Okay I've read through the forums, found some stuff from 05' on shock/strut advise but wondering "currently" what is the best aftermarket suspension kit for an 04' RX8? I just got mine and I'm sure it's all stock (48k miles) but the car rides worse than a wooden rollercoaster! I feel ever little nook and cranny in the road! Not wanting to lower it or anything just want the most comfortable ride for the price....

suggestions?

 

buy another car. Any suspension you buy aftermarket wont make your ride any more "comfortable"... if you want a comfortable ride, buy a Buick.

 

If you wanted a silky smooth ride you should have bought a Cadillac. My ride has over 96k on it with Mazdaspeed shocks and Tein springs and it runs smooth on smooth pavement but you definitely feel the bumps on shitty roads.

 

These Tein coilovers http://www.tein.com/products/comfort_sport.html might (can't guarantee) help, but you did buy a sports car, it's the nature of the beast. Every single sports car I've ever ridden in makes you feel the bumps and subtle nuances in the road. It's to keep you more connected to it and supposed to help you anticipate the changes.

If you wanted a luxury cruiser you should have gotten something else.

 

Sportscars are about feeling the road. But my '05 Shinka, with its Tokico suspension, is also a pretty nice grand touring machine, so it is possible to have both. Tires, as an integral part of the suspension system, make allot of difference as well ('where the rubber meets the road'). However, there's only so much you can smooth out poor roads in a sportscar.

You may therefore want to look at the Tokico-D adjustable shocks and all season tires (Michelin being arguably the best GT). 'course that flies in the face of your 'affordable' constraint.

 

cool thanks man. Yea I'm well aware of how "sports cars" ride, I just came out of an 04' Tiburon but the RX8 is a rougher ride. Just looking for some aftermarket alternatives is all....

 

i think you are confusing "rougher" with "doesnt ride like a cadillac."

 

you got a sports car its gonna be hard!

 

Asphalt = good; concrete = bad

 

Tiburon isnt a sports car...

In any case,

I think the RX8 has the smoothest ride possible for a sports car.
Its not cadilac... loose, but its damn smooth for the performance.

 

I'm getting a set of Tein Basics... you can usually get them for around $700. It will make the car ride stiffer, but I don't really care about ride comfort... if I did, I would've bought a Bimmer or something.

Btw, almost every car magazine has said the RX-8 has the best damping out of any car in the class hands down. It's very livable as far as cheap sports cars go. Go try a 350Z and get back to us.

 

touche'....correction "sports-coupe"

so basically are the Tokico-D shocks worth the $$? I mean how much smoother of a ride am I gona get vs. OEM shocks/struts? I just don't wanna shell out over $500 if there's honestly not much difference

 

First of, this is probably the best handling car you can buy with comfort. Tiburon..... please, Rx8 track ready stock, even daily driving and you want better suspension parts. What are you willing to spend. You obviously glanced at older forums and did not follow up with the later ones. You might end up lowering when it is all said and done. Buy coilovers but if you cannot afford those then buy springs/shocks and if you cannot afford those then buy springs. Throw in some sways while you're at it. Can someone else chime in and give a bit more info in detail about rx8 suspension compared to others, otherwise you might want to search more and where did you buy your car from and are you sure nothing is wrong with it because you described it as being a bad setup for daily driving basically and if you want a aftermarket suspension setup then it probably won't get any smoother unless you are on a very smooth road. Trust me very smooth roads+rx8's= amazing comfort.

 

yea I live in Dallas so basically toll roads=smooth roads, anything else is like riding in a wooden rollercoaster. I'm just looking at whatever the best option is for strictly road bumps/noise....the car handles perfectly just want the most comfortable shock/strut/etc. option for the RX-8 for a smoother ride. I'm well aware it's a sports car and it's only gona get so good lol

 

Your Hyundai wasn't even a sports car, its a cheap coupe sports car wannabe.

If stock is rough for you, there is almost nothing out there gives you better ride.

I THINK HKS makes some "softer" than stock coilovers or was it TEIN? forgot, but when you go "softer", it also means you're giving up performance. keep that in mind. Its one or the other, you can't have both.

 

I do not recall the OE spring rates but tein h-tech are considered soft (F: 179 R: 129).

 

Stock.... it comes with the car..

 

Stick with stock. Aftermarket will generally make the car more sporty, not less.

Maybe change to a set of tires with softer sidewalls?

 

Not a sports coupe either.

 

Hmm. I'm not convinced there isn't something wrong with your setup. It shouldn't really be harsh stock. You may want to get it up on a lift and see if the sway bars have been swapped out or the shocks. That may have been the case. Either way you may just be due for shocks.

To be sure I would go to a dealer and test drive an 04-08 model and see if it's similar to yours before assuming your current setup is stock or working correctly.

 

The h tech's a bit higher spring rate than stock, it does not make the ride smoother. Would not be a good choice, that's what I have and it's no smoother of a ride. I just wish they went lower.

 

I agree .
Measure the diameter of your springs and take a pic . We should be able to tell you if it is stock or not .

 

I don't think rx8s ride terrible It's a sports car. When I got fatter rims it rode a little better, but thats it.

 

rides rough because the spring rate and shock rebound are set high on sports cars for stiffer more firm handling..wasn't built for straight comfort. wurd. I personaly think it rides very well.

i'm going with tein.

 

you know someone is a serious enthusiast when they buy a sports car with a stock setup already softer then most of the competition and then complain and try to get it even softer.


The stock rx8 is probly the best setup I have ever driven in terms of comfort/ride quality/stiffness/precision/responsiveness. Why in the hell would you go softer? (Unless you are going rallying or something , which opens up another subject that maybe hasn't been talked about much...)