New to this, help me out
 

there is no cheap mods for an rx8 and almost no mods outside of going forced induction will gain you much if any power. take a track day with an instructor (not cheap) or do some autocross. a short throw shifter is a great mod. im all for getting rid of the cat, it robs power and can cause major issues if you dont keep up on normal maintence. how old is your ignition system? brh coils are a great mod

Welcome!

First, you should read the links in my signature if you want to learn about these cars.

And like I always say, maintenance before mods. Priority should be given to items critical to the car's health.

Also, driver mods are important as well. Consider some local AutoX events if you can.

Honestly, I find the car great the way it is if you are just DDing it. Appreciate the fact that it looks more mature than a BRZ/GT86.

If you are on a budget, it's really better to save up on a quality product, because if you buy cheap crap, they will break, and you will have to end up buying the quality product anyway. Buy once, cry once.

Aside from short shifters and mid-pipe, another cheap 'mod' could be the manual trans fluid assuming it's a stick shift. Read around for suggestions. I just put in some Motul 300 yesterday and it's pretty good. You can search around for some other suggestions.

Welcome.
Enjoy your 8, but save your money for maintenance and unexpected common repair items.
Ignition components, brakes, tires, oil changes are things that need attention and can add up quickly.
You can expect to eventually replace batteries, starters, fuel pumps and other components that aren't cheap.
Have fun!

If you haven't already, read and internalize this https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...t-here-202454/

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Aside from short shifters and mid-pipe, another cheap 'mod' could be the manual trans fluid assuming it's a stick shift. Read around for suggestions. I just put in some Motul 300 yesterday and it's pretty good. You can search around for some other suggestions.

Jinx, can you give more info on changing the manual tranny fluid. At what point in mileage do you recommend it? What will it do for the tranny ? I can hear and feel the linkage sometimes when shifting. Will this help?

If you have a good OEM cat don't gut it.
A new one is a couple thousand bucks.
You should drop it and inspect it, if it's good leave it alone, or replace with a midpipe.
If it's bad, definitely gut it or replace it.

I'd you have an Android, get the Torque app & Bluetooth dongle to monitor your engine systems and check/clear codes.
If you go cat delete, you'll get an intermittent CEL.

It's an easy job but you need a way to support the car and keep it level. Plugs are very easy to locate when you are under the car. Remember to always crack open the fill bolt first.

I used Motorcraft XT-M5-QS, a full synthetic fluid a lot of people recommended, and I am very surprised at how dark it has become over the course of 1 year of spirited DD and 2 AutoX events. The shift quality had definitely declined with the dark fluid, too. By comparison, the diff fluid was pretty clean.

I put in 2 litres/quarts of Motul 300 into the trans and 1.4ish litres/quarts of Motul 300 LS into the diff. Shift quality has improved, and I will see how well it holds up.

I thought CDs are useless until I decided to try it. They are pretty cheap and I have a CD burner just lying around anyway. The controls are integrated into the steering wheel so that minimizes the distraction. Sound quality is also pretty solid and you can use the Bose Centerpoint with CDs.

As for the cat, if you have inspection to worry about, keep it. If you don't and it still works, you can opt for a catless BHR mid-pipe and sell your old cat for some money.

if your coils are crapping out do not drive your car. misfires kills cats, cats kill engines

I would get coils packs, spark plugs and look at your cat to see if it's melted if it's melted knock it out of there and put it back in if it's still in good shape leave it in there.

Hey, welcome to the club!
My first mod was a Koyorad aluminium radiator (not that costly), then i went for BHR ignition system(relatively costly but worth it). those are good enough for ur daily driving.