DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Howdy guys -

So I bought an RX-8 with a blown engine a few months back, rebuilt it and I've been daily driving it. Started realizing that car can out-handle my FD hands down with bone stock suspension. And it doesn't beat you up doing it.

I've got Tein coilers on the FD, I can't remember exactly which ones, they are the ones that use the stock top strut mount and don't have aluminum plates at the top. It's a quality setup, but it's harsh riding around town on it.

I think if I had a more forgiving suspension I'd be more apt to drive the FD, it's sitting a lot.

So, recommendations? I don't need the car to be as low as it is currently, more of a stock suspension with aftermarket springs would be fine. I don't want the too-tall jacked up look of bone stock suspension, and to be honest that didn't ride that great anyhow. There has to be an old man coil over option.

Also, the car is just fun street use and once a year trips to the Dragon. No track time. I don't have a wild wheel/tire setup but did have some rubbing with my old stock shocks/Eibach springs back in the day. Part of that may have been me cutting the bump stops down too far.

Thanks,
Dale

Neo

iTrader: (4)

By nature the FD rides very stiff. I think with our roads getting considerably worse every year, you're starting to notice exactly how stiff the FD is. This being said, I've been riding around on Ground Control coilovers with Koni shocks for well over 17yrs now. The tech has gotten so much better now I'm seriously considering picking up the FP Ohlins Sakebomb are selling... I mean why not.. I've done the duel oil coolers from them, even the BBK (AP version.. ;-) )
Might as well complete the entire package and get the Ohlins.

I know what you're saying too since I have a 2010 R3 I daily. Even though it's stiff and seems to ride better than the FD, there's no way to disguise the weight it has over the FD.

BLUE TII

iTrader: (9)

I bought some used Ohlins for my RX8 and it rode really well. Too soft in the back with a rear passenger if going nuts on the bumpy touge- but I also had it at max low for the looks.

After being totalled I put the stock suspension back on for when the insurance owned the car- bought the car back and am trying to daily it to death.

Let me know if you are interested in the Ohlins. The front top hat pillow ***** are worn so it does click over really rough pavement- so, those should be replaced if put on a nice, non racecar.

Elliott_S

A set of coilovers with at least dampening options would be your start. The ones with ground control as Neo stated would be the next step up as some of those have an external resorvoir attached to them to compensate even more for the ground vibrations. A set of new bushings in your control arms/etc goes a long ways too. Since these cars are 25+ years old now, I've seen some bushings get to be almost rock hard in the control arms/suspension.

Redbul

iTrader: (26)

I have 151,000 km on by 99 RHD.

I also have a clean set of suspension members from a 1992 RHD that only had 69,000 Km (km!) on it and was extremely clean (therefore likely stored indoors in a dry place).

I am thinking of swapping that suspension into the 99. All the bushings, etc., look in excellent shape, but I wonder if the 28 year old rubber components may no longer be road worthy.

Any ideas?

I have a set of 2001 Bathurst Showa shocks with Tien graduated springs in/on the 99 now. I'd plan to leave those on.

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

I think the FD can be made to ride decent - it's not going to float like a Cadillac, but could be made better.

I've heard all the good things on the Ohlins coil overs but I'm wanting to look at many options before I put down the money. I've also seen something that Fortune Auto will custom-make coil overs to your specs, wonder if they can make an old man setup.

I think I'd enjoy driving the FD a lot more if it wasn't so harsh.

Oh, the RX-8 isn't much heavier than the FD - my 05 Touring weighs in right at 3000 pounds on very accurate race corner scales, the FD that's had some weight reduction (94 R2) comes in at 2777.

Dale

SpinningDorito

iTrader: (2)

Not sure what you have, but I have the Flex Zs on my 7, and just recently replaced the blown OEM shocks on my anniversary 8 with MonoSports.

Based on the ride quality on my 8 before and after, the mono sports on medium damping settings are only a little more bumpy than the OE shocks were. I haven't tried adjusting them to be softer yet. I knew the mono sports would be a bit harsher than the Flex Zs out of the box, but I got a stupid good deal on them from Tein (cheaper than the Flex Zs normally are)

The Flex Zs on my 7 are pretty comfortable on medium damping settings, but I don't really have much to compare them to regarding the 7. The suspension was pretty worn when I bought it and I pretty much went through and replaced all the wear parts with new. If I recall I did install a thin rubber isolate that I cut myself between them and the chassis, so maybe that is also helping. Time will tell how that holds up.

