I have a huge dilemma on what to buy for mods. Currently I'm waiting to get my tint/clearbra put on (sometime next week). Other than that, I only have front clears done to it. I want an exhaust but eveything sounds too loud for me (had a greddy on my old car, aftermarket exhaust is a big turn off). I would consider the Mazdaspeed because it's super quiet but the tips looks so stock. I wouldnt want to buy any suspension mods yet, just because the car handles so well. Rims...it's almost winter so that's a no-no til next spring. Bodykit/spoiler, looks nice but without rims, that's another no-no. What I really want is the Racing Beat intake or the AEM, but it won't be out for another month or so, and I'm itching to buy some mods. Sorry for being so picky, but that's why I need some of you guys to help me out. :D

 

lol ill give you a penny for the effort

 

once you clear about 2.500 miles, swap out the tranny and diff fluid ~$60-$120 depending on if you do it yourself. Best handling mod for the money is a stiffer front sway bar ($175-$250). You could also replace the stock cat with a high flow unit or run a test pipe with a resonator if your going to do ECU mods.

Intake and exhaust mods made little to no power at this point.

 

Is there a reason to dial in some understeer with the front bar? Do they oversteer a bit, stock?

 

Hi flow cat and power pulleys and you should still have some money left over.

 

HKS is quiet and performs very well. or so I've heard.

 

Not a problem...pledge it all to my install! I'll than include you in the credits!

 

The front bar dials in the steering and reduces some of the body roll. It doesn't make the car understeer more. With only the front bar, your also in the stock class if you auto-x, if you add the rear, then your moved up.

 

hm..I'm thinking about getting mazaspeed sides to replace the side appearance. I've seen some pics, and it look quite decent. Or is it a good idea to buy the mazdaspeed exhaust and replace the tips with 3" tips instead?

 

I'd go for the JIC exhaust instead, it is supposed to be very quiet, almost like OEM. And I'd guess that it produces more power than the Mazdaspeed. I question if the Mazdaspeed catback gives any power.

 

This car reacts different from any car I've ever heard of when one bar is stiffened in relation to the other. Is there a unique way they designed the frame or the rest of the suspension that makes the balance of adhesion not tunable like a race car?

Do you have any idea what their thinking was when they (SCCA, I assume) made up the rule that swapping out the front bar is ok, but swapping the rear bar disqualifies you?

 

ms exhaust is way lighter than the factory one, i think thats the only benefit. Don't go looking for exhaust for more power because unfortunately not a lot can give you the same good results as with other vehicles. I pick the ms because I don't like big tips and its not loud it you like that type of exhaust go for it, but if you're planning to weld bigger tips on it just get a racing beat exhaust or jic.

If I couldve started over again I would invest 1000 on a set of sway bars, I think anyone would agree this is the best for your dollar.

 

:D Lighter Flywheel=Best bang for buck. :D

 

I'm not really sure this rule came from, I have been talking to AlexCisneros, who is one of the moderators in the suspension section and an avid auto-x'r. he was the one who passed this info on to me, but I've you do a search on sway bars you here some pretty rave reviews. I'm going to order the rear next, but MS parts aren't cheap, so I'll start with the front and feel out the changes, and then move to the back. While I auto-x, I don't compete, just do it for fun.

 

The Greddy SP2 is a great exhaust for the RX-8. Honestly, if you can get past the decibel level, an aftermarket exhaust as you know can give you a significant horsepower and torque gain, which can be felt...so its worth it to me. I think the Greddy system is somewhere in the neighborhood of $500-600. Its a great value.

 

I had an greddy evo on my old car, nissan maxima. Man, it got so annoying after 2 years of driving it. But I really want a new exhaust, you guys think it's a good idea to buy the mazdaspeed exhaust and take off their stock-like tips and replacing it with bigger tips? I'm sure it'll look really nice, yet quiet as stock. If not, then I might just buy the RB exhaust.

 

uhh the point of buying a mazdaspeed exhaust is if you disfavor big tips IMHO If you want a quiet exhaust with big tips go for racing beat or jic but please don't weld tips on the ms exhaust if you really want to do that just weld big tips on your oem exhaust save yourself some money.

 

Get a racing beat catback, the tips look the best in my opinion and sounds great.

 

Snow tires. It's something that you can buy for the winter and actual get some pleasure out of it.

 

-Can you make an estimate how lighter it is? I heard that stock is very light too.
-Is the sound exactly the same? Not even a small difference, just to remind you that you have an aftermarket exhaust?

I'd love to have it, but I have second thoughts now that I've seen this: yesterday parked next to a stock S2k (2004 model, a weeks old). The tips on that thing was so HUGE compaired to mine, that I felt like I had a Kia or Hyundai I'm not saying that I liked it. I don't like that kind of exhaust tips, but our stock ones are so small, compaired to a rival car...

p.s. IZoomZoomI, did you get those MS spark plugs you were waiting? Any comments?

 

cobb

 

^+2 Get the COBB

 

umm, four year old thread revival?

 

Yeah you guys realize that this is a 4 year old thread right? I started reading then, and when i came to the part that "it's almost winter" I looked at the date and realized when it was posted...Damn thread revivals.

 

Ditto...haha