Hercules

Is there a big advantage one way or another?

I have heard people getting the Konis with Tein springs, but what about coilovers against that? Thanks for any advice...

NgoRX8

iTrader: (1)

if you want height adjustability with dampening control as well, go with coilovers. otherwise, koni shocks with a set of springs is cheaper and works great.

Hercules

What coilovers would you recommend?

Razz1

KW Variant 3's

Polack has a special on them in the vendor section.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

there are a lot of "cheap" coilover kits out there, but if you want a coilover with a quality shock you'll have to fork out some dough

chetrickerman

personally, i think the suspension is already superb, just a upgrade in springs and sway bars will make the handling perfect, but you can correct me if im wrong

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

you need to upgrade the shocks too, the OE shocks are marginal for the OE springs let alone stiffer/lower ones

Koni shocks and Mazdaspeed springs is my recommendation

chetrickerman

well i will be getting the racing beat springs which only lower the car .5", but add 20% in spring rate. I trust racing beat, and they say they make the car handle even better, but i will let you guys know how they are once i get them

dEEpsEa

I just installed koni shocks, and I'd like say they are great.
First, they are not that stiff to make your daily driving suffer. (I used 2 out of 5 from full soft).
Second, they handle your street driving very well.

LionZoo

I think there was a post about how the Mazdaspeed springs don't actually add appreciably to the spring rate, it just lowers. Now the Mazdaspeed coilovers, that's a different story, but who has them?

chetrickerman

i dont, but they damn well better be good, they are expensive as hell

HCTR154

I already have Eiback springs with stock shocks. Obviously, I need to upgrade. My thoughts are either Bilsteins. Problem is, my vendors do not have the rear Bilstein shocks in stock, seems they are on back order at the moment.

Does anyone have any opinion on Eibach springs with Bilstein shocks? What about Eibachs and Mazdaspeed shocks?

kennychopra17

My vote go for the Koni 5 way adjustable shocks, and any decent pair of springs. I loved that setup

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

that's not true; they're the stiffest of the OE replacement springs out there yet not too stiff for everyday street use

those coilovers are from Eibach, the spring rate is higher than the other Mazdaspeed springs, but you're saddled with a 3rd rate shock

here's a used Koni/Mazdaspeed setup in the FS area, get it while you can:

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-parts-sale-wanted-44/fs-dallas-koni-sa-mazdaspeed-springs-130429/

AggieLuke

With a high spring rate, is there much to be gained by going with a stiff swaybar like RB's? I've heard that the MS sways aren't that much stiffer than stock...

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

back to the original question: Coilovers vs Strut / spring

It comes down to 2 things;
- How much do you want to spend?
- Do you want a set it and forget it setup?


the strut / spring setup will not allow as much adjusting after it's installed. (as the coilovers allow)

Also, the coilovers could end up costing twice as much as the strut / springs.

LionZoo

They're actually not that stiff. For some reason a rate of 280/190 was quoted, but under testing they were way lower: https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...&postcount=100

Now this could be a batch of bad springs, but the ones tested were new and both sides had the same result so I doubt it.

Personally I like the group buy on KWs that Polak is offering and will probably go that way once I allow myself to upgrade my suspension. I just threw out Mazdaspeed coilovers since there seems to be so little info on them. Since then I've been told the rates are 400/280 by a vendor who e-mailed Mazdaspeed.

tajabaho1

KW, or cusco, I heard tein sucks ***** lately

c0ldf1ame

iTrader: (5)

if your gonna track alot, get a good set of coilovers

otherwise all they're good for is bragging rights

of all the cars i've had coilovers on (3) i only adjusted the height on each once.

most upgrade shocks offer dampening adjustment now also

so my suggestion would be a good spring/strut combo and save yourself some money for other mods

CosmosMpower

I agree, the setup is great and the stock shocks are WAY underdampend especially in the rear. The MS spring rates ARE noticably stiffer than stock and even quite a bit more than Tein S-tech's (I've driven both). The car is very street driveable with the setup even with the Konis turned up 1 1/2 full turns. I would reccomend 1 turn with the MS springs if you don't autocross.

I need to pull them before the middle of next week or the new owners are going to get them (which would be a shame since I don't think they care about the handling). If you're in Dallas and are interested in them you can stop by and get a ride in the car before deciding.

CosmosMpower

RX-8's don't have struts...

c0ldf1ame

iTrader: (5)

shocks -_-

tajabaho1

lol u got pwned for typo

c0ldf1ame

iTrader: (5)

only on teh internets

SolarYellow510

I like adjustable everything, because I like to set up my suspension exactly the way I want it. But then I want to forget about it.

If there's a spring/shock combo that works well, it can be just as good, but they aren't always available for a given car.

I'll probably go with KW V3 eventually. I've had their stuff on a couple cars. It isn't quite as nicely made as some of the other stuff I've installed, but it has always given great performance. I don't think there's a better value on coilovers for the RX-8 out there right now.