Track-day RX-8 upgrades recommendations (cooling and suspension)
I have an '04 RX-8 that I run at the local track fairly frequently. It's a great car, but there are a few things that need addressing, mainly the cooling and the suspension linkages.
Cooling -
After installing an AC system into the car this summer, my temps have been hard to manage. I can get maybe 2-3 laps in before My temps reach around 230F and I have to come in to cool down. I've already invested a fair amount into cooling, but it just isn't keeping up with the heat this engine puts out. Here's what's done so far:
- Mishimoto Radiator
- Mishimoto Low-temp thermostat
- RE-medy water pump
- Air box delete (AEM CAI)
- Lower fan trigger temp (via versatune)
- Aluminum undertray
- Cracks around radiator filled with foam
- Extra holes opened up in grill for extra air flow
- screen put on lower grill to keep rocks/leaves out. (I know this negatively effects cooling, but I wanted to keep that area clean)
I've examined quite a few other options - such as battery relocation, vented hood, bigger fans, etc. But right now I am thinking the mishimoto Radiator just isn't cutting it - here are the couple radiators I have been looking at:
Mazmart/Ron Davis Re-medy radiator
While expensive, I've heard from multiple people that this is hands-down one of the best radiators that'll mount into the stock locations. It's dual-pass, so I think this would help significantly with cooling. The only caveat is that I've heard they have offered two different radiators in the past, and I can only find this one. I'm hoping that this is the dual-pass variant, though I have yet to reach out to mazmart yet to confirm.
RX8 performance Ultimate performance radiator V3
Still dual pass, and much cheaper than the ron davis radiator, which is a big plus. My only concern is that I've heard some people have bad experiences with RX8 performance (scam/customer service) I've also read that some people have had problems with leaks about a year after install. Not sure if that has been resolved at this point.
Any other recommendations on radiators and/or other cooling mods that give better performance per dollar are appreciated.
Suspension -
being an 04 model, It has what I expect to be 20 year old suspension linkages. Most of my rear ball joints are torn open, so I definitely think it's time for a refresh. Because the ball joints themselves can't be replaced, the entire linkage needs to be swapped out. For this reason, I figured it's better to go with fully adjustable options anyways to really get the car dialed in. I also figured that while I have it torn apart, I would also swap out the stock sway-bars for something a little stiffer. Here is the current setup I am looking at:
Phase 2 motortrend suspension linkages
Little more expensive than other options, but I've heard these are great products. I've heard the cheaper options (like megan racing) can break under hard abuse. My hope is that these will not have that same problem.
No hard preference on sway bars; these just seem to be a good price and good quality from what I've heard other people say.
Any suspension setup recommendations / what you're running would be appreciated.