R3 Build plan
 

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...8da3547061.jpg
Goal is for a nice reliable car to drive to the occasional track day, play around with on weekends etc. This is the build / to-do list. How's it look? What am I missing?

Car: ’09 R3
Goal: reliable, robust DD and hpde car (intermediate level)

Engine
BHR ignition
Quality wires
BHR midpipe
M1 0w40 oil
Idumitsu premix
DIY filled engine mounts
Set rev limiter to 8.5k via Mazdaedit

Trans/rear
Redline fluids
Clutch pedal reinforcement

Suspension
performance alignment
perhaps control/trailing arm bushings at some point
otherwise stock

Brakes
Flush with high quality fluid
Hawk HP+ or similar pads

Cooling
Stock components, ensure radiator well sealed
High quality replacement hoses
Mazmart 172F tstat
Mazdaedit fans to 180F
DIY oil/brake duct mods
Coolant flush and fill stock 50/50
Coolant temp gauge

Appearance
Tint
10mm rear wheel spacers

the bhr ignition comes with wires. i always suggest to just weld the clutch pedal bracket instead of buying the reinforcement kit.

BHR is a used kit, wires look tired.
Will weld bracket, thanks for suggestion!

I don't think the S2 clutch brackets are failing like the S1 ones did. Is that a thing on the S2s now?

also - if you're daily driving your car, you might not want the HP+... they howl like banshees and dust like a motherf*cker. If you're swapping for the track, that's fine, but I found driving on my HP+ as a DD was pretty annoying...

I'd also look at the RB oil cooler screens or something along those lines as well - the oil coolers are pretty exposed...

also consider adding stainless steel braided brake lines and speed bleeders for ease of future maintenance...

Odd, I've never had issues with the HP+ making noise except for a bit of 'grind'.
Oil cooler screens! DIY'ing that right now :)
Good idea on brake lines & bleeders.

The BHR resonated midpipe is on, and I can't stand the exhaust sound. Not loud, but tinny and wimpy sounding. I'll have to figure something out.

hah - if you dont' want the resonated midpipe, I'll buy it used from you. I have a non-resonated one, and am looking to go resonated...

and the HP+ seem to squeal a lot more once they have been up to temp and come back down. It wasn't bad before a track day, but once you get on them and heat them up, they tend to squeal more afterwards FWIW.

Odd, we've had different experiences with the HP+
Mine were always rather grindy when cold, and not very responsive, rather heavy pedal effort. Quiet and grippier, lighter pedal effort when hot. Once cooled off, back to grindy. This was 2 cars and several sets of pads/rotors.
I'll keep the midpipe thanks ;) but must add something to get rid of the tin sound.


Wow - found something interesting for the noise. Don't laugh: "Steel pak" muffler. Glasspack but with SS wool instead of fiberglass. I love the glasspack sound but rotary will melt it. Steel pak - may have to try one of these welded inline. Hmmmm.

My experience with them was similar to yours until I got them up to temperature at the track. They didn't squeal or squeak at the track, but after they had hit that peak temperature (or peak at that time), they seemed to squeal a lot more when doing DD duty.

I find that with the RB non-resonated midpipe and the RB catback, it's a little raspy when getting on the throttle in the mid range - but once you get up to 6500+, the sound completely changes. I also have a thing for the smell... hahaha. I just wouldn't mind if it were a little quieter with a resonator or two...

also - not sure if the BHR is necessary. I also have an 09 R3, and track pretty regularly. At 52k on the stock coils, no issues (yet)...

Some random thoughts above.

You also might think about getting a dedicated set of rims and tires for track use.

.

Thanks for the feedback!

Just installed the BHR kit with new wires from Charles, went on like a charm a couple days ago.

Interesting 2 people now don't like the HP+ pads. Maybe I've had the only positive experience. Carbotech it is :)

FL-22 on order from Prime. I did not realize it was already 50/50 till reading up. Not accustomed to spending $22/gal on anything less than 80proof:p: whoo that is expensive magic dust in the glycol!

Absolutely will go to a dedicated wheel/tire setup if I get serious enough. For now will stick with 200 treadwear dual-use tires.

