Who has test-driven an RX-8?

[Brian MP5T]

http://www.bayareaprelude.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=2;t=4322

Springs and Bushings would probably make the ride allot better. It is being called the next "Super Drifter" car in the drifting circles. The car has to have some merit for this to be the case. When I drove it, I thought of it as a $30,000 car, and was not expecting $100,000.00 acceleration out of it. I liked the car allot and feel that with minor modifications like most owners here do to their cars, it could be a real contender. The rotary engine can handle boost easily and the improvements in HP are significant for minor Psi increases. Also, Remember that this it a "1.3 L engine" You are comparing it to cars with almost double the displacement.

Later...Brian

(p5white)

 

[PreFknLude_SiR]

Can you elaborate on this " Not happy RX-8 Dyno "

I am not flaming or criticizing. Just wondering because it makes so sense.
(p5white)

Why can't you dyno a RX-8?

ECU gets pissed and goes full rich when it sees the rear wheels moving at speed and the front wheels are stopped. They took a look at it in SCC.

I can post the actual message from Mazda, but people are getting from 135whp all the way to 205whp and all in between. The reason is if the computer sees the front wheels not moving it goes EXTREMELY rich to save the cat. (as you know the renisis as with all rotaries get really hot). What is sad is this motor was making over 300hp before the ECU issue came into play. They had to ricen the sh*t out of it cause the cat wasn't meeting cali emisions, and was burning out at 80k miles. Mazda did not do a seperate ecu for cali like most car companies. So we all have cali emisions. There is a guy who has made a piggyback that changes the air/fuel just a little, to where the rest of pass our emisions but gives us back around 35whp just from leaning out a little.

Here is a lil demo how rich it is. This is only a Borla exhaust, nothing else. http://home.covad.net/~store014/speedborla.mov

There ya go. I found a lot more threads, but too lazy to cut/paste. Lemmi know if you need more info.

 

[skuzbucket]

If you guys go and test drive it - do the following

TURN OFF THE DSC and TSC!

Hit the DSC Button on the left side of the wheel for about 6 seconds until you see the TSC light come on in the top middle center of the Tach. Next - go flog the car a bit (only a car with 1500+ miles on it though since the rotary breakin period is so long)

I love my RX-8, but I am an owner (3rd car delivered in the Midwest back in July)

Skuz

 

[Brian MP5T]

There ya go. I found a lot more threads, but too lazy to cut/paste. Lemmi know if you need more info.

Interesting. I'm sure there is a way to override this on Dyno Day.

 

[Brian MP5T]

If you guys go and test drive it - do the following

TURN OFF THE DSC and TSC!

Hit the DSC Button on the left side of the wheel for about 6 seconds until you see the TSC light come on in the top middle center of the Tach. Next - go flog the car a bit (only a car with 1500+ miles on it though since the rotary breakin period is so long)

I love my RX-8, but I am an owner (3rd car delivered in the Midwest back in July)

Skuz

Thanks, I hate it when people criticize a $30,000 sports car with a 1.3L engine. It may not be the fastest or best thing on the road, but considering what the car is all about, it's a piece of engineering to be respected.

 

[skuzbucket]

Np - the car is exactly what it is supposed to be. The new Rotary Experience from Mazda - nuf said.

I love the design all around. For the people that say it is not a sports car, well - I guess they have never driven a sports car before (I have owned miatas, porsches, an M3, etc...) . The RX-8 is the bast ALL AROUND sports car I have owned. It may not be the fastest (it stops the best though), but it wins my vote as what we are going to be seeing coming down the pike from other manufacturers.

As for the RX-7 from mazda - well - that rumor has gone a bit nuts. There will be NO RX-7 coming from mazda ANYTIME SOON. The RX-8 is the sports car in the mazda line up for the foreseeable future.

Skuz

 

[gcotton]

Fun car, looks cool, but needs bigger BALLS

 

[skuzbucket]

Fun car, looks cool, but needs bigger BALLS

That is what the aftermarket is for.

Have you ever driven a broken in RX-8???

 

[Brian MP5T]

What really scared me was no noise at a idol. You can hardly feel it running, when you mash on the gas and the extra two injectors kick in at 8000 it just sounds raunchy.

