i just bought a 2004 rx8, this is my first car of this kind and all i have to say is WOW! i love the thing already. It already has a greddy exhaust, i am thinking about doing a intake, but what else can/should i do? please dont tell me to search because i have been for days now. Also this car is for 95% regular driving and every now and then to show a honda or something like that whats up, should i invest in anything as far as the cooling of the engine itself or ignition parts?

 

cooling mods are good for a rotary. bhr coils will last a lifetime. intakes dont do much. midpipe is the best power for money. nitrous is an option for a dd then you can have a little extra power when you want it

 

There ... i didn't tell you

 

where exactly have you searched? Not on these forums. Because if you had, you would have found that members have been modding their cars (with dyno results) since it's release, back in 2003...

 

Going to an aftermarket intake, while it may look pretty, won't give you hardly any gains. Search for the OEM intake mod. It's free.

 

Outside of Nitrous/Turbo/Supercharging there is no mod that will give you noticeable power gains.

I DD my 8 and have:
Mazdaspeed CAI (they don't make it anymore but you can find them used or get the AEM, it's he same thing without the mazda badging)

BHR coil kit, coils are a potential weak spot and the bhr ones are a good upgrade

BHR catless midpipe, mother nature can take one on the chin for me

Mazdaspeed exhaust, it's a sound generator, much like the intake and midpipe. I like sound.

I also have the AP tuned by MazdaManiac.

With all my mods and about a dozen dyno days I've seen a net increase of about 10 to 25 HP depending on the day.

The 8 is a very well designed car and there is very little to be gained in performance with bolt ons. Now if you strip down the block, get a pro to work some magic, and don't mind paying a fortune... you can see some very nice results, but that really isnt what a daily driver is for.

If you like sound (i do), go for a CAI

If you're looking for HP increases, go turbo and get it WELL tuned.

 

thanks for the replys, how well does the stock cooling system work in these cars? like i said it will be my dd but i will take it for some mountain cruises every now and then ect..if i get the cobb access port now and tune it to what i have, when i turbo it could i just reflash it or how would that work?

 

cooling effectiveness depends on where you live. Guys out in the desert obviously have more challenges with their cooling then the rest of us.
You're in Virginia so I would think you'd be okay but seeing as how your water pump is probably an original, I'd look into doing the mazmart water pump when you flush out your coolant and throw in their thermostat while you're at it.

as for the AP, you can get it tuned now and when / if you go turbo, you can have new maps made to fit the turbo.

 

It all depends on how you drive your daily driver....