I get lots of questions from the members about different modification etc. Why dont we have a get together and talk in person?! I would be happy to take some time and go through a few of the things we have learned the hard way over the last say.....................30 years lol. Anyone interested?

do it.

Oh pick me, over here, pick me

I'm up for that.... though chances are I'll know what you're going to say about most things already ;p

I'm definitely in. But can you do it in the spring, my 8 is hibernating right now.

Either way I'm in though!!!!

techincally you don't actually have to have the car present for a discussion :)

i know, i just miss driving it!!!!

I was thinking one of these saturdays at the dealership, I can put one up on a hoist, the race cars are here etc. That way we would have examples.

Sounds good. You guys did great when my sun visor fell off and shorted out my car, wouldn't mind taking a closer look at the rx7 race car. I only got a peek of it through the shop window!

great idea al. I would love to come, saddly i work every saturday until 1 so ill have to sit this out. really like the idea though.

We can start around 3pm that gives you time to get here! Love to meet you!

Count me in ... I will be there E A R L Y.

Are we talking about this Saturday at 3pm?

Sounds like a good idea. Do you have any ideas about what you'll be showing us? Brake pads, fluid changes, stereo installs? ;)

Maybe show us how to get the rattles out of these cars. :P

The subject matter is up to you guys lol thats the whole point. If you tell me if this Saturday is good thats fine. I will be away Saturday March 7. Maybe post a list of what you want to talk about so I can be prepared.

if thats when its gonna start, ill be there. this saturday works for me, might be a little soon for everyone to clear their schedules, but im down whatever saturday you guys pick. saturdays are usually a write off for me really, working until one just kills the rest of the day. I dont have anything specific that i would like you to go over really....i just wanna pick your brain al. haha. Im dying to see this beast racecar too. Im sure i'll think of something before the weekend though.

Its up to the people who responded, if you want to this saturday its cool with me, just let me know by Friday am!

I'm interested!

Count me in, I'll try to come up with some good questions by Friday

Damit! I want to come to this but this weekend is booked. Next available weekend would be in April.
Can we do it on a Sun. instead??

If you guys do this on a Saturday in the spring/summer I may come down... couldn't justify it right now though :(

I'm sure Al can do more then just one of these.. seems like a number of people are already good to go for Sat.. I'd be up for that as well. We can shove my car up on the hoist.... if I can install my ram duct ;)

Damit! I want to come to this but this weekend is booked. Next available weekend would be in April.
Can we do it on a Sun. instead??


duuuude.... you say april is good now.. but we ALL know that by the time it swings around something else will have come up ;)

You install the knob yet?

So can I have a head count on who will actually be here this Saturday?!

In:
1) ZmFmZm
2) Footman
3) Rev
4) rotarygreg
5) Kafka......

Interested:
1) Darkbrew
2)qtwre
3) wcs?

Fluffy Bunnies:
1) jay

In:
1) ZmFmZm
2) Footman
3) Rev
4) rotarygreg
5) Kafka......
6) Thumper

Interested:
1) Darkbrew
2)qtwre
3) wcs?

Fluffy Bunnies:
1) jay

FYI - my car is going in for it's 128,000km check up at 2pm on Saturday so we can just use it if ya like?!?!

fluffy bunnies...?

Hey anyone up for helping me install my audio link afterwards????

1) ZmFmZm
2) Footman
3) Rev
4) rotarygreg
5) Kafka......
6) Thumper
7) Dozer :suspect:

Its a date guys! See you all at 3pm address is as follows
Scarboro Mazda
2124 Lawrence Ave E
Scarborough, Ontario
M1R 3A3

To clarify this Saturday the 28th at 3 correct?

Sorry my head is kinda fuked right now.

Hey anyone up for helping me install my audio link afterwards????

yar man... I wanna see that in action before I buy it :)

yar man... I wanna see that in action before I buy it :)

cool...i will print off the instructions I have found and we will c how she goes

ill provide the brewskeez and music :)

ill provide the brewskeez and music :)

right on.. have fun with the drive up :p

oh i will :fruit:

I'll try to make it. I have an audiolink installed as well.

