the vents will hold the weight of the strakes...but since i dont have strakes i cant really let Marc play around with a pair to figure something out about that...

Since i dont have the strakes... i dont know how the strakes attach, how they attach...etc etc.... so i am not much help to Marc on that area

the stock vents are held by clips, thats true. but the clips can only be released from behind the wheel well, which requires a couple screws to be undone, which in turn requires effort. If someone was to rip them off without doing so, they would break the clips and any chance of reattaching them.

Ones with double sided tape are a different story. Also, the strakes screw into the mesh of the stock vents, so if there is no mesh for the strakes to screw into, then i guess you'll have to use tape to hold the strakes too. That to me is a cheap way to attach pieces to your car, especially after spending the money to be different.

If some people dont care, then by all means do what you like...i'm just throwing it out there that it's pretty lame to ONLY use tape as a way to attach it. Tape will not last forever, especially after enough rain/snow/dirt works its way in.

I am not referring to wind taking them off, I am referring to water and dirt. Biu, I honestly can't believe you think that tape is the end all answer as opposed to something that actually clips into the frame. :rolleyes:

Yeah i get what you mean, you are entitled to beleive in your own thoughts so if you think this product doesnt suit your taste then by all means you dont have to get it...its just another product out in the market :) The choice of 3M tape is just because it is easier to fabricate and that clips are too hard to make from the fibreglass backbody of CF products....it will snap and break for sure..... plastic clips...YES.....FB clips... NO...

But if you were to take off your OEM vents, you would only need a phillips screwdriver to take off 3 push/pull rivets of the fender lining and voila reach and pop off the clips. And if you were to take off the CF vents, you would also need a flathead screwdriver or some sort of tool to pry it away, because with just your bare hands i am sure it will be broken in pieces by the time oyu have it off.

I guess this product is just like eyelines, there has been alot of debate on the security of eyelines and such but hey look at the modding community for all cars, many ppl seem to like them and buy them :)

So just like any other product in this world.... some like and some dont :D

and no need for the " :rolleyes: " face because we are all here to share our knowledge and help each other on this forum.... dont really need any attitude of any sort....but if you were not meaning any harm and that i misunderstood you then i take back what i said.

Cheers

and just to clarify about the strakes issue....

when this product was designed AND produced there was no plans or intentions to have the strakes fit on there because simply the fact that i did not have strakes to provide Marc to experiment with.

so NO we are not encouraging you ppl to put the strakes on the CF vent by "simply taping it" or "glueing it" .....

please understand.

And for the last time i need to clarify i am only one faithful RX8 owner that has contacted Marc at Gemini to share some ideas with him of possible CF products for the RX8 to be made so ME and all your fellow 8 owners can make our 8s look more unique.... i am NOT the one making any money on this....i am NOT the vendor.....i am simply the one trying to get CF parts made for the 8...so please dont treat me as a vendor or take stabs at me for a product's weak points and mishaps... i am just sharing with you guys what i know....im just trying to be the good guy....

So soem of you gotta chill.....lol

PEACE

not trying to give you attitude, just making sure you understand my concerns.

what makes me think that these are easier to rip off than the stock vents is the fact that there is no mesh in the middle, therefore providing a very nice "grip" to tear them off the car....not sure a flat head screwdriver would really be necessary. this is not the case with the OEM ones, since the mesh is very solid with very small spaced mesh, which really provides no real way to grip them.

the finnished product WILL have mesh (a choice of black or silver)

maybe you read otherwise ;)

I have a hood from gemini and I'm pretty confident of the quality of the vents that will be made from a conversation I had with Marc last month on the phone. He also mentioned that he was working on the mirror covers in carbon fiber also, which would be another nice touch, especially if you have a hood to match. (not trying to highjack your thread BIU).

One more question BIU, do you know if the vents will be available in any color choice so I can match my hood with them. From what I remember of the conversation I had with Marc he said that we had choices, as we did the hoods. Just let me know if I'm right or wrong on this, thanks.

Yup they will be avaliable in colored kevlar/CF also :)

how much?

I'm living near Toronto Canada and I would like very much to get my hands on the number #2 for sure, my RX8 is sunlight silver , the grid should be in black, I wonder how much it will cost me ??

Yeah, CF and FRP are not suited to making clips .... gonna need a more "flexible" material, like urethane.

I don't know, some folks like CF just for the sake of CF, which is fine, but "the look" just does nothing for me. I was looking forward to seeing something more scooped out and integrated into the fender. Something that looked as though air flow was being managed/channeled. Like the OEMs these just kind of sit there and maintain the "vent" theme. With all the pics of the Auto-Bahn Strasse earlier, I thought that was the design direction... something more "Italian".

There definitely appears to be no way to properly attach strakes. The sculpt of the opening will not match the OEM strakes, so there's gonna be a significant gap and the attachment screw will be visible. The mesh is not suited to strakes either. I don't see strakes on this design, as has been pointed out.