I don't think I'm an old man yet and I don't have any back issues (yet) so comfort is all relative...but generally I don't appreciate a really rough race car suspension on anything I drive since I spend more time on the street.

Testrun

I am happy to hear you are enjoying the RX8. I have thought about acquiring one just for the hell of it, but may not be torquey enough for me.
If you can wait a month I will have my "custom" Fortune 500 on. I can let you know how that works out. I will be swapping a lot of bushings and putting a launch kit on so it may affect some of the qualities of the coilovers. I am not experienced enough to differentiate what will cause what, but I should have a good idea of the ride quality.
I did a lot of research with the Fortune and believe it will fit my needs well.

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

Well, I passed ‘old’ and headed into ‘fossil’. Comfort may be relative but to borrow from a Supreme Court Justice...I may not be able to define comfort but know it when I’m feeling it.
To that end I’m playing with spring rates on my (adjustable height) Ground Control/Bilstein coil-overs. This winter I may even try making an isolator for the upper mount-to-chassis to see if it helps things.

Testrun

madhat1111

Definitely watching this. I see a lot of people end up at the Ohlins solution, but seems like technology has moved forward enough that there may be more options than just that to achieve a fun but not jarring ride. I'm mid 30s, and I don't care to have my car any harder than stock R suspension in 94. I could live with it being a bit more pliable.

SpinningDorito

iTrader: (2)

Totally fair. I didn't try driving before I put the rubber isolators I made on so I can't share a before and after impression unfortunately.

There's also different stock suspensions on the 8, so I am not sure which one Dale has. My anniversary model had the upgraded suspension from the factory similar to the R3s, so it may have already been a little harsher than the regular Rx8 suspension to begin with. Unfortunately the replacement shocks from Mazda were stupid expensive though, and I couldn't find anything that indicated that the aftermarket Bilstein shocks were the same as the Bilstein shocks Mazda used.

estevan62274

iTrader: (32)

I'll second this...
I'm pretty happy with the Tien Flex Z's... had them for 3 years now.
They're a great out of the box coilover with out breaking the bank... around $700 when I bought mine.
You can put them softer which really helps soak up some of the ride but don't expect it to ride like a caddy though.
Also id say tire side wall plays a roll in ride firmness.

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Yep, tire side wall plays a role in small bumps for sure. I don't have super aggressive tires - 17x8 front, 17x9 rear with 225/45/17 front and 255/40/17 rear.

I wish I could remember exactly which ones I have, I'll have to jack the car up. I THINK they are the Super Street coilers. They have whatever the original springs are, I'll also have to check those. I remember the springs were different shaped to use the stock rubber strut mounts - they aren't a straight cylinder, they are smaller on the bottom and bigger on the top if memory serves.

I think I have the shocks all set to soft at this point.

I'm also not looking to break the bank - if I could just put on new springs, or go back to mostly stock, or get some coil overs that are less than $1000, that would be ideal.

Dale

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

Shock valving and spring rates are the primary factors to ride comfort. How the shocks read the road influences the ride comfort. If the shocks respond quickly or too aggressively to minor road irregularities, that will impact your perceived comfort / ride quality.

I personally wasn't a big fan of the Tein shock valving on the one Tein coilover I tried 20 years ago. It was the one that Howard recommended. The valving was just too aggressive for my tastes. Then again, it was a sample size of 1 ages ago so... The valving on the off the shelf Ohlins is quite nice but the springs were too stiff IMO decreasing the ride quality for my tastes. The custom SakeBomb setup sounds like an ideal setup with the softer springs but it is expensive. I'd love to try that setup.

Another option is to go back to traditional shocks and springs. Good stock OEM shocks with springs felt quite good but it's hard to find stock, good condition shocks at this point. Bilsteins might be a good option but NLA. Konis are OK but the valving tends to pick up road irregularities more than the Bilstein HDs. Also, if you go shock and spring setup, you should remove the hard rubber bump stops and try to replace with progressive bump stops like Fat Cat did with the Miata. Plenty of good info on the Miata forums on the bump stop problem which carry over to the FD.

For your budget, I'd experiment with going to softer springs and maybe increasing ride height 1/4" to allow for more suspension travel - especially in the rear. Also try and get a ride in cars with different suspensions if you can before committing.

Testrun

Dale I forgot where your at, but your welcome to come to Ft. Lauder and try mine

arghx

iTrader: (3)

Also, this isn’t you being an old man. Stiff suspension is not very safe or fun on beat up roads, and as has been already mentioned, US roads are falling apart in many areas. The car gets very unsettled. My stock suspension was actually pretty stiff, stiffer than my non performance pack 2015 Mustang.
​​​​​

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

I'm in Pensacola which is a bit of a drive to Ft. Lauderdale (about 12 hours ).

