3rd Generation Specific (1993-2002) 1993-2002 Discussion including performance modifications and Technical Support Sections.
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Okay, I just bought a 3rd gen last week, looking to personalize it

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Old Feb 24, 2011 | 11:56 PM
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Okay, I just bought a 3rd gen last week, looking to personalize it

I used to have a 2005 Mazda RX8 but it was stolen and found totaled.

Last week I bought a 95 FD with 59k miles on it.

It came with an extremely loud performance exhaust, I'm not sure what the make is yet, and 20 inch wheels.

Everything else appears to be stock.

I plan on/am looking for the following.

- 18 inch wheels.
- Racing Beat Exhaust
- stereo unit with gps
- hks bov
- turbo timer
- remote starter
- keyless entry
- extra monitor gauges
- complete 99 spec body kit
- maybe a digital speedometer

i also have to repair the fuel door release cable, the tachometer (which isn't steady) and the emergency brake light comes on with enough throttle.

If anyone is selling any of those parts, or knows how I should go about these I would appreciate it.

Also thinking about the possibilities of adding a front and or rear sway bars, and a new paint job most likely to dark blue or black from montego blue.

Also the seat seems to strain my neck compared to the rx8 seats, and im still getting used to the low position on the 7s steering wheel.

Last edited by davidasc22; Feb 25, 2011 at 12:03 AM.
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 12:07 AM
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20 inch rims on there?!!? Tell me you're in Australia or New Zealand.

"search" function on this site must become your best friend

do that and you'll have most answers you seek. plus it will lead you to vendors on and off this site to check out
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 12:13 AM
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Originally Posted by Finster
20 inch rims on there?!!? Tell me you're in Australia or New Zealand.

"search" function on this site must become your best friend

do that and you'll have most answers you seek. plus it will lead you to vendors on and off this site to check out
Massachusetts, bought in in New Hampshire.

Ive tried using the search feature, but it has seemed better suited for problem solving, and general information rather than finding new parts.

But yea, ill keep trying to use it.
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 12:16 AM
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there are vendor sections too... Banzai-racing, rx7store.net, sakebomb garage, etc, etc
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 12:24 AM
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I'll give you the best advice you will receive: Search reliability mods and/or go into the FAQs thread before you ask questions that have been asked 1000 times before.

Before checking up on your reliability mods the list below is absolutely useless:

- 18 inch wheels.
- Racing Beat Exhaust
- stereo unit with gps
- hks bov
- turbo timer
- remote starter
- keyless entry
- extra monitor gauges
- complete 99 spec body kit
- maybe a digital speedometer
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 12:44 AM
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"looking to personalize it"


lmfao, seriously, you made me laugh out loud....

Personalize that beast!!!
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 12:46 AM
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You know how I personalized mine? I drove it for a week. Then, I had my own personalized list of problems. Let the fun begin!
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 01:19 AM
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Do yourself a favor and ignore wanting a turbo timer. Trust me they are a waist of money and do more harm than good on these engines. Fact letting your rotary engine sit up an idle does nothing but build up extra heat in the engine bay because you have ZERO air flow going through your radiator and oil coolers. If your engine idles long enough for the electric fans to come on, that means your heating things up and not cooling them down. Yea your spooling your turbos down but you are also heating up the engine bay at the same time. As you research with the fd, ask how many owners had very crispy wiring harnesses during their rebuilds? A really hard wiring harness is the perfect indicator on how hot the engine bay gets. Another fact, prolonged idling of a rotary only accelerates the carbon build-up process (unless your premixing). Both of these are bad, bad, bad, The best thing to do is simply drive around under no boost for a mile or so before shutting it down. You will cool the engine bay down 10 times faster this way plus the turbos will be at low speed because they aren't really being pushed. My original engine lasted 108k and my wiring harness was in such great shape, I was able to sell it to very happy customer. My turbos don't have any major cracking and very very little shaft play and burns ZERO oil.


Oh yea, welcome to the obsession. LOL!
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 01:32 AM
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post pics!!
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 01:42 AM
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Thanks for the advice so far, I've learned a lot so far just reading the FAQs, more so than I thought I would have.

First thing I learned is that I don't know enough.

