hey guys, i'm 16 and i just got my 8 a couple months ago and i was wanting to know what would be some good performance mods to start out doing on it that are not too expensive. obviously, i don't know to much about aftermarket upgrades hah. opinions would be greatly appreciated.

thanx in advance.

 

hey roachboy,

there's LOTS of performance mods out there but the question is....what are YOU looking to improve on the RX-8?

acceleration?
suspension?
Do you have an M/T or AT?
How much money do you want to spend? Will you be installing the parts yourself?

There aren't a whole lot of 'performance' mods out there for our car that will significantly increase speed / hp without going Forced Induction (supercharger or turbo)

 

Welcome. Lucky for you, you are not the first person to ask about this. Search around the forum, do some research on the mods you are looking to do and then post some informed questions in the relevant threads. Posting a new thread about what mods to do doesn't really work since it just dilutes the information that is already out there.

Good luck!

 

well, i would like to go for more acceleration. but, if i can't really do anything to get that up without getting a turbo etc, then pretty much anything else to make the car better. a have a 6 speed btw. ranging up to about 1 thousand to spend right now. what exactly would suspension do for me?

 

My advice to people new to modding their car is first sign up for a high performance driving day with a local car club and learn about hp driving with your car. You'll find out the strengths and weaknesses and what you want to get out of it.

Not sure where you are located but most local car clubs set up events that are only ~$100-$200 for an all day event with instructors and exercises to learn your car.

Specifically check out your local porsche club and bmw club they are usually the most active and open to people without those cars.

Around Seattle the Alfa club lets everyone join in since there are about 10 working Alfas left in North America.

 

nice car to have at 16...but i'm only 19 so whatever.

appreciate the car for what it is. this is a driver's car. it doesn't like straight lines too much (which is good because the world isn't straight)

First off, I would get the AFE short shifter. Changes the entire feel of the car. From there, it's your choice. Better throttle response, lightweight flywheel. Stiffer ride, coilovers (maybe even just some Tein Stechs if you want the lowered look). Good noise, catback. And for all of these, there are tons of write ups. good luck.

 

get some DUBS....
or coilovers

 

^^I don't recommend throwing parts on a car until you know what you are after. Those are all nice parts but you will ultimately be disappointed if you spend your money on something that doesn't do what you want.

 

the LAST thing you want to do is to just start slapping "performance" parts on without first knowing what your car is truly capable of.

Do a driving day and THEN ask yourself, "what would I like to improve" Then have fun modding.

 

So many places to begin, naturally I started my Journey on performance, but looking back I think I might enjoy the suspension mods first.

So much to pick from and where start.

If you ever want to talk about it, feel free to email me or send me a pm. I always listen and give my feedback.

I was like you one day, looking at the car and thinking where to begin....trust me the best thing I ever did was buy this car, it is so much fun.

 

what would suspension on this car actually do for me?

i don't know where to start obviously but eventually i'm going to want to mod the whole car .

 

i mean, i already have a few light mods, i bought the map lights and dome lights from rx8strakes.com, and i bought blue led gas gauges, and i bought blue neon for under the car. i just don't know how to install everything but the dome light. i actually figured that out lol.

 

Suspension bolsters the all together meaning of the car (cornering).

It will reduce body roll, stiffen it up when you go over bumps and allow you to corner better. Also brings your car lower to the ground. Depending which route you take (or all). Coilovers+1k+ new, sway set w/ endlinks is usually around $500.. I'd recommend both of those. But ultimately, no one can tell you what to do with your car, you've gotta research it and find out whats best for you.. I chose Exhaust, LED lights, then coilovers, then CF hood, etc etc...

 

I also agree with taking a driving course...exhaust definately gives it a nice tone while driving....(not too much HP gains though) and do the RAM AIR DIY on our stock airbox I def liked that one......but an exhaust will run u about 400 at cheapest up to about 1500 so it really depends on what you want

 

 

Well suspension is good and all if your going to track it , but if its just going to be your daily driver , and probably never going to see track days then theres almost no use for upgrading to coil over IMO. Spend 2k for sorry excuses called turns on the streets? Dont make me laugh , also not to mention the spring rates are much stiffer thus making your car a very bumpy ride. Id say buy a short shifter (will actually make your car more fun to drive) Only a turbo would increase your fun factor other then that , exhaust for noise (if your into that thing) , I am.
So what you're telling me is that the world is gay? Am i right?

 

hahahahahahahahahahahha.... love it.

 

I'm going to disagree. I daily drive my 8 and coilovers have been great to me. I would say suspension is a must. Whether you go with coilovers or a good strut/spring combo is the decision you need to make.

Suspension mods are great for the newbie. There is a bunch of different parts you can tweak with and they are generally inexpensive.

I can't vouch for the AFE short shifter but it's on my list

 

^^ matter of opinion i guess. I think stock set up for street use is fine , i would much rather save that money and use it for a turbo charger , which will actually REALLY do something.

 

...........

 

16, save money for gas, women, and spending money in college. Do some feel good mods like tint, clear corners, LEDs to give your car a distinct look and feel. For performance Id recommend a Short Shifter. All that is well below 1000 dollars and is a great starting point.

I waited damn near 3 years to start modding and it was worth it. By that point I had a clear image in my head of what I wanted my car to be and knew enough about the car and its capabilities to make educated decisions on what to buy. And my 'performance' mods were actually bought for looks with the exception of my midpipe, which I bought because I wanted to spare my cat from failing for a second time.

Take time, research, learn and make the best decisions possible for you.

 

My 2 cents...

Since you really don't know much about the car yet, figure out what you want to do with the car. You already have started with lights (read the owners manual to see how to change bulbs), my assumption is that you want to attract attention, or set the car up for show.

no offense, but being 16 you are an inexperienced driver. Before you start changing the suspension, take a few driving schools to learn the limits of the car how it is. From there you can research suspension part (i.e. spring, struts, coilovers, sway bars, struts towers) to figure out what you want the car to do that you cant stock. the RX8 stock is an excellent machine for handling everyday roads so learn that first.

This is how I would spend $1,000 if I was still in High School:
Catback Exhaust - learn more HERE
Cold Air Intake - THIS is a club favorite

 

Seat time, seat time and then again, seat time!
In this way we won't read on a newspaper about a new patented guy that crashed somewhere because he couldn't handle a car.
Then, after a couple of years, start with what you want.
No offense but i made the mistake of doing some mods before tracking my car and just at the track i felt like "ok, i need to spend other 100000000$ to correct this and that mistake".

 

get the turbonator...
its the best mod i ever did
35whp!!!!