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Haha...yeah, my 8 is turning out be more of a box of chocolates than I had originally anticipated! I kind of did that first track test on faith, didn't I? Glad the MS bumper saved me from tearing the liners out completely, although that would have saved me from having to cut off some of the super ghetto GM plastic fastners holding the main undertray to the bumper
I don't think I'll rivet my liners on. Maybe rivnuts? That might be pretty gangster.
Last edited by Modified Dave; 06-01-2010 at 03:03 PM.
I think that no matter how many fasteners are placed on this chad-if 130mph air gets in there its coming off!?
So for track days I am also applying good ole black duct tape on the front lip joint to seal that area.
I am cheap and lazy also
any screw, nut, bolt can come off eventually. Heck a trackmate of mine lost a ppf nut!
Wonder who that was? Denny, your parts coming loose must have happened at the Roebling Road event I missed because I don't remember that issue. I assure you that I will be paying a lot of attention to it now though. Thanks for the nudge and some of you have posted some really good information.
Last edited by SilverEIGHT; 06-28-2010 at 09:48 PM.
Just a follow up: I ran VIR Grand Equalizer (East) three weeks ago with MazdaDriverS.com. My "home made crap" legacy RX-7 self-stripping sheet metal screws worked fine. Top speeds pushing 130 MPH, Uphill Esses at 115. They didn't budge a millimeter. I index-marked them after getting that rash of know-nothing **** just for purpose of proving they worked. And they did.
And I also got point-by's from a half-dozen M3's and even a C5 Corvette. And I'm not even FI yet!
Lost my right side front fender liner on the weekend. Long and fast autocross set up on a road race course http://atlanticmotorsportpark.com/track.php . I thought I had coned and was dragging the cone through three corners and then it came loose, then someone drops off a nice piece of scuffed black plastic while I'm out working the course
All the retainers are gone - the metal clips the screws go into and the plastic push throughs, and the mount holes on the bumper cover are torn as well...
Beautiful day and very fast fun course, made for sucky drive home though
Reviving an old thread - My front under tray is riveted to the side trays which makes it a bit harder to remove, but after reading this, I think I will leave it. I have also replaced a couple fender liners that were missing when I bought the car. The thought of running without a fender liner between the wheel and oil cooler just seemed dumb.
Now that it has been a few years, what are your thoughts on the under tray and how are you keeping it on? I have only run a couple track days since buying Stassi a year ago as it seems to keep needing just a couple more parts before going on track.
Track day 1 highlighted a bad fuel pump - replaced with the one BHR sells.
Track day 2 - marked up the front left tire at willow springs. Direzza is a good tire, but Willow Springs is hard on the front left. Tires at the shop waiting for me to take it in.
Anyways, this post is getting long. I'm half way through installing a Koyo radiator and want some undertray modification ideas. I'm also missing one of the flaps that go in front of the wheel, I had to replace that under piece but didn't get the air dam. My plan is to use some vinyl floor trim moulding riveted or bolted to some aluminum angle. That molding on a previous car was worth a couple mph through some of the turns. This was apparent after an off track excursion removed it for me.
He lost his at something likely over 140, going into about a 30 mph head wind if I remember correctly...
There are people out there who make metal ones. Mine is standard, I have screen over the openings to keep the front from flexing at all, and to keep the rocks out of my ac condenser.
BTW, if you are overusing a tire, add 2 psi. Make is slip and let the others work. And, find someone to help you with car rotation.
Thanks. I have had this addiction for a while now (track since 2000, before that was autocross and rallyX), It's why I opted for an older Rx8 I can pay cash for over a newer S2 with payments. It's the 12th car I have driven on Willow Springs actually. Willow Springs has two long right turns, one is a 180 degree turn that most of the cars I have driven hold about 80-85, the other is turn 8 which I was between 100-110. The back actually stepped out on me a little at 110 because of the soft stock suspension (other than some control arm bushings). I put some Eibachs on it last month which will help significantly. I really wanted to run relatively stock at Willow Springs to create a nice baseline. Here is a video of a lap.
I have shredded two other tires on that track, one was a last minute replacement for my wifes MazdaSpeed Protege. That thing could actually hold 120 on turn 8, great track car. The Rx8 can't even get up to 120 on that track, not that day anyway. The other was a BFG KDW, I don't think they are designed for that kind of abuse. I'm pretty sure the Potenza RD760's will be ok. I'll find out the next time I'm out there.
On the step out, did you notice the state of your bump stops when you swapped the springs over?I had issues with the bumps stops going. I really think it was what drove several spins and a few excursions... If the bump stop goes, you get a really soft rear end, with tons of grip, right up until the final bit of spring compresses. Then you got for squishy soft to solid in an instant, and all that grip is gone. When I pulled mine out for Coil Overs, there was nothing left. I sold my D-Specs to someone who noticed his were completely gone when he swapped them over. I have an entirely different beast now with 500 lb springs up front and 330s in teh back. I get to learn all over again.