Since we have not seen actual costs, but just upper $100's/low $200's projections, I think there's an opportunity for a fresh re-design and a more aggressive cost structure that offers more value. A design that's more sculpted, integrated, strake friendly is what's needed. Something that enhances the "Italian" fender lines more like the 575M Maranello. I had been working on such a design, but put it aside when this came up ... but I'm going to pick it back up again.

Thanks BIU for all of your efforts. It's not easy herding cats, I know. No shots intended for the messenger here, just "opinions".

thanks Derwankel :) Appreciate it ;)

I'm sure that the strakes can be attached with a bolt that is used for sheet rock walls with an anchor that would anchor to the back of the fender wall and would not be seen. I still want the vents and I will have fun fabricating or trouble shooting the strake issue. Thanks to BIU for taking the time out to help all of us.

I'm with derwankel, he wrote just what I was thinking! I was looking for something a little more functional looking, more the look of an air management piece. Think of like a hood scoop but not with the scoop to the outside but with the scoop part to the inside of the fenderwell. The autobahn type is more this style, it looks like it is managing the airflow! If you look at it close it apears to direct the air from the inside of the fender out towards the rear of the car, like you would see on a ferrari or a jet . As for the mesh on these (Gemini) when you look at the vent while looking directly at the side of the car you see all the mesh flat as if you were holding a news paper in front of you to read it, flat. The style I was interested in would be, if you looked at it in the same position you would not see the screen mesh at all, because it would be at a 90* angle to the body going into the fender well where it would meet up with the back functioning part of the fender vent scoop. Think of the side flank scoops on a, say 67-69 shelby mustang, only inverted to the inside of the body, or a hood scoop/inlet on a '58 Ford passenger car. Maybe I can find some pics to support what I'm tring to get at.

more, like.....

As stated earlier by derwankel and myself...OEM strakes will not fit in these areas of the fender. Notice the enlargement I made with the arrows pointing to obvious gaps. Yes, I know this is the auto-bahn picture.

Back on subject...Like everyone else, I was expecting to see the forward vented version like the one pictured here.

Give us a little time, we are going to release a different side vent, these are not as easy to produce the working prototype as the one that has been shown above. derwankel and I have been working on this project seperately even before we knew who each other was. I designed a very similar piece several months back and posted Photoshop pics back then and have even worked on removing the grill material and have one side all removed and have not had the time to go back to working on more of it in recent time period. derwankel is much further ahead and it should not be too long before we turn out something that is forward vented that can have strakes attached...then cannot be the OEM strakes as the angle changes with position of the strake along the fender. However, we make strakes and derwankel has already designed a 3 strake set that had to be designed by changing the angles at which the strake sits on the grill in relation to the angle of the fender.

Like derwankel said...BIU, you have done a great job of bringing custom made items to light, we all can appreciate these efforts.

BIU. I was expecting something more like the autobahn version. Gemini's product is not the same. Add to that these pieces are stick on... Sorry, but I'm going to have to withdraw my interest (unless changes are made)...

#140 10-29-2004, 03:11 AM
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lets get more details on this product I'm a little warry too

ok update guys.

i got the final production pieces on my car today.... just thought i'll post some pics up.... its been raining all month and my car is dirty.. and yes i know the quality/ lighting of the pictures sucks..... but i'll get some better daylight pics in the new few days when the weather gets better :)

And as for the ppl that are worried about the double sided tape part.... i tried ripping mine off today after they were installed and let me tell you its quite impossible.... theres no where to hold onto for a good grip and the only way to get them out is if you pry them with a tool... but without some careful prying they will crack for sure so dont worry thieves are not really a problem here...

just a shot of the CF hood... well i meant to have the vents in the picture too but i failed miserably at angling my picture lol
http://www3.telus.net/public/a5a55088/vents1.jpg

picture of the CF hood/side vents with black mesh (1)
http://www3.telus.net/public/a5a55088/vents2.jpg

picture of the CF hood/side vents with black mesh (2)
http://www3.telus.net/public/a5a55088/vents3.jpg

and YES i can now say these vents are FUNCTIONAL! After driving i put my hand where the vents were and there were ALOT of hot air rushing out from there... the vent area is connected to the engine bay and the mesh allows for a much better air flow

Now we just need final production prices for everyone :)

i think the prices are up at Gemini's site if im not mistaken.

www.geminicomposites.com

just feel free to email Marc at info@geminicomposites.com

he will be more than happy to answer all your inquries :)

BIU, I am also withdrawing my interest in these. I do not care to have someone prying at these once they know they are stick on after reading the boards. Thanks

they are stuck on? As in stickers? Thought it was a replacement?

wow.... 275canadian for just lil carbon fiber vents? thats like ... 235 american. sheesh! u could get a carbon fiber hood for cheaper! count me out and theyre stickers? wow feels like we're gettin jipped here guys

It's about 195.00 until December 15th. That's not that bad for a product that took so much development. But, to each is own, not everyone is going to like something that comes out.

Oh and I would like to know where you get carbon fiber hoods for under 235.00! :cool:

If you do get them for that price, then I would like to challenge the quality of product. I paid 660.00 shipped to my door the the Geminicomposite hood I have, I get nothing but compliments on it, and it is extremly well designed. You guys really need to calm down. He told you they were going to be around 200.00 when this buy started. 35.00 off the target est. isn't really a big deal to me.

