Topic: RX-8 rotary

[Captain_ron]

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

If this is so rare why is there a dedicated section in the manual that explains the emergancy start up procedure incase you flood the car?

"A....name them."
Mustang GT, 350z (Base RX8 6spd and base 350z cost the same in the states I think), SRT-4, the new RSX type S will certainly be very close to RX8 0-60.  

I never said it wasn't superbly balanced, did I?

Still, I rather go with a conventional engine.

I do see the advantages of a rotary engine (weight, you can plant it farther back in the engine bay ect.) - but there are too many disadvantages compared to the advantages in my opinion.  

[Railton]

Ovr, Lots of other good stuff here...
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http://www.hotboat.com/image_center/showgallery.php?cat=524
http://www.michiganhotboats.com/gallery/
http://www.jetboatperformance.com/index.php?p=rides
http://www.v-drives.com/

[Railton]

Hey Ron,  
I believe there is a dedicated section in each owners manual on what to do if you flood the engine.
Try stuffing 4 people inside the 350Z. OK, maybe the the G35 is the better comparison then as it has comparable 0-60 times...6.1 as opposed to RX-8's 5.9. Wait a second, a Boxster has a 0-60 time of 6.0 and it costs 2x the amount on an RX-8. If you want fast in strait line than by something else. It's about balance Ron.
Railton

[X_ouch]

DEARBORN, June 9, 2004 -- Mazda's new-generation rotary engine, RENESIS, which powers Mazda's all-new RX-8 sports car, has won the trophy for best engine in the 2.5-liter to 3-liter category at this year's International Engine of the Year Awards by two-year continuation. Established in 1999, the International Engine of the Year Awards are hosted by Engine Technology International every year with the winner selected by a majority vote of 56 motoring journalists from 24 countries around the world. Engines are evaluated based on the criteria of refinement, drivability, environmental-friendliness, fuel economy, performance, etc. There are a total of eight awards for the eight capacity classes of all current production engines between sub 1-liter to above 4-liter capacities, and three special awards of "Best New Engine of the Year," "Best Fuel Economy," and "Best Performance Engine." The "International Engine of the Year" is selected from among the winners of the eight engine capacity classes.


hahahaah it's not even in the right category

[Railton]

" The design makes Mazda’s unit a 1.3-litre at rest, but the RENESIS qualifies for this 2.5-litre to 3-litre category as when on the move, it is the equivalent of a 2.6-litre and is classified as such in some countries."
Railton}

[X_ouch]

oh i see.... so we should be happy about this technology or what? It's a 1.3 litre that powers and consumes like a 2.6......... why don't we use a 2.6l instead?

[Pikacha10]

hey ron, how did your gf manage to flood the rx8 in the 24 hour test drive?

[Captain_ron]

I went over to her place and parked on her driveway.  She was late 10 minutes and parked behind me (blocked me in). When I had to go she fired it up, moved it out of the driveway, let me get out, pulled back into driveway and shut it off.  Later she couldn't start it and called the dealership.  They picked it up on a flatbed.

This problem is not a big deal, I just think if someone is dishing out 40k they shouldn't have to worry about flooding the car.  

[Robarakira]

Alright! I've got it!!  The PERFECT car: an RSX-S engine dropped into a RX8. Nissans famous 3.5 liter engine would be good too, but probably wouldnt fit.  Besides, the ivtec 8300 redline of the RSX-s is good enough for me !  

[Captain_ron]

yo Robarakira, do you work at Acura of Victoria? I get my EL serviced there, gotta love the free car wash!

[Robarakira]

That I do. I work only part-time though. I think it is a great place to work, and I think the cars themselves are pretty nice as well.  

[Ghost]

Stuffing 4 people in an RX-8 is gonna tax the engine big time. The lack of accessible torque will be quite frustrating during city drives which leads to more gas consumption (as it is already) and more oil burned.  
As a second car, I won't mind an RX-8 over the RSX.  
Performance FWD cars is an oxymoron. Having said that, there's a good selection of sporty cars in the RX-8 price range.

[wing]

The flooding issue is a little overblown, all though some people have had problems.  I never did, you don't really have to run it for 5 min, you just have to rev it to like 6K for 10 secs and shut it off that cleans everything out.

Oil consumption isn't too bad, and you should actually NOT put synthethic in.

Gas mileage is horrible, really bad IMO, I was dreading it badly.

Performance is good, very well balanced and easy to control at the limit.

It's a good car.  Apparently the Rotary is a perfect design for hydrogen fuel.

[Snowman]

http://www.triplezoom.com/news/publish/article_253.shtml

[wing]

I don't get it?

So you get in a car, you drive in a circle for 24hours and hopefully don't get dizzy.  You basically mash the throttle.... Hmmmm how does that set records?  And 40 of them.

That's a good average speed though, seriously it takes a long time to get to 220km/h and they just sat there for almost the entire "race".

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Mazda RX-8 is phemoninal value for the money. Nothing else comes close. It's a well BALANCED sports car. Sports cars aren't just about how fast they hit 60, it's how they handle that curve and how they feel. Handling is 50:50 weight-distributed unreal, the engine turbine-smooth, and it has easy access to a reasonably sized rear seat, the interior well though out, and styling is very distinctive. Priced in the high mid-to-high 30's, there's little reason to complain.

I'm not a huge fan of the dinky rev-high-to-get-power engines from Honda, although they are durable and handling is pretty sharp.

The RX-8 isn't as powerful as some. I think that's well documented. Also, it comsumes more fuel - the same is true there. Probably revving high really drags fuel consumption to V8 SUV levels, but most people rev high all the time. Don't expect better than mid 20's mpg. But it would take many many years of fill-ups to approach the thousands it would cost to buy something comparable from another manufacturer. I was under the impression that rotaries prior to the '93-generation turbo RX-7 were fairly reliable; perhaps this one will be as well. And for thousands less than other sports cars, it's a good bargain. Especially when I've heard residual values are holding very high.

As for sales, it's leading the sports car category in Canada by a substantial margin. It has been a success.


(Message edited by sirAQUAMAN64 on October 18, 2004)

[wing]

What?  350z isn't much more and drinks less fuel and has 50/50 distribution.  S2000 as well isn't much more.

Well unless you mean 4 seaters, than your stuck because there isn't much else out there I agree.

[Mdxtasy]

Will these make it here?
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=39&article_id=1404

[Captain_ron]

The US sales sum it all up

350Z: 23,939  
RX8: 19,220

The RX8 is newer and MORE PRACTICAL, and still the sales are less by almost 5,000.  

If it wasn't for the G35 Coupe (I don't know how many they have sold but probably a lot more than 350zs) the 350z would probably be in the 30k+ sold range.  

350z and S2000 are better options in my opinion.

[Snowman]

The RX-8 is in a class all on its own. Only the G35 Coupe should be considered as a contender. The S2000 and 350Z only have two seats and two doors and are tailored for a different clientele. The RX-8 is for individuals like myself who want sport car attributes with family functionally. I salute Mazda for even considering this as a market target. I would say it is a success. Where can you get this kind of car for $ 38k?