I will say H&R has sucked more and more off late, even in the Honda world. Many Civic SI owners are unhappy with the bouncy ride on them and accord owners have complained of over-lowering as well.

I wish Racing Beat posted some hard facts as to why they went with the rate and height they did. All they say is that it has the best performance and not meant for looks.

I am more annoyed at the lack of s2 Aftermarket support for springs...I don't want to buy Koni's just to lower the car correctly.

To add to this discussion, Brian Goodwin of Goodwin Racing said this:

"Every shock that fits series 1 RX8....also fits series 2. But, the lengths are slightly different and that means different heights. Thus, you can use the Bilstein in your series 2....but the result would be that the springs don't lower you as much as you expect. A very mild lowering spring such as our Racing Beat springs, intended to lower about half an inch, would not lower a series 2 at all. On the other hand, if you pick a spring that lowers a series 1 by one inch....you would get about half that on the series 2. If you really want to be in charge of height....then pick a coilover."

 

That's a hell of a sales pitch, but for the most part seems pretty legit. S2 cars sure don't sit as low as S1 cars on the same spings. I honestly don't have a great reco for you since i have an S1. I did help install S-tech's on an S2 and the front is a very close to the same, but the rear sits higher than an S1 does.

 

I wonder if I should just get the MS shock and spring kit for a S1 and install it on the R3. I don't know if it will perform better than the Koni with a tein or swift spring for that kind of money tho

 

a fellow member here prefers his Tokiko D-spec shock and progress tech spring set up to his ms shock and spring set up that he has on the current car.

Koni's with a decent spring (either of your choices) will outperform most of the coilovers offered for the car short of the higher end, $2k+ options. Swift has pretty much always made good springs, so you can't really go wrong. IMHO go spings first and see how the car feels and looks for you. The swifts should keep you pretty even. If you're still not happy, go with koni's as they tend to lower the car a tad more that the stock shock for a reason that has yet to be figured out. Spring installs are pretty easy for the 8, especially since your car is practically new, and the spring rates are so low. You won't even need a spring compressor to put the lowering springs on. I never use one to take off the stock springs, but most people do and it is much safer.

 

Thank you for all the info. Now I'm at odds between the s-techs and the tanabe gf210. I guess I will flip a coin

 

I have S-Techs on stock R3 Bilsteins and I like them. Overall the car looks about an inch lower, the back is a little higher but its not that noticeable. Handling is pretty similar to how it was stocks. Overall I'd say they are a good product but mainly for cosmetic appeal.

 

just to verify, are the backs raised from stock? or are they just not as low as the fronts?

 

I have been trying to figure this out as well. The bottom spring perch on the S2 is higher up on the damper. So, I would think it sits higher in the rear. Let us know what you find...

I decided to avoid the whole debacle by just to buy new dampers and springs so I don't have to worry about it.

 

Might as well just spend the money and get a set of Stance Coilovers so I can adjust the hight the way I want it and now hope that the springs set it where I want.

 

I believe with the S-techs the rear is lower than stock, just not as low as the intended drop. Overall I really like the look of the car with the Bilsteins and the S-techs.

 

It is lower in the rear, but not as advertised. I probably got less than an inch, but it is lower. Front drop is more pronounced.

Before:


After:

 

[quote=Mazdax3;4360210]It is lower in the rear, but not as advertised. I probably got less than an inch, but it is lower. Front drop is more pronounced.

Have you adjusted the control arm bushing pre-load? Might yield you a few more MMs of drop.

This is mine on Tokico HPs and Tein S tech;

https://www.rx8club.com/attachments/...h-img_8262-jpg

 

[quote=CustomMSP;4360240]Actually, I did loosen up the control arms and preload via a jack under each rear tire and tightened it back up. The pics above were before and it's settle down a little more now. Still not as big of a drop as an S1, but I'm getting older so too low of a drop and I won't be able to get out of the car.

Futz actually did most of the work getting the springs on. I supervised and loosened a few nuts and bolts and drank beer while Futz got all banged up.

 

[quote=Mazdax3;4360898]Got it.

 

Hey
Do you have a pic I can see of your r3 with the new springs? I was thinking about doing it as well

 

Very nice- what did you use and what did u spend. How does it handle compared to the stock R3?

 

Get these.

TEIN S.Tech Spring Kit: RX8 for RX8

There are some counterfeit Tein sprins out there so it's good to get them from a reputable source.