near-seamless transition between the main plate and the oil cover, so there is little chance it can get snagged on anything that you may drive over.  

Designed with easy access for oil changes

The 5052 aluminum that we picked for the CX-50 Skid Main Plate is the thickest we have done to date. At 5mm or just over 3/16in, this skid plate is over double the thickness of our other skid plate fitments to ensure that it can withstand extreme conditions.

To get its shape, the CorkSport Skid Plate is laser cut and then precision bent, which provides a quality fit and finish. The optional front plate is made out of our standard thickness of 2.25mm (~0.090in) aluminum, with the same laser cut and bent process.

All necessary hardware is included for installation and our electronic instructions are conveniently located on our our site, so you can discover new trails in no time.    

Air Ventilation and thickness keep temperatures cool and vital engine components safe

If you are searching for increased underbody protection the CX-50 Skid Plate can provide, head on over to the product listing for additional images and details. As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call!

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Mazda 3 Touring Car Sales – Now Available!

2024 Mazda 3 Turbo Touring Car

CorkSport is happy to announce touring car availability for those people/teams who want a fun-to-drive and great-looking race/track-focused Mazda 3! The goal of the build was to make a competitive and reliable TC race car and get Mazda back into multi-make competition, which goes back to the Speed Vision and World Challenge days of the early 2000s.

For the 2024 season CorkSport has been validating the design work and lessons learned racing the CorkSport Mazda 3 TC in the SRO TC America TC class.  We had multiple podium finishes and ran at the front proving the competitiveness of the Mazda platform against the Hyundai, Honda, and Mini TC class cars.

Competing in the TC America circuit 2024

The base of the build is the Mazda 2.5 Skyactiv engine with a CorkSport bespoke turbo kit developing well over 300 wheel hp in TC trim.  The TC car engine management is handled by a Motec M1 ECU, in conjunction with a Bosch Motorsports LC2 wideband controller, and a Motec C125 dash/logger.

The 6 speed Mazda gearbox is equipped with a clutch type LSD and upgraded 3-4 gears with a transmission cooler, while the clutch is an off the shelf X-Clutch single disc clutch/flywheel combo.

Penske shocks/Swift springs, CorkSport upper mounts, and upgraded suspension pick-up points handle road racing while allowing for accurate suspension settings. 

Mazda 3 Turbo Racecar in TCAmerica

Braking is handled by a 364x32mm 6 piston CorkSport race brake kit which uses floating front rotors paired with upgraded rear pads and brakelines on OEM calipers.  The brakes are covered with 18×10 Enkei lightweight RPF1 wheels.

To top off the build is the widebody kit which includes, front bumper, splitter, front and rear fenders, side skirts, rear bumper and TCr spec rear wing.

Racing TCAmerica team CorkSport
SRO Circuit of the Americas 2024

There is limited availability for the start of the 2025 race season. Currently 2 cars are left for delivery early 2025 for the 2025 TC America race season. 

Mazda Motorsports is supporting the 2025 TC America race season with contingency which can be found at https://www.mazdamotorsports.com/contingency-programs/

Want to purchase a car for yourself or team?  Contact FTG Racing which is the exclusive dealer for more details.

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