I'm glad I posted this, there are some really good ideas here. Thanks guys.

Piano black B-pillar accents are a must, I'm definitely doing that. I've always hated the matte look of the stock pillars, they just don't fit the car. I LOVE this idea, subtle but oh what a difference.

Rotary accents, yes. Seems naked without them.

Clear corners, yes. I don't hate the orange ones, but clear does look better.

Oil cooler covers, yes, I want them and not just for looks. I have fog lights so it will be a pain, but I'm nervous about damage and I inspect them all the time for rock hits. I'll feel like an idiot if one gets taken out by a rock.

I'm also liking these: http://www.rx8strakes.com/index.asp?...ROD&ProdID=194

And I also like these: http://www.rx8strakes.com/index.asp?...PROD&ProdID=70 They're just stock gills with clear coat, subtle but a nice improvement. No strakes, I'm not a fan of them.

I have an '07 sport with the performance package, no appearance package. I don't care for the whole appearance package but I do like the painted front air dam. My car is Galaxy Grey and the unpainted one doesn't look nearly as bad as it does on some other colors, but still, painted does look better. Considering it.

No spoiler ever, I hate them. My old Protege had one, I never liked it but the dealer had put it on and it was a good deal otherwise. It just made the trunk lid fall on my head, I hated the look, and the clear coat on the spoiler was the first thing to go. I'm not going there.

Oh, and lowering and side skirts are out of the question due to my driveway (https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...craping+bottom)

I also want the short shifter and an AccessPort. And an iPod adapter.

I'm considering tint as well, but I don't know, I had the rear defroster bubble issue on my old car and I don't want that again.

Hmmm, maybe I've caught the modding bug after all...

 

I just love the stock rear look. Front, I'd change. Everything else is pretty fine.

 

Sorry, but the stock RX8 is a bit ugly. Luckily I could see beyond the ugly duckling and was able to turn it in to a beautiful swan. Some cars look better stock, but most need the after market items to enhance the look enough to make it attractive to me.

 

^^
You still pretty much have a stock exterior (including appearance package, wheels, tint, etc). Sure you might have stickers and a CF hood, but it is still pretty much stock.

 

I agree about the stock look the MS front bumper and side sills is the most Id do I dont really like the MS rear bumper vs stock. Or possibly just get the factory appearance package lower front lip. The rims are nice imo I always buy 5 spokers anyway and these are forged stock which I really cant afford to buy aftermarket (forged) so why replace stockers w/ inferior cast pieces imo.

 

By stock - I think we all assume the manual trans models with the 18" rims. The 16" rims standard on the base AT are FUGLY.

 

the whole car looks like its missing something without a lip. IMHO

 

The car looks really good stock w/OE lip, clears, dropped and aggressive wheels. There are a few great examples on the board.

Like most things it is all about execution. Some highly modded cars look like crap. But then the ones done right look incredible and definitely take the 8 to the next level.

 

^ execution and attention to detail, but no on clears for me.. well on a VR imo

 

I like the looks of aftermarket body kits and all, but I would hate to be mistaken for a high scool kid.

I'm never entering the tuning scene, ever.

Okay, maybe unless I own a super car, otherwise any car of mine will be staying stock, not going to risk laughters from people and work associates that don't care about cars (that would be the majority of general masses) and think my 30K sports car is a used Honda a teenager had souped up.

Call me vain I guess...

 

It is all about what you like and not what others think. Yes it is cool when others agree with the style you have chosen but at the end of the day you have to live with it.

If you are that concerned with how others feel about your outward appearance then be sure to buy the clothes they wear and a house in their neighborhood. Do any of them own an RX-8? If not then you better trade it in for what ever they deemed acceptable.

 

I have to agree.


I would tend to think that 99% of RX-8 owners are "different" anyway and not too concenred with mass appeal.

 

I agree. Who gives a rats a$$ what other people think of YOUR car.

