Strakes Help!!
 

Hi. i have just bought the strakes/crest from Howard on ebay uk and im a bit nervous at to the install of these things. The dealer wants around £70 to install them which i think is expensive. I have read the DIY install which sounds okay.

Any experiences, hint or tips? i think the allignment on the air inlet will be the most difficult i.e. where the strakes actually go, :confused: which hole etc. Do they go next to the solid plastic parts on the mesh?

Please help!

Not sure where you got your strakes, but mine came with idiot-proof instructions. I think it took me a whole 30 minutes to get them installed. The honeycomb design on the gill makes it pretty easy to ensure they are straight. If I remember correctly, the strakes even have engravings on the back side explaining where each one goes; top right, bottom left etc...

I got mine from guy called Howard on ebay in the uk, stainless steel ones, the strakes themsleves lok fine but the instructiosn dont look so good!!

they are fairly easy to install....if a dumb broad :D like me can do it you can....the screens pop out easy enough....you need to work from the wheel....remove the pins that hold the wheel well housing in place (first turn the wheels out so you have room)...you can then push out the grille from behind the fender...gotta feel for the tabs that keep it in place and sqeeze them together...the grill will then pop out.. I got mine from howard also and the directions for placement of the strakes were enclosed...using one of the middle holes in the honecomb top and bottom you can mount them not real tight and them hold them up to make sure youve got them level.....they are labeled on the inside for where each one goes...when youre sure they are level...tighten then....peel off the tape and pop the grill in place...
Shinks

^^^ Exactly what she said. :D I have the same strakes from Howard and the install was a cinch! Don't pay the dealership to do it. (BTW, I'm a girl too. ;) )

Never fear, your friendly Jedi is here...

Here is the DIY for the strakes:
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...ht=diy+strakes

I did the strake install myself per the DIY and the directions provided. A couple of notes.

Be careful not to over tighten the bolt on the strake when putting it on the grill. I stripped one but the tape holds it securely so I am ok.

Note that there was some controversy as to what hole you line the strakes up on. Some claim the provided directions dont line them up as well as if you try the alternate method described in the DIY thread. I chose not to follow the provided directions - just looked better to me. Try it both ways and stand WAY back from the car and judge yourself.

Be careful because you only get one shot once the tape is on.

If you make it idiot-proof, someone will make a better idiot.

Can anyone recommend where to order strakes from....with idiot-proof instructions of course?

from Howard in the UK on Ebay
beautiful craftsmanship and reasonably priced.....

I think he has a website too, www.rx8strakes.com or something like that. But they're cheaper on eBay.

Wrong website.... howard does the stainless steel strakes (just got myself a set)... the guy on that site sells plastic colormatched. I haven't seen any of the plastics online in a couple of weeks (and I was looking) and there really isn't a way to buy it off the website provided above (just pretty pictures). The plastics would have been nice (from a cost standpoint), but the metal strakes look better IMO

I ordered my strakes from howard about a week ago.....Should be getting them soooon :) cant wait to see how theyll turn out

I got mine from howard too....it's easy as cake

mine just came today... very easy installation (read the enclosed instructions and you won't have any problems... looks great on my car

i also am planning on getting some on my car, and i wanted to kno wat color was the OEM ones? this site seems like it has all the color so, i mean i just want the OEM ones idk

OEMs do not come in color.....not sure if they are chrome or polished aluminum...the guy Howard on Ebay where I got mine I believe are polished aluminum which are better than chrome...

They're stainless steel...the OEM ones are polished aluminum

Mazda Matched Colors

Brilliant Black
Lightning Yellow
Nordic Green
Sunlight Silver
Titanium Gray
Velocity Red
Winning Blue




Other Colors
Standard White
Primer Only



So Would the OEM color be Sunlight Silver ? even tho i have Titanium Gray correct?

The OEM ones are polished aluminum, not the color of the car. Here's what they look like http://accessories.mazdausa.com/comm...ehicleCode=RX8

thanks for the clarification :D

So since that guy on ebay doesnt have that polished OEM color where can i get it for cheap?

I got mine from thew at http://www.mazdaparts.com/. Ask for thew he'll hook you up. Plus if you let him know you're a member of this forum you get gold pricing on some things. Go here: https://www.rx8club.com/mazdaparts-com-90/rx8club-com-member-discounts-47923/

The instructions I got for my install were easy to follow. You really don't need them for this though. It's really easy to install.