Hello ,

I have bought an Rx-8 ( 6 speed 03/04 ) and i will be preparing it for the autocross which starts in Feb , I have read this forum a little and learnt alot about things but still would appreciate some feedback and some opinions regarding my upgrades.

Since Autocross is all about handling i am starting with handling and than move to Power.

Suspension :

I was thinking about getting the Eibach Coil overs and Sway bars but since the D2 coil overs are cheaper , i was wondering if its worth going for Eibach ( i know it would perform better but the cost is more than 2 times ) A friend of mine got the Eibach sway bars and lowering springs and is using the keno shocks but i doubt they perform better than coil overs... !
i am also thinking of getting the Bushing for front and back control arms and camber kit for negative tyres.

Tyres :

I will be using Hoosier Slicks. ( most probably 285 at the back and 245 at front 18 inchs )

Strut Bars :

I normally heard that strut bars are only needed if i am going high speed but since autorcross would only be the game of 2nd and minimal 3rd , i dont see the use of strut bar but do correct me if i am wrong..

Intake/Headers/Exhaust :

The intake would be either cyclone or typhoon , exhaust would be Greddy or something which u guys suggest. Headers are up to you guys to help me out with.

Underdrive Pulley :

I will be getting that also as it seems it helps to bring the load of engine and thus gives more power.

Ignition Coils:

Somebody told me to get those but i am not sure if they help my engine in a long run or would they help me in racing in any way.... please help

Lsd :

there are some lsds available for the Rx 8 but they are pretty expensive , i know lsd will help alot when it comes to Drag or Race but will help me alot in Autocrossing ? the lsds are for like 1200 $ + so it makes me think if it worth it even knowing that less spin will help my launch and it might help me in cornering while speeding but what do you ppl suggest , a person who used it would help loads.

Clutch/Flywheel :

i am getting a Clutch and Flywheel as well.

Brakes :

Getting the whole Brembo brakes/Ksport cost like more than 1500 $ so i decided to get Rotors and Brake pads instead its only for autocross.

I throttle :

I use i throttle in other car but the Rx-8 i throttle seems expensive like 400 $ and i was wondering if it will help me in autocross or not as end of the day it only increases my paddle resistance..... any help is much appreciated.

Bigger Radiator :

I also will be getting a bigger radiator for better cooling and any advice would be much appreciated in this matter.


Thats what i think should get to prepare my Rx-8 but your input can help me either buy or completely drop that item for good if its not worth for the Racing Format i would be using the car for. Again Thanks alot for helping and i would be really looking forward to buy the items which you suggest and recommend .

thanks

//L

 

A bunch of mods you listed are actually downgrades from stock.
You didn't even say in what class you're willing to compete, that's the most important thing.

 

hmm downgrades... thats new , didnt knew if anything would downgrade from stock .... well i am competing against Rx-8/Tyre-Rs/Euro-Rs/350z etc.

 

In what class are you running?

D2 are worse than stock. Typhoon intake is worse than stock. A big brake kit can also be a downgrade from stock, depending on the circumstances.

See the rulebook for your class and determine what mods are class-legal. After that somebody will either help you or tell you to search

 

Why not just run it stock in the C stock class? Im no autocross expert, I just started this year, but that list of mods will put you in BSP I think. Without a huge upgrade in power and torque you wont stand a chance.

 

there are couple of ppl using D2s and they working good for them and those are coilovers i am talking about .

The category i am taking part is prepared and i can put anything i want as long as its not a engine Swap.

The intake is option , there is cyclone also and than there is Weapon R Dragon as well , i am open for suggestion and recommendation like i said before.

 

D2 = Crap.
I had them. Each individual coilover had a different dyno and the adjustment doesn't do much. Oh well, it does something... different again from click to click and from shock to shock.
They are crap. They overheat under heavy use etc etc etc.

The only intake that may be worth a shot, for weight reduction mostly, is the AEM\Mazdaspeed one.

You're all over your head.

 

This guy is right. Have you even autocrossed the car stock? This car is amazing stock. Only thing I could really recommend is some nice tires. Where I autocross we generally don't hit over 50 mph and if we do it's only for a few seconds. Autocrossing is not so much about the upgrades as it is the driver. Anybody who autocrosses will tell you that. You need to learn the car and learn it well. Then when you really know the car you should know where you need the upgrades. Myself I have always raced my cars stock. You can be very competitive with a stock car.

 

thanks for the input guys but i am only seeking advice here , i havnt bought anything and the whole reason for the post is to get input on the items , i thank u for your input ometta and bse50.

i do understand that running on stock the rx8 does perform good but i have seen it run better with sway bars installed , or coil overs installed , if i have the option why shouldnt i go for them as the others will bring everything they can and the above things only compliment more to my driving skills. The other things that i posted are yet to be seen in any rx 8 here , thats the reason i am asking about them here before thinking of buying them and i welcome more advice like bse50 ( regarding d2s ) along with reason to make things easier to understand.

Again thanks guys and i hope more ppl come to shed some light on things.



Edit : Talking about Eibach Sway Bars and Coilovers here , the stock sway bars are thin and eibach definately reduce body roll further.

