I recently bought an RX-8, and I've been looking to do some performance upgrades... but I'm in college and have limited resources. Any suggestions?

remove vfad and filter walls and get a k&n drop in filter

You won't get any decent performance upgrades for cheap with this car. Search around for

exausts
intakes
midpipes
cobb accessport

find a rich girlfriend :)

or get some lowering springs and upgrade the handling performance ohhh

find a rich girlfriend :)

Seems like the most viable option :D:

or get some really nice tires tbh

I bought some Goodyear Eagle GTs and put them on. Are those pretty decent?

You will not find any inexpensive HP upgrades for this car.

do the throttlw body bypass

Exactly. Best low cost bang for the buck. I wouldn't modify the stock filter box tho'. Just remove the VFAD and drop in a K&N flat filter. You'll have a noticeably smoother transition without the VFAD shutter hesitation around 4k rpm and more airflow with the K&N. You can also add the Racing Beat Duct to more directly intake ambient cold air to the filter.

;3185818']remove vfad and filter walls and get a k&n drop in filter

Is there a diy guide for it?

yes its very easy , and the walls inside the airbox come out with a screw too so theres no hack job

Do not expect much if any gains by doing these mods...

Thanks for the input guys. Im probably just going to end up pinching pennies to get an intake or exhaust.

not much gains but cheapest thing to do its basically free except for thr drop in filter which i got free, and throttle body bypass is like 10 buxs and worth it for a slightly better response

Thanks for the input guys. Im probably just going to end up pinching pennies to get an intake or exhaust.

neither of whick will add power uless you get a midpipe

Can you post a sticky for the DIY

yeah lemme search it

diy vfad removal

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=148881&highlight=diy+vfad+removal

diy intake box mod

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=130332&highlight=diy+vfad+removal

diy throttle body bypass mod

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=36389&highlight=throttle+body+bypass+diy

And here's the Racing Beat Duct mating to the stock airbox DIY: http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=97962&highlight=Duct

Note that you have to remove your front bumper to remove the VFAD. It's really pretty easy. You disconnect/remove the side marker lights (aka "corners'), undo a series of nuts above and below and lastly disconect the foglight connectors. There's a good DIY for the bumper removal as well. The first time you take off the bumper takes some time (noobie caution factor) but thereafter can literally be done in 10-15 minutes. Video and text:

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=164596&highlight=bumper+removal

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=177436&highlight=bumper+removal

thanks i forgot to tell him about bumper removal

Low budget and performance dosen't go together.

Give your car a nice maintenance instead, new coils, plugs, plug cables, oil, filter etc..

I would agree in principle that true performance enhancements on the '8 cannot be done on a tight budget. But there are some things, such as VFAD removal, a more efficient air filter, a short shifter, better tires, etc. that can give a "butt dyno" feeling of enhanced performance. I believe the OP is aware that there's no free lunch and these "low budget mod's" are what he's looking for.

Heck, I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum from college days and still like a inexpensive 'feel good' mod when I can find it. Frugal Yankee in me I guess. ;)

Low budget and performance dosen't go together.

Give your car a nice maintenance instead, new coils, plugs, plug cables, oil, filter etc..

I would agree in principle that true performance enhancements on the '8 cannot be done on a tight budget. But there are some things, such as VFAD removal, a more efficient air filter, a short shifter, better tires, etc. that can give a "butt dyno" feeling of enhanced performance. I believe the OP is aware that there's no free lunch and these "low budget mod's" are what he's looking for.

Heck, I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum from college days and still like a inexpensive 'feel good' mod when I can find it. Frugal Yankee in me I guess. ;)

You are right, there are some goddies there.

Im also a fan of most bang for the bucks and a good maintainend car is a fast car. :rolleyes:

Also 'upgrade' with aftermarket parts as the stock parts wear out...

Brake rotors, pads, shocks, tires... that way you're not throwing away any money

Add sway bars, short shifter etc. Not super expensive at least relative to OEM pricing.

are you just looking for power upgrades? and how much of a budget are you looking at? Ralco RZ offers a set of underdrive pulleys ($170 + $40 for the bigger belts that you have to source out somewhere else), K&N or green drop in air filter, yukon coil ignition upgrade from BHR (there's also a DIY if you wanna make your own), coolant additives (royal purple, redline, etc), REmedy water pump (better impeller design) + t-stat (lower opening temp) from Mazmart, better brake pads, stainless steel brake lines ($99-$130), stainless steel clutch line ($30-440), Axial Flow Engineering (AFE) short shifter ($ 285) and brake master cylinder brace ($85).
as far as suspension, sway bars will definitely increase handling performance and you can get a pair for around $300 shipped if you look hard enough. And also a set of lowering springs ($150 shipped), look for progressive coils with stiffer spring rates, they're more forgiving compared to springs with linear spring rates.

its agree that college kills most of the funds that could be spent on your car, cuz im going through that too. Just enjoy the car as it is, and know that in the next few years, your car wont be worth anything (resale wise) and that it will be the perfect car to dump tons of money into. I've had the car two years and dreamed of turbo-ing the car, but hasnt happened cuz of no dinero. But look at the aftermarket progress for our car. I've got two more years til graduation, and the discussion boards have gone from trying to break 350 hp to over 500 streetable horsepower out of the renesis.

