Mazda and Mazdaspeed Performance Blog

May 14, 2024May 14, 2024

Behind the Scenes of the Mazda CX-50 Skid Plate Development

For all the Mazda CX-50 owners who like to take the road less traveled, here is a glimpse of our new skid plate releasing in the latter part of this year.

Taking your SUV off-road comes with a new set of challenges and we have designed a skid plate that is a complete solution for those who want and need extra protection for the critical components on the underside of your Mazda. Below, we will cover the unique features that have been added to the CX-50 Skid Plate during the design process.

Material Quality & THICKNESS Matters

For the new CX-50 model, we wanted to take our skid plate up a few notches and provide an even higher level of protection for the off-road oriented Mazda CX-50. The main areas that were focused on include the material thickness and mounting points.

The first addition that leads to the majority of the additional protection and durability, comes from the material thickness that was selected for the main plate vs the flimsy felted-plastic cover provided by Mazda.

Everyone knows that our aluminum skid plates are awesome and provide outstanding protection from the all the woes that on road life can throw at your street vehicle. However, we purposely increased the thickness of the main plate from our standard 0.090” aluminum to 0.187” or 3/16” aluminum. This increase in thickness of the main plate, to over 2x of our standard material, allows for a plate that can withstand a great deal more abuse from objects that you might find out on the trail.

Robust Mounting Points

The next design update we implemented involved larger and more robust mounting points. We relocated the mounting points for the CorkSport CX-50 main skid plate to the 4 corners of the plate. To secure the main plate in these locations M10 size hardware was selected, which vastly exceeds the capabilities of the factory M6 hardware that currently secures the OEM cover. We are also using aluminum standoffs that take advantage of mounting locations in the subframe so that no modifications are needed for installation.

Improved Skid Plate Features

Other noteworthy features built into the CX-50 skid plate include the duct for the front differential and the flush-mounted oil filter cover. For the transfer case duct, we wanted to retain the cooling ability but also modify the design so there is less of an opening for larger debris to penetrate. We accomplished this by utilizing a slotted opening to reduce the size of the debris while still allowing airflow to cool the transfer case.

Moving onto the oil filter cover, we created brackets that go on the top side of the skid plate so that the cover can be fully recessed. This design lessens the chance of the skid plate getting snagged on objects that may come into contact with the skid plate while driving.

A Bigger Option For Better Performance

For the CX-50 skid plate, we will be offering the option to pick up just the main plate or add on the additional front plate for further protection on the front end. The front section maintains the same thickness of 0.090” as our other skid plates so it will also offer a great improvement over the factory plastic piece. The mounting for the front section is tied to the main plate and we have added additional mounting points and standoffs to the front edge. These mounting locations attach to a metal structure in the bumper to provide a more solid place for the front edge to mount.

That brings us to the current status of the project for the CX-50 skid plate. During the time until release, we will be continuing development and some features may change as we fine-tune the details of the skid plate. If you are interested in picking one up in the future, be sure to keep an eye on the website for when it gets released later this year.

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May 9, 2024May 10, 2024

CorkSport’s 7th Gear Membership – Is It Right For You?

We created 7th Gear for a few reasons…

To be transparent, we know our 7th Gear Membership creates brand loyalty – nothing wrong with that – but there is so much more to the program, a lot more.

We wanted our customers to shift the money they were spending on shipping and refocus those funds into their rides. Aftermarket car parts can be a bit expensive, and on average, these parts tend to be physically LARGE, HEAVY, or BOTH. Shipping these items across the country is not cheap despite our negotiated rates and can easily run you approximately ~$30-$80 when ordering a few aftermarket parts or a full catback exhaust. We feel it, too.

With our 7th Gear Membership, you receive a welcome package with merch and stickers, plus free shipping in the lower 48 states or discounted shipping everywhere else. The free or discounted shipping begins on your very 1st purchase and continues across the next 364 days following your date of purchase – Purchases for your vehicle only and requires a free registered CorkSport Account.

