I bought this 2004 RX8 Grand Touring in January of 2006. It had 28,xxx miles on it. It was located at a Ford dealership in Conroe, Texas. After deciding to purchase a Mustang GT, I went to the dealership and much to my dismay, no manual trans GTs could be found. Not being fond of automatics, I decided to look at the pre-owned section of the lot and came upon this beauty in sunlight silver.

I remember the first time I sat in it....was something magical because I had never felt such an instant emotional attachment to a car. Mind you, I have owned several Fox body Mustangs and GM F-bodies in the past, but those cars aren't even close in style and quality.

The Chip Foose Speedster (19 x 9.5) wheels were on the car when I bought it. There are many that do not like chrome, but I think it goes well with certain neutral colors, sunlight silver being one of them. Of course, these wheels are not the lightest around, but not as heavy as the cheap chrome wheels sold at Discount Tire either. I absolutely, positively cannot have a car or motorcycle and leave it completely stock. This RX8 is no exception. See below for details.

Modifications:

1. Engine- This Renesis 1.3 liter (or 2.6 if you rather) does not respond to typical engine mods like other engines. Mazda techs did a great job given there parameters of meeting emissions, noise requirements without turbocharging! If you compare this engine to the last generation of normally aspirated Mazda rotaries, it stands up very well.

Here's what I have done.
a. Rotary Performance high flow mid pipe with catalytic converter. I decided to stay emissions legal with this piece. It's a lot more expensive than a cat-less mid-pipe but going cat-less turns the car into a 3,000 pound stink bomb!

b. Greddy SP2 stainless steel catback exhaust goes on fairly easily and sounds great in conjunction with the RP mid-pipe.

c. A Z Enterprises, of 350Z fame, grounding kit was installed. There are many who will debate the usefulness of grounding kits and surely they are not worth the money that some of the higher end JDM companies are asking. Z Enterprises makes a nice kit and reasonably priced. Takes about 30 minutes to install and comes with easy to follow instructions with corresponding photos. I got the silver color kit to complement my Sunlight Silver body. Honestly, I doubt if this kit adds any horsepower, but maybe a pony or two is realized, maybe not...regardless I would recommend it.

d. Throttle body bypass modication basically bypasses hot coolant from the throttle body and re-circulates it instead of heating up your intake tract. Living in Texas, keeping a cooler running engine is always a must and this helps...probably just a tiny bit, but the tiny things do add up! Details of this is found on RXclub.com.

e. SR performance pulleys are mounted, but I honestly noticed no difference before and after installation. I'm sure a pony or two is unlocked, but if I had to do it over again, I would just go with the single crank underdrive pulley and not an entire set.

2. Suspension:

a. Eibach springs were installed by a local tuner shop. I bought the springs from a RXclub.com forum member. I have had nothing but good experiences with Eibachs on my other cars, so I decided to go with them again for the RX8. The springs lower the car about 1.25 inches in the front and about an inch in the rear. Perfect drop in my opinion. I did have to get my rear fenders rolled (Lawell Motorsports-Houston, Tx) to keep from rubbing the sidewalls, but this was a minor side effect of the springs and should not stop anyone from lower their car. I definitely need to upgrade my shocks and will be getting some Bilsteins in the future. Since I am not into tracking my car, I don't need the adjustability of Konis or Tokicos. Full coil-over kits are a little pricey, so I decided to upgrade the springs and shocks separately.

Update...after installing the Bilsteins, I seem to have more tire to fender clearance than before. Not exactly happy about it, but I was only home for three weeks and just did not have time to do more research and figure out if something went wrong. I went to a local tuner shop to do the install. The owner of the place seemed really knowledgable and bright so I felt pretty good about letting him do the job. When I brought the car in, some other young hack completed the install and I wasn't happy about it. Anyhow, when I get back, I have decided to get my car professionally aligned by Track Timer Performance in Houston. They are pricey as hell, but I'm tired of having hacks doing things I have to "undo" later.

Update...it seems that all I need to do is "preload" the rear suspension. Maybe my teminology is incorrect, but what I need to do is loosen up the rear suspension, let the weight settle on it, and then re-tighten everything.

b. JIC front strut bar took the place of the wimpy, stock strut bar. I did not notice much difference in handling after installation, but the JIC bar is chrome and shiny. Matches the rest of the car. If had it to do over again, I would go with the 4 point brace or the one from Mazdaspeed with the master cylinder brace.

c. TC Sportline rear stut tower brace was added recently. Very nicely made piece at a great price to boot! Easily installed even though my Infinity Basslink was/is in the way. I had to remove a set of the mounting legs on the Basslink in order to slide the brace under it. Luckily, the brace is a flattened, oval shape and just barely slids under. The top of the amp just clears the rear deck as well. Car did not handle any differently, and I can't say that I can feel a difference. But, the brace is priced for less than a $100, so I recommend it.

d. Bilstein shocks all the way around were installed and wow, what a difference. I expected the car to corner harder, but was surprised that the car seems to ride much smoother and I seem to hear fewer rattles and squeaks as well.

