I know this is kind of off the wall but I have to ask before I do it. Does the spare tire bar do anything in the way of supporting the struts or whatever? I haven't had the tire mounted since I got the car and the bar is a pain in the ***. If it doesn't need to be there I'm ripping it out. I really doubt it does anything for handling but I'm not 100% either.

 

Start ripping!!

 

It is supposed to act as a rear strut tower bar as well. In a car that's already stiff and without the structural loss of a big hatch opening, it's not likely to add much at all.

 

Of course you can take it out. The spare tire kit is an option, thus many 8s did not came with the bar. Mine came with the kit, but I too removed it all.

 

Ditto - I added the spare but never installed the holder. Dumbest thing in this car to be sure.

 

Many people who have installed the rear bar and drive hard, myself included, have reported that the rear bar greatly reduces high speed braking instability. Yes the car in general is pretty stiff, but local stiffness is not the same as full unit stiffness, and the RX-8 is nowhere near the stiffness of real racecars, proving that it can still get a lot stiffer.

 

Good to know. I want to get a spare for road trips, but I wasn't planning on installing the mount. I'll have to reconsider since I'm starting to track the car.

 

ever wonder why the mazdaspeed rear brace mounts in the exact same location?

 

Thats what I was thinking about when I didn't take it off. That and it was bolted in there pretty good so I figured I'd leave it because the way it was mounted it woulda been a little overkill for a just spare tire mount.