Midpipe and BHR Upgrade and you are set.

All set until he has to pass an emissions test and those are not exactly "low budget" add-ons.

Midpipe and BHR Upgrade and you are set.

All set until he has to pass an emissions test and those are not exactly "low budget" add-ons.

HEHEHE... gotta love the great white north.... Emissions tests..... what's that? :jump:

Yep. Heck, Polar bears evolved from Brown bears so when the ice sheets melt they'll just revert. no problemo (yes I know the Cat is for toxic emissions and not CO2). ;)

HEHEHE... gotta love the great white north.... Emissions tests..... what's that? :jump:

All set until he has to pass an emissions test and those are not exactly "low budget" add-ons.

Well I live in Alabama so I actually had to google emissions test... Never heard of them before! :scratchhe

Where would be the best place to order a midpipe from?

Talk to Charles R. Hill if you dont mind waiting for it for a little bit, he will tell you about the new BHR midpipes.... if not check out Agency power midpipes at VividRacing.com

All this depends on what kind of a "budget" you are working with. I've built my entire RX8 using personal funds so budget shopping is something I'm pretty familiar with.

There are a lot of parts out there that sucker you into thinking you'll get performance gains when it's either sound or simply bling. If that's what you want then more power to you.

Here's what I would avoid if you are on a tight budget...

Pulley kits of any kind
Intakes of any kind
Cat back exhausts (unless you are looking for a unique sound)

My goal is to ensure everything I buy DOES something for me. If it's a look item like wheels or something like that I went for something lighter than stock so at least it provides some performance benefit.

Lowering springs are a good item to look into. They will run you between $150 and $250 depending on the spring manufacturer. They provide some better feeling while taking turns and they improve the look of the car.

The Axial Flow short shifter is one of the better mods you can get for every day use. IIRC it retails for about $250 and not only improves your shifting but feels great when using it.

Upgraded brake pads are another good item. I use Hawk HPS pads but you can search for various opinions about good street pads. You will probably spend $100 to $150 depending on the pads.

Stainless steel brake and clutch lines are not too bad either. A good set will run between $100 and $150 and improve the consistency of your brake pedal.

I'd look seriously into the short shifter, springs and brake pads. You can do the whole deal for probably $500 and it will be stuff you use every day on the street.

BHR really should put together a few performance packages...

BHR really should put together a few performance packages...

Agreed!

All this depends on what kind of a "budget" you are working with. I've built my entire RX8 using personal funds so budget shopping is something I'm pretty familiar with.

There are a lot of parts out there that sucker you into thinking you'll get performance gains when it's either sound or simply bling. If that's what you want then more power to you.

Here's what I would avoid if you are on a tight budget...

Pulley kits of any kind
Intakes of any kind
Cat back exhausts (unless you are looking for a unique sound)

My goal is to ensure everything I buy DOES something for me. If it's a look item like wheels or something like that I went for something lighter than stock so at least it provides some performance benefit.

Lowering springs are a good item to look into. They will run you between $150 and $250 depending on the spring manufacturer. They provide some better feeling while taking turns and they improve the look of the car.

The Axial Flow short shifter is one of the better mods you can get for every day use. IIRC it retails for about $250 and not only improves your shifting but feels great when using it.

Upgraded brake pads are another good item. I use Hawk HPS pads but you can search for various opinions about good street pads. You will probably spend $100 to $150 depending on the pads.

Stainless steel brake and clutch lines are not too bad either. A good set will run between $100 and $150 and improve the consistency of your brake pedal.

I'd look seriously into the short shifter, springs and brake pads. You can do the whole deal for probably $500 and it will be stuff you use every day on the street.

Speaking of pulley kits...
http://www.srmotorsports.com/RX8_Power_Pulleys.html

I seriously doubt their 12 HP number, but are they honestly a benefit to the car or not?

Speaking of pulley kits...
http://www.srmotorsports.com/RX8_Power_Pulleys.html

I seriously doubt their 12 HP number, but are they honestly a benefit to the car or not?

For $400 I don't believe it is at all. There is no evidence to support that the RX8 has any problems with belt slippage in an N/A platform either.

Agreed!

I've posted it a few times but they keep ignoring it so they must not think it has much value :(