A previous toy ('90 RX7 GTUs) was an effective weapon on Direzza Star Spec tries. It ran down many much faster cars, and could still be (carefully) driven in the rain. I like the idea of a true 'dual use' vehicle with no changes needed.

I abandoned the wheel spacer idea. 10mm was too much. Ideally 5mm would 'correct' the stance, but then it's converting the wheels to stud-centric instead of hub-centric, which is a terrible idea.

I actually like the HP+ pads when on street tires - very economical and gets the job done like a charm - i just don't like them for DD use :)

I touched up the rock chips on the wheels with a Toyota color another member found. A near-perfect match.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...0cb009d3af.jpg

I'm doing the stereo very similar to Steve Dallas as well. Sound deadening in doors and package shelf, Alpine SPS-110TW tweeters in the sail panels, and a small sealed sub in back.

I tried something different for the sub: a 'low profile' all in one. This is a 'Rockford' 8" model, what swayed me were all the positive reviews and low price point. If it does not work out, it'll go in my wife's Fiat 500 Abarth
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...93df858670.jpg

The install was pretty simple. It is 'mounted' to the floor with heavy duty Velcro. The Velcro sticks like glue to the factory carpeting material, it's not budging; and in fact is difficult to remove! It sounds, surprisingly, quite decent. It will not blow out the windows, but the bass is tight and reasonably deep.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...2d034a0668.jpg

Finally, a stealthy 'Save the Manuals' decal on the rear passenger window. Black on black, very low key. Those who notice will appreciate it :)
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...f337344c04.jpg

I like HP+ for autocross. Their initial bite and temperature range works well in that environment. I don't like them for track use. Their lack of modulation, tendency to overheat and fade, and propensity to howl after having been heat cycled makes them unsuitable to that task IMHO.

I went through several types of Hawk pads and ended up trying Carbotech, which was a revelation. They have none of the problems I had with Hawk pads. I like X10 front and XP8 rear with summer tires and XP12/XP10 with R comps.

I have never come across a pad that truly works as a hybrid street/track pad. You can make it work for street plus some autoX applications, however. What I am doing now is running Carbotech 1521 pads on the street and swapping to whichever track pads are appropriate for track day. They share the same rotors, and it actually works, because their compounds are compatible, and rotor wear is minimal with Carbotech pads. I tried that approach with Hawk pads, but they each wore the rotors differently and unevenly, causing the approach to fail.

Many thanks for the feedback. I have some thinking and research to do.

Why Mobil 1 0w-40?

Cheap (well, for synth)
Does a great job as an oil. Good shear stability etc. Recommendations of smarter people than I. Excellent previous experience.

That said, I'm not married to it. In fact I just put in some GTX 10W40. I ran GTX 20w50 in all my previous RX7's. That is some thick stuff though.

Since I run so few miles on this car I may stick with a quality dino like GTX 10W40 and change every 1-2k.

Yeah, I'm a big fan of that oil in a lot of applications. I recommend it a lot.

Have you heard of a lot of people with rotaries using it?

Well, SteveDallas (above) is one,
And I searched around a lot on the forums, including the monster oil thread, iirc there were a number of people using it.

Your car looks terrific. I'm hoping to find something very similar to it.

Why do you set the rev limiter to 8.5k ?

Thanks!
From reading on here:
-some concern of the rotors contacting the housings at high rpm
-power peaks at 8-8.5k, by 9k it's tapering off quickly, so no need to rev over 8.5k anyway

I can imagine that would add some longevity to the engine and a little buffer of protection. I will certainly look into doing the same thing.

Any updates on the R3 acroy? Looking forward to seeing the spacers.. I might want to do the same.

Eric I've got 20/25mm spacers and tein STechs if you wanted a reference


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...92d0993fc.jpeg

That looks great!! Do you have any pictures from behind? (You can PM me a pic if you have one.. Don't want to hijack acroys thread). Thanks again man. Definitely doing this soon

:suspect:

funny..! Hahah

Where did you get the save the manuals decal?

...On an R3? Why?

Fodi: Ya honestly, cause it was before I started tracking. Saving up for some ohlins and new wheels for autox. She runs great right now though, just trying to learn with what I have.

Eric for you
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...d6a09995b.jpeg

I purchased a dozen of them from amazon or ebay - I forget.

