Prepping Your Mazda for Winter Weather

Oh, winter and the holidays. It’s an amazing and stressful time of year when we hope all the time spent shopping for that perfect gift for our lady means we get the karmic payoff of loads of CorkSport parts in our stocking — or, even better, when they’re rad mods too big to fit in a stocking! (If you didn’t get that special CorkSport part this year, or you’re still shopping for the Mazda fanatic in your life, check out the last-minute holiday gift guide).

 

Now that we’re past focusing on holiday madness, it’s time to get back to thinking about your Mazda. ‘Tis also the season of winter weather and slick, sludge-covered roads. At CorkSport, we’re here to help with that. We don’t want you to fret about snow damaging your ride or how a trip to the mountain for snowboarding might fill your car with salt-filled snowmelt, so take a look at these Mazdaspeed 3 mods you’ll want this winter.

Mud flaps

CorkSport Mazda Mud Flap

Branded with a stylish CorkSport laser-etched logo, these 80A durometer 1/8” thick urethane flaps protect your baby from the abuse of road debris and snow buildup. They’re heavy-duty enough to keep your vehicle in great shape, but durable and flexible enough to hold up to wear and tear — they won’t peel, fade, rust, or break. Fear no road with these bad boys installed, which only takes about an hour!

Floor mats

CorkSport Mazda Floor Mats

If you know the snow’s about to hit, it’s easy to grab a trash bag to lay down and protect your car from the snow that’ll drip off your shoes. But who wants to pick someone up for a ride with garbage bag-lined floors? And nothing ruins a good entrance like stepping out of your ride with a trash bag accidentally stuck to your shoe. Our floor mats are the accessory you need to protect your vehicle from the winter weather and look good doing it. With OEM fitment that delivers show car quality, these mats feature a fully sewn and sealed edge along the high-quality carpeting to deliver a long lasting, durable floor protector.

Car cover

Don’t make the mistake of simply trying to protect your Mazda while it’s on the road. Keeping your car covered during the winter weather is crucial. With a five-layer composite structure to protect against all forms of water — even falling icicles that can cause scratches — this cover also keeps your ride safe against the additional UV rays that bright white snow banks can bombard your car with in winter. Even better, this cover comes with a tie-down and adjustable buckle so it won’t blow off during winter storms.

Aluminum skidplate

CorkSport Mazda Aluminum Skidplate

Winterizing isn’t just about protecting your car’s good looks. You want to protect that undercarriage as well. Don’t put in all that hard work just to let a snowy, salty, gravelly road mess it up! Made of a single piece of 0.090” precision machined aluminum to deliver maximum coverage with minimum effect on your vehicle’s weight, the skidplate also features an opening that makes oil changes a breeze. You can hit those winter roads with peace of mind that your hard work isn’t going to get dinged up along the way, no matter what the weather.
These winterizing tips should help you start preparing your Mazda for the months ahead. If you have tips and thoughts of your own based on cold weather experience, we’d love to hear them in the comments below. And, if you apply any CorkSport mods to prepare for the snow, make sure to share them with us using the hashtag #CorkSport on Twitter and Instagram!

CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Short Shift Plate

It is back from the dead! CorkSport is happy to announce the return of the Mazdaspeed 6/MPS 6 shift plate. We took our original design and adjusted it based on feedback from customers who owned the original to bring you a new and improved product.

screen-shot-2016-09-14-at-6-50-31-pm

CorkSport’s Mazdaspeed 6 Short Shift Plate has been designed to provide a 33% reduction in shift throw. The unique design of our shift plate provides maximum benefit to Mazdaspeed 6 drivers by changing the geometry at the shifter end to remove the feeling of synchros where it is most noticeable – in gears one and two. The shift plate bolts directly to the car, eliminating the need to bolt on to the factory or an aftermarket counterweight.

Continue reading “CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Short Shift Plate”

The New CorkSport Mazda 3 Rear Motor Mount

Feel like your SkyActiv-powered Mazda is lacking a bit of throttle response and driver feedback?

We hear you, that’s why we’re introducing the all new CorkSport Race Rear Motor Mount for 2014+ Mazda 3 and Mazda 6, as well as 2013+ Mazda CX-5.

CorkSport Mazda 3 Rear Motor Mount

Manufactured from 6061-T6 aluminum and anodized, the CorkSport Race RMM is strong, durable, and lightweight. What truly sets the CorkSport Race RMM apart from the competition goes to the 70a polyurethane. This RMM does not use polyurethane inserts that can loosen up and degrade. The 70a polyurethane is poured directly into the mount for a permanent bond with the aluminum body and bushing collar.

CorkSport Mazda 6 Rear Motor Mount

More than a handful of prototypes have been tested to ensure that the product arriving at your door is the very best it can be. We tested different durometer polyurethane from 60a to 80a (as well as different bushing sizes) to find the maximum improvement of throttle response and driver feedback without excessive noise, vibration, and harshness. Check out one of the prototypes below.

CorkSport Mazda CX-5 Rear Motor Mount

Now you might be thinking: “How does a motor mount improve throttle response and driver feedback?” In FWD vehicles it is typical for the engine to be oriented in a transverse layout. This means the engine is parallel to the axle centerline, whereas in a longitudinal layout (typical of V8’s and RWD vehicles) the engine is perpendicular to the axle centerline. Anyway, the engine/transmission applies a rotational force (torque) to the drive shafts, in turn rotating the wheels/tires forward.

