RX8
Black Halo Racing (Griffin) Radiator Upgrade for RX8
by daniel on Nov.04, 2009, under RX8
After getting it out of the box the first thing that came to mind was: perfection.
All the welds look amazing, there is not one flaw in the craftsmanship of this item.
Overall it weighs about 7 lbs by my guess.
Here are a few pics to tantalize. I will install this when the weather gets better here. Granted the real test won’t be till I get a 95+ degree track day in as of right now I would feel comfortable paying much more than this radiator sells for. Truly is a work of art, from the welds, to the material, to the size and build.
Just sitting there it screams performance!
In comparison to the stock radiator:
- Thicker
- Less fin density (fins spaced apart farther)
- All-aluminum construction
- Better performing
This is a griffin source design. Griffin makes very high performance radiators for circle track and NASCAR applications. http://www.griffinrad.com/
FEED Final Drive 4.77 Review for RX8
by daniel on Nov.03, 2009, under RX8
FEED 4.77 final drive review:
Getting the parts required for this has taken me around 3-4 months.
I bought the FEED gear used from Murix, great guy. He said it took him 3 months to get from Japan new.
$600
Can be bought new from http://www.mazdaparts.com for $677 plus probably $50 in shipping
http://www.mazdaparts.com/ProductDet…000-1156400947
or http://www.japanparts.com for $726
Then I had to get the Mazda bearing Kit, which are the two bearings for the main pinion, the two bearings for the axles, the three oil seals, and the crush washer.
Diff bearings- 011827350A (2ea) MSRP-56.80ea Website-45.44ea
Axle seals- P04327238A (2ea) MSRP-8.25ea Website-6.60ea
Pinion seal- RA0327165A MSRP-21.50 Website-17.20
Pinion Crush spacer- R00427171A MSRP-10.00 Website-8.00
Pinion bearing #1- 060427220 MSRP-35.45 Website-28.36
Pinion bearing #2- R00127210 MSRP-61.20 Website-48.96
$202 (continue reading…)
Mazmart Water Pump for RX8
by daniel on Nov.03, 2009, under RX8
Kind of pricey, but it promises to alleviate a bunch of overheating issues. Overall I am confident that this piece will live up to its price tag. Quality is excellent, shipping was great, and the phone service was prompt and friendly.
Install took about 1.5 hours, I went ahead and changed the coolant while I was at it. All the bolts on the water pump were 12mm, with 10mm bolts for the water pump pulley. Spillage wasn’t too bad when I had already drained the fluid out, soaked a rag that I placed underneath the opening, but no massive floods.
I would rate this install at slightly harder than the agency power pulley install, since you are dealing with spilling liquids.
Everything went smoothly, except, when you are replacing the new water pump, dont put the pulley on before the pump is in the car, if the pulley is in place you wont be able to slide a bolt into place.
Order by calling Mazmart directly:
1-800-221-5156
Royal Purple – ASH RESULTS
by daniel on Nov.03, 2009, under RX8
So far, engine temps are unaffected, as well as oil pressure.
But I took some of the oil to the lab today and ashed the oil to see how much of it is left over after combustion.
I followed the following procedure;
1) remove Pyrex ash crucible from 105 degree Celsius drying oven to a desiccator to cool down to room temperature. (the crucible needs to be ambient temp because hot air rises, and can throw off the scale because of tiny air currents) (the crucible is in the oven because it keeps it completely moisture free)
2) weigh crucible on analytical balance, record weight
3) Tare crucible
4) add oil to crucible
5) record weight
6) burn off the bulk of the matter using a Bunsen burner in a vented fume hood (just so nobody has to smell it as it is combusting)
7) Place in 600 degree Celsius muffle furnace ( 1112 degrees Fahrenheit)
wait
9) take crucible out of furnace and place in 105 degree Celsius oven to cool down
10) take out of 105 degree Celsius oven and place in desiccator to get to room temperature
11) weigh, record weight
12) calculate
Anyways, the scale is accurate to four decimal places, and is calibrated daily, along with weekly trends being performed for accuracy.
The scale is approved by the FDA and USDA for pharmaceutical manufacture. (continue reading…)
Magnecor Competiton KV85 wires & RX7 Spark Plugs
by daniel on Nov.03, 2009, under RX8
Magnecor Competiton KV85 wires & RX7 Spark Plugs for RX8
RX7 Plugs: They are NGK BUR-7EQ leading and BUR-9EQ trailing. They are the standard RX7 plug with a copper center element.
For the longer lasting platinum tipped plugs Just add a “P” to the end of each of the part numbers for the plugs, “BUR-7EQP”
You will need a washer to install the plugs in an RX8 due to the fact that previous plug housing reach in the RX7s and before has been 21mm. The RX8’s housing changed this to 19mm on the trailing side. The RX7 plugs are too long and the will press against the inside of the housing when tightened. Over several heating cycles this pressure will cause the housing to deform and give you low compression. You should start with a 3mm large washer, you should be able to find them at any autoparts store, or may be able to find them at places like Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc.
$10 Do It Yourself (DIY) Footwell Lights RX8
by daniel on Nov.03, 2009, under RX8
Interested in something like this:

Without having to pay $80 that Mazda currently charges?
Here is the DIY: (continue reading…)












