http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?p=1599376&posted=1#post1599376

I just picked up these Volk SF Winning 19x8.5 all around with a +30. They are wrapped with dunlop direzzas 245/35/19. I have Tein S-tech and I am rubbing in the back with bouncing and rubbing in the front with turning. I have changed the camber in the rear one notch and it is still rubbing a little. Front is about the same. I want to keep the rims so I am considering swapping out springs. Like I said I have the Tein S-tech and I am looking at Mazdaspeed or Racing Beat springs. Below are the specs of the choices and was wondering what others have down or would suggest.

Thanks for the help.

TEIN S.TECH (have)
Front drop 1.4"
Front rate 207 lb
Rear Drop .7"
Rear rate 145 lb

Racing Beat (want)
Front drop .5"
Front rate 187 lb
Rear Drop .5"
Rear rate 136 lb

or

Mazdaspeed (want)
Front drop .8 "
Front rate 280 lb
Rear Drop .8 "
Rear rate 190 lb

These are the only shot i ahve with the wheels on the car.

Hmm.... looks like everyone is lowering the front and back at the same rate except for tein. Anyone know if this little bit of extra positive rake would change the drag coeffecient or give any handling quirks?

ok so i think i am going to go with the Racing Beat Springs

Do you have aftermarket dampers already? I'm guessing no because you're "bouncing" in the rear.

If you're doing this, it probably would be best to just go to a Koni Yellow/Tociko D-Spec. Even if this is just for looks, those spring rates will wear your OEM dampers.

And if you get the MS springs, you 100% need an aftermarket damper because the spring rates are too high for the OEM dampers to handle.

I would go with the MazdaSpeeds... They are a little lower than RB, so you wont look stock, and the higher spring rates should help keep you from hitting on compression. Also the RB are softer than what you have now, so there is a chance that even though they are not as low they will still compress a lot.

roll the rear fenders.

how often do you rub in the front. should be the inner wheel well. if it only happens with you turn the wheel ALL the way, i say leave it.

Rolling the fenders should work pretty well to fix the rear rubbing. Question is how bad are you rubbing and how often?

well the front rubs at about 30 degree (just s bit) and at full tilt. Yeah the struts wiil go out on the ms but luckly i would have two stock sets....I will know after sunday if the RB's will work...maybe i would still have a chance at getting the MS for the discount. Ullose does have a good point though. Rolling the fenders might fix the problem but since this is not the ideal set up for an rx-8 it might still rub, its very close.

since you're running an 8.5 w/ +30 it shouldn't be rubbing that bad in the rear. meaning a fender roll should do the trick. now my drop is at 1.4 and on stiff with hipermax RS and i rub very lightly w/ fender shaved. although, my fender shave isn't to the max yet and will clear if i ever have the time to take it bak for a bit more trimming.

but, check your front fender well to see where you are rubbing. i would think its either the plastic near the sidemarker or on the reverse side at the back. if those are the cases, then yes higher should help.

iono, i just like the look of the s-techs, i would find a way to keep them. lol

yeah the front does onyl rub on the plastic not on the metal, and it is a bigger drop on the front so that should fix the process. thanks for the help i will post new pictures this weekend.

OK so i switched the springs out from S-tech to Racing Beat. The front still rubs but not as much (i think). the back is a hole lot better, i was hitting a lot fo bubs on the freeway at a signifcant speed and no rubbing. EXCEPT for when i make a turn, especially going to the left. I think this is caused becasue of the body roll. Now i also had my wife and daughter in the back as well as 2 sets of springs. So i will try it some more by myself tomorrow and let it settle, i will also try to get some picturs taken. Currently i have a 4 finger gap in the front and a 3.5 finger gap in the back. I am suprised at what the difference is between the two sets of springs, maybe that is becasue it has not settled yet. It is also be apparent that these wheel setup are not typical/suited for the rx-8

grats on the RB springs. Can't wait to see how those work for you. Odd that you're still rubbing though...

Four finger gap for the fronts seem pretty high. Did you preload the springs by setting the car on the floor and then tightening the upper control arms? If I remember correctly, Fabro had a lot of gap with his racing beat springs and then he preloaded the springs and it dropped the car a little bit more.

no, no preloading that i know of. but like i said i will drive it some to see how much it drops overtime.

yes, tightening the control arms on the ground makes a world of a difference. I didn't know at the time and was rolling around like an ass. Pretty much after I got that fixed with my RB springs I had a 2 1/2 to 3 finger gap in the front and a 2 finger gap in the back.

OK thanks i will/may tri that...i have been puttign my friends through misery haveing them help me install thE springs remove them and put new ones...sorry but much thanks to Snowfl8k, Kwescott, and Speeddemon32

You made the wrong wheel choice.

you need 45 mm off-set.

yeah they are not the correct offset but i love the look and i couldnt pass up the deal. with no drop there woudl be no problem. if i do decide to get tired of the wheels i will probbley get the correct offset. but for now...after the spring fanisco...i am happy.

So after installing the Racing Beat springs my car was actually higher then stock in the front. the rear was lower then tock and looks great. The rear has about a 1" gap. the front however had much more roughly, 2.75 inches. so after some instruction/opinions i preloaded the front springs which helped tremendiously. this gave me maybe a 3/4" drop if not more. i think the reason that the racing beat springs have to be preloaded is because when i installed them the spring did not sit completly flush with the lower portion of the strut arm.

i labeled the picture so that you have an idea of when and where they are taken.

MUCH better! Grats on figuring it out and can't wait to see it in person. Would spacers help you any against the rubbing?

i think spacers woudl only make it worse? becasue the tire would need to go deeper into the wheel well not farther out.

I agree with Razz ( OMG :D: )

You have a lot of compromises based on the wrong offset choice.