I would ask Thew (Matt) at rx8garage.net to see what his price is today. He can get the kit, but it's a little expensive.

 

Auto-bahn's kit is FRP.
You can get it from memoryfab as well.
The rear bumper is not worth buying unless you plan to buy their exhaust which will cost you from 1200 to 2000 depending on whether you want titanium or not.

Ice:
That's the Abflug kit.

 

Ajax, will memoryfab sell pieces of the AU-TO BAHN kit, or do they only sell the whole kit?

Edit - just noticed the pieces are for sale also :o

 

What does FRP mean? What's memoryfab? Is that a body kit retailer? Do they have a website?

Thanks.

 

Yeah there are here: http://www.memoryfab.com/

They sell different parts and stuff........hope that helps!

 

Memoryfab's front bumper is also apparently modified to fit the US spec rebar.

 

FRP is fiberglass (fiber reinforced polymer)

 

It's still cheaper than the MS bodykit ($990 including shipping for the Au-to Bahn front bumper from Memoryfab versus $1,290 plus shipping for the MS front bumper from Rosenthal).

 

And then you have to paint the Au-to Bahn kit. Oh yeah... and the Au-to Bahn kit is fiberglass whereas the real MS kit is factory polyurethane. No comparision.

 

What's better -- fiberglass or polyurethane?

 

no brainer... polyurethane. Fiberglass is lighter, but it cracks pretty easily (as most kitted cars in Japan all have cracks... you can tell). The only other thing worth the money besides factory plastic is, aftermarket urethane or hybrid Aero used by INGS+1. Hybrid is fiberglass made with a type of urethane used as the resin. It is nearly as flexible as urethane.

 

Thanks for the info. So the MS kit is a pretty good deal is what you're saying. Besides the MS kit, which kits are made of polyurethane?

 

It really depends on the quality of the product.

Here's what I could find:

Pro's to FRP:
Cheaper to produce (cheaper to purchase)
More readily available
Lighter
Minor damage can be patched (I witnessed a guy do this first hand on my mom's BMW)

Con's to FRP:
Not very impact resistant
Fitment is determined by quality and kit design because it is not flexible
Can sag
Body can chip

Pro's to Polyeurethane:
Impact resistant
High flexibility resulting in better fitment (depending on quality)
Body should not chip

Con's to Polyeurethane:
More expensive to produce
Harder to find
Heavier
Costs more to paint (Paint flexing agent may be required)
If damaged, no way to patch it.
Heat can cause stretching/sagging over time.

 

Nice Ajax ^^^^

The kit looks good. Not a fan of the wheels. To busy for me!

- Irish

 

That reminds me, Oak Tree Mazda in San Jose has a gray RX-8 on the lot with full MS body kit and ADR wheels (M-something). It looks absolutely sick. However, there was a warning sticker on the window saying the bumper is only designed to withstand a 2 or 3 mph impact. So a fiberglass bumper would be even weaker?

 

They're probably talking about the rebar under the bumper. I wonder if the dealer installed a JDM kit on a US spec rebar (which is larger). Either that or the warning is because of the ground clearance. I like the standard AP package because it clears curbs and stuff. I wonder if the MS kit doesnt. The bottom of that kit is probably pretty thin so a 2-3 mph impact could tear it up.

 

It could be one of the cheap FRP copies?!

Its probably just to cover them and stop any warranty claims for low speed impacts resulting in lots of damage to the bumper.

Not sure about the MS front, but the INGs (on my standard ride height) does not make it over kerbs. Have started parking rear in to spaces as you can't overhang the kerb at the front and the car sticks out further in the parking space!


The INGs hybrid is great however, it really does flex and is very light. Compared to the Veilside FRP, its leagues ahead.

 

That's what I was thinking too.

Curb clearance and rubbing the front on driveways, etc. is what would worry me the most about the MS kit. That is about the only thing I like about the appearance package. That is one thing that puts a strong vote in for the RB bodykit when it comes out. It looks to be built to appearance package clearance and the looks of it just keep growing on me (is that some C6 I see in the front? ).

 

Appearance package scrapes the curb, too. If I pull up too far into my parking spot, I hear a nasty little scrape from the front bumper. Boy, I never thought about that. That would be a drag -- install a $1,000+ front bumper and have it crushed on a parking curb. Can you say D'OH!

 

Doh!