Well he did say it was bottoming out if he hit a speed bump or with people in the back it was a rough ride like hitting all the time. That could be caused by the bump stop not been cut when adding the lowering springs.

Tokico shocks will also drop the car but only by a small amount.

Also when your friend installed your setup he could have twisted the springs when installing. What I mean by that is say he installed the hat at any location. So when he tried to slip the bottom part of the shock on he had to turn it one way or another. This could have put load into the spring or unloaded the spring. So if thats the case than all 4 coils with different "spring" loads it will make your car very goofy. Just a suggestion, I doubt it would be that much.

 

No doubt Racing Beat makes quality stuff, which was the main reason I bought them. I've always been happy with the stuff I bought for my FCs, FD and now my RX8. Certainly not putting them down or anything.

I got the car up on the rack and checked everything. Sound as a pound... You can see on the lower coils where the springs collide when it bottoms out (assuming that's what it's from). I contacted Racing Beat and they asked for me to send them some photos, but will ultimately have to examine the spring itself to determine whether or not it's a defect in manufacturing if they feel that the springs are at fault.

They did mention that there was an issue with a small batch of springs they sold but promptly recalled all of them.

Aren't the Tokico D-Specs high pressured like the OEM units? I was originally going to go with Konis but read they were low pressure and was concerned about sagging which is one of the reasons why I went with Tokicos (the other reason was the remote adjusters). Wouldn't having a high pressure shock be less likely to sag, and potentially raise the height (which it seemed like it did when I first had them installed).

I'm not suggesting that you're wrong or anything, just some of the things I initially thought from my own research online when deciding on which product to go with.

I'm not sure if I could check to see if the base of the shock was loaded or unloaded, is there anything to look for without having to disassemble them? The front shocks seem to be fine, only the rears are the ones that are giving me trouble.

 

Some updated photos of the rear springs from under the car (on level ground unloaded).

Passenger Side:


Drivers Side:


From the side through the rims, you can see the rubbing marks when the spring looks like it would compress when it bottoms out, but I couldn't get a good shot of it because of the angle/rim.

I sent over photos to Racing Beat, and will let you guys know what I find out. Thanks again everyone!

 

I noticed you have the stiffness on the shocks cranked up. Turn it all the way down to full soft and see how it feels. The shock settings can play a lot in ride quality but won't affect ride height much. so see if it feels more comfy on full soft or if it feels the same like it's bottoming out. I know my Konis are kinda clunky since the day I installed them but it's just because the jounce is so stiff.

 

Just looked at your springs. Yeah those look bad. Clearly your springs are rubbing on the bottom. That does not look like typical Racing Beat springs. I think you have a bad set. They should replace them for you.

They are way too compressed at rest. It looks like you only have 2-3" of travel when you should have about 6-7."

Look at my thread linked in my signature and you can see a comparison of what a failed spring looks like vs. a properly working spring.

This is the comparo. pic. bad vs. good. Yours look like the bad pic.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-wheels-tires-brakes-suspension-55/rear-aftermarket-springs-too-compressed-clunking-140015/page6/

 

Yeah they are definitely binding.

 

I actually tried that, and it was pretty bad... It'd bottom out real easy, even without people in the back, real soft... Kind of funny though, made the car look like it had tons of power to transfer the weight to the rear like a muscle car, except it isn't nearly as fast as it is dramatic.

Yeah I was just thinking about that... You know its funny you mention your previous thread, I was actually reading through it before posting about my issue.

I'm hoping Racing Beat will let me replace these without leaving me with too much downtime. Not looking forward to riding my V-Rod as a commuter.

 

I have had exactly the same problem since summer. Also have notice the sag but feel that in my case it might be related to having 245/40 on rears while having 225/45 fronts, which mean a height difference of about 1/8" to 1/4". Ok, before someone shout, I have read a lot about that not being a good practice but have to wait 'til next month regarding the $$$$. Getting back to the topic, my 8 is 2004 and have around 70K miles. Installed RB coils since Feb/Mar this year.

