Optical TDI

iTrader: (2)

Currently I have Racing Beat Springs, Hotchkis front & rear sways set at full stiff. My dampers and tires (8090's) are stock with about 5,000 miles on them.

I'm looking for less body roll, less nose dive, and a more responsive feel when turning, especially at highway speeds. High speed braking could be more stable from a chasis standpoint too. Could it be the tires or is more likely the dampers/springs?

I do run a couple of HPDEs every year. Please offer any suspension recommendations to achieve what I'm looking for. Thanks.

laythor

coil overs, underbody brace kit, 4 point tower brace up front and in the rear... that'll make it about as stiff as you can get it.

Razz1

KW Variant 3's

Optical TDI

iTrader: (2)

From a steering response and flat corning standpoint, would adding Koni's to the Racing Beat springs make a big difference from the stock dampers.

rxaddict

+1. I've got Koni's with RB springs, PT bars, MS strut tower braces and a Carbing rear underbody brace and am extremely happy. The Konis will provide more stability at high speeds and will keep the car more firmly planted during cornering (especially in the rear) than the stock dampers.

mshea

I have Koni's with MS springs and stock (sport) sways/bars; even this mild set up is an impressive upgrade - the Koni's giving the car more of a 'German-engineered' feel, perhaps. On the highway, it's on rails.

That said, I'm awaiting my RB sways and MS front/rear brace in the mail for the twisties.

Checksum

I understand tightening up the rear but why tighten up the front so much? too much stifness in the front and your car is going to understeer like crazy. They already understeer quite a bit from the factory, I couldn't imagine adding more.

I will agree that the rear needs to be stiffened up a bit, as well as the pitch. Koni's or CO's will help a lot with the pitch. Again, I would say that the nose dive is a good thing on these cars as it keeps weight over the front tires which will keep them from skidding off into the grass.

If I were to upgrade the suspension on the rx8 I would put koni's all around with at least 8k(f)/6k(r) springs. I would put a slightly stiffer sway in the rear as well as the rear strut brace. Diff brace would be nice too. Dampening in the rear slightly higher than in the front to make up for the weight transfer.

I am no expert, but thats my .02 for what its worth.

HeavyMetal699

Shocks, alignment, tires. Get all 3 at once.

For street use I would do a milder autocross alignment.

Edit: for shocks I would go with Koni yellows. Thats what everyone is running in autocross for good reason.

Checksum

does anyone make camber bolts/plates for the rx8 stock suspension? Or is it adjustable from the factory? I haven't gotten in there to see. (Still new to the 8)

HeavyMetal699

Nope, you can get a good alignment without any of that.

Visit the competition/racing forums stickies for thoughts on alignments. Again I wouldn't go too aggressive or you will end up with the first 2 inches of your tire with all the wear.

LionZoo

A common misconception is that stiffer and/or less roll is more responsive. This isn't always the case and in fact the RX-8 might work best with a bit of roll.

As for your situation; I'd say high speed braking instability will be mostly solved with a rear strut tower brace. Also, considering how much stiffer in roll you are compared to stock, I'd say that you'll need a bit more damping than what the stock dampers provide. Start with those and go from there.

pdxhak

iTrader: (2)

Get some decent coilovers, alignment and then corner balanced. Do not get too stiff in the rear or the back will break loose

HeavyMetal699

You can do what I did and take up autocrossing.

Even bone stock the car handles pretty good. Tires make the most difference.

Honestly you already have racing beat springs, Koni yellows will complement them the best.

If I had not become an autocross junkie I would of went the racingbeat springs route myself(with their front and rear sways). But alas, B-Stock rules don't allow springs or rear sways, and NOTHING equals/replaces R-compounds in autocross, not even a turbo or supercharger.


Edit: Go to a local RX-8 meet and usually there is 1 person there with coil overs and another with konis. Take a ride in each. At the end of the day it will all come down to personal preference. I am worried about real legitimate performance for competitive reasons that come within the rules of the competition. But a mild autocross set up would in my opinion be perfect for the street.

23109VC

is there really a significant difference between coilovers and the konis w/springs?

what about the mazdaspeed setup?

i'm looking to have a really great street car - that will carve up my local twisty canyon roads. I am the kind of person who *might* go to a track event once in a while - maybe once or twice a YEAR just for fun. i have no plans on becoming a regular at track events - but taking the car on a track where you can really go nuts and take it to the limits without fear of tickets / reckless driving / hurting bystanders etc is a great way to have fun..but i'd only do it on a rare occasion.

more often than not, the RX8 i am about to buy will be for driving to/from work, taking kids to school/etc and being a tossable fun toy car on weekends.

stock is fine but on my several test drives, i always felt the car was slightly too soft and had a bit too much body roll. to make ME happy, it would need to be stiffer.

HeavyMetal699

I'm not the expert shocks and everyone has an opinion. For BS autocross to stay within the rules you can not change springs. This leaves the mazdaspeed kit out.

Beyond that a friend (who also autocrosses) had the mazdaspeed kit and it felt great. I don't know what the difference in price is but between the two I'd go for the cheaper one. My only gripe with the mazdaspeed set up is the drop. Some people like it, I once had a lowered car and I don't ever want another.

Everyone has opinions and everyone has priorities. Pick the combo that works best for you.

mshea

You sound like me. I was accustomed to BMW's wth M-suspensions and wanted more of that precision feel without going overboard. The stock suspension - and I suspect geometry of the car - is sloppy. Take it in stages. For me, the combo of Koni shocks and the MS springs is terrific, even with the stock sways. That said, after a couple years of this, I'm now adding MS struts and RB sways (and new rotors) not necessarily because the car needs them for this type of use....but because I feel like playing with it again and get irked every time I look at rusted rotors. The Koni's/springs will get you 90% there.