wedge357

NO! Just look and you'll see that the front fenders are cut higher than the rears. This is for wheel clearance in case you turn tightly at speed or while braking. However, as long as you don't lower too aggressively then lowering springs should be ok.

\\Konig\\

iTrader: (4)

Heres a pic of my 8 lowered with Tien S tech springs. The numbers aren't exact...at all. I have the S techs and from what i see they are perfectly even. Maybe the front is a tad lower than the rear, but thats ok it looks good to me

And most people don't know, but their are Tien H tech Springs which offer a smaller drop than the S tech's, and feel the same as the stock springs in terms of stiffness and ride. I think the drop on the H tech's is comparable to Racing Beat springs or MS springs. One of the mods around here has them on.

So don't forget about those H techs.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

clean,
very clean, damn you and i am a sucker for white cars. must not by new car.

damn you.

beers

apotocki

Does anyone have/know the spring rate for Eibach Pro's and the oem set-up? I've been able to find the rates for Tein (S-Tech = 207lb/in front and 145lb/in rear) and Tanabe (GF210 = 179lb/in front and 146lb/in rear) but can't seem to find the others.

modena

Here is a drop with Tein basics; height is set for looks and drivability.
Had H&R before but was way to low....

iridearocket

Don't forget H&R Springs... one of the best companies in the business. Lowest stance I've seen on any RX8 and quite a firm ride. They claim 1" drop and it is at least that. Very planted with the stock shocks, with just a little too much rebound if you want to be picky. That's due to the stock shock being a little too soft for this spring. Koni's would finish the ride off beautifully. I'd put the H&R's with Koni's up against the entire Mazdaspeed package and see how they do.

L8APEX

This may sound like a really stupid question, but there was a debate this weekend.

If you purchase a set of coilover's, such as the teins, or HKS, or any of the true coilovers. Do these just replace the stock shocks, or do you at that time remove the stock springs? Or do you have to buy the coilovers, and keep or replace the factory springs. Suspension is my next big change, and I just want to know exaclty what I am getting into.

Thanks.

DPE

iTrader: (1)

All numbers taken either from the manufacturer, or from other posts on this forum. Some we can verify, and a few we can't. Just keep that in mind. . .

Stock 'Sport' Suspension spring rates on the RX-8 are 156/113 (F/R)
Mazdaspeed: 280/190
Tein S-Tech: 207/145
Tein H-Tech: 179/129
Tanabe GF: 179/146
Tanabe NF: 162/112
Racing Beat: 187/136
Eibach: 180/130 (progressive, so this varies a bit)
H&R: 195/141 (progressive, so this varies a bit)


As for the question on coilovers, all aftermarket adjustable 'coilovers' come with a shock and spring. The more expensive ones also come with the upper mount, usually of the 'pillowball' variety (a spherical metal bushing in a metal plate rather than the rubber top mounts that most cars use from the factory). Tein Basics, for example, re-use the OEM top mounts and a few of the small hardware bits. Tein Flex do not re-use any of the OEM coilover assembly. The aftermarket coilovers also come with proprietary springs, so one would never use their OEM springs with their new coilovers. Hopefully that makes sense?

L8APEX

thanks, that is what i thought, but I was being told that I was wrong. Thanks for clearing that up.

apotocki

DPE - Thank you sooo much for the continuing information. If I'm interpreting all of this correctly,
- H-Tech's are pretty darn close to the OEM rate and provide just alittle drop (mainly in the front - 1.0 fr & .3 rr).
- S-Tech is more aqgressive but still should work well with the oem dampers.....drop is pretty nice with 1.4 fr & .7 rr)
- Tanabe NF's, again, pretty darn close to OEM but provide a bit more drop than H-Tech's (1.4 fr & 1.2 rr)
- Tanabe GF's, Probably a nice upgrade from OEM while allowing for the retension of the stock dampers? and provide a nice front/rear drop (1.4 fr & 1.2 rr)....right?
- Racing Beat, hmmmm....maybe same as above as far as rate is concerned but with almost no drop (.5)
- Eibach, again.....rate very close to H-Tech and should work OK with OEM dampers, right?. Drop is pretty good at 1.2 fr & .8 rr.

Ok...with all that said, my budget does not allow for the replacement of the OEM dampers with the springs.....but....I was kinda wanting to lower the car a bit. I'm 'leaning' towards the Eibach's or the Tanabe GF's. Any words of wisdom with these? OR......am I making the wrong move and should wait till next spring and replace all?

apotocki

Pardon me for the re-post. I hit 'Submit' instead of 'Preview' on the previous post and needed to do some EDITING. Please see the quote below as it has a couple of edited changes. Sorry.

wedge357

I went with Eibach springs due to its progressive nature. It's close enough to stock feel during daily driving yet it gets stiffer as you drive the car harder around the twisties.

But then again I'm just another anonymous internet junkie...LOL

BTW, Eibachs do cost more than the Teins and some of the others.

