Hey guys and gals. I have a question. I am constantly purchasing the accessories for my RX-8. I recently purchased the front air dam and my car is in the auto body shop as we speak getting that part put on, as well as some damage repaired from some idiot hitting my parked car(trust me, I am missing her sooooooooo much; right now I am driving a pontiac G6{HATE IT!!!}). But, the next accessories that I will be getting are the aero flares. Now for those that had them put on after you purchased the car, can I install them myself, or would I have to take my car to the auto body shop to have those put on? I don't really know what you have to do in order to install them, i.e...drill holes in the car, etc....so I was wondering if anyone could give me a heads up before I purchase them. Thanks a lot for all of your continued help.

 

Here's what I found after doing a search for "aero flare install". Some of these give instructions for install. I didn't find an actual DIY for them though. Sound pretty easy from what I've read so far. I'd try it yourself instead of paying someone. I installed the front and rear splash guards instead of the aero flares.


https://www.rx8club.com/search.php?searchid=1301899

 

Thanks for taking the time to search for that for me. I really do appreciate that.

 

No problem Tekk! Were all here for the same reason. I just hope it helps.

 

I have the side flares sitting in a box. I installed the front air dam this weekend; easy enough. But I'm not sure about the side flares. Two issues; not sure I want to put holes in sheetmetal and the potential rust issues (planning on keeping my 8!). I know you got to paint/touch it up once you drill it but its still not perfect. And once they are on, I can never go back to stock.

Yeah I could always replace them with MS side flares but they are too massive IMO. Haven't seen anything better yet.

...what to do ????????

 

Yes, once you get flares there's no going back - there's a huge tab that needs about a 30mm hole cut out of the red part on the bumper.

I used the paper template, but still couldn't get it quite right, guesstimated, tried again - then when I went inside the bumper to secure the back of the tab - I see there is an outline of where the hole SHOULD be, inside! Of course it was still visible because MY hole was elsewhere.....DOH!

So that's my tip, start inside the bumper.

S

 

^I've also read a few posts that because of their location, the aero flares chip easily from rocks etc. Might be worth covering them with some 3M type material to help prevent this.

I personally found the splash guards do a very good job. Might want to consider those as well. Or even install the aero flares with the front splash guards. This may help keep the paint chipping to a minimum. Just an idea.

 

Thanks for the tips.

I may just keep it like yours tigger, front dam and front and rear mud flaps (already have the front). May be the cleanest look.

 

Yeah I was never really a fan of the aero flares. Don't know if you saw this pic or not. You can see them a little better here. I've got the splash guards and the front air dam, that's it.

 

I LOVE the Aero Flares. Personally, I think they give the 8 a much bigger, stealthier look. But I hadn't actually considered the "rock" factor. But I am going to get them anyway. I will come up with some way to prevent that(hopefully).

 

Tiggerlee, I tend to agree. Front air dam and splash guards, the guards even out the bottom lines of the car when viewed from the side. I've seen many Rx8s with just the front air dam, the car looks unbalanced from the side. The splash guards are much cheaper than the aero flares and they are functional. Here's a picture of a VR with the air dam and splash guards. They stand out better on a brighter car than on a black car.

Let me know what you guys think, I might do this on my car once I can afford the front air dam!

 

I got the stainless Steel variety from Howard on eBay they are awesome and took me all of 20 minutes to put on. No problems, easy.

 

Yep! Looks good! Plus your car will stay alot cleaner along the bottom with the splash guards. AND, it helps keep rocks and debris from chipping the already soft Mazda paint.

 

There often seems to be some confusion about the "aero flares". Some refer to the "side aero flares" while others seem to mean the rear flares - or the splash guards that come with the Appearance Package. - which are different than the spalsh guards you can buy separately.

I have put on all of the above - well almost - the front and rear splash guards and the side aero flares.




None of these are mutually exclusive - you can have them all. And you don't have to drill any holes that that make the job irreversible. If you want any special tips, PM me. I'll do my best.

Zoom, Zoom!

 

True. I did not think of that when I responded to his original post. I just assumed he was asking about the side flares. After re-reading it I guess he could have referring to either one.

 

glassetcher, you are the only 8 where I saw the side aero flares combined with the rear mud gaurds, rather than the rear flares.

IMO, it looks way better with the rear mud gaurds, as the rear aero flares don't match the line of the bumper, and look like an after-thought.

Nice!

 

No, I meant the side and the rear flares. Not the splash guards.

 

I installed the side flares on my car myself, but I skipped all the steps that make it irreversible. The only hole I drilled was the screw hole inside the rear wheel well. Other than that, I just slid the things onto the hooks on the bottom (after cutting the original strip), and stuck it on with the body molding tape.

They've been on for about a year now, and aren't showing any signs of weakness. That tape is strong stuff.

 

TEKK8..I put on the aero flares side and rear, I can admit I did have Mazda put them on because 1) my work life is so crazy and after reading the instructions I knew I did not have the time to devote to all this..and the 2nd factor is since Mazda put them on for me ( for a charge of course) they are now covered under warrenty. So they can fly off or whatever and they replace them. I only have the sides and rear, I have my front spolier which was black, already painted by me SS, the look I was going for was the front half of the car to be skinny and the back half look fat and low like the Porsches, I will post pics here, it came out just the way I wanted.

So in short I had someone else do it just based on time and well....bit nervous drilling into a 30k car.

 

So does that mean I can't un-install mine?

 

Thanks for the tip. I think that I am going to have the dealership install mine for me. I just had them install my front air dam and it looks ******* SWEET on my Blue baby. I didn't know that it would be covered under warranty though. Thanks for that little bit of information.

 

I installed mine almost 2 years ago using only one screw (in the wheel-well) and the supplied 3M tape.
I didn't want to drill holes in the sheet-metal either.
It's held tight and I doubt it will come off anytime soon because of the plugs that attach it
to the bottom of the car.
Yes the paint is very "soft" and if I had it to do over, I'd put some sort of clear protective
film on the leading edges.
Good Luck.

 

Ok, now I'm confused. What is the difference between the rear flares and the rear mud guards? I thought they were one in the same. Any pics of both to compare?

 

The rear aero flare can be a mug gaurd, but there is a smaller more rounded mud gaurd too. Check the 8's accessory brochure.

I prefer the side aero flairs with the smaller rear mud gaurd, looks cleaner IMO.

 

The rear splash guards look like this

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...n&key=RX081036.

This is what they look like on my '8.



The rear aero flares come standard with the Appearance Package or can also be purchased separately. They look like this:

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...n&key=RX081004

As you can see, the rear aero flares are considerably more expensive and, as I understand, considerably more difficult to install. Maybe someone who has installed the rear aero flares can post a pic and comment on installation. The rear splash guards were quite easy to install.

Zoom, Zoom!