chips chips chips, F'ing Chips!!!!
 

One reason I was really glad when I got rid of my first 8 and did the repurchase to buy another one was because after only a couple of months I had like 8 rock chips on the nose of the car....now my new 8 is a month old and I gave it the first official cleaning today and sure as hell FIVE good size chips on the nose and ONE REALLY BAD one near the mazda badge...I haven't bitched about a single thing with the 8 but I guess you could say I'm kinda bitching about the "soft paint"....especially on the nose/hood area of the car....i'm so bummed about that big one by the badge but I'll be following the great instructions to repair it found here...it may take a few days but i'll take before and afters

http://www.rx8forum.com/showthread....p;threadid=7980

Then you would hate the "soft paint" on the 350Z! Not kidding either! You should look into a clear bra to protect the hood, front, lights, and parts of the fenders. I had it installed on my G35Coupe and it did wonders. I now have a black RX8 that has some chips on the front, but figured why apply the bra when there's already rock chips. I'll wait till it gets worse, repaint it, then get the 3m installed. It's no biggie.

Dont drive so close to cars in front then. Hang back more = less chips.

It's just so weird how soft it is...my 7 is 10 times the age of the 8 and it doesn't have but just a couple

Yeah but laws have changed regarding how/what can be used to paint cars.

Yah, I've got a few chiparoonies myself =( just noticed two more yesterday, right up on the bulged out part of the rotor shape on the hood... white specs not pretty on my black hood.

WHere do you get this clear bra I have a chip to and whould love to stop the rest but a don't want a black one.

good place to start:

www.xpel.com

Another is Invinca-shield which uses the 3M product.

I just heard of another clear protection tape - Venture tape.

You'll get far fewer chips if you follow the 4-second rule. Keep at least 4 seconds distance between yourself and the vehicle in front. Not only a safe way to drive but it gives the airborne grit and pebbles a chance to settle before you get there. And following more closely does not equate to faster travel so there's no downside.

At 70 mph, 4 seconds is over 400 feet.

I respectfully disagree. If you want to travel at a speed faster then the car in front of you, you do not want to be 400 feet back. First the car in front will not realize they should move right when possible, they will figure your comfortable at their speed. Second, if (and this is quite common) the car in front is not the tyoe to follow the rule of slower traffic to the right, you can better pass in the middle lane when your closer. The 400 feet you describe is plenty of room to zoom by a car going 70 when you want to do 80, thus if the cars in the middle lane have a 400 foot gap between them, you wont be able to pass if you following at 400 feet. But if your 30-40 feet behind, you will be able to pass. Not to mention that the 8s brakes are so good they make up for RT (reaction time).

That said, if you are following a car going the speed you want to cruise at, then 400 feet is much better than 30-40 feet. It's safer, it reduces chips, and assuming your both speeding, it reduces your chances of getting a speeding ticket.

Most state driving manuals suggest a "3" or "4 second rule" for following (i.e. the same speed at the car immediately in front of you). I think Red RX ment passing or going faster. My state suggests an alternative -- to follow at one car lenght per 10 mph. That is if the car you are following (same speed) is going 70 mph--then you follow at 7 car lengths behind.
This works in traffic from 9 am until 4 pm in most situation. It breasks down in heavy traffic where everyone is "fighting for position." Check you state manual. Remember I am talking about following not passing. Dave Hansen

Yeah, Dave, those rules sure do fall apart if you live in Los Angeles.. There is no such thing as being able to have such distances in front of you, unless of course you leave your house at 5am and leave the office at 8pm. Try it and you'll think you're actually travelling backwards in traffic... :P

That works for me.

My 93 RX-7 had tons of rock chips on it so umm I dunno dude. My Miata doesnt have so many and its similar color to what my RX-7 was.

try keeping a 3-4 sec rule in ATL traffic and someone's gonna come up and bash your freaking window in...it's a good rule in theory but you abiding by it doesn't mean everyone else is going to...most of my chips have come from road work being done and there isn't a way to avoid the massive onslaught of debris..especially when a 5 ton dump truck pulls out in the middle of the interstate with oncoming 30mph traffic whilst he is still lowering his bed and gravel still coming out...makes for a nice shoulder run...but wait there is NO shoulder..so you gotta suck up the gravel..or your bumper does rather...

oh yeh...and flying tire debris travels pretty far when flicked from a 70+mph rig ..yah..got smacked with some of that lovely stuff coming to work one morning...messed up the passenger side rear bumper cover....pisses me off....

i've had my 8 for 9 months now and i have 0 chips on the nose.i'm tired of people saying the 8 suck's because of this problem .if you were driving something besides an 8 you would be bad mouthing that car instaed.maybe it's your driving habits &not the car.

I disagree. I have chips on my car as well. The car is wonderful, and we all wanting to keep rock chips from happening to it. But it has been noted by too many to just be coincidence or "badmouthing" that the 8 paint seems to easily chip. I may look into the clear bra myself.

Does the clar bra affect your finish? I wonder what affects it would have on applying zaino to it?