SUSPENSION
Coilovers-
This would be the primary focus of my STX build, and as my funds were limited, I wanted to get the best coilovers available for under 2K. Even better, would be to find a modular type coilover that I could upgrade later as funds allowed.
After speaking with Strano for over an hour one evening and e-mailing Tech Support at various suspension companies, I went with the Bilstein PSS9's. While their single adjustable (adjusts both compression & rebound), Strano had very positive things to say about the quality of their damping, and they could be easily upgraded later to handle stiffer spring rates and even converted to a double adjustable shock.
My friend Shawn helped me with the install, and we were done in ~3 hrs.
These coilovers have 9 adjustment settings for shock damping (1 firmest, 9 softest). The lower springs perch can also be moved up or down to adjust the ride height of the car.
The standard springs rates are kinda soft and will need to be changed in the future:
Front: 340lbs/in (linear)
Rear: 240lbs/in (progressive)
I plan to complete 5-6 events on the stock PSS9 coilovers and then switch out the front springs to some stiffer (400lbs/in) Swift coilover springs which I've already received in the mail.
Swaybars-
I kept my 3-way adjustable Hotchkis MX-5 front swaybar:
From the Hotchkis suspension website, the effective spring rate of each of these different settings are as follows:
Softest - 520lbs/in
Middle - 615lbs/in
Firmest - 735lbs/in
I purchased a 2-way adjustable Eibach MX-5 rear swaybar:
From calling Eibach directly, I obtained the effective spring rates of the two settings:
Softest - 100lbs/in
Formest - 120lbs/in
ENGINE/EXHAUST
As I wouldn't have the funds to do engine management right away, I decided to get all of my intake and exhaust mods in place, so that when the funds were available, I could get a tune right away.
Intake-
As the stock intake worked well, gains with this upgrade are only minimal (3-4hp/tq). But I was still, looking for a performance increase wherever possible. I went with a Racing Beat intake, which is a company known for quality products in the rotary community.
Ignition-
Due to the high revving nature of the engine and the heat the rotary powerplant puts out, this is a weak point on a stock RX-8. Black Halo Racing (BHR) has developed a very reliable ignition kit for the RX-8 using coils from a GMC Yukon.
Midpipe-
Gains from a decent highflow cat can be significant in the RX-8, so I wanted to devote a lot of my funds and attention to this area.
I went with a Racing Beat stainless midpipe, Vibrant 12" resonator and an all-metal high-flow cat used on rally cars that run anti-lag.
I took these exhaust pieces to
svxfiles who welded everything up for me and then coated them in some lovely 2,000F thermal resistant exhaust paint.
Here's a pic I snapped as
svxfiles was adding some tack welds on the front of the high flow cat.
Catback-
I kept my Corksport catback from my B-stock days due to it's light-weight and free flowing characteristics:
