I finally got a few hours yesterday to get some items squared around on the RX8 and I came across a few items of note.

For the very tiny sum of money I have invested in this car I am amazed at what I have.

A clean rust free shell in a unique color with an immaculate interior is always a great place to start and when I dug in a bit I've found a HID driving light conversion ($225), a K&N Typhoon intake properly installed ($350), Magnecor wires ($130), 3" Greddy cat delete pipe ($375) Greddy cat back exhaust ($800) and Tokico D spec dampers (800) with I will assume top of the line springs as well.

I'm pretty lucky.

But there is an issue...

The Tokico are not height adjustable and I'm about 3/4 inch too low. I can't drive without the 245/45r17s smacking fender liner or worse. My plan is to run 275/40r17s all the way around...

I have four solutions, I would like the hive to decide my fate!

Option 1: Install insulator spaces on the spring to increase height.

Option 2: Replace springs with taller height units.

Option 3: sell all of the wheels and buy 17x8.5" and run 255/40r17.

Option 4: Damn the torpedos, trim the fenders and install Mad Tite Yo JDM Fender Flares!

Hive? Go!

Challenge car? Box flares are the only answer that makes sense.

Spacers would probably be the cheap and easy option though, also reversable down the road.

This style

4 x eleventybillion

This is GRM man, if the answer isn't Miata, it's fender flares.

Actually, living in Michigan, I could never bring myself to cut something that wasn't rusty, so I'd go springs.

In reply to QuasiMofo:

Serious answer: Since springs are relatively cheap, I'd try to confirm the rates on the ones you have, and whether they're in the correct range. If so, then cut up a couple(used, because Challenge) hockey pucks to get the extra height you need. Otherwise sell/swap for the correct rate/length springs.

Spacers or springs will be cheap and easy.

Fender flares, not as much?

petegossett wrote: In reply to QuasiMofo: Serious answer: Since springs are relatively cheap, I'd try to confirm the rates on the ones you have, and whether they're in the correct range. If so, then cut up a couple(used, because Challenge) hockey pucks to get the extra height you need. Otherwise sell/swap for the correct rate/length springs.

Petes actually corrected but my knee jerk was to fire up the sawzall

Spacers, if it's only 3/4" and the car is that clean and rust free.

How do you like the D Specs?

Street Pro widebody kit, clearly is the best solution.

Alter the suspension.

fasted58 wrote: Spacers, if it's only 3/4" and the car is that clean and rust free. How do you like the D Specs?

The only thing about this car that I would consider changing is the spring rate, but it's affected but my wider/lower offset wheels and tires so this combo would likely be amazing in a car with OE fitment wheels. The vehicle transitions well into the highway and for a car with a bad engine it gets from 35-XXX amazingly fast. I'm still unsure what gears 4-5-6 are for!

If I'm doing this right you only need a .63" spacer on the springs to get .75" lift due to a motion ratio of roughly .84. Motion Ratio from FCM spreadsheet

The only way to keep the tires from smacking things is to either limit the amount of suspension travel or move the stuff they're hitting.

Raising the car by putting a spacer under the spring will NOT limit the amount of travel, so the tires will still hit. They might hit less often, but you haven't changed the range of motion so they can still get into a position where you have contact. You have introduced the potential for coil bind into the system, however.

A better way to solve this problem would be a spacer between the upper shock mount and the body. That will lift the car and limit bump travel by the same amount without potentially causing coil bind. It'll have the best chance of stopping contact.

But really, the best option is to keep your suspension travel and either change the tires or the body to stop interference. That'll get you the best performance. Since you're planning to run 275s, I'm assuming performance is part of the plan.

Keith Tanner wrote: The only way to keep the tires from smacking things is to either limit the amount of suspension travel or move the stuff they're hitting. Raising the car by putting a spacer under the spring will NOT limit the amount of travel, so the tires will still hit. They might hit less often, but you haven't changed the range of motion so they can still get into a position where you have contact. You have introduced the potential for coil bind into the system, however. A better way to solve this problem would be a spacer between the upper shock mount and the body. That will lift the car and limit bump travel by the same amount without potentially causing coil bind. It'll have the best chance of stopping contact. But really, the best option is to keep your suspension travel and either change the tires or the body to stop interference. That'll get you the best performance. Since you're planning to run 275s, I'm assuming performance is part of the plan.

Great points. Cut the fenders !

Looks like Tein springs on the Tokicos.

The 275s hit like crazy with a slightly narrower slightly higher offset wheel. A 9" wide wheel with a little more positive offset would tuck them in almost nicely. It still sits far too low in my opinion but I have zero testing on it.

The 9.75" wheels look great but are at best limited to a 235/45r17. The 9.5" wheels I bought might work on an Automatic with small calipers but not on the manual GT car.

I'm ordering a fourth gold wheel to make the set but I think I'm having a wheel sale to start with.

Locate the area where the rub occurs, modify that area.

No need for a blanket response.

iceracer wrote: Locate the area where the rub occurs, modify that area. No need for a blanket response.

Top of the arch

If you look close in this pic you can see that someone has rolled the fender lip. You can also see a chunk of rubber from the test drive with 275s and 200lbs of ballast in the trunk and rear seats.

The 235s rub under extreme duress but I could live with that if it were just a driver.

Yep,Calls for flares. Or xxxxx