--- title: Rx8 Performance Upgrades | Suspension & Brake - How do you Drive? description: Performance Upgrades Rx8 | Brake & Suspension upgrades, make your car handle, stop. Enjoy the drive. How do you Drive? REspeedshop Colorado. image: https://www.respeedshop.com/hubfs/Snip20220310_40.png --- # Rotary Engine build Blog Building the Rotary Engine is all in the right tools, experience and knowhow. Get it right [rx8 builds](https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/tag/rx8-builds), [Penske Shocks Rx8](https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/tag/penske-shocks-rx8), [rx8 Performance Upgrades](https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/tag/rx8-performance-upgrades)   |   5 Min Read # Rx8 Performance Upgrades | Suspension & Brake - How do you Drive? ![Picture of MazdaDoug](https://www.respeedshop.com/hubfs/respeed%20rotor%20logo-2.png) [ Written by MazdaDoug ](https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/author/mazdadoug) ## [![Rx8 Performance Upgrades](https://www.respeedshop.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202023-06-28%20at%208.28.18%20PM.png?width=510&height=351&name=Screenshot%202023-06-28%20at%208.28.18%20PM.png)](https://www.respeedshop.com/services)Rx8 Performance Upgrades | The Rx8 has one of the best chassis' out there. With structural stiffness at par with the Porsche 911 and brakes that will best many other sportscars (even the new ones), it is best to keep them working properly and even add in a bit of enhancement with new rotors / pads. What pads work best? I love that question. The answer lies within the additional question 'How do you drive?' Street driving takes a pad with a very wide temperature Cof value. What about those who want to run High Plains Raceway once in a while, or even Pueblo Motorsports Park?  Then we go with a different pad then the ones you can get at O'Reillys or any other auto parts store. For us here at the shop, I like brands like Performance Friction, StopTech, Carbotech & G-lock. But then we also service a nice batch of real track driven race cars. When the matter of seriousness arises, it is advisable to align the brake pad with the driver and vehicle based on their specific usage of the brakes. Not everyone is going to be 'all in' when it comes to hauling it down from high speed at turn 4 or 6 at HPR. Add in ABS, it is just easy to ask the pad / rotor to do all the work.  I like to paint the rotors with temperature paint and then go out on track to get a detailed level of information of where the pads heat up the rotors, then we can match that heat to the pad compound. ##### [![Rx8 Performance Upgrades](https://www.respeedshop.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Snip20220310_40.png?width=647&height=249&name=Snip20220310_40.png)](https://www.respeedshop.com/services)Choose the wrong pads and you'll never get enough heat in the pad for solid braking performance or you'll toast the pads, ruin the rotors. I've seen guys spend 1000's for Brembo upgrades and then never hit the track, that is fine for Cars & Coffee showings, its your call.  Most Rx8's can outdrive their owners, they are that good. Add in good pads / rotors with SS brake lines and a good brake fluid (We like Motul), add in some temperature paint to the edge of the rotors to make sure the pad/rotor temperature aligns with the Cof of the pad, good to go. It all comes down to how you choose to drive your car. For some it is all about looking good, for a few, it is about connection of Car and the Driver. My preference: Hitting apexes correctly, feeling the body hit 1.6 G's in the corners (our race car will hit over 2.0...) and braking hard after a solid launch out of the corners that does it for me. Lap after lap, smiling the whole way.   [![Find out more](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/85804/interactive-155935216958.png) ](https://www.respeedshop.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLLyd5Hxl1N6T9BGjQJSQReSn3lUD4%2FUhZpXfvjmJgP54%2F6RZ280GTWUN0TfNPw73nJb9VnHbfS0ECpeDW87R6l6LpMlGlHDC6odzf4d%2Bq9Jpd4LtQSSynv2KowYeBcBO%2FZLrymKtdDGDCbYoeKMT8V2MO%2FIbH59Qi568VjLkyRgxUZ9ZSN6Ug%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=155935216958&portalId=85804) Topics:   [rx8 builds](https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/tag/rx8-builds), [Penske Shocks Rx8](https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/tag/penske-shocks-rx8), [rx8 Performance Upgrades](https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/tag/rx8-performance-upgrades) - [** ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/rx8-performance-upgrades-suspension-brake-how-do-you-drive&title=Rx8%20Performance%20Upgrades%20|%20Suspension%20&%20Brake%20-%20How%20do%20you%20Drive?&picture=https://85804.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/85804/Snip20220310_40.png&description=Performance%20Upgrades%20Rx8%20|%20Brake%20&%20Suspension%20upgrades,%20make%20your%20car%20handle,%20stop.%20Enjoy%20the%20drive.%20How%20do%20you%20Drive?%20REspeedshop%20Colorado.) - [** ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?source=https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/rx8-performance-upgrades-suspension-brake-how-do-you-drive&text=Rx8%20Performance%20Upgrades%20|%20Suspension%20&%20Brake%20-%20How%20do%20you%20Drive?) - [** ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/rx8-performance-upgrades-suspension-brake-how-do-you-drive&title=Rx8%20Performance%20Upgrades%20|%20Suspension%20&%20Brake%20-%20How%20do%20you%20Drive?&summary=Performance%20Upgrades%20Rx8%20|%20Brake%20&%20Suspension%20upgrades,%20make%20your%20car%20handle,%20stop.%20Enjoy%20the%20drive.%20How%20do%20you%20Drive?%20REspeedshop%20Colorado.) - [** ](mailto:?subject=Rx8%20Performance%20Upgrades%20|%20Suspension%20&%20Brake%20-%20How%20do%20you%20Drive?&body=Rx8%20Performance%20Upgrades%20|%20Suspension%20&%20Brake%20-%20How%20do%20you%20Drive?%20https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/rx8-performance-upgrades-suspension-brake-how-do-you-drive) ## Related Articles [rx8 builds](https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/tag/rx8-builds) [rx8 engine failures](https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/tag/rx8-engine-failures) ### [Rx8 engine rebuilds | Why these cars still matter](https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/rx8-engine-rebuilds-why-these-cars-still-matter) RX-8 Rotary Engine Rebuilds: OEM Performance or Better As the cost of everything continues to rise, deciding what to do with a tired RX-8 has become a real choice. 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[![Picture of MazdaDoug](https://www.respeedshop.com/hubfs/respeed%20rotor%20logo-2.png) MazdaDoug ](https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/author/mazdadoug) google-site-verification: google66f53be324ef579e.html ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "MazdaDoug", "url" : "https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/author/mazdadoug" }, "dateModified" : "2025-01-01T15:54:35.626Z", "datePublished" : "2025-01-01T15:54:35.000Z", "headline" : "Rx8 Performance Upgrades | Suspension & Brake - How do you Drive?", "image" : [ "https://www.respeedshop.com/hubfs/Snip20220310_40.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.respeedshop.com/blog/rx8-performance-upgrades-suspension-brake-how-do-you-drive", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.respeedshop.com/hubfs/respeed%20rotor%20logo-1.png" }, "name" : "REspeed LLC" } } ```