I did notice a tendency for the rear end to "kick-up" a little harder when hitting speed bumps or bridge expansion joints that stick up. Compared to my tired stockers, these are an improvement, but maybe a set of adjustable Tockicos would have been better. Can't justify buying another set of shocks, so I will probably never know!!

e. Whiteline Performance sway bars were bought from a guy on the RX8club.com. Theses were the non adjustable type, but I got a good deal on them. He even threw in the polyurethane bushings and aftermarket end links. Nice upgrade, but since I had them installed along with the Bilstein shocks, I'm not sure how much of an effect there is on the handling.

When I received the sways, the package only contained the rear adjustable end links and a set of front stock end links. The links were a little rusty, but they were clean up before install. Will probably get a matching set for the front bar when I get home. Some say the stock end links are plenty strong, but just for some peace of mind an aftermarket set for the front will be on order.

3. Exterior:

a. I found a wing, modeled after the RX8 used in the XMen movie on Ebay. Got it for a very reasonable price and the guy even painted it for me before boxing it up and shipping it. A template is supplied and installation was fairly simple, even though drilling holes in a perfectly good trunk took some nerve!

b. A chrome fuel door from the Mazda accessory catalog resides in place of the dull, stock one. I think this compliments my Foose wheels perfectly.

c. Chrome grill mod was done by locating some chrome wheel well molding at Auto Zone. Cut it to length, peel of the back and just stick it. So far, it is adhering to the black plastic grill rather nicely even after frequent trips to car wash.

d. Chrome fender vents from RX8strakes.com. One of the vents is already chipping slightly, so I may get more or get these re-chromed locally.

e. Clear side marker lights with stealth type bulbs were bought from RP performance, located in the DFW area.

3. Miscellaneous mods:

a. Oil neck filler mod is another idea I got from RXclub.com. Basically, this vents crankcase fumes under the hood through a small circular filter instead of back into your intake tract. In some areas where emission testing is scrutinized, this might get you in trouble, but it's easily returned to the stock condition. Some use a "catch" can to do basically the same thing, but this is a lot simpler. The screw clamp that connects the filter to the oil filler neck has a tendency to loosen up, so I check it about twice a month.

b. Fog light rewire was done after a very close call with a huge family van turning left directly in front of me!! The RX 8 has a rather low profile. That, combined with a neutral sunlight silver makes for a nearly invisible car on some occasions; especially when the sun is just setting or rising. This mod takes about five minutes and can be found of RXclub.com. Now, my fog lights can be activated separate from the headlights. I usually run them all the time, sort of like daytime running lights, that can be turned off if I wish. Only drawback is having to replace the fog light bulbs about every 6 months or so. Nothing looks dumber than driving around with only one fog light on, so I usually just replace the set when one burns out. As far as safety goes, I do not have any data, but vehicles seem to be a little less prevalent to turn left in front me now. Before this mod, driving this car in traffic was like riding a motorcycle from a visibility standpoint.

Update....I installed some Hoen fog lights recently. These are reasonably priced (around $40) and have a bluish tint. Actually matches the HIDs almost exactly. I only used them for about 3 weeks before going back overseas so I can't vouch for durability. Let's hope they are better than the crap I was getting from AutoIllumination.com.

c. I got a nice aluminum oil filler cap from RX8strakes.com. It just replaces the dull, yellow stock cap, but I think it looks cool. It is shaped like a rotor as well!

d. A new front chrome rotor badge was purchased with the filler cap, but I can't seem to get my dull, old one off the front grill. That thing is on there very tight. There are two tiny screws that seem to be seized up. I will soak them down in WD 40 and try again later. The new piece is bright, shiny and would look nice compared to the stock one that is kinda dull after four years of exposure.

Update....I got my old rotor symbol off and got the new one on. It was a PITA because the tiny screws turned out to be bolts with the tiniest nuts holding them on. Luckily, the bolts are very short and I was able to pull the rotor symbol down slight and un-notched it from the bottom of the grill. Afterwards, I wiggled it back and forth and was able to slowly pull it off of the plastic backing. The new one went on without a problem. I decided to leave the screws off because the new symbol has several pieces of heavy-duty sticky tape and I doubt the tape will fail.

e. Sirius satellite radio was given to me for Christmas last year. I mounted it with a Pro-clip to the passenger side of the console. After having it for a short while, I don't know why anyone still listens to "regular" radio anymore. I have the Status unit and would like to upgrade soon and mount the unit in the ashtray. The Stratus is not a bad model, it just comes with a block, bulky base that probably would not allow mounting in the ashtray with out a lot of console carving, that is why I want one of the smaller units.