People, not to flame you guys, and sorry if I'm really sarcastic, but seriously, are you going to drive around with a big sign on your car that says "I have carbon fiber vents that use adhesive when installed"? Really though, how many people are going to steal a set of vents that only fit one type of car? And how many RX8 owners do you know of in your area that would really go out of the way to do this? BIU, just explained that you can't get the pieces off without breaking them. I believe what he says because he was the person that initiated the relationship between the RX8club and geminicomposites, if I remember correctly. I have a hood from gemini, and it came out better than expected. My point is that BIU is a reputable guy, and if he is saying that the fender vents are a legitimate buy, then they are. I just don't want people to back out now because others are jumping to conclusions. Fender vent thieves in the middle of the night, coming and snatching their product after snapping it in two? :rolleyes: Come on now that's a little far fetched. I guess I should take my fender strakes off before someone just pulls my wheel well open, which is rather easy, and unscrews the one bolt and takes off with them.

In conclusion, if a thieve is going to steal something from you, they will, even if you have locks and alarms, they will get it. This product doesn't seem like it comes with a high theft rate, so please everyone calm down and stop flaming the product. If you don't like it that's fine, don't buy it. But, don't down play it so others freak out and jump in the "fender vent thieve bandwagon". ;)

any pictues in the light. I'd like to see the cf pattern and mesh up close.

no not stickers, they are a replacement piece that attaches with adhesives :)

i'll take some better pictures in these couple days :)

Ok..........

dont really want to start any flame wars....but if you think a good quality CF hood only costs <$235USD then props to you for your self satisfaction level....

and for the last time THESE VENTS ARE NOT STICKERS

and also.... it is much easier making a CF hood then these vents pieces.....a CF hood mold is just a piece of cake for the RX-8..just a direct mold...not too many curves etc..... but these vents pieces were a bitch to make because its such a delicate small piece with lots of curves and bends .........and i rest my case

cheers

Amen brother :)

can't see anything! oh and nothing wrong with double side tape, the lip spoilers are on that way anyhow

Can you link us or point us to the direction of 'quality' Carbon Fiber hoods for under 235? I would love to know where also.

$275 CAD is not $235 US.

The exchange flucuates a bit, but is usually around 70/30, which means $275 CAD is $192.50 US.

And if you buy before the December deadline ($235 CAD), thats $164.50 US.

And I concur, if someone wants to steal something off your car, there going to get it.

xe.com Universal Currency Converter ® Results
Live mid-market rates as of 2004.11.08 20:36:55 GMT.
275.00 CAD
Canada Dollars = 230.461 USD
United States Dollars
1 CAD = 0.838040 USD 1 USD = 1.19326 CAD
Save money with XEtrade on-line foreign exchange by XE.com. Click here for the best rates... guaranteed!!


AND

xe.com Universal Currency Converter ® Results
Live mid-market rates as of 2004.11.08 20:38:55 GMT.
235.00 CAD
Canada Dollars = 196.915 USD
United States Dollars
1 CAD = 0.837935 USD 1 USD = 1.19341 CAD
Save money with XEtrade on-line foreign exchange by XE.com. Click here for the best rates... guaranteed !



... FYI

Thanks BIU.

Looks great.

Do I order from you? Or order via the site?

exactly my point......

eyelines....some lip spoilers....B-pillars..... theyre all stuck on by adhesives anyways....i dont get why some ppl are getting anal abt that :p


Ya i know the pictures sucked lol...im just about to go outside to give her a wash... i'll try to snap some better pics and post them up later tonight.

Cheers

I have nuthing to do with the ordering of these parts.

you can give Marc an email at info@geminicomposites.com

he will take your order and answer any questions you have ;)

Or you can just order it directly off their site TAKA

Thx BIU... just done/

thanks for being the guinea pig! much appreciated!

Some new pics i just snapped after giving her a wash

http://www3.telus.net/public/a5a55088/vent1.jpg

http://www3.telus.net/public/a5a55088/vent3.jpg

http://www3.telus.net/public/a5a55088/vent4.jpg

http://www3.telus.net/public/a5a55088/vent5.jpg

They look hot with the hood, can't wait to get the mirror covers.

I can't seem to find it on the website. Where is it on the site??

actually the mirror covers are on hold..... apparently the mirror assembly is one piece..... so unless im willing to guinea pig and risk breaking mine... or if Marc finds a mirror aseembly at the wreck yards or sth that project has to wait :D

it should be on the top right of their page

if you are using a a different resolution maybe you would need to scroll to the right :)

BIU they do look good!!!

yeah it really stands out i cant wait to see a colored kevlar one :D

and its really functional....... well some other member can vouch for me when they get theirs and they will know..... :cool:

Damn, I'm liking those.

When you say that they're functional...you mean, just like the stock ones are functional, right? I mean, they do the same thing, vent air. Or am I missing something?

jds

BIU, those are nice! Do you have a chrome version of the RX-8 or your car's jusr so smooth and shiney?! :cool:

That's some wash you did.