I want to do some scca races for fun.. on a tight budget..
one friend tryin to tell me rear strut bar but never see those do anything on stock suspension car..
obvivously tires make huge difference but they gonna have to wait till current ones wear out.
so I'm thinking Sway Bars they have always made the biggest difference on cars.. outsiude of going to fully adjustable coilovers (too pricey)
Every car different so is sway bars best 1st mod for handling for the RX-8?

 

If you're on a low budget, pick up a set of springs for $150 - $250. They lower the car, improve looks and help with the handling of the vehicle.

 

you are correct, sways are the best handling mod for the money.

 

problem is u dont gain all that much from lowering a car a little.. and alot of lowering springs I've found the spring rates arent that much stiffer (well mainly because u need matching shocks to go with stiffer springs)

 

well thats 1 vote sways bar..

 

true, putting tein s-techs on the car didn't help with handling all that much. shocks really make the difference there.

 

sways.... i hear CRH has the hookup on some things, maybe ask him what he has to offer

 

Tires are always the best bang for the buck.

 

+1 for tires.

best performance/dollar ratio mod are sways.

 

sway bars

 

the best modification is improving the driver
Next to that I would say a good set of tires, and a good alignment. After that it would probably getting a LIGHT set of wheels

 

Yrp driver education then sway bars

 

My first suspension mod was the Racing Beat sway bars...I definitally noticed a difference in handleing. Definitally worth the money.

 

Wow the front sway bar front this car is 32mm and rear is only 19mm..
guess car must of had an oversteer problem that y they went with such a smaller sway bar compared to front..

 

I agree 100% driver mods is the best mod.. it will make the car faster and handle better..
i seen a guy at the drag strip with a fully hooked up RX-8 all bolt ons and a turbo kit but he couldnt drive so he was still running a 14.8

 

Koni shocks, every serious SCCA Stock class racer can't be wrong ....

 

According to Speedsource lowering the car is a no-no. It mucks up the geometry and you lose grip. If Speedsource claims it I am not going to argue with them. Obviously the car should be stiffened with coilovers or whatever you prefer, but make certain to keep the ride height.

 

Do you know anything about suspension geometry or roll center height? Speedsource is wrong if that is what they claim. The stock suspension is a compromise between comfort, practicality, and performance. Furthermore, have you seen their race cars? ...and the height they're at?

 

tires.
if youve never driven on r tires... nothing else will let you be able to do that.

 

 

Tires and sways in that order

 

oh yea, i forgot the stock tires really suck.

lol, wow...

 

you can definitely go too low, as I've posted many times from my STU class effort

 

Yea I got R compound tires on my other car but waited for these tires to wear out before i buy new ones..

 

Define what you mean by this.
Class rules will determine what your modifications shall be.

I track the car with Konis & springs on stock sway bars, but that's simply one approach.

TIRES, ALIGNEMENT, sways, springs/dampers. Will all contribute greatly to handling.