I want those silver fender strakes, but refuse to pay $200 for them. Anyone have any sources where I can find them cheaper than that?

They are worth the $200! Just order them -- makes a world of difference in the appearence of the RX. I don't believe that anyone has put out a knock-off version yet.

www.trussvillemazda.com/partsstore

is the cheapers official ones I think

Check out ebay. some just got sold for 160.00

get the original ones.. they are of the highest quality solid polished aluminum.

gives you everything you need to install it correctly, with exception to the small knobby phillips screwdriver you'll need to remove the plastic secure screws of the wheel well lining.

Don't make me order the factory strakes!

I have heard from two machinists on this site that they were 'working on' the strakes, and would have them for sale 'soon'....

The first (and last) factory option I bought was that piece of sh1t 'alarm shock upgrade'!

There is a fortune waiting for knock-off strakes, people!

S

If that is true, I will most certainly wait. I don't care how great they feel or look...$175-$200 for FOUR PIECES OF THIN METAL is ridiculous.

If another company is making their version of strakes for a significantly cheaper price, I'm in!

I for one do not wish to pay over $300CAD for a few metal pieces. I am also interested in other accessories if available for less than Mazda price.:D

Count me in...

price gauging sucks
but I paided
I tried to fight it but I couldn't

Originally posted by RX8Lover
Anyone have any sources where I can find them cheaper than that? In the dealership lot sometime after midnight. Watch out for night watchmen though. ;)

ROFL

Originally posted by eccles
In the dealership lot sometime after midnight. Watch out for night watchmen though. ;)

Not a bad idea...maybe I'll get a front air dam too, with my 5-finger discount and all!

I really want these too but can't see spending that much for them... i already got ripped off enough for the polished rotor accents :mad:


I'm actually starting to consider how much it would cost to buy a set and take it to a local sandcasting shop and having them make a mold and a pouring few sets...

If you did that, and sold 'em for less than $50 apiece, you'd probably make a mint!

Originally posted by Omicron
If you did that, and sold 'em for less than $50 apiece, you'd probably make a mint!
Less than 50 apiece??? Ummm, there are 4 strakes x $50 = $200, how is that a good deal? :D
Just kidding, I know what you mean...
The money they ask for these strakes is highway robbery. However, since it's not likely that someone comes out with an equally good set in the near future (and me being impatient :D) I'll probably shell out the bucks :(

Anyone have any updates on these fender strakes?

If i could get exact dimensions, I know someone who would probably make them, he is aan excellant metalsmith. I have a hard believing that the materials cost more than $20 + 8-10 hours of labor, if that.

OK... so who's willing to measure their strakes for the sake of the rest of us? :D

I just got mine and installed them myself. The quality is very high. Each strake is custom designed to fit the curve of the vehicle's body at the point of installation...

...so you get to design four of them LOL, have fun. They are even individually marked with LU, LL, etc..

They must be installed almost perfectly or they won't look right. The installation template sucks. I did mine by eye and even backed up 50 feet from multiple angles to verify the install as well as measuring the distance between strakes at both ends before doing the tape removal. If you dont clean the metal of your car with white gas (camping fuel) and make sure the metal is warm on your car (hair dryer) the strakes won't stay on correctly as they are not only bolted in place they are two- sided taped on too for alignment purposes.

Now all of you would be enginners consider a couple other factors. Do you have a custom two side tape company lined up that can put out about the thinnest two sided tape I have ever seen? After you build those strakes, can you custom drill those strakes so that your bolt can screw in and can you line that little hole up perfectly with the those little diamond holes in the black plastic cover?

If you can do all of that you still won't get rich if Mazda marketing has anyone with a brain in that department as they should be standard equipment on the 2005 (add $400.00 to the price)

Oh BTW, they are stunning. I love them. They look awesome on Winning Blue. Few accessories I have ever seen do more to make a car look cool than these little gems.

And no I don't work for Mazda, I just know excellent engineering design and craftsmanship when I see it.

well, maybe i'll just buy a set and have him work from that. if he can duplicate it, then we'll see what happens.........

Originally posted by Charleston

Now all of you would be enginners consider a couple other factors. Do you have a custom two side tape company lined up that can put out about the thinnest two sided tape I have ever seen? After you build those strakes, can you custom drill those strakes so that your bolt can screw in and can you line that little hole up perfectly with the those little diamond holes in the black plastic cover?



I am an engineer... I could easily get a sand cast mold from an original and get some 3M tape from Pep Boys... and then chrome plate the suckers to look really amazing and it would still cost about $50 a set.

..but I neither have the time nor the ambition right now

I really thought the strakes were a rip-off price-wise when I ordered them, but I must say that the quality, fit and finish are outstanding. All of the OEM parts I've added have been like that. The aluminum pedals, foot-lights and rotary accent (especially the front) were top-notch.

Agreed. Expensive stuff, probably costs more than it should, but good quality.

Just bought a pair from a dealer on EBAY for $149.00!
I think there coming down in price guys!

I'm sure I speak for the rest of us full-price strake owners when I say, "You suck cebat!" ;-)

I paided 200 but that was in august

I think the strakes are sweet

A couple of us were sitting around yesterday discussing the prices of options, and the strakes in particular, when one guy has this idea to get some cast and polished, and sell them.......