In addition, we created a community – Our Exclusive 7th Gear Facebook Group – to share information, chase performance freely, and discuss the variety, frustrations, and general love for your Mazda platform. It’s a place where everyone can openly ask questions without getting crucified in the process or having to decipher a bunch of misinformation.

We expect our members to uphold the spirit of our page and avoid the unnecessary pot-stirring, personal pissing matches, and general vendor bashing that tends to ruin other pages and negatively impact the Mazda Community. We love the support and information-sharing members provide to their fellow enthusiasts – even if this is your first Mazda, you are an OG Mazdaspeed owner, or you just purchased one of Mazda’s latest models!

Most of all – the TOXIC behavior you find on many other pages does not exist here!

Fast Forward 6 + Years Later

7th Gear’s Inner Circle is far from just another “Car Page!” It has strengthened the larger Mazda community, too! Some of our members have been with us since 2017, and others have been done with their build years ago, but each of them continues to renew their membership to be part of the 7th Gear Facebook Group. No doubt, that says something.

Our 7th Gear Members continue to share and support others in and outside our page actively and, in many cases, are driving performance within their platform. They love the group’s atmosphere and know they can seek information as newbies or experienced mechanics without sarcasm or ridicule.

It should be of no surprise that we also tend to hand-pick our sponsored drivers from our 7th Gear Members to represent our brand.

On the flip side, many of our members renew their membership off and on over time as they continue chasing that perfect set-up or as their car evolves from a modified daily driver to a full-on-track car.

OK, So What Does It Cost & What Do I Get?

7th Gear Cost

The cost is relative to the purchase you will make and the build plan you have for your Mazda. Let us explain.

Example 1: You purchase a Cat Back Exhaust, which is shipped from Vancouver, WA, to your garage in Metairie, Louisiana.

Cost of 7th Gear – The Shipping Cost of Your Current Order = Your True Cost of 7th Gear

$99.99 – $89.63 = $10.36 is the True Cost of Your 7th Gear Membership

That’s right! You receive the hat, shirt, stickers, access to the 7th Gear Facebook Page, and free shipping in the lower 48 states for a year – all for an additional $10.36. That, my friends, is an absolutely smoking deal, especially if you are planning to continue modifying your car over the next year.

Example 2: You just picked up a 2022 Turbo Mazda 3 and ready to start your mod journey. As your 1st purchase, you order a Turbo Short Ram Intake and a Heat Shield Shipping from Vancouver, WA, to your garage in Butler, Pennsylvania.

You already know you plan on purchasing Lowering Springs, a Turbo Inlet Pipe, a Down Pipe, and a Cat Back Exhaust over the next year.

Cost of 7th Gear – The Shipping Cost of Your Current Order = Your True Cost of 7th Gear

$99.99 – $43.35 = $56.64 is the True Cost of Your 7th Gear Membership

For an additional $56.64, you will receive free shipping on all your future orders over the next 364 days, plus the 7th Gear Welcome Pack and, of course, access to the Exclusive 7th Gear Facebook Page. It is a sound investment – to make now, not later down the road, as the membership will have already paid for itself by your second or third order.

Example 3: You have been slowly modifying your daily, but you are now ready to wake up the car and your neighbors with a full 80mm Cat Back Exhaust. Shipping from Vancouver, WA, to your garage in Clintonville, Wisconsin.

Cost of 7th Gear – The Shipping Cost of Your Current Order = Your True Cost of 7th Gear

$99.99 – $110.06 = Your 7th Gear Membership just SAVED YOU $10.07 on this order!

This situation is a customer favorite – You quickly realize, by adding a 7th Gear Membership to your order, that you are not only receiving free shipping on your 1st order, plus the swag, and getting access to the 7th Gear Group, but you are also

SAVING MORE THAN YOU ARE PAYING FOR THE MEMBERSHIP!

Essentially, you received free shipping and a small discount on your exhaust order on day one, plus all future orders over the next 364 days will continue to ship for free.

