Initial alignment
 

November 2, 2014

I had my alignment done today after installing the new toe control link, dampers, springs, and bump stops.

-1.6 degrees was the lowest camber setting we could get per side in the rear and -1.8 was the highest negative camber setting we could get in the front. The caster looked like a PITA to adjust so we haven't played with it yet. The new suspension components will likely settle in a bit, so I'm going to take it back in about a month to get that sorted out. Reducing the caster should give me some more front camber to play with should I need it.

As it is set up now, it feels very responsive. If I'm not on the power at the apex of a 90 turn, it pushes into understeer. If I hit that same turn at over 5000 rpm, the tail slides out just a little. Pretty much perfect - you shouldn't be powering through corners anyway.

I'm guessing that all those people who say that staggered setups ruin the balance of the car just haven't bothered to set it up properly or they are speaking from no experience.

I also have experienced no obvious power loss from running a 275 tire. (previously 245)

It's not about power loss that you will really notice with the butt dyno, it's about reducing rotating mass. Adding weight makes it slower, simple as that. While I am sure it feels okay, you won't really know until you hit the drag strip or road course against another RX-8.

does anyone know where to get a starter 2kw for a steal?

Posted From RX8Club.com Android App

No, and stop thread crapping noob.

haha, I can't get PM's from noobs.

I'm loving this setup!

I took it to an empty parking lot today with lots of dividers and it went exactly where I wanted it to go on every turn. I need to correct my previous 5000 rpm tail-slide statement. It's more like 3000 rpm. I couldn't be happier with the balance of this car.

I can't wait for spring so I can get it on a timed track. With these wheels, it looks like I'll be running in CSP, so without significant mods, I won't likely be competitive. But I'm really more interested in the fun and personal challenge for now.

Settled Suspension
 

November 12, 2014

Just a quick shot of the new suspension now that is has settled. Ride height is 13.75" all around. I pulled off all of the mirror tint that was previously on the back windows. Now I need to schedule an appointment to get them matched up.

https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1419285420

Took the hood stripes off
 

January 17, 2015

Small update: I gave her a good cleaning and decided to take the hood stripes off.

https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1421552705

Looks good, why not take all the stripes off?

I probably will. It just takes a lot of work to remove all of the adhesive from the stickers.

Fabricated Oil Temp Sensor Adapter
 

Sunday, February 1, 2015

My wife bought me a Prosport oil temperature gauge for my birthday a couple of weeks ago and I forgot to mention to her that I would need an adapter in order to install it because I never thought she would buy it :)

The two popular adapter options are:

1. The oil filter sandwich plate
2. A modified banjo bolt

After looking around, it it looks like you can't get one shipped to you for less than $50. I don't have a problem paying for good quality parts but I'm not going to spend $15+ to ship a small piece of metal.

I decided to go the fabrication route. I ordered a new bolt from Mazda, bored a hole through the head (punched and then stepped up over 4 sizes), and tapped the hole to accept the oil temp sensor included with the gauge from Prosport. The bolt and washers were $13.09 from my local Mazda dealer. The tap was $6.99.

I did this with a hand-held drill but I would highly recommend a drill press because all-in this took me about an hour and a half. Most of that is drilling really slowly.

Edited: I was informed by feedback here that NPT is a tapered tap. I noticed the taper in the width but didn't realize that the thread size is tapered as well. I'll update this post with the number of turns I gave the tap to get the depth seen here. At 50 ft-lbs, the sensor has only engaged 2.5mm of threads out of the 9.5mm available. The trade-off of tapping any further means possible oil-flow restriction. I took a perpendicular photo that shows where the tip of the sensor sits in its current configuration. It looks like I could get away from another couple of millimeters.

For anyone who wants to do this, you'll need the following parts:

1. 1 Prosport Digital Oil Temperature Gauge - 52mm
2. 1 Banjo bolt (Mazda part number 9938-11-400)
3. 2 washers (Mazda part number 9956-21-800)
4. 1 21/64 drill bit
5. 1 1/8 NPT tap (Irwin/Hanson part number 8202)
6. Cutting oil

Also, here are some measurements:

1. Banjo bolt hex head size: TBD
2. Banjo bolt length: TBD
3. Space from top of bolt head to inside of bolt head: 11mm
4. Space from top of bolt head to side holes: 15mm
5. Oil temp sensor length: 23mm
6. Oil temp sensor thread size: 1/8-27 NPT
7. Oil temp threaded portion: 9.5mm
8. Oil temp sensor hex head size: 14mm

Till next time.

NPT threads are tapered. You didn't tap it deep enough is the issue.

^True, NPT is tapered, NPS is not.
You also have to be careful to not tap too deep.
We use thread gages for the correct depth.
You can buy a pipe plug to use as a guesstimate gage in a pinch.

Ah, that makes sense.

It sounds like I can just tap a further 2mm to get the depth I want, be able to give it some torque, and I won't have to worry about a spacer nut or anything.

Thanks for the feedback.

She needs a bath after driving in winter grime for a couple of weeks, but I finally finished removing all of the stripes.

New Battery
 

March 18, 2015

My battery (Advance Auto house brand Gold series) was only charging to 75% so I decided to replace it with an Optima Red Top.

My car never had starting problems but it was not quite as quick as my wife's Mazda3 which starts instantly. It took 2-5 cranks - well under 2 seconds - to start. Well, with this battery, there is no hesitation at all. It starts on the first crank. I love it.

Did you use the advance auto parts coupon code for $50 off?

I went thru two Red Tops in two years. My dad had similar issues with Yellow Tops. Make sure they have your info on file for the warranty, you will need it.

Yes I did.

They have it and I have the receipt.

Coolant Flush
 

April 9, 2015

I was in 10 mph interstate traffic with 60 degree ambient temp and my oil temp jumped up to almost 240F / 115C for a minute. I don't have a water temp gauge or an ODBII data logger at the moment, so I'm not sure where the water temp was but my OEM needle was still a tick before the middle. This event has definitely raised my priority on a proper water temp reader.

Anyway, with that and an autocross event coming up this weekend, I decided to flush my coolant ASAP.

I decided to go with 12 oz Water Wetter and filled the rest with 30% Prestone and 70% distilled water. I'll probably flush and refill before winter just to be safe.

During a hard run in the evening at 50 degree ambient temp, it stayed a good 15-25 degrees cooler than normal. It peaked at about 200 and averaged about 180.

I did another hard run - stayed over over 6k for about 5 minutes at 60+ MPH - during the day at 65 degree ambient temp and oil temp peaked at 210F / 99C. During highway traffic it sat around 185F / 85C. Cruising went up to about 195F / 90C.

At this point, I'm pretty happy with the results.

What's the main ingredient in water wetter? Snake oil?

Probably water. And then food coloring. *shrug*

:lol: