zenmoused

Hey guys! I've been reading RX8club.com for a few weeks now, and as of today I finally have my brand new RX-8!! It's thanks to your enthusiasm, knowledge, (and taking the beast on a test drive) that made me decide to sign the check!

So my question to you guys, as owners/modders of RX-8's is what do you think are the very first/best mods I should do to my car? Please keep in mind that I just dropped a LOT of money on this baby, so I'm not looking for $4000 rims or body kits. Just little HP boosters, beauty enhancers, etc.. Any input you guys have would be great!

mkztg

For me, the biggest beauty enhancer was the fender strakes. They aren't cheap but recently I added the front and rear rotary accents, though I used the DIY: $10 billet grille thread (https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...2&page=1&pp=15) and got some great ideas from that thread to add the accents at a really good price. They look really good too.

I plan on doing the grill later too.

newcastle

iTrader: (3)

Great site for strakes (you can get strakes to match the color of your car).

http://www.rx8strakes.com/store.php?...mode=cat_click

yiksing

Radiator and oil cooler screen, first oil change as early as possible then tranny and diff fluid change.

tiggerlee

I believe the first mandatory mod are clear corners. I think it's in the club rules somewhere.

tiggerlee

Ah yes, I almost forgot the most important mod.....oil cooler screens.

zenmoused

Thanks for your ideas! Yiksing, what do you mean by radiator and oil cooler screen? What will replacing those do? Forgive my ignorance, my last car was very different than my RX-8.

zenmoused

Ah, see I have the snowflake white one.. I kinda like the corner markers yellow. On most cars the clear corners would look beautiful- on this one, I think it would "blend" too much. I read about people putting in K&N panel filters, coilovers, and new fog lights. Any of you guys try those mods?

tiggerlee

He's referring to oil cooler screens that guard the oil coolers and radiator from rocks and debris. Because the oil coolers are open in the front they tend to get pelted by rocks and could suffer damage. This is not covered under warranty. The screens can be purchased from a number of vendors here on the forum.

NgoRX8

iTrader: (1)

I would say clear corners, but since you like the corner markers yellow ill say something else.

Get JDM Clear Side Markers

Cooder

I wouldn't bother with strakes or rear spoilers. I think they really mess up the look of the car. The rotary accents are cool, though. Get an exhaust and Racing Beat REVi intake and stiffer sway bars.

I also don't get the thing with clear corners. The yellow corners lend a real Italian style to many sports cars and remind me of classic Ferraris.

FABRO

tint windows and RB suspension kit (sway bars, springs)

zenmoused

Wow those are some great ideas! Thanks everyone who posted! I think I'm going to tint my windows first thing (as I live in NC and it gets moderately hot here). I'm also probably going to go with strakes. Are they really just little strips of metal or what? I mean from the pictures in the book it looks to me like I could make those things in 20 minutes in my garage. BTW, has anyone tried that A/C mod I saw where you wrap the line? Does it work, or is it a waste of time?

As for suspension and stuff, I think the RB kit looks very nice. I've heard mixed reviews from the forums for the intake systems. Can anyone here vouch for a real increase in performance? Granted I know to reap any performance increase from an intake you HAVE to put exhaust on there, otherwise you're paying a few hundred dollars for a noise maker.

Mugatu

iTrader: (1)

i would have to say...

SEARCH

Jaguar_MBA

1st) Aluminum Flywheel
2nd) RP High Flow Cat Converter
3rd) Swap Transmission oil with Redline or ROyal Purple..also do rear differential
4th) 4.778 Rear Differential Gear swap
5th) High Flow exhaust system
6th) High Flow intake
7th) Weight Reduction
8th) Under Drive Pulleys

www.racingbeat.com

www.rx8store.net

Jaguar_MBA

Also if you are in the Raleigh area..check out our website:

www.rrdi.org

LionZoo

I don't have a RX-8, but if I did my first five modifications would go something like this:

1) Mazdaspeed Strut Tower Brace (stiffens the master cylinder mount improving brake feel)
2) AC and Oil Cooler Screens (reason mentioned before)
3) Racing Beat REVi Intake (some mention improved fuel economy after install)
4) Stainless Steel Brake Lines and High Performance Pads (you can never have enough braking power)
5) Upgraded Radiator (more cooling is better, especially with how hot the rotary runs)

Of course you have to realize my priorities are very much performance focused (reliability first, brakes second, lightweight third, handling fourth, power somewhere down there) and I really don't care about improving the looks of any car.

UFGator12

Those are pretty intense mods. How much do you want to mod this thing? Some of those are pretty major...

zenmoused

I must say I agree with your priorities LionZoo. I'm way more about increasing efficiency than I am about decorating the car. What can I say- she's beautiful already! I'll check out those mods. The oil and a/c screens seem like a must. I can't believe Mazda left those unprotected!

So far my to-mod list looks like this:

1. Window tinting (highest allowed in NC)- to make the inside a bit cooler
2. $10 Rotary Accents DIY (there's no reason not to- unless it looks bad)
3. A/C Heat wrap DIY (don't think it will hurt anything)
4. Fog light mod- to let fog lights work independantly of headlights.
5. Racing beat REVI Intake and ram air (add some low-end, and hopefully some mpg)

You'll notice the cheapest things come first haha! If anyone thinks any of these things are worthless/ wastes of time, let me know! BTW, Jaguar, thank you for the invite to your website! I actually live in Durham. Actually when I first moved here about a year ago, I went to a Char-grill on Strickland, and 6 or 7 RX-8's pulled into the parking lot... was that you guys?

vectorwolf

Borla exhaust is nice.

staticlag

oil cooler and ac screens, clear corners, short shifter.