A.Mair

Im going to be getting some new brake pads and suspension when i get my new wheels and tires (pretty soon) so i was originally thinking of the Mazdaspeed brake pads and suspension. But i did a search and a few people said that they are over priced and you can get better for cheaper. Is this the same for the suspension too?

If so does anyone have any recommendations about the same price point or less?

Thanks

SouthFL

Hawk Performance Ceramic pads are a good, low dust, low noise performance pad for street driving. Can't go wrong with them. Tirerack has 'em.

Suspension- what are you looking to get out of it? Looks, performance, track time?

A.Mair

those hawk ones are a really good price.

Suspension yeah performance and looks really i dont go to the track

BlueRenesis82

if you are not planning on doing anything motorsports related, just stick with the stock suspension. Its great and cheap

A.Mair

really, even if i was going to lower it a bit?

SouthFL

Lowering a bit requres lowering springs. Try searching as to popular spring choices for an aesthetically pleasing stance which pair up well with stock dampers. Going too low goes beyond proper suspension geometry (not good). Going with too much spring rate will greatly shorten the life of the stock damper. One could always go with aftermarket dampers as well. Either way, search around and good luck!

BlueRenesis82

i guess I don't understand why you would alter the stock suspension for no reason, other than to look good

paulmasoner

iTrader: (1)

get some (insert company name here) brakes!!

+1

A.Mair

well ive never done any modifications to any car, this is my first car and i just wanted advice, i really have not got a clue on anything like lowering the car etc. i was just looking for some advice

swoope

iTrader: (5)

the advice would be read around a bit..

lots of info on both brake pads, and springs..

read more save more..

good luck..

beers

Cody Red

tein s-techs are more of a 'dress-up' spring set up. 1.7 drop in front and .7 in rear. i'm sure there are lower ones or something but i know for sure Hawk pads are great but they're not much different from stock pads unless you get the hps plus, which are track pads i believe, but generate a lot more brake dust and possibly more noise.

BlueRenesis82

keep it stock

SouthFL

There's no hps plus

The Hawk HPS is a performance street/autocross pad.
The Hawk HP Plus is a trackable compound that can be driven on the street.

The Hawk Performance Ceramic is a compound which gives HPS type performance with little dust or noise.


As for S-Techs, coming from the WRX community, the S-Tech also was more of a show/look spring which dropped the car too low (beyond proper performance range). The H-techs are a less extreme alternative which paired well with stock dampers. Is this the case with the RX8?

imput1234

iTrader: (6)

Stick with OEM pads, our cars stop very quickly, I don't know why people change the breaks for just street driving however tracking/autoxing is a different story. As far as suspension goes, the stock car is among the best, improving yourself as a driver will be the biggest and more satisfactory modification IMO.

HCTR154

I recently replaced my worn front pads with a set of Wagner's Thermo Quiet pads. They were actually cheaper than the off brand or OEM pads at O'Reilly's.

RX 8 has superb brakes from the factory, take advantage of them and spend the money saved on some lowering springs.

supergoat

I replaced my stock pads with Hawk HPS pads recently and love them. I agree that the stock brakes are awsome from the factory but I needed new pads and decided to do a small upgrade while doing them. I'll keep getting Hawk. Great response and just "that" much better than stock.

So +1 for Hawk.

Nopstnz

If you were going to drop it I would recommend the mazdaspeed shock/spring setup. Just enough drop but not too much IMO.

A.Mair

i think i am going to go for the hawk for sure, just going to read round a bit more for the supsension.
A few ppl have mentioned that our stick pads are good but my car doesnt seem to want to stop sometimes, i wouldnt say that mine are really that sharp. I bought it used so dont know how the previous owner cared for it

Fanman

I have the Hawks & they work well, but the best investment for a better change is o get yourself some stainless steel brakelines. I swapped my stock rubber hoses out for Goodrich SS brakelines and the difference was stark. The brake pedal is much stronger & better feeling.