I was minding my own business (75 in the fast lane, Rt. 8, CT) when an RX-8 came up on my bumper fast. I didn't move as there was too much traffic. but every fast driver's dream happened, the river of cars parted and I was facing a completely empty stretch of highway. I SS to third and punched it. the RX also did the same (gee, I could read this guy's mind! ha ha). He tried to come by me but could not get past my rear bumper... up to about 120... We came up on traffic again and I backed off, wasn't about to diced it up through traffic. He passed me and continued and flew around cars. those RX-8s can handle... Would have loved to take my MR2 out to chase him again...in the twisties...

 

Nice run. At least you go home everyday knowing you drive a TL ... RX8s are ugly.

 

it must have been a MT as the AT would have been bus length's behind you if you gunned it at 75 in 3rd.

 

i've ran an rx-8 from a dig and roll, killed it everytime.. It kept up pretty good on the roll, but i start pulling away slowly.

good run man

 

yea my friend has a RX8 AT and I drove it a few times...and man was it slow..below 3000rpm it felt like my 133hp camry is faster...

 

Hah I was playing with one the other day....killed it from a 50mph roll all the way to 100

 

HAHA if only you guys knew! Aren't playing with those things fun? Yeah, those manuals are pretty speedy, but I take my buddies MT all the time. HOWEVER, my previous encounter with a white RX-8 a few weeks ago took my by surprise. I won't mention the details, but those cars have a weight advantage and going 120 +...they pull
...or maybe it could've been that my girlfriend was in the car? extra 109 pounds?

 

Like Communism, the Rotary engine is good in theroy, but simply doesn't work in the real world. I have two friends that have 6MT RX8s and they both admit their cars aren't quick at all and would be lucky to in the upper 14s. Visit RX8club and you'll see that getting a 14.6 or quicker out of a stock RX8 or even a modded one, is damn near impossible. They also require at least a 6500rpm clutch slip launch in order to get anywhere in the upper 14/low 15 second range. The last RX8 tested by Motor Trend did a 15.0@93mph. In that same test, the 07 350Z did a 13.7@104mph.

 

^ That's where FI comes in...back in the old days with the FD...

 

my buddy's with the 8 said that they dont usually make power till they get to the high RPM's/

 

I like that analogy.

 

Wont talk politics, but having owned four 1st gen RX-7s and an early Rotary RX-3 I know about rotary power... I was surprised by the RX-8s lack of midrange power. One of the fastest cars I have owned was my RX-3. It was modified (J-ported, header, twin 2.5" exhaust, Koni's and other suspension mods, sounded like an angry hornet...) and any speed above 60 I could outrun most V8s to about 140... there was that pesky twin turbo Corvette that embarassed me by pulling away at 125mph...
but that was a long long time ago.
Rotary motors really don't have a lot of low end power, but can make serious mid and top end power.

 

I'm a rotary head, and I'm looking into trading in my 02 TL-S for an RX-8, so just to play devils advocate:

The Rotary engine is good in the real world: HP/Weight ratio, nothing beats the rotary. NOTHING.

Albeit, the RX-8, I agree, is not quick in a straight line; the Renesis engine doesn't spout that many ponies. Looking at the RX-8, I don't plan to drag race much as