Im thinking about trading my miata in on an rx8, any opinions on how reliable they are. maintenance issues? recalls? what are there little quirks and what not. all input is welcome even if you dont own one, but owners are preferred.
RX8
Im thinking about trading my miata in on an rx8, any opinions on how reliable they are. maintenance issues? recalls? what are there little quirks and what not. all input is welcome even if you dont own one, but owners are preferred.
I recommend a 2005+. The 04 had common 1st year make probs, and require a bunch of recall work as a result. RX8s arent as bad as the rotary fearing majority make them out to be. Normal maintanance practices are fine on these, nothing extra is required.
They are nimble as hell and rev like a power tool all the way to 9K+. Power is OK, not monsterous. You'ld hang with most modified NA's.
One more thing, get the GT model, lotta extra features with those.
Last edited by RX8Dragon; 10-28-2007 at 03:39 AM.
Daily - '03 Infiniti G35c Sport
Power - '03 Mitsubishi Evolution VIII
Beater - '97 GMC Jimmy
if i had the chance to build a drift car with a unlimited budget, I would definately go with an RX8 chassis. Beautiful cars.
Check some rx8 forums, thats what I did when I was looking into getting an rx7. Beware: You will fall in love with the car after looking at some of the member's rides; especially the ones with good taste.
I would say get one with warranty, rotary is never my choice when it comes to reliability, and money.
RX-8s are very nice cars....id say best all round car in it's class
Rotarys are extremely reliable - if you know how to treat them. I'm willing to bet that I've logged more hours and miles in rotarys than anyone else on here. I have had only one motor failure in all of the years/7s. And that was at the track, in a N/A race car - and definately not the motor's fault (was my own).Originally Posted by cdhtang
this is the one im thinking about getting. any suggestions on what to look for, as far as rotary motors are concerned?
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...ce=&cardist=50
I think most engine are reliable if you know how to treat them. But try to put out your maintainance bill if you are not a rotary expert. I guess that is why people put LS1 in the FC, because rotary engine is expensive to repair. May be rotary on RX8 are way better than the old one.
I am not trying to judge your experience, just by what I know
thier is nothing wrong with rotary...people hate things that are different...if u treat it right,it will treat u right
^^^ yep yep
well first get your facts straight i have not had any other car that i can get in beat the **** out of it and drive it to work everyday the engine is realiable as hell if its N/A an the rx8 is a pretty car but i am just a true 7 fan an untill they undo the heavy narrow shape of the 8 an go back with a low an wide stance i may never buy one just my 2 cents
true... ive beat mine up a bit since ive gotten it and kalifornia beat the **** out of his old red fc. and drove it all day everyday to work with no major problems. you cant do that in a honda.. it will die :P
idk how the new rotaries are as far as reliable but if havent heard anything bad about them from anyone besides people who dont have them...
im with 13b. 1st,2nd gen 7s look good, 3rd gen and 8s look to compact for me. but its your car, and your style.
do it
-darrin
Newer rotary engines are more reliable because of new technology and the fact that it does not use a turbo to make power. But for sure I do not think it is fast.
People just do not like the fact that you have to replace those apex seals (I think that's what they call) within 100k to keep up your performance where as the piston engines do not really need to change if the engine was well designed. But I really got to tell you I was pretty disappointed when I tried a 88 FC Turbo-II. Compare to my SR'ed S14, it just do not have the rush. But I mean I only drove for like 3 mins, so I am no judge.
Never heard bad things about the RX-8? When they came out, most of them did not make the hp they claimed. They have to pay the customer back.
Still nothing against them RX-series cars from Mazda. I know that they handle extremely well as their engine is small and light weight, which does not destory the weight balance of the car. If you notice, Mazda was the first to create the front midship engine location as the rotay engine is small enough to fit behind the front wheel.
Last edited by chituntang; 10-30-2007 at 12:07 AM.
The one on the link, looks nice. Don't know much about them, but they look real nice IMO.
sponsored by: workhard motorsports. // tuned by
Had an '04 GT 6 speed with navigation and it was a great ride. I had gotten rid of a 2000 Camaro SS about a year before picking up the RX-8 and so you would think that having about half the torque would have bothered me but not at all. Mazda geared the 6 speed perfectly so you really don't miss it. The rear "suicide doors" were perfect for throwing the gym bag or groceries in the back and yes you can fit four adults in there even though it is very tight. The interior was first class and the driving view and position is the best I have felt.
The only problem I ever had twice were cold starting problems. If you started the car to say move it in the driveway and then cut it off too fast it would flood and not restart and would have to be taken to the dealer if you didn't want to pull the plug etc. Mazda took care of this after the second time with a faster starter and a new plug. You may want to look for one that has had this done. I believe the 05-07s came with the upgraded starter. Also there were a batch of '04s that got bad 4th gear synchros. Mazda fixed it but if you find an 04 that is grinding 4th then stay away if it isn't under warranty.
As far as handling the RX-8 has the same aluminum suspension design as the FC RX-7 but with longer end links for better geometry and a chassis about twice as "stiff" in terms of bending/twisting as an FC. I never got to find the limits of the car as the grip was unreal and the stability control made for more confidence on the street. Def. get a model with the 18 inch rims/tires as that makes a big difference in the handling.