Since I read your post I have kept contact with RB. Also included to them your initial post so they see it is not only my case. They sent me the instructions for cutting the bump stops. I don't remember receiving this initially but I'm sure never instructed the installer to cut the bump stops. So I will proceed with the cut and test the car, and after that contact RB again.

I tried to attach the pdf file with the instructions received from RB within this reply but really don't find the way to include it (I'm almost new on all this). If someone show me the way, I will do so.

 

curious what you meant by "7 turns" towards stiff, you're not loosening out 7.5 turns and then tightening towards 7 are you?
full stiff is cranked clockwise. or did you just mean you were 1/2 turn from full stiff?

doesn't explain the sagging, just curious

 

Racing Beat gets a lot of hype but I doubt they make these springs and this would be third or fourth time I have seen an issue with these springs. Hope they handle it.

 

This is really a simple issue fellas. The springs are the wrong size or are incredibly, incredibly soft (think of softer springs than stock. They are probably shorter also.

Combine this with a shock perch (where the spring sits) that is not designed for a shorter and/or softer spring and Viola! Instant too low of a ride height issue.

WRT cutting the bump stops. This is a quick and easy fix. Most racers do this. We wil run about an inch and a 1/2 compression travel in the rear with about a 3/4" bump stop (trimmed down from 3" or so). So don't be afraid to cut down a bump stop.

One thing you'll want to do if your rear shock rod is exposed at the bottom (the shiny chrome cylindrical thing) is put a tiny zip tie on there nice and tight but it still needs to move. Then go drive the thing. If the zip tie gets pushed to or down into the bump stop, you can safety assume you've run our of travel. In a coilover system you could raise the rear ride height a few turns to get ride of this. The reason why this is bad is because when a call is in roll and then in suddenly hits the stop (or if no stop there it bottoms out) the car will do some wacky things. Namely it gets loose. Sometimes you creep up on this issue and it just BARELY rears it's ugly head and you ponder, wonder, get frustrated and can't figure things out. For example, it might be happening just some of the time when you get a really heavy roll load. Other times it may happen allll the time. It may happen on a particular corner on a particular track.

This is the danger if mixing and matching components and running a low car because it looks cool or you beleive it will give you a performance advantage. Again---this is the danger (better word would be "risk") for the do-it-yourselfter.

The more I read these posts the more I want to build my own suspension offering that uses no-brainer technology.

Happy rotoring.

E

Pics of new RX8 project here: http://gallery.me.com/meyermotorspor...lack&view=grid

 

1) I have the same tokico/RB shock/spring combo - if you want I will look at what my rear springs look like and compare. Also, take a ruler and put it across the rear tire at the highest point sticking outwards, and measure the distance from that to the fender. I'll verify that mine is the same height.

2) Are you POSITIVE you didn't mix up the front/rear springs? It's possible that your springs are "bad", but this is really unlikely, the are a solid company and they make a lot of these, and I havnt heard of this issues with these springs before, so it's not like a whole batch need to be recalled. I'm sure racing beat can help you figure this out, but I wouldnt blame them if they get offended if you mention they are "bad". 9 out of 10 times it is installer error, no offense but we're just trying to help figure out whats up.

3) Did you load the suspension before tightening down the bolts on the suspension arms? Usually not doing this would cause the opposite problem (too long, not too compressed) but it's worth making sure you installed them right.

 

shouldve stuck with the tanabe brand.. i have the gf210 springs on for a year with oem shocks and no problem... IMO racing beat is overpriced on certain stuff.. but none the less you get what oyu pay for... good luck with this

 

he clearly has a bad set of springs. Racing beat should replace them for him under their warranty. Many people on this forum have the rb springs with tokicos and they are a fine street combo. I think there was a manufacturing defect in this case.

