Mazda RX-8: teach me about them

[nyc951]

Hi guys,

Having run at a couple of events with COM, I know you're Miata experts. Now what can you tell me about the RX-8 as a weekend & track car?

I have a family so I need the back seats, but I won't give up the fun of driving. I currently have an e36 328i sedan that I drive daily and used at the events. It's been great and reliable, but I keep wanting something different, something special, something more pure. I'm on a very limited budget and see the prices of RX-8s dropping like mad.

So what do you think? I know the rotary motor requires more care, but it won't be a daily driver, so that's fine. Besides, I used to daily drive a 944 turbo so I'm used to high maintenance.

Oh, I like the RX-8 R3, but the body kit is too much. Would it be easy to bring a standard 8 up to snuff with aftermarket suspension and wheels/tires?

Thanks!

[breakaway500]

I like the rotary engine..light,powerful and high revving.I believe the RX8 is a great street/track car,with high quality factory equipment.

I was in an '09 at Limerock last year...mostly stock,on DIrezza tires. The on track performance was much better than I expected,and the second day turned wet..we went faster! The car impressed me,as did the student. ( I did get to drive as well..wish that motor was in my Miata... )

[cfossum]

I've put over 100K miles on my RX8. I love it, mostly because it is unique, and far more exclusive than any BMW or Porsche (where I live, anyhow.)
The driving experience is rewarding, and it has been quite dependable as it has broken down only once when a stock oil line ruptured due to rust through.
Its a great car for the money, but perhaps not as quick as you might think. Every douche in an STi will ride your tail and try to race. Don't bother trying, you'll lose. In fact, any modern Camry, Accord, and even some minivans can smoke me from a stop light. Whatever. I enjoy the purity of rear wheel drive and three pedal operation.
I've had it at several track events on street tires. Once in 2005 I took it to Limerock. For one of the track sessions I borrowed a set of V700s on mustang wheels and put them on the RX8. On the third lap I turned a 1:05 flat. This was before they repaved it. I thought that was respectable, but it didn't really feel right until I disabled the traction control. My car is a 2004.... I don't know about the newer ones, but the traction control is completely disabled with the push of a button. ABS is defeated by pulling the fuse.
I've left the car entirely stock so I can't offer comment about aftermarket anything, except of course braided stainless oil lines (which I would recommend before the stock ones rupture.)
Oil consumption is roughly one quart per 1500 miles. On three occasions I've had the starting issue which arises after an insufficient warmup during the previous drive cycle. Now I'm diligent about allowing it to warm up completely and I've experienced no more problems. Shortly after two of the starting problems the Catalytic converter failed. My understanding is that the excessive flooding caused it. Both times, it was replaced under warranty.
I still have the original clutch, but for some reason the back tires need to be replaced every 20K.
Good luck. zoom zoom.
-Carl

[Stynger]

I have biased opinions on the Rotary, but do admit the RX8 is a great car.

I have one in the shop now, the clutch pedal assembly broke a spot weld and barely works the clutch. Seems to be a common problem. Pull it and weld it up for track use.

I've seen coil pack issues, and like Carl suggested, replace the oil cooler lines. Racing Beat makes a nice kit.

They may not be fast, but I would say they are quick, a lot like a Miata.
The 06+ Miata uses almost identical suspension to the RX8.

They are starting to show rust in front of the rear wheels in this area.

Keep it full of oil and coolant and it should last a good long time.

[brucesallen]

rotaries love a turbocharger

[Neptune441]

rotaries love a turbocharger

If you can find someone to tune them right....

[brucesallen]

rotaries love a turbocharger

If you can find someone to tune them right....

The technique is to jack up the boost until they blow, rebuild the engine and turbo, then back off.

[Neptune441]

rotaries love a turbocharger

If you can find someone to tune them right....

The technique is to jack up the boost until they blow, rebuild the engine and turbo, then back off.

lol yeah then dump another 7k into the engine with a bigger turbo, Now that's silly Bruce... Mazda makes durable engines right out of the box( You should know since you have a MZR engine in your kit car) . The one thing I like about the RX8 along with the looks is the high RPM range however, again if you put a Greddy turbo kit on it 4k$ which has the emanage( Which tends to re-learn very quickly plus you'd have to buy wideband 02 sensor and so on, you're back at square one..... or go with a COBB AP, go to pro tuner with no slicing of factory harness( big plus), and improve your power throughout the power band, get a custom IC set up and exhaust that's the way I'd go with a new clutch and brake pads with SS lines... * If you are looking to keep the car stock though I can imagine it's a fun car to drive in fact someone on here or maybe not runs a white RX8 newer version and ran sticky street tires and seemed to do just as well!

[brucesallen]

But of course you are right. The rotary can take quite a bit of boost and produce lots of reliable horsepower as long as you provide lots of octane, engine, intake and oil cooling and avoid detonation with proper instrumented dyno tuning by the likes of DentSport Garage. But first I want everyone to go through the the trial and error that I did since 1987 and my Turbo II.

[breakaway500]

.."jack up the boost until they blow"... I know of this method...very expensive...