kersh4w

iTrader: (3)

his top mechanic bought him out. he no longer owns the operation.

I8U

iTrader: (1)

Well, that's good...I stopped paying attention after everything went down.

elysium19

iTrader: (1)

First: use Google by typing: "site:rx8club.com [insert search term here]"

I'll let everyone else talk about fuel pump issues. My comments:

The general consensus is that many of the OEM parts on the car are amazing, as good or just about as good as many top-quality aftermarket parts. One of these things is brakes....there are some complete brake kits that will offer slightly better performance, but the OEM brakes are fantastic, just get good track pads and use high-performance fluid to avoid the possibility of boiling fluid.

The wheels are OK, but if you are free to change them out, you probably want to do that. Stock weight is about 23 pounds per wheel. You can easily drop 20-25 pounds of rotational mass with lighter wheels, and with a low-torque car such as the 8, it does make a difference in both acceleration and handling.

I'd have to see the whole list of what-parts-cost-how-many-points, to decide trade-offs, but my feeling is that sway bars for the 8 are a must (2 points) while extra bracing may not be worth it.

One other thing to look into: I don't know much about it myself, but many guys who do long track sessions have had issues with the stock radiator. So I'd do some searches on that, there are a number of good aftermarket ones.

Finally: most bolt-on mods do very very little for power gains. Switching to a catless midpipe is the only thing that will net you some horsepower (~8-10). Exhausts, intakes, headers will net you, at best, low single-digit HP gains. Buy those other toys instead!

Good luck!

olddragger

iTrader: (3)

Sam--a friend of mine is currently holding NASA TTD record times at Road Atlanta and Roebling--I am not sure of Barber.
Lots of good advice here.
Mainly as you know the 8 is a momentum car--hands down.
Its reliable--our group have thousands of miles on the track without major problems.
Here are some of my experiences.
1- as mentioned --17 inch wheels with no wider than a 255 and actually a 245 does well. get a short tire so the overall gearing is down. focus on light wheel--i was saving 10lbs a corner over the oem one--the 8 needs all the help it can get with grunting out of the corner, sorta like the miata. gearing(by whatever means) and cutting out shifts will help a lot with times.
2- use premix 1 oz per gallon on the track.
3- make sure you have fresh plugs and coils--they can rob you of power and its hard to feel it. the plugs will look fine but there will be a power lost over 7.5 K or so. I never usually go over 8.5 myself.
4- get the axiel flow short shifter--make SURE the PPF is adjusted correctly--if it is out by just a little --you can tell!
5- run a synthetic oil for a little extra power. at least a 10/40--i like the 20/50 myself.
6- get real gauges--the oem ones are on and off switches.
7- get an upgraded water pump --the oem one starts capitation at approx 6K
8--suspension oem is actually not to bad--except the shocks--those have to be changed. we either run the koni yellows or the tokeios(spelling) plus tein h springs or RB's etc. This chassis does like a slight front rake.
Sways and end links are nice to get but if points get tight--consider leaving them alone
9- get the standard model with no sunroof. sunroof = less head room and you will have to lay your seat back more than you really want.
no dsc on the base model either.
10- loosing the a/c really doesnt save that much weight approx 22lbs or so
11- fuel pump is easy too change and low cost. since i have considered this a yearly maintenance item i have not had any fuel issues as long as i have over 1/4 tank
12- since custom making a 180F barrel type thermostat and adding a small secondary radiator my temps are really good--NOTHING over 190F yet.
13 clutch support bracket is a good thing to have. plus get the front support brace with a master cylinder brace
14- the most power gain mod is the midpipe/cat delete.Racing beat also has a single silencer set up that saves 33 % wgt over stock
15 --the ecu in this car will trim the a/f's a lot--test yours out but it can be advantageous for some to pull the room fuse just before you go on track in order to wipe the trims out.
16 dont waste money on intakes--just get a better filter and the racing Beat cold air scoop.
17-- do not get the appearance package --it restricts somewhat the airdam flow.
18 --make sure the maf is clean--it easy to pour the oil a little to fast and then oil has a path to the intake pipe through the little vacuum line.
19-- back seats come out really easily and the car will haul all your gear you need for the w/e+ the front seat fully reclines and with the back out it makes a pretty good single bed--ask me how I know
20--use a small battery of course
21 --brakes are outstanding--very front bias'ed--trails brake among the best--you will gain on a lot of cars in the braking zones. many folks use the cobalts--i am partial to the carbotechs. oem rotors are good or if you have the cash --do like roar doess with the aftermarket discs. TT guys usually do not need ducting.

lots of other little things like letting the passenger seat down flat during a run as that substantially increases vision out through those side windows, the engine builds a lot of heat between 8K and 9K especially if you re using only partial throttle,. there is not as much lift throttle overstear in this car as our engines really dont have that many moving parts to drag you down etc etc
Lots of other little stuff. WIth TTD class you will probably have points left over--probably 4-5 of them
The 8th is a great car to demonstrate that smoothest is actually the fastest way around a track.
let us hear from ya! and welcome to the brotherhood.
olddragger

I8U

iTrader: (1)

^Man, that's some great info Denny! Hope to see you all at RA next month!

olddragger

iTrader: (3)

Ill be there man and will look for ya! Unfortunately the hp3/4 sessions are full and i cant get on track--maybe i ought to just go TT.
OD

sam h

Thank you for all the advice! Mods, you might want to make this thread a sticky

BTW, does anyone know an active RX-8 track driver in the NASA MA region? I haven't been to a local event since I moved here.

EDIT: Looks like NASA-MA will be at Summit Point this weekend. I will probably go visit.

TrackAddict

Lots of good advice here. I have raced in TTD for the past year and have had a blast. Watch the points you take. It makes sense to use all the freebies and get the car weight to minimum legal of 3040. I am at 3200 personally. For points, it will depend on your tire choice... You can take 10 points on tires running a 245 width Hoosiers or V710s. Shocks/Springs/Sways = 7 points. Intake = 1 point. Cat back = 1 point. That may be the ticket right there to max out the car. The intake and exhaust do a little to increase power but not much.

I am not convinced that the RX8 is the best car for TT. I have had a good season but have been handily beat at several tracks by a race prepped E36 325is with cams, suspension goodies, etc. Since he base classes in TTF he can do a lot to that car. I lead the points going into the season finale at Road Atlanta but we'll see what happens in December.

BlueRenesis82

Well, I guess I can't argue that a race prepped car SHOULD be faster than a what is essentially a street car, TA. If nothing else, his coming up from a lower class gives him a little bit of an advantage, because of all the mods that open up to him.