Car and Driver chose the '8 over the 03 Cobra and 03 G35 in a comparison test here (click)
Fuel economy is gonna suffer a bit, but they drive nice. BTW, never launch the car with the traction control on........ Other than that, buy it. Good deal
K series 626. That's right. It's got a K in it.
People put LS1's in FCs because they want torque. LS1's deliver torque, rotarys don't.
It's not very expensive to rebuild a rotary, and it's very easy. Not special tools needed.
I love my 04' RX8. i has 70K miles now and drives solid and works great. The only complaint is the gas mileage (16-17mpg average) and the plugs foul out (BUT I am planning on upgrading to stronger coils and performance plug wires). One thing is that my car has had all the recalls done to fix all of the first-year bugs and problems. I may still decide to sell mine soon for an 05' or 07' model just to have a fresher one to work with. The handling is un-matched for its price range and the car is very user-friendly for everyday needs. mine is a velocity red with black/red leather interior... I love it!
i drove the 06 or 07 gt i think it was and they drove pretty well. later that day i drove my friends z and i prefered the rx8, i felt more in control and had a better feeling and could push the rx8 more around corners...ofcourse it isnt faster but that isnt always important to some people. im 6'3'' and i fit in there comfortably! rwd 6 speed isnt too bad either.
cars
-98 boosted ej8 (baby boost) -traded
-97 ek gsr 5lug itr-(nunu) - traded
- 97 Ej8 greddy boosted b16 w/ goodies - (sasha) traded
- 02 maxima 3.5 6spd - (maxi) - current
As long as you don't want blinding speed they are almost the perfect all around car.
On the subject of rotaries...
I own a Honda myself, but I've done some homework on rotary motors. I've heard rebuilt rotaries are in the $500 range. I'd like to get into rotary motors myself, they're incredible to me. One thing I love about them is that you don't have all the moving parts that piston motors have meaning that there's less things that can go wrong; no cylinder header, no violent motions of the pistons going up and down, etc. Just simple rotation of the rotors and the output shaft. I also agree with the fact that the life expectancy of a motor depends on how it's treated.
And about the LS1 swap, I don't think that's a good idea because it throws off the whole geometry of the car, weight balance, etc. Sure it has torque, but if a 13B is done right, it's a perfect match for the RX7. Most people use LS1s in the 7s for drifting, if I'm not mistaken...Watch the Touge Battle with the MCR GT-R and RE Amemiya's FD, I forget what volume it is. That segment proves that a well balanced car is better. The GT-R has around 600ps and the Amemiya FD had no more than 380ps and it destroyed the Skyline.
The RX8 is pretty awesome...I like the BBS looking optional factory wheels you can get for em too! Dope! I say get it if you really want it!
Last edited by spacelion; 11-02-2007 at 02:26 PM.
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If you use the aluminum block (LS1/LS6), it doesn't throw the weight off by much. It's close to the same. But I would just get a Corvette if I wanted a LSx motor.
Yeah you got me there! I didn't realize the 13B was about 80lb lighter than the V8...that's crazy. Thanks for pointing that out
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^^it may be 80lbs lighter but its prob 1/2 the sizeall Rx cars are made for handling so if you dont want blinding speed and will actually keep up on the maintenance the you can get 150k easy outta the motor(there is a FC in ga somwhere almost at 300k lol)
rx-8's are nice, like the mazda version of the S2000 IMO, but they are a 1.3L rotary..but they're damn nice on the inside just that engine..if you forge it and turbo it it'd be NICE.
I'll whistle while you whine.
2009 Summit White SS/TC
u mean the s2k is the honda version of the mx-5
yeh i'd guess, the old miatas are like delsol's and the mx-5 newer ones are like s2k's, lol
I'll whistle while you whine.
2009 Summit White SS/TC
as an Rx-7 owner, I'll say I've looked into the Rx-8s, and the chassis are GOLDENly setup for handling. The mod expansion ability won't be particularly high, but Mazdaspeed and racing heart makes plenty of exhaust and suspension mods. Then you can do the usual brakes, and a few small engine tweaks. Seriously AMAZING autocross cars, they hug the road.
^^ Yeah, I drew a frame of a man running on each fan blade. That is him running at idle
lol, I appreciate your rotary respect, but our parts are already forged. What you need to turbo an Rx-8 is an ECU reprogramming chip(Mazda made the stock ones turbo proof, because they were tired of people blowing up 3rd gen Rx-7s), ceramic side, corner, and apex seals, then a new intake manifold , exhaust manifold, and maybe a few things, like a better flowing muffler for the turbo etc.
^^ Yeah, I drew a frame of a man running on each fan blade. That is him running at idle
I own a 04 RX8. I've had it about a year. The car could deff. be a little faster on the straight aways but it makes up for in the turns. The handling is unreal. Also Its great for my little girl. I can have my little "sports car" and still take my little girl everywhere cause of the extra doors and backseat. Also I've had no real problems. As with most anything in life if you take care of it, it will last.
I love the RX-8 but if gas mileage is a big thing for u then u might want to steer clear (worse mpg than most V-6's)...but other than that it's an amazing car, looks, handling, RWD architecture...very nice!!!
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