http://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-racing-25/
Join this website for just about anything you'd ever want to know about both generations of RX8.
Many SCCA top racers post here and are extremely helpful. It would help knowing what year/transmission you have. I'll assume you have an 04 car with 6spd stick. My 04 with 75k developed weak rear progressive springs dropping the back 1.5" and causing too much rear camber so I had to replace them. There are probably only 3 or 4 brands of good shocks left of which two are not coilovers(illegal in street). Bilsteins or Koni Yellows won't break the bank and are quality with lifetime warrantees if you can wait. Rear factory springs are cheap so this would be the time to do them along with bump stops that notoriously fail on Mazdas in the rear.
I followed one person's setup from the group and love it. I'm 68 and still competitive so you can do much better than I. I run 245/40 tires on stock rims. New Koni Yellows (55% stiff rear as must remove from car to adjust). Fronts easily adjusted to suit on the fly. Stock sway bars. Can be hard to get a custom alignment depending where you live. Max negative front camber (-1.6*) with min Caster to get that . I use 1/4" toe out front. Rear negative camber -.3* less than front assuming you want the back end to help you steer? Some people like the same negative camber as the front. -2* is factory setting. I use 1/16" total toe in in the rear.
That's enough for you to get a few years of successful autocross under your belt. A beefier front bar is used by most people but I'm the 4th fastest guy in my own car proving the car will always be much faster than my ability and it's totally streetable with those settings. Enjoy. Also if you run two SCCA events and can print out the results you can join Mazdaspeed factory parts and save a bunch on everything mechanical other than aftermarket shocks. http://www.mazdamotorsports.com/web...ogId=10001

Wow, good info!  I actually had previously owned the car 2 years ago and bought it back.  It had an engine replacement under warranty about 20k miles ago.  6speed.  2 years ago I (10k miles ago) put Koni yellows on it, they are still there.  I was thinking stock springs may need a refresh, good to know instincts were probably right (car has 112k on odometer).  So you stayed with the 18" wheels.  I have an account with mazdamotorsports, just need to get this thing out and get a few results to submit.  I do like to drive with the rear, throttle to finish the turn.  Just came off a season running my '13 Mustang, but being a V6 in FS with the V8's and now the Boss is a futile attempt, so I thought I'd try a more appropriately classed car.  I think the announcer said something like knife at a gun fight.  I'll comb the site you suggested.  I really want to stay in Street as I don't want to chase the dollars out the door to STX.. 

 

I've found the 18x8 stock wheels running either Rivals or new RS-3's is very competitive with the BRZ twins even if they use the legal crash bolts to gain -camber. The 370Z is quicker now driver dependent?
I learned when they replaced the engine in my car @ 55k they didn't change anything else. Not even the spark plugs or clean the intake..moan.
Things to check. If you don't get a good kick @ 5k rpm of the last two injectors firing that means your fuel pump is dying. Replaced mine @ 73k. Impressive.
Clean or replace the Mass Air sensor in the intake. No more codes EVER.
The oil from the K&N filter can foul them when new. Also impressive.
The last thing I just had replaced last week were the liquid filled motor mounts which were just starting to ooze. They also realigned the driveline angle. Much less vibration of gearshift knob in neutral when cold. Sweet.
**Just because I could - I bought a nice set of Miata STR (TireRack) TR 17x9 wheels from a friend and put a set of RS3 255/40's on them. Wicked fast handling improvement, +5% gearing and dropped car about 1/2" with no rubbing issues for STX or non SCCA club racing with decent success except from "fully STX prepped" BRZ's which I follow by 1 second.
I've been running my front Koni's 1.5 turns hard on asphalt and 1.75 turns hard on concrete successfully with 2 5/8 total turn adjustment max available. Usually run 3psi more in front than rear also.
That's all my "secrets". You will have a great time in your 8!! At least an RX8 doesn't have to be a trailer queen to enjoy.
Have a blast.

