Top Mods for Reliability? Post Up!!
 

Okay, what are the top mods for reliability (with proper routine maintenance).

1. SOHN Adapter
2. Premix
3. Access Port
4. Mazmart Water Pump and Thermostat
5. BHR Ignition Kit
6. BHR, Mishi, Koyo, etc Radiator
7. Fluid Fan Control Kit
8. Fluid Oil Cooler fans
9. Aftermarket Coolant Hoses
10. Removing battery tray, etc. to increase flow through the radiator
11. Slits in fender liners to improve flow across oil coolers
12. Oil Filter Relocation

Okay I'm tired, and I missing anything?

Premix.

/ducks

Can't believe I forgot that.

Exhaust bearing.

Hilarious.

what is also included in the ect. of removing the battery tray, can you remove anything else to help

Anyone have a pic of the slits in the fender linings? I'd like to see how people are doing this.

1. Take off fender
2. Get a dremel
3. Use dremel and cut slits
4. Put back on fender
5. ????????
6. PROFIT!!!!!

i thought you were just "widening" them?

^ i saw a DIY on here once for that and i've been looking for like a week and cant seem to find it

Not to be much of an ass, but I wonder, if every RX8 owner did everyone of these things themselves (or took it to random mechs) that overall reliability would GO DOWN, due to

1) some of these mods actually being "PERCEIVED reliability mods" and not actually contributing to reliability. Even decreasing it, like the radiators.

2) Fubar'd installs.

3) Unforseen interactions.

I am NOT saying that these things do not have the potential, installed correctly, to increase the longevity of the motor. Just that in the real world, sometimes what you do comes back to bite you in the ass. And on a background of resonably good reliability from the factory, if EVERYONE started messing with these things that things wouldn't start breaking.

Just a thought. Not a slam on the OP.

He might be talking about this:
https://www.rx8club.com/series-ii-diy-161/diy-improve-oil-cooler-air-flow-up-10-15%25-168650/

oh, you definitely forgot something.

HIGHER weight oil. ATLEAST w30.

And a wildcard........, synthetic!! (runs for cover)

yup that's it

I'm so pro... :)

really how is an oil relocation kit going to help reliability?
fan control? the access port does that for you, unless you mean somthing else

wow so just moving the batary you get more coolent flow???? could you elaborate?





oil cooler fans = old motorcycle radiator fans, can be had for cheap....

Remove A/C

why? cuz the condenser block like what, 90% of the airflow to the radiator.

:)

but u're in TX so if no A/C I dont think u want to drive the 8 ever again ... :(

sell your car get a crossfire? heheheheh JUST KIDDING


on a side note, when are you getting the BHR kit so we can plan the install meet at my place, hopefully i will have my stuff ready to go by then as well

Fixed.

Some of those are questionable, I can't see you gaining any reliability by changing the radiator, especially since the suppliers themselves note that unless you're in a racing environment there isn't anything to be gained from it. Perhaps if you're in the heat in the southwest all the while I suppose or if you track your car, that's it. While I disagree with another post on how they think an aftermarket radiator decreases reliability (it doesn't) it does makes the fins more prone for getting smashed up if something makes it through into them if this ever occurred.

How does relocating the oil filter help? That wouldn't have anything to do with reliability if the original location works fine.

Aftermarket coolant lines? Trivial effects, if any (doubtful)

Yeah I know the AP does fan control. As far as the battery tray and other stuff, I just read a couple of threads regarding the removal of all that stuff to increase air flow across the radiator. Oh, and no way I'm removing my AC, been there done that on past track cars.

Jay,

I'm still waiting for it from BHR, no exact ETA yet.

^^^

Just that this is a professionally built car, manufactured by a real car company. You make it sound like some kind of back yard special.

Why would anyone in their right mind buy a car that needed all that done to it? Or even a fraction of those things?

Ken

Ay, if i'd have done the list it would have been:

Heavier weight oil & Premix.

The accessport is a big one too, you could up the oil metering pump, increase gas mileage, and lower fan-on thresholds..

Ls7.

Just because the car is built by Mazda definitely doesn't mean there is no room for improvement. Manufactures are run the business of making money, not making cars that are perfect.

