Wilmington, NC Thread
Hey guys sorry I haven't responded in a while. Been busy getting everything squared away with the 8. i took the car into mazda to get an oil change, tire rotation, and full checkup. turns out i need to get front brake pads replaced, rotors have to be turned, and theres a slight leak in the intake. thats getting done on tuesday. (there goes $900 but i got mazda to throw in a free wash/wax/detail). then i have to pay another $570 because i want to get a dent fixed around the license plate and getting the sunroof wind deflector removed. I want this car in perfect condition. Everything should be done by Friday so ill take lots of pics when its completed. Also, looking at some tein basic coiliovers. Anyone know someone who can install them?
The car is a 2004 winning blue 8 with the grand touring package (not sure if that includes the bose system and sunroof. It also has a rear spoiler, 6 cd changer, leather seats). Only downside is its an automatic. yea i know dont hate me. But the car has only 51,000 miles on it. And somthing went wrong with the first engine and mazda put a new one in and so the motor only has 18,000 miles on it. i bought it from a private seller who bought the car brand new. They were a non smoker and kept it garaged. I love this thing! I havent seen another winning blue so if you guys see me, give me a beep.
The car is a 2004 winning blue 8 with the grand touring package (not sure if that includes the bose system and sunroof. It also has a rear spoiler, 6 cd changer, leather seats). Only downside is its an automatic. yea i know dont hate me. But the car has only 51,000 miles on it. And somthing went wrong with the first engine and mazda put a new one in and so the motor only has 18,000 miles on it. i bought it from a private seller who bought the car brand new. They were a non smoker and kept it garaged. I love this thing! I havent seen another winning blue so if you guys see me, give me a beep.
And yes John i have done a lot of research on these rotary engines! Im prepared for bad gas mileage with premium gas prices, lots of oil checks, and an engine that sounds like a sowing machine ha. btw i see you are at UNCW. i just graduated from there 2 months ago. feels good to be free!
Some people see the rotary engine as needy. I see these cars as involved. As an owner you must be involved with your car. You have to be more aware of it and what's going on. I love the intimacy you grow with them and it's easy to get attached. I've had mine for over 3 years and noticed that you either grow to really love them or you get rid of them. Yes it's all worth it.
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Well the seller of the car offered to pay for a diagnostic check and pay for mazda to change my oil and rotate the tires since we both new there were going to be some things that needed to be fixed. But yes im actually going to order some clear corners and 25mm spacers this week. Any thoughts on the spacers? I was reading the sticky forum post on it and love the flush look. And the coilovers are just for show to lower the car. My scion tc was a 5 speed and I loved being in control of the car (not that it had much power anyways haha). With an automatic, im not really looking to pay much extra for increased performance. Just something decent to give me a good stance and take me from point A to point B!
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Btw, the car goes into the body shop for a couple days to get a couple small dings removed and then to mazda on wednesday to get that stuff done. Needs solenoids replaced as well. Everything should be done by thursday and I should have some pics to post up by friday. I am loving the attention this thing is getting. Lots of points and stares and waves. Its great, especially for a 9 year old car. I have always loved these cars ever since '04 and im very blessed to have one in my favorite color!!
In that case go for megan racing or the stance/powertrix. Teins basics don't drop enough. The spacers will work fine. I ran 25mm spacers on stock wheels back in the day when I just had a slight drop. Just make sure you get hub centric ones. I believe our hub size is 67.1. Glad you are stoked to have this car. Just keep that feeling going throughout your whole ownership! If you ever have any problems feel free to ask us guys here in the Wilmy thread as some other members outside of this thread may flame you. Looking forward to pics and perhaps meeting you some times soon.
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Thanks for the welcomes guys. What about 20mm spacers? I actually would like them tucked in just slightly to be able to lower the car a little bit without rubbing. Im hearing ichiba makes a good set. and okay thanks for the recommendation for the megan coilovers. I will look into those. i have been reading as much info on this site as i can but ill def be asking lots of questions so bear with me. I saw a post of this R3 with 20mm spacers and thats exactly what im looking for
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Either will be fine. You should be fine with 25mm though. It will be a little sunk (depending on how low you go). When I had just shock/springs I had a 1.5in drop in the front and 1in or so in the back. I had no problems rubbing with the 25mm spacers. Coilovers will make it easier to run those since the spring rate will be higher thus less wheel movement on bumps and dips. The more you lower it, the more room you have to space the wheel out (if that makes since). It's your call, but you should be fine with either. As far as spacers go check these out:
20mm Mazda Wheel Spacers 5x114 3 CB 67 1 w Studs Attached SP | eBay
Same ones I ran and they are much cheaper than ichiba, but just as good. You will need to order two of those since these come as a pair. They also have 25mm ones as well. A little more pricey for some odd reason.
