Topic: RX-8 rotary

[Robarakira]

The RX-8 would be the perfect car for me with it's good styling, HID, high redline, Navi, 6MT, RWD, coupe with sedan goodness etc. However it is not perfect. The rotary engine is questionable, and that is no good place to have a front licence plate on this.  CAN RX-8 OWNERS tell me how this engine rates? pros and cons? I have heard that it burns massive amounts of oil, and is horrible on gas when revving high.  Also that engine quality and duribility is questionable.  Yes i know that it is specifically designed to be a fun drivers car, however it seems like the fun is limited to how long the engine goes without problems.  I think that I would still take a RSX-S over the RX8 just due to the engine.. so, "STAY ROTARY" or "STAY AWAY"?

[Pikacha10]

its a good engine but it doesnt burn too much fuel unless you redline it every gear.

it might seem to burn more gas since each face on the rotor is in a certain part of the combustion cycle. but i think it burns more since it has a compression stroke 3 times each time the rotor spins and it also has 3 combustion stokes and 3 exhaust strokes. and theres 2 rotors.

i would recommend the engine because it doesnt burn too much more gas compared to some cars, and its actially a really good car. probably has more room then most other sports cars there are out there

[X_ouch]

no, the reason it has a high gas consumption is because this engine wastes gas. The combustion chamber is so huge and non uniform that you need 2 fat sparklers to light it and you still can't burn all the gas. The next thing you know, the compressed air/gas shoot straight out of the exhaust.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/rotary-engine1.htm

Just keep on clicking next page until you see the animation.

It's a good concept, don't get me wrong. But the actual action of the rotor is a very poor design.

I love the look of the RX-8, but just think about the engine..... It's not for everyday uses. You find rotor engines in LeMans cars, planes, boats... that kinda thing where you are constantly crusing at a high rev. Their lives don't last too long too. It's like going out with a hot chick but evil minded. They last longer during action, for sure. But actual relation span?  I'd say 6 months... 2 months... 3 weeks? or one night only

[DriverJeff]

I am thoroughly impressed with RX8.  The sound it makes revving out to redline is unlike anything I've experienced... and the pull is quite impressive too.  However, I've said before and I'll say it again:  I feel Mazda is simply hanging on to tradition for tradition's sake.  For the weight savings the Rotary format provides, I'm sure Mazda could have had a heavily boosted I-4 engine of comparable packaging size and weight, likely with much better torque and probably better mileage.  Has technology left the rotary behind?  Perhaps.

As for comparisons between the RSX-S and RX8, get your flame suit on and visit this thread...
http://test.canadiandriver.com/discus/messages/67/19185.html

[Captain_ron]

a) You can't move the car out of your garage and onto your driveway and shut it off.  It floods.  The car has to run for at least 5 minutes before you shut it off.  We are in 2004, I don't think a person should have to worry about moving his or her car and flooding it.  

b) Gas mileage - just go to the RX8 forum.  Gas mileage is close to the dodge viper for some people.

c) No 0-60 performance which is a big selling factor.

d) IT BURNS OIL! You HAVE to check it every second gas fill-up. Which is often considerign it doesn't reach 350km per tank.  

[Railton]

Hi Ron,
As an owner of an RX-8 for almost 5 months now here is my real world experience to the issues you list;
a) Hasn't happened to me, then again, I don't have a driveway...yet...don't get me started on this one.
b) Gas mileage for me averages 400km per tank now that there's 5K on it. The high has been 453/tank but that was mostly highway. I just wish the tank was bigger.
c) 0-60 performance poor compared to what? 5.9 to 100km/h is poor? On what planet?
d) The motors inherent design is such that it uses oil in much the same was as a 2-stroke does. It's a tiny engine 1.2 litres or so putting out 238 hp. No wonder it won "International Engine of year" last year.  
In 5K it's used a litre of oil. I think I checked the oil twice since I bought it. Oil's cheap BTW.
Railton

[safristi]

C'Pn Ron....which is it get off the POOP deck OR wank 'el  plank at the tip of Railtons Silver
Sabre???

 .....remove the eye patch from the good eye!!!

