wow, so +20whp just from tuning. so a gain of 25whp with a midpipe shouldn't be unreasonable...

 

+20whp is only if your car is in the >170whp range stock.

dont think if your car came with 185whp you can tune it and expect to add 20whp. more like 5-10whp then.

its all about how off it is from the factory. if its not that off, the gains wont be that large.

 

First, I apologize as I'm coming into this thread late but I wanted to throw in my own 2 cents having spend several thousands in upgrades on my own RX8. I'm very familiar with the buying process (and now the selling process via BHR).

I quoted renesis above because I found this, of all the comments made, to be the most useful when it comes to purchasing mods. Even more so with suspension modifications. However, the argument that you see little to no performance gains from upgrades to factory points is nonsense and I'll explain why.

First, my suggestion to the OP regarding where to spend you cash.

Brakes and Suspension are high on my list of things to do first for a few reasons. First, "power" mods like intakes, exhausts etc. do very little for the RX8 and only serve to drain your wallet. Suspension and brakes home in on the strong points of the RX8 while also being things you can enjoy every time you drive the car. More confident turning and braking means more fun!

However, suspension upgrades bring about an increased level of responsibility. By that, I mean that you have to make some decisions regarding how you want your car to handle. Also some people try to throw LOTS of money and end up with more problems. This mostly happens with coilover purchases.

People purchase coilovers cause they are told that's the best way to go. I made this mistake mostly cause I got the deal of a lifetime on my set of ksports. Now, I love my ksport suspension but I only love it cause it's taken me over a year to properly adjust it. Pre-load, height, damping adjustments, spring rate etc. If these terms are foreign to you then avoid coilovers till you understand them.

At this point in time, the best handling mod you can give yourself over stock would be a new set of sticky tires and some upgraded brake pads like HAWK HPS pads. The stock tires are terrible on the RX8 and you can quickly out pace your traction.

Now, that aside, here's something else to consider.

I believe that every RX8 owner should have an AccessPORT for various obvious reasons. The AP has a wealth of features which will help your engine last longer as well as remove some of the factory nonsense that gets in the way (emissions, useless CEL's etc.) Plus, tuning services are included with the AP to give you a little bit of a power increase.

I'd suggest reading up on issues with the RX8 stock ignition system and deciding if an upgrade is something you want to invest in as well.

Some people have suggested a mid-pipe which is a good call. If all the "power" mods this would be one that would work well with the AP.

Here are a few things to stay away from:

1. Don't buy an aftermarket intake. Short ram intakes are cheaper but they rob you of performance cause of increases in intake air temperatures. Cold air intakes are more expensive but the stock intake already pulls cold air into the car.

If anything, buy yourself a drop in K&N or green filter.

2. I wouldn't suggest buying wheels cause good wheels will eat your entire budget. Once you figure out what you want to do with the car you'll know what wheels to look for.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Smaller items that are less expensive that are fun would be an Axial flow short shifter...I love mine after 3 years of having one.

Bottom line is some modifications have lots of responsibility behind them and without that understanding you can sometimes make things worse. In time with reading and researching you'll understand how it all fits together.

I'm always reachable via PM if anyone has questions or cares about my 2 cents regarding upgrades!

 

Sorry for the double post but I couldn't quite pass this one up. This statement is in the same grouping as me saying that for the cost of an RX8 I could make a Dodge Neon outrun a Viper on the drag strip. So, therefore, a dodge viper is a terrible drag racing car.

Just because there are cars out there that might do it faster or cheaper doesn't mean the RX8 is a terrible track car. There's a reason why the RX8 is used in the Koni challange Grand Am races. There's a reason why the RX8 dominates stock classes of autocross.

I believe the RX8 makes a great track car for the same reasons its a great street car. Driver and car communication is great, balance is great and the fun factor is off the charts. At the end of the day it comes down to the driver to make the elements of the car come together.

I love telling the story of when Easy_E1 smoked an R32 skyline at Firebird on the west track. That skyline technically was a faster car but the driver couldn't get it together. I, myself, at my last DE event had a Corvette driver ask me if he was getting in my way during our download.

MazdaManiac made mince meat out of a Skyline R35 driver at his previous track day. Granted he's turbocharged but still down about 150 WHP.

The RX8 has vast abilities for the race track. Don't let anyone sell your car short.

...And Renesis...the only reason you probably thought autocross was lame was cause you were not very good at it. I admit I'm not as crazy into autocross as some people here in Phoenix but I can take an *** whoopin without calling it lame.

 

i agree with a lot of what you said. hawk hps pads are good, i love mine. my next brake pads will probably be hawk ceramics though. tires are a big thing, you ride on them all the time. i love my toyo t1rs.

my axial flow short shifter and fluid motorsports clutch bracket are 2 more things you use all the time and i love both of mine. made shifting very enjoyable.

that said, a turboxs headerback exhaust is only $500 and its a 10whp gain. at least. and lets face it, the rx8 needs any hp gains it can get.

 

Thats Easy 1.................... an Audi A4