Since this guy goes by the forum name"Canzoomer" and since he had that familiar glint in his eye, I would suggest you e-mail him with your interest in some cheap strakes.......

S

does canzoomer want to make a mazdaspeed kit also?????

that would be cool

hi guys, i was reading all the reply's on strakes .i'am a cnc machinist and in the works on making them for $100.00 for a set of (4) plus shipping $200 is crazy from the dealers but i bought set to copy and make some at my work on the side .i am not a vender,give me 2 weeks .i all ready make the rotor shaped valve stem caps with the rx8 logo on them on (E.BAY) CHECK them out
HAPPY REVVVIING

RX8MAN04:

you da man!! :) You taking orders yet for the strakes? I'm sure you'll be able to recoup your loss for the OEM strakes. Who else is interested? :D

After seeing the finished product in photos....I'm interested in saving a hundred bucks....thats for certain.

Finally something coming out of this thread that I started months ago. I would pay $100 for the 4 strakes, but definitely not $200 like other suckers here in this forum who think that's a "good deal".

count me in as a customer for the $100 strakes. where do i send my check?

rx8lover

you better keep waiting

But it feels nice already having them

i gave in and got them as a christmas present from my parents :o


I looked them over, theres absolutely no reason somebody couldn't get a cast knock-off for a couple bucks ( I actually got a quote for $30 a set for kicks). All it would take is some polishing time and a drill and tap. Too bad I'm too lazy and have no time < sigh> .

I had thoughts of chrome plating too since they aren't real real shinny.

I'm definitely interested...

Waaaall, no offense, but even $100 for a set sounds a bit high to me. But I would consider paying that for a good quality set.

100 bucks and Im there

Just purchased a set from ebay. $149...its worth doing a search...

Yeah, I believe you purchased those right before me, Irish. I wasn't too thrilled when I clicked on the BUY IT NOW and it told me they were already sold. =)

I guess I should be quicker on the trigger. =)

--Landon

Originally posted by Landon_Starr
Yeah, I believe you purchased those right before me, Irish. I wasn't too thrilled when I clicked on the BUY IT NOW and it told me they were already sold. =)

I guess I should be quicker on the trigger. =)

--Landon


It always sucks when that happens, or if someone outbids you. Some guy paid $225 for strakes off ebay - must of been purely for the bid win.

Try emailing them, they might sell you a pair - they would save then on ebay costs...

Good idea.....

--Landon

I put mine on last week. $158 delivered, off eBay. As everyone has said, the OEM strakes are both well made and unreasonably expensive. See my post (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17373) on the install.

Has anyone got an update on fender strakes that are available for less than $200 a kit? I've just decided it's too hard to justify that money for a few peices of aluminum and bolts. I also haven't had much luck finding any on Ebay.

I'm waiting too - I refuse to shell out $200 for 4 slivers of metal.

they are worth it

dont hold your breath for price to drop

I called Mazdatrix today and was about to order some strakes. I gave them all my information and he told me they don't have any of the polished aluminum or brushed. Supposedly their last batch came in all gray!!???

Anyone receive a set from these guys?

I cancelled my order because it sounded fishy.

my strakes, intake, exhaust, eibach springs have all come from mazdatrix but I have never heard of grey strakes

Well, they have dropped in price to $150 on ebay, and 185 with some other dealerships through this site.

Thats just insane.... Im sorry but they dont look good enought to pay $200 for!!!

I agree. They should cost maybe 100 bucks. But, they don't so that will be 1 of the last things I do.

No kidding. 200 for 4 aluminum slivers is a bit much. Anybody with them, can you measure them out? I'm gonna find out what it would cost to machine a set.

Hell, Might even be doable by hand and dremel over a weekend. (after cutting the basic outline on a nice big saw of course.

Well, someone posted a picture of them here (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13420&perpage=15&pagenumber=3) but I have yet to see dimensions.

If some enterprising soul would buy a set of these then make copies, you'd probably make a mint.

Originally posted by mikeb
...I have never heard of grey strakes In Europe they have a choice between polished and brushed aluminum. The brushed looks gray, I saw a picture but don't recall which thread. Probably in multimedia or europe forum.

The easiest way to make cheap fender strakes? Plastic, baby, plastic. I couldn't believe how cheezy my wheel centers were, but they look great on the car:
http://web2.chicagonet.net/~reds/4%20Center%20Caps.jpg
http://web2.chicagonet.net/~reds/wheel%20only%20new%20caps.jpg
The blue ones were also plastic:
http://web2.chicagonet.net/~reds/wheel%20center%20close.jpg

Any updates on these? Is anyone making some replica's that aren't $200 yet?

Ok, some friends and myself are in the final process of our first set of "beta" plastic strakes. They're hard plastic cast polyurethane. They're super-stiff and should last a long while. We are going to paint them with a simple primer and *may* end up doing body colours. For now I'm asking one of you to test them out and vouch for the quality of them. They're completely smooth and have the exact same shape as the metal ones. Once I get feedback from one or two of you I'll start taking orders. We've spent many hours on getting these repros' down.

So any volunteers?

Count me in.....

PM the details

I'll test another set if you have 2. We can see how well they stand up to a New England winter :) PM me.

Ok, you two will do. You realize you'll have to paint them to match your ride or try to find a chrome paint that looks like the original polished aluminum set.

