I had no idea until a buddy asked me if I lowered my rear, then I checked it might be, for how long I think it is stock set up... Does this seems been lowered to you guys??

 

Doesn't really look like it to me.

 

definitely not

 

Not even little bit no?

 

No, the rear ens looks lower than the front on all 8's.

 

ok, I see.

 

Worn suspension, RX-8's tend to sag in the rear when the shocks start failing. I went thru it years ago.

 

The easy way to tell is to get under your car and look for aftermarket components.

 

Funny story, I installed some coilovers a few weeks ago, and before I had put them on I set them to lower the rear 28mm (1 1/8"). After installation the car was 5mm higher than stock. It took me way too long to figure out that it had just been sagging on the stock components. Almost went insane before I figured it out.

 

yeah when I started my thread years ago, all the "experts" told me that the shock had nothing to do with the ride height on the RX-8, So sent the springs to Tein to be tested, they tested perfect (they were pretty new so i wasn't surprised) and so then I installed new shocks and the ride height was back to normal. Since then I have seen it happen many times, more often than not with low mileage Koni Yellows and Tokico D Specs which is why I don't recommend them even though typically both companies make good products.

But once you go coilovers you never understood why you screwed around with drop springs in the first place.

 

Until one day you realize your coilovers are sagging too. You know, 9 months or so after you paid for that expensive corner balance and performance alignment.

 

I have been the same height for years. But yeah if you track a lot and can't do the balancing and adjustments on your own then I am sure paying for readjusting things would suck.

 

Yeah, I don't know if the springs are sagging or if the spring perches are moving on the shock bodies. When I swap my wheel next weekend for the track, I'll mark the threads with a Sharpie.

It's funny, because a fellow track rat was standing in front of my car, pointed at it, and asked, "Has your front right corner always been that much lower than your front left?" And, damned if it wasn't quite a bit lower than before. A corner balanced car will almost never look perfectly level, but this was more than usual. Before I garaged the car for the winter, I could just fit my jack under the center rear to get at the differential for jacking. When I went to jack it up last month, I could no longer fit the jack under there.

Just another quirk...

 

Do u believe this "typical" rx8 issue to be the shocks or the springs?

My gfs rx8 has this issue, bangs over bumps especially with extra weight or passengers.

It does appear low in the rear. No point spending on coilovers as we selling it soon so I was hoping replacing the springs will solve the issue. ( low king springs) cheap option.

 

Yes, I have seen it a few times over the years. It is typically the shocks not the springs, but if you are replacing the shocks you might as well replace the springs unless you know they are new or low mileage. Years back when I (I have a thread for it somewhere) went thru it (with low mileage Tein S techs), all the 'experts" here told me that the shocks had nothing to do with ride height. Well, so I sent the springs to Tein and they tested them free of charge and sent them back with a spec sheet showing they were just fine so I installed new shocks and the car was back to normal.

Since then I have seen sagging happen OEM Tokico shocks, three pairs of low mileage Koni yellows, and two pairs of basically new Tokico D Specs. In all cases the dampers were the issue.

 

Ok cool thanks.

Do u know of a "budget" shock that'll do the trick? As I said, selling the car. We probably have a local brand here that'll fix it.

 

^Shocks.


Not sure for Koni, but Tockio D-spec's are low pressure struts which is why the car will sit lower after installing them. The curb weight of the car sits on the springs. The factory Tockio struts are high pressure and take a little bit of the weight off the spring, making the car sit ever slightly higher.
When I installed my struts I dropped about 1/3 an inch in the rear.
Got about 30k on them now, no issues, adjust them all the time.

 

Thats what I get for not refreshing a page before I finally type.... >_>

 

I think KYB has shocks for RX-8 applications.

 

I had the KYB Gas adjusts with Tein S techs before coilovers and loved them. Two other locals have the comco as well and love them.





Both of these cars (husband and wife) are on KYB's and Tein S techs. Different wheel spec.

 

both of my back tires have wear on the outside much more than the rest of the tire and it looks like my tires are not perfectly vertical.... could this be a strut issue?

 

Much more likely to be an alignment/geometry issue. Worn struts usually cause excess wear on the inside due to the slightly lower ride height and increased negative camber.

 

actually it is on the insides i dunno what i was thinking when i said outsides... so being that both back tires are wearing more on the insides.. and look to be leaning in at the top does that sounds like bad springs or shocks or what?

 

Op

Worn out rear shocks and or worn springs can cause this problem.

When my 04 had the issue it needed both to fix it.


Travis

 

thanks