It’s easy to see across all examples that our 7th Gear Membership not only PAYS FOR ITSELF in a very short amount of time but also continues to save you money over the entire year.

7th Gear Welcome Swag Package:

7th Gear Benefits:

Free shipping in the lower 48 states or discounted shipping everywhere else.
The free or discounted shipping begins on your very 1st purchase and continues across the next 364 days following your date of purchase.
Exclusive access to our 7th Gear Facebook Page – This page is a membership favorite!
- Occasionally
  - We offer closeout deals or specials on blemished parts
  - Share insider information
  - New products are almost always released here 1st
Free Renewal Gift if you choose to continue your membership for a consecutive year.

Mazda 3 car cruise at the tail of the dragon

What About the 5% back in CorkSport Points – Do I Still Get Those?

Absolutely! Regardless of whether you are a 7th Gear Member or not, you still earn ~5% back on your parts purchase – with a free registered account – to be used towards future purchases.

We do understand, however, that memberships are not for everyone – and that is AOK. But for those who have and continue to utilize the 7th Gear benefits and are actively supporting the 7th Gear Page – They are LOVING IT!

I will leave you with a few quotes from some current members:

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May 6, 2024May 14, 2024

Mazdaspeed 3 X-Clutch First Review

Many community members are asking, “What clutch should I buy for my Speed3/Speed6?” or “What’s the best clutch for Mazdaspeed 3/6?” and there isn’t a perfect answer because the right answer depends on your goals with your car.

While I can’t say what the best clutch is, I can share my experience to date with my Twin Ceramic Rigid Disc X-Clutch in my Mazdaspeed 3.

First Impressions

Opening the box I found a very well-packaged assembled clutch kit. This included the assembled pressure plate, discs, and flywheel along with a new throw-out bearing, flywheel to crank bolts, and a nice alignment tool. XClutch also included some generic instructions – They certainly don’t rival CorkSport instructions, but are better than most clutch instructions I have used.

Getting into it

Disassembling the clutch assembly I found some nicely constructed components. The material fit and finish was great along with the identification of transmission vs engine side of the discus laser engraved was a nice touch.

Something worth noting: Some clutch kits come to you in separate pieces. This makes you 100% dependent on their instructions for the assembly process (and a lot of times those instructions are lacking), but with the XClutch the whole thing came assembled. I like this because it gave me the chance to see how it was assembled and therefore made me more confident I would assemble it correctly on the engine.

Now let’s get the clutch on the engine. After disassembling the clutch kit, the first part to go on the engine is the flywheel after a quick cleaning of the machine parts and surfaces. Using the provided hardware and some lock-tight the flywheel gets torqued down. The flywheel was a perfect fit on the snout of the crank…a little persuasion was needed which tells me the flywheel will be perfectly centered.

Next is the first clutch disc (make sure you can read “transmission side”) then the middle floater plate. Following that is the next clutch disc (and again make sure you can read “transmission side”) along with the provided alignment tool.

The Tool

So I want to take a minute to talk about the alignment tool. I’ve installed many clutches in many vehicles throughout my life ranging from an OE replacement in my 92’ Mazda b2600i, Mazdaspeed3, and a twin-disc in a Dodge. Every single kit came with the generic plastic alignment tool that doesn’t fit great and flexes.

But not X-Clutch, their kit included a very nice billet steel alignment tool that fit snugs and did not sag or move when installed. This seemingly simple tool made a huge difference in the whole installation process.

Back to the install steps; next up is the pressure plate floater plate. Typically this is part of the pressure plate assembly, but with the Xclutch design, this is separate.

Last is the pressure plate itself which is what applies the force to the clutch discs. The installation of this is slow and tedious, but important to follow. The hardware must be installed and torqued down evenly around the perimeter, much like torquing a wheel but with a lot more lug nuts.

X-Clutch has clear instructions on this so don’t worry.