So shall we discuss what we'll do at this meeting? I suggest we begin with a dealership-sponsored car raffle.

Al, I'm still not clear on what your idea is. Do you want to get into doing actual work on cars or do you want to point at things and answer questions?

Liability wise we cant work on car, just point and shoot lol

Oh, I'll bring my BHR coils to show them off after that exciting discussion in the other thread.

Footman will love that i'm sure!!!

Al, this is a terrific initiative, and a great service to the RX-8 community.

If only I lived in TO, and still had an 8...

Have fun everyone

meets are fun...look up atillas youtube videos, hes recorded some of the stuff that goes down...i think his sn on youtube is atillarenzo

awesome. cant wait.

I'm out
You had to pick this Saturday, I've got family down from Halifax.

Since Gecko probably can't help me with the install on SAT, looks like I'll be installing it on Saturday morning... I hope I could make it in by 3pm installed. I'm missing some screws and an important tube...

Rev-Illusions, you gonna help on Sat morning?

I'll be there. Met up with Chris (KaKui) tonight and he'll more than likely show up as well.

I will be selling cars that day and pop by once a while :)

I got easter eggs to plant so this fluffy bunny is out. I still have training happening for another two weeks so I am out. Will be free after 6 thou, if you guys are hitting a pub or something afterwards.

Rev, wanna meet up tonight by your area, gotta meet someone by Scarberia town after 9 tonight.

I'll bring Killzone 2 (side note, I can get Killzone 2 for 50 if anyone is interested)

where is this meet?

Thx Al!! Good meet!

thanks again Al. I learned alot and it was a blast too. really nice meeting you and the rest of the crew there. just wish this came sooner, i already bought my suspension :( . oh well, i got a good deal on it and the car will at least look good. lol. As for all the talk of coils and whatnot, i think all that talking scared my coils. it had a hard start when we went to leave the timmies...well, harder than usual. im definitly doing coils on monday or tuesday on my car. that was scary, hearing it crank for that long.

footman, did you notice how far back i was from you after that onramp onto the 401? that damn popped shock and gay stock GS springs....i thought i was gonna roll right off the road. haha. im sure my hideous winter tires arent helping matters. cant wait for this weather to be gone for another few seasons.

the race car was unbeleivable. and so was the first gen for that matter. cant wait to see it in action at mazdas at mosport.

Nah you weren't that far back... but regardless, we were BOTH held back by that gay-ass PT cruiser... we could have gone much faster on that ramp... much much faster....
Dunlop Wintersport M3 for the mother fucking win!!! :)

Thanks Al for your time and effort. It was a very informative session.

You guys are most welcome, it was great having all the 8's there!

Yes, thanks Al.

Now I know what we don't agree on. :P

The miata can run 10lbs boost all day without blowing up. :)

You guys are most welcome, it was great having all the 8's there!

And the Slowtege!

And the Slowtege!

i thought it was a protegay

i thought it was a protegay

Oh ouch. That sounds like something Josh would say.

Thanks for the meet Al,

It was well worth the drive from Oakville.

See you guys out at Mosport in May!

Who were you at the meet?

Wow you all work in real-time... I'm only reading this now... my inbox is always a beast.

I would have loved to meet everyone and learn from the masters. Oh well maybe next time. Would it possible to plan say 2 weeks ahead for the next one? That way I can try to shift things around in my schedule.

Sounds like fun was had by all. Good Job!

Who were you at the meet?


Andrew, My name is Kevin. I was sitting accross the table from you. One away from Al.

For the guys that were here, BFG/Michelin will be introducing a $50.00 rebate on all tires (except "R" compounds sorry Thief). So if your looking for tires this spring let me know!

For the guys that were here, BFG/Michelin will be introducing a $50.00 rebate on all tires (except "R" compounds sorry Thief). So if your looking for tires this spring let me know!

DAMN. Ah well... For those who don't mind noise, go for the KDWs.

