Hooo ok thank u and yes i'm thinking to buy tokico's shocks or a koni yellows to do everything at same time

No i really dont want my car for A drift or race i just want to lower and i cant lower it to much because i use it for a daily driving is why i'm asking if i have to use camber or not cause i dont want to do something incorrect.

If it's just for improving and upgrading your street performance I would skip the Konis and go with the Tokicos. I have the Konis and the jounce is very firm which makes the street ride very choppy even on the softest setting. I love em on track days and smooth roads but honestly they aren't worth the ride compromise if it's your DD and mainly for street driving. Most folks I know love the Tokicos as well.

That's my $0.02

I did the H-Tech and Tokico. I like the look, and can adjust the ride without removing the shocks. It dropped the font, took care of the gap over the front wheels, and gave me almost 2 MPG improvement on gas mileage. I think there is a picture in here someplace of before and after.

Check https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...1&postcount=89

Factory setting is always good for DD or street. 0.0 in front and -1.0 in rear. if you want better handling you could try -0.8 in front and -1.0 in front.

Tanabe GF shipped to 08055? pm if you have them

Been out of business for a few years now :(. Glad to see people still looking at this info though! If you are looking for Tanabe springs, try one of the other forum vendors and I'm sure one of them can get you taken care of.

Aww man I'm sorry to hear that this is very good info though thanks

Hey DPE, I am looking to buy the Tokico adjustable shocks and some lowering springs. I want to lower my car 2inches though and most of the springs i've seen won't get that low. What would you suggest. Coilovers could be the way to go but if I could buy the Tokico's and some springs I would want that better.
thanks

813: DPE doesn't visit these forums quite often, Phil has moved on so I think your question would best addressed elsewhere.

On thing I'm curious about is why do you want to drop it a full 2 inches? That's quite a bit.

thanks.. and because i want an agressive look . 0.8 inches is nothing at all .i wouldnt tell the difference.

Did mine 2 inches in the back and 2.5 in the front. Getto way though, cut springs FTMFW! \m/ (only cause I had a spare set of springs and shocks)

Tanabe GF: 179/146 - Drop = 1.4"/1.2"
Tanabe NF: 162/112 - Drop = 1.4"/1.2"

wich one is better for daily driving? and more comfortable

Ghetto? What do you mean ghetto? I'm poor, okay... :cwm27:

I ordered my Tein S Techs from Adam at THmotorsports for 165 shipped if anyones looking for springs just get ahold of him good guy with good deals.

Swift Springs 207 F, 129R .8" F/R drop
Progress 205 F, 145R 1.2 F .8 R

The Tokico springs will drop you 1.5 inches. I just did it and it is too much for me.

HSD's on daily commuter

I know this is an old thread but it has helped me out in the past so i thought i would add to it since i now have a relevant comparison to add.

I recently switched from Tein Basics to a Koni/S-tech set up. When i bought my Tein Basics it was the first mod i did to my bone stock 04 GT. I had no intentions of tracking the car or doing any autocross. I just wanted a sportier ride with the ability to adjust the ride height. I wanted the adjustable ride height because at the time i had a pretty steep driveway and i really didn't want to screw myself over and not be able to make it up lol. As it turns out the adjustability of the Basics just wasn't necessary. I could have them set to the lowest setting and would barely ever scrape, anywhere. With the front/rear overhang being as little as it is and the suspension being pretty firm i had little to worry about no matter what the ride height was set at.

Long story short i've basically become a track addict. It started with autocross, went to an occasional track day and now i try to get out there whenever i can. This made me regret buying the Basics because i knew there was much better performing suspension out there. Dont get me wrong. The Basics did a great job considering the price. I had numerous ride-alongs and instructors compliment me on my car's suspension (FYI: I also have Progress anti-sway bars and Evo-R endlinks). The car was balanced, predictable, very little under or oversteer. It was quite composed over bumps and curbing and in general was a very enjoyable performance driving experience.

BUT, like i said, i knew there was better out there. I could have just jumped on to some high-end coilovers and been done with it but i've always been curious about Koni Yellows because so many people rave about them. I also just got done spending a boatload of money on a wedding so i wanted to see if i could trade for even money. I managed to find some people who to buy/sell/trade with to make it happen.

Ride Height:
Visually the car sits at about the same height as it did on the Basics (i had them set to almost the lowest setting). At first i thought it sat higher but after loosening the control arm bolts before dropping the car and re-tightening them i'd say they are about the same.

Ride Quality:
My RX8 is not my daily driver so i figured i would go "hardcore" and set the fronts to full stiff and then set the rears to 50-60% stiff. The reality is this is not hardcore at all. Much to my surprise the ride quality is better than the Basics at this setting. Our roads are horrible too. Lots of cracked concrete and uneven pavement. I'm actually tempted to set the rear to 80-100% stiff so it will just be ready to go whenever track days come around.

