Hey guys, thought I'd pick the brains of some of you proverbial rx8 elders. I have saved up a little bit of money and would like to do an effective performance mod to my car.

Here's what's done so far (not much):
RB screens
Fog light rewire/bulb swap
Tranny/diff fluid swap (redline)
SS clutch hose
RP short shifter

As you can see, most of that stuff is drivability and the essential screens. I wanted to do something that may give a tiny bit more kick to my drive. My first idea was a CAI (AE or MS) or perhaps a catback. Any thoughts?

you could get the retune from racing beat. Only if you have an 04 though.

why not do both the CAI and catback? They won't help much...its like in the higher rpm range.
Canzoomer maybe. that or the intercepter x is what im doing next if that helps at all.

why not do both the CAI and catback? They won't help much...its like in the higher rpm range.
Canzoomer maybe. that or the intercepter x is what im doing next if that helps at all.

Doing both is an option as well. I'm trying to hold off on the catback until it gets cooler out, as I don't have a garage, and it's ridiculous here in NC this summer. I was also considering perhaps a flywheel upgrade, but cant figure out which is better- act prolite or ms. What is canzoomer/intercepter?

Doing both is an option as well. I'm trying to hold off on the catback until it gets cooler out, as I don't have a garage, and it's ridiculous here in NC this summer. I was also considering perhaps a flywheel upgrade, but cant figure out which is better- act prolite or ms. What is canzoomer/intercepter?

If you want the most kick for $1000, I would suggest hi-flow cat for about $300, and either Used Canzoomer (piggyback) with software & cables (to connect to your laptop) & have a competent mechanic tune it. That would be about $1000. If you are not mechanically inclined, or have no mechanic resources then go for the Racing Beat Revi intake w/ ram air duct. Flywheel is nice but after all is said & done the flywheel & the cost to have a mechanic install it is almost $1000 (requires dropping the tranny). ACT is lighter & will give you faster acceleration than the Mazdaspeed, but the MS unit will give you better drivability.

Interceptor X is a higher end ECU mod, but if you are looking to stay within $1000, that is not an option. The hardware cost alone is way over $1000, let alone installation & tuning.

Thanks for the info man. Would the hi-flow cat do anything with an otherwise stock exhaust/intake? I've been eyeing up the act prolite flywheel for a nice performance mod, but need to find someone good to install it. I am mechanically inclined, but have no workspace. It's frustrating... I hear that the car revs way faster and generally feels great with a lighter flywheel. I think a CAI yields too little gains in hp or general drivability. From what I've read they're pretty much noise unless you have a good exhaust.

yeah, they dont have too many gains...i feel a little kick from 6000-9000 with the MS. A lot of stuff without FI is just going to be top end gains
Good for redlining 1st and 2nd...so on and so forth..its fun.

Yeah.. another option is saving this money and praying for the quick development of rp's supercharger!

where are you at in nc?

Im in Durham, right by Southpoint. I see you're in greensboro?

Cai and exhaust will make it sound much better.

well i had them all installed 1 at a time...

first of all, careful if you go midpipe with catback... a wrong combo will make your car sound like a lawn mower on crack. the gains are pretty nice... but not jaw dropping.

cai- i got the aem cuz i like how it looks, and it does give gains (like few others where u lose hp). also the sound is very nice~ when your on the throttle, you hear a nice whine that sounds like a small turbo. gains... hmm it's just enough to be noticeable. cost $225-250)

got the agency power pulley. it's great~ easy and fun to install (if you like working on cars)
it has 20% underdrive and people worry about the AC going to be warm but it's fine~ it's cool enough. power wise, it's more noticeable than the intake and also revs slightly quicker. it's a great mod, good bang for the buck (only about $170 includding shipping)

got the interceptor x installed 2-3 weeks ago. it's nice~ i've been driving it a lot harder cuz it's so much more fun but even so, my mpg still improved despite the constant redlines. it is expensive... but the product is great and a great mod if u plan on going turbo in the future. if ur not, still a great mod, but u might wanna look into canzoomer if ur gonna stay n/a... a lot cheaper. gains are very noticeable and i got it cuz of the mpg improvement. (customer service is excellent too) cost: $1599 (no tax)

lastly, just today, i got the act prolite flywheel installed~ it's great!! first and second gear is quite sexy and pulls nice. costs about $700 for the flywheel plus install... but well worth it.