I've got the KDW's on my 8, they are noisy but not that bad!

Andrew, My name is Kevin. I was sitting accross the table from you. One away from Al.

Kevin, but Rotary Greg was beside Al on the other side of the table...
The other guy on the left of Al was some brown dood?

Kevin, but Rotary Greg was beside Al on the other side of the table...
The other guy on the left of Al was some brown dood?

kevin was to my right, hence, one away from al...accept that rev (sorry dude forgot your real name) snuck in later, so kev you were two away.

True! but i wasn't counting our late arriving rev..

Al, what were the 3 companies that you recommended in the meeting as the best/most reliable? One was Racing Beat, I can't remember the other two.
And what was that guys name/companies name that does the transmission differential (located in Pickering)?
Thx!!

They were, Racing Beat, Mazdatrix and AWR (Anthony Woodford Racing). There are some other good ones bit they mainly deal in hardcore racing. Speedsource and Pettit Racing are 2 of the racing ones.

Mazdees (Dave Dietrick) in Pickering is the person I was talking to about the gear swap, I dont know if he has done anything with it yes.

Damn, I missed this post. I was at the dealership until 2PM on Saturday and had no idea this meet was happening. I would have stayed longer if I had known it was happening.

I blame Josh for not letting me know even though I was trying to help him sell a car!

True! but i wasn't counting our late arriving rev..

bah... I wasn't late... I was just following up with the progress of the welding on exhaust for the race car..

sorry I couldn't stay longer guys.. ask you no doubt could tell by the hacking I wasn't felling 100%.

I know your pain Rev - I wouldn't have been there if it was the weekend before thx to the flu.

So many things to do in spring.......
- lowering springs
- B-pillar applique
- NEW interior LEDs
- Touch up paint chips, polish, revitalize paint with new Meguiars dual-action polisher...

Come on fucking weather... play nice and give us the warmth!!!!

Anyone know where I can get good paint to paint the hubs of rotors.

G2 paint system... time for another group buy!

Im in, i think scott needs some too, we need them before we get our rims on by april

I'm in for the paint for the ugly hubs

Footman, which springs and which B Pillar?

Hey Footman...since you like all the group buys, should do one for the SS.

SS? what is SS? Luftwaffe? Blitzkrieg? what? what?

ss = sunlight silver

That still makes no sense.. what the hell is "a group buy for the sunlight silver" then?

I'm in for the paint for the ugly hubs

Footman, which springs and which B Pillar?

Eibach, and the genuine Mazda piano black B-pillar with RX-8 lettering at the bottom... I already have it, just waiting for warm weather and a handwashed car clean enough to install the damn thing.

SS = short shifter lol

ss = sunlight shifter ;)

I'm so tempted to get the gearing done now...aaaa...waiting to find out price.

when you find out how much let me know, i'm tempted now too!!!

you guys are really into that arent you? im just not willing to have my speedometer out for the amount of difference that i think this will make. I also voiced my opinion about how i think it will make shifting more frequent and annoying. if i was on the track alot and could use tighter gearing then i might concider it....but my slow rotary keeps me out of trouble on the street. haha.

Well you know my opinion, i think it will make the car faster and more drivable. If I owned a 2004-2008 RX-8 it would be the 2nd mod I would make. (1st would be lowered with Eibach Pro Kit) lol

Al, hadn't you just finished telling us about how easy and cheap it is to simply use a shorter tire before we started talking about gearing?

Why don't you guys just try that? 225/40/18

olddragger has the smaller tire which comes close to mimicking 4.777 and said it made a noticeable difference. The guy I contacted about pricing still has nothing to tell me on that front...

Problem doing it with tire is 2-fold. 1st you will severely under tire your car and affect handling etc. The second problem is the same sppedo problem with the way it would read.

what? How does reducing the sidewall under-tire your car?

when you find out how much let me know, i'm tempted now too!!!

Will do!

olddragger has the smaller tire which comes close to mimicking 4.777 and said it made a noticeable difference. The guy I contacted about pricing still has nothing to tell me on that front...