I think sunlight silver will look nice. I know a body man who will do it...:)

Totally... we're already starting to think of the options one could do with these. You could mix/match colour scheme. Maybe match your interior or match other accents (wheels?).

I wonder how they'd look in brillant black or some sort of "polished" look piant? Anyone have any idea's?

Thanks Paul!!

Actually....the silver might also look good on Black because they match the stock wheels perfectly.



Velocity red strakes on red would look great too.

That gets me to thinking,,,,,,,

I bet Sunlight Silver front and rear rotor accents would go nice with the body matched strakes.

hmmmmm....

Gyro:

Who are you having paint up your strakes? I also think sunlight liver would look sweet against my black and match the wheels quite nicely. Let me know as I might have you have mine painted up too ;)

OK no problem......

I will swing in to the body shop this week to see Alex the body man.....:)

oh....to answer your question.....Guy's auto body in Billerica Ma.

Ive had collision work there done in years past. The paint work always looked really good.

You guys might note that fender grills (the black part that the strakes attach to) are available at Trussvillemazda.com. They are $12.36 each, one left one right, parts number F151-50-920A and F151-50-910A. Why do I mention this? Because if anyone wants to experiment with painting their fenders different colors, its easy to do and presents little risk because you can always replace the set for $25. This also opens up the possibility that someone could produce the grills or improve their design, perhaps making fender strakes that come pre-attached to the grill so there is no bolting to do....

Just thinking out loud... congrats on what seems like a sensible idea to me. $200 for strakes is just too much.

Originally posted by MEGAREDS
You guys might note that fender grills (the black part that the strakes attach to) are available at Trussvillemazda.com. They are $12.36 each, one left one right, parts number F151-50-920A and F151-50-910A.

Wow.....thats very reasonable

The small triangular panel that houses the tweeters is $50 each....as a comparison.

A forum member experimented and did paint the fender grills silver ...on a black car. It looked pretty good. I will keep mine black for contrast. At that price...your right...someone might be more apt to test out an idea. These primed strakes seem like an outstanding idea....cheaper and will be different than whats out there.

great news- just what I have been waiting for-- but to keep the end costs down, I really think they have to come painted- the manufacture costs of painting would be nominal vs. the end user having to negotiate a rate with a shop to mix paint and then clean the sprayer for a small job- they'll have to charge alot. I say just pick 2 or 3 colors (chrome being one of them) and just offer that- of course- you can also still offer the unpainted or primed ones as well.

Can you guys do rotary accents as well- that's a natural for a plastic painted part.

Could probably do accents. I think I'll give that a whack after we step up on the strakes. I should be able to take my own off and copy those. Once again people could come up with some interesting colours for that.

Mmmmmmmmm colored strakes. Might do mine in brillant black and see how they come out. I like the subtle look. :)

ANy updates on the strakes?

I'm getting by replacment 8 in 1 week and would love to put the strakes on- just not at $200.

Thanks

I'm still looking for exact replica's (not plastic) as well.

Now metal is going to be a tough one. I've talked to several machine shops and custom metal fab. shops and nobody wants to take a crack at it. Even if they could they say the pieces would easily be over 200 a set.

Originally posted by antichristpm
Now metal is going to be a tough one. I've talked to several machine shops and custom metal fab. shops and nobody wants to take a crack at it. Even if they could they say the pieces would easily be over 200 a set.

talk to a sandcasting shop instead. They should be able to make a mold from an original piece and poor in aluminum and make a set for $20 or so. All that will need to be done is some polishing afterwards.

If you could make a set for 40 bucks, tap the proper holes and fit the right bolt and shine them up, you'd have a hot item - make a fortune on eBay selling them at $120 a set... but I bet Mazda has a design patent on their shape.

Ok, for painting them there are a couple of colors of "anodizing" I have seen You start with a silver base, then paint the color over it and lastly put a clear coat on. The two colors that I have seen are blue and red. I've used the blue on computer cases but not the red. Of course, I have the Velocity Red so if these plastic strakes ever come to fruition, I may just have to invest in a set.

Has anyone ever thought about puting on more than 2 per side?

It's off to Photo Shop I go!

Here is a photo shopper of a Red with anodized strakes. Not only that but also I added a third strake, just to see what that would look like too.

And thanks to another posting from a forum member here is his original gray with three strakes.

Mazda suggests that each OEM strake is unique (at least they are labelled uniquely), so you may find that getting three to fit well is exceptionally difficult. I think it possible you'd have to shape each one individually and could not use the OEM strakes as templates because the angles to fit to the body of the car would be wrong. Perhaps it wouldn't be much of a problem, but I think it's something one would need to consider carefully. Then again, they may all be the same and just labelled differently for convenience.

Another point is that you'd have to make sure that the posts would work in the locations you select... as I recall the fender grill, it is not possible to put posts through any hole... some are covered over with supporting plastic on the back side (I think, but am not sure). That middle strake particularly concerns me as I think there may be a supporting plastic strip dead center on the back of the fender grill.

You can see the supporting plastic in this photo... which shows that the support plastic is not dead center but in two strips about 1/3 up and 2/3 up...

Yeah, I see the support plastic strips. However, we are talking custom made strakes in the earlier part of this thread.

I did look at the drawings, even copied one of the lower strakes onto the upper strake and they were identical.

However, that is an illustration. In an actual photo of the strakes laid out, one of them is longer than the other but it may be due to angle of the photo.