hope this helps. after everything, the car feels nice and sounds great. gluck

$1000 for this car cant get you much.... i spent over $1000 for just the revi intake, revi duct, and borla exhaust. well... i think its worth it cause these mods makes your car sound hella sexier even though gains arent much noticeable.

the RP Supercat is about $400 shipped and its a high flow high temp cat which should give you around 8-10hp. also lighter than stock. theres currently a group buy going on.. :D

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=95057

"cai- i got the aem cuz i like how it looks, and it does give gains (like few others where u lose hp). also the sound is very nice~ when your on the throttle, you hear a nice whine that sounds like a small turbo. gains... hmm it's just enough to be noticeable. cost $225-250)"

Wow where can I get the AEM intake for that price? Your post was very helpful for my decision. I think if I can get that intake for that price I'll buy that first, and probably jump on the high flow cat scsi mentioned. Oh, just a question about the cat- how hard will installation be? Is it just bolt-on or should I figure in some mechanic time to the price?

I want to do a flywheel SO bad but I think I should hold off for now.

Catless midpipe
Catback of choice

Those two definitely, but other things to think about would be:
- AEM/MS CAI
- Aluminum flywheel
- Various suspension stuff (not for pep, but for more fun through corners/turns)

I spent about 2.5k$ for mods I got. Thats is TurboXS setup, canzzomer ( still don't have it ) ACT prolite, Unorthodox pulleys and revi + duct. What can I say.. I got n flash and before this mods, from 0-62 it was sth about 7s, now is less than 6:) If I were U with 1k$ I would buy flywheel and midpipe or highflow cat. Maybe cz but I still don't how it works and what is going to give me.

Well, just ordered the AEM intake, so 290 of my budget is gone. I think I may look into suspension stuff with the rest of the money. coilovers and some beefed up anti-sway bars might just fit the bill :)

Good choice. The installation and filter cleaning can be a bit tricky considering you have to remove the front bumper and the intructions are next to worthless. My installation took me like 6 hours but I was taking my time. :smokepoke Didnt want to get any scratches or cracks on my bumper. Sounds real nice with RB catback I think there a great combo.

Assuming you are still on the $1000 budget, with $300 gone, there will be no way on earth that you will get a decent coilover suspension for that price. Best off (if you are not constantly on the track & want a good street setup) going for the Racing Beat suspension setup (springs, Sway Bars, front sway bar endlinks), getting them installed, and that is about $1000 right there (CAI & suspension setup. For the money, the RB suspension was about the best thing I did for my car.

Thanks Fanman. Yeah I just started looking into the price of the RB suspension, and it would be a bit much for now. That may have to wait a month or two. Did you install it yourself? Did it noticably lower the car?

Has anyone got any dyno results to prove that $1000 can get you any significant power gain?

There's dyno results somewhere around here for flywheels freeing up a few hp, as well as a new exhaust and midpipe (8-10 hp). Both of those I would say would fall under the 1000 mark.

hey zen, my bad, i got my aem cai for like $280 from one of the dealers on ebay but i can't find him =T

anyways u'll like it and install is pretty easy. with $700 you can get flywheel and have them installed. you might be $100 or so short depending on what they quote you.

I was considering it. Is the difference pretty noticable with the act prolite?

it's very noticeable... and there's no discomfort in daily driving. easily my 2nd favorite modd right after my interceptor x

Has anyone got any dyno results to prove that $1000 can get you any significant power gain?

Polak & RX Tuner did a writeup several months back where he dynoed a car, did the swap of the flywheel & REVi and got 10 whp. Also Nemesis, has a dyno & writeup on the RP Supercat, got about 6-8 hp.

Will the dealer give you any crap about the act prolite flywheel or rp supercat (warranty)? Considering these 2 are my next mods (excluding body kit) I would like to know before I purchase.

But if you have a lightened flywheel. Say act prolite (8 pounds or so?) Wouldn't that make it easier to stall and harder to get smooth starts because the rpms would rise and fall so much quicker? It's pretty cool its like 50 percent of the stocks weight though:)

They technically shouldn't give you crap unless it's determined as a possible cause of failure for something. So if you put some flywheel in and it explodes, nothing will be covered under warranty.

