RX-8 info please

[H3br3w_Ham3r]

I'm looking at trading in my Speed3 for a 04-08 RX-8. I am a huge auto crosser and I want something competitive for a specific class and it looks like the RX-8 really does well in B-stock since thats all anyone runs and STX. I need a bit of info before making my decision though.

1. I want to get a base model with cloth seats and no sunroof to save weight. Does the base model lack anything in performance or handling that the GT model has?

2. The car has basically remained the same over the past few years correct? Any differences between suspensions from year to year? I will be changing shocks for the D-stock class anyways.

3. I know some came with 17 inch wheels but those were only the automatics right? I want to know cause I am keeping my aftermarket wheels from the MS3. What is the size and offset of the stock RX-8 wheel? I can only vary a small amount from the stock size in B-stock.

Any info is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[mr_mazda329]

oh man..no way. RX-8 is not competitive.. in any class. Keep the MS3 and get a miata. Miata is competitive in ES, CS, CSP, STS2, SSM, EP, and XP.

 

[H3br3w_Ham3r]

oh man..no way. RX-8 is not competitive.. in any class. Keep the MS3 and get a miata. Miata is competitive in ES, CS, CSP, STS2, SSM, EP, and XP.

Except the part where B-stock is dominated by RX-8's and one took second in STX. And the reason he didn't win is he didn't have a co-driver to warm his tires like the winner did.

And the Miata got destroyed by 2 full seconds in CS by a Solstice! I don't want to run CSP cause the national champion is in my region. ST or STS2 is dominated by CRXs. SSM all the Miatas finished in the bottom half. Miatas don't run EP but they do run DP and lost by a full second to a MR2. XP no Miatas trophied.

 

[mr_mazda329]

but why not keeps the MS3 and buy a used 1st gen miata and save more money. And to win with an RX-8 in those classes..you pretty much have to be as good as Ken Block.

 

[H3br3w_Ham3r]

but why not keeps the MS3 and buy a used 1st gen miata and save more money. And to win with an RX-8 in those classes..you pretty much have to be as good as Ken Block.

Ummmm B-stock top 10 cars were RX-8s

 

[SpooledupRacing]

Remember auto X is all about the driver.. only maybe 60% car.. You can have a GREAT car but if u cant drive it u wont amount to s*** lol..

Dont worry about "saving weight" the RX8 is not fast anyway..

 

[H3br3w_Ham3r]

Remember auto X is all about the driver.. only maybe 60% car.. You can have a GREAT car but if u cant drive it u wont amount to s*** lol..

Dont worry about "saving weight" the RX8 is not fast anyway..

Another person who does not understand..... I said I want to be competitive. The MS3 is not in any class. DSP it loses out to RWD cars and in STU it gets crushed by AWD subys and evos. RX-8's have a proven track record of being a competitive car in auto-x. I don't care that it is not fast in a straight line I want cornering speed hence the lightweight.

Everyone on the forums likes to throw out ohh it takes driver skill to win. How do you know I am not a good driver? Have you ever met me? People see the 16 thing and go oh he must not be a good/experienced driver. I'm not going to throw out that I think I'm the next Schumacher (Jeff Gordon for you nascar guys lol) but I will say I have plenty of experience. Loads of road course time, a full season of auto crossing, guidance from my parents who both race, and not to mention I started racing a few years ago in karts.

So lets throw the drivers skill question completely out the door. Regardless of how good I am.... The best car to compete will always help. I am just looking for info about the car before I decide. Don't question my motives.... Just answer the questions above.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

there are some significant differences, more in the autos than the manuals, but regardless, I recommend you get an 06 or newer, under NO circumstances would I buy an 04. the later model autos came with an engine more similar to the manual models than the early ones did, 4 port vs 6 port. if you're looking for a track car, the base is your best bet, as I don't believe there are any performance differences (engine or suspension) between trim levels for any given year. the base model autos came with 16's, but the RX8 never came with 17's.

 

[SpooledupRacing]

Another person who does not understand..... I said I want to be competitive. The MS3 is not in any class. DSP it loses out to RWD cars and in STU it gets crushed by AWD subys and evos. RX-8's have a proven track record of being a competitive car in auto-x. I don't care that it is not fast in a straight line I want cornering speed hence the lightweight.

Everyone on the forums likes to throw out ohh it takes driver skill to win. How do you know I am not a good driver? Have you ever met me? People see the 16 thing and go oh he must not be a good/experienced driver. I'm not going to throw out that I think I'm the next Schumacher (Jeff Gordon for you nascar guys lol) but I will say I have plenty of experience. Loads of road course time, a full season of auto crossing, guidance from my parents who both race, and not to mention I started racing a few years ago in karts.