Also, if one were to mount a custom strake through an area other than the obvious strips, all you would need is a backing material similar in composition or even a simple washer. On some other post, I thought they were also affixed with some adhesive other than the tape that the photo I am posting shows.

I love the third strake!!!! I want 3 strakes....... can this be done?

Where there is a will, there is a way but not at the present moment.

When I first saw the stakes at the dealers I was not impressed - but looking at the colour matched / triple stakes - sign me up !!! - John

Yep, I really like the tripple strake look too.

3 looks like too much to me

kinda like the crossfire

the strakes DO NOT mount to the 2 plastic strips in the grill. They use a bolt on the back of the strake that slides through the honeycomb openings and then used a nut/washer on the backside.

Also, I'm pretty sure that the upper and lower strake is different. Adding a 3rd would need some more redesigning to match the body curve.

Most likely all three would have to be redesigned if one were to want three.

I'm still thinking about what an "average" person can do to make them instead of depending on casting and milling a metal as described above.

I'm trying to think of a material that would be easy to sand into shape without all of the extreme measures. I'm guessing some sort of plastic. I remember in shop class way back in the latest of the 60's how we used to use an acrylic sheeting that could be glued together with a solvent to get any thickness you would want. We made screwdriver handles out of them after shaping with bench sanders and belt sanders to get the rough shape then water sandpaper to make them as smooth as glass. If one is good at doing such shaping, then mounting to the grille could be done by cutting the head off a bolt, heating it up to red hot then melting it into the acrylic strike and affixing it to the grille through the openings by way of the nut and washer. These acrylics came in many colors, however any color desired could be painted this acrylic if you could not find the color of your desire after they are manufactured.

Sure casting one would be much easier if this process would be accessible but I know no one who has this ability.

This is just one method. I also bought something a long time ago and just kept it around. It's a chrome material with an adhesive backing. Not sure how flexible with a curve surface it would be but, it could be cut into a pattern that would have seams that would be almost undetectable.

Ah, the wonders of the mind, mine is always thinking.

Yea, though any process that would take to do this is time consuming, however, my time with something like this is my own.

I don't know, maybe I'm just dreaming and cheap. :)

Um... did you not read... I'm the one producing plastic cast versions of these. I'm sending out two sets to the lucky folks a few threads behind. After I get feedback I'll put them on the board for sale in the parts section. You'll be able to paint them any colour as they'll arrive primer gray. Yes, they'll be cheaper than the metal ones.

Yes, I did read and I would be interested in your final product depending on cost. I think it a great idea.

Um...if you read the above posts you would see that I was just looking at a DIY method and not as a mass product as you are attempting.

Also, I asked about interest in a three strake/side set up and if you read above, there were a few who are. A third strake would make neccessary a redesign since we would be talking about different placement than the original. The cast plastic strakes you are producing would only be substitutes for the aluminum ones which are way over priced and would only work in a two strake set up.

I'm not trying to undermine your venture here. I applaud it!

Well guys i am designing some strakes, my boss is a enginer and he is helping me, we will start with aluminum and go from there, maybe anodize some but still in the built work...so keep me inform in some adition you guys will like..:) thinking on going 100 for the set...keep you guys posted and some pics pretty soon,

3 strakes wouldn't require a re-design. Just put one in the middle. They're already pretty well centered, why complicate things? :D

--Landon

Yes- three strakes if posible- that would be great for $100

Sign me up also!!!

The cut angles of the middle (3rd strake) are different. Those two of you who are still waiting the free sets please be patient. I've trashed many sets already making sure the quality is going to be acceptable (and above hopefully!).

Originally posted by antichristpm
The cut angles of the middle (3rd strake) are different. Those two of you who are still waiting the free sets please be patient. I've trashed many sets already making sure the quality is going to be acceptable (and above hopefully!).

No problem... I'd rather you get them right than get them quick.:)

why do you guys want three strakes like the crossfire?

Originally posted by mikeb
why do you guys want three strakes like the crossfire?

I don't. I like the look with just two.

Thanks for the update antichristpm...

Have any of you seen this site?
http://www.emachineshop.com/

Originally posted by spdspappy
Have any of you seen this site?
http://www.emachineshop.com/

This look freaking amazing- they do list that smallparts can cost as little as $50- so that brings us back up to $200- it's free to design with their CAD program and it gives you a price right there. SO if anyone with the skills and the mesurements of the strakes wants to try- then punch in pricing for like 50 or 100 sets and see what the price is- it just mey be worth it- SOmeone could sell 100 sets of strakes in a day on this site at the right price. Hell- Canzoomer sold 4500 units so far- that is over 2 million dollars worth!!!!

How about rotary accents? I already bought my strakes :(

I'd be interested in the ra's as well...

Sign me up for a set of three strakes (on each side), if they'll be under $100...

That emachineshop site is amazing! I can do some aluminum work in my garage workshop, but not formed pieces with compound curves, like the strakes.

Originally posted by antichristpm
Um... did you not read... I'm the one producing plastic cast versions of these. I'm sending out two sets to the lucky folks a few threads behind. After I get feedback I'll put them on the board for sale in the parts section. You'll be able to paint them any colour as they'll arrive primer gray. Yes, they'll be cheaper than the metal ones.

Hi Antichristpm!!!

Anything new on the strakes? I am still looking...

