I'm doing some research on possibly going into the business of making some custom parts for the RX8 niche market. What would you guys like to see that isn't currently offered on the market and at what price points? I have a good manufacturer overseas that is currently making aftermarket parts and needs a retailer in the US.

I was thinking something like race car quality carbon fiber body panels (fenders, front lips, spoilers). I know a few people have tried to do this before but didn't have much selection and were REALLY slow about getting parts made and sent out. I'd also like to make sure they conform to SCCA rules etc.

I was also thinking about having lightweight forged wheels that are volk/rays quality/lightness but cheaper. Something like a kosei K1 in price but in more fitments/sizes and forged.

What else would you guys like to see manufactured? I'm basically shooting for near top quality/engineering but not name brand and and therefore a lower cost.

 

*EDIT* are you talking about the S2000 or the 8? You didn't mention anything about the 8 in the topic.

 

RX8 sorry, I copied the post over from the S2000 board. I'm mainly looking at producing stuff for the RX8, S2000 and E36 M3 and possibly the 350Z.

 

Id like a 3 rotor renesis made completely out of superalloys that can rev up to 16k RPM and produce 1,500hp N/A for under $3000.

*sorry, mind wanders when starring at the clock at work,..

 

^ And gets over 30 mpg

 

I'd be interested in a functioning oil pressure gauge that looks exactly like the factory one.

 

^^^ +1 good idea.

also of course light rims

 

I think I will definetely look into functional oil pressure gauge and maybe a pod to mount 2 other gauges with on the dash (water temp, oil temp?). That's one of the first things that I really wanted on my 8 personally.

I'm not looking into making a full turbo kit, greddy already has a pretty cheap offering however good it is I'm not sure. I would be interested in looking into components of a turbo kit such as manifold/downpipe but I don't have the desire to do any software/tuning/fuel.

I'd like to stick to the business of mostly parts fabrication i.e. lightweight wide wheels, cf body panels, a few mechanical items etc.

 

I'd like to see a nice vented hood, with vents down both sides.

Light and cheap so I could swap it out for track use.

S

 

lightweight wheels would be cool

 

I admire your aspirations but from your posts it would seem you really have no clue what you're doing. Especially when it comes to wheels and SCCA rules. Forged wheels and cheap don't even belong in the same sentence. Even the far cheaper process of semi-solid forging is pretty expensive but I believe only one company in the world is licensed to use it. Also, do you know how many companies make guages already? You're acting as if no one makes a oil pressure guages that are compatible with the RX-8. Perhaps a guage pod isn't a bad idea since there don't seem to be a whole lot of options for the RX-8.

Oh, and while you're at it I'd like a full titanium exhaust for under $500. Thanks!

 

I'm pretty sure that for B stock you can run any wheel that's the same diameter/width and +/- 25 offset. For STU you can run any width and a tire up to 275 for RWD. Like I said, I'm still in the brainstorming stages and haven't spoken to the engineers yet. I believe that if I could produce a wheel that was within specs and lighter and stronger (by any manufacturing method) than what's available now for a good price point then people would be interested.

Also I know plenty of people make gauges, but does anyone make a full kit that includes hardware/fittings as well as a gauge pod etc? I'm just trying to get ideas however crazy they might be so I can sit down and narrow things down to see waht is realistic.

A full titanium exhaust for 500 is not.

 

Why do it that way?

It would be better to sell a sensor kit that use the exsisting stock gauges.

Just have them wired up correctly so they are not dummy gauges.

You would sell alot more.

Make oil pressure gauge more sensative, make water temp gauge more for engine temp, not cold, warm, blow up mode.

Etc....

 

An engine that doesnt need to be tested. Oh, and has 250hp out tha box! ;-)

 

Hail resistant inflatable car cover.

 

A full titanium exhaust for $500 is probably more realistic than forged wheels for the price of Koseis... There is a reason why forged wheels are expensive, it's not just because they have some name brand. When I mentioned SCCA rules I was talking about other products you mentioned like CF body parts. Some of them might be legal in some classes, but I'd bet 90%+ of the people that autox the RX-8 and S2K compete in stock or STU.

A full kit of guages that only work with the RX-8 would be silly. Not everyone wants the same guages,versatility is key. Making a better guage pod than those currently available would be a good start, but make it so you can fit the standard size guages in it. A nice shift **** would be a good start and would help you get your feet wet.

I think you need to take baby steps here. Making wheels is not simple, nor is it cheap, and to make good ones you need a far better understanding than you currently have.

 

Probably out of your reach but I would like to see low compression rotors for turbo charging.

 

While I won't disagree that it isn't cheap to make forged wheels I'd also like to point out that you have no idea who my manufacturers are and what they're capable of. As far as body panels I'm still looking into parts that could be stock/stu legal as outlined in 14.2(D) for street touring class.

Regarding the wheels if you have such a strong engineering background then why don't you PM me your thoughts. I don't have to know that much about wheels, I'm not an engineer. I just have to submit my requirements to the engineers/manufacturing and get a yes or no from them. If I wanted to make a shift **** I could find a bunch of monkeys at the local university's art/mechanical engineering program but that doesn't interest me nor is it a profitable business.