LC05VRY - 2005 Strato Blue 231

[Pingping010101]

There are spacers on the front and I really don’t want to take them off if I don’t have to as the wheels are perfect flush with the arch when facing forward.

I’ll raise the front 15mm and go from there I think.


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[Pingping010101]

I would suggest raising the rears by the same amount while you are at it. I sprayed the coilovers, and a few other parts, with XCP rust preventative so hopefully the adjusters and the threads will be free to adjust.

[Ranjan]

Instead of raising it by 15mm, raise it by 17mm all round.
Then do your long journey and then check again.
It will have dropped slightly and settled at about, hopefully, 15mm.

Ranjan.

[Pingping010101]

Instead of raising it by 15mm, raise it by 17mm all round.
Then do your long journey and then check again.
It will have dropped slightly and settled at about, hopefully, 15mm.

Ranjan.

Thanks Ranjan, I will certainly take that advice and do just that.


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[Pingping010101]

I cannot....

Ahh, that takes me back to when I first got my car...

100% that'll be where the rubbing is from if you've only got that much clearance.

[Pingping010101]

I’ve raised the front ride height by 17mmbut I haven’t been able to do the rears. There’s now enough clearance to get my hand in between the tyre and the wheel arch but it’s lost a little the ‘nose down’ stance. I’m not that keen on it but I’m sure I’ll get used to it. I’d rather be safe and without clearance issues than look cool but have my tyres explode.

I also found a new hole on the sill that was supposedly sorted. Ffs.




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[v-rex]

I also found a new hole on the sill that was supposedly sorted. Ffs.
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Ah man. That sucks. Hopefully this is the last one you need to fix.

[Pingping010101]

That hole is not good, get it sorted then you know you are all good for some time.
Need to get the rear up now.

[ChrisHolmes]

Unreal how they didn’t find that when they fitted the new sill. Hands up I didn’t even look at that side given that it had the new outer sill!

[Pingping010101]

Unreal how they didn’t find that when they fitted the new sill. Hands up I didn’t even look at that side given that it had the new outer sill!

I’m seriously considering my options in regards to getting a decent car. I may have to accept that this shell is beyond saving. There’s rust creeping in to some of the wheel arches too, that I hadn’t noticed before.

Getting the car up on a lift with good lighting has been an eye opener.

Let this be a lesson to others, that buying an RX8 blind is a big risk! I’m glad I didn’t pay the price it was advertised for in 2018/19 - the owner before me may have cut his losses but he paid full whack and then paid for a sill and respray, so lost out more than I have so far.

Once I’ve had a quote for welding repairs I can decide whether a new rust free shell is a better option. I’m starting to think it probably is.


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[ChrisHolmes]

Once the sills are done and the cavities protected by spraying the shell will be OK. The rust on all the chassis components potentially makes things look worse than they really are. A good rust killing spray may be all that is required there.

[Pingping010101]

Once the sills are done and the cavities protected by spraying the shell will be OK. The rust on all the chassis components potentially makes things look worse than they really are. A good rust killing spray may be all that is required there.

I’ve got the fear of the rust monster - the passenger side wheel arch is flaking away too and there’s some creeping on to the drivers side front


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[Pingping010101]

So the car survived the long journey. I managed to hit the 300 club in both directions - turns out it’s pretty easy to achieve at a consistent (ish) 70mph on a relatively unbroken motorway route. The 400 club must take some serious commitment to careful throttle management.

I also got pulled over by Hampshire Constabulary on the M3 and received two fines of £50 for a loud exhaust and £100 for improperly displayed front number plate.

I am so glad that I have a proper modified car insurance policy with all mods declared as the officer that spoke to me seemed particularly keen to catch me out with this. I am also glad I replaced the damaged tyre and raised to front suspension before I set off as I think they’d have taken the car off me there and then if I had left it like that.

They spent a long time looking all over the car by the side of the road and warned me that the control arms etc are all rusty and could be dangerous. My brain engaged the ‘surface rust’ gear but As I wasn’t in any trouble for this particular point, I managed to catch it in time and nod my head with a ‘yes, ok’ in order to avoid making the situation any more painful.

To give him his due, the copper was fair and courteous and wasn’t a dick about any of it. Whilst he was right that my exhaust is too loud and my number plate was in the windscreen, I suspect he thought he was going to catch an uninsured driver and seize a car. Once he realised I was all above board in this regard, it was dealt with quickly and I was on my way.

All in all, a busy (and expensive) day.


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[Vj4sothername]

That sounds like a rough journey. What exhaust do you have?

[Pingping010101]

That sounds like a rough journey. What exhaust do you have?

It’s a 3 inch single exit system, on tubular headers. It’s very, very loud.





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[V8 Power]

How did they define “exhaust too loud”, did they use a decibel meter?
That is very unlucky to get caught like that considering the number of cars around with unreadable number plates and blacked out front windows who never get pulled over.

[v-rex]

Oh man. What bad luck. Was it a marked police car or unmarked?

I've been pulled over once on the M3 in 2012. It was an unmarked police mercedes estate. I was trying to get onto the a303 and some dufus was sitting in the middle lane and people joining from the left, so I had to overtake quickly to get around and over.

Sods law some guy in a modified fiesta thought I was trying to race him so he starts giving it the beans once I moved to overtake. I guess the cops thought we were racing and I was some boy racer, so started off quite aggressive with an accusatory stance. However after checking all my details and seeing I was in fact an older gent fulfilling his mid-life crisis, they calmed down alot and let me off with a caution.

I was actually on my way to a kart race at forest edge. I always wondered if he saw my helmet on the back seat whether that would have counted for or against me....

Pingping010101, you do seem to be having a string of bad luck with the car. Glad you are persevering with it and keeping a positive attitude. Here's hoping for a string of good luck to head in your direction now.

[Pingping010101]

That sounds like a rough journey. What exhaust do you have?

It’s a 3 inch single exit system, on tubular headers. It’s very, very loud.





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It is seriously loud, when Thomas left my house I could hear him for ages as he pulled away from the various junctions through the estate!

[Yorindesarin]

You should have argued the plate being in the windscreen as being legal as a temporary measure as it is justifiable to have your plate displayed thusly for a short period of time. I had to check when my front numberplate holder broke and I had no other way of displaying my plate.

[Pingping010101]

You should have argued the plate being in the windscreen as being legal as a temporary measure as it is justifiable to have your plate displayed thusly for a short period of time. I had to check when my front numberplate holder broke and I had no other way of displaying my plate.

I assessed that it wasn’t worth the fight.

Appeasement was the fastest way to get to the end of the whole process. Nod and say yes in the right places!


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[Yorindesarin]

I would've argued it knowing everything was fine from my end. But I do understand where you're coming from!

[Vj4sothername]

So this has got me worried and after checking I found they hadn't listed the AEM on my insurance dispite spending over an hour explaining it last time. For some reason they decided it was an exhaust manifold!?

So far 40 mins in to trying to get this corrected.

I wonder if the PZ backbox and suspension counts as modification as they are factory RX8 parts.

[Pingping010101]

I had a similar feeling when I received my policy - I sent the full list to my insurers and they chose their own categories for the modifications according to the options available on their system. I can prove I supplied a full list of mods, they supplied the insurance based on this info and the policy covers all modifications as long as they’re declared. Which they were, So I stopped worrying.

Interestingly, the policeman knew who my insurance was with before he asked me as he said he saw who it was underwritten by. I’ll find out from a policeman I know what information is available at the point of stopping a vehicle.


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[Pingping010101]

Interesting he knew the insurance company details not just that it was insured!

[Pingping010101]

If only this had arrived 48hours sooner!


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