Hey guys, it's been awhile since I've posted. Havent had a whole heap of time but now I'm back. After following a few threads I've finally decided on what mods I want to put on my 8. Since I'm pretty much a noob to tuning and the rotary I wanna keep it NA for now (plus I'm trying to wait for Mr. Paul's AFSC to come out). Anyway, here's what I'm thinking of doing once I get back to the States. Tell me what you think:

1. Full Mazda Speed suspension upgrade
2. SR motorsports flywheel and heavy duty clutch system
3. SR motorsports Underdrive pulley set
4. REVi intake system
5. Hymee SS Exhaust
6. RP short shifter
7. Pirelli P Zero Nero M+S
8. HP evo 18"

These aren't necessarily in order but it's what I have in mind. Is there anything else that you guys would recommend? Thx for any info that you have. Ooh rah.

 

i say take out the pulley set... cuz they produced little to none hp gains

and maybe rethink doing your whole suspension mazdaspeed unless you're really worried about your warranty...

maybe getting some racingbeat sways? or adjustable coilovers rather then the non adjustable MS ones?

 

I agree, take out the pulleys & go for a hi-flow cat. Also, unless you live in an "all season place go for the Toyo T1R or Falken RT-615 instead of the Pirelli's.

 

I'm not too worried about the warranty but I heard that the MazdaSpeed suspension was a pretty good blend between daily driving and for the track. That's pretty much what I'm looking for since this is will be my daily driver and occasional track warrior when I get back. Is RB a better option??? Fanman I see that you actually have the SR pulleys. I guess since you recommend I ditch them they cant be worth it. Thx for the heads up!!! :p So would the SR hi-flow cat be a good option??? What supercat do you guys recommend? Also, I see that RB just added the CAI to their line up. I want to get this in conjuction with the REVi, is it worth it? Thx for the info guys. Oh BTW, fanman why do you recommend the Toyo T1R and the Falken RT-615 over the Pirelli's. Sorry, still a noob.

 

What's that?

I agree I've heard good things about the RP midpipe but I would not ditch the pullies just yet...I hear good things about that also. No...not so much regarding HP but overall it's a good idea.

But, I'm a noob too regarding mods so take my advice for what it's worth...not much, lol.

 

Mazdaspeed suspension is actually very good, but very $$$. Unless you plan to track quite a bit I would just go for a good set of springs if it is mainly for agressive street driving (JIC, Tein, RB, etc). For $400 for the pullies, they are not worth it. You can get so much more that has proven to give dynoed hp (ala air intake or hi-flow cat or used Canzomer). From what I have read & seen & have the SR Motorsports hi-flow cat & the RP Performance hi-flow cats are very good units.

The reason I recommend the Toyo T1R or Falken RT-615 is their traction properties are far superior to the Pirelli Nero tire. The Pirelli is made to give some good inclement weather handling (wet), but at the cost of all out dry pavement handling. If you live in the Southwest/Southeast or a somewhat dry area the best bet is the 2 tires I mentioned above, and the are cheaper. Check out www.edgeracing.com.

 

Axial Flow Supercharger

 

^:d

 

They are not worth it. The $, the time, or the trouble (trips the CEL when you install them). So much other stuff that is better than the pullies. Pullies on say a big V8 might be different, but hasn't done jack for this car. & I have them. Just relaying my experience take it FWIW. Just trying to be real & not a advocate just because I have a product. If it doesn't work, I will tell you straight up.

 

Thx for the info fanman. Looking at your mod list I see that you have a RB suspension set-up. How do you like it. Is there already a thread on your impressions that I can start reading? I'm stationed in Cali so weather is pretty good most of the year. I'll definitely take a closer look at the tires you recommened. BTW, how hard is it to tune a canzoomer myself. Is it something someone new to tuning can pick up right away or should I let a more experienced tuner handle it. I forgot to add that to my wish list as well. Man, it seems like this list gets longer by the day. Oh well, I love the 8. :D

 

Racing Beat suspension was the best money I ever put in this car. makes steering & handling almost telepathic now. If you are in So. Cal. let me know & you can take a ride in my car.

As for the Canzoomer, it is not for the feint of heart. Personally, I couldn't do it myself. I can do easy stuff like swap out the cat. or exhaust, insert intake, etc. but messing with the A/F ratio & timing is beyond me. I would find a pretty competent mechanic to do it. If you are planning on forced induction down the road, don't get the Canzoomer, as the turbo kits already have something similar to it that controls them (EManage in the Greddy kit).

Flywheel (I have the SR Motorsports unit, though the RB & Unorthodox Racing ones are quite good) is a pretty good addition but installation is a major pain for the improvement. Requires dropping the transmission. No need to get a heavy duty clutch, unless you plan on going to forced induction. In that case do both the clutch & flywheel at the same time so you do not have to drop the transmission twice.