Haha, thanks. Yeah, that would really suck if that happened and it blew through the floor and took off my head or something. But then I guess I wouldn't have an issue with warranty cuz I'd be dead.

you'd have to rev to like 18k rpm and cut out the floor and then maybe u'll die =P

prolite weighs more than racing beat and a few others cuz you have to add the counterweight.

There's better springs out there for cheaper than the RB ones, they are pretty mild.

Also, the RB flywheel weights are without the counterweight as well, last time I checked. At least that's how it was on my 2nd gen rx7, weight listed was minus counterweight.

Polak & RX Tuner did a writeup several months back where he dynoed a car, did the swap of the flywheel & REVi and got 10 whp. Also Nemesis, has a dyno & writeup on the RP Supercat, got about 6-8 hp.

wow never thought about adding up those numbers... this means its actually possible to get over 200+ hp N/A with those mods... pretty interesting! :rolleyes:

wow never thought about adding up those numbers... this means its actually possible to get over 200+ hp N/A with those mods... pretty interesting! :rolleyes:

Are you trying to be a jerk, or just coming off as one ? I never said it would get over 200+ whp. You don't just add stuff together & that's the new hp you get. Amateur hour. I said the hi-flow cat adds about 6-8 hp...FACT. I said the flywheel w/ the REVi airbox tested by Polak & RX Tuner got about 10 whp...FACT. Is there a particular reason you are throwing me that sarcastic rolleyes nonsense ? If you got something to contribute then go for it, otherwise stop being a clown.

Will the dealer give you any crap about the act prolite flywheel or rp supercat (warranty)? Considering these 2 are my next mods (excluding body kit) I would like to know before I purchase.

But if you have a lightened flywheel. Say act prolite (8 pounds or so?) Wouldn't that make it easier to stall and harder to get smooth starts because the rpms would rise and fall so much quicker? It's pretty cool its like 50 percent of the stocks weight though:)

It depends on your dealer. When I brought my car in it is "slightly" modified. The service manager, just laughed a little and did the recall/service. In regards to making it easier to stall & harder to get smooth starts, yes that is true. I have the SR Motorsports unit, and it is those things (slightly).

i thought that the Mazdaspeed flywheel was one of the best flywheels around, it was lighter, with the counter weight added in,whys the ACT prolite getting some much attention? would there be that much of a noticable difference between then ACT and the MS flywheel?
Sorry to hijack the thread, my budget isnt under 1000 Bucks, but ive just started to mod my 8, Got the borla on the way, Agency Power Pullys, and the Axial Flow Short Shifter, my next is the Revi with the Duct, then more then likely the flywheel.. so.. i wanna get as much info as i can :)

Dyno results on the web sites are crap. You might get half of what they claim. I've dyno'd enough bikes to know that magazines and web sites are nothing but BS. Until I see private dyno results from us guys running our own cars, I won't believe them....

You can play with the correction factor and ambient temperature to make any HP gain at least double the actual difference.

i thought that the Mazdaspeed flywheel was one of the best flywheels around, it was lighter, with the counter weight added in,whys the ACT prolite getting some much attention? would there be that much of a noticable difference between then ACT and the MS flywheel?
Sorry to hijack the thread, my budget isnt under 1000 Bucks, but ive just started to mod my 8, Got the borla on the way, Agency Power Pullys, and the Axial Flow Short Shifter, my next is the Revi with the Duct, then more then likely the flywheel.. so.. i wanna get as much info as i can :)

I'm going for ACT as well - from all the reading I've done the only noticable difference with the MS will be the effect on your wallet .

Catless midpipe
Catback of choice
Do NOT do this unless you're OK with your car sounding like you strapped on two dozen honda civics with broken cats to the back of your car. It's loud, and it's going to drone like there's no tomorrow.