Dampening:
Here is where the Koni's shine. My street tires are horrible. Utter crap. They're just terrible. The only reason i have them is because they were practically brand new and came on a fancy set of Advans that are oh so pretty :) These things squeal and chirp over any adverse surface, under any conditions, ALL THE TIME. They honestly feel like i'm driving around on a set of shopping cart wheels. I'm trying to wear them out so i can buy something worthwhile but they just WONT DIE!! Anyway, the Koni's have silenced these things. Sharp turns, bumpy roads, you name it the Koni's do a much better job keeping them planted on the ground. They actually do the tires a little bit of justice. The chassis is less effected by bumps too. Whether you're accelerating, turning or a combination of the two (haven't really done any hard braking or trail braking yet) bumps are just soaked up without much drama at all. I've only got in a few high speed sweepers on the new setup but there is definitely some added confidence with the Koni's. I should have more feedback in this department once i get back from the track at the end of this month. Cant wait :D

Steering:
Like some people have said in this thread the steering response of the Koni's is much crisper. It was not exactly apparent at first but once you're going 40-50+ mph it's pretty obvious. Steering response is very quick and controlled.

Conclusion:
You dont need height adjustability on entry level suspension, you just dont. On a proper coilover set up which you plan to get corner balanced and dialed in perfectly, yes, height adjustment is a must. But i really believe most Tein Basic owners will set their height at or close to the bottom which is equivalent to a set of Koni/S-techs without the added performance. So in short, if you need an entry level, height adjustable coilover then the Tein Basics are a decent choice but i dont think anyone really NEEDS that. I probably over simplifying people's needs here but i have a hard time coming up with scenarios where the Basics make more sense than a set of Koni's with a decent set of springs.

Changed the rears to full stiff and it handles like a dream. Im seriously blown away with my new found grip. It's like a new car. Still rides ever so slightly better than the Teins. I can't wait to get an alignment and slap on my R-comps and track pads.

I have a slight rattle in the rear though and I can't figure out from where it's coming from. I've pulled the rear suspension 4 times now trying to eliminate it. Ever time it gets better but its still there. Frustrating...

There are a lot of people on this board that can probably answer your question more thoroughly than i can but i just wanted to point out that the Koni's are not compression adjustable they are only rebound adjustable. But, I would guess that the Koni's compression is firmer than the OEM shocks but i dont know by how much. I haven't had OEM suspension on my car for quite some time and i don't know if there are any numbers out there for us to do a comparison. So, that being said, switching from OEM shocks to Koni's may (and i would imagine should) alleviate your problem but once you install the Koni's if you're still not satisfied with the compression setting you're stuck. I suppose you could start swapping out springs at that point if you're still not satisfied but that's not really what you're asking.

Hope that helps.

anyone tried meganracing rear camber and toe arms? and how are they?

http://http://flic.kr/p/bxaHoR

Attachment 181779

on megan pro's -

ok i know im gonna get flamed but,,does anybody have a pic of a rx8 with factory rims with tein basics? Im trying to see if the drop is low enough.i dont want it slamed basicaly i wanna see if the front will come down enough,and im really not interested in spending a ton a cash,,i searched everywhere can not find a good pic of a factory rx8 sideways on basics,,,please and thank you.

the drop is what you make it..

you adjust them yourself.. from semi normal to slammed.. btw, the ride is going to suck..

beers :beer:

Looking for some replacement strut suggestions. My current MS struts are shot at 75k of use. Car is my dd. I have the MS springs, front and rear sway bars, and front strut bar. Should I get MS struts again or another brand like Koni?

does anybody have any more accurate info for the MazdaSpeed springs? spring rates seem a ton higher than they should be

Does anyone know of a Coil-Over that will keep me OEM heigth at the high end?

So +/- .0 - whatever for adjustment.

I need to stay stock heigth to gt in my driveway but would like to lower for the track, meets, etc.

how long did it take for your tein s techs to settle anyone? did you have to realign?

They won't settle much if you didn't already unload them since installation.

so i need to uncompress an then recompress them?

Truva, what I am referring to here is what some people call "preload" of springs. I call it unload. If you didn't unload the springs on the front during install, that could be why it is still sitting high. If you did "preload" then you can still do one other try. You can unload any binding in your driveway without removing your tires. PM me if you need details, and yes you should get a performance alignment since your ride height is different now.

Springs / suspension / tire info. Inexperienced here and need help.
 

I just replaced my shocks on my 05' rx8 with 18" inch rims. I put on Bilstein all around and now my front end is sitting 1 - 1.5 inches higher than before. Now I know this seems impossible but it does in fact sit higher. I have had 3 diff places check the spring seats and they are the correct way. I don't like the way it looks now but I have spent a good deal of money (on my budget) to get these shocks. Not sure what I can do about the front end sitting at 15.6 inches from center of wheel to fender,, rears are 14.5 from center of wheel to fender.