So lets throw the drivers skill question completely out the door. Regardless of how good I am.... The best car to compete will always help. I am just looking for info about the car before I decide. Don't question my motives.... Just answer the questions above.

No my answer has nothing to do with "not getting it", You reply shows your age

I have been on the Auto X track for over 10 years... I am telling you "weight saving" by not getting a sunroof or not having 17's or 18's is NOT going to make u win or lose a race..

Driver and suspension make a car competitive, I don't care WHAT class you run in I dont care what car you drive all I am saying is 200lbs or less is not the difference between wining and losing or being competitive or not.

The RX8 is not a fast car, it corners GREAT however it does not pull out of those tight corners all that well, I am trying to tell you to not worry about the amenities, just buy a car you will enjoy on and off the track because those little creature comforts wont hurt your time or style. It will only make the car that much more enjoyable when u are off the track

BTW is the MS3 is losing its class its due to BETTER CARS, BETTER drivers.. NOT due to which wheels drive the car.

When the SCCA was opened up they were rules by:

SAAB
Mazda
Nissan

And most the time a tunes SAAB 900 would bet any of them all day long. and SAAB = FWD

RWD or AWD does not mean u are going to win.

 

[H3br3w_Ham3r]

No my answer has nothing to do with "not getting it", You reply shows your age

I have been on the Auto X track for over 10 years... I am telling you "weight saving" by not getting a sunroof or not having 17's or 18's is NOT going to make u win or lose a race..

Driver and suspension make a car competitive, I don't care WHAT class you run in I dont care what car you drive all I am saying is 200lbs or less is not the difference between wining and losing or being competitive or not.

The RX8 is not a fast car, it corners GREAT however it does not pull out of those tight corners all that well, I am trying to tell you to not worry about the amenities, just buy a car you will enjoy on and off the track because those little creature comforts wont hurt your time or style. It will only make the car that much more enjoyable when u are off the track

BTW is the MS3 is losing its class its due to BETTER CARS, BETTER drivers.. NOT due to which wheels drive the car.

When the SCCA was opened up they were rules by:

SAAB
Mazda
Nissan

And most the time a tunes SAAB 900 would bet any of them all day long. and SAAB = FWD

RWD or AWD does not mean u are going to win.

I know 17's or 18's won't win or lose a race. I just have two sets of 18's and a set of 17's and wanted to know which ones I would use for the stock class.

You think 200lbs won't make a difference? On the drag strip 100 lbs means a tenth of a second. Multiply that number by at least 5 to equal how much it will affect you in an auto cross. When championships are won by hundredths even thousandths of a second every pound matters. Less weight on the top of the car by losing the sun roof will lower the center of gravity improving handling not by a lot but some.

This car would be a designated track/ auto-x car if I choose to go this way. I would have enough money on my trade in and after buying a used RX-8 to buy a good truck for daily use. Amenities don't matter to me at this point.

I also know the car doesn't have much torque for pulling out of corners but thats what left foot braking is for. Keep the engine revved/ turbo spooled if applicable. I've gotten plenty of practice in my MS3.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

no turbo on an RX8.... sure as s*** not in stock class neway. lol

 

[H3br3w_Ham3r]

no turbo on an RX8.... sure as s*** not in stock class neway. lol

I know it does not have a turbo. I was just saying left foot breaking is used to either keep the engine revved to dig out of corners or keep the turbo spooled for the same reason.

 

[Rix6]

The OP is right about wanting to get a car that is competitive. In SCCA autocross, it does not matter if a car is faster or even if handles better than another car. Everything depends on what class they assign it to. The Speed3 is in D-Stock class. Acura Integras rules that class. So assuming you are a great driver and drive the Speed3 to its full capabilities, if there is another driver (with skills near your own) in an Integra, he is going to beat you every time! This is assuming both cars are running R-Comp tires and are setup within the limits of DS class rules.

So the bottom line is that if you are a good driver and desire to be competitive in autocross, the Speed3 is a poor choice.

The RX8 just happens to rule BS class. The supercharged Mini Cooper rules GS class and the NA Mini Cooper rules HS class. If you really want to be competitive in any of those classes, you must buy one of those cars. It is annoying, but the facts are the facts!

If you don't believe it, just look at the results from the SCCA Solo Nationals run just last week. RX8s took the top ten spots in BS class. Mini Cooper-S took 9/10 top spots in GS class. Mini Cooper took 8/10 top spots in HS class ( a Mazda 3 got 6th place!!). Almost forgot the 2007-2008 Shelby Mustang took the top 15 places in FS class!!!