This all goes back to the mindset for years - soft/comfortable is crap, race car is the way to go. Stiff suspension handles best, loud exhaust is best power, etc.

I've thought about stock suspension, I could probably find some relatively low mileage JDM shocks/springs or something. But, this is late 80's/early 90's technology, I'd be interested to see if there are other options.

Roads around here are pretty good all things considered. But, the car has that stiff, bouncy coil over ride.

I drove Rocketeer Bandit's car with Ohlins at DGRR once but that was for a 3-minute drive, I didn't really get to experience the suspension. I've heard good things on the Apex N1 coil overs, one of the guys here has them and I need to do a back to back drive to see how his setup compares.

Dale

HiWire

What do you guys think of the stock suspension rates on the non-RS/RZ Series 8 FDs (1998-2002)?

I've heard they're relatively soft, but I'm not sure if there are other major contributors to the soft feeling other than the springs and shocks, like bushings and such.

silverTRD

iTrader: (37)

I think the reason the Ohlin's are so good is the same reason the Tein Flex's are so good. Something to do with the twin tube of the Tein's or "Dual force valve" of the Ohlins. The Flex's are a twin tube design, this is from their site on the Flex Z's
Considering the use of larger tires/wheels and the lowered ride height, FLEX Z uses twin-tube system, in pursuit of ride comfort on streets.

In order to maintain the ride quality on streets with rough spots here and there, a shock absorber has to have sufficient stroke, be low-frictional and move smoothly.
As an oil chamber and a gas chamber are not arranged serially in a twin-tube system, it is easy to secure enough stroke. Also, low gas pressure keeps friction low.

Its smooth stroke movement makes it possible to follow rough and bumpy road surfaces quite well, offering supple ride at low speed and stable ride at high speed.
I have the Original Flex's on my FD and haven felt the need to upgrade. I've considered Ohlin's but will only drop the coin if I start tracking more like i've been saying for a while.
I don't think monotube is the way to go personally. I'm sure it has it's place and many more knowledgeable people will disagree, but my experience has been the twin tube shocks are more compliant. I did the same thing for all my vehicles, switching them to a twin tube design, and I noticed better ride on all of them.

Sidenote, I had the Apexi N1 EXV coilovers which were 12/12 spring rating and those were garbage. I was getting on an on ramp once pretty quickly and I hit small bump where the asphalt met the concrete of the freeway and my FD jumped over into the other lane about 3/4 of the way. I switched out my suspension back to my stock setup right away and the issue went away. I just had to deal with my car looking like a monster truck for a bit.

IRPerformance

iTrader: (41)

Ohlins are the best riding suspension by far in my experience for these cars. The FP spec is nice if you are tracking. The standard is fine for the street.

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

I agree, the DFV is the ultimate street/comfort compromise suspension for the FD platform hands down. For those looking to get *really* saucy, the FP Spëc beckon

Zepticon

iTrader: (1)

I thought the FPspec with Touring springs would be the ultimate street setup?

Johnny Kommavongsa

iTrader: (13)

Congrata on the 8 Dale, I agree that they are great handling cars.

I have ohlins and hks on the fds and honestly the hks rides just as nice for the type of driving that we do.

Melinda also has a R3 and the stock suspension is nice. My yellow 8 needs some new suspension and ill probably try and get r3 suspension for it.

JuSanBee

iTrader: (3)

I imagine it wouldn't hurt to add tires rated to delivery comfort with softer/taller sidewalls/low noise tread blocks. Tires are practically little rubber dampeners themselves that lend to a soft ride and when you turn your tire into a relative rubber band on a rim your probably losing traction/comfort.

A good combination would be a decent quality dampener with grand touring wheels that emphasize comfort. If your going full old man setup.
I don't mind my Teins floatyness at near full soft, feels like a nice calm ride(granted I'm usually jamming to music) I drove around my in-law with a slipped disc and he was impressed with how smooth it was although I was driving very softly and the roads in Japan are nice.

I'm thinking of getting a second pair of wheels just for cruising around, lightweight, GT all season tires, decent (stockish) size to keep the cost down. I figure if I wanna grip I'll swap on my RA1's turn up the ***** and enjoy.

Granted though I have no doubt the FD would light off any Grand Touring all season with ease... Which could be a plus?

I'm also under the impression the FPspec would be the ultimate cruise setup but... $$$$