Has anyone get strakes done through emachineshop?
http://www.emachineshop.com/

Thank you!:cool:

I'm one for the lucky guys that were supposed to get a set of the strakes.

Antichristpm: Any updates on this as we have not heard anything in quite sometime?

I know I'm sorry. I went on a two week vacation (duely needed!). I'll get them out Monday. I promise. I'm going to put the sets I'm sending you and Gyro on my car to assure a fit... Here's a pic of the 'line'.

How about a set for the starter of this thread? I am certainly interested!!! :D

Sorry... these two beta sets have cost me around $400 in materials and another $600 in labor or so.

Thanks antichristpm! I thought you forgot about us :)

Can't wait to see what they will look like on the car. Wondering if I should have them painted silver or use touchup paint to paint them black...for that subtle look. Anyone have any idea's?

I'd suggest either taking it to a pro or investing in a $40 airbrush and a small bottle of clear coat. I think we all got the little touchup bottles for free. You could more than easily paint all 4 with that bottle then clear coat it afterwards. They're primed white and may need a little sanding but they look more than suitable to me.

They look fantastic!!

Thanks Antichristpm.

I will post pictures of the finished product with high quality macro photos... after I have them color matched and clear coated in Sunlight Silver.

Originally posted by my10ae
Thanks antichristpm! I thought you forgot about us :)

Can't wait to see what they will look like on the car. Wondering if I should have them painted silver or use touchup paint to paint them black...for that subtle look. Anyone have any idea's?

I would paint them black for the color matched subtle look.

I'm not too sure I would use the touch up though. I would go with a professional spray gun.

If you decide to to the Sunlight Silver. I can have my guy do it with the pint of paint I buy.

do we have any idea about what the ballpark price wil be?

Gyro:

I might take you up on that offer. I could send mine to you and you could have them painted up sunlight silver. I bet even with silver against the black it would look sweet. I'll let you know when I get them in.

Thanks!

Right now I'm thinking $100 shipped. Depends on how many people order.

Originally posted by my10ae
Gyro:

I might take you up on that offer. I could send mine to you and you could have them painted up sunlight silver. I bet even with silver against the black it would look sweet. I'll let you know when I get them in.

Thanks!

no problem...let me know

Antichristpm:

Not sure if I asked this before but will all the hardware to mount them be included?

Everything in my kit is the same as the Mazda kit. Cept'... of course plastic instead of metal. I'll have instructions too.

My car came with them on it. It was a demo and they came off the sticker $3900. I can live with the 3600 miles that were on the car. I also got the Exhaust Finishers, Rotary Accents, Aluminum Door Sill Plate, Rotor Shaped Valve Stem Caps.

Originally posted by antichristpm
Everything in my kit is the same as the Mazda kit. Cept'... of course plastic instead of metal. I'll have instructions too.



Any news on them ?


Thanks

I too am having problems with accessory pricing and choose to wait on certain items. Sure, I'd LIKE to have the clear side lights, but $80?? naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh

I think for this to be competitive, the price for these would have to be WAY under $100. If the set costs $100 for plastic pieces that you have to then paint yourself, I don't see why someone wouldn't shell out a little more and buy authentic metal ones that are ready to go.

I hope and pray that pricing is reasonable.

True you could shell out more to get metal but these are not just a lower cost alternative. The fact you can paint them to match or contrast your ride is a lot of the value. After fitting the sets I'm shipping out today I realized just how easy it would be to toss a third strake in the mix too. The angle cuts on the lower strakes are able to move up or down pretty easy while keeping flush (with the filler of two sided tape too).

I refuse to pay 2 hundie for a couple pieces of aluminum, at that price it should come with a complete tricked out side panel...

I would be in on a quality knock-off...

antichristpm:

Those bad boys shipping today? :)

Kevin

Yes, via Airborne, I'll PM both of you and give ya tracking#'s.

I recieved mine at 3 pm.

I will go up to the bodyshop in a day or two to get them painted.

Thanks Paul!

Gyro:

You willing to get my strakes painted too? Let me know.

Thanks,
Kevin

Sure...

PM sent.

Originally posted by Gyro
I recieved mine at 3 pm.

I will go up to the bodyshop in a day or two to get them painted.

Thanks Paul!

hey... how do i get into the action? i want some too...:(

They are the lucky two whom I gave a free set to review and write about on the board. Given that they like them and I learn what I might need to change on any further made sets I'll be putting the "available" thread up. You'll have to PM me for pricing at that time. I'm technically not allowed to promote or publish cost on the site.

Originally posted by flipstream
hey... how do i get into the action? i want some too...:(

my10ae and I are testing out some fender strakes for antichristpm.

You can PM antichristpm on how to purchase them.

You could always wait a few days until I take pictures of the finished product and see if you like them.

Originally posted by my10ae
Gyro:

You willing to get my strakes painted too? Let me know.

Thanks,
Kevin

I could paint them for you! Of course, you'll never see them again after that. :)

I'm just a little unsure as to the cost saving on these strakes if they have to be painted. $100 painted is the highest I'd go on aftermarket non metal strakes, A real bonus to seal the deal would be the option of the 3rd starke. $100 plus painting puts us vey close to the cost of the orginals- even a $40 saving wouldn't do it for me, so I'm really hoping this will be a finshed and ready to install product.

