froggy in PZ

[DB2626983C]

Any news and photos?

[Syracuse]

Hi my car is back after 7 months and half. I will come back later to join some photos and give you more informations.
This PZ had been saved, purely and simply. It should had been destroyed without a full restoration because of the new rules we have here in France.
I want to thank the forum, and especially one of you who helped me to buy this so specific springs and absorbers.
Total cost 15000€.
The cost of the mechanic around 6000€
Price of the car 4900€

[Syracuse]

Add 1000€ for electronic devices : car radio, Nexus 7 and so on

[Syracuse]

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[Syracuse]

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[Syracuse]

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[Syracuse]

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[Syracuse]

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[Syracuse]

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[Syracuse]

That's the final result i don't have some photo from below after the renovation.

[njkmr]

A lot of money, but hey , it looks superb.
Great work

[Syracuse]

So now lets review how the car has improved after 400 miles of different type of road :

The smell petrol has almost totaly vanished, it was the case when i was reving high. The fired wall cross beam had been changed
The sound of the catback has changed, that's normal the catback had been changed. It's more silent, less louder compared to the Skorpio, which i think is impossible to replace now (remember it's a PZ). I probably lost few HP considering my cata is 3 inches and catback 2.5 inches. I would say that i prefered the Scorpio.
The PZ is more controllable than before probably because the whole subframe and rear drop links had been changed, and the whole suspension, and a complete geometry (by a guy used to repare fancy cars)had been done. As a result, surprisingly i don't feel the DSC anymore. But i have no reason to believe that they are dysfunctionning.
Before the renovation it was likely to switched on more often than my recent 400 miles trip. Maybe i still have some margin while cornering lol.
The car seems higher than before, true because it doesn't touch my garage treshold anymore, which was the case anytime before.

If someone may have a look to the rear wheels to tell me if it sounds the good height for a PZ. I took some measurement which i can bring back later but now i don't remind the exact number (nothing stupid however). I have a doubt because this is not the same garage who assembled the rear and the upfront suspension combo.

The last weeks i drove the car before the full restoration i had a problem while cornering, the car seeming hedging from the rear. One of the four screws that are maintaining the subframe was broken. I do believe that it bring some problems. This problem had been solved.

So now the car is more silent and smoother and a little more refined.

[Syracuse]

A lot of money, but hey , it looks superb.
Great work

Thank you.

Yes it's a lot of money. But if you don't own the time and the skills....
The worst was the rust. A lot of rust.
THe main concern of those cars are not the motor in 2019, but the rust. And the motor compartment needs some work also (I will work on it)

[Syracuse]

And it happens almost everytime, as i run it, there is a guy who becomes mad while driving and seing this RX8, various behavior to follow since then ... lol. Some pedestrians also.

[Syracuse]

I have also been surprised by my consumption. For 600 km it was 13.5 liters per 100km. Close to my record (13 liters). Mix of highway and twisty roads with a lot of cornering. Not too bad for an RX8.

[Shagrington]

Well done
I'm not sure, but it does look like it is a bit high. If I am right I'm sure someone here can explain how that has happened (and hopefully how to put it right).
You should not feel the DSC - with decent suspension and tyres etc it will not interfere unless you are doing something silly or really pushing to the limits.

[Syracuse]

If the lower suspension arm pivot bolts are tightened with no weight on the wheel/hubs, then the rubber bushes will be in torsion when the car is back on the ground. This will cause the car to sit too high and will (eventually) destroy the bushes.

[PeteH]

Great work. Just go and enjoy it now.

[Syracuse]

If the lower suspension arm pivot bolts are tightened with no weight on the wheel/hubs, then the
will be in torsion when the car is back on the ground. This will cause the car to sit too high and will (eventually) destroy the bushes.

Thank you for your opinion.
Comparing some photos and the rear wheels of my PZ i had this intuition that something was not exactly right. Thank you, i will ask the garage to check.
I jus called the garage who renovated the PZ they told me that the job had been done carefully, the car on the ground.
Is it because the suspension was brand new ?
I will ask to an other garage i know, their opinion (they work for me since few years) and they will check.

[Conan]

Hi and well done on a fantastic job on the car, it looks great.
The way to check the attitude of the car is to measure from the center of the wheel to the underside of the wheel arch in a vertical line whilst on a level surface. I am abroad at the moment so cannot check for you but from memory I think the PZ is:
350mm and 355mm or 360mm and 365mm and I think the higher No is on the front ( this is on good used suspension )
Measure on level ground and post up for us the car does look high, suspension is tightened with the cars weight on it, usually on a garage lift / ramp for ease of access.
Regards
Pete

[Mherby]

When I fitted the new suspension (group buy PZ set) to mine we tightened things up with it on axle stands before I remembered not to do that and it sat like yours does in the photos, after we released things and torqued it all up on the ground it now sits like this:



Have to say though, car looks fantastic! Great work.

[Syracuse]

Hi guys
I got back my car and my garage (the one i know quite well) has checked the rear suspension. All is fine.
Thank you for the photo and your advices.

[Syracuse]

I will give you the measures i have later

[Syracuse]

So guys all is fine. My usual garage checked the rear suspension. All is ok.

The car has a huge potential with this new geometry and suspension
We made a run with a megane rs3 in a very cornering and narrow road.
Of course i could feel the power in the straight portions ( 265 HP at least).
The road was so wild that we very rarely got the third gear.
But i came back every time. He couldn't escape.
I think that RHD has an advantage as you can stick to the side of road and even drop your right wheels of two inches in the grass.
In France we drive on the right side of the road.
That's the crazy thing you can do with this RHD

However there is nothing to brag as he was opening the road and this field was very advantageous for an RX8.
I need to get more experience and go on a track. Probably with an instructor first.

[warpc0il]

My '68 Alfa Romeo is left-hand-drive and yes, it's an interesting experience making progress down UK country lanes.