sampson

i did a search and could not find any related threads. hell, i am not even sure if i started my thread in the correct section. oh well.

my question is "will a mazdaspeed replica (or genuine) body kit impair the handling of the 8?" the reason i ask is the fact that i think it has on my car. originally i had the full aero kit on my 8 then i wrecked my car. i had everything on the passenger front of the car (except the hood and suspension spring replaced with new parts) i replaced the aero kit with a mspeed replica urethane kit. before when i had the aero kit, i could go as fast as the car would go and have no worries about the cars handling ability. it was just like it was glued to the road. NO WORRIES at all!! now, the car feels floaty and very touchy. it makes me scared now. i dont feel comfortable at all. the low speed handling chararacteristics of the car feel good to me still, so i am thinking that it is the body kit.

now i know what some will say "you dont need to go that fast anyway" and you would be right, but sometimes i just cant help myself. maybe other owners can relate with me on this.

has anyone else that replaced the stock kit for the mspeed kit noticed this (without the car having been wrecked)? i am trying the eliminate the possibility of the repair to the car as being the source of the problem i am now experiencing.

if i can pinpoint the body kit itself as being the source of my problems, i will probably sell the entire kit and get the aero kit again.

thanks for any input!!

Moostafa29

Your problem could possibly be due to the accident itself. Perhaps the bodyshop didn't do that great of a job. I don't think the kit will have a large impact (if any) on the handling of the car. I know the real MS kit will make your car a bit heavier, so if weight savings is your goal, this is not the kit for you. But I doubt that your replica kit is the source of your problems.

sampson

i have already had a full alignment done. the guys at the alignment shop said the car drove as straight as an arrow on their test drive.

sampson

and i am not concerned with weight savings. if i was concerned with that, i would start with myself!! no offense to you.

Dro

perhaps you should have considered the authentic kit as opposed to the replica

sampson

the kit is very securely mounted and is sturdy, so i dont see how the genuine kit would be different from a replica in that regard. it is not flimsy or anything like that. it is very stout. and i did consider the authentic, but cost was an issue in this instance. i did all the work on the kit myself, except painting it.

murix

They use the MS kit in Grand Am cup. It is wind tunnel tested by Mazda. It helps, not hurts. Your car has a problem.

sampson

i thought the kit was probably supposed to help, not hurt. i just wanted to know if other kit owners had experienced this.

Moostafa29

I think your problem is unique, so again I say it must be your car. Take the bumper off and make sure your front brace is secure and tight. How bad was the accident? I'd hate to say this, but maybe its the chassis.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

^^^^^

totaly agree, something probably got miss during the fix.

beers

NgoRX8

iTrader: (1)

I'm thinking moostafa is correct. No one has ever had this problem.

yiksing

Maybe you are missing some underbody panels?

MazdaManiac

iTrader: (3)

Your alignment is not even 50% of what decides the "solidity" of the car's handling.
Your chassis is tweaked. Face it. Suspension is possibly FUBAR, too.

TownDrunk

Since installing the MS Kit (genuine) on my '8 I've notice no difference in handling at any speed. Hopefully you can find the problem and it's fixable...

RA-Eight

iTrader: (6)

Are you sure that when you're at high speeds the bumper doesn't flex? I'm not sure if it plays a part in a car's handling capabilities, however I have a buddy with a replica urethane M3 kit on his e46 that flexes and flaps when he's driving at high speeds. At rest, it's pretty secure and seems sturdy.

Skythe

Check your tires. You might have too much air. I went to Jiffy-Lube, got an oil change. After leaving I found my to the local expressway. I got my baby up to speed, and she felt too bouncy and touchy as you stated. I was very uncomfortable, thinkin I might lose the tail after hitting a couple of bumps, that never caused me a problem before. Long story....short...Checked my tires and found that I had 46 psi in the rears. Never going back there again.....after deflating, all was well.


EDIT: Just re-read it and you said "floaty"....yea...you're suspension is fucked up, prolly a control arm.

dmp

I remember reading some RX8 race team said the MS Front actually HURT drag ratios, and went back to the Stock front end. Am I crazy? Was it the Italian guys?

sampson

i used the same mounting points as the stock bumper. i guess i could get a person to ride beside me and see if the bumper flexes any. i will also check my tire pressure.

when my car was fixed, all the suspension stuff on the passenger front was replaced. the upper and lower control arms, strut, end link, inner tie rod end, sway bar, and wheel hub were all replaced with new mazda parts. the only thing that was reused was the spring.

all the body panel lines are perfect and the body shop i use is owned by a member of my immediate family and does great work. i am not saying that the chassis could not be messed up, just saying they normally check to be sure everything is square.

thanks for all the input!! keep any ideas coming.

yiksing

At high speed, are you experiencing instability in the front or the rear?

RA-Eight

iTrader: (6)

Got the perfect solution, install one of these. It will be sure to help keep your rear planted and improve your handling woes.


Okay, that was a joke. Please don't listen to me...

sampson

it feels as though the rear end is going to come out from under me. it gets very drifty and is more difficult to control. it is kinda hard to describe. i would not dare take a turn at high speeds, even on the interstate. going straight is bad enough. it feels like a lot of air is geting under the car and is trying to lift it up. it is definately not as solidly planted to the ground like it was before the mazdaspeed kit.

one thing i did notice is that the bumper i have now is slightly taller that the stock one i had with the aero lip. as some may know, two of the front underbody panels have pieces that stick straight down off of them (one on each side). now they are not as exposed as they were before.

would any open areas under the front end cause a problem for me? because on each side there are small open areas that are not covered. could that be my problem?

i hope to fix this cause i hate it!! thanks for all the suggestions!!

Mazdaspeed RX8 ver2

Could it be that air is entering into the rear diffuser instead of going under it? Wait, i'm not sure if that affects handling but i know it would cause massive drag at high speeds... hmmm... this is a unique problem on its own, it might be that but i really doubt it. Other than that, check what everybody else recommended.

About the ms kit doing damage to drag times, the kit was made to make the air inlets larger letting more air into the oil coolers and radiator. It would be bad for drag because its not really aerodynamic (because its taller) and without ducts, the air could leak into areas causing more drag, it was made for autocrossing and efficiency during track.

yiksing

Get your front panels check, they might not have been installed properly. It seems very likely its causing the instability. Other than that it could be wrong height adjustment (reverse-rake) causing air to go under the car making it floaty.

StealthFox

i highly doubt that the kit in any way shape or form(whether it be installed improperly or damaged or whatever) would affect your handling, i have never even heard of anyones handling being changed in any way from an exterior aero part for a street car. sure maybe if you have a race car with a GT wing and diffuser you'll feel a little more downforce at 160mph but on a street car a bumper isn't going to make your car feel like its floaty...kind of painful to hear but i think your chassis is just fucked up. take your car to a frame shop and have everything checked over.

sampson

sorry i havent been on in a few days. i checked the air pressure in my tires and they were all at least 40 psi. i let them all down to 32 psi and it drove much better. i took it up to 120 and it feels good. i am happy now (and relieved)!! thanks guys!! this is a perfect example of what this forum is here for!!