I purchased a set of strakes from Rosenthal Mazda last week ($158 delivered, off eBay) and they arrived on Wednesday. Thursday I headed out to the garage with a bit of trepedation, but it went well. The dealers will charge an hour of time for this install, so consider saving some money and doing it yourself...

The strakes come with a single paper template as shown below. You must cut the template out yourself. I was very nervous about rippling the template, so I made several photocopies first. The side of the template with the writing is for the right side of the car; the other side of the template is for the left side of the car. I just made two different templates.

Next, I carefully taped the template to the car...

Position the tires in the direction of the side of the car you are working on to give yourself room to work and locate the four phillips-head cap screws shown. Remember, if you start the car to move the tires, let it warm up so you don't flood the engine!

The screws pop out by prying out the centers. Remove the small plastic piece from the bottom of the wheel well.

Reach your hand under the plastic wheel well housing and find the three sets of clips holding the air vent in place inside the body of the car.

The vent should pop off easily with some pressure from the back of the vent clips. Be patient if a clip gets stuck. When all 6 clips are released, the vent will come off easily.

Note that each strake is uniquely marked. They are labelled LU (Left Upper), LL (Left Lower), RU (Right Upper), RL (Right Lower). Each strake also has a mark on it indicating the side which faces down.

Use the screw, split washer and washer included with the strakes to add the strakes to the vent. Unfortunately, I did not photograph which hole to use, but noted that several others have suggested that the directions that come with the strakes are wrong. Instead, I used the directions given by RX8-U-UP in another post. This worked well:
"There was a major problem with the instructions. If you use the hole and row on the Air Outlet that are called out in the directions the strakes do not lay flat on the car surface for the two sided tape to adhere. I found that by moving the upper garnish (strake) on both sides from 2nd row, third from the front side, as the direction state, to 3rd row middle hole the strake lays down perfect and fits the template. Also move both bottom strakes from 2nd row, and second from the front, to 4th row from the bottom, middle and they will also line up perfect... If you install them per the directions, there are large gaps between the the surface of the car and the strake, that can't be filled by the two sided tape. It also looks very cheesy. When on right they should be tight on the air outlet and very tight to the surface of the car on both sides of the air outlet.

The following photos show the directions that came with the strakes and how it should look when it is done:

Check the hole placement by placing the vent back on the car without pealing the adhesive tape. If you have lined up the strakes properly on the vent, the strakes will fit nicely in the template and the strakes will be flush where they contact the body of the car.

Now it's time to adhere the strakes to the car. Remove the vent as before and use a cue tip or rag to dab rubbing alcohol on the parts of the car body that will come into contact with the strakes. The alcohol will remove any wax that might make the contact weak.

Unpeal the tape and place the vent back on the car but be very careful that the strakes do not touch the car (or the template that is attached to the car) accidentally. This photo shows the place where I made a mistake and touched the tape to the template and had to rip the template from the strake.

The contact points should be flush with the body of the car.

Once the strakes are carefully aligned within the templates, apply pressure to adhere them to the car, remove the templates, reinstall the pop screws and you're done!

The whole job took me probably two hours, being very careful and taking the photos... it should take the person of average intelligence and skill far less time. Watch the strakes and the body of the car since the strakes are sharp in places. It would help to have an extra set of hands, but it's not necessary. I was very pleased with the result.

Good Luck!

Awesome instructions and photos!! Thanks for the time and effort!!!

perfect
very nice
they look great

cool, thx. I saved this one for later, can't wait to install 'em on my silver 8 :)

Lookin' good!

Thanks for the positive response. I wanted to try to do something like what msrecant and SLO1 did with their air filter and clear marker how-tos. Those were a great help at explaining what is involved which is great to have before taking the plunge and buying the hardware. I wouldn't have installed my clear markers had I not seen msrecant's photos which showed how easy it really is.

I wish I had a photo of which vent holes I used. It's not that hard to experiment a bit, but it would have been easier if I had just taken the picture. If anyone has a shot of the right vent holes to use, please post it here.

