Cheap ways for performance
 

Hey guys,
Im a proud new owner of an RX-8, and i was just wondering if there were any cheap ways that i could add a little more power to my car.

Thanks

How much are you willing to spend? Nothing is cheap these days...

nothing adds much power these days.....

Cheapest power mod in terms of bang for your bucks?

.........well your answer lies in a bottle, just ask Charles. ;)

cz will help you gain 20-45 hp if you take the time to tweak it http://tyrannical.org/page-15

Others have gotten gains from nos.

intakes and exhausts don't do much.

lightweight flywheel and light rims can help somewhat.

My standard advice to others who wish to mod their 8's is to start with the Racing Beat rear swaybar, at the very least. If you are inclined, just go for the whole springs and swaybar set and even the 12 mm endlinks. This kit will get the car to hookup, all around, much better and the rear bar alone will eliminate wheelhop(the bane of the RX-8). While you're at it, get the RB exhaust, as well. I have the Borla, which is nice, but I am willing to bet the RB system is much mellower in tone. I have also been reading nice things about the GReddy and HKS systems. The stock intake is pretty sweet from the factory and quiet, so I would keep that. Next would be to remove the catalytic converter if you are willing/able. After that a flywheel and pulley set, but only a new clutch and pressure plate if you anticipate FI or nitrous in the next year or two. You should find yourself running in the low 14's in the 1/4 mile and ripping four-wheel powerslides at 40 mph around corners on stock rollers with this set up. A 55 h.p. wet shot of nitrous requires no ignition or fuel mods and will take another .8-1.0 seconds off the e.t. Beyond all this, you're looking at ECU/piggyback mods for further upgrades and I won't get to that until next Spring so I have no advice in that area. I forgot to mention that stainless brake lines really help the feel and fade control.
Charles

I've never been into this kind of thing, but now that I'm a proud owner of an RX-8 I would like to make some performance enhancements. I don't want to make it louder, just faster. :D

The CanZoomer sounded interesting if it will really work. Would someone mind telling me the difference between Stage 1, 2, and 3? Is a new flywheel and pulley system something a totally amateur like myself can do, or is that strictly for the professionals?

Thanks.

Maybe the pulleys, but the flywheel needs to be done by the dealer. Read this thread: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-aftermarket-performance-modifications-23/mazdaspeed-flywheel-install-pics-28292/

I don't know about the flywheel, Nem, I did mine in my own driveway and without a service manual. It seemed pretty easy but maybe that's just me. I dunno.

Charles

Why do you want to go faster? I know, stupid question right. But seriously if you want to drag race or stop light race I can't help you. But if you are talking about road courses or just safely sprinting through the curves then I would recommend a driving school.

The best money you will ever invest in your car.

I agree with SDB. Unless you're already a talented race driver the best (and most cost-effective) way to make your car/driver team faster (and safer) is to improve the driver, not the car.

It's more of a mod than most of us can handle Charles.

In response to your post: "Thats just you CH :D The thread starter has only 5 posts as of this thread, so i opted for help from the dealership for his sake. Now get back to that funny rubber burnin' smell I remember from high school... :rolleyes:"

The deal about going faster/quicker is that many of us who own the RX-8 are performance enthusiasts, or at least wannabees, so the pursuit of power becomes the first upgrade we consider. Besides, what testosterone-laden male wants to admit that his skills are sub-par when compared to the performance level of a car that "only" runs mid to high 15's in the 1/4 mile? I wonder about the distinctions between male and female drivers of the RX-8 and their particular learning curves. Anyone who evaluates this car on measured times, alone, really misses the point of the car and SDB and GoBerserk are completely correct here. The first thing I did was to spend a great deal of time testing the car against my own skill level until I knew exactly what I was capable of while driving the 8. The great thing about the DSC/TC is that it was a good learning tool for me for those first few months. I was amazed at how the computer seemed to know which line I was seeking and held it for me. These days, I count on a bit of oversteer to get me through the turns and I defeat both the DSC and TC systems. I will be curious to see what the 8 can do with better tires on it.


So, Nem, are you saying that not all of us are modding these cars? And not necessarily doing the work ourselves when we do? No wonder my salesman looked at me strangely when I picked my car up and told him I was going to start the upgrades immediately. That was 13 months ago and I let him drive it last week. I wish I could has given him a nitrous-boosted run. Even dry he thought it was cool. He was looking for, and found, the massive tire marks in the road and was amused.

Charles

Exactly, there are a lot of stock 8's over here in the Pacific Northwest for some strange reason. I just ran into a new Sunlight Silver owner at the carwash this weekend, and he did not even know about this forum. His 8 was bone stock, and has been like that for 5 months! I brought him over to my car and proceeded to run the list of my mods, and he was amazed that there was so much you could do to the car. He asked if I was done modifying my car, and I said nope - This winter I told him I was changing the flywheel and pullies, and he asked if they were broken. I laughed and said of course not. :p

In my old muscle car days, I did all my own work. But now that I am way older, and I have more money, I let others work on my car. I use Lopez at Import Auto to do work that requires lifting the car. He built race tuned rotaries for Atkins, so I trust his rotary knowledge.