Is there anything else I can do other than put a set of lowering springs on my car? I like where the rear is sitting and don't want to lower it....
Also am running 245/40 18 tires and wanted to know if I could move up to 245/45 18 tires. Tire rack says that our rims are too narrow for that tire but discount tire direct.com says 245/45 are an optional size.

Any help anyone could give would be appreciated.

THANKS !

That's a no-go on the tires, they probably won't fit. I know your trying to over-compensate for the wheel gap, but you're already dealing with a tire that is close to stock height. You don't want to go over 26" in height. As far as your Bilstein issue, they're high pressure units just like the factory installed sport Tokico's. I would suggest a set of lowering springs to level things out. If your car is already sitting so high, it will not drop too terribly low. You'll be fine, and your 245/40's will thank you for it.

Hope that helps

thanks, it did help. I just don't want to drop the rear end of the car anymore than it is. I think I'll just deal with what I have until I have the money to do everything over again with diff shocks and springs.

>>>
Let me ask one more question if I can.... If i put a set of LOW PRESSURE shocks on the front will that help at all or will that just effect the firmness of the ride. I have read on other sites that it would help the car be less "lifted".

Thanks

I have a question about suspension height that doesn't seem to be addressed. How does one determine the height and why? Now I can understand wanting it low and slammed for looks, but how and what determines height for track aplications. My car is my dd and I track atleast four times a year. I am on stock suspension right now and one of my shocks is starting to get wet so I will be needing to upgrade soon.

According to the service manual, height is measured from the center of the wheel hub to the inside lip of the fender. The service manual specifies different ranges for "in spec" alignments based on ride height.

Measuring height this way will take tire diameter out of the equation.

Attachment 230027

Thanks for the quick response, but when and if you lower the car for a track day aplication how do you determine the ride height? What are the advantages of lowering it from the stock height and how do you determine how low?

Since you are talking about lowering the car for track days, I am assuming you are on height adjustable coilovers. If this is the case, then the height you want to lower to is really your choice. Just remember than changing the ride height will require a realignment.


Lowering the car will lower the center of gravity (CoG), which in turn will lower the roll center of the car, increasing roll stiffness.

The negative effect is that the suspension (assuming you have realigned like you should) will no longer be in the nominal working range that it was originally designed for. This is OK though, if the spring stiffness has also increased to limit travel. There is a limit though, where you can lower the car too much and actually make the car handle worse. Your suspension needs travel in order to absorb bumps. Lower is not always better, just like stiffer is not always better. This comment is strickly in regards to performance handling, not bling bling hellaflush fitments.

Generally the stiffer the springs, the lower you can go without causing issues. This is an extremely general statement though, and suspension tuning has no absolute right answers. Usually the answer to suspension questions is "it depends".

This answers a lot! Thank you.

Late response, but I just got a hold of a set of Mazdaspeed springs and measured the fronts compared to the Racing Beat springs. The diameter of the wire is exactly the same, but the RB has 9 turns compared to the 8 of the MS. Since the drop is also about the same, and assuming they're made of the same material, the MS spring rate is higher than the RB. I does seem unlikely however, that the MS rates are as high as given in post #1.

It seems you are onto something with your last statement:

Attachment 229938

Like you said, assuming all is equal except the number of coils, then the change is spring rate is the ratio of coils. This would mean that:

(MS k) = (RB k)*(9/8)

As you stated, this is not inline with posted spring rates.

A few things could explain this discrepency:
1. The springs might not have a constant pitch on the coils (progressive springs) which would make these simple hand calculations inaccurate.
2. A difference in mean coil diameter (I am assuming the same diameter at the perch, but it might increase in diameter in the middle of the spring)
3. Difference in material strength (IMO the most realistic explaination)

I agree that the difference in height would be negligable, and wouldn't be causing this difference in calculations.

so Stock 'Sport' Suspension RX-8: 156/113 (F/R) is the same for a 04 base model rx8. just want to make sure.

looking to get some springs and trying to stay close to the stock rate as possible.

The sport suspension came on all 18" wheel models (some autos and all manuals). The 16" base automatics had a softer spring rate.

ok cool i have a sport suspension then. know i just have to find some spring that are close to stock rate. but thanks

Most springs are about 30% stiffer than stock. Search for the "calling all lowering springs" thread.

Thanks for pointing out the "calling all lowering springs" thread. Everyone here asking questions really needs to look over that page. One thing i found to keep in mind is many springs do not meet there claimed spring rate. There was a point I almost bought a very expensive to to check on actual spring rates.

Handy thread, looking at new coilovers for my RX8.

I just bought the BILSTEIN PSS9 COILOVER SUSPENSION KIT for my 05 Shinka. Any recommendations for the mounts? Should I use the ones already on the car or buy new ones, if so, which ones? Thanks in advance.

Watz up guys question i have a 04 Rx8 i want To change my shocks with kyb's can i leave On my stock springs And still have The same height as now