With a turbo, it sounds pretty good, NA, it's a rice fest.

i thought that the Mazdaspeed flywheel was one of the best flywheels around, it was lighter, with the counter weight added in,whys the ACT prolite getting some much attention? would there be that much of a noticable difference between then ACT and the MS flywheel?
Sorry to hijack the thread, my budget isnt under 1000 Bucks, but ive just started to mod my 8, Got the borla on the way, Agency Power Pullys, and the Axial Flow Short Shifter, my next is the Revi with the Duct, then more then likely the flywheel.. so.. i wanna get as much info as i can :)

No, the Mazdaspeed is actually one of the heavier ones, but it is a very well made unit, with more of it's weight centered in the middle. In the RX Tuner article, the Unorthodox Racing unit was quite a bit lighter than the MS unit, which was 15.5 lbs (the stock unit weighs 17 lbs.), and the UR unit weight 14 lbs. ACT is lighter so revving up might be a bit faster, but that makes it a bit more finicky.

Dyno results on the web sites are crap. You might get half of what they claim. I've dyno'd enough bikes to know that magazines and web sites are nothing but BS. Until I see private dyno results from us guys running our own cars, I won't believe them....

You can play with the correction factor and ambient temperature to make any HP gain at least double the actual difference.

I completely agree with you about taking a boulder of salt on vendor claims on hp gains with their parts. I got into a heated argument with one of the posters here about that a while ago (I say vendor dyno are garbage). But the dyno gains of about 10 hp from the flywheel, & intake were done by a well respected poster on this site, and RX Tuner is about as legit a magazine for RX cars as you have. Also the 6-8 hp gain from the high flow cat was done by Nemesis, another well respected poster on this board. I believe these dynos far more than others as they do not have a financial motive for their results, unlike vendors that want you to buy their products.

reasons why i got the act prolite are:

1. cheaper
2. one of the lighter ones
3. also designed well with the outter weights removed to help it spin faster
4. did i mention it's cheaper? ^^

What's a good price do you guys think to get a flywheel installed? Just want to know before I get it done ;)

between $350-400. thats how much i got it for

the first price everyone gave me was between $400-550. i negotiated it down

Do NOT do this unless you're OK with your car sounding like you strapped on two dozen honda civics with broken cats to the back of your car. It's loud, and it's going to drone like there's no tomorrow.

With a turbo, it sounds pretty good, NA, it's a rice fest.
Mine isn't too bad. Yah it's loud, but there are civics all around here that are louder than my car... My catless midpipe IS resonated, which helps a very tiny bit, but still it isn't bad.

Obviously you guys haven't had rotaries long enough yet :P

My last car was a 2nd gen rx7, big street port at one point then later a partial bridgeport (aux) with large extend porting on the primary/secondary ports, header, straight pipe, dual partially blown ebay mufflers. Now that's loud... makes something like the rx8 very tolerable and not bad when you've driven that for a couple years.

between $350-400. thats how much i got it for

the first price everyone gave me was between $400-550. i negotiated it down
What a waste...

Get some tools, a jack, some jack stands, and learn to do stuff yourself people! You'll save lots of money in the long run. Doesn't it seem crappy to any of you that the cost of installing a part is the same as the cost to buy it? :(

Are you trying to be a jerk, or just coming off as one ? I never said it would get over 200+ whp. You don't just add stuff together & that's the new hp you get. Amateur hour. I said the hi-flow cat adds about 6-8 hp...FACT. I said the flywheel w/ the REVi airbox tested by Polak & RX Tuner got about 10 whp...FACT. Is there a particular reason you are throwing me that sarcastic rolleyes nonsense ? If you got something to contribute then go for it, otherwise stop being a clown.

well im sorry if you took that offensively... i didnt say the numbers of those mods were not real... and since most people dynoed at around 175-185 hp stock then the numbers of hp gain from the mods can add up to be possibly around 200. if you add the numbers of hp thats possible from those mods to the stock dynoed hp and dont get around 200 then you can call me nonsense.... and of course i understand not everyone will get those numbers but there are gains. by the way the rolleye was a misunderstanding... it was meant to be wondering........ so just chill

What a waste...