Wow - this thread is HUGE, and I do understand why - but check this out: The Australian dollar is currently moving between 75 and 78 US cents, but the strakes from a dealer here (including piles of taxes) cost $513!!! How bad is that? and regardless of the Crossfire, 3 strakes look fantastic!
I really would like metal though...

I originally tried to fab metal. Got no where real quick with that. I think there are a few others on the board discovering that one. It'd take someone with some friends in the foundry business and some accute design/engineering skills to do it proper. In the end I'm sure the metal repros would end up costing just about the same as the cast aluminum ones.

On the flip side, you could always paint the plastic ones to look like metal...

PS: Hope everyone got their Shamrock on hardcore last night.

Just an FYI- not to undermine Anti's fine efforts (and I do hope they bear fruit) but in searching on ebay just now for an autoart 1/18 scal Rx8- I ran across an auction from Japanparts.com that just starteda few hours ago. I bought a set of strakes for $150 including shipping from Japan. The auction says they are polished- but the picture below looks like the brushed finish- (not super chrome looking) which looks great to me for my Titanium. Can anyone confirm that these are the polished ones? They have a few more sets on auction- but it is not listed on their site.

I was too hoping to get a cheap set of strakes, (possibly even 3 instad of 2) but $150 for real mazda ones seemed too good to pass up. My model RX8 will have to wait for a while now- but for less than 3 times the price I will have actual strakes- can't wait.

BTW I ordered clear side markers from them a few days ago too.
Gotta dress up my 8. Just need that damn Canzoomer unit to come in.
http://nova.lunarpages.com/~editvi2/RX8%20strakes.jpg

antichristpm:

Got the strakes in Wednesday. I shipped them off to Gyro for a bit of sanding and then off to the body shop to be painted sunlight silver. Can't wait to get these bad boys installed. Doesn't look that hard but have to remember to not follow the directions as they place them too low on air garnish.

Thanks again!

Kevin

Don't want to steal any of Antichristpm's thunder here - BIG kudos to him for getting these (almost) on the market - and plastic is a viable option IMHO.

But FYI folks, forum member RX8MAN04 (also known as Coxer Customs) is planning on doing up a set of these - and he is definitely a metal worker par excellance. I have several items from him now - rotary valve stem caps, rotary license plate bolts, and an RX-8 master brake cylinder cap - and I can attest to the excellent quality of the stuff he makes. When he comes out with these, I'm sure they will be close to identical to the Mazda brand strakes, and will be a lot cheaper.

So for those of you who would rather have metal strakes and not have to paint them, be patient, they are a'comin.

One of the major reasons I like antichristpm's product is the fact that they can be painted to match the paint color.

I personally would not attempt to duplicate a "metal" look, although I'm sure it can be done.

I think color matched strakes would look factory, and part of the fender as original.

So this is more than a "knock off" to the original.
Once completed, and I take pictures, I'm sure there will be people that would prefer the color matched strakes over the aluminum ones for thier preference.

Originally posted by emailists
Can anyone confirm that these are the polished ones?

Can't confirm that they are polished or chrome, but I can tell you that they are OEM. The box, adhesive and markings on the strakes are identical to what I got from Rosenthal for $158 off eBay, delivered. Check the following install thread when they arrive:

DIY: Aluminum Strakes (Air Outlet Garnish) Install Photos (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17373)

and please record which holes you use when fastening the bolts to the air vents as I neglected to get that particular picture.

la di da.. waiting on them pics.. ho hum...

Hello?











Anyone out there?









Any news on the knock-off strakes?



Anyone?





Hello........





S

The strakes have arrived to the people who were going to test them. They are being taken down to a body shop today to get painted. The plastic strakes were a sorta creme color, something I wouldn't put on my 8.

I will be getting mine painted oem black to go with my 8. Gyro, the other lucky guy is getting his painted sunlight silver to match his car. As soon as them come back from the paint shop and my car is clean, I will install them and give my opinions.

Patience grasshoppah....

OK, that was almost 5 days ago, hasn't the paint dried yet???

We're not eager or anything... :D

anything yet????

Yes...Strakes are done.

I will post pics this afternoon once I get my car back from the dealer (CEL and recalls).

I mailed my10ae his today, he should get them tomorrow.

Hi all:

Here are some pictures of the newly painted (color-coordinated)strakes Gyro took for me today. Check them out:
http://www.mstersmiata.org/Kev/silverstrakes.jpg

http://www.mstersmiata.org/Kev/blackstrakes.jpg

http://www.mstersmiata.org/Kev/blackstrakes2.jpg

I'm waiting to get mine in the mail and then install them this weekend :)

and on the vehicle.....:)

...

more

last one

OK ...one more to show a wide shot.

I think they look great!!! So, when will they be available for order? oh...any how much?

Yes, if the price is right, you'll have my vote. Keep it under $100!

While I was there I threw in my clear corners....what the hell

am i seeing straight or does the guy acrosss the street still have a Christmas wreath over his garage?

good looking strakes. i bet they would look awesome in Velocity red.

greese

Originally posted by greese
am i seeing straight or does the guy acrosss the street still have a Christmas wreath over his garage?

good looking strakes. i bet they would look awesome in Velocity red.

greese

:D .....and it lights up every night.

Wow! Good work man! Looks really clean and much more unique from the metal ones. Gyro what colour are yours going to be? The black ones?

