Sorry if this has been asked before. I have dropped cars before, changed to bigger rims with some good looking results. Does the DSC suffer any adverse effects from aftermarket dropped springs. Is it incorrect to say that Mazda have spent big ££££'s getting the set-up right and altering the cars height may mess things up?

Peter

 

No, that would be fair to say! Most important thing to remember - everything is a compromise.

Mazda's factory suspension setup is what they felt was the best compromise for handling, responsiveness, ride, ground clearance, unsprung weight, suspension travel, longevity, etc, based on their priorities. If your priorities are different, you might prefer a different suspension compromise/setup.

Major concerns - far too many people want to drop the car (lower the suspension), and don't consider the consequences on suspension travel. This can (and often does) seriously screw up handling - if you reach the limits of the suspension travel, then handling does strange sudden things (not good).

Also, keep in mind that the RX-8 was designed for balanced handling with the same size wheels/tires front and rear. Lots of people seem to think that going to bigger (and usually, heavier) wheels that are larger in the back is cool - I can't see how that's cool, because it WILL screw up the handling by introducing much more understeer, and the heavier wheels will degrade the ride and responsiveness as well. No pluses to that setup besides appearance. Heavy wheels is a very bad thing - always try to get as light wheels as you can afford, and it's far, far better to get lighter smaller diameter wheels than larger, heavier wheels from a performance standpoint.

Regards,
Gordon

 

Gord96BRG- Dude Let it go!!! Let it go!!!! Do you have to drive my car with the staggered setup???? So just let it go and let me oversteer in peace !!!!