Get some tools, a jack, some jack stands, and learn to do stuff yourself people! You'll save lots of money in the long run. Doesn't it seem crappy to any of you that the cost of installing a part is the same as the cost to buy it? :(


I couldn't agree more man. However my apartment complex tends to frown on people dropping the transmission of their cars in the parking lot. Being in college here, I don't know anybody who has a driveway either :-(

i concur with both statments, i love doing work on cars, even if im not the most knowledgable person, i love to work on them, everything im doing to my 8 im going to do (cept The flywheel as of right now and then later FI) but the exhaust, SS, pullies, intake, doing myself, i say everyone should.. taht way if something goes wrong.. you only have YOU to blame.. BUT. Most of us dont have the time, the knowledge, or the tools to do the job them selves, so they take it to the shop.
I wish I had the tools and resorces to do my own work.. :(

I couldn't agree more man. However my apartment complex tends to frown on people dropping the transmission of their cars in the parking lot. Being in college here, I don't know anybody who has a driveway either :-(
Ah, apartment life. That's more understandable then, I have some friends living in complexs that don't allow them to do work in their parking space, kinda sucks. And I know how college life is too, I'm currently in college also, but luckily I live in a house with a garage/driveway and all my tools.

i concur with both statments, i love doing work on cars, even if im not the most knowledgable person, i love to work on them, everything im doing to my 8 im going to do (cept The flywheel as of right now and then later FI) but the exhaust, SS, pullies, intake, doing myself, i say everyone should.. taht way if something goes wrong.. you only have YOU to blame.. BUT. Most of us dont have the time, the knowledge, or the tools to do the job them selves, so they take it to the shop.
I wish I had the tools and resorces to do my own work.. :(

Yupp. Just yesterday I helped my friend put his Borla exhaust on his 06 accord v6 coupe when it had arrived 2 hours before and we had to drive 1 hour and 45 minutes out to the place to install it.

well im sorry if you took that offensively... i didnt say the numbers of those mods were not real... and since most people dynoed at around 175-185 hp stock then the numbers of hp gain from the mods can add up to be possibly around 200. if you add the numbers of hp thats possible from those mods to the stock dynoed hp and dont get around 200 then you can call me nonsense.... and of course i understand not everyone will get those numbers but there are gains. by the way the rolleye was a misunderstanding... it was meant to be wondering........ so just chill

That's not how it works. You don't just add hp numbers up, & that's the gain you get. If some people say you get about 3 hp from the exhaust, assume 6 for the hi-flow cat, & 4 for the upcoming header design, it's not like you are going to get 13 total hp gain. You will get closer to 10 hp (or if you just do the exhaust & hi-flow cat, instead of 9 hp, you might get 7-8). They all function together, and as such gains are merged. Less restrictive exhaust throughout yields a certain max gain of around 10-12 hp.

FYI, Rolling eyes means sarcasm. This means wondering : :scratchhe or :confused:

dude... it's a lot of work... getting the flywheel off, you need a special socket... it's a 52 mm or 2 and 1/8th socket and thats not something most people have. not to mention like the 450 lbs of tq you need to turn that to get the flywheel off. i mean... if you have all the equipment and some knowledge.. then go for it, take ur time, and enjoy. but if not... it's your sweat and your gamble =P

That's not how it works. You don't just add hp numbers up, & that's the gain you get. If some people say you get about 3 hp from the exhaust, assume 6 for the hi-flow cat, & 4 for the upcoming header design, it's not like you are going to get 13 total hp gain. You will get closer to 10 hp (or if you just do the exhaust & hi-flow cat, instead of 9 hp, you might get 7-8). They all function together, and as such gains are merged. Less restrictive exhaust throughout yields a certain max gain of around 10-12 hp.

FYI, Rolling eyes means sarcasm. This means wondering : :scratchhe or :confused:

i know what you mean. im just stating that it can possibly reach that number

Hey guys, thought I'd pick the brains of some of you proverbial rx8 elders. I have saved up a little bit of money and would like to do an effective performance mod to my car.

Here's what's done so far (not much):
RB screens
Fog light rewire/bulb swap
Tranny/diff fluid swap (redline)
SS clutch hose
RP short shifter

As you can see, most of that stuff is drivability and the essential screens. I wanted to do something that may give a tiny bit more kick to my drive. My first idea was a CAI (AE or MS) or perhaps a catback. Any thoughts?

Racing Beat flash- best performance increase under $1000. period:D:

Racing Beat flash- best performance increase under $1000. period:D:

Guess I shoulda clarified- I have an 05. The flash unfortunately is only available for the 04's :-(

for now- soon grass hopper:)