Reoze

While I don't have the measurements on hand. I can definitely say that when I lowered my car about 1 1/4" it closed the gap between the two shock towers by about 1/4-1/2". The stock strut bar has grooves cut into the right side of it to accommodate the tolerance and I'm just about approaching the limit of it.I still have to give it a good wack to get it to seat properly.

1" seems to be quite excessive though.

GroovieGargoyle

Kool! Thanks for the reply on that.

If it turns out my towers are not right you can bet I will be using the Porta-Power on them, LOL!
I will hold off a few more days just to see if I can make sure before I go forcing it in place.
I have had way too much fun with this car to do anything brash that might ruin it, me or both.

I can barely roll a tennis ball under this thing. I would never survive lowering around here. Hoping to buy another RX-8 in the future I can drop and do some other effects to. One for daily and one to race would be perfect, heh heh...

My wing arrived today but appears it will need brackets modified unless manufacturer replaces it. Their brackets holes are 1/8" narrower than the ones on the wing and not parallel.

I am dying to get back on the street! Had a person at the store a few days ago ask me about my kool Corvette... I told them it's fun to drive but did not tell them its an RX-8, LOL! I think there are less than 5 RX-8's within 50 miles of me.

Anyway great to meet you! Excellent forum to all!! ...and again Thanks for all the help!!

IamFodi

iTrader: (1)

Since no one better informed is chiming in, I'll take a crack at the ones I didn't attempt earlier:
Barring the carbon deposit scenario I outlined above (which I haven't been able to verify is really a thing), low compression in a rotary engine happens when the apex seals, side seals, or rotor housings wear too fast or irregularly, or when the housings warp.

It's better to talk about factors rather than "causes," because there could be more than one involved, and they could be related. Examples, off the top of my semi-informed head:

- Oil supply problems (e.g. clogged oil injector, malfunctioning oil metering pump, etc.)
- Bad oil choice for conditions (e.g. too thin for race use, too thick for winter use, wrong additive package, etc.)
- Clogged catalytic converter (runs hot, indirectly causing excess wear)
- Bad or low quality fuel (poor lubricity, knocking)
- Poor ignition system health (excess fuel gets into the oil a.k.a. "fuel dilution", poor combustion quality causes byproducts)
- Overextended oil change intervals (deposit formation, contamination, etc.)
- Bad air filtration or intake air leak (engine ingests abrasive particles)
- Revving too hard on a cold engine (inadequate lubrication, seals may contact the rotor housings)
- Over-revving (apex seals experience enough centrifugal force to contact the rotor housings)
- Bad aftermarket tune or other mods causing the engine to run rich (causing fuel dilution and harmful byproducts) or lean (causing detonation)
- Inadequate cooling resulting in temps too high for too long
- Overheating (housings warp, or coolant seals fail letting coolant into the combustion chamber or oil supply)

I'm sure there's a lot more that I'm missing, but AFAIK it's a fairly predictable list and very similar to what would affect any kind of combustion engine.


If it's due to carbon deposits making the seals stick (again, assuming that's a thing), it can be addressed as I posted earlier.

Otherwise, it needs a rebuild.

Williard

iTrader: (18)

FODI,

Carbon deposits are really a thing. It's not so much chunks of things. It's more like a resin style substance that gets trapped in the seals grooves/paths whatever you want to call it. Research has been done it's just not easy to find on the site.

RIWWP also did a test for cleaning said deposits with distilled water.
Not sure exactly what his results were.

Travis

IamFodi

iTrader: (1)

Thanks, Williard. Makes sense. I remember hearing about it from a source that I had thought was authoritative, but couldn't quite remember what that was, so I figured some CYA was warranted. :]

GroovieGargoyle

It does seem there are few if any stock ride height 2004's around and running. That measurement on the strut towers is harder to find than "hen's teeth"... Gunna try a craigs ad. Might turn up an '04-'08 owner that can measure theirs...

Williard

iTrader: (18)

Groovie, where in PA are you?


I live on the outskirts of Sunbury.

Im also lowered so can't help there.

Travis

Reoze

Are you sure your car isn't lowered? The stock RX8 is pretty low, but it's not that low.

If the clearance on the holes is off that far, I would just re-drill them.

GroovieGargoyle

Excellent to meet you Williard. I am more or less not far from you, (but a good ride). I am north of Williamsport near Mansfield. Possibly we will run into each other sometime.

The car may be lowered but I have not found anything suspension-wise that looks aftermarket.
I have found damage to the front driver frame rail that supports the bumper which I was NOT told about by the previous owner. I would measure the stock alignment specs but will have to study up on how to do that as I do not remember exactly how it is done for the dimensions. I did read some of the thread on alignment specs but didnt get through it completely yet.

Reoze I am definitely not sure at this time but have considered drilling but distance seems excessive. I will see if I can post a pic with the strut bar just sat on top.

I have noticed since acquiring this car the tires up front seem to wear excessively the inside tread line only as if the tires are setting with severe negative camber "/ "... Have had the car since November last year. (got disassembled but apparently complete additional engine with it but have not gotten further into that yet, lol.