I also forgot to mention that it may be helpful to have a hair drier handy in case the strake needs to be adjusted. Also, I elected not to use a drop of Loctite to bond it tighter to the car as the directions recommend, since I didn't have any.

Thank you very much on the detailed pics and instructions, I too am going to order the strakes and wanted to the the work myself. I was a bit apprehensive, however now I feel I could save myself the $75.00 the dealer would charge.

BTW, they look very nice.

Thanks MEGAREDS for the excellent instructions! I think I am going to attempt this on my own now that someone has finally taken the time to document such a fine instalation. I just have one question, does the vent actually do anything, other than for cosmetics?

doh!! I wish I would have read this before so catch the hint about using different holes. I used the holes in the instructions and well the strakes did match the contours pretty well, but the damn things didn't line up with the pattern exactly... so I had to eyeball it a bit.

I used a nice little trick - when installing the stakes to the grill, first only make the screw snug. Then after you put both strakes on, pop the grill back in, use the template to line them up AND THEN *take a piece of masking tape and place the edge of the tape on the upper edge of the strake and then a piece on the lower edge of the strake*. This way you can pull the grill back of and tighten the bejesus out of the screw and be perfectly sure its still lined up properly :p


Anyway, I did it in about 20min and looks pretty good.... so much easier then the mp3 player install :o

MEGAREDS, you did one helluva job! I too will be doing this myself, thanx to your excellent DIY guide. I wish I could come up with an original upgrade or install that I could share with everyone... Maybe those low-profile flat panel visor speakers aren't such a bad idea afterall... ;)

good job.

Originally posted by moRotorMotor
I just have one question, does the vent actually do anything, other than for cosmetics?

As far as I can tell, they're purely cosmetic, but I'm not sure.

Excellent instructions - thank you! Now if I could just decide between polished and brushed for my Titanium...

Originally posted by MEGAREDS
As far as I can tell, they're purely cosmetic, but I'm not sure. I haven't gone to the garage to investigate - maybe my time would have been better spent ( :cool: ) but here's a thread (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7144&perpage=15&highlight=side%20vents&pagenumber=1) that debated this topic.

MEGAREDS, wonderful post. I will be doing my strakes this weekend and I found your thread. Couldn't ask for better instructions. That what I believe this forum is all about. People helping other people with their RX-8. Great job!

MEGAREDS, thanx for the how-to. If I use the holes called out in the instructions, will the strakes line up with the cutouts in the template? Or, is the template correct and should be used as the true alignment guide regardless of what the instructions say about holes? Thanx again.

The mfg instructions mention loktite. I have been looking for it, but can't find the part (#403) they suggest. Does it matter, or is no one else even using the stuff?

Originally posted by Chrisbert
If I use the holes called out in the instructions, will the strakes line up with the cutouts in the template? Or, is the template correct and should be used as the true alignment guide regardless of what the instructions say about holes? Thanx again.

My strakes look good and I used RX8-U-UP's directions. It is possible that I would have gotten the same results if I had used the printed instructions; I just don't know. Since my strakes lined up with the templates, seem straight and are well adhered to the car, I recommend doing it the same way, but if another way both (1) lines up the strakes with the templates; and (2) makes the contact between the strakes and the car flush, then don't worry about it.

BTW, as I said, I did not use locktite. My strakes have been sitting in the rain the last few days and the car has been through the car wash twice. No problems, other than that dumb piece of paper that shows on the right side of the car on one of the strakes. It will wear away eventually, I'm sure. I'm certain I'm the only one that will ever notice it. If the strakes ever pop off the car, I'll hunt down the locktite and reapply them. Once you've done it once, it really is simple.

Thanks, Mega. That was mega-easy. I would have been pissed if my strakes didn't fall flush with the car when I tried to stick them. WTG, man!

Originally posted by SCiMMiA
The mfg instructions mention loktite. I have been looking for it, but can't find the part (#403) they suggest. Does it matter, or is no one else even using the stuff? It's spelled Loctite.

