Since the body kit was installed it became apparent that the mirrors were the only thing that didn’t match the flow of the lines on the car. Luckily we knew how to fix this issue. Ganador, a Japanese company, makes aftermarket sport mirrors for the RX8 as well as many other popular tuner cars. They have an aero look to them similar to what you might see on more expensive European touring and sports cars. We had to have them (1) because they look hella good and (2) they are like one of Vivid’s signature mods to our project cars. To tell the truth the mirrors were ordered the same day as the body kit so we knew what the deal was right from the get go and were planning on them all along.
One nice thing about the mirrors is that the power function is retained.
The mirrors come wired with a plug n play harness and are simple to install though they do require removing the interior door skin. First you need to locate the few screws that hold the door in place and remove them. Some are in tight tucked away places though with a long screwdriver and some patients they are removed easy enough. Next remove the plastic trim piece around the door lever and then the black plastic triangle piece on the inside of the door opposite the mirror. This piece just pulls off. Now with the screws and trim pieces removed the only thing holding the door skin on is the plastic fasteners on the back side of the door interior. With a firm grip grab the door handle and pull towards you and separate the skin from the metal frame of the door. This can be done easier by starting at one corner of the door and get a finger or two between the plastic and metal and pry it back. You’ll hear a pop and you instinct will tell you that you just broke some thing that you shouldn’t have. These are just the snaps releasing. Unsnap all but one final section and then remove the electric switch panel buy pushing it up out of its position and expose the wires leading to the back of it. The harness is held fixed into the switch panel by some tabs that can be opened with a flat head screwdriver and the switches will release a then you can feed the wire harness back through the hole are remove the entire door skin.
Now that the bare door is exposed you can see how the stock mirror is held into place by the three bolts and the wire harness that supplies the power just below that. Unplug the harness first then remove the bolts holding the mirror. Remove the mirror and install the Ganador using the supplied hardware and plug in the wiring harness. Once firmly in place check the operation of the mirrors before you put the door skin back on.
The end result is a clean looking mirror that works well with the lines of the car and don’t look so much like Dumbo anymore. With the mirrors integrated into the body it adds a certain subtlety that just plan looks normal on a car of this caliber. These are the mirrors this car should have come with from the factory. We give the Ganadors a Vivid thumbs up!
