Topic: Used Vehicle Review: Mazda RX-8, 2004-2011

[Mike]

^^Prevents flooding next time on start up.  It purges the fuel before shut off.  RX-8s run notoriously rich when cold and can sometimes flood or be a bit miserable to start.

People used to think I was a 'Shooter' for doing this everytime I'd turn off my car.  I got so sick of explaining it all the time.  I catch myself doing it with the WRX every once in awhile now.

[TopGun]

Yea...too bad it didn't have the same engine your car has though.  I thought you'd try to sneak that in....

Oh...and it has a tubular chassis...

That RX-8 has more in common to NASCAR cars than your RX-8.  It's RX-8 in skin only.

Ya...sounds like they put in some ringers into this class!  Hey, I forgot that Mazda is the ONLY Japanese company to ever win LeMans as well...with a rotary too...how the heck did they do that?!

GT cars competing in the Rolex Series can be tubed production cars or custom tube frame chassis. Among those cars eligible for competition in the Rolex Series GT class are the Porsche GT3, Chevrolet Camaro, BMW M3 and M6, Pontiac GTO.R, Mazda RX-8, Nissan 350Z, Ferrari 430C, Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, Infiniti G35, Audi R8, Jaguar XK and Mercedes SLS.

http://www.grand-am.com/grand-am101/index.cfm?cid=24614

[Mike]

Yea...too bad it didn't have the same engine your car has though.  I thought you'd try to sneak that in....

Oh...and it has a tubular chassis...

That RX-8 has more in common to NASCAR cars than your RX-8.  It's RX-8 in skin only.

Ya...sounds like they put in some ringers into this class!  Hey, I forgot that Mazda is the ONLY Japanese company to ever win LeMans as well...with a rotary too...how the heck did they do that?!

That there I think is their biggest claim to fame.  Nowadays Le Mans isn't as important or fought for like it used to be.  When Mazda won, Nissan, Toyota, Mercedes, Jaguar, Peugeot, etc all had serious factory teams battling for the win.  In fact, Toyota and Nissan have tried several times (in different decades too) to win at Le Mans.....but neither ever have.

[Triple Bob]

Yea...too bad it didn't have the same engine your car has though.  I thought you'd try to sneak that in....

Oh...and it has a tubular chassis...

That RX-8 has more in common to NASCAR cars than your RX-8.  It's RX-8 in skin only.

Ya...sounds like they put in some ringers into this class!  Hey, I forgot that Mazda is the ONLY Japanese company to ever win LeMans as well...with a rotary too...how the heck did they do that?!

Yep, I was there in 1991!    The 787B sounded phenomenal!  Good old Johnny Herbert.

[Mike]

Yea...too bad it didn't have the same engine your car has though.  I thought you'd try to sneak that in....

Oh...and it has a tubular chassis...

That RX-8 has more in common to NASCAR cars than your RX-8.  It's RX-8 in skin only.

Ya...sounds like they put in some ringers into this class!  Hey, I forgot that Mazda is the ONLY Japanese company to ever win LeMans as well...with a rotary too...how the heck did they do that?!

Yep, I was there in 1991!    The 787B sounded phenomenal!  Good old Johnny Herbert.

 

[TopGun]

Here's an excerpt from an article that RR sent me a while back:

With roads, less is more, or at least more entertaining. WV 15 is much twistier than WV 55 as it snakes up and down through the mountains. At the higher elevations the trees have already lost their leaves, so the drive isn’t as pretty, but I don’t mind. The RX-8, with its excellent balance and communicative steering, was made for roads like this one. Pushed hard into a turn it just hunkers down, with the feel of a slight rearward weight bias. Apply a touch of gas to further rotate the tail.

With its oft-criticized lack of low-end torque, the RX-8’s rotary engine might be ill-suited for stoplight grands prix. But on mountain roads you don’t spend any time between zero and twenty, so this isn’t an issue. Once on the move along a curvy road, plenty of power with a thrilling (if not sweet) soundtrack is never more than a downshift away. This engine loves to run to its 9,000 rpm redline.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/03/a-road-trip-five-years-in-the-making-part-6/

[Waterlooresident]

Facts About The Mazda RX-8 Every Petrolhead Should Know:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q0VY21vV0g

Here is one interesting fact that comes from that video:
- The RX-8 drinks 1 Liter of oil every 1000 miles.

Chris Chase says that the RX-8 is a "  'high maintenance machine' with a so-so record of reliability. "

I did some research and found that there are some who are trying to replace their old car's rotary engines with a Corvette LS1 or LS6 engine.  Here's the site that explains a bit more:
http://www.ls1rx8.com/faq.html

Quote:  "and chances are, your beautiful RX-8 is probably on it’s 2nd or 3rd engine by now. ........ No longer will you have to excessively slip the clutch at a stop light to keep from killing the engine. No longer do you have to downshift, wait for your RPMs to come up (or boost to build) to pass a car. No longer will you live in constant fear of the dreaded carbon lock. With the LS1, your power is always available. ..... Another consideration is fuel economy. If you've ever driven a rotary car for more than a few miles, you quickly realized that they do not get very good fuel mileage. The best is usually around 16mpg. Simply switching to an LS1/T56 will jump that to around 25mpg. "

[Triple Bob]

Facts About The Mazda RX-8 Every Petrolhead Should Know:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q0VY21vV0g

Here is one interesting fact that comes from that video:
- The RX-8 drinks 1 Liter of oil every 1000 miles.

Chris Chase says that the RX-8 is a "  'high maintenance machine' with a so-so record of reliability. "

I did some research and found that there are some who are trying to replace their old car's rotary engines with a Corvette LS1 or LS6 engine.  Here's the site that explains a bit more:
http://www.ls1rx8.com/faq.html

Quote:  "and chances are, your beautiful RX-8 is probably on it’s 2nd or 3rd engine by now. ........ No longer will you have to excessively slip the clutch at a stop light to keep from killing the engine. No longer do you have to downshift, wait for your RPMs to come up (or boost to build) to pass a car. No longer will you live in constant fear of the dreaded carbon lock. With the LS1, your power is always available. ..... Another consideration is fuel economy. If you've ever driven a rotary car for more than a few miles, you quickly realized that they do not get very good fuel mileage. The best is usually around 16mpg. Simply switching to an LS1/T56 will jump that to around 25mpg. "

Either that, or just buy a different car in the beginning.

Or just stick an extra rotor in there...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzi2_oiBMmY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4kkFRnnmbU