DPE

iTrader: (1)

No problem on the info, we're here to help ! In our opinion, for what you are doing you really can't go too wrong with any of the springs listed above. Except Mazdaspeed, which are no doubt great springs but would no doubt be too much for stock dampers. I'm also not a fan of Tanabe NF springs, as it doesn't make a lot of sense to me to lower a car without changing spring rate at all. Not to say it doesn't work, I just think if you're going with aftermarket springs, get some that will actually enhance how the car feels in a corner. Additionally, I don't think you'll be hurting anything to go with just springs now and then shocks next year. Good way to spread out the cost of parts assuming you are doing the install yourself. If you're paying for the install, you may want to wait since you'll have to pay for it twice otherwise. And I still have to speak the company line that we don't really recommend upgrading springs without shocks on the RX8, but clearly it has been done to good effect by many people.

I also wouldn't read too awfully much into the amount of drop each spring provides. It's an estimate, and the trim level of the car, how much gas is in it, normal car-to-car variation, and the weight of the driver can all make for a different final ride height. It's a good guide, just don't expect the numbers to be accurate down to the mm. Our car on H-techs was pretty close to the advertised drop, but both ends are probably a few mm lower than advertised for whatever reason. Sits really nice though.

Can't go wrong with Tanabe GF or Eibach. I'm more of a Tein fan personally, but only because we sell and use more of their stuff. And I still think folks overlook the Tein H-tech too much, but I'm really biased on that because I've driven our H-tech/Koni equipped car on some gnarly roads in the Ozark Mountains and I'm still coming down off the high from that. And that was a couple months ago . It's amazing how well the RX-8 handles from the factory, but it's even more amazing how much the right suspension tweaks improve that chassis. But I digress.

Anyway, good luck with your decision!

mmats69

Went with the Eibachs myself. Actually posted it earlier but so many replies have been added it's probably been lost. I did notice being able to take some turns faster so it made the driving experience better. Can't find my camera right now to take any pics. In the middle of getting moved so it may take a while. Like I said earlier, it's your car, put on it what you think looks good, it's up to you.

Jay Goldfarb

If you are interested in Eibach, I have a set coming off of my car next week. Putting on the Tein Flex with electronic controller. Needed more for the many track events that I have been doing. Will make a good deal.

e-mail me directly at: jayg@printwithbudget.com

Also, does anyone have any experience with the flex on the 8 and suggestions for street and track setups.

Jay Goldfarb

L8APEX

one of the gerogia crew runs full soft for street, but i am not sure about track time. his screen name is phlash. you could PM him, I am sure he will tell you. He aslso has the EDFC setup with the Tein flex.

Jay Goldfarb

thank you for name. I will followup later today. Also found another thread about the flex with controller.

Jay

mahuna

i have the eibachs, and love them. the wheel gap is gone and the ride is smooth. i think they might be a little of a hastle if you were planing on putting on a body kit at some point. but with the factory aro package its just fine

DPE

iTrader: (1)

Here's a marginal pic of ours with Tein H-techs. I'll try to get something better soon, but for now this will give you an idea.

speedmaniac

That is as low as you would want to go, any lower and you will have problems...

\\Konig\\

iTrader: (4)

The drop with your H techs looks lower than the drop on my S techs. That is weird.

DPE

iTrader: (1)

I think the pic makes it look lower than it really is. It's nowhere near being in an 'unsafe' range of lowering; our car on Tein Basics is lower than this one and it works fine. I'll try and get a better pic in the next few days and I think you'll see what I mean. Here's our other car on Tein Basics, a shade lower than Tein's recommended height, and it works quite nicely on the road and track. And side-by-side, it's a bit lower in the front and notably lower in the rear than the titanium car.

cleoent

This thread needs to be bumped, soo much goood information here.

DPE - the tit grey on rx8 on H-tech Teins... that's with koni shocks too right? On stock shocks it would sit a bit higher yes?

TheArchitect

Yes, the titanium grey one is pictured with H-Techs and Konis. There's much debate about whether the Konis drop the car at all, and technically they shouldn't since ride height should be more a function of the spring than the shock, but others say they've seen it happen and I won't dispute that. Phil can chime in and say if he saw a drop when we did the Konis on stock springs, but I don't recall that being the case.

So, assume that the H-Techs with Konis will look more or less like the drop seen in that picture, with the usual caveats of weight and car-to-car differences, and with stock shocks it should be safe to say it will be similar, though some might assert that the OEM shocks will leave ride height a wee bit higher. I just don't want anyone to assume that the ride height will definitely be higher with OEM shocks, because it might (and should) not be. But, hey, your mileage may vary.

As an aside, I've driven that H-Tech/Koni-equipped RX-8 in its element as well (I'm the daily driver of the silver DPE RX-8 with the Tein Basics, also pictured in this thread), and it's a fantastic combination. If you just want the car lowered, try to stay close to the OEM spring rates, especially if you're sticking with OEM shocks. If you want it lowered and want it to make the handling razor-sharp, upgraded shocks are a highly recommended addition to the springs, and you don't really need the springs to be super-stiff to get huge benefit from a spring/shock combination. The Konis do an incredible job of making the car take a set very quickly, and with the Koni/H-Tech combo the car's steering response is much improved, and the car takes a set after initial turn-in much quicker. Basically, everything tightens up noticeably.

I guess the take-away message is that the stiffer the spring rate, the more you'll benefit from (or wish you had) better damping than what the OEM dampers offer.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

so the ?? for me is the tien basic or the h-tech and the konis??????

beers