RX8 Interior:
The RX8 interior comes with a lot of great features right from the factory. These include bolstered racing seats, a large tachometer with digital speedometer readouts, radio and cruise controls on the steering wheel, as well as optional BOSE sound systems. The version of the RX8 I purchased came with no options so I got a standard stereo which, in my opinion, sounds better than BOSE.
There have been little changes in the interior other than diagnostic equipment and gauges, and some smaller stuff.
One of the first modifications I made was changing over to a Mazdaspeed shift knob. This knob was good about not getting really hot in direct sunlight so I wouldn?t burn myself during the summer time in Phoenix. Attached to the shift knob as an Axial Flow short shifter kit. The RX8 already has Mazda?s short shifter, but the Axial flow SS brings those shifts shorter by about 30%. The shifter goes from a soft and somewhat sloppy shifter to feeling like a bolt action rifle with every gear change. The Axial flow short shifter remains the best short shifting kit on the market for the RX8.
Due to the importance of water and oil temperatures on the Rotary engine, I?ve installed gauges inside the cabin to monitor these as well as oil pressure in real time. The center dash console has a large empty area for RX8?s that have built in navigation. I removed this console, attached a Lotek Gauge Pod which holds 3 2 1/8th inch gauges. The gauges I purchased were from Pro-Sport Compact Gauges due to their warning, peak, and daily chain features only found in expensive Defi or Autometer gauges. This way, the gauges would alarm me when temperatures rose too high, or oil pressure falls too low.
For a diagnostic device, I installed a MSD Dashhawk which works only with vehicles running CANbus on the OBDII computer system. The Dashhawk is capable of reading hundreds of sensors on the vehicle so I can monitor and data log everything from Air/Fuel ratio, Calculated Load, EGT?s, MAF sensor readouts as well as clearing and displaying trouble codes, Short/Long term fuel trims and real time MPG readouts. This system plugs into the OBD II port and also can data log up to 6 items at once which I can download on my home PC and use for tuning or sharing data.
Finally, the interior lights have been replaced with blue LED lights for a nice bright blue display for shows and personal enjoyment.
