nikitka

I have many questions and I am hoping some of them can get answered.

I was one of the first people to get an RX-8 in the summer of 2003. It has been with me everywhere cross-country, through snow and rain. Until last weekend I let my sister take it for a weekend, and she spun out on the freeway, as you can see




The damage is not terrible, seems like the front, grill, headlight, and fender have to be replaced. Although my headlight is still working, the glass is broken, so I bought another one on ebay for $200. (Anyone needs a broken headlight?)

I figured since I need a new bumper, I should go for a cooler body kit. That's where all the confusion came, since I've never modified any cars in the past.

The price range is so different, anywhere from $250 to $2,000. I decided something like, MSpeed URETHANE Body Kit would be nice:




Selling on ebay for $700. But then I came across exactly same looking one, but fiberglass and only $279:



What is the difference between fiberglass and URETHANE? How can it be so cheap for skirts, front and rear bumper? Also any idea how much would it cost to paint and install the kit?

Is there place for the fog lights on these kits?

Does it need a special grill? Does it need any grill?

Any response, comment, or advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Nikita


P.S. Also, this looks good, but I don't know where to find this kit:

Outlaws eXtreme

Fiberglass is just like the name states.. a fiborous compound that "can" break if it hits a curb too hard or if you decide to lower it, can lead to some problems. If done properly, it isn't that bad of a material.

Urethane is basically plastic... more flexible, but a bit more heavy at times. Harder to work with when the body shop gets it...

Both products needs to be sanded, installed, measured, etc etc.. to make it fit right.

The kits "should" fit the way you want them to... but depending on how much you spend on a kit, that is what you are going to get as a finished product. You spend 250 for a kit, you're going to get a lousy kit that will need a LOT of body work for it to fit. You spend good money... 2800+ on a Real MS Body kit, then it will definitely fit with no problems.

Grill... depends on who you buy the kit from. Ask them if they provide it.

Spend good money... don't be cheap when it comes to a 25k+ car... I'm sure you can spend at least 10% of the car... 2500 bucks... It will save you a lot of time and money to get it done right the first time.

mikeb

Search j/k

the yellow one is the r magic kit you can get it japanparts.com

I have the poly ms kit and I got it for 1500.00
paint and install can be anywhere 500 up to 1500.00 IMO

you can buy fog light brackets from mazda for about 70 bucks

I would not get fiberglass
atleast dont get a fiberglass front
it will crack

nikitka

Thanks,

But whats the original bumper on my RX-8? Is it fiberglass? Cause I didn't have any problems with it.

Also, does the quality really matters that much? $250 vs $2,500? I am somewhat on a budget. I thought body kits are mainly for aesthetic purpose.

Also, would a regular body shop install it, or should I go to a racing shop instead? If yes, does anyone know any good ones in Bay Area (San Jose)?

Outlaws eXtreme

It's a Urethane type of plastic that Mazda uses... it's uhmm forgot the fancy name for it.. but it's basically good plastic. That's why it can flex/bend.

Uhh quality makes a world of difference. For instance, if you go with cheap fiberglass.. the body shop will charge you a LOT (as much as 800-1000) just to prep it and paint it. So why hassle with that? Get quality stuff, less man hours to make it fit onto your car... and save a bit of time and money. Think about it... a Cubic Zirconian ring looks like a real diamond ring... but what is the one that can cut through other materials and solid as hell? Diamond of course... for a 25k+ car... spend that extra money, don't be cheap.

Save up if you don't have enough money... don't just go out there and buy the cheapy stuff, you'll see why most of the cheapy people have those half *** body kits on their Civics, unpainted, and look all flimsy... because they find out that to get it ready and painted, would cost them 5 times as much as the kit itself. What a waste.

Any body shop should be able to install it. There are a ton of Bay area owners of 8s... I'm sure if you ask that question in the West forum, you might get some answers.

Btw, how much were you planning to spend on a body kit?

flip

Repeat after me... FIBERGLASS = BAD

nikitka

Ok, you convinced my to get urethane. I was thinking something like this for $700:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=36475

Is that alright?

black-rx8-msbodykit

iTrader: (-1)

just buy the real mazda kit, i hit hard many times on the curb, and my front bumper only scrach little paint, you can really tell how strong the real kit is.