WestRacing

Has anyone tried to compared the RX8 with suspension mod to a Honda S2000? The standard Rx8 is a little soft and having watching it on the track, there is quite a bit of body roll. But with stiffer suspension, will it be able to compete witht the S2000?

I plan to purchase a weekend car. The S2000 and RX8 are on top of my list. The rx8 has the engine edge (can't stand the noise of the S2000 engine) but the s2000 has the handling edge. But with some suspension mod, I hope the rx8 will be equal or better than that of the S2000.

jonyjoe

What are you talking about...The RX8 handling is much better than the s-2000.

Ike

Lay off the crack newbie.

N rider89

those two are very close in handling already so with some suspension work the rx8 should definetly be a better handler and vice versa.

the rx8 is a nice car and even if its only for the weekend, its still practical enough for everyday

NgoRX8

iTrader: (1)

lol... rx-8 handling better than the s2k is a no.

but yet suspension mods will help the rx-8 a lot. the stock suspension is too soft and gives too much bodyroll on the 8. nothing some sways or coilovers won't solve. should put it up with a stock s2k at least.

Renesis_8

Get everything on the mazdaspeed catalogue.. haha then it'll be simliar, but the S2000 is lighter....
________
Sexycandyfox

Raptor2k

Yes, a stiffer suspension would be the 8 right there with a stock s2k in terms of handling. The s2k is still about 200 lbs lighter and gets 10-20 more whp.

The s2k is the better weekend car, the 8 is the better daily driver.

The Mighty Red

Exactly what raptor2K said.

You can stiffen the 8 up nicely but the S2000 is lighter, smaller, and a tad quicker.

I think it would be easier to get a Miata to drive like an S2000 - but I'm no pro.

Don't get me wrong, you can make the Rx8 a great handeling vehicle with some good struts, sways, nice tires and an alignment.

WestRacing

I mean the S2000 is a very good car but I just can't stand the noisy engine at high rpm.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

foam earplugs.. a must for the track..

beers

deamicls

iTrader: (1)

Or just a helmet?

I find that that is enough but i don't think that that is a viable solution for every day driving.

9291150

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupe/112_0403_compact_sport_coupe_comparison/specs_price.html[/URL]

Here is the only direct comparison I've seen between the two. It shows the improved '04 S2000 vs. the RX8. Test times were similar but slightly in the S2000's favor, 26.0 figure 8, .90 skidpad, 68.6 slalom vs . 26.1, .87 and 68.1 respectively. They said the RX8 had quicker reflexes, and won the comparo outright. But fact is the S2000 is lighter with double wishbones at all corners, so it should have more potential when modifying.

No offense, but I'm willing to bet you'll get more out of improving your driving ability than fiddling with the RX8 suspension. "Handling" to me also includes ride quality, where the 8 shines, best ultimate grip vs. ride compromise of any car IMO.

StewyRX8

Gotta plug in the the standard take em to da twisties...

playdoh43

rx8 is meant to be a GT car that makes it comfortable to take long trips in while the s2k is a hardcore sports car meant to be a track monster. Best Motoring has put the 2 head to head on the track numerous times driven by professional JGTC GT500 drivers.

According to their feedback after the races the s2k's cornering ability is not just marginally better, it has a significant advantage. coupled with better acceleration, the s2k is a much better track car.

IMO with properly tuned suspension the RX8 can be on par with the s2k in handling. tunning suspension is an art though, not just a matter of simply stiffening it. tuned RX8 have been very competitive vs S2000 in BMI, putting up a good fight versus the touge monster while in stock form the RX8 generally gets raped.

zoned

improved my handling by a mile by going with the racing beat sways and endlinks set up. It rides a little rougher but the smile on my face in a corner makes it all worth it.

Haze

All that I did with my car was replace the totally inadequate shocks with konis keeping the stock springs. I had to adjust the konis to 1/4 softness to match the springs, but all of the annoying habits of the suspension were gone. Under hard acceleration, I was able to eliminate entirely the rear wheel hop that the RX8 is prone to. When taking the RX8 through a turn hard, it had a tendancy to shift lines with addition or elimination of throttle. That bad habit was also completely eliminated. The car does not bdy roll as much, and on the downside it has picked up a little bit of bounce on small cracks at high speeds on the highway, however, it isn't that bad. I've pretty much forgotten about it. In other words, it doesn't take much of a Mod to make the RX8 handle alot better.

Aseras

tires make a HUGE diffrence on a skidpad. if it was running oe pos bridgestones i'd want a retest.

The Mighty Red

Yeah, that's a good point. If we're going to compare car to car - they should both have the same tires on since that's like 90% of the handeling.

mac11

iTrader: (1)

I have been told for all the cars that the 8 is ever compared to.....350z, s2k, evo, sti, etc......it puts up very comperable if not better numbers and does it on the hardest compound tires out of any of them. Not to mention the suspension is quite a bit softer by far.


The 8 can asl take 9.5" wheels with 275s on each corner without a rub problem

The s2000 has its suspension setup with a stiffer rear end than the front to conpensate for the staggered setup they run on the car

WestRacing

The Rx8 actually has the same track time as the M3 from Top Gear show at 1:31.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG-Ip7TamWg

The Audi S4 in turn has slightly better track time than the M3.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzisa6wcMNU

But I think that was a short track with short straight away. With a longer track the M3 will probably run quite faster than the rx8.

As for the S2000, it did 1:37 but that was when the track was wet (man, I can't believe it rains that much in the UK)

Razz1

GT racing is differant than Auto X and the 8 does very well in GT.

KW suspension is the best.

They are very close stock vs stock.

shaolin

Oh god.

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/test-drove-s2000-today-rx8-more-fun-sure-95791/

yiksing

Stock wise the S2000 handles a little better than the 8 due to the lower weight, other than that the former is tuned for the track while the latter is milder for the streets thus the difference. And bodyroll doesn't mean a worse handling car.

mac11

iTrader: (1)

Yes, i think the 8 handles exceptionally for as low as the spring/damper rates are set from the factory.

If I had the choice between the 2 cars I would buy the 8 every time.

And don't call me a fanboy because I don't even own an 8.