Bringing it back together

So your clutch is all buttoned up and now it’s time to attach the transmission to the engine. I’ll admit this was a task I was dreading…many times I’ve fought this process because the damn input shaft in the transmission just would not line up with the clutch disc and crank, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I don’t know if it was luck or if the alignment toll was really that perfect, but in one try the transmission slid right onto the clutch and aligned perfectly. It was honestly shocking. I can only hope your installation goes as smoothly.

Now the review you have been wanting…

First impressions are great. The peddle pressure is very similar to OEM, maybe just a hair stiffer, but is nearly identical so if you’re worried about a stiff pedal DON’T, it’s cake. The engagement point is around the middle right now, but I expect it to move up in the pedal stroke slightly as it breaks in further. I like this, but this is a preference thing.

Engagement control is interesting. Going from an ACT 6-puck ceramic to this is very similar in the “grabbiness” of the clutch since they are both ceramic puck discs, but the X-Clutch I would say is a bit more aggressive. This makes sense with the rigid disc design and the very high torque capacity…1,350 ft/lbs!

So here’s my suggestion and you can check them out here. Learn More!

Conclusion

If you want a OE replacement with a bit more headroom for power then the Street single disc organic is going to be your closest bet. If you want good street manners but have more power to hold then the Street Plus twin disc organic is going to be your best balance. Lastly, if you are pursuing motorsports and high heat capacity then the Race twin disc ceramic will be your go-to clutch kit.

-CS

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May 1, 2024May 13, 2024

The Rear End Drivetrain – Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Swap ( Part 5)

Welcome to part 5 of the Mazdaspeed3 AWD Swap (sorry for the delay; things got really busy for a bit)! This blog covers the rear-end drivetrain and the huge modification that makes it all work.

There are a lot of images and explanations of those images so you can see and understand the differences between the Mazdaspeed 6 and CX7 rear drivetrain.

What is the Rear Differential

Jumping right into it, let’s identify what the rear differential is. The rear differential transfers power from the transfer case via a PTO/driveshaft, through the ring and pinion, out to the axles, and then to the wheels and tires.

Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Rear Differential Swap Comparison Mazdaspeed vs CX7 — CX-7 vs Mazdaspeed Differential Comparison

However, as with many modern AWD systems in compact cars, there is a clutch mechanism between the PTO/driveshaft and the differential. This clutch mechanism controls the percentage of engine torque transferred to the rear tires.

In the diagram below, we’ve identified the two major sections of the differential assembly. The line demonstrates the connection point between the two sections. The rear section is the gear housing, and the front is the clutch housing.

Differential Gear Housing and clutch housing diagram

Now that you understand the differential assembly. Let’s identify the difference between Mazdaspeed 6 and CX7. There are two major differences.

Differences In Differential

The first difference is the clutch housing mounting points for the front subframe mounting brackets. In the image below, you will see two mounting points with threaded holes on the right side of the differential, while the other differential does not have those mounting points.

The CX7 differential is on the left, and the Speed 6 is on the right. The CX7 on the left)has TWO front mounting points whereas, the Speed 6 only has a ONE mount. While this may not be a big deal for a daily driver with modest power levels, it’s a huge advantage for a racecar with nearly 900whp.

Comparison of CX7 and Mazdaspeed 6 differential side by side — Left to Right: CX-7 and Mazdaspeed Differential

Moving to the inside of the gear housings, the CX7 uses an open differential setup, vs the Mazdaspeed 6, uses a Mazda proprietary LSD (limited slip differential). The LSD is more desirable because it will provide better power distribution to both rear tires vs the open differential.

Fun Fact: the Mazda-developed LSD uses “friction cone washers” sandwiched between the spider gears and differential carrier housing to create the limited slip effect. As load is applied through the spider gears, the increased load presses the spider gears against the friction washer, which makes this a very street-friendly and progressive type of LSD. Check it out below.

So here we are at a point where we need to use the CX7 differential because it has the ideal two-mounting front section, and we have a CX7 subframe, so…duh, but we want the rear LSD for better power distribution.