Perfect is the enemy of the Good.

I can't believe no one mentioned the OMP adapter yet.

Oh shit, Thanks.

Any love for the hood ventilation mod? I haven't done it but I've been thinking about it.

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...highlight=hood

i did the hood thing and i THINK theres a difference expecially when i pop my hood after driving

Yeah, but look at that list. Even the battery is no good? And in the wrong place?

A lot of the stuff is things you'd upgrade, in general, for racing or for heavy trailer towing.

Ken

Mazmart water pump, slits in the oil coolers, little spacers in the hood, bhr coils, no catalyzer and an access port.
Oh, don't forget to switch to real front grilles, and premix!

That's it, i don't think that a bigger radiator or an oil cooler fan could help with a street car. There's a point where cooler doesn't mean better, there's a range to respect with oil and fluid temperatures and some cooling capability might turn out to be excessive. I do track my car often though so i love the mods that actively help cooling like radiators and added fans :)

I'll be serious this time :)

1. Yes, but shouldn't be your #1
2. This should be your #1
3. Not #1, but the ability to change the Fan on temp will put this into the top 5 spot
4. Top 5
5. Top 5
6. If you have AP, u dont need this
7. It does help somewhat, its not expensive, but I wouldn't concern oil temp that much
8. It doesnt help with temperature at all, but u can always go for a set.
9. when I had MS Intake, I tried it with and without the airbox tray, same shit.
10. this might help
11. The oil filter location has nothing to do with temperature, it will make oil change a bit easier.


Stock radiator is good for "most" areas. Not all

Rx-8 was road tested on Nurburing' for quite some time, but Mazda didnt do enough road test @ actual extreme hot/cold/dry/humid climates.

I just noticed something, AFter RX-8's "overheating" incident, Mazda start testing cars at more areas, now they're testing cars at Mexico, Alaska,etc. Just to make sure that they will be able to handle extreme cold and hot. Mazda6 and Mazda3 is good example.

Which is exactly why I said except in southwest regions where exposed to prolonged and extensive heat. :)

And Ken, as for the battery I mentioned it because other than a typical battery dying, people have had the life of these batteries going quicker than usual especially with all the electronics this car requires (not including aftermarket audio). The post was about reliability, with from what I've grasped as a majority of people giving it 2, maybe 3 years with multiple issues from the battery (although I'm sure some people's cars are an exception) I brought up the battery.

For reliability improvement, it would be either a Diehard Platinum, or the Optima Yellow Top (perhaps additional brands I don't have experience with) since both have deep cycle ability. I went the Diehard route with a claim of the life having a theoretical 12 year lasting ability. While I question that, I'm certain I can get at least 4-5 years out of this and value it more than the OEM performance wise, and over the Optima preference wise.

The collective enormity of that list kind of floored me. Each item has some merit, depending on circumstances, but the collective list is frightening.

Mazda did increase the size of the battery, so that's one item a little further down on the list for newer models.

The whole battery deal gets a little random. Down here in Virginia it's not as critical as when I lived in upstate New York and Massachusetts. But I've failed to notice much of a difference in reliability between cheap batteries and the good brands. I've had name brands go belly-up halfway through their lives, and cheap ones last beyond six years. The biggest thing for me these days is regular vs maintenance free. Maintenance free is a plus for the RX-8 because the battery is hidden and easy to forget about.

Ken

Optima is good, yellow top. i got it 3 yrs ago for my bro, car totaled last year, kept it in basement for a long cold winter(more than 1/2 yr of basement life), took it out just to found out that its completely discharged(10.5v) got a battery charger, let the battery charger to charge it for 8 hours. its back to 13.1v fully charged status again. :) but its warranty is only 1 yr ... that makes me worry sometimes.

if I have a choice again I rather get Die Hard Platinum, its the same if not better than Optima plus it has 4 yr free replacment then 100 months prorate warranty. Optima simply cant beat that.



if u live @ cold areas (:( me :(), get something better, cuz it sucks to find out that ur car battery is dead when its 20 degrees out.

if its just nice weather like maybe FL or VA. Just get whatever.