WaitingforFI - It's not an auto. This was later in the day and I had a couple CEL's for a misfire at high RPM so I eased off for the last two sessions. The info you see is getting pulled from the torque app for android with an Elmscan bluetooth adapter. By the time it also records the video and everything, it doesn't match up to the speedo or tach. I think it's a little too much for my Galaxy S4 to process at once. You can see the accelerometer having a hard time too. I also used this to see the CEL codes which would only come up at higher RPM. If I didn't just buy a Koyo Radiator and some Silicone hoses this week, I might have purchased the BHR ignition.
04Green - Bump stops were trashed. I was actually impressed how good the struts were though for 70,000 miles. Here is a picture showing a ripped up boot and whats left of one of the front bump stops when I did the upper control arm bushings. The bump stops were replaced when I installed the Eibachs, I also bought new boots but they don't fit right.
Bump stop and boot condition after 70,000 miles
Good theory on the bump stop. I actually had the stability on after it did what you described on turn 3. Turn 8 just felt squishy like you normally get with soft suspension or tall tires. I can tell just from the bumpy freeway overpasses that the eibachs have nearly eliminated the squishyness, not to mention a significant amount of body roll.
Now that it has been a few years, what are your thoughts on the under tray and how are you keeping it on? I have only run a couple track days since buying Stassi a year ago as it seems to keep needing just a couple more parts before going on track.
Since this thread was started, I'm still tracking my RX-8 frequently. And after tens-of-thousands of street miles and several thousand miles on-track I still don't have any problems with the undertray. The only modification I made was securing the side liners to the undertray with some screws. Here we are five years later and they are still fine except for all the rock chips (Summit turn 3) and more wear on the front lip and little air dam in front of the tire (Shenandoah Karussel). I do check the tray and liners before track days to make sure everything is still there and secure. Just part of the routine now.
So now I think we can say unequivocally that Razz1 was dead wrong!
(What? We don't have a beating a dead horse smilie? )
Duct taping the seams works too, but is a bit of a pain installing & removing. It does spread the load out though which is especially effective for not tearing everything up when smashing cones at autocross event.
Also, what you said earlier about the frontal flaps being for the oil coolers is not correct, they are aero-drag reduction devices. However at high speed they can increase front lift.
Duct taping the seams works too, but is a bit of a pain installing & removing.
Duct tape won't last for more than a month or so, but would be plenty good enough for a weekend at the track.
The aluminum tape (real "duct tape") is sticky enough and strong enough that it might last longer.
Screws (or nuts and bolts) are a permanent solution, which is what I was looking for.
Also, what you said earlier about the frontal flaps being for the oil coolers is not correct, they are aero-drag reduction devices. However at high speed they can increase front lift. AutoSpeed - Modifying Under-Car Airflow, Part 2.
Great information! I own a first-gen Honda Insight now which is highly dependent on aero to get great mileage. In studying that car I learned those air dams are indeed for improved airflow. Still, their action will create lower pressure behind the oil coolers, even if that is only an incidental effect.
Of course I'm not grinding them off the Insight on the Karussel.
Real duct tape rather than cheap crap lasts more than a month
You must not have much aero experience if you think that little flap so far away has any noticeable impact compared to the rotating tire face whizzing by the fender liner vent louvers
I've had to replace my undertray twice and front fender linders four times after about five years of racing. Mostly due to crash damage, hitting curbs or off road excursions. Never really had trouble otherwise - and yes I have sustained 140mph many times.
Fortunately they're not all that expensive and easy to replace.
You'll definitely want to keep your front fender liners or else your oil cooler fins will take a total beating.
Duct tape won't last for more than a month or so, but would be plenty good enough for a weekend at the track.
The aluminum tape (real "duct tape") is sticky enough and strong enough that it might last longer.
Screws (or nuts and bolts) are a permanent solution, which is what I was looking for.
Great information! I own a first-gen Honda Insight now which is highly dependent on aero to get great mileage. In studying that car I learned those air dams are indeed for improved airflow. Still, their action will create lower pressure behind the oil coolers, even if that is only an incidental effect.
Of course I'm not grinding them off the Insight on the Karussel.
hey are you going to Shenandoah with trackdaze in may?
hey are you going to Shenandoah with trackdaze in may?
Indeed. My favorite track in my favorite month with my favorite track group. I signed up as soon at they opened registration back in February.
Originally Posted by TeamRX8
Forgot to mention that the addition of a splitter that also covers most of the forward undertray area resolves most of this problem too ...
An undertray is on my list. But, oh King of Aero , probably should be balanced with some aero out back, right? It will be a big mental step for me to stick a wing on this thing.
In a related note, I spent another 1.5 hours on Summit Point Main on Friday and those little screws still haven't backed themselves out and impaled some poor biker yet.
06-01-2010, 02:55 PM
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, probably should be balanced with some aero out back, right? It will be a big mental step for me to stick a wing on this thing. 
