My car did not come with the appearance package. I, mistakenly, thought that it would be cheaper in the long run to add the parts later--that is, after financing.

I'm particularly interested in the Side Aero Flares. I think they are cool, especially for an OEM accessory. Notwithstanding, I do have a few concerns that many of you who own an 8 with the Flares may be able to answer...
1) Do they scrape easily on speedbumps, curbs, etc?
2) If so, do they damage easily--that is, are they fragile & easily cracked/scratched?
3) Once on, is it possible to remove without holes/missing parts, etc?

They are a bit pricey for a partial side skirt, but I can't help but oogle over them when I see them on another car...are there any "downs" to owning them? Keep in mind, my car is not lowered and I have stock 18"s.

Thanks Gang...

 

The leading edge of them tends to get scraped up but it's not very noticeable and the paint along the top edges likes to chip off, but it's not too bad. Touchup paint fixes it decently enough, though.

Can't comment on how to remove, were on the car when purchased.

 

Just do as I did and put on the front/rear splash guards. They look good and their actually functional.

 

Tiggerlee,
I put the rear splash guards on. I may get the fronts too. I prefer the rear spash guards to the rear Aero Flares because:
1) they are functional
2) They are very subtle, yet go down as low as the flares
3) The are much cheaper

Missy,
First off, I've seen your car! All I can say is...WOW! The cars in OZ got it going on! Secondly, you don't get any scrapes or rock chips etc.? My worry is, my car is fine now. If I add cosmetics that may give me more "worries" then I'd rather not. BUT, if it's not an issue then I REALLY want them...

 

people w/ sideskirts and lower sometimes will scrape the sideskirt.. that's only if u go as low as having to angle everywhere. happened to me once. rock chips are inevitable, since they get tossed by the front wheel. thats why we have that clear vinyl right in front of our rear wheel well. but factory appearance isn't too bad at scraping or rock chipping. and they really add to the appearance.

 

I added my sides, rear aero's and front air dam Phantom. Quite the fun little projects. To help with your questions ... 1) Mine have never scraped. I think they are too close to the rear wheel to allow them to hit much. 2) They are no more prone to cracks and scrapes than your other body parts. Same material I would say. 3) When you install, you will have to drill holes and remove some of the rubber strip that protects the body. The rubber strip could be purchased again, but the holes would be another matter if you decide to take the side skirt off.

 

Thought about getting them but didn't for 2 reasons:

1. The floor model (GT package) had slight chips on them - which seemed like a really poor reflection on the quality for a car w/ zero miles on it. Also saw some complaints here about chipping. But that seems inevitable given their close proximity to the tossed rock zones.

2. Wanted to put all the whisltes and bells on myself (well, I guess in the case of a body kit I won't be doing it "myself"). Kind of a project thing, I reckon.

 

Yeah you will have to drill square holes.HAHA!!

 

Square holes? Are you serious or is this an inside thing?

 

Those are some of the reasons I told the dealer I'd hold off on the appearance package. That and:
a) I'm not big on spoilers--just not me
b) I'm not big on the front lip--just not me

I'm on the fence now cause Mazda (Burlingame) says that they don't install the parts. I'm not very good at doing "professional" installs, my work looks like a pitbull chewed on it, and I don't trust the local body shops to match paint or do work they may not be familiar with. There aren't many Rx8's here in the SF bay, so I don't want some guy guessing on which way they go or where the HOLES go.

 

tiggerlee the picture of your car just help me made up my mind. That's what I'll do. Splash gard instead of rear flares. Like you say, they're about 3x the price. Thaks for the pics.

 

I really like them on my car. I don't really have any problems with them scraping. My car is lowered and there are other things that seem to scrape before those will. I never had any problems with anything scraping before I lowered it.

So I guess... As long as you're careful there should be no problem with scrapes.

Also do they not come painted? A lot of the body parts you can order from mazda come pre-painted. Although the car is already in danger of being a bit too busy style wise, I love em. I'd say go for it.

 

^^^ Yes, Mazda's accessories DO come painted.^^^

 

Here is a link to the install: http://www.finishlineperformance.com..._Side_Aero.pdf

 

THANK YOU for posting that!!!


I just got the last pieces of my appearance package shipped in, and have been wondering whether i could install it myself or not (never did anything like that). I've seen a few DIY's, and the pics are helpful, but some how having actual diagrams gives me 100% more confidence.

oh and fyi to anyone who could possibly not know: if you edit the address in that link to just http://www.finishlineperformance.com/instructions/rx8/ , there is a list of ALL RX8 install instructions.

Does anyone have access to the templates shown in the instructions? Has anyone done a self install successfully without them?