Time to split these differentials in half and see if we can swap things around.

Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Differential Swap separated — Rear Differential Separated

Splitting them in half to separate the clutch housing and gear housing, we can see a splined connection that interlocks the two halves.

Mazdaspeed 6 Rear Differential Gear Housing

On the gear housing side, the pinion gears are retained by an internal nut, which is good because splitting the assemblies did not affect the pre-load on the bearings.

Mazdaspeed 6 Rear Differential Clutch Housing

Let’s look at the clutch housing side. The clutch pack is retained by the external nut on the driveshaft flange; again, splitting the assemblies did not affect any bearing pre-load.

Things are looking great! And with that, we assembled the CX7 clutch housings with the Speed6 gear housings without issues!

Now to review: if you are doing this swap, you will NEED a CX7 rear differential assembly, but you DO NOT NEED a speed6 rear differential assembly. We only did that to learn and to get the LSD. You can use the CX7 as is because the gear ratio is the same, and the LSD is not required.

Next up are the suspension trailing arms; when using the OEM Speed3 suspension, the trailing arms need to be modified to use the OEM CX7 wheel bearings.

Modifying the Trail Arms of the Mazdaspeed

Mazdaspeed 3 trailing arm plate — Mazdaspeed 3 Trailing Arm Plate

The OEM trailing arm has a beefy steel plate welded to the stamped steel structure. While the bolt and center holes look correct, they are slightly different in bore and location.

Mazdaspeed 3 trailing arm showing fitment — Mazdaspeed Trailing Arm

To make the Mazdaspeed 3 trailing arm work, modification was needed via welding the original bolt holes shut and then redrilling the holes in the correct bolt pattern for the CX7 wheel bearing. Along with that, the center bore diameter had to be increased slightly as well.

New Welded Holes for the Mazdaspeed
fitting cx7 bearings — New Welded Holes for the Mazdaspeed

Fitment of the Rear Trailing Arms & CX7 Wheel Bearing

Modifying the rear trailing arms is only 1 of 3 major fabrication projects needed for the AWD swap. The others are building a Rear Motor Mount (which I designed a badass billet one for) and the center driveshaft mounting plate which I also designed.

Now, with the trailing arms and wheel bearings in place, we can finally figure out the rear axle lengths. Checking both the Speed 6 and CX7 rear OEM axles, I found they use the same wheel bearing and differential inputs, which is great. However, The lengths are not the same.

Unfortunately, in test fitting the Speed 6 and CX7, we found that both needed to be shorter for the Speed 3 application. With that fact, the cost is a lot more expensive for anyone swapping because of the needed custom rear axles.

I was personally going to get custom rear axles either way due to the power levels and use of the Halfmilespeed3, but it’s not a requirement.

Rear Custom Axles for the Mazdaspeed 3 — 700WHP Rated Custom Rear Axles

Fast forward many weeks, and we have a set of custom-length 700WHP-rated rear axles to compliment the front DSS 5.9 axles.

Rear Custom Axles installed on the 2007-2009 Mazdaspeed 3

All bolted in and looking great! While doing this I learned a few things and realized that one of my assumptions was wrong.

The front axles work and don’t work from the MS3. The driver front MS3 axles will interface perfectly with the Mazdaspeed6 transmission. However, the inboard CV housing/spline section for the passenger side front will need to be replaced/modified to work with the speed6 intermediate shaft.
The rear ABS sensor for the Mazdaspeed3 will not work with a Speed6-style ABS trigger wheel. They use a much different and more modern magnetic trigger wheel incorporated in the rear ABS sensor for the Mazdaspeed3 will not work with a Speed6-style ABS trigger wheel. They use a much different and more modern magnetic trigger wheel incorporated inside the wheel bearings…which we don’t have when using the CX7 wheel bearings. This has led me to develop custom ABS trigger wheels to work with the OEM Mazdaspeed 3 sensor. More on that later.

