rocketrich

Hi Folks, I did my usual weekly stop by and drool at the local Mazda dealership. They had a new black RX-8 on the lot. It had the appearance package and for the first time ever, I saw an orange sticker on the drivers side window which read something like "use caution when unloading -- low ground clearance. sticker only to be removed by owner". Now, I've looked at many RX-8s with the appearance package (I LIKE IT!) and this was the first time I've even seen this sticker. So naturally now I'm wondering about the "daily driver practicality" of the front air dam that comes with the appearance package. So, has anyone with this front air dam had real problems with ground clearance during their daily drives? Thanks, Rich

Pete

Not me .... i'm fine

stangmatt66

Hey Rich, Welcome to the forums!

I've never had a problem with my AP equipped RX-8 and scraping. The suspension is stiff enough that there's no 'body bounce' as you go over driveways and speed bumps, like you see in poorly-lowered hondas. People riding in my car ALWAYS think i'm gonna scrape on stuff and I never do. My friend drives a lowered honda and always grabs the door when I approach a driveway or speed bump, thinking i'm going to slam on the brakes to slow down enough to make it, but I never have to. The RX-8 goes over everything with ease.

The only word of caution is if you're car is ever towed, request a flat-bed as directed by Mazda, and the owner's manual i believe. The rear of the car comes extremely close (within in 2 inches) to the ground when towed with a regular tow-truck.

rocketrich

Thanks, Thats the kind of feedback I'm looking for. I'm getting one of these awesome cars because its probably the best ever combination of sporty and practical for someone like me with a couple of kids. I see way too many people with cars (my God and dually trucks too!) so low they can't even pull into a Taco Bell without some major driving shenanigans. A cool look is great, but not to the point that it becomes impractical. Thanks for the responses...it looks like the Appearance package stays on my list! :D Rich

brothervoodoo

There's a good amount of clearance as others noted above, though you do need to look out for the nose when parking straight on to a curb.

Feras

iTrader: (1)

yeah its not as low as it looks, but watch out fordips followed by inclines, i got a slight scrape along the bottom from one of these

Pete

you just need to watch out for the front mud gaurd ... that runs a bit lower then the air dam.

as you can see in the picture