 

[mr_mazda329]

Miatas Rule ES, CS, CSP, STS2

 

[Shadow102]

Miatas Rule ES, CS, CSP, STS2

First off there is no such thing as sts2 any more. Secondly they do not dominate that class the crx is a very close contender it can go either way. Cs is no longer ruled by the miata either now that the solstice has been released its been a pretty good battle there as well. Not saying the miata isn't a great car but its not the end all either.

To the op...good choice on the rx8 if you plan on sticking to those classes I am not aware though that anybody has really explored the limits of the rx8 beyond into the sp classes.

To answer your questions...as long as you stay with the 6spd you will always get the same drivetrain. The base model will afford you no navi, no sunroof, no aero kit, cloth interior, ect. Probably a pretty good weight savings which as you know in auto-x every pound counts (see the motorsports section of xelderx's protege build some crazy stuff done there like aluminum shift linkage). I do believe all 6spds came with 18" wheels which I am also thinking are wider than the 17's....there is a possibility that the rx8 18's are going to be wider than the 18's you have now which make them illegal for stock class racing (who cares stick some wider meats on...typical stock class mantra....if it doesn't rub its not wide enough lol).

The only thing I am not totally sure on is supension I know a couple models had different shocks (doesn't matter anyway as I am sure you will be changing them out) I am not sure if the spring rates are the same across the board either.

The only real exception to all these rules is the r3 version rx8 which came out in 2009, it had 19" wheels, upgraded recaro seats, and some suspension changes...the engine remains the same though.

As far as the 2004, 2005 models are concerned...those are obviously the cheapest but also had the most issues...if all the tsb's and recalls have been performed on the engine then I probably would hesitate to pick one up if the price and options are right....although if faced with a well price 06+ go that route.

 

[aMaff]

Remember auto X is all about the driver.. only maybe 60% car.. You can have a GREAT car but if u cant drive it u wont amount to s*** lol..

Dont worry about "saving weight" the RX8 is not fast anyway..

And by this single post you've basically proven that you've never competed in any sort of national autocrossing event.

 

[H3br3w_Ham3r]

And by this single post you've basically proven that you've never competed in any sort of national autocrossing event.

My thoughts exactly.

And my aftermarket wheels are 17x8 +48 and 18x8 +45 and I knew the RX-8 wheels were 8 inch wide but no sure if some manulas came with 17 since I searched RX-8s to buy my 17's on tire rack since you cant go smaller than stock MS3 rims.

What is the offset on the stock RX-8 wheels?

 

[aMaff]

Factory 18x8" wheel offset is 50mm.

The only difference that I can imagine there would be in the packages suspension wise is the rear roll bar. The front roll bar doesn't matter as you can change that, and the same goes for shocks.

And weight, obviously.

 

[solidtrance]

oh man..no way. RX-8 is not competitive.. in any class. Keep the MS3 and get a miata. Miata is competitive in ES, CS, CSP, STS2, SSM, EP, and XP.

This is a joke, right! Check the B Stock results for the last four or five years.

but why not keeps the MS3 and buy a used 1st gen miata and save more money. And to win with an RX-8 in those classes..you pretty much have to be as good as Ken Block.

Let me get this strait.....don't get an 8 because you have to be a good driver to be competitive with it?

To the OP:
1. The base modle is a little lighter for all the reasons already discussed (no nav, leather etc.).
2. Finding one without a sunroof will give you a little more head room (I'm 6'2" and it is tight with a helmet on).
3. The base model for 04-05 doesn't have stability/traction control.
4. 18"X8" wheels, 50 mm offset, 5X114.3 mm bolt circle.

You should be able to find an 06 for a good price. By 06 they had ironed out almost all of the issues that the 04 and 05's had. I have never had any problems with my 05, but I would look for an 06-07 if I was shopping now rather than 2 years ago.

Go take a test drive, and if you love it, get one. If you don't love it right from the start, you might want to look for an other car. There are bunch of others out there that are competitive in other classes, and the 8 doesn't generally grow on people.

 

[H3br3w_Ham3r]

Factory 18x8" wheel offset is 50mm.

The only difference that I can imagine there would be in the packages suspension wise is the rear roll bar. The front roll bar doesn't matter as you can change that, and the same goes for shocks.

And weight, obviously.

Good than my wheels could be used. Any idea which way they went with the sway bar? Stiffer or softer? Which do people prefer for outright handling?