So I take it you two are both pretty pleased with them? Any suggestions or anything wrong with them? Screw holes deep enough? What did you use for adhesive?

Looks great! I would also consider with a nice price. GOod job!

Originally posted by antichristpm
Wow! Good work man! Looks really clean and much more unique from the metal ones. Gyro what colour are yours going to be? The black ones?

So I take it you two are both pretty pleased with them? Any suggestions or anything wrong with them? Screw holes deep enough? What did you use for adhesive?

Thats my silver car.....I had both sets painted. I sent my10ae his this morning, and he will get them tomorrow.

Yes I am very pleased with them. I love the color matched look.

I used 3M adheasive tape for the ends.

I would like to see the screw holes slightly deeper. Either that or a coarser threaded screw. If someone were to overtighten it it may strip, I was cafeful not to.

They did require slight finish sanding. This may have been because they are beta units. No big deal.

As you can see from the photos I devised a way to make them easy to paint. The are both painted using factory paint codes and clear coated.

I'm very happy, thanks again.

Great stuff. Post a price and delivery and you'll be in business.

I'm not "allowed" technically to post a price but I will be putting up a thread in the RX-8 Parts For Sale/Wanted section with some details. You can always PM me too.

I'll heed the suggestion on the screw size/depth. I figured the depth might be a problem but didn't want to overbore them.

Yea, they weren't sanded after we primed them because I really wanted to get them to ya asap. That and I figured if you had paint experience you probably could do a better job than I.

Ok... I'm going to talk to my friend that's been helping me on this and get him to agree on a labor cost for his time... more or less his split on the deal. After that I'll post a thread in the RX-8 Parts For Sale/Wanted section with some deets.

Gyro:

Those strakes look great on your 8. Now I can't wait till I install mine this Sat :(

Thanks again antichristpm!

Gyro: Any issues installing them today? Something to watch out for other than the thread depth?

Thanks....

Originally posted by my10ae
Gyro:

Those strakes look great on your 8. Now I can't wait till I install mine this Sat :(

Thanks again antichristpm!

Gyro: Any issues installing them today? Something to watch out for other than the thread depth?

Thanks....

No major issues. Just tighten carefuly and follow Megareds directions in the DIY forum. I also would try to find a very thin adheasive. These strakes really fit well, and you wouldn't want thick tape to muck that up. I spent most of the time triming the tape to fit under the strake. This is slightly time consuming and must be done correctly. Maybe some precut adheasive strips would be something for antichrispm to think about for his paying customers.

I will PM you anything else I think of....:)

I'll include some precut adhesive. All I had on hand was the thick white 3m shit. I'll go shopping for something that should work on a slick surface.

hmm, just my opinion but painting the strakes the same colour makes it look plastic looking...

i think the strakes need to be either polished or brushed finish

Congratulations. These look terrific. Now, start on the rotary accents!

Any word on when everyone else gets a chance to get these?

Great looknig job. I'm looking forward to seeing the cost and finding out more details. Good work!

Anyone who is curious about these please privately message me. Thanks.

All whom are interested please read my post here:

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27088

damn
just when i was thinking of getting them

any one have any suggestion on making a mold? I've been trying to make a mold to cast some aluminum strakes in a foundry. Ive been trying to use plaster paris, but I think sand casting might be the way to go.

i'll let everyone know if I ever get some decent looking strakes

Originally posted by alphapenguin
any one have any suggestion on making a mold? I've been trying to make a mold to cast some aluminum strakes in a foundry. Ive been trying to use plaster paris, but I think sand casting might be the way to go.

i'll let everyone know if I ever get some decent looking strakes

ummm...

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...;threadid=27088

he's got the layouts and materials for sale i think...

Nah, homeboy wants to join the countless others that have contacted me asking how I did it instead of purchasing my R & D for far less the cost of the labor/stress/frustration it will cost them trying to figure out how I got them perfect...

No reason to be hurt here. What you've got is a bunch of do-it-yourselfers, and not people who are willing to go into the business of making strakes... probably for much the same reasons as yours were for deciding not to produce them.

Still tho, I would think that PoLaK or someone like him would be interested...

Originally posted by antichristpm
Nah, homeboy wants to join the countless others that have contacted me asking how I did it instead of purchasing my R & D for far less the cost of the labor/stress/frustration it will cost them trying to figure out how I got them perfect...

Going into business means you assume risk. You took a risk and decided against going further. You can't sell it apparently... so in a business sense you're bankrupt. What you're asking is for someone to takeover and pay you pretty much in full for your failed business venture. Don't blame us.... you didn't want to go on or could not continue with it.

Why not offer at least the 'secret' of the strakes to the public domain (or for a nominal sum) of RX-8 owners gratis? $5 x100 would get you back your money after all!!

Bankrupt ventures routinely sell for pennies on the dollar of invested value. One of businesses little lessons :):eek:

You'll be rewarded in some way, some day. Karma rules dude. :)

Sure, I'll send whomever wants it detailed instructions on how to make themselves a set of plastic strakes for a $100. And from there it will only cost you $200 more in materials to make those.! That sounds like a great deal! Anyone interested in my "my failed business venture"? BTW, I made my money back ass clown. I'm just trying to offer up my "failed business venture" to someone that has the time to make some major $$$ off it. Because I don't... I have a full-time job and a full-time life on top of that.

