Big_Mike_4488

I recently purchased my Ti. Grey strakes from rx8strakes.com. They are slightly crooked on the car just using the screws, and I was wondering, if I use the double sided adhesive tape they gave me, will I be able to take off the strakes in the future without damaging the paint??

Tigster

yes, you can use a hair dryer to heat the glue. Or you can use a mild solvent to remove the adhesive.

OliverB

Interesting. The strakes I purchased from him were also crooked. Double-checked the side and installation to determine if I messed up but no, the locator pin on the bottom of the strakes was not in the correct position for my vent grill. This pin was to keep the strake from twisting into an improper position. My solution was to cut off the pin and use a small star washer under the screw head to keep the strake from twisting. It could possibly still be twisted if snagged by something but I am careful when washing and drying. I do like the look of the painted strakes!

iRX-8

I went with the chrome stainless steel strakes from Howard (on eBay). Never had any problems with them being crooked. Personally like the look of them over the Mazda one's.

DOMINION

What kind did you guys get Tigster & GIG MIKE 4488? stainless steel? or plastic? Are the Mazda one stainless steel too? The plastic ones are on ebay for $20. not my cup of T.

Raptor2k

I got the silver rx8strakes.com off ebay too. The top ones were completely crooked. I experimented different vent holes a billion times. Keeping the screws a little loose with the washer made them look better in place, but the top ones move around a little, so I also have to be careful when washing/drying/etc. That really annoyed me.

OliverB

Raptor2K;
Cut off the locator pins, then use a small star lock washer under the screw head. This will allow you to tighten them in the proper alignment. Using the tape supplied (I did not) would keep them in place w/o twisting. Other than this problem, I am satisfied with the product and the color-coordinated look. The factory aluminum or aftermarket stainless strakes add a great look also. It's all a matter of personal preference. I think the bottom line is that the car looks much better with strakes of any type.

Interesting info about the word "strake" according to Wikipedia (may be more than most want to know):
A Strake is part of a boat or ship. It is a strip of planking in a wooden vessel or of plating in a metal one, running longitudinally along the vessel's side, bilge or bottom. That adjacent to the keel is the garboard strake and that at the top of the side is the sheer strake. A rubbing strake was built in just below a carvel sheer strake. It was much less broad but thicker than other strakes so that it projected and took any rubbing against piers or other boats when the boat was in use. In clinker boats, the rubbing strake was applied to the outside of the sheer strake. Others have no special name other than bottom strakes, bilge strakes and topside strakes. Where the transverse sections of the vessel's shape are fuller, the strakes are wider. They taper towards the ends. In many bigger vessels, two would there be converted to one. This one is known as a stealer or stealer strake. It is one of these which was also shaped to fit the concave line of the hull, under the counter at the sternpost. That had to be shaped by carving from an especially thick plank of wood known as a short strake or plank. When someone was looking for the epitome of thickness he thought of the metaphor, thick as two short planks.

Big_Mike_4488

Well, I straightened them a little last night. I took off both vents, loosened the screws up a little bit so I could turn the strakes as much as I could the correct way, put the adhesive tape on (which was annoying and time consuming), then carefully put the vents back on while holding each strake at the angle I wanted as I pushed the tape to the car. I measured each end of the top strakes afterwards from the ground. They are off by about a centimeter now, but its very hard to tell and much better than the quarter inch they were off before.

Someone definately needs to write the rx8strakes.com guy and let him know that the peg is making all of our strakes crooked. It is a good quality product for the price though, very smooth finish on my Ti. Grey.

Big_Mike_4488

I might consider doin this a little later on if I dont like the look of mine. Do this and add the adhesive tape, and they should be about perfect.

Tigster

I got the ones from www.rx8strakes.com they are plastic. I got the silver color to put on my red 8, I just didnt like the look of matching the colors of the car and the strake. I havent put them on yet.

Raptor2k

I have a red 8 and got the silver strakes too, Tigster. In your first attempt at installing them, they will be crooked. They look good when you get it figured out after a while.

OliverB: Yea, good idea, it's the locator pins that are causing the trouble.

Raptor2k

Friendly bump. I'd like to know who else purchased strakes from rx8strakes.com and had them turn out crooked when they followed instructions.

DOMINION

Dont know. I know I did not get my strakes from them.

DarkBrew

I just put my Strakes.com strakes on and they look okay to me...

Just a question, Did eveyone follow the drawing on the separate page? All the strakes were marked for location and the drawing clearly showed the vents (from the inside) so locating the holes was easy.

Also, did anyone find that the clips on the vents became loose? I did and had to reinforce the clips to make the vents hold on.

Raptor2k

I followed the drawing completely, but they were crooked. I had to experiment with other holes and try other washers. I regret my purchase. My clips stayed normal.

DarkBrew

Can you post a picture? Are the strakes crooked with respect to each other or with respect to some other reference?

Raptor2k

They look crooked, especially the top one. Crooked meaning they're not parallel to the horizontal direction of the car.



That pic was taken just after I put them on (following instructions). After I did my own thing, they aren't as bad, but the top ones wiggle because they're loose, but usually fall back into place.

edit: these are sunlight silver strakes

my10ae

Ok.. I thought it was just me thinking these were crooked. Take a look at my passenger side. Does the top strake look crooked? My driver's side look ok. Also, I used the double-sided tape to keep them in place.

Thoughts?

DarkBrew

Mine are pretty much the same as your's. I guess mine are crooked too!

lsujim

It does look slightly off. Mine do as well.

I bought a pair to match my titanium grey RX-8 and both top strakes are slightly crooked. I like the way they look, but they're just a tad bit off. Also one of the bottom strakes has split slightly in the back because the screw hole wasn't large enough. Had to bore it out in order to make it work.

Raptor2k

Anyway, I plan on getting Howard's aluminum strakes on ebay sometime...

my10ae

Well I guess I'm not the only one then. I actually like how to the top down is angled a bit downward. It seems to be following the arch of the vent and curve of the fender and it acutally looks cool now that I review it. I just checked and both strakes on the top have this slight angle downward.

I am not sure if that is what was intended, but I can drop an email to wwwrx8strakes.com to inform him folks are noticed this slight issue. Maybe a re-vemp in the instructions is due?

Raptor2k

The problem is caused by the locator pins...they're just off.

I've seen metal strakes in person, they look a lot better.

AdamK

I've got the Mazda strakes and the top one looks a little off level too. I could probably loosen the retainer and try and adjust it?? Here's the link to the photos I took during hte installation.
http://koczarski.com/RX8/Mods/Strakes/Strakes.htm

Smedley

Let me start off by apologizing to anyone who has been upset by this. But at the same time, I wish you had emailed us directly so that we could have looked into the issue. We don't want anyone going away unhappy.

What we believe is happening, is that the pins in the upper strakes are sometimes made a bit longer than intended, and because of the angle of the vent holes, it causes the strake to be a bit off when tightened down.

We're paying a bit more attention to these upper strakes' pins going forward to make sure that this isn't an issue.

The pin can easily be removed, but this is not really necessary, as this issue can be corrected by a little sanding or cutting to the pin (it's hollow plastic, so it's very easy to change its shape).