as i said yesterday cats are only good with eggrolls and rice. they could be used for baiting coyotes but thats not legal

 

the best info about the emmsion test i found was this from Frequently asked questions about the NC Emissions Inspection Program (Chatham Journal) :

Can you provide a general overview of the inspection procedures for emissions equipment?
Yes, the inspection procedures are listed as follows:

The vehicle's engine must be at a normal operating temperature with all accessories turned off.
An analyzer probe will be inserted 10" to 16" in the end of the tailpipe to determine if it is defective.
The inspection mechanic will use an exhaust emission analyzer approved by the NC Division of Motor Vehicles to conduct the emissions test.
The inspection mechanic must follow all instructions provided by the exhaust emissions analyzer.
The Pass/Fail determination is made based on a comparison of the HC and CO readings against the idle emission standards for that particular vehicle.
The analyzer will test and disapprove a vehicle when the CO or HC reading is higher than the standards in the following charts:
LIGHT DUTY VEHICLES
Model Year CO HC
1975-1979 4.5 450
1978-1979 3.5 350
1980 2.0 250
1981-later 1.2 220

HEAVY DUTY VEHICLES
Model Year CO HC
1975-1978 5.0 500
1979-later 4.0 400

so idk if this helps with what options i have or not buh ill just get tested soon and just add mods then switch when its time again

 

so i just purchased the appearance package for my 8. Everything i have on the body is bone stock (i already have the rear spoiler on though). I am looking at the instructions and am somewhat intimidated. I do not really have experience doing body work. I see that in order to install the parts (front air dam, side deflectors and both mud flaps) i need to drill holes into the body...can anyone speak from experience/ give me advice if you think it is easy or do you think i should have it done professionally? i took it to my mechanic (does great body work) and he said he has no idea how long it will take because he wants to do it right but doesn't want to give me false hope of a specific time and price. should i try and install it myself? is it that hard? or just pay to have it done right? thanks!!

 

Hi Glenn, my opinion would be if you can afford it, pay to have it done.
I know I would hate to mess up my 8 by doing something I wasn't confident I could do.
Plus, if anything goes wrong, you'll have someone else to blame.

 

I'm a lazy **** with no mechanical skills so I either pay the man or get friends to "help" me. I pay in beers....lots of beers!

 

I drink beer

 

Get your **** up here and I will happily pour copious amounts of alcoholic beverage in you.

 

Quick question, I have had my RX-8 for two weeks now, the previous owner modified the exhaust system (there are 6 in dia pipes out of the back).... I agree I would rather be stealthy, but it is pretty loud, esp when I leave for work at 5:15 in the morning..... do you know of any mods I can make (without getting a new exhaust system?

 

Not flaming.
But your statement is confusing.
You want to mod your exhaust without changing the exhaust?
Or you just want to mod anything but the exhaust?
Or only mods that might help silence the exhaust but will not require getting a new exhaust?

 

Okay thanks guy!s I think I'm going to take off the front and rear bumpers myself to save myswlf some money in labor hours. I know I can do that. Ill probably just give it to him in pieces lol and he'll put it back together. He always does a great job and takes care of me I just don't have a lot of money to blow on the installation. Thanks again!

 

Blue Silicone 8.5mm Performance Ignition Wire Set

On sale now.

 

I talked to a Mazda mechanic about the exhaust modification, and he said not much you can do (other than changing out the exhaust system) (big $$). I just thought I would post to see if anyone had an idea of how to modify the current exhaust to make it a little less loud.....

 

You likely could add at least one resonator. .have a muffler shop take a look at it. Just don't use the usual glasspack type. They don't last long on a rotary

 

Short a banana in the tailpipe, your out of luck amigo!

 

So my.... Right(?) headlight - the passenger one - is clouded and ugly beyond repair, but my driver side one is completely fine, so I want to replace its fugly sister. I have HID. While pricing headlights online, I noticed the HID ones cost significantly more than the Halogen ones. My question is:

Can I just buy a regular halogen headlight, then swap the hardware over from my old HID one since my car is already wired that way? Or do I have to buy and HID one? Are the mounting/housing for the low beams the same for both?

 

you may be able to wetsand/polish your current headlight lens without removal.

 

There is a shop in my area that said the would redo my headlights and seal them for $100 each. Maybe call around and see? Cheaper than replacing.

 

i dont know how bad yours are but i used a drill with a wool buffing pad attachment and some menzerna polishing compound (1500), wipe off excess and apply a few coats of carnauba wax. came out looking like new and sure as hell didnt cost $100. my work charges $40 for this. of course i did mine for free myself :P

 

Well the previous owners put some type of clear plastic like film on mine, and they looked great when I bought it. But as time went by it started to flake/peel off. Where the plastic has come off it looks slightly foggy (totally fixable). But with the price of our headlights there is no way I'm going to **** them up. I much rather pay the shop where my friend works and let them fix them or replace them if they **** it up.

https://www.rx8club.com/attachments/...ghts-image-jpg

It's much worse than this now. This photo is from when it began, thread is here --> https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-ext...lights-202013/

 

I think yours were clear coated. I clear coated mine for free and they look almost new.

 

Sadly, my ugly buildup is on the *inside* of the lens. Don't ask how, already tried cleaning it before and after I figured that out, still an ugly yellow blemish.

So my question still stands: Can I swap out my old HID hardware into a cheaper Halogen housings? Are all the internal light mounts/plug still in the same place?

 

It's a long shot - but perhaps whatever kind of aftermarket exhaust the previous owner installed has a "silencer" that goes in the very end? I've seen this on other aftermarket exhaust systems, and they do reduce the noise level a good amount. Perhaps that's something to look into as it's likely to be an inexpensive way to at least make it a bit quieter while you stock up some funds to replace the cat back (check the classified on the forums, might be able to find a stock or other cat back for a decent price).

 

What about a wrecking yard? Have to be some RX's out there with good muffler systems. One of the places to look is on eBay. Look for wrecked cars and then contact the yard to see if they have the exhaust system. Other suggestion is one of the wrecking yard parts locator services. You can Google these.

 

I think mine are more like a tint film. Reminds me of pulling tint off a very old car where it just flakes off when you scrape it. What did you use to clear coat yours?

 

^+1! Its weight, it's back-pressure, and it makes the car quiet. All these things make me sad. Mostly the last one.

I once got caught between two semi trucks, one merging into the lane i was in. Guess stock ride height is too low for them to see or something. So I zipped out of there, but nevertheless still pretty frightening. Now that I think about it, that was on the day I bought my car used. I firmly believe that louder is better. I kind of is safer if people hear you coming IMHO.