first of all, i'm new here, my name is James. nice to meet all of you

I have just a few questions regarding the 8's suspension. You may think that my questions are somewhat stupid..well..thats because they probably are to you! i am completely new to the adj. coilover or any other kind of CAR suspension for that matter. i've always had a bagged truck, just spindles, bags, air, no biggy. so bear with me, please.

i am going to be picking up my 8 in a few days and one of the first things i want to do is lower the car(imagine that) after the new rims. i have been looking around on here trying to find the answers i need. but can never find a straight foward answer.

i see that you can lower an 8, 2 inches before throwing off camber so badly that you need a camber kit. so i want to go the full 2 inches, for me the lower the better(since i used to lay body in a sonoma)

i have looked at adjustable coilover setups and just your everyday lowering springs. from my experience with trucks atleast, just lowering springs make ride quality..well..not so great. but cars are probably different. my questions are:


I do not do any drifting, or any type of racing on a track. would an adjustable coilover system be right for me just for everyday driving around the city?


if so, would These be ok to get? those are what i had orginally planned on in the begining if something like this would be right for me(and of course MS F/R sway bars for a side order of stiffness)

in the end i want to be able to lower the car, keep it as close as possible with stock ride quality(but at the same time enhancing the rides overall handling and looks)i'm sure you know what i mean

i dont mind a litte choppy, but i dont want to jar my teeth out of my head at every speed bump either.

if its $3 or $3000, if you think its what i need, point me to it. i almost feel as if i am forgetting an important question that i was going to ask. but i think this will pretty much cover my suspension issues. thanks to anyone who responds! SORRY FOR THE BOOK!

-James

 

Whether or not a coilover takes away from ride quality depends on the spring rate. Some can be kidney bruising, while others can be right in line with stock rates. And as long as the rest of the suspension and chassis are taken care of, stiffer doesn't necessarilly mean harsher. In some cases, coilovers actually improve ride over simple spring replacements.

---jps

 

Coilovers, including the JIC FLT-A2s, allow you to adjust the stiffness (on the fly) to some degree and allow you to lower the amount you want. Most springs I've looked at will give you .5 to 1 inch drop (some of which allow you to keep the stock shocks, AFAIK). You'd have to cut the springs and get new shocks if you wanted to use springs instead of coilovers. I plan on getting coilovers because it is an all-in-all better solution (but it costs a hell of a lot more). I, in fact, plan to get the JIC FLT-A2s. I've heard only good about them.

But do you need a camber adjustment kit to drop lower than 2 inches? I was under the impression that dropping at all made the camber change, and that could be fixed with an alignment. Does 2 inches go beyond what the stock system can adjust for? I've never read that 2 inches is too much. If anyone can add any insight to this question, I'd be interested in hearing it.

 

from what i have read on other posts, the 8 has enough positive camber from the factory to make up for the negative camber lowering it would cause(or so i have read)

on other posts i read that you can lower 2 inches before it throws off the camber so bad that you need a correction kit. it WILL give negative camber, but not so bad that you will eat through tires like crazy(again i have only read that, thats why i ask again)

i dont know for sure, its just what i have read from previous posts.

i also plan on getting the JIC FLT-A2s, it says that it allows the user to lower from .5 of an inch to 3 inches. 3 inches will be a little much i think, 2 is what i am shooting for myself depending. i'll gladly pay $1,600 for that setup if it will work for my normal everyday driving. especially since i can set the dampening and height of the car to my likes.

i've spent more on less haha.

the JIC FLT-A2s also have: to help with camber. all in all the FLT's sound like what i want

 

the built in adjustment they are referring to is simply a couple of slotted holes in the lower strut mounts - almost ALL aftermarket MacPherson struts come like that.

between the mount adjustment and factory camber cams there shouldn't be a problem getting the FLT's back into alignment even at the full 3" drop.

now, when it comes to getting your alignment done make sure that the shop you have it done at is propperly equiped and their machines are updated to current 04 model years. the alignment on the 8 depends on the vehicle's ride height moreso than most other cars.

Ray

 

Why are you considering coilovers? Sure, JIC makes really nice looking suspension parts, but rest assured you're going to hate the ride. Coilovers offer a harsh ride over the street. I can't even imagine passing over the rickety train tracks to get to my house wearing JIC coilovers. I suggest you find more information on the RX-8 suspension before considering spending $1,300+ on something you might regret. Good luck bro .

 

its either coilovers or springs isnt it? from my experience with every vehicle that i have ever lowered with springs the ride plain out SUCKS afterwards. i just figured coilovers would provide me with enough options in the way my car rides and handles that i can tweak it to where i like it. with springs, its only a 1 way thing. thats why i ask in my first question if coilvers or springs is what i need for everyday normal driving

 

That's a bit misleading. The JIC coil-overs are available in two different spring rates 8kg/5kg or 10kg/7kg. I have the softer of the two and the ride is softer than stock when there is no pre-load on the springs.

I'm not into that type of cushiony ride so I added a little pre-load and adjusted the damping rates to suit my driving style. With coil-overs you are paying for the adjustability and if you are picky about how the car feels you may want to spend the extra money on them so that you can get the car dialed in to your liking.

 

If you go to coilovers, there are several companies that make springs of any rate you need. Carrera makes springs in quite a few different diameters, I don't know the diameter of the coilovers in question, and come in rates varying by 5 to 10 lbs/inch rates and multiple lengths. With coilovers that have a long threaded area, you can use short, stiff springs, long soft springs or any place in between and have the adjustment to find the compromise between the wheel rate and ride you prefer. Just don't think you're gonna find that compromise with two sets.
Also don't buy coilovers without adjustable damping, as this also affects both ride and handling.
So now, you're adding about 1.4 million variables to your car!! Good adjustables have multiple adjustments for bump, rebound, internal valving and an almost unlimited number of spring rates and styles! Times four wheels, as they are all independently adjustable!
Good luck!

 

James the jic fla-2 shocks are an excellant choice, I have them on my 8 and I think their great. The softer spring pack with the shocks set at their softest setting gives a slightly rougher ride than stock, but not much. Set them all the way stiff and you better put in a mouth peice, so their is a lot of adjustement to satisfy any drivers preferance. Also the 8 has about 1/4 degree negative camber in the front stock, and about 1/2 degree neg. camber in the rear stock. I dropped mine 2" in the front and 1 3/4" in the rear wich gave me about 2 1/4 degrees neg rear and 2 deg neg front camber, this can be adjusted out with an alignment.

 

Got pics Jeff?