(Message edited by safristi on October 17, 2004)

[Pikacha10]

are you sure oils cheap railton? the last time i saw the specs sheet, it was mandantory to use synthetic oil, not the cheap dino stuff we can usually buy for just about every other car. then again, for a car like that, it deserves to drink the best of the best


nice colour btw

[Captain_ron]

A) My g/f had a 24 hour test drive.  Managed to flood it!  

b) Rx8club.com - Some people claim 12mpg city, some people claim 18mpg city.  Lets say it is 15mpg, still horrible.  

c)Pretty much any sports car in the price category will leave the RX8 behind in 0-60.  

d) The engine is not proven in my opinion.  I have personally not seen many RX7s that made it too 200,000km without a rebuild.  This engine is obviously better, but I still think the conventional piston engine is far more reliable.

YTD sales through September,

keep in mind the RX8 is newer than a 350z, and the 350z is losing A LOT of its sales to the G35 Coupe. I think RX8 sales are less than steller.

Crossfire: 11,300  
BMW Z4: 11,316
350Z: 23,939
Audi TT: 4,217
Mazda RX8: 19,226
Honda S2: 5,835
Boxster: 3,159
Corvette: 27,652
SLK Class: 3,361

[safristi]

-2{Stella)}StellaStellaStellaStella!!!.....Acting man...........why does no one beatch about other hot sports car's mileages.....'cos it's irrelevent to the species....why can't dog's climb trees???...why can't women leave the seat UP ...? WDF cares.....Yeah Rotaries are thirsty...Vettes expensive to Insure,Lotuses overpriced today...the OLD adage applies...HOW fast do you want to go HOW much do you want to pay?

[Captain_ron]

You expect a 8.0L 500hp Viper to have bad gas mileage, a 238hp, you expect gas mileage of something similar, a RSX type S.....

[Railton]

I guess I have two things now that give bad gas mileage. Hang me.
Railton

[safristi]

Maybe C_P should book ya fer swingin too much pipe !!  ....looks like yer catchin up on Barrie's TRUCK

[Railton]

I think Barrie is running a little 5.7L. Boats do better with 7.8L big blocks mildly tuned at 400hp so as to not use too much gas.

[safristi]

NO ...I mean Literally it looks like yer catching up wif Barries's Truck thru the WOODS....didn't know it was an amphibian hovercraft....Barrie saves his gas??? isn't that what got Howard Hughes in trouble??

[ovr50]

Rail - that is one mother of a boat. I'd love to hear/see that one run.

[safristi]

Ovr...it's yer lucky day he has an opening at midnite !!! and you can watch the submarine races too........!!!!

[ovr50]

I think I'll pass on the submarine races if you don't mind. Their recent track record is not so good.

[Railton]

Hmmmm.
"Mazda RX-8

Reaching 100,000 units in 18 months compares favorably with Mazda's other famous sports car, the open-top, two-seat Roadster / MX-5 / MX-5 Miata. With the Roadster, which has been recognized by the book of Guinness World Records as the world's best-selling convertible sports car, only 17 months were required to reach number 100,000.

As an entirely new type of sports car that features distinctive sports car styling and excellent performance, the Mazda RX-8 was launched in Japan in April 2003 and is now sold in over 20 countries around the globe. Cumulative sales volume as of the end of August 2004 was over 23,000 units in Japan, over 29,000 units in the US and in excess of 18,000 units in Europe.

Mazda's RX-8 is powered by the award-winning, naturally aspirated RENESIS engine. The compact, high performance rotary engine is without a doubt Mazda's spiritual soul and shortly after being launched in 2003 was named "2003 International Engine of The Year."

In total, the RX-8 and its RENESIS engine have won more than 37 important automotive awards around the globe to date, including Japan's "2004 RJC Car of The Year", "2003-2004 Most Excellent Developer Award", presented by the Japan Automobile Hall of Fame, the 2003-2004 Japan Car of the Year 'Most Fun' special award, "10 Best Cars 2004" by US's CAR AND DRIVER magazine and in Australia, "2003 Car of The Year" by Wheels magazine."
Railton

[Mdxtasy]

"My g/f had a 24 hour test drive. Managed to flood it!"

You are taking one incident and using that as your sample size?  

"Pretty much any sports car in the price category will leave the RX8 behind in 0-60."

A....name them....and B....0-60 isn't the only measure of sports car performance.  The RX8 is superbly balanced....and comfortable...and can actually seat 4 people.

"The engine is not proven in my opinion. I have personally not seen many RX7s that made it too 200,000km without a rebuild. This engine is obviously better, but I still think the conventional piston engine is far more reliable."  

This new rotary is not proven yet but you know what...it's not twin turbo charged.  That in itself should help the reliability.


(Message edited by mdxtasy on October 17, 2004)