I have an 04 RX8 Grand Touring that I bought a few weeks ago (this is my second RX8). When I bought it I didn't notice any problems with the suspension, but after getting it home and loading my wife and 2 kids inside I noticed the car bottoming out on bumps. when I would look at it from outside with people in it I noticed the rear sagging with the wheel in the wheel well. When no one is in it it looks the normal height.

So, when I noticed this I ordered new springs and struts. Struts of course lowered the car and firmed everything up, and no bottoming out with a full load, but looking at the car with everyone in it, it still sinks in the rear...

Any ideas on what's going? I've searched the threads on here and other sites and from what I read I've been unable to find a solution to this problem.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

The rear is soft. Nothing you can do about it. the factory springs are like 120 lbs per inch, the stiffest I found were in the 150s. I am hoping a Christmas Coil Over will appear, and will help solve the problem. I has success for a number of years with NASCAR style spring rubbers (street and track) (ebay, $26 a pair) shoved into the progressive part of the spring. Seems the first thing you have to do is support the progressives, they collapses almost instantly when things get the least bit rough.

By propping up the progressive section, you also get ride height back. When I got mine, I researched the heck out of compounds, the "rate" to get, and other stuff. It really did not matter at all, get the hardest ones you can find. If there is no progressive section, just put them at one end or the other. You may have to hold them in place. Measure your springs first, but most of the factory and after market ones take a 5" to 5.5" rubber.

Good luck.

 

Thanks for the reply. I actually put the votgland springs on. I never had this problem with my previous rx8, with the oem or the tein s techs I put on. What do you think about spring spacers for the rear? I bought a set but a little hesitant to put them on.

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Just put the spring spacers on an hour ago and at first everything looked great, but after driving around a bit the sag in the rear looks the same. Very frustrating...maybe I just need to replace all bushings in the rear and see what that does....

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When you replaced the struts, did you do perform the proper tightening procedure for the suspension links? You're not supposed to tighten them with the wheel off, you're supposed to get them hand-tight, then re-attach the wheel, set it on the ground, let the suspension settle to normal height, then tighten the 2 upper arm bolts fully. Otherwise it won't settle at normal ride height.

 

Yep, did that. What's crazy is that it did this with the stock struts and springs. Everything looks good when no weight is on the car, but once people are in the car it sinks...

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No idea,

If it digested the spring rubbers, and is still low, something is going on with the springs....

Make sure the spring rubbers are someplace where they are helping. if you can reach in and move them while car is down, they are not helping. Find the coils closest together when the car is down, and put them there.

good luck

Merry Christmas

 

I have never heard of Vogtland springs, sounds like cheap crap. What shocks (we don't have struts) did you put on the car? Could be shitty springs, the wrong springs, shitty shocks, or both.

 

The springs are from Germany, did a search before buying them and normal price is near $200. The struts are cheap ones, Stagg. I just recently got out of the military and am unemployed, so I'm on a budget and figured this would do until I got coilovers. Why would it do the exact same thing with oem though? Could it be a control arm, or bushings? What about the rear stabilizer bar?

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By the way, Merry Christmas.

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Merry Christmas!
Thank you for your service.
I hope you find a job soon, what type of work do you do?

 

The only things that can push up in the back are the springs. There are some shocks that are gas filled, that can provide a bit of a boost once compressed, but that is usually not much (1/2 inch at most). there are air shocks out there that you can pump up, but I have not seen them for the 8. If you are drooping after a few days, that is after the suspension has settled, then you are likely at the true ride height of that spring. The site is in german, so I could not tell what kind of drop you were supposed to get with them. The only way to bump them up is with something that pushes up, that is where the spring rubbers come in.

Best I got.

 

Yeah you need to get some legitimate parts on there and you should be good. I understand a budget, but you can get slightly used OEM suspension for next to nothing. Is your car a 6 speed manual?

 

Nevermind, I see that you said you have a GT. Where in Texas are you?

 

Thank you for the support. I was a medic in the army, now I am trying to get into law enforcement.

Going to buy some coilovers as soon as I get employed. Luckily the family car just arrived from Hawaii where I was stationed, now I don't have to tote the wife and kids around in my 8.

Yeah, it's a 6 speed manual. I'm in Sherman right now but applying all over Texas. Austin is looking promising.

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The spacers were a loose on one side, tomorrow I'm going to move them up on the springs and see how that does.

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you will need to tiptie them in place or they will work there way down again..

beers

 

Will do. Thanks swoope.

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Just a heads up on my spring situation, I put the spacers up higher on the springs and all is good so far. I did it about a week and a half ago and took a 4 hour drive to Austin the other day and still sitting good.

By the way, how do you zip tie it so the spacer doesn't make its way back down?

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One way is to just put the zip tie around the spring so it will not slide. But, you hit a good bump, and if the spring touch, it will cut the zip tie.

take a small hose clamp, put it around the spring next to the rubber, with the screw towards the side where the rubber is, and tighten it down. that will keep it from moving, and the springs cannot cut the hose clamp.

 

Thanks man, I'll give it a try once it warms up.

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