Go to their website (http://www.loctite.com/int_henkel/loctite_us/index.cfm?&pageid=19&layout=3) and enter 403 where it says "Search by Product Number".

Here is a search result for it. (http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?srch=105&FORM=AS5&q=403+loctite) Lots of places to buy it online.

Bon apetite!

edit: Loctite is as common to sealants and adhesives in the industrial world as Peter Pan is to peanut butter. Check your local industrial supply store too!

Another thing to mention for anyone who is planning on putting the front splash guards on, make sure you do the strakes first. I got my strakes for Christmas 2 days after I installed the splash guards and what a pain it was the get my arm to the back of the vents. The splash guards have adhesive strips on them so you can't remove them.

Great job - thanks very much for the time and effort you took to post this info.

Thank you. That is a great price. I appreciate the detailed instructions. I am going to install them myself.

great job and effort, all your time is appreciated by all members here...

hi ...i would like to know where can i purchase this strakes...cause i live in malaysia and only way is to order it to be ship to me.....any usefull websites?


thanks a million ...
:P

As noted, my strakes came from Rosenthal Mazda in the U.S. I would think an Asian supplier would be better for you... however, Rosenthal has an area on this Board, in the "Vendors Forum." You might go there and send them a personal message... they may be able to ship the strakes to you or perhaps direct you to a better source. The strakes are extremely light and are shipped in a very small box. Another U.S. supplier that seems to come well recommended is Trussville Mazda. They also have an area in the Vendor's Forum, and they also sell strakes.

Of course, you are a long way from the U.S. The only reason I would recommend Rosenthal or Trussville is that I know they are reliable sources. If they say they can do it, I would trust them to follow through. I'm not particularly optimistic, but then again sometimes exchange rates make these things work...

Goodluck.

Originally posted by sean80
hi ...i would like to know where can i purchase this strakes...cause i live in malaysia and only way is to order it to be ship to me.....any usefull websites?


thanks a million ...
:P

Try http://www.jt-imports.com/Mazda_RX8_JDM_Parts.htm , they are based in Japan. Purchased my clear sidemarkers from them and shipping was cheap.

Nice. Hey moderators, create a "Howto/Guides" section and move this there :)

That's a good idea Voon!

Moderators, you listening? There are tons of DIY's out there on different topics. It'd be good to have them in one place, broken down my category (Perf, Electronics, etc)

Great stuff!!!

Thanks for the write-up.

Just wanted to throw my belated two cents in on Megareds' strakes installation instructions. I'm an all-thumbs kind of guy, but his instructions were so clear and well-illustrated that I blasted through my own strakes installation in under two hours (folks with fewer than ten thumbs will probably be able to do it quicker). Thanks a lot, Megareds.

A couple of additional suggestions: as another poster has mentioned, when straight, the strakes should line up with the pattern on the vents as well as the paper pattern. I had a tough time with the little plastic pop-fasteners (or whatever they're called): They came out fine, but I had trouble getting them back in, and trashed two before I figured out how they work (and boy, did I feel stupid once I did). The little center piece should be all the way forward, and then you can pinch the five-sided "fan" assembly together so it goes through the hole easily. Then you can give the screw a little 1/8 turn; it spreads the little fan thingy out behind the hole and locks it. (Sorry for the lame instructions - hope it makes sense.)

I suspect this was obvious to most of you, but I have an adversary relationship with all inanimate objects.

Great instructions. When I installed my strakes I followed the packaged instructions as well as could be exptected. The only issue I had was with the placement (which holes to use for the screws). I played with them a bit and found the best placement (for my taste) and noticed that the lower strake didn't line up with the template (it was a bit low). I didn't want to move the strake up, so I cut the template in two and taped it to match the new position of the lower strake. Then I used the modified template when I installed the other side.

The instructions are correct, I followed them and they lined up perfectly. I tried your suggestion and the stakes do not space correctly, if you look at the grill from the side following the instructions splits it into three equal sections and it looks balanced. When I tried the other holes that you recommend they look disproportionate. The strakes lined up perfectly and they stuck right up to the body and the foam adhesive strip grabbed the body well.

