Anijo

Alright, in order:

1. Sway Bars + End Links [Sitting in my Bedroom]
2. Exotic Speed R1-T [Ordered]
3. Highflow CAT
4. Strut Tower braces
5. Racing Seats
6. Clear Corners

Installed:

1. AP + MM Tune
2. 17x9 RPF1's
3. Axial Flow Short Shifter
4. Stance GR+ Coilovers

JantzenRX-8

iTrader: (9)

1. Short Shifter [Ordered]
2. Clear Corners
3. Coilovers (KW Varient 3 @ $1799 If it were me spending my ~$2000. If you're up for more $$$/performance Ohlins DFV @ $2995 i know very experienced track drivers that swear by these on any car and these may be at the bottom of my list for an upgrade once i know what i'm doing out there )
4. Sway Bars and Strut Tower braces (Progress/AP sways and Mazdaspeed tower bars i'm guessing?)
5. Highflow CAT + Exotic Speed R1-T (You've got an AP so why the CAT and not a mid-pipe)
6. MS Intake
   

Anijo

lol @ the CC's.

The thing about the KW's is the springs aren't that stiff, 392lb/in compared to 700 on the AST's and 560 on the Tein Monoflexes. Leon linked me to a cool sheet to play with: http://fatcatmotorsports.com/FRC_RX8/FCM_MSDS_RX8.htm I still wish I knew more.

I was leaning towards Agency power and MS Strut tower bars, good guess

CAT vs. Midpipe based on how Mike's sounds. Thing is, it's like $300 and then I could flat out sell my stock cat if I want to... assuming I can get that plastic crap off of it. It might end up being almost free.

and1kidd

iTrader: (2)

Nice list. You planning on getting all this over this summer? Can't wait to see everything installed.

Anijo

Realistically the last of it will go on more like October. I'm looking to do the coilovers and potentially the sways and strut tower braces in August.

RawrX8

iTrader: (1)

Coils coils coils. You will notice a big difference and you will notice your car not looking like a monster truck.

Order a set of Progress Tech swaybars now because you'll prob have to wait 2-3 months like I did to get my fronts.

Anijo

How do you guys feel about the MS Sway bars?

JantzenRX-8

iTrader: (9)

Nope, Progress or AP.

Plus even with Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development the Progress are still cheaper not to mention stiffer and adjustable.

Anijo

Well that settles that.

dondo

iTrader: (7)

ccs first, then coilovers and i agree that if you've got $2k for them you should go with the kwv3 but i've also heard great things about stance and they're more like $1200 shipped = getting them sooner.

Anijo

Who's selling the KWV3's for under $2k? The reason I'm willing to put down ~$2k though is I'm not planning on changing them again until the car turns track toy or something. I definitely don't want to be suspension shopping next summer, nor the summer after most likely.

JantzenRX-8

iTrader: (9)

Dude, i posted a link ^^^ $1799 at theRPMstore.com

They're legit, good customer service too

edit: KW's instead of Monoflex = free swaybars ... well almost

dondo

iTrader: (7)

i'd trust jantzen. he doesn't have anything better to do than shop for car parts. hehe

Anijo

Haha, maybe he could start finding people crazy deals and charging a small Finder's Fee... I didn't even notice his response was a link!

I also hadn't considered the Stances all that seriously but was just poking through the thread on them (I'm being REAL productive at work today )... If I go with those I could get the sway bars AND the strut tower braces for "free".

Anijo

The Stances are also on much stiffer springs than the KW's.

RawrX8

iTrader: (1)

Stance has amazing customer service too. When you order them you ask them to change the rear spring also. Mike knows the numbers. Theres also a big thread on the write up from a hardcore AutoX and a daily driver.

If I decide I need/want to spend money on coils ill be buying Stance.

If you pick up the Stance they are $1400 but check with Rishie or Fluid see who can get you a better deal. Than you have 600 to buy sways, endlinks and maybe a F/R strut bar.

And speaking of strut bars after I was cruising for different bolt in rollbars I ran across a cool looking rear strut bar on a EK. Waiting for this ticket money to come back than work starts.

JantzenRX-8

iTrader: (9)

Spring rate isn't everything though. One of the guys using the Stance coilovers who autocrosses a bunch had to get softer rear springs because it was too tail happy/twitchy. The softer rear springs actually helped.

If spring rate was the determining factor this makes my coilovers look pretty good... and they're not

Tein Basic - 448/336
Ohlins DFV - 450/280
KWV3 - 455/285
Tein Monoflex - 560/390
JIC FLT TAR - 450/280

shaunv74

Depending on the suspension you get you may not need sways. I would decide and dial in your coil overs first before buying the bars. If you talk to Mike he has the ASTs and is not changing his sway bars since the stiffer springs with a smaller bar is a better performing combo for track than a softer spring with stiffer bars. Typcially people go with the stiffer bars and softer springs for better street ride. Most of the pro. guys in the Koni challenge have very stiff springs and very soft sway bars.

RawrX8

iTrader: (1)

Why having the Progress Tech bars are very nice. You can play around with those settings.

I need to spend the weekend 'TESTING', I hope it doesnt rain. My rearend is like a cloud.

If you can get a good price on PT sways pick em up.

Anijo

Well, the sways are off the table for August. I just got charged $400 for a $1.20 overdraw in September on my account back in Massachusetts. Thanks Mom and Dad for forwarding my mail

dondo

iTrader: (7)

^ call the bank and complain. they'll reverse it for you.

also pm rishie for the stance. i shopped them and he's got a deal.

Anijo

I did. They couldn't do anything because it was sent to a collection agency, the collection agency knocked off the collection fee because I was willing to pay for it on the spot.... which is what got it DOWN to $406... I did everything I could with it

JantzenRX-8

iTrader: (9)

Lemme guess... Bank of America???

This sounds familiar.

I never used credit cards while i was in college but i had my one BOA credit card on file at Blockbuster. Somehow they thought i lost one of their videos so they charged me $20. Turns out i didn't lose it and they ended up finding it. So they said the reimbursed me. Me being an idiot that didn't check the statements because I didn't use my credit card didn't see the $1.20 re-stocking fee and that $1.20 ended up being $121.20 after 6 months of not paying it.

Same story, went to collections so it couldn't be removed from my credit history. But for some reason it disappeared off my record like 6 month ago

dondo

iTrader: (7)

^ lame-o

Anijo

TD Banknorth actually. The branch I opened it in was the only place I could even get to a freaking statement to find out where the charge came from, no one at the other end of their main 1-800 numbers could tell me what the charge was from. They charge a fee for every week the account is overdrawn, and it added up until they closed the account. They sent notices to my parents house who, like the good parents they are, never forward my mail or inform me people called. No joke, they once told me someone had called for me the day after I left for college at the end of the YEAR, not the other times I'd been home in between. Fortunately, no one knows my home address anymore. I need to keep a freaking excel sheet of the number of places I need to update my address every time it changes now.

Back on topic a little. I've been thinking and reading some more, I think I'm gonna do the stance coilovers and pretty much as soon as I've paid my deposit and month's rent when I move at the end of the month. I think I'm moving east side by the way, I found a place in Redmond where I'll finally have a garage!

Edit: Updated the list!