I got the full MS kit installed by dealer (who, like all dealers around here, had never done it before) and then aligned by a very well respected shop (for $225!), put in on the trailer for "driving school", and by the time I got there (still on the trailer) the driver's side rear had dropped by 3/8"! (I had to pull the fender to open the door). May not sound like much, but the 3/8 inch is quite visible, and will of course mess up my nice perfectly matched $225 camber settings. 3 full days of "school", no noises, car handled beautifully. I'm no mechanic but I crawled under there and everything looks in place.

Could this just be normal spring settling? (i.e. might the other side, or all 3 other corners, miraculously drop after a while?). Any other ideas what might be going on? Should I drive it this way for a while to see? Thanks!

 

I would make sure that you didn't pre-load the suspension which could mess up the ride height settling by tightening the a-arms and the shock bottom down before the car was back on the ground. I would check the racing beat spring install instructions which are posted here somewhere, they go through the pre-load issue...or search for the term pre-load on the site.

 

So I took it back to the dealer, who showed me that the new (stock) RX8s on the lot also had uneven ride heights, all with the driver's side lower, some by as much as 1/2".

Anyone want to buy a set of 2 week old MazdaSpeed shocks/springs? I'm ordering JICs (or similar) with adjustable ride height.

 

Up to a 1/2" lower on all the cars? That just doesn't sound right...have to take a look at mine later today, as it still has the factory suspension.

 

Key point: alignment should be done several weeks after shocks/springs are installed in order to give the new components time to settle in. Also if you search for "RacingBeat install" you'll find a post describing how tightening bolts while the car is on a lift can result in higher ride heights.
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Avandia Settlements

 

I'll consider it ! PM me..

 

Never heard of Rx 8's being lower on one side. Did you see them reinstall the springs?

Bet they never swapped them. Bet they did not install correctly.

 

So I went to the dealer with my tape measure, and checked 10 or so cars. With only one exception, the driver's side rear ride height was significantly lower, in some cases by almost 1/2 inch, but in most cases by about 1/8-3/8 inch. In the case of the one exception, the rear was even, but the front was off by 1/2 inch. Certainly variations in the lot surface could affect the magnitude, but would not explain the consist measurement with the driver's side being lower. So... we can safely say that this is not specific to MS springs, much less a faulty installation, but rather that many, if not all, RX8s are slightly lower on the driver's side rear. Guess they are designed for counter-clockwise tracks! :-)

Also, the ride height (not considering side-to-side variance) differs greatly on the cars.

 

I read once that the 1st Gen RX7 was weight biased for a right hand drive driver. Is it possible that Mazda did this on the RX8? Or they setup the car so it was level single person located in the right front seat of the car?