Also the template does not line up because it is wrong, in that it is not to scale. It looks like the template is a photocopy which has a slight reduction to it, so it will not line up correctly. I just ignored the template once I had the stakes installed into the holes that the instructions called for I test fit it and then adjusted them to run parallel to the ground from a distance of about 12 feet. I then marked the spot they should be at with some tape, removed then tightened the screws as per specifications rechecked everything with one more test fit. I then removed the protective tape as per the instructions and installed the vent for the final time.

One other thing make sure to put some lock-tight on the screws before tightening the stakes to make sure they do not come loose.

Good thread but I can't deny it, I had my installed by Mazdatrix for $40; total time waiting was less than an hour. :D


;)

Originally posted by 310Guy
Good thread but I can't deny it, I had my installed by Mazdatrix for $40; total time waiting was less than an hour. :D


;)

I looked into Mazdatrix, but the fuel costs were prohibitive...

:D

Originally posted by MEGAREDS
I looked into Mazdatrix, but the fuel costs were prohibitive...

Too bad. They rock!

:cool:

OK, offering my $.02 on the strakes installation I did today. Overall, everything turned out OK but there was a nervous moment. Got the template lined up just fine and popped off the black grill and began to install the first set per the adjusted instructions above in the DIY. I did not follow the ones supplied and it seems to work just fine in the new holes - even and flush. My drama came when I had the first set adjusted and noticed that I did not have any loctite ........ Maybe I can pop this back on and run to Pep Boys and pick it up. Well, when I attempted to take the bottom strake off it seized up on me and would not come off. Began to get borderlined stripped and pliers would not budge it. At this point I figure I am pregnant with this thing and go through with it and crank it back down. It did go back on tight but I hope that with the tape it will be tight enough for the long run.

The Lesson: Be careful when cranking down on the screw, it can easily get galled.

good directions anyone have strakes on blus 8 like to see photo's

i just put mine on tonight in about 40 mins, thanks for the great insturctions. the only thing is that i found the holes to be different than stated. i originally followed rx8-u-ups instructions but came nowhere close to the template. i then just popped the grill in, lined the strakes up w/the template and put the screw in the coressponding hole. if i had done this first this probably would have been a 25 min job. im wondering if by chance they have two different fender grills???

btw, i got mine from japanpartsintokyo off ebay and i am very very thankful for these instructions b/c i cant read japanese! w/my clear side markers and stealth bulbs installed yesterday my 8 looks totally different! after a good wash and wax (it may be a while) ill get pics up.

Yes, thats what I did...

I found the directions to be only useful to find out which strakes were for which location. The rest I ignored.

I cut the template out, put it on the car, then put the screw into the back of the grill while it was on the car, and placed a strake in the template location in order to find the proper hole to fit it into.

I repeated this for each side, then took the grill out and tightened it.

I found that the template was a bit off, the strakes didn't line up that well and if I used them to get the angle of the strakes, they would be misaligned.

So I used the grill itself to line up the strakes, making sure they were at the same angle as the grill....

The whole process took about 20 mins for both sides.

Did mine tonight in a short time. Template??? I didn't need any stinking template!

I looked very carefully at all the closeup installs I could find on here, read about the holes not being the right ones, figured out which the right ones were, tightened and aligned up the strakes to the grille, pulled off the tape and clicked the grilles in and pushed on the strakes to set the glue from the tape and presto, they are on, straight and look mahvalous darling, simply mahvalous!

You've all seen pics of strakes on a red 8, why paste more? Besides, my car is dirty right now from all the rain from these past few days here, except in the area aroudn the grille and where the strakes are taped at, naturally. :D

However, thanks for this wonderful DIY, Mrgareds, it gave all of us important information about how to do it yourself.

Dennis

Finally installed my strakes today. Man, these things are cool! :D

Great job man, I can't wait to get my own strakes!

any group buys on them????