Let us know what Racingbeat says about your springs. If you have any problems try contacting Jim Langer on this forum our through their customer service number. He works for them and frequents this forum. He's always a great guy to work with and will help you get your proble
solved.

 

The springs that came with the car were the NF210s coupled with stock shocks where blown, especially the rear. The rear springs were literally on the bump stop, with the top part of the rear wheel tucked under the fender. I'm sure the GF model is much better than the NFs, but those springs/shocks definitely needed to be replaced. I've always liked Racing Beat which I used with all my other RX7s in the past which is why I went with them instead.


I'm still waiting to hear back from Racing Beat, but they did call me to let me know that they're looking into the problem (I think it was Jim Langer, but I think there are 2 or 3 Jims there). I'll definitely let you guys know what feedback I get.

 

Hi Elyusuim, if you wouldn't mind measuring your setup, I'd like to compare the difference. On my car from the top of the tire to the middle of the rear fender measures: 7/8"

Using the Racing Beat method of measurement (floor to the top of the fender): 25 1/2"

This is measured with the car unloaded on level ground.

Very positive the springs are not backwards. I put the car on the lift and confirmed the different part numbers on the springs between front and rear. While you can't see the P/N" in the photo I attached earlier in the thread, I have photos of the springs installed with a good shot of the spring perch. They're where they should be.

The springs/shocks were professionally installed (not suggesting there wouldn't be any errors by a professional installer), and after putting the car up on the rack again, everything is confirmed that it was installed properly.

And just to clarify so that there aren't any confusion. My post is in no way meant to degrade, slander, bad mouth or deter people from purchasing Racing Beat parts at all. I've been a customer with them for years buying parts for my FCs, FD, and now RX8. My intention of this post was to verify my premonition about the rear suspension, then root cause the specific parts and fix it whether it be from Warranty or new stuff all together. I have been in contact with Racing Beat and they're looking into the issue for me.

 

I aways start at full soft, and then count the turns from there to make sure I know how many turns I'm putting.

Thanks for the tidbit Eric, I recall you mentioning this to Shaunv74's post. Unfortunately that portion is unreachable, so I wouldn't be able to do that part.

The Racing Beat Springs only lower the car half an inch all around. Would you say that's too low of a spring kit for tokico aftermarket shocks? I definitely didn't buy the springs for looks.

Thanks for the all the feedback Eric.

 

fully tightened (clockwise) is full STIFF, not soft

 

You're absolutely right cjkim. It is currently at the stiffest settings.

I know in the instructions manual it says start from hardest setting and adjust from there. I got used to adjusting my shocks the opposite way from my old car (megan racing coilovers on a S13). I confused that one with the setting range that it had. (10 turns from soft to hard). I'm glad I didn't try to go 10 turns, otherwise I'd have to replace those too due to a "ID 10 T" error on my part.

Thanks for catching that.

 

try to get another springs from Racing Beat, if not I would buy a set of progressive springs from the group buy.

 

I've been in touch with Racing Beat, and they are taking care of me. Their customer service is really good (a rare thing nowadays it seems). By the end of this week, I should be good to go. It will interesting to see the difference between the current springs and the replacement ones.

 

Glad to hear it! Racing Beat is top notch for customer service.

 

Hi.

I agree with Infini FC regarding RB being very responsive and available (A+). My intention also is to identify the root cause and correct it. For me it will take a couple of weeks before I can deal with the issue. It will be the first time myself deal with shocks/spring installation so it may take more time than normally it does for a more trained person.

 

Good customer service is good business IMHO. Definitely one of the important things for me besides quality products.

Hope everything works out for you japlaza787, keep us informed of how things go. I should have an update for mine by the end of this week when I swap out the springs.

 

**Update**

Received replacement rear springs from Racing Beat yesterday night, and have an appointment with my mechanic tomorrow to get these swapped out. Going to take pictures of the differences when the swap is done.

I'll keep you guy posted!

Regards,