“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” – Newton’s third law of motion.

The amount of torque applied to the wheels is equal and opposite to what is applied to the engine itself, but what keeps the engine from just rotating? Enter the engine mounts. Unfortunately, the OEM engine mounts are very soft, so the engine is able to move and rotate substantially while driving. This makes for a very plush ride inside the cab, but sacrifices throttle response, driver feedback, and really the general driving experience. Replacing the RMM drastically reduces the amount of rotation the engine is allowed which in turn forces more of the engine’s torque to the tires sooner instead of just rotating the engine in the engine bay. This holds true for any action that affects the engine: throttle inputs, up-shifting, down-shifting…etc.

CorkSport Mazda 3 Rear Motor Mount

Improve your vehicle’s performance with the CorkSport Race RMM, and pair it up with the CorkSport Short Shift Plate and Shifter Bushings for the ultimate performance package!

-Barett, CS Engineering

Barett Strecker-01

2015 Recap of Our New Mazda Parts

Increase your Mazdaspeed's handling and style with this new leather steering wheel.

With April just around the corner, we’re a quarter of the way through 2015, and it’s already been a great year for new Mazda parts. Things will only get more exciting when we release our turbocharger (soon, soon: good things take time), but we’re really happy with the inventory we’ve added in the past three months:

2007-2009 Mazdaspeed 3 Adjustable Short Shifter

One more shot of the short shifterYou don’t need to feel stuck with the OEM anymore. Our double-adjustable short shifter for the 2007-2009 Mazdaspeed 3 allows you to personalize throw distance and shift knob height (up to 2 1/4″ in height reduction!). See the video, full specs, and design with the link above. You know you need this.

Mazdaspeed Boost Control Solenoid

 

Reasons to Buy the EBCS

Your Blow-Off Valve can’t do all the work. That’s why we developed the Mazdaspeed Electronic Boost Control Solenoid for ya: An EBCS that uses the latest solenoid technology to build boost faster and minimize boost spikes and creep. To feel the difference in horsepower for yourself, just click on that link to buy yours today.

2006-2007 Mazdaspeed 6 Upper Control Arms

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The next suspension mod for your 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed 6 is here. Our adjustable front camber arms help you balance your tires and grip as you perfect your cornering performance on the track—then adjust back to your ideal degree for city driving. These pair nicely with our front strut bar for the Mazdaspeed 6.

Leather Shift Knob for Mazdas

Side View of Mazda Shift Knob

Want some style to go with that new short shifter? We’ve got you covered. Our embroidered and hand-stitched leather shift knob weighs 320 grams, improving gear-changing smoothness and making you feel more connected to the transition. Whatever Mazda you drive, you need this knob.

2006-2007 Mazdaspeed 6 Rear Brake Pads

New Mazdaspeed 6 Rear Brake Pads

Get ready to brake in a whole new way. These Mazdaspeed 6 rear brake pads use our proprietary semi-metallic and ceramic formula to improve your braking power and handling. With a smooth feel, low dust, and less brake fade than the usual standard, you need these—and some new front pads while you’re at it!

2010-2013 Mazdaspeed 3 Hood Scoop

Increase Mazdaspeed 3 Cold Air Intake

Increase your performance and step up your look with our latest hood scoop for the 2010-2013 Mazdaspeed 3. With a 52% larger opening than the OEM hood scoop and a mirror-like finish, you’re going to turn heads while increasing the cold air inflow to your top mount intercooler.

2007-2009 Mazdaspeed 3 Steering Wheel

Increase your Mazdaspeed's handling and style with this new leather steering wheel.

Last (er, most recently) but not least: Our hand wrapped and stitched leather steering wheel for the Gen 1 Mazdaspeed 3 and Mazda 3! As our engineer Barett wrote in a recent post, if you’ve been on the fence about performance steering wheels, this is going to blow you over. But act fast. There’s a limited availability of these beauties.

Fast Facts about the New #CorkSport Shirt

Look good while you drive good (and do other stuff good too) with our new #CorkSport hashtag t-shirt.

Standing in style with the new #CorkSport t-shirt

#CorkSport says a lot in one word: That you care about quality; that you’re passionate about Mazdas; and that power and speed are some of the most important things in life—or at least driving. So why not tell the world you’re a Mazda head with this shirt?

Available in white:

White CorkSport Shirt

….and black:

Black CorkSport T-shirt

…so you can look good before or after Labor Day.

Now, onto the nitty-gritty:

  • CorkSport Service & Support: The advantage of the CorkSport hashtag shirt is that it comes in two colors and multiple sizes. Choices, guys.
  • OEM Fitment: The shirts are a 60/40 cotton/poly mix.
  • Track-Tested: We have personally worn these shirts at the track, and they hold up great to working conditions and make you look good..
  • Dusting: There is no dusting under heavy performance with these shirt.
  • All-Weather Performance: If it is raining or snowing and you are wearing just this shirt you will get wet. Sorry folks it cannot do everything. Your hair will get wet too.
  • Hashtag Obligation: Using the CorkSport hashtag will not improve the comfort level of this shirt, but you should use it anyway.

Any other questions? All right, now go get yours.