Hi all! I just installed my strakes from Trussville (they rock) today. Mazda, or whoever makes these for Mazda has changed the install. There is no longer a template. There is a fitting the shape of one of the grill openings on the strake that fits into the opening quite snug to hold the strake in place. Instructions now state to fit the strake to the grill as per the instruction diagram. Then pull the grill out and then fasten with an "L" shaped bracket now (vs the washer I have seen) and snug down. Then, snap the grill back in. There is no tape now, just a formed rubber gasket to seal the area between the front and rear of the strake and car. The whole thing took me 40 minutes both sides. What a difference. Mine is the first in town I have seen with strakes. Pictures do them no justice. :D

Hi all! I just installed my strakes from Trussville (they rock) today. Mazda, or whoever makes these for Mazda has changed the install. There is no longer a template. There is a fitting the shape of one of the grill openings on the strake that fits into the opening quite snug to hold the strake in place. Instructions now state to fit the strake to the grill as per the instruction diagram. Then pull the grill out and then fasten with an "L" shaped bracket now (vs the washer I have seen) and snug down. Then, snap the grill back in. There is no tape now, just a formed rubber gasket to seal the area between the front and rear of the strake and car. The whole thing took me 40 minutes both sides. What a difference. Mine is the first in town I have seen with strakes. Pictures do them no justice. :D
is it possible to scan the document and post a few pictures of your insall?

As requested. The instruction sheet...................

...and some pics of, yes, another red with strakes......

...and some more.......

...one more..... :D

Mazda, or whoever makes these for Mazda has changed the install. There is no longer a template. There is a fitting the shape of one of the grill openings on the strake that fits into the opening quite snug to hold the strake in place.
Thank, Phlash69, for the update. I'd like to see this thread stay useful. Could I impose on somone to either take the photos and add them to this thread or start a "Strakes Install #2" thread? It just takes a bit of time to take the picture at each step and I know it helps a great deal for those deciding whether to pay to have the install or make it DIY. It sounds as though not binding the strakes to the car with tape may be a great improvement. I'm really curious. Photos please!

Great photos and thank you very much for posting that Phlash69. I am guessing that just the pressure alone from the keyed washer and tightening it up the the rear of the grille along with the rubber backed strake keeps the strake from turning. This would also hold tighter the strake grille to the car. Just when I can duplicate their exact method and come up with a reasonable solution to these over priced hunks of aluminum, they improve their mouse trap. :D

Also, I notice that you did this with the front splash guards intact (as I did also), I am assuming, or you put them on right afterwards. :D

Also, I notice that you did this with the front splash guards intact (as I did also), I am assuming, or you put them on right afterwards. :D

Actually, I left the splash guards on and although a tight fit was able to remove the one center pop screw and get my hand in the fander space.

In the spirit of giving, (and becuase i'm wide awake....) I went out and took one side apart again.

So here is the down and dirty.....here is the new design strake. notice the "diamaond shaped" notch on it now (part of the mold, not added) and the black rubber gasket (no tape) on the front and rear. This notch "keyes" to the grills diamonds.

......attach the strakes. The new "diamond" notch sets the alignment for the strake by "fitting" the grill diamonds. Notice the new "L" braces. These rotate down behind the two bars across the hole where the grill sits. I would think this serves two purposes now. It makes ripping them off much harder and also secures the grill and strakes to the body of the car rather than relying on the plastic grill clips.....

...after the grill is installed, rotate the clips down and tighten them down using a 3mm allen wrench. ***FYI TIP*** before you stick a 3mm wrench in this space, throw a hand towel in the bottom of the opening, if you drop the 3mm wrench, the towel will keep it from sliding down into the underbody cavity and which point you will have to pull out the old magnet picker-upper and go fishing (trust me on this one.....)

Sorry about the lousy pics but it's pretty damn hard to get a camera in the fender space. In these pics you can see the two silver clips in the first one and one in the second and third.

Once you tighten down, don't forget to get your hand towel out, and put your wheel well back together. good luck! :D

D menac 7,

I expect to see this new design coming out of your shop say....within the week????......... :D ......and with "Demo" samples available to all the fine folks on this board correct?????

