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I'm tradingin/selling the RX-8 soon, so I took off my fun suspension and reinstalled the stock rubbish (which tbh isn't THAT bad, just sucks compared to this) This was an excellent setup that I saw local autocross success with. Bilstein HD's with 560/392 springs. They 'feel' underdamped but the dyno plot shows them to be right at 62% of critical damping. a perfectly sane/boring person would say they're genuinely comfortable on the street. And theyre an excellent STX setup when coupled with a stiff front bar (I used 32mm progress on middle setting) and no rear bar. I also used pretty standard issue autox alignment settings.
I have a friend who might be buying this set, but if that falls through I plan to put these on the market as pictured for $1500 (I'll knock off $200 if you don't need/want all the top hats)
feel free to pm if you have questions about why I used this setup and check out my youtube channel to see them in action. nathanatkins15t
I have a series 2 and was wondering what shock/spring setup the series 2 guys were running for autocross. I was wanting to stiffen it up a little and lower it without going to coilovers. I was thinking the koni/Mazdaspeed if they'd work? Any other combo's that keep a good balance?
Koni yellows are the safest bet for a series 2 car--just be sure you get the right part number for the rear. I had a lot of problems trying to fit series 1 shocks and springs on my series 2 car and ended up with the aforementioned PSS9s.
If you want to run in the stock/street class, your only option is to run stock springs. Stock springs with Koni Yellows is a very popular autocross setup. If you want to run in STX, just go to coilovers now and save yourself some time, money, and headaches.
Beyond that, how low do you want to go and how stiff? You need to be able to answer both of those questions before you can choose springs.
The Mazdaspeed Suspension was non adjustable Tokico shocks with Eibach Springs and Eibach Sway Bars. Worked pretty well though. Good street/track compromise.
I thought the r1 was what people assumed the MS coilovers were "based" on?
You know what... I might be giving you bad information. I was thinking of the "Mazdaspeed Suspension" for the RX8 (which I had for a while) that consisted of replacement shocks, springs and sway bars.
If I remember correctly is now occurs to me that a "Mazdaspeed Coilover" might have been available as well. You're probably right that it would have been made entirely by Eibach but I have no direct experience.
that's correct, and the rear coilover shock was/is known for occasionally breaking off between the shock body and the lower mount due to the weakness around the bottom adjustment
it's the R1 kit
Eibach R1 coilover kit - single adjustable
The R2 is double adjustable with remote reservoirs and special rear mounts that don't seal off the trunk from the rain, dirt, etc.
that's correct, and the rear coilover shock was/is known for occasionally breaking off between the shock body and the lower mount due to the weakness around the bottom adjustment
it's the R1 kit
Eibach R1 coilover kit - single adjustable
The R2 is double adjustable with remote reservoirs and special rear mounts that don't seal off the trunk from the rain, dirt, etc.
Eibach R2 - double adjustable w/remote reservoirs
Can confirm. If you do go with these, MAKE SURE they have the updated larger diameter rear shock shaft. They were about as strong as boiled spaghetti with the original rear shock shaft.
9 months on from my earlier post in this thread and I am still really enjoying my fatcat coilovers as a daily driver / track compromise on a series 2. They have made a couple of enhancements since I got mine as well.
9 months on from my earlier post in this thread and I am still really enjoying my fatcat coilovers as a daily driver / track compromise on a series 2. They have made a couple of enhancements since I got mine as well.
"The best" and "~$1,000" don't belong together in the same sentance. If you want quality and reasonable track performance, those start at $1,800 and go up. Anything in the $1,000 range is just street low quality crap.
You can use them on the track of course, just don't expect track performance out of them.
"The best" and "~$1,000" don't belong together in the same sentance. If you want quality and reasonable track performance, those start at $1,800 and go up. Anything in the $1,000 range is just street low quality crap.
You can use them on the track of course, just don't expect track performance out of them.
that is pretty obvious, but I am not after lap records..hence my question what is "best" track day combo you can buy for around $1000?
I'm working with someone local on Bilstein coilover setup for the RX8. If you're not in any rush it might fit in your budget range, especially if you can get a set of OE Bilstein RX8 or NC Miata shocks to use for the conversion. They only need to be physically not damaged, but blown/leaking is ok.
not in rush at all, just got the car (2010 S2 with 28k miles)...I am going to put some bars for start to help with body roll and outer wear on NT-01s I still have from my S1 days :-)
If you looking for suspension at great prices shoot us a PM or give us a call and we will get exactly what you are looking for. Browse our Suspension Section to start, but if you don't see what you need, or if a promo code is working just message John on our account.
We have tons of choices for different budgets and uses.
not the kind of money I am looking to spend. what is the best track oriented spring/shock or coilover that you can buy for ~ $1000?
Save your money and buy Bilstein PSS9s. They can occasionally be found for $1300 shipped. They are far better than the cheaper stuff out there--even if they do have some idiosyncrasies of their own. They can also be rebuilt with different spring rates and revalved to match as you grow.
Last edited by Steve Dallas; 04-17-2015 at 08:38 AM.
yes, that is an alternative, hadn't seen any for under $1400 though
the adjustments are pretty much useless, if valved properly you don't really need it, and they're a little light on spring rate though plenty adequate for street use
11-10-2014, 09:39 AM
