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@Meat Head I got Bilstein B6 on my Mazdaspeed3 right now. Good stuff. They firmed up the ride a lot over my old, failing stock shocks.
And it looks like I made the right call to have the Mazda dealer I work at to take care of the front shocks on my Speed3. The rears on my Speed3 were pretty easy to do. No springs to compress, just undo a few bolts and out they come.
Power tools are excellent assets to have. Knocks rusty bolts loose a lot easier, assuming they fit.
Also replaced the sway bar bushings on my car. No more squeaks over speed bumps which is nice.
Hey there Jinx - I’ve noticed a huge improvement this year over last year with the shock replacement. Like I said earlier, slow degradation is hard to notice until it becomes plain bad.
Finally after more than a week an update to my annual track day at Mission Raceway. Another good event hosted by a local shop with lunch and coaching included at a decent price.
It surprised me how few people were asking for coaches to ride along. These guys typically have over 20 years experience. I lost count how many spins and offs occurred during the day - at least 2 per session for each of the 4 groups. Not what I would have expected either cause most of the participants losing control were over 40. It’s okay to admit you don’t know fellas.
The high point of the day was the third session when my mom (turns 80 next month) was my passenger. She was bragging about it to her friends later so that was a great sign.
My newbie status still shone through. In the afternoon I cut short a session after feeling the car drive funny. Nothing was wrong, just hot tires and, I later discovered, numerous chunks of melted rubber stuck to my rims (other people’s tires). I’m now approaching the point where I can feel new 200TW tires would make a difference. Oh well, budget is firmly in reality so the 500TW Continentals will do. The coach gave me the best feedback I could hear - I’m smooth. According to him, my continued heel/toe/double clutch technique isn’t making any time for me (slower in fact) but, it saves the transmission so I’ll keep it.
The car ran well with temperatures never getting over 198°F coolant and 172° F oil on a 25° C day (ya I know, it’s Canada so we use both). The cooling system upgrades work. New shocks made a HUGE difference, especially on turn 3 where there’s an abrupt elevation change mid corner. Compression was tested tonight after work and there’s no difference between values measured in March and now
Dreaded selfie with mom
Mom and I underway
Another shot
One of several rubber chunks stuck to the rims - quarter beside it for scale
That's wonderful that you were able to take your mom out with you! I can picture her saying "wait, why do I need a helmet?"
I'm surprised at the number of spins and offs you are describing. I'm not a track person myself but have friends who are, one in particular very experienced and is an instructor at times. From hearing them talk it sounded like the tracks they are at really look into and talk to drivers who run into difficulty, make sure they know their limits and warn about repeating.
10KRPM - that was the worst day for offs I’ve seen. They used the black flag a couple times but, not enough. Someone passed me on the right while I had a coach in my car ( point to pass on left only in 3 locations). They got a flag and a discussion. It was a very exuberant group.
Glad to hear you are having fun in your 8. The most I feel comfortable doing now in my Speed3 is an AutoX event. Tracks get pretty expensive once you consider the wear and tear. Worth it if you have the money, though.
Hey there Unknown Jinx - I’m going to talk with both the organizers and the driver school before I attend another event. They need some end user feedback. I’ve vacation time soon so will make a few stops. Best done in person. (Edit) Email comes off badly sometimes.
Last edited by Meat Head; Jul 8, 2024 at 06:32 PM.
I did a little more maintenance on the car during my winter vacation. My son showed interest in helping for the first time which is cool.
Mazda no longer stocks the vacuum lines so I bought 6 metres of silicone lines along with the gaskets for the UIM. All the vacuum lines are now new so I’ll give the car a couple days to adjust before checking fuel trims. The orange UIM gaskets at the throttle body and at the LIM were rather crispy.
It was a good afternoon with my son as he helped with the oil change. The amount of axle stand checking for security went up. Funny how having a kid under my car makes me anxious about safety. Quick Jacks are looking more appealing.
Personal Log Star Date 2025-003
It was a good afternoon with my son as he helped with the oil change. The amount of axle stand checking for security went up. Funny how having a kid under my car makes me anxious about safety. Quick Jacks are looking more appealing.
Keeping an old good sized tire around and putting it under the car next to you (or your son) is a nice safety feature, I've done it for years especially when working alone. It's not that jack stands are going to fail or break or drop on their own, IMO the real risk is toppling to one side or the other.
We sold our house and are moving to a condo in the next couple months. There is now a significant lack of place to perform maintenance on the Red Rooster. I have an appointment at the local Mazda dealership on Monday for a trade in value assessment. Next vehicle will be an ND3 MX5 Miata. Only decision is whether to go hard top or soft top. By the time this all completes I’ll have daily driven my 8 for 5 years. What a blast this car has been!!!!
By the time this all completes I’ll have daily driven my 8 for 5 years. What a blast this car has been!!!!
As a lurker who had enjoyed following along I'm sad to see it end, but happy you are staying in the Mazda family. Thanks for taking us along for the ride.
We sold our house and are moving to a condo in the next couple months. There is now a significant lack of place to perform maintenance on the Red Rooster. I have an appointment at the local Mazda dealership on Monday for a trade in value assessment. Next vehicle will be an ND3 MX5 Miata. Only decision is whether to go hard top or soft top. By the time this all completes I’ll have daily driven my 8 for 5 years. What a blast this car has been!!!!
sad to hear this journey is coming to a close but at least you're staying in the Mazda family.
Same here, enjoyed reading about your work on the car and adventures. I sold my 8 in November, was sad to see it go, but still follow a few threads on this site. Good luck and have fun with the Miata!
Thanks guys - after several test drives of other companies’ offerings it turns out Miata is always the answer. Going with the ragtop which is surprisingly quiet roof up or down. Thanks for following along my rambling diary.
That link to the supercharger was NOT helpful to me as a burgeoning responsible adult.
Well, it’s done. I traded in my RX8 for the MX5 GT ragtop. It turns out the manager at the dealership is probably going to scoop up my car. This makes me happy since it should be going to someone with time and money to refurbish it.
To all of you that helped me with my learning/repairs over the past five years, THANK YOU!
To any new owners that stumble across this thread, take the time and effort to maintain your RX8, they’re a brilliant car. Have fun with it.
Beam me up Scotty.
Good bye my friend, I’ll miss you. Zoom Zoom Part Two (I’m leaning forward, not chewing the wheel okay?).
I just changed oil and front brake pads on mine yesterday to kick off the 25 track season.
She started right up after sitting outside whole winter (with disconnected motorcycle battery)
Took her for a spin to bed in the new pads and was reminded how much fun this car is...our daily is EV, which is opposite plenty of torque and no noise - but no maintenance either :-)
I’m probably not going to the track this year. I want to be nice to the car and let it break in fully. I’ve already had it a bit sideways (with my mom as passenger) and it is very easy to catch. After seeing the track you have locally, I want to go somewhere besides my local track that has a bit more room between the concrete walls. Mom is still game for another track day. Hope I’m that cool at 81.
I’m probably not going to the track this year. I want to be nice to the car and let it break in fully. I’ve already had it a bit sideways (with my mom as passenger) and it is very easy to catch. After seeing the track you have locally, I want to go somewhere besides my local track that has a bit more room between the concrete walls. Mom is still game for another track day. Hope I’m that cool at 81.
didnt realize ya ditched the 8. get the hairdresser car broke in on the track at redline and rub some walls like a drift missile
Love that color! The people I know that have MX5's absolutely love them.
A few years ago I thought about buying an RF. The roof hatch mechanism alone had me interested, love watching it work. For me it just ended up seeming too cramped plus so little storage.