Alright, that wraps up the rear drivetrain setup. There are plenty more huge milestones to overcome, which are coming up in this multi-part blog series!

I hope you are enjoying this series about the Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Swap. Stay tuned for more blogs to come!

You can also find updates on my IG @halfmilespeed3, the CorkSport 7^th Gear Membership, and on mazdaspeeds.org.

Thanks for tuning in!

-Barett @ CS

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January 9, 2024January 11, 2024

The Easy Boost Gauge Reference Adapter for the 2021+ Mazda 3

Getting accurate readings for your Mazda Skyactiv 2.5L turbo is nearly impossible. Now your boost & vacuum signal for your 4th generation 2021+ Mazda 3 turbo just got so much easier with the CorkSport Boost Reference Adapter. Designed for all Skyactiv 2.5L Turbo models, adding a boost gauge could not be easier!

CorkSport Boost Reference Adapter Mazda 3 Skyactiv 2.5L Turbo

Mazda, We Have A Problem

While we are all grateful that Mazda finally put a turbo in the 4th GEN Mazda 3, they did not see fit to include a boost gauge of any type for the driver. Adding a boost gauge to your Mazda 3 Turbo (or other Mazda models with the 2.5L turbo engine) is now easy with the CorkSport Boost Reference Adapter & CorkSport Boost Gauge!

Mazda 3 Boost Reference Adapter with MAP sensor installed

The Challenge

The challenge with Mazda’s design is that they didn’t provide a port to get boost and vacuum signal from your Skyactiv Turbocharged engine. Why?! It’s a mystery to us. Since data is crucial to improving performance, we wanted a solution to get this information. It quickly became apparent to our engineers that we needed a bolt-on solution that provides the world with the missing link!

The Mazda 3 Turbo 4th Gen Boost Reference Adapter with Map sensor installed

A Bolt On Solution

The CorkSport Boost Reference Block provides a very simple way to source boost and vacuum from the intake manifold post intercooler. This gives you the best possible boost signal right as the airflow enters the engine.

The installation is easy. The bolt-on design allows you to simply attach your boost gauge hose to the barb fitting once the adapter block is installed! Boom! Now that the problem has also been solved, let’s build a better Mazda 3 Turbo!

Upgrade your 4th Gen Mazda 3 Turbo with the essential Boost Reference Adapter. It gives you precise readings to help boost your Mazda’s performance.

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CorkSport Mazda Performance Blog

Posts

Behind the Scenes of the Mazda CX-50 Skid Plate Development

Material Quality & THICKNESS Matters

Robust Mounting Points

Improved Skid Plate Features

A Bigger Option For Better Performance

CorkSport’s 7th Gear Membership – Is It Right For You?

We created 7th Gear for a few reasons…

Fast Forward 6 + Years Later

OK, So What Does It Cost & What Do I Get?

What About the 5% back in CorkSport Points – Do I Still Get Those?

I will leave you with a few quotes from some current members:

Mazdaspeed 3 X-Clutch First Review

First Impressions

Getting into it

The Tool

Bringing it back together

Conclusion

The Rear End Drivetrain – Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Swap ( Part 5)

What is the Rear Differential

Differences In Differential

Modifying the Trail Arms of the Mazdaspeed

The Easy Boost Gauge Reference Adapter for the 2021+ Mazda 3

Mazda, We Have A Problem

The Challenge

A Bolt On Solution

Material Quality & THICKNESS Matters

Robust Mounting Points

Improved Skid Plate Features

A Bigger Option For Better Performance

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

We created 7th Gear for a few reasons…

Fast Forward 6 + Years Later

OK, So What Does It Cost & What Do I Get?

What About the 5% back in CorkSport Points – Do I Still Get Those?

I will leave you with a few quotes from some current members:

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

First Impressions

Getting into it

The Tool

Bringing it back together

Conclusion

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

What is the Rear Differential

Differences In Differential

Modifying the Trail Arms of the Mazdaspeed

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

Mazda, We Have A Problem

The Challenge

A Bolt On Solution

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