 

[dolphin]

Diana,
Yes I have driven the RX-8. I really like it but picked the MSP because the MSP was less expensive to buy and insure. The last very important with two teenage drivers in the house.

To me, the RX-8 drove like a Miata with a stiffer front sway bar. It had a touch more understeer than my 10AE and reacted a little slower. But the RX-8 had better brakes and acceleration. Steady state cornering was about the same in each car.

It also had the same type character as the Miata. It would trickle along in a traffic at lower revs but to get the most out of it the engine needs a lot of revs. All the controlls worked well and provided good feedback without being overwelming. It was not quite as tactile as the Miata but better than anything else I have driven in or near its class. This meant that like the Miata, it was very rewarding and responsive when you kept the revs up.

 

[gcotton]

Yes i've driven an rx-8 and the damn thing reminds me of a honda vtec motor. 1st and 2nd suck, then finally in third it kicks in. By that time all you'll see is my taillights. But your right thats what the aftermarket is for. I just think for 30k it should be faster. 30k could get u cars that would blow the doors off a rx8.
evo, wrx, cobra, 350

 

[Brian MP5T]

Yes i've driven an rx-8 and the damn thing reminds me of a honda vtec motor. 1st and 2nd suck, then finally in third it kicks in. By that time all you'll see is my taillights. But your right thats what the aftermarket is for. I just think for 30k it should be faster. 30k could get u cars that would blow the doors off a rx8.
evo, wrx, cobra, 350

You must change how you drive to maximize this car's features. You must rev the engine all the way to get the real power of this car. 8500 RPM shifts in 2nd gear, and the car becomes a completely diferent beast!!

 

[mp5jeff]

if power is a problem, wait untill some turbo kits come out for them(shouldn't be long now). There are acctualy a few turbo'd ones but no kit in production that i know of..

 

[TRexPro5]

I thought that rotaries where "techincally" 2.6l. Since there is two cycles per rotation (did I say that right?).

Yes the engines themselves love boost, however, the apex seals do not like the heat .

Anyway, I wish I could drive one of those things. They are definatly beautiful cars.

 

[mp5jeff]

TRexPro5- no, they aren't technically 2.6, they are 1.3 litres..the apex seals are fine with the right intercooler and radiator i would think..

 

[ZoomZoomH]

yup, based on SAE's definition of displacement, the 13B rotary displaces 1.3 litres.

 

[Mazdaspeedgirl]

Diana,
Yes I have driven the RX-8. I really like it but picked the MSP because the MSP was less expensive to buy and insure. The last very important with two teenage drivers in the house.

To me, the RX-8 drove like a Miata with a stiffer front sway bar. It had a touch more understeer than my 10AE and reacted a little slower. But the RX-8 had better brakes and acceleration. Steady state cornering was about the same in each car.

It also had the same type character as the Miata. It would trickle along in a traffic at lower revs but to get the most out of it the engine needs a lot of revs. All the controlls worked well and provided good feedback without being overwelming. It was not quite as tactile as the Miata but better than anything else I have driven in or near its class. This meant that like the Miata, it was very rewarding and responsive when you kept the revs up.

Excellent.

and where can I get a job to afford the Mazda lineup you have??

Hunter, 1993 MX-6 LS V-6
Dolphin, #715 of 1500 MP3
TurboTAZ, #2641 of 2700 MSP
Lapis, 2003 Mazda 6S automatic
Cielo, #511 10th Anniversery
Edition Miata

 

[Mazdaspeedgirl]

As for the RX-7 from mazda - well - that rumor has gone a bit nuts. There will be NO RX-7 coming from mazda ANYTIME SOON. The RX-8 is the sports car in the mazda line up for the foreseeable future.

Skuz

Is that why my friend overhead Mazda engineers talking about "when the next RX-7 comes out..." when he was at the unveiling of the RX-8 at Laguna Seca?

 

[Mazdaspeedgirl]

I thought that rotaries where "techincally" 2.6l. Since there is two cycles per rotation (did I say that right?).

Someone who would like to think they are an engineer said that to try to rebut when their car got beaten by a 1.3L.

 

[skuzbucket]

all :bs: - got it from MNAO directly...

There might be another Rotary Sports Car in the works, but it is not an RX-7.