My craigs ad has turned up lots of welcome to the RX-8 brotherhood but many are modified to some extent. I have seen a black RX-8 around but never paid attn as to if it is '04-'08. Im gunna track him down next time I get a chance too...

THanx for the replies! Still looking at this point but enjoying the forum and meeting you all...


Strut Bar Offset Illustration<br/>

GroovieGargoyle

These photos show ride height where the car sits. I believe the driver rear looking low is possibly a collapsed rear strut. A couple weeks ago the car started bottoming the rear when hitting dips in the road with a load in the trunk or rear passenger(s). Other than that I've never seen an 8 up close before I got this one. Now troubles or not I want a couple more, LOL...

I am going to search to see if the average stock height is listed in a thread as well since you guys mention it and I definitely do not know if its been lowered...


driver side



pass side

The wing is new and has not seen any road time yet. Just got it this weekend. So downforce would not be part of the bottoming out. Tuning this thing for decent but not excessive down will be interesting....

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Blown shocks for sure, likely combined with other worn suspension components. Or that gay *** wing weighs 500lbs.

Steve Dallas

Yep. Blown rear shocks. Definitely.

Also not a fan of wings, unless you are tracking the car.

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

Take off the strut brackets and install them first. Then try and fit the bar. The angle the towers sit will make it look a lot worse than it is when the brackets are attached.

Is the bar length adjustablet? Often there is a way to screw the ends into the bar to lengthen or shorten it as needed. I can't tell with the plastic wrap on it

GroovieGargoyle

OMG!! I let out a laugh so loud it scared my wife and the cats! What an awesome response. 'rpm' that red ride look slick as hell as does Dallas' Mica.

I was kind of going for that track look with the wing. I was scared it was going to weigh a ton but turns out the ABS is pretty light. Whole thing with brackets is about 8lbs.

I do plan on trying it on track at least once. I am about 40 miles from Watkins Glen Int'l
Raceway. There is club racing there often and some track rental days or schools.

I ran SCCA soloII for years with Glen Region and Southern NY Region. I have been told SCCA now requests if I join again to move my membership to Finger Lakes Region, (spreads out the population I guess), which I have noticed there are RX-8 guys on here that run up there around Rochester, NY and such. Their other option was NEPA I think...

This wing probably wouldn't help much on most regional solo events I imagine.
I like the looks the car gets. Similar to my very customized Mustang got but I gotta learn to "keep my foot out of the carburetor", so to speak. These rural areas passing certain people can become an embarrassing chat later, (like ripping past the boss 100mph at 7am, or in-laws, neighbors)... There are literally no other '8's around here so I do not get away with goofing off with witnesses, lol... This wing will certainly solidify every officer within 30 miles following me every chance they get. I have lots of practice driving with a smokey for a shadow around here. Probably the biggest, most harmless 50 year old kid around here, hahahaha!

GroovieGargoyle

Good Idea I will try that next!! Yeah the bar is adjustable and all the way down. I've been keeping the plastic on so it doesn't get too marred in case it needs returned and exchanged.

The car did not come with the stock one in place. With the tire wear being way off camber I am hoping this will help that and some floaty traction issues. Gotta spike the breaks just a tad entering a couple roundabouts, turnabouts or whatever they call them fun roundy things where stop signs used to be, LOL!! (Jumps with the Jeep but that's another story.)

Not looking for a ton of downforce with the sportscar mileage these get but something to tune and have more fun with.

Reoze

Have you gotten the car aligned since you bought it? I'd be more willing to bet that your extreme camber is causing the issue directly. Rather than the strut bar being a fix for it. The bar is just there to provide rigidity.

GroovieGargoyle

*I have not yet gotten alignment checked. Was holding off until I had a strut bar in place since they come with them. I am going to try installing the bar ends in the next day or so and if that turns out to not work, its off to the alignment shop.

After I get the rear height back to where it should be, alignment was in the list but might be good idea to make sure before I force feed my car a bar that's not right, lol

mazdafan1892

Anyone have any idea why when I turn on my a/c it makes the bottom under my driver seat shake like crazy? It feels like something is up underneath the car. I know possibly the motor mounts but it could be something else like the a/c compressor or the car might need free-on?

Reoze

I went through the same crap, thinking the same things and spent a lot of money fixing things that were not broken. It was the motor mounts.

mazdafan1892

Do you mind me asking how much did it cost to replace?

Reoze

I did the work myself, so it was whatever the cost of the mounts are you decide to buy. I went with the BHR mounts and couldn't be happier.

For a dealer, I wouldn't expect more than an hour or two of labor at the most. If they're trying to charge you more, they're robbing you.

Steve Dallas

If you are handy, you can fill your OE mounts with urethane yourself on the cheap.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-...2403-new-post/

Signal 2

Since the vast majority of his 184 posts have been questions in this thread, and he takes his car to a dealer, I think it's a safe assumption he is not "handy".

Legot

iTrader: (1)

​​​​​​ It also works with the pourable silicone that you can get from Michael's or any art supply store. It's like $30, but most have a 50% off coupon monthly.

Also it's pink.

Steve Dallas

Pink?! What do you think this is? A Miata forum?!