25mm Mazda Spacers 5x114 3 CB 67 1 w Studs Attached Black | eBay
20mm Mazda Wheel Spacers 5x114 3 CB 67 1 w Studs Attached SP | eBay
Same ones I ran and they are much cheaper than ichiba, but just as good. You will need to order two of those since these come as a pair. They also have 25mm ones as well. A little more pricey for some odd reason.
25mm Mazda Spacers 5x114 3 CB 67 1 w Studs Attached Black | eBay
Also I wouldn't worry about rubbing too much. If you encounter any problems I can definitely help you. I am running 18x10.5 +22 all round (compared to the stock 18x8 +50), which would be equivalent to running a 60mm spacer on stock wheels. I can help you if any rubbing occurs haha.
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man now you got me really thinking haha. well whichever I go with, i would love to meet up and pick your brain on a few things. I would love to learn as much as i can on these cars. thanks for all the help by the way!
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From: Altoona, Pa
I have family that live in the NC, SC, Northern Georgia area .. Ill have to pay them and you guys a visit ..
Last edited by ableobject; Jul 22, 2013 at 01:37 AM.
Agreed. Once I get back I'll be trying to set up meetings quite often.
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JDM Mazda RX8 RX-8 Clear Corner Lens Marker I found these for clear corners. im guessing these are my best bet as far as quality and fitting like the orange ones since they are JDM. And $12.50 for shipping??? Really?
Sounds good. Looking forward to it. I am still waiting on an aluminum under tray to get in since the OE plastic one got torn up from my road trip up to Michigan. No I'll be sending sparks when the car bottoms out!
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From: Altoona, Pa
Also I wouldn't worry about rubbing too much. If you encounter any problems I can definitely help you. I am running 18x10.5 +22 all round (compared to the stock 18x8 +50), which would be equivalent to running a 60mm spacer on stock wheels. I can help you if any rubbing occurs haha.
Not much really. Besides rolled fenders I shaved the rear tabs of course and banged out the giant pinch welds in the front fender wells. I am running 255/35/18 all around, but plan to move up to 265/35 next tire change. Running -2 camber up front and -3 out back. Could prolly add .5 degrees of camber all around and still be ok.
Here's a photo of the fitment.
Here's a photo of the fitment.
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Also, for some reason im getting terrible gas mileage in this thing. I know that they only get 15-16 mpg anyways, but so far, im getting like 11-12. Whats the deal?? the meter feels like its dropping by the minute. I just filled up last night close to $50 and now a quarter tank is already gone and i feel like i have hardly driven anywhere. Is there some DIY filter replacement or something to increase air flow or help with better gas? Or is there anything that I need to look for in the engine that is affecting this issue? Because if this keeps up, ill be spending 50 bucks every 4-5 days on gas. any suggestions would be GREATLY appceciated
How many miles are you getting per tank? I get around 240 - 260 before I fill up at a quarter of a tank. I do have a tune that leans out the AFRs though so that helps. I also have a mac and it doesn't matter the type of computer. Just create a membership on some photo site like flickr or photobucket. When you upload photos there should be an option where it will give you a code so you can post on forums.
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wow your getting alot more mileage than me. But i have been thinking and i have a theory. Whenever i got the car back from mazda, the gas light was on "E" and the needle was on the very last notch. So i went to the first gas station that i could get to and filled up. After i filled up with premium gas the total was $48 @ about 4 bucks a gallon which equals 12 gallons which is 25% less than what its supposed to be. (Keep in mind that we have a 16 gallon tank.) So now, a day later the needle is 3/4 full and ive driven about 36 miles which equals 12mpg. This is 25% less the average mpg in the city. So what im thinking is that my fuel gauge meter is inaccurate and that once its on "E", theres actually about 4 gallons left in the tank. Ive read that other ppl have had problems and that there are two sensors on either side of the gas tank and one or both must not be working right.