I've decided to mount the Sirius unit in the sunglass holder. The holder is very shallow, and none of the sunglasses I own will fit into it. Judging from it's size, I think the only glasses that will fit in it are those cheapy, cheater reading glasses you get at the check out register at the dollar store.

Update-Stratus is now mounted in the sunglass holder. To do it, I had to take that bulky, black plastic mount apart to slim the whole package down enough to allow the compartment to close. I think it's really cool having it there. Using that bottom row of preset buttons is not so easy, so I got on Ebay an ordered a remote control for the unit. That should make switching stations a lot easier. I use a direct FM connector attached to the back of the head unit. The Sirius is directly wired for power so I free'd up a cigarette lighter as well. Pretty nice mod in my opinion!!

In the future, the Pro-Clip will be used for a navigation unit or a digital music player. It sits nicely, just to the left of the passenger's leg and high enough to avoid being bumped by normal moving around in the car.

f. The stock stereo is a Bose unit and for me it is adequate. I would not consider myself a audiophile but decided to add some bass by getting an Infiniti Bass link. This is the 200w model with remote power controller. The Basslink is a self contained sub-woofer and amplifier. Nice addition especially considering the limited trunk space the car has. Mine is mounted directly behind the driver's side, rear passenger
seat.

A good thing about the Basslink is the remote controller knob. Before I left for Kosovo, I was working a 4pm to 4am shift. Driving through the neighborhood at 4 am with bumping bass is not a good thing, so the remote allows me to turn it down.

g. Racing Beat radiator and oil cooler screens were installed by removing the entire front bumper! It was actually pretty easy; I did it by myself in about 20 minutes the first time. These screens are just some insurance against flying projectiles that might puncture something and cost a LOT of money to replace. Some have said these screens block air flow, but I plan on leaving mine in place for the time being.

4. Future mods: in no particular order...

a. Zex nitrous kit, model 82021
b. Slotted front brake rotors and stainless steel braided lines
c. Mazsport cooling fan mod and/or the Racing Beat reflash
d. Lightweight flywheel

I'll add more pics later. Obviously, I need to thank the RX8club.com for most of what you see here. Also, I need to thank my wife and family for being patient with me and letting me coddle my RX8 like a member of the family!

*note, this pic is pre-lowering springs.

Greddy exhaust tips (5.5 inches!) and X men style wing are visible here.

I had a Simota intake and it looks really awesome, but eventually, it was sold. Just made too much noise for my neighborhood. You can also see the JIC 2 point strut brace in this photo.

Visible below are, SR motorsports pulleys, grounding kit wires and home made AC line insulation. Also, you can see I switched back to the stock intake box with drop-in K@N filter inside. By the way, stock intake box is not easily removed, so it will stay there for the time being.

Here is a view of the Eibach spring and Bilstein shock.

TC Sportline rear strut bar is a nicely made, lightweight piece that is a "feel good" mod. Nicely priced too!

Here's my Infiniti Basslink amp/subwoofer along with the TC Sportline rear strut bar. Getting the bar in was not easy with the amp in place, but with some patience I was able to get them both in place. Luckily the strut bar lies almost flat on the deck which leaves just enough clearance for the amp. The front mounts from the amp were removed to give me a little extra clearance as well.

Here is the completed Sirius Stratus in the sunglass holder install. It was actually quite easy after I took apart the blocky plastic base that comes with the Status. Getting a good finger on one of those preset station buttons is not easy, so I found a remote control on sale on Ebay and bought it. Should make changing stations much easier.

Here is a photo of my oil filler cap and the oil neck filler vent. That small filter has a habit of loosening over time, so it needs to be re-tightened occasionally.

In the above photo, you can see my throttle body bypass line. Basically, hot coolant is ran through the throttle body for emissions purposes. This can't be good for performance, so I by-passed the throttle body with a barbed connector (from Home Depot) and two hose clamps. After that I plugged the inlet and outlet nipples on the throttle body with rubber vacuum caps that you can get at any auto parts store. This might not work so well for those living in cold climates, but does not get that cold in my part of the world.

Here's my gril mod and new rotary symbol. Photo is a little dark, but my old symbol was badly tarnished due to a "love bug" swarm. I really hate those buggers!!