Nothing wrong with the electric steering. difference in weight is only a few lbs and it really cleans up the engine bay not having the pump and lines. I am liking the longtubes. I was prepared to build a set but I just couldn't pass up on a set of 1 7/8" stainless longtubes with merge spikes. That car is gonna haul *** when you're finished. Mine is very near psychotic. And I have a stock internal LS1 with just a few bolt ons. Those gears change everything. I can't imagine a forged cam/head motor in it.

 

Scaled out, the hydraulic rack, pump and 2L of fluid is 9lb lighter then the EPS. There would be no way I could retain EPS happily as even with the rack spacer kits everyone else used, my oil pan still would have contacted the steering rack still.

Yea the stainlessworks long tubes are a work of art! I have drooled over them since I first got into LS Swapping thirdgen F-bodies in 2006, but they have always hugged the $1k mark and been out of reach for me. I really dont know how this is all going to turn out and figured id rather waste time learning then waste money on parts if it doesnt amount to anything

I can imagine! The differential has been a concern of mine, 4.44's is ******* insane, hell, a couple of my old customers had 4.11's in their C5 & 6 corvettes and I thought it was insane, so I can only imagine what this car with 4.44's is like!

I am planning to switch it out to a 8.8 differential once I have it running, but I had heard the FD RX7's have a 3.91 differential that bolts into the RX8??

Got the engine mounts welded up last night, my drill press was being problematic and took an insane amount of time to get everything drilled out.

(This picture makes them look kinda bent, but they are not)



Hoping my sleeves are finally done today for the steering rack and engine mount bushings so tonight I can start constructing the mounts on the subframe!

 

That diff is near impossible to find. I love the 4.44s. Makes the car feel like it can bend time. But the 225 tires just blow off immediately.

 

Maybe should leave it in for now to see how it feels!

Definitely need to widen up the tires, sucks its tough to tuck much meat into the cars. I want to do a 255 all around as it will be a track day/time attack car primarily.

Will have to change the 4.44's out eventually as that will limit top speeds and I am hell bent on getting this car into the 200mph club

 

200 mph is very ambitious for a car with that level of aero and relatively modest footprint. I wouldnt take my car to the mile ever. Its just too twitchy. Low speed (<100 mph) agility is great though. Nose is a little heavier but not a significant change. I am taking the car to a local race shop to get corner weighted

 

You make a good point, though my 200mph goal is a bit down the road, the engine swap is the first phase for the car.

Im excited to see your results from your corner weights!

 

i totally agree with lsx on this one. 200 in an 8 would probably=death. they get pretty twitchy ~130-140. 200mph is best left to cars/bikes designed to do it

 

Interesting guys, I will admit I have yet to drive an RX8 despite the fact that I'm coming up on 2 years of owning one.

What is it about them besides aerodynamics that makes them uncomfortable with higher speeds?

I have many plans for the chassis, suspension and Aerodynamics of the car, but maybe its a little too ambitious with the RX8 chassis.

 

The rx platform is arguably the best chassis you can buy for the money . their nimble'ness is not desirable at high speeds. I have gotten my car to 137 verified on my GPS and it was tedious to keep it tracked. I wouldnt do 200 with a 25.5 cage, suit/helmet and a ten year time m a chine.

 

Going back to the tire comment, you can fit 275mm tires easily if you roll the fenders. Enkei has a 17x10 +38 RPF1 that works. Or you can do an 18x10.

Also the top speed stuff is all aerodynamics. When I'm done with mine I'll be able to hit about 160mph on really long straights but I'll also have a ton of downforce. About 165 is when I'll run out of gear.

 

Excellent news!!! Appreciate the info! 275 will fit on all 4 corners? or rear only?

I would probably prefer a 18x10 for extra space inside for future brake upgrade plans, is there a preference to the 10" wheel? Im new to the RX/Rotary world, coming from F-bodies & my old '99 C5 Corvette where I had 275's on a 9.5 rim.

I have alot of idea & designs drawn out for aerodynamic efficiency modifications and increasing downforce, but I want to tackle one part of the project at a time and not get too ahead of myself.

With that being said, picked these goodies up from the machinist today!

Sleeves to press the polyurethane mount bushings into, and 2 sleeves that slide into the mount bushings on the steering rack! Excited to get to work fabricating the subframe side of the engine mounts tonight!