The washer is not "keyed." I would think that a keyed washer would still allow the strake to rotate around. The strake has the keyed notch molded onto the strake itself. It sets the level of the strake based on the "diamonds" in the grill. It would suck if you had a grill that had diamonds mis-molded or angled wrong. The washer and locknut have been replaced with the "L" bracket.....

Ah ha, that is why I wanted pics. I had a feeling that was the case. A new mouse trap. However, the bracket looks like it provides a spring like tension. Dang, if only I had a new set it would be easy to cast a mold. I am still casting a mold for the old set let alone the new one...:D Still, $195 or so vs. the Franklin I am thinking about...the old way didn't break, they just improved upon it.

Actually, I left the splash guards on and although a tight fit was able to remove the one center pop screw and get my hand in the fander space.
My mud guards were on too so, we did similar, I had m 15 year old slip his hand back in there to undo the grilles and I just snapped them back in place.

I just wanted to thank everybody who had input on this thread. I just bought a set of strakes on ebay for $100.00 (old style) (they were used but in perfect condition still had screwss too) so no instructions. with the help of this thread I was able to install them in no time. THANKS PEOPLE!!! :D

i bought my side strakes a while ago, back in the summer and I finally installed them with the help of your awesome instructions. My Strakes for some reason was missing some of the instructions, so I could not have done it without you! THANKS!

The instructions did not work for me.
I am positive I used the correct holes. The picture is very easy to follow.
1 fit correctly, 1 did not.
Havent had time to try the other instructions posted here, but that is my next stop.
Again, I am 100% positive I used the holes in the instructions. I even had my friend and master mechanic look at the holes and he agreed I did it correctly.
Strange some people are ok and others are not.
I could just be crazy..

Phlash,

I notice you took yours apart, did your strakes not have the adhesive backing? I just got mine for xmas and installed them, then I noticed this thread. I don't recall mine having an adhesive backing. I would think I should take this apart and take the tape cover off to make it right but let me know what you did.

Thanks.



In the spirit of giving, (and becuase i'm wide awake....) I went out and took one side apart again.

So here is the down and dirty.....here is the new design strake. notice the "diamaond shaped" notch on it now (part of the mold, not added) and the black rubber gasket (no tape) on the front and rear. This notch "keyes" to the grills diamonds.

Just got mine on, too! Thanks *so* much for posting these great instructions. :)

After an adventure I finally got the correct Strakes in yesterday. I ordered them from Park Mazda in Ohio from their E-bay store and when I got them they were the new style light gray in color. I sent those back and ordered new ones from Rosenthal Mazda in VA after talking to them to make sure they were old style with polished aluminum and the diamond set point. I head to Key West this afternoon for 10 days so I will have to wait till I get back to install them. Everyone in the Northeast stay warm but know that I won't be thinking of you!!!

I'm back from Florida and Strakes are installed.

Anyone know if there is a protective coat on the aluminum strakes or can I polish them safely with aluminum polish?

I purchased my strakes last week off an ebay seller and they just came in today. Was going to try and install them, but they are nothing like the ones all you guys seem to have.

I was only given the 4 strakes, 4 screws, and some black backings that I need to stick on the back of the 4 strakes I believe? But I was not given anything else and I have no idea what else I need. So any help would be great, thanks.

i have the same rims and tires as my winter tires as the OP.

lol!

Next, I carefully taped the template to the car...

I just bought used strakes from a member...does anyone have a pdf of the template?

Hi

I am about to also install these. Did you use the loctite 403 it recommends or just some normal loctite thread locker to stop loosening of the bolt? Loctite 403 is practically impossible to get where I am, no one stocks it. I was just going to use the normal 243 thread locker. Or perhaps some clear nail varnish?

All help appreciated.

cheers

this was a awesome thread!
thanks for the time and effort :D
it's always best to this small type of work on your own car with your own hands, instead of letting dealers do the work. firstly, cuz they charge more, secondly, it gives you 1-on-1 time for bonding with the car :D