Guys that Autocross: do you rev high and "dump the clutch" to get off the line? I did 5 or 6 autox events with my FD but it had plenty of power off the line, it was easy to get moving without a lot of revs. I rode along with an S2000 and it made me cringe how they took off. It took a beating over and over again though. I guess thats just what they have to do. I assume the RX-8 is about the same.

Love all the R3 pictures by the way. Hopefully I'll be joining the owners club pretty soon.

No. I care about my car too much to get the possible extra couple tenths.
I find that the Rx8 is geared so low that 1st is rather traction limited (on street tires). Modest revs, balance throttle and clutch slip slightly, and you're off.

Depends on the conditions, I launch at 4-5.

Glad to hear that about the gearing. I too would have a hard time abusing the clutch and from what you've said, you don't need to.

Typically are you able to stay in 2nd once you upshift? When I autocrossed my FD and also my IS300 I was able to keep it in 2nd gear after the start. Both cars had reasonable grunt though. I'm not trying to rag on the low torque on the RX-8, it's just a fact. I'm just curious if you find 2nd works through the course. I know all courses are different but generally speaking?

Ya I stay in 2nd the whole time

Minor update
-Installed 5mm/15mm shims. Looks very nice. Subtle, the way it should look from the factory. No fender interference. I will remove the front 5mm for track days as they are purely a washer and reduce hub/wheel contact.
-Exhaust: Auto EXE header sent to Swaintech for coating. Debating options for midpipe and exhaust. May stick with the BHR and source a Racing Beat Rev 8, as they are proven solutions.
-Mazdaedit: removed the check engine light from catless midpipe, reduced cooling fan temps. Will increase oil injection rate 10-20%. Will tune myself or have it professionally tuned when exhaust is done, couple local options here.

You have Steve Kahn local to you. He's one of the BEST!!! Use him and let me know how it goes. I might be right behind you. :mdrmed:

those of you with the R3s that are going to Ohlins, let me know - if you're going to the ohlins before the suspension goes, I may be interested in buying the old setup off of ya!

Note the R3 Bilstein dampers are available, something like $600 for the set, not bad. I will most likely stick with the stock setup for now.

Looking into aftermarket seats to replace the Recaros. They are just to tight for me.

if you do that, you should be able to recoup the costs pretty quickly. Everyone wants the R3 recaros, lol.

Received the header back from Swaintech. Beautiful work.
Now to find some time to work on the car. Been very busy with home improvement projects recently.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...0e90e6c888.jpg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...262a019fae.jpg

I went back and forth on spacers, finally fit Eibach 5mm front and 15mm rear spacers. It looks excellent, the way it should have come from the factory. They are aesthetic only and will be removed for track duty.

Realized I'd not updated this for a long time:

15mm rear, 5mm front spacers.
Auto-Exe header, Swaintech coated.
BHR ignition
BHR resonated midpipe
Racing Beat Rev8 exhaust
Sounds... pretty good.

Tint done
Mazdaedit: stalled. I did a couple minor mods myself. Called PRT Performance | Lewisville Performance Shop | Dallas Auto Services | Dyno Tuning and was told no-can-do tuning :tear:
Stereo done
Fluids done
Grounding kit done. I know some folks think this is snake oil, but $12 worth of wire... no biggie. I've had it help some cars stereo noise, etc.
Alignment done
Still have stock seats... still debating changing.
Race Roots engine mounts
Whiteline differential mounts

I like it a lot:Peace:

How's the NVH with the engine and diff mounts?

Any videos of the sound?

Your car looks good! I hope to see you at some local autocross events soon! I plan to go at least 1 time a month, if not more.

Did you tie the sub into one of the rear speakers wiring?

NVH is increased slightly. Not noticeable unless you're very familiar with the car's sound. The shifter no longer flops around. It is noce and tight, has a nice zing to it now, no longer feels rubbery. The engine mounts helped, but diff mounts really helped tighten things up.
Vid
This is with a simple Mobius cam strapped to the suspension. Not the best audio quality... but gives an idea.

Thanks!
I need to get back out there - not done an event for a long time.
Yes, tied into the rear speakers via Steve Dallas' write up.