Good point. I'm not interested in racing, I just don't like the fact that some of the 8's competitors, i.e., 350Z have better 1/4 times or 0-60 times. I want to know when I role up to a stop light next to a Z, that my rotary can take his "boring" 6 cyl. I HATE that he knows he's got 50 more HP than I do, 115 more lb ft than I do and also gets better mpg than I do. Now please don't flame me as a "noob". ;) I'm talking pure testasterone and ego here. Maybe I'm not interpreting the numbers right. I do know that the 8 is one of the most well balanced sports cars available, and I'm VERY glad that I chose the 8 over the Z, but........

Seriously, what's it going to take to get our 8s to 300 hp? Is that even possible?

P.S. I still don't understand the difference between Can Zoomer's Stage 1, 2, or 3. Anyone know?

300 hp ? That would need forced induction (supercharger or turbo). from my understandinf, Canzoomer Stage 1 is their "street" level tune. Honestly I have seen about 10 to 12 whp from several posters on this board that have tuned it. Stage 2 is their "track/race" tune. More aggressive, closer to the edge. I have seen 16 to 21 whp from this tune. Haven't seen anybody on this board with the stage 3. That is supposed to be the customizable stage. Where you can have a "street" and a "track," etc tune all in a single unit.

stage 1 IS stage 2. Just different maps. Originally stage 1 was not tunable. Stage 1.1 now allows you to change maps, so it's really the same deal. Stage 3 adds a straight pipe or something. It's really up to you to see how high you want to run your AFR.

It is stage 2 that you are supposed to run the CZ hi-flow cat, as the exhaust temps get so high they burn out the standard cat in short order.

One thing I like about you Nemesis is that you always seem to be able to read the facetious inflections I intend to convey on-line. We must have similar senses of humor. One thing I wonder is why our cars are always compared to the 350Z, S2000, and other roadsters. Anyone know why? Our direct competition would be more like the G35 and other four-seaters. How do we compare then?

BlacknightX, do a search and read some of the posts on the forum. You'll see that some of us are getting closer to that 300 h.p.(flywheel) that you are wondering about. Naturally aspirated may be a bit longer of a wait but with nitrous I may be able to hit 300 next spring.

Charles

Cool. Thanks. I've never owned a sports car before. I guess I was just hoping to be able to get a little more out of her than 260 hp (after a couple thousand $ in modifcations). I didn't do any research before I bought my 8 and I just assumed I'd be able to put a twin turbo on her the way you could on an RX-7. No big deal, tho'. I have a wife and 2 kids so the functionality of the 8 is far superior to a Z or a Crossfire. Speaking of Crossfire, did I read correctly that stock it had 330 hp and over 300 lb ft of torque? OUCH!!!!!!!!!

Thanks, CH. I've been reading for a while but I haven't tried any searches. How does your near 300 hp 8 compare to say a stock Z or Crossfire?

FYI Charles,

From August 2004 Road & Track (The curb/test weight of the G35 is 210 lbs. more than the 350Z) :

RX8
0-60 : 6.1 sec.
0-100 : 16.1 sec.
1/4 mi. : 14.6 sec@95.6 mph

G35 Coupe
0-60 : 5.9 sec.
0-100 : 14.2 sec.
1/4 mi. : 14.4 sec.@100.6 mph

BlackknightX,

The Crossfire that you are referring to is their special edition SRT-6. It has 310 hp, 330 ft.lbs. of torque.

I would say that a nitroused (55 hp shot) or SC/turboed RX8 at 300 hp would be a very good match for a 350Z or Crossfire SRT-6 (probably even faster than the 350Z, but will be around $50K). If Speed Force Racing comes through with a legit 300 whp, 200+ lb.-ft. of torque I would think that kit would make the RX8 faster than a stock 350Z.

I think I read that thread. $5k to $6k? Might be worth it if it's as good as they are hoping.

I think I love my 8 even more, now that there are some possible performance mods. I'm even considering a body kit. Man, this mid-life crisis thing is GREAT!!!!! I can spend thousands of $$ on mods I don't need and just say to my wife, "Sorry Honey. I guess I'm having a mid-life crisis." SWEET! ;)

VERY well put - I like the way you phrased that! I too am not into street racing, but just to "know" my car is faster... and maybe occationally prove it... :D

Oh, and FYI for anyone who's interested... I've gotten about +25 WHP out of my "tweaked" Canzoomer Stage 1.X , as have others here.

I wonder if that R+T mag from August had the "M" on it. I seem to have gained 20 rwhp when I had mine done and, besides, when those numbers are quoted for the G35 and RX-8 there isn't really that much of a difference between them, to me. On the street, I think those numbers make for pretty much a wash between them but I doubt the G35 has as much visual appeal. I do note that because of the 350Z the G35 has a bit more going for it in the aftermarket. Thanks for the info, Fanman.

Charles

Is the CZ kit going to be wasted $$ if or when a turbo comes out? If not, Omnicron, I think I'll order one right away. :)