 

The sway bars will help a little bit but I doubt you will feel a real noticeable difference. Good coilovers will help as well as long as you drop the car to the ground. My advice would be to

1. Good set of tires
2. Sway bars front and rear
3. Coilovers

 

I would even value a lot of seat time and driver tuition above what Ometta said.

For a beginner a set of non adjustable shocks is even better than coilovers, less room for tuning mistake.

 

Mods in order of importance.

1. Driver
2. Tires
3. Driver
4. Driver
5.........

 

I already told him seat time but he still wants to mod the car so I gave him the advice he wanted.

 

i will give it seat time , since i said that the race is in Feb , i got like 2 + months to have a feel of the car but at the same time i would thinking about the upgrades , i have used coil overs and sway bars in my previous racing car and i know they will be very helpful indeed , it was the other things which i was wondering and needed help with.

thanks for the advice again and i really appreciate your help , the things you priortized will be taken care of 1st as well and others can recommend me other things according to their experiences.

 

Make sure you check the autocross rules before you buy. When I was autocrossing my MX-5, it was easy to add stuff to your car that would suddenly bump it up into a tougher class to compete in.

 

A stock Rx8 with a skilled driver at the wheel is a very impressive thing. My friend Adam auto-crosses a Honda Fit, and embarrasses the hell out of EVERYONE else on the track, Evos, Stis, lotus, etc. Anytime I start talking about modding my car, he takes my car out for a lap and, whereas he was beating everyone else in the Fit, destroys them in the 8. I mean 10-15 seconds off of my time. Modifying the car prior to having pushed it to its limits in stock form is really doing yourself a disservice. Mods may lower your lap times but they wont make you a better driver.

Ok, now that I am done with the soapbox, if you are going to mod something, I would suggest a fixed back bucket seat. I have a 32 inch waist, and the stock seat doesnt hold me for ****. The rx8 can turn is fast as hell, but if your holding yourself upright by the center console your not going to be able to push it really far. That and your neck will not like you very much. I have a Sparco Sprint in my car, and nothing makes my day like sitting back into the seat and taking a corner at 70 mph.

 

you are clearly wasting your time regardless, just sayin' ....

 

thanks Sephitrask , i completely agree with you , i missed that and will write it down in my list of things.

the category i am going in is a prepared one so i wont bump up any further , i cant go in stock category because my brother drives a car in that category and we dont want to go against each other.

 

Nothing beats seat time... Get a baseline feel for the car before upgrading, see/feel what needs improvements. You maybe upgrading things you don't even need, the rx8 is a great autocross car stock. I'd say learn more about your driving style and your car before investing in mods, you'll get more out of that (faster times) in the long run. Its nice to have mods but pointless if you don't know how to utilize them.

1. seat time
2. good tires
3. race seat (especially if you have leather, otherwise you'll slide all over the place through corners)
4. everything else (suspension, brakes, power mods)

Also enjoy yourself , and try not to get lost in the sea of cones.

 

No it us now the C Stock class and so far the MX5 Miata MSR edition has been the car to have.

Mod Edit: This is in reference to a Spam post that has been deleted.

Yeah, I had already seen what you did there thanks


.

 

If you want to seriously autocross an RX-8 and are dead set on not running in a stock class then you should consider STX. It allows many suspension and bolt on modifications so it allows you to do some modding to the car without spending a crazy amount of money for local competition. I have run my RX-8 in STX for the past 2 years and the class is a ton of fun. It also saves you from having to buy race tires and change tires the morning of the event. If you want to run with race tires then you can also look into the BSP class.

I agree with the former opinions that were offered about the D2. They just aren't a quality built part. Sometimes you really do get what you pay for. One thing I've learned is do it right the first time because if you cheap out chances are that you'll just end up spending the money to upgrade from the cheap stuff later because you weren't happy with it. Spring for good coilovers.

Don't do a big brake kit, the RX-8 has great brakes and simply changing out the pads can make all the difference you will need. Depending on the kit it might actually have worse performance than what you could get with just a set of pads.

Strut Bars aren't really a necessary addition for Autox

A racing seat definitely helps support the driver and can also cut out weight (just make sure you check the rulebook for the minimum weight for the seat).

All that being said, leave the car alone for awhile until you've gotten some racing seat time in it. Throwing a bunch of money at the car will not make it as fast as developing yourself as a driver. The best advice I ever got learning how to autocross was, "Learn to drive the car while its slow, progress the driver first, then progress the car." All those mods can make the car feel fast even when the driver is not doing the right thing, and can cover up mistakes.


Ok, done with the novel now

 

Hey Liquid, Speak to Adam THMotorsport in the GT5 Racing league he will help you out with parts.
FOr Autocross if you want to use racing tires stay in stock (CS) all you need to be very fast is,
Koni yellows, front sway bar and lightweight wheels, you can also get exhaust and panel filter
If you want to run on street tires the run in STX
Good tires, coilovers (the best you can afford, stance, bilteen pss9, KW V3 are all good choices), sway bars, then a little bit of cash on power, cobb, intake, exhaust......
The loads and loads of seat time.

Oh and do not touch the brakes the stock brakes are amazing!!!!