 

If I was to put a body kit, it would be the MS kit for sure. Nothing else other than the stock appearence package. Right now I only have accents, which look pretty good too

 

I think that the RX8 in general is a car for people who care more about what they themselves like rather than what other people think. We all know it - this is a "different" car. It is definitely not mainstream (Mustang GT, 350Z, etc.). We own it because we like it, not because of its mass appeal or seeking superficial validation by the unwashed masses. So, we each do with our cars as we like, have them the way we like them, and the he!! with what anyone else thinks. There is no "right" or "wrong" with appearances, whatever floats your boat is good.

As for me personally, I have always preferred the clean, unadorned, classic look. I have never liked the looks of spoilers, sills, etc. (but them, at 50, I'm "older", and go more for the classics). I have often walked away from buying cars because I didn't want the spoilers and add-ons they had. I always preferred the unadulterated look of the basic car itself to let the inherent design shine through.

Except with the RX8. This is the first (and only) car of the 100 I have owned where I actually prefer the factory appearance kit (sills, dam) and rear spoiler. To me, the RX8 somehow looks naked without them. To my eyes, the RX8's styling is very aggressive and dramatic - this is not a "classically" styled car. I see it as very much coming from the Japanese anime school of design - exaggerated, embellished with styling cues, almost larger than life from a styling (though of course not size) perspective. This is not a "conventionally" styled car, which is in keeping with the unconventional mechanics (wankel). The sills, dam, and rear spoiler to my eyes accentuate that dramatic "anime" look - vivid, striking, and extraordinary.

This is my second RX8, and I actually added the appearance group and spoiler to it to complete the whole look (first time in my life I have added those things to a car, usually I look for ways to get them off).

 

i prefer stock look for any car. i just dont like stock ride height and wheels. i think the reason why i like stock look is the person who designed the car. i like to stay close to the design that the designer laid out. now i do like body kits , but i like them on other pp's car.

 

i don't really like the look of the "smile" that the front of the 8 gives off. that and i felt it needed a little weight to the back trunk so the lip spoiler was just the touch. the stock wheels are fine and depending on color, even clear corners aren't a "must have". i've made a few minor changes to mine but the biggest issue for me was the front.

 

I have to agree about the "smile". But the factory lip I think helps that a lot. Looking from the side of the car stock the front end seems to have a sharp ending to it.

 

hmm, i'm quite confused about B-pillar appliques

for example these two b-pillars,
http://www.rx8strakes.com/index.asp?...ROD&ProdID=316
http://www.rx8strakes.com/index.asp?...ROD&ProdID=211

they seem like the same thing, but their price difference is ridiculous, makes me feel like the cheaper applique is just a sticker of some sort...
are they different or just cuz ones OEM??

 

I'm pretty happy with the near stock look. An attractively styled automobile is not the result of a few appearance mods. The car inevitably stands out by itself ... The apperance pkg - that's ok, and nice wheels & a good drop are a must, some spoilers are nice. The real MS spoiler or the European lip spoiler, that's fine.

After 6 yrs stock; the car still looks amazing to me (don't you park, then lookback at your 8 and say "Gosh that's a hot looking car!"? Still, there IS something too busy w/the back-side rear view, that's the car's worst angle. There are too many design elements, too fussy, all the logos....just could be cleaner w/less branding.

 

i want mine to be stock
but have the appearance package, get some coilovers and different wheels, clear corners and my oil cooler guards + rotary accents

on the inside hmm different story with the radio haha i want it gone and a touchscreen in its place

hmmm where will the money come from......

 

you guys are crazy not liking the stock look, i dont buy anything if i dont like it from the first place

 

I agree .
I just managed to get hold of a new bumper with the painted lip attached and was wondering if there was anything I could do to tone down the "smile" before fitting it ?

wondering about leaving off the plastic grill and exposing my intercooler ?

 

Take out the grill and paint it to match the car maybe? If you dont like it then you could run without the grille.

 

You'll find a pigeon stuck to your intercooler within a week. Murphy's law.