cortc

Well I installed the complete Mazdaspeed suspension (springs, shocks and sway-bars) two weeks ago and waited for them to settle before posting; so here it is. I installed the complete kit because lowering springs by themselves that are even slightly stiffer then stock are always a compromise as the stock shocks are not calibrated for the new springs. My past experience is that it's never as good as it can be.

I decided not to do a DIY because the instructions that come with the parts are very good, clear and concise; the only thing I did differently then what the instructions say was on the front suspension. The instructions say to disconnect the upper A arm ball joint, I disconnected the upper A arm rear bolts (much easier).

Will post more pictures later and a detailed impression on the handling and ride, but I will say it is a very noticeable improvement over stock and the RX8 handles very well stock.

So here is one picture for now...

PUR NRG

Question: Did the MS sway bars come with new end links? If not, did the arm curve geometry for the OEM and MS sway bars differ?
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Tsd Sports Spring Powered Airsoft

rodmeister

My initial reaction to the post title was: Microsoft (MS) now makes car suspensions? :D

Looking forward to your reports, expecially regarding stiffness or lack thereof in the ride, especially over concrete roads.

Also got to mention you have a gorgeous RX-8. The clear corners really look great: the stock amber would have detracted from the minimalist and beautifully stark black/white color scheme.

The polished Mazda rotary below the front nose adds a lot of class. I must get one.

takahashi

You have the whole set of strut bar (4 point) front and rear (2 point)? Also the front and rear stabilizers? and the cross stabilizers?

more details?
How do they drive like?
What is the most to limit the roll do you think?

cortc

Before my complete post tomorrow, here is a teaser...

Ride: Not much stiffer than stock but much more pronounced damping, it comes back much faster through bumps... The ride is still comfortable...

Dive & Squat: Almost completely gone, under heavy braking the car stays very flat and much better poised... Same under acceleration...

Body-Roll: Just about gone, especially during high speed sweepers; during corner entry and hard braking it’s a different car...

Turn-in: Razor sharp, big improvement...

The car is still very neutral, yet very controllable it handles better than my 996 with euro sport suspension...


PUR NUG: To answer your question, the MS sway-bars use the stock end links and bushings; they are hardened and very strong so I do not see a reason to replace them. The geometry and shape is the same as stock, the bars have a slightly larger diameter and wall thickness...

rodmeister: Thanks, appreciate the compliment... Will post my write-up tomorrow...

takahashi: I have the springs, shocks and sway-bars installed... I have ordered the sub-frame connectors (cross stabilizers) and front & rear strut bars; should be here in a week or so but those will make a much less significant difference.

Ned M

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the teaser pic. The MS suspension pieces are some of the more reasonably priced bits they sell. From a curb appeal perspective, how do your front and rear wheelwell gaps measure out with the Mazdaspeed springs?

Thanks,

cortc

Here is everything still in the box...

cortc

From left to right:

Rear springs
Front springs
Front shocks
Rear shocks
Front Sway-bar
Rear Sway-bar

cortc

This is what she looks like from the side...

cortc

Front wheel gap...

cortc

Rear wheel gap...

e46328

Thank you so much for posting the pics!!! And good info too!!
I have M/S springs and shocks in my trunk. I wanna get them installed bad!

PUR NRG

The reason I asked about end links is this: in theory you do not want any preload on the sway bars. If you keep the sway bar geometry and end links the same, lowering the ride height will increase the preload. Unfortunately the only way to tell if there's any preload is by putting the car on a lift and disconnecting the end link. Fortunately a good quality heim joint with adjustable center link is fairly cheap and you only need one for each bar.
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Vaporizer

cortc

PUR NRG: Understand your point, but in regards to the MS sway-bars there is no preload when the car is sitting flat on the ground. This has to do with the geometry of the RX8 suspension. I verified it today with the car by detaching one of the end links front and rear, and no preload. Spoke to the Mazda rep at our dealership today and he confirmed that even the production MS cars in Japan use the stock ends; if it was required the MS engineers would have included it in the kit...

cortc

The drop is exactly 1" after 2 weeks...

Before the gap between fender and top edge of rim was:

5 1/4 Front
5 1/8 Rear

After:

4 1/4 Front
4 1/8 Rear

According to automotive design standards the additional clearance in front of the car is needed to insure proper clearance while heavy braking during corner entry. I have noticed that many other cars also have this difference...

PUR NRG

Ah, good info. What about the front control arm and rear drive shaft? Again in theory they should be perpendicular to the ground. How does yours sit?
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Digital vaporizers

Shocka

looks great and the results sound better where did u buy those parts from?

i was thinkin of going for the shocks and springs for now and the sway bars later.

cortc

The control arms and drive shafts are basically parallel with the ground even with the drop...

cortc

Shocka: The company I work for owns several Mazda dealerships, I purchased mine through our local dealership as I get everything at cost...

irq9

Cortc,

Did you have to get the wheel alignment adjusted (especially camber) after the install?

And, if I may ask, what was "at cost"? I'd like to know what my dealership is overcharging.

cortc

I spoke to our service manager and he says it probably is still within spec but I am still taking it in on Friday to double check before my new RIMs show up... I will find the invoice tonight when I get home and PM you the prices...

rexi

Cortc, car looks great.
Noticed that you have added MS flywheel.
Would you be kind enough to comment on whether if has really helped performance etc, ie acceleration ,torque and whether it has created transmission rattle/noise that wasn't there previously.
Has it been a worthwhile addition?
Regards
Rexi

Omicron

Looks awesome... and very tempting! :D I too would be interested in what "cost" is on these pieces.

ELX13

ditto on the "cost" question. please PM me that info if u don't mind.

the car looks GREAT btw!

cortc

rexi: The flywheel did exactly what I expected, the car revs up much better and not that the stock motor does not rev easily; as it does. It feels and revs much more like a bike now in how the revs come up and down so fast. This affects clutch engagement a bit however but not to badly, and not badly as in a negative way. The difference now is that you have to be smoother and carry just a few more RPMs than before, if you are an experienced manual driver or have ridden sport-bikes it is absolutely not an issue; it took me about 5 min to adjust. If you are new to manual driving you will have a little longer learning curve. Under load (acceleration) the car feels livelier and off throttle engine braking is a little more pronounced. In a nut shell I love the way the car feels with it, much more sports car like... Common engineering principles and experience is that it probably freed up somewhere between 2-8 HP in power due to parasitic/drive train loss and that is spread out across the RPM range due to the variables related to inertia and mass. Personally I feel it was worth it and would definitely recommend it if you want a livelier car, however if you just want to cruise around and don't want to be more engaged/rewarded in driving the car than there are probably better ways of spending the money…