Those of you lucky enough to get my strakes better cherish them, they're collectors items. Especially those with 3 per side.

Originally posted by antichristpm
BTW, I made my money back ass clown. .. Because I don't... I have a full-time job and a full-time life on top of that.

If you were not such a potty mouth 'dude', you mighta got some of my money. But you act like you're too good for the rest of us. Sail on bright eyes. :mad:

Potty mouth, better than you aside... I'm still the only one that's made repro's smartboi.

Woh, what's with the big chip on your shoulder? Did the people on this forum ruin your business venture? Many people followed this with great interest, and were lined up to buy as soon as you went into production. Then you didn't. Now you're acting all hurt and pissed off because nobody wants to give you $500 for your stuff.

You're not helping your cause any by attacking people who revive this thread. It's also not helping you any that some kind soul has posted a very complete DIY on how people can make their own plastic strakes for next to nothing.

Moderator speaking now: Relax. If you turn this thread into a flame war, it will go away.

Hey all, i didnt think it was such a big deal, I just wanted some advice on making the perfect mold (especially for casting a metal material). I made a couple, but I am not too happy with them. I finally realized that I can do it a little easier making a sand cast, since one side of the strake is pretty much flat. for those who have no idea what I am talking about with sand casting, not a biggie. So far I've only wasted about 8$ on plaster making crap molds. I noticed someone made strakes using some kind of nylon material in the DIY forum, i wonder if that would be the easiest way to go, but i rather stick with metal.

Just throwing this out there, but does anyone thing casting the strakes in Tin would be nicer? I guess I could do gold too, but thats just too expensive, and rather silly.

I'm not looking to buying someone else's product, i just want to be able to make my own, while I have access to a foundry and free aluminum usage:-) If I ever get it down to a useful product, i'll post all info on the DIY forum. (most people dont have a foundry to work with so i guess it makes no difference).

antichristpm: thanks for the help you did offer about the strakes. Your plastic strakes looked nice though, too bad you dont have time to do it.

Originally posted by antichristpm
Potty mouth, better than you aside... I'm still the only one that's made repro's smartboi.


actually romulus was able to make some nice ones. Its under the DIY forum

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27259

I'm not bent mr. mod. However being pestered via AIM by several individuals on the board asking me how to make them when I clearly have them for sale is a little pinch... and for the record I was attacked first if you read. I could care less if people want to buy my project. I've come to a null financially on the project and the parts can sit in my closet for the rest of their lives if they want. I had a lot more fun making figurines out of the molds than the strakes.

Originally posted by alphapenguin
actually romulus was able to make some nice ones. Its under the DIY forum

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27259

Thanks, I saw that. Looks like doing this yourself is a labor of love as no one seems to be able to come up with an efficient way to produce them in quantity. Perhaps Mazda's aren't such a bad deal after all.

Good luck with your effort. Sounds like you got some of the equipment you need to do it right! Isn't it funny how so many things look easy til you try to do them. Then the fun begins! :D

antichristpm, sorry to be one of those people pestering you on aim. Thanks though for enduring.

Spin9k, you're right, its getting discouraging when you get an idea and it turns out no so well. I was just about to quit and put the nice $200 strakes on the car, then a second wind hit. I think I will get it right this time.



EDIT: Ok, the second wind just died down. that idea didnt work either. Time to do more brainstorming

Ok, I'm in on those stakes. I need mine in Red though. I can't see dropping that much money for tiny pieces of metal.

Originally posted by Tatsuki
Ok, I'm in on those stakes. I need mine in Red though. I can't see dropping that much money for tiny pieces of metal. Um, he's no longer making these strakes. Please check the DIY forum for how to make your own.

^no duh

Originally posted by Omicron
If you did that, and sold 'em for less than $50 apiece, you'd probably make a mint!


I'd give you 50 bucks

It's Retards that agree to pay $200 for 4 pieces of metal or even $80 for a triangular piece of metal that keep the price as high as they are, if they never sold any of these accesories at that price they would never be that high....so thank you to all you rich pricks that have nothing better to do with their money.....hahahhaa....i gues ill be waiting with the less fortunate on the left hand side.....
If that is true, I will most certainly wait. I don't care how great they feel or look...$175-$200 for FOUR PIECES OF THIN METAL is ridiculous.

If another company is making their version of strakes for a significantly cheaper price, I'm in!

haha that is why you shouldn't buy mazda oem strakes or accents.

www.rx8strakes.com look good and not priced to high.

www.rx8strakes.com bad choice, got it with chipped paint on the 1st day. surface is not smooth.

i can see why they sell them for 200$ retail. It's almost not worthign making them, and machinging themdown and then sell them for 40$.

all someone has to do is make a metal mold then you could cast these puppies with just a mild sand job:) Only if I still had access to the foundry, I could try to finish my home-made (well made at school) aluminum strakes. I have the unfinished pieces if anyone actually wants them and wants to try to grind them down themselves.

It's Retards that agree to pay $200 for 4 pieces of metal or even $80 for a triangular piece of metal that keep the price as high as they are, if they never sold any of these accesories at that price they would never be that high....so thank you to all you rich pricks that have nothing better to do with their money.....hahahhaa....i gues ill be waiting with the less fortunate on the left hand side.....

:nopity:

So... you picked up your RX-8 at a garage sale?