nelsonrx8

Im looking to get on the track this summer and would like too know your suspension setup. So that i can start my own setup i only have progress swaybars at the moment

THANK YOU

SouthFL

Track and Drift are two separate things requiring their own specific setups.

I'll reply to your request, with an answer for my daily driven / HPDE track setup:

Camber: -1.3 front, -1.5 rear / Toe: 0 front and rear / Caster : High 6's, under 7.
Koni Dampers (50% front, 25% rear from full soft)
Tein H-Tech Springs (chose these for decent clearance and comfort)
OEM Sway bars
Dunlop Z1 tires, stock size.
35 psi all around as a base setting.

SouthFL

Also, if you wish to try both drift and road course, you may want to invest in coilovers with pillow ball mounts, as these will let you dial in/out camber per your type of event.

Razz1

Get the KW Variant 3's.

you will have plenty of adjustment.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

The RX-8 doesn't have a strut suspension

SouthFL

Ah. I failed to read the bold.

nelsonrx8

KW Variant 3<<<<<<<so thats it cool thanks

nelsonrx8

one more im looking at

www.bcracing-na.com

input please THANK YOU

altiain

iTrader: (3)

Never heard of them. Their website hasn’t been updated in three years (the contact page states “OUR NORTH AMERICA DISTRIBUTION WILL BE OPENING MID 06' IN CENTRAL FLORIDA”), and their webpage is rather vague. Personally, I’d stay away from them.

Suspension setup is highly subjective. What you should buy depends on what you intend to use the car for. Do you daily drive it, or is it a track only car? Do you want to go lapping, drifting, or autocrossing? Do you want a car that is an improvement over stock yet still very streetable, or are you willing to suffer daily driving a car that beats you senseless in order to shave those last couple of tenths off your lap time?

If you want an improvement over stock but still want the car to be reasonably comfortable on the street, I’d suggest pairing a set of Koni shocks with any of the commonly available lowering springs out there. SouthFL opted for Tein H Techs. I went with Racing Beat. In either case, you’ll end up with a car that has a less squat, dive, and body roll than stock, one that responds much better to transient inputs, but one that won’t beat you senseless on a less-than-perfect road.

The next step up the ladder would be to opt for one of the popular off-the-shelf coilover setups. Tein, Tanabe, JIC, and KW all make reasonably priced coilover kits for the RX-8. The benefit of these systems is (in theory) a matched set of springs and dampers, plus the ability to corner weight the car and change spring rates if you want. However, you get what you pay for with some of the bargain coilover kits out there, typically with inferior valving or non-linear adjustability. In addition, these kits typically have higher spring rates, which can be a benfit on a smooth race track, but isn’t always the best idea for a car driven on real world roads.

nelsonrx8

thanks

nelsonrx8

i was told that the (tein flex mono) are the best for a great drift

EricMeyer

This is to anyone who KNOWS and is not speculating: What team is the benchmark RX8 drifting effort and what set up are they running? There is the answer. As always, you don't have to go inventing the wheel. Others have often spent WAY more than you need to and spent WAY more time finding their current solution.

So....who is the premier RX8 drifting team?

P.S. Zero points if you state your answer with no back up data.
P.S.S. I don't know who this might be. I'm fishing for the person who does know to share it so our boy nelson can follow their lead.

My8DriftsMe

I haven't done a drift/track day yet but from the drifting i have been doing they are great. ( well anything will be better then stock) i was able to take her out on some back roads and they were Wonderful! next im going to di sways and end links. (we are doing the same just backwards lol)

EricMeyer

Coilovers are coilovers are coilovers. They are a foundation to add shocks (usually adjustable---sometimes not) and to add springs (which can and do vary in length, O.D., and rate).

Let me help you here: It's not the coilovers, it's what YOU DO with the coilovers. It's kind of like saying "I live in a 2 story house". What the frick does that mean.

1. Identify an RX8 drift team that is getting acceptable results (you get to define acceptable).
2. Find out the differences in thier car(s) to yours. They might be running 200 more hp and have a 2600 lb dry weight (which would be my weight guess).
3. If (that's the big question here because a fair amount of people on these forums like to buy "cool" stuff rather than build a car properly (yes I said that and yes I know what I'm talking about thank you). I used to be one of those guys too. We've all been there----the price of youth. Anyway
4. This drift team you're modeling will be using an entirely different spring rate setup. Their bars will most likely be different than yours (for a reason). The car is different. It has higher or lower hp. It is heavier or lighter. It has more weight over the front end/less weight over the front end.
5. Driver driving style also comes into play (some drivers like more oversteer, others less).

So what I'm trying to help you with here (take it or leave it I don't care) is that IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SET UP OF VARIOUS COMPONENTS.

I would start your investigation with some emails and phone calls to anyone you know that owns/runs a drift team. Try to get to the Car Chief.

Cheers,

nelsonrx8

wow thanks

Rx-8DriftAlliance

I just joined this forum, I'm on the crew for Tony Angelo, he is the top ranked Rx-8 Drifter in the US, i'd guess that would make us the "premier Rx-8 drifting team"
2k7 Finishes
1 Formula D top8
2Formula D top 10
1 D1GP top 16

http://www.teamsnakebite.com/tony_profile.htm

Anyways, i was just browsing this forum, and i figured i could lend some advice, we were running on the KW variant 3's last year, and i would have to say that besides tire choice, the differences between a track car and a drift car are pretty minimal.
We run our car on the road course with just some changes to tire pressure and tire sizes, i think you'd do well to get something similar, and i can advise susp settings, aligments, whatever. I'm gonna PM you some more info...


here's some pics

swoope

iTrader: (5)

great shots..

beers

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

moar pics

you running N/A or turbo ?

Rx-8DriftAlliance

Yo dude, that thread i just made, Selling brand new KW's for 1600 shipped, got deleted? what is up with this forum, i also PM'ed 2 different admins with no response?? oh yeah, here's more pics.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Toxic.Images/TonyASB08
261 pics from a fun weekend we had a few weeks ago.

Car is turbo-13B-REW 400whp-ish

swoope

iTrader: (5)

the rules are rules.

take the time to read them..

but great shots..

beers

Razz1

KW Variant 3's for the win! Mu ha ha...........

Senna

Any opinions on the MS coilovers? I'm looking for something that is relatively basic with some adjustability that will allow me to set it and forget it (for track only) while I work on driving skills.

tiltmode43

iTrader: (15)

Rather than coilovers perhaps look into a spring/adjustable shock setup?

Though off topic, I'm pretty sure Tony Angelo's old place is down the street from me. DA used to store a trailer under a bridge near my house. I remember once cruising up behind one of the cars and he did a 180 and slid into a parking spot on the other side of the street haha. A friend of mine claims to have seen his rx8 (he described the car to me, I told him what/whos it was) parked in a lot near this location.

Angelo se3p

check out jic magic's coilovers, they have a good system, if you wanna drift.


right now i have megan racing adjustable coilovers, i love them, but i would love to get some JIC magic coilovers.

check them out.
or megan, i could hook u up with megans.

RX-Fate

So, I have seen coilover kits with PB mounts and pillowball mounts (ksport @ AAS) for sale for the rx8 and though I'm aware that we have a double wishbone type front suspension and NOT a strut suspension.

I'm not sure why you say that we can't use pillowball mounts. Please help.