When they did the engine, I put all new plugs, wires, coils, clutch kit myself. The dealer was nice enough to let me buy the parts through Mazda Motorsports and just a nominal charge to install since all was apart. I checked out the springs, look to be around $50ish each, I think I will go with the 17" wheels, at least I'll save $100 or more dollars each set of tires. My K&N filter did foul up the MAF, stock now. Interesting note on the mounts and the vibration in the gearbox. I noticed that vibration myself....hmmm. My Mustang has been an absolute blast to drive, but I've got to hang it up with the classification. (it's a V6 running with the GT's and now the Boss, in FS, real good logic there.) I hope I can adjust to the lower torque. I think the extra nimble will make up for it.

Anyone can sign up and get Mazda Motorsports pricing direct from  Mazda, all you have to do is submit a couple of race results to them to show that you race it.  Try this link: http://mazdamotorsports.com/webapp/...;langId=-1

Edit: Oh, they already said that up there... don't mind me.

When we were all running RX8's in the old B Stock days, the formula was pretty simple: Koni yellows, a front sway bar in the 10-15% stiffer range (many just drilled an extra set of holes in the factory bar with acceptable results, Matthew and I ran a Whiteline adjustable bar on the softest setting) and the "Isley exhaust" (basically a Borla or other muffler in  a single exit system).

Alignment depended on whether you have a "good" car or a "notsogood" car. Some cars, like mine, could get a full -1.7 both sides in front, others varied side to side (like Eric Jones' car) and others struggled to get much more than -1.1 to -1.2 front. That would indicate how much camber in the rear i.e. another couple/few tenths. Toe settings varied. I liked zero effective front toe, some liked to run in the 1/8" toe out range. Rear toe, iirc, was about 1/8" toe in...I may be off on that one, it has been 5 years! The rear does have some strange bushing deflection or geometry induced toe changes on squat. If bushing related, higher mileage may change that piece and, with that, the desired static toe measure. Also, we all ran the rear Konis full stiff and played with the front rebound. Don't know if I'd do that on street tires, but it was the right move on the r-comps to get the car to turn. 

Fun cars, great bang for the buck, very drivable on street tires! (Hankook RS3V2 is the current "go to"...great in both wet and dry, as opposed to V1)

Thanks! more good stuff!  Maybe 1 turn off of full stiff for street tires on the rears??  I know I need to set them and leave them since there is no access once installed. 

Howdy,

I'd turn up the rear shocks a little more. Mine are converted to D/A and are revalves, so I don't know how directly this will compare for you, but I run the rears fairly stiff. I'd need to dig out my notes, but I think I'm more like 3/4 to full stiff in the rear on rebound?

This is on 17x8's with RS3v2's. Otherwise setup is similar to what Mike described. Some more details are here:

http://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-racing-...463/page5/

Mark

Does anyone happen to know if OTS HD Bilsteins comply to SCCA's rules for replacement shocks for CS?

I've been told that the front spring perch location differs from the OEM shocks, but I have not been able to determine this.

Any insight on the subject is much appreciated.

Thanks.

You can use the OTS Bilstein if you throw them on a lathe and turn a new snap ring groove into the body. Having a machine shop do this is really cheap. The valving is pretty stiff out of the box. Couple these with the fatcat bumpstops to kill the factory understeer that comes from the front bumpstops engaging before the rears. A front bar will transform the behavior of the car, to get a Front Roll Couple of about 72% you'll want either the Racing Beat bar or the softest setting of the Progress Tech. Bar and go to a stiffer setting on the Progress if you want more. you'll be able to go early on the throttle pretty much everywhere with that high an FRC. you'll have a total roll stiffness of about 2700#ft/deg on the soft progress bar or with the RB, that and the alignment settings listed above and you should be pretty competitive. Good Luck and feel free to ask follow up questions.

BTW my RX8 engine is croaking and I'm switching to the BRZ for CS this year so all the things i listed, i have and have for sale, let me know if you're interested.

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