As for the turbo timer, wouldn't that really depend on how long it was set for? I mean does 30 to 60 seconds of extra cool down time at idle really hurt?

I'm definitely going to focus on the reliability mods as generally the only modifications that I make.

When I said personalize I meant more so making the car more comfortable. This is my dream car since before I had my license. I'm 25 now turning 26 in March. Early birthday present and replacement for my beloved RX8.

I was specifying a few things like the exhaust replacement simply because the car as it is, is EXTREMELY loud, to the point where I find myself not wanting to turn it on in my neighborhood, and also worrying about police. I'm surprised it passed the mass state inspection.

The stereo and gps was because, 1. obviously i really enjoy music, and this car like the rx8 doesn't have aux, and because i am admitedly horrible with directions.

the bov i can live without since a lot of people say its not needed.

basically im not trying to get any more horsepower out of the car, im happy with it the way it is, im only going to do reliability modifications and some slight customization to appearance and bring the "Volume" down a bit.

As i said before I'm in massachusetts, and its very cold. Thus the reason i wanted the remote starter/keyless entry. Another reason why I need to change the exhaust ASAP.
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 01:44 AM
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I sell my other possesions just to buy more stuff for my FD.


It's a sickness.
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 01:45 AM
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Originally Posted by davidasc22

basically im not trying to get any more horsepower out of the car, im happy with it the way it is
Also, this won't last long.
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 01:46 AM
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 01:47 AM
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 01:48 AM
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Originally Posted by OriginalFake2
Also, this won't last long.
I had my RX8 completely stock for about 3 years.
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 01:50 AM
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RX-8's and FD's are on 2 completely different levels.
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 01:52 AM
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Originally Posted by OriginalFake2
RX-8's and FD's are on 2 completely different levels.
Im just saying I was happy with the performance, even though i tinkered with the idea of upgrading it, it never happened.

The RX7 being faster and higher performance than the 8 more than meets my requirements.

I just want it to last as long as possible, and I want to modernize it a bit a lot like my 8 was.
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 05:06 AM
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Moderator's note:

Classified activity belongs in another section of the forum. Buyer, please do not make requests that would encourage this. Potential sellers, send a PM.

To the original topic:
IMHO an FD must first be fully sorted before getting into serious personalization. There is nothing wrong with personalizing the car, but be sure there is plenty of budget to resolve mechanical issues. It's also highly recommended to install some reliability modifications since some stock parts don't last the life of the car and their inevitable failure can create more serious damage. Hopefully most of these are already installed and you can skip right to the things you're more interested in.
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 05:39 AM
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lower the car, get a front lip, feed shine side skirts, and do all the reliability mods, and maybe nicer wheels, but maybe once you lower it it wont look that bad with those wheels.
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 05:39 AM
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looks pretty clean.
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 07:43 AM
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Until you get the 99 spec bumper, go ahead and buy a R1 front lip ASAP. These cars look so silly with that touring/base lip. You can pick up a brand new R1 front lip from Ray Crowe at Malloy Mazda(you should go ahead and remember that name) for around $125.00 shipped to your door.

Good luck with the car, they can be a lot of fun, or a lot of heart ache.
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 08:19 AM
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Originally Posted by OriginalFake2
I sell my other possesions just to buy more stuff for my FD.


It's a sickness.
Yea. It really is.

Originally Posted by kalinakona
You know how I personalized mine? I drove it for a week. Then, I had my own personalized list of problems. Let the fun begin!
WIN hahaha
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 09:26 AM
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looks clean. Take care of the reliability mods before it's too late.

And in time, the only thing on your list that you'll have will probably be the RB exhaust.
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 10:23 AM
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Looks like a really nice car. If you don't mind, how much did you pay for it?

Regarding changes to the car, the loudness should be the first thing to fix. A RB catback will help. Get the stereo you want. That will make driving the car more enjoyable. After those two, you should concentrate on fixing anything that is not working properly. Once you have that done, take some time to get used to the car as is.

Jumping into a new car, and changing a bunch of stuff when you don't really know what you are doing will result in bad choices.
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Old Feb 25, 2011 | 11:11 AM
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You're E-brake light coming on under acceleration is likely due to low brake fluid, I bet if you fill it up your problem goes away.
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