 

Do you have the Koni shocks too? I don't see them listed. I do plan on going to the DarkSide of "FI" as soon as Mr. Paul releases his SC. I read through his whole thread and it has me very interested in the product. From the way he's been received on this board he seems to be pretty reputable to me and knows his stuff. So I have confidence that his AFSC will be killer. Just gotta play the waiting game for now. BTW, I would love to stop by and check out your turbo'd 8. I was hoping I'd get a chance to see one when I get back. I'm based at Camp Pendleton. Right now I don't have an apartment since I gave it up for the deployment so I'm not sure if I'll be staying in Oceanside like I did before but I'll be somewhere within an hour or two of there. Can't give any exact dates on when I'll be back, one due to OPSEC and two just cause we don't even know for sure until 1-2 weeks before hand. But beleive I will be bugging you when I do return. Thx guys and any further info would be greatly appreciated.

 

i think you should get the rp midpipe, i have it and really like it. maybe think about looking into the aem intake

 

hey if your station in pendelton you can stop by and see my car. and ill give you a ride. i live in the miramesa area. so just pm me whe you get back

 

Yeah, I go down to San Diego sometimes as well (my best friend lives down there). One thing to be wary of with the RP midpipe is that it "hangs" a bit without the hangar. Some people have just welded a hangar on it. X-ped (who I met at a canyon drive up here (& a few others) have had that issue. Good, quality piece though. The SR Motorsports unit comes with the hangar, but is quite bit pricier. I do't have the Konis as this is more my daily driver than track car. The handling for me is a bit rough on the LA freeways already (but just about perfect for everyday aggressive driving/canyon carving/occasional track use).

I have the Richard Paul short shifter on my car. It is a quality piece. If he puts as much research & pride into his SC I'm sure it will be a good piece.

Semper Fi ! (Brother was stationed over at Pendleton & lived in Oceanside).

 

If you are going to track your car get springs and konis or some type of coil over. at above 80 mph this car lacks apprpiate damping.
olddragger

 

Hey D1GT-x8 that's great!!! I would love to see how your SFR kit feels. Has it been tuned yet? Well, by the time I get back it should be. Wonder what it feels like to have an 8 that's pushing 280+ at the wheels. That is how much the kit offers right? Hey Fanman, is your brother still active duty? I won't ask if he used to be a Marine, cause once you've gone through the fire you're always a Marine. Hey johnnylee3, do you have the AEM intake? What are your impressions? I know the REVi will be a good piece but I haven't researched the AEM yet. I guess I got some thread searching to do. How much of an advantage is the RP midpipe over the stock unit. It's not too loud is it. I'd like a nice aggressive tone but nothing ridiculous. What did you do to rectify the hanging issue that Fanman is talking about? Or is it even a problem? Thx for the info guys. Keep it coming if you have something to contribute. You know what they say "it takes a village to raise an RX-8"...lol :p

 

Brother is in the CHP now. He got out as a Major. he was a "hog" (Huey) driver. Action he saw was the Marine extraction in Somalia. Scary stuff. He has pictures of bullet holes in his chopper from the Somali "technicals. Also served in Okinawa. Home base was Pendleton.

The AEM & REVi units will not work on an FI car. Completely different system (one goes right into the intak, the other breaks left & goes into the turbo).

I would highly advise you NOT to get a midpipe if you are going turbo. Some of us have gotten backfire problems when running the turbo & midpipe. Some have not. It would give you some extra hp, but I don't think anybody has ever done a before/after comparison.

Do you realize, if you get a ride in D1GT-x8 & my car, you will probably be one of the only/few that have driven tuned SFR & Greddy cars.

 

Ah...thanks!

Thanks...so far 1 nay and 1 yay...for pullies, thanks for the tip.

 

^^^ who said yay for the pullies?

I've heard that they were worthless and pointless for our 8. And i would put this on the top of my to-do list, but rather have airflow items such as exhaust or intake or suspension items on top of my list.

 

Wow, I guess the pullies really are useless then. You know what Fanman, I never thought of it that way. It would be great to be one of the few to experience both kits. If I do I'll definetly give my impressions on both to the forum. Now, I'm really excited to come home. You guys are great!!! BTW, IRT the midpipe. Will I still have backfire issues with a SC just like with a TC? If there is already a thread started on something like this or if someone has some suggested reading please give me a link or something. Also, since I do want to put in the AFSC is there any prep work that I'll need to do to the engine? Are there any gauges or valves or things that I'll need to buy like with a turbo? I've never had a TC'd or SC'd car before. My other 3 cars were complete junkers and this is my first new car so I'm still learning :o .

 

No one knows too much about the SC kit at it isn't really out. Maybe Richard could shed some light on it. My mechanic is near his shop. next time I put stuff in my car & will pop in & talk to him. SC's just like TC's need boost & temp. gauges.

 

whats the difference in gains between a high flow cat and a cat-back exhaust... both are in the same price ballpark - does one give better gains then another or do they both give next to nothing?

 

High flow cat will give you better gains.

 

thats seems to be what racing beat claims if you want to believe their numbers... catback is costing you 4hp while the cat is costing you 8hp.

i wonders what the SR cat would sound like with the stock exhaust...