Who did you contact thunder? I talked to the guys in Pickering (as Al suggested), they still have to get back to me. They have to looking seeing if it is the same as the RX7, since they actually haven't done an 8 yet. Said they will get back to me, I will post when I hear something.

Eibach springs - Al do you sell them?

Yes Al have Eibach springs in stock last time I check...

how much?

not instock.. that's just an empty box... but he can order. Call em... not allowed to post prices etc.

pm price?!?!

Cheapest I can find is from tirerack for $220us.

So...found out about the gearing from Mazdee's

It is basically making our cars into the R3 gearing ratio of 4.777. They say it should fit. Cost of the part is $672 and labour eee...$500. So there ya have it. I gotta go drive the R3 to see if it's really worth the swap.

I thought we might be able to get it a little more aggressive than this, but that seems like it.

Side note...they will do a clutch and flywheel install for $275.

So...found out about the gearing from Mazdee's

It is basically making our cars into the R3 gearing ratio of 4.777. They say it should fit. Cost of the part is $672 and labour eee...$500. So there ya have it. I gotta go drive the R3 to see if it's really worth the swap.

I thought we might be able to get it a little more aggressive than this, but that seems like it.

Side note...they will do a clutch and flywheel install for $275.

i dont think that the r3 comparison is apt. the new rx8s have a different transmission with different ratios (which are all slightly wider than ours). that tranny and the final they have will result in something very close to what we (in 04-08 rx8s) already have anyways. popping this final drive in with our transmission will result in something even tighter than the r3(which in my opinion pulls just the same as our cars) ratios over all. just my .2

The cost of part will be less than $672.00............................

This is sounding better and better, all we have to do now is worry about the speedometer readings, and make sure that they don't get F'd up.

So...found out about the gearing from Mazdee's

It is basically making our cars into the R3 gearing ratio of 4.777. They say it should fit. Cost of the part is $672 and labour eee...$500. So there ya have it. I gotta go drive the R3 to see if it's really worth the swap.

I thought we might be able to get it a little more aggressive than this, but that seems like it.

Side note...they will do a clutch and flywheel install for $275.

Good to know. I've been thinking about this one for a while. Who is going to be the "Ginny pig" :)

This is sounding better and better, all we have to do now is worry about the speedometer readings, and make sure that they don't get F'd up.

There are a few devices around that can deal with this I believe. I haven't fully investigated them though....

i dont think that the r3 comparison is apt. the new rx8s have a different transmission with different ratios (which are all slightly wider than ours). that tranny and the final they have will result in something very close to what we (in 04-08 rx8s) already have anyways. popping this final drive in with our transmission will result in something even tighter than the r3(which in my opinion pulls just the same as our cars) ratios over all. just my .2

What do you mean by tighter?? U think it will or will not pull better than the r3 when done, which u think is the same anyway?

The cost of part will be less than $672.00............................

Why can you get us a deal on it Al?? That's what they quoted me.

This is sounding better and better, all we have to do now is worry about the speedometer readings, and make sure that they don't get F'd up.

I don't know is it?!?! I'm curious as hell about it, but almost need more info about it and how much difference it is really gonna make for that kinda cost.

Good to know. I've been thinking about this one for a while. Who is going to be the "Ginny pig" :)

Ya good question!! There should be a discount for the first 8 being done by them :)

There are a few devices around that can deal with this I believe. I haven't fully investigated them though....

Ya just don't look at your speedo and go with the flow of traffic ;)

marc, i mean tighter/lower gearing which is the reason for doing this. What im saying is that our cars (04-08 6spd) with the R3 final drive installed should have tighter/lower gearing than a stock R3 because the r3s transmission has wider gears than our transmissions do.