Simon is scoping out the parts to see if their edible

 

Yep all four corners. I have 275mm NT01's which run large and they are on 17x9" +45 with room to spare. They are a little bulged though. A 10" wheel widens contact patch and makes it so the sidewall is stiffer and feels better on track. A 9.5" wheel works as well. If you're considering R compound tires for track use I'd lean towards a 10", if just street tires, probably a 9.5". R compound tires usually run a bit wide is why.

Something like this is lightweight and won't break the bank compared to a lot of other reputable wheels.

Enkei Lightweight Racing Series - RPF1 - Race Consulting Agency - PARTS | KNOWLEDGE | PASSION

 

Hmm, sounds like a 10" rim is the way to go then. I have to run a tire above a 50 UTQG rating for the class I will be in.

Have to get a bit more machining work done on the sleeves for the engine mounts, but got the arms cut out that will be welded to the sleeves the bushings will be in and to the subframe. Once I get the sleeves back I can finalize positioning and weld them up!

 

Found the wheels I need. These will help with the gearing and the torque overcoming the tires.
http://themustangsource.com/forums/a...k-car-4-1-.jpg

 

For 50+ on tread wear rating then Hankook TD's are probably going to be the fastest.

 

The FD3 and RX8 R&P and LSDs are a direct interchangeable swap. All you have to do us buy the FD3 3.909 R&P and swap it in. They are still available for purchase ...

https://www.mazdatrix.com/getprice.a...m=27-110A-P062


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Thanks! I will keep my eyes open for a good deal on the gears or a diff unit. Otherwise it seems the 8.8 Differential swap is the best way to go for value per $$. The only other diff that seems like would be a good option is the 5th gen camaro differential, I worked at GM for a long time and still get dead cost on parts so that may be a unit to look at also.

Arca_ex : I will take a look at those! Appreciate the information!

 

Bulletproof? It sounds like a pretty strong unit, but I am wondering whether they will still be bulletproof with the added torque.

I would love to keep the stock unit in there if it is going to last behind the power, much easier vs. fabricating the mounting for a different unit.

I imagine the CV axles are a different story

 

iirc angels first issues were axles when he started getting serious power. i think hes using an 8.8 rear now but his 20b makes more power than an ls. his snail can inhale dogs and children if they walk by it

 

Yea I looked at the axles and they look fairly small.

I feel like the 20B and the LS would dish out a little bit different abuse to the rear end. I would imagine the down low TQ would hit the rear end pretty hard.

I'm shooting for 500whp with my build (484whp min to know I added 300hp with the build lol ) so I don't think the stock rear end will cut it.

I know when I had my '00 Trans Am, I could be pretty mean to the 7.5 10 bolt differential as long as I didnt dead hook off the line in which case they will shred all the teeth off the pinion gear.

When the RX8 diff's fail, is it the housing that splits? I know a 3.91 would have a larger pinion gear.

Thanks for all the info guys!

 

would you mind giving me a idea, of how much you have into your swap? I been wanting to do it, but im affraid it'll be too expensive. I should be able to get the engine/trans/pcm for $3k. Thanks

 

What you should be asking yourself is how much do you have to spend? I was very intelligent (had to beep my horn there) on my purchases, and some wheeling and dealing got me some free parts. You really should nail down a budget. Whatever that budget is, double it and add 10%. Also depends on your fab skills and how resourceful you are. Pm me. I may be interested in selling mine if you want to save a lot of time and trouble.

 

sent you a pm

 

If you can get the engine and trans for $3k, your ahead.

I already had a complete LS1 in my garage with wiring, though I will spend probably $2500 in forged parts/cam/heads when I finish the other parts.

Otherwise I've spent about $1500 on all of the parts for the swap incl tubing, collectors, flanges, Y pipe tubing, fuel system parts & pump, rad and cooling hoses, mounts, raw steel material, wiring bits, etc.

I plan to have less then $7k in the car in total including buying it for $2800, though that is in part because I had a lot of parts in my garage already.

Like LSXREX said, how resourceful you are and how much you can make has a huge impact. I can't afford as much and wanted to learn a lot on this , so I opted on fabricating absolutely everything for this car

 

And thats the difference. Anyone who asks how much.there is in a swap probably wont be.able to complete it. Its either gonna take money or.intelligence. just because.i.can do.a.swap for XXX dollars doesnt mean the next.guy can do.it for.that. maybe he can do it.cheaper. as the op said i had lots of parts already and a thorough understanding of.the platform. Buying things twice or making mistakes is what brings the bill up anyway. The OP is fabbing everything so he wont soend as much but alot of time will be spent.

Op you gonna move your *** on this.build or what? We need more manly rx8s to ahow these jokers that it is possible to properly swap their beloved bag of doritos.