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=135710

check out the numbers in that thread and it should be more clear. see how there is very little difference between series 1 and the r3 in any given gear? but what im saying is if you put that final drive in a series 1 it should be a much bigger difference so test driving an r3 is gonna feel very close (if not exactly the same from when i drove an r3) to our cars stock. pop in that final and it should pull through each gear quicker for sure. thats really the problem i have with this, i feel like the car pulls through fist gear too fast and you have to shift so soon. our trannies being as week as they are, every shift (when you are really pushing the car) is potential havock for the tranny. i think this will mean you have to shift noticebly sooner, and you will have to shift hard if you are neck and neck with a stock 8 to keep the advantage you have, thus the big reason i dont like this mod.

huh...interesting!

okay, so i just rechecked the ratios and it seems the OP of that thread has updated the ratios since i looked at them before. now it looks like the r3 tranny ratios are almost the same as ours, so then driving one would be a good comparios. Insert foot in mouth. lol. but honestly, look at the differences there, your 0-100km/h time will go to shit as the end of second lands just before that (at 97km/hr). that doesnt really matter so much i guess. anyways, when i drove the r3 i didnt think there was much difference in accel at all, maybe those big heavy 19s taking away any good that final drive gives it. anyways, im sure someone in the GTA is gonna do this sooner or later, so we'll just have to wait and see i guess.

The 19" is LIGHTER than the stock 18, supposedly...??

The 19" is LIGHTER than the stock 18, supposedly...??

really my muscle test says otherwise IIRC. swapped a set of winters onto the r3 we had a few months back and i happened to have my rx8 wheels there for comparison. although i might be thinking of the 40th AE wheels...did winters on that one the next day. who sells 2 rx8s in the winter?

Hmmm... I drove and R3 and with all of my mods, mine felt faster -- even the sales guy commented on that. So I can't get an apples to apples comparison by driving one and it's a lot of money to spend on something that may not produce much of a difference.

Al seems to really believe in it but community reaction to 4.777 is very mixed it seems

Hmmm... I drove and R3 and with all of my mods, mine felt faster -- even the sales guy commented on that. So I can't get an apples to apples comparison by driving one and it's a lot of money to spend on something that may not produce much of a difference.

Al seems to really believe in it but community reaction to 4.777 is very mixed it seems

i thought i saw a thread somewhere where some guy actually did this and posted his personal reaction to it...search that out. he liked it, but he also had a ton of other mods too so....

Hmmm... I drove and R3 and with all of my mods, mine felt faster -- even the sales guy commented on that. So I can't get an apples to apples comparison by driving one and it's a lot of money to spend on something that may not produce much of a difference.

Al seems to really believe in it but community reaction to 4.777 is very mixed it seems

Thunder OF COURSE your car is faster after all these mod...I would be freaking pissed if thats not the case lol :lol:

Greg:
the R3-specific, 19-inch forged rims, which are couple of pounds lighter than the 18-inch versions on all non-R3 RX-8s.

Autoweek review (http://www.autoweek.com/article/20080731/CARREVIEWS/673474411)

Not sure if its true though...

okay, so i just rechecked the ratios and it seems the OP of that thread has updated the ratios since i looked at them before. now it looks like the r3 tranny ratios are almost the same as ours, so then driving one would be a good comparios. Insert foot in mouth. lol. but honestly, look at the differences there, your 0-100km/h time will go to shit as the end of second lands just before that (at 97km/hr). that doesnt really matter so much i guess. anyways, when i drove the r3 i didnt think there was much difference in accel at all, maybe those big heavy 19s taking away any good that final drive gives it. anyways, im sure someone in the GTA is gonna do this sooner or later, so we'll just have to wait and see i guess.

Even though the spec on the gear ratios in the transmission look close, when you get up into 3rd 4th and 5th gears .5 difference is HUGE! They wider ratios in the new 6spd definately take a lot of the advantage of the gear change away. If you went to a drag strip the 60ft time with the 4.77 in the 2004-2008 6spd gear box would be dramatically reduced, which would have a big impact on 1/4 mile times. You can't compare a 2009 R3 with 4.77's with the 2004-2008 RX-8 that was changed to 4.77. Its apples and oranges. If you take a page from basic hot-rodding 101, the 2nd change to a performance car is usually shifter or rear gear. The 1st is always wheels and tires.

Al, sent you a PM, give me a call, at Scar Mazda right now.

Even though the spec on the gear ratios in the transmission look close, when you get up into 3rd 4th and 5th gears .5 difference is HUGE! They wider ratios in the new 6spd definately take a lot of the advantage of the gear change away. If you went to a drag strip the 60ft time with the 4.77 in the 2004-2008 6spd gear box would be dramatically reduced, which would have a big impact on 1/4 mile times. You can't compare a 2009 R3 with 4.77's with the 2004-2008 RX-8 that was changed to 4.77. Its apples and oranges. If you take a page from basic hot-rodding 101, the 2nd change to a performance car is usually shifter or rear gear. The 1st is always wheels and tires.

Al, you should change your moniker to "4.77RaceDude" :lol:

Lol, after 30 years of doing this shit, you learn after spending thousands of your own dollars on what is good bang for the buck! Changing gear ratios has been around since the 1920's to go faster. The only thing with imports in the past has been the cost and limitation of parts. If I could get gears for the race car as cheap as domestics, I would have different gear sets for each track we run. Right now a gear change for the RX7 runs about $2500.00usd!

Was thinking that I could experience what 4.777 would be like by putting my wife's mx5 tires on my 8. From what I understand, I would need to get to a diameter of 24.1" to replicate what a 4.777 diff would do.

So I have two options, use her regular tires with a diameter of 24.3 inches (205x17x45) or use her winter tires, which have a diameter of 24.1 inches (205x16x50).

Will this work Al?

ok, I did some math to try and quantify the difference between the 04 and the 09 with 4.777 diff. As you can see by the attached, I increased the effective gear ratio by a common factor across the board.

If we assume that the added leverage from the diff could be translated into butt dyno terms (perceived, not real), HP/Torque would grow by about 15%.

A little more food for discussion. Hope my math is correct :)

As an update, I put MX5 wheels on my 8. They are 24.3 inches in diameter which equates to about a 4.73 diff. So these wheels effectively give me the kind of performance differnce I should expect from a 4.77 diff.

On a side note, the car looked ridiculous with these wheels on it :)

Making this change made a noticeable difference to the car. Here the differences as I experienced them...

* Car had more usable tourque. Comes off the line faster and easier. Easier to drive around town as a result.

* Revs up much more quickly which means I am in the power zone much more quickly and more often. As I have stated previously, I like this car above 4k and this change makes it very easy for me to play there all day long.

Having said that, being below 4k now is not such a chore because there is more torque to give it a kick in the pants...

* Just feels more peppy overall -- that extra bit of usable power reduces the motivation to go FI (which is a very positive thing in my books)

* I've hear the comment that the 4.77 makes you shift more and I suppose that is true but for me, I never really noticed it. In other words, amount to shifting is not an issue in my books.

So net net, I'm going for it! With any luck, the 4.778 diff will go in without any real problems so costs don't get out of control. I think I will get Mazdees to do the work as they come highly recommended from Al.

As an update, I put MX5 wheels on my 8. They are 24.3 inches in diameter which equates to about a 4.73 diff. So these wheels effectively give me the kind of performance differnce I should expect from a 4.77 diff.

On a side note, the car looked ridiculous with these wheels on it :)

Making this change made a noticeable difference to the car. Here the differences as I experienced them...

* Car had more usable tourque. Comes off the line faster and easier. Easier to drive around town as a result.

* Revs up much more quickly which means I am in the power zone much more quickly and more often. As I have stated previously, I like this car above 4k and this change makes it very easy for me to play there all day long.

Having said that, being below 4k now is not such a chore because there is more torque to give it a kick in the pants...

* Just feels more peppy overall -- that extra bit of usable power reduces the motivation to go FI (which is a very positive thing in my books)

* I've hear the comment that the 4.77 makes you shift more and I suppose that is true but for me, I never really noticed it. In other words, amount to shifting is not an issue in my books.

So net net, I'm going for it! With any luck, the 4.778 diff will go in without any real problems so costs don't get out of control. I think I will get Mazdees to do the work as they come highly recommended from Al.

great little reveiw here. not to belittle what youve done or anything, but how much do those mx5 wheels weight? IIRC they are pretty light compared to the rx8 wheels. that will also make a difference in your butt dyno, but still, most of what you felt was likely more of the "gear" change than the weight change. just wanted to point out the weight thing really. are you planning to do anything about the speedometer/odometer after the gear change? if so, have you looked into the cost of said modification?

I'd also like to point out that im not completely against this. it seems like im the only one fighting this. lol. at first i was, but im coming into it more and more, i just want to point things out as they come up you know. subjective is the word im looking for. Im sort of against any mods that are hard to change back and i really am not a fan of the speedo/odometer readings being thrown off.

^ Thanks for bringing up the weight thing because I had the same concern. Al reassured me that the vast majority of what I was feeling was due to gear change and not wheel weight. I am accepting his opinion at face value -- you better be right Al :)

In terms of speedo, I heard that it may not be affected, only wheel diameter screws it up. To verify, I will travel along side another 8 and see oif speed is off. If it is, I will find a solution, like the Yellow Box or something else. Not too worried about that....

Hey Thunder,

Nice little comparison, I'm still leaning towards getting this done when i can scrape up the cash. I've been looking for a solution to the spedo and odometer readings, but nothing yet. I also saw a thread from the states and someone down there is doing what we are thinking about with the rear diff. Cant seem to find it anymore, bu they didnt have any really issues.

Hopefully we can touch base about this at one of the meets and go over this, it would be nice to meet up with another 8 pilot in Oakville,

In terms of speedo, I heard that it may not be affected, only wheel diameter screws it up. To verify, I will travel along side another 8 and see oif speed is off. If it is, I will find a solution, like the Yellow Box or something else. Not too worried about that....

well that depends on how it calculates speed. If its based off of the wheel speed sensors than i supose it wont be affected, if its based off of a transmission output speed sensor then the final will definitly affect it. Ill look this up tomorrow at work and see what i can find (unless al has the answer handy and can confirm/deny that). if the speedo thing is not an issue and there are noticeable gains for the butt dyno to feel...i might be on board for this mod afterall. haha

Hey Thunder,

Nice little comparison, I'm still leaning towards getting this done when i can scrape up the cash. I've been looking for a solution to the spedo and odometer readings, but nothing yet. I also saw a thread from the states and someone down there is doing what we are thinking about with the rear diff. Cant seem to find it anymore, bu they didnt have any really issues.

Hopefully we can touch base about this at one of the meets and go over this, it would be nice to meet up with another 8 pilot in Oakville,

For sure. I'm in the River Oaks area. Could do a mini meet at Timmies or Starbucks...

well that depends on how it calculates speed. If its based off of the wheel speed sensors than i supose it wont be affected, if its based off of a transmission output speed sensor then the final will definitly affect it. Ill look this up tomorrow at work and see what i can find (unless al has the answer handy and can confirm/deny that). if the speedo thing is not an issue and there are noticeable gains for the butt dyno to feel...i might be on board for this mod afterall. haha

Exactly. Al wasn't sure about how the speed was calculated. Would really appreciate if you could provide some insight on this...

For sure. I'm in the River Oaks area. Could do a mini meet at Timmies or Starbucks...

Cool, sounds like an idea, i'm over by Falgarwood

Interesting numbers and trial concept run. Guess we won't really know until one of us does it. I can't see the speedo being off by much if it is, but what do I know lol. I would recommend BEFORE the mod, just write down certain speeds, in certain gears, at certain RPM. Example I do 6th gear, 127km/hr at exactly 4krpm. My winter tires are thinner and 5mm bigger and run the exact same speed and rpm. Might be a interesting comparison after.

When are you thinking about doing it? Let me know, I live 5 min from Mazdees and can meet up with ya.

^ Probably in a couple of weeks. Will let you know.

As an update, I put MX5 wheels on my 8. They are 24.3 inches in diameter which equates to about a 4.73 diff. So these wheels effectively give me the kind of performance differnce I should expect from a 4.77 diff.

On a side note, the car looked ridiculous with these wheels on it :)

Making this change made a noticeable difference to the car. Here the differences as I experienced them...

* Car had more usable tourque. Comes off the line faster and easier. Easier to drive around town as a result.

* Revs up much more quickly which means I am in the power zone much more quickly and more often. As I have stated previously, I like this car above 4k and this change makes it very easy for me to play there all day long.

Having said that, being below 4k now is not such a chore because there is more torque to give it a kick in the pants...

* Just feels more peppy overall -- that extra bit of usable power reduces the motivation to go FI (which is a very positive thing in my books)

* I've hear the comment that the 4.77 makes you shift more and I suppose that is true but for me, I never really noticed it. In other words, amount to shifting is not an issue in my books.

So net net, I'm going for it! With any luck, the 4.778 diff will go in without any real problems so costs don't get out of control. I think I will get Mazdees to do the work as they come highly recommended from Al.

When will you guys learn that "old age and treachery will always beat youthfullness and enthusiam!" lol

btw.......................TOLD YA SO! lol

Anyone else wanting to do this mod, we will give you a special deal on the ring and pinion.

oOoooo... that was 01Racing's 666th post... evvvvilllll... Christine is going to kill you now ;)

Tempting very tempting... I think i'll let thunder be the guinny pig on this one though!!! Lol :)

its guinea pig ;)

When will you guys learn that "old age and treachery will always beat youthfullness and enthusiam!" lol

btw.......................TOLD YA SO! lol

Anyone else wanting to do this mod, we will give you a special deal on the ring and pinion.

666th post eeee that makes me wonder?!?! lol

Al...can you PM me the deal plz!!

pm sent

i was so busy today (things finally picking up...thank god) and forgot to look this up. ill right it on my forehead so i dont forget to look into it tomorrow. lol

okay, so i spent a few minutes today before i left looking into this. i couldnt find anything to do with a transmission output speed sensor or any other sort of speed sensor aside from the ABSs wheel speed sensors. also, when i looked at the FSM, it only spoke of the wheel speed sensors feeding the speedo or the signal possibly coming through the DCS/ABS system.

so im like 95% sure that the speedo should remain correct after a gear change as it reads from the wheel speed, not the transmission speed.

This doesnt apply for automatics necessarily...found some weird stuff going on with autos. lol. but i dont think anyone with an auto is looking to do a great change anyways.

so as long as you keep the factory tire size's same overall diameter, you cant throw the speedo/odo off it seems. im even more interested in this gear change now.....but i dont want to be the first one, just in case im wrong. lol.

^ Thanks for the info. Good news indeed. I don't mind being the guinea pig on this as I have Al to blame if things go sideways :) Will try to get it installed before our cruise but will be tight.

Nice, this just pushed me one step closer to getting it done, after Thunder of course:)

Hey Thunder, you still planning on swapping out your diff??

Hey Thunder, you still planning on swapping out your diff??

You bet! Will no doubt be one of my best mods.

I am just waiting for a new clutch as I am going to get that installed at the same time. Will likely get it done third week of April

SWEET!!!!! I cant wait for the verdict n how it turns out! I think i'm going to get it done in the fall. (hope you dont mind being the test case!)

You bet! Will no doubt be one of my best mods.

I am just waiting for a new clutch as I am going to get that installed at the same time. Will likely get it done third week of April

LET ME KNOW WHEN so I can whore your cars with pics plz...:)

LET ME KNOW WHEN so I can whore your cars with pics plz...:)

If you're looking for pics of install, will be difficult. I am just dropping the car off because they will need it for a couples of days. Maybe you can work something out with them?

Anxiously awaiting news on the results of the gear swap... any update?

the 8 calculates speed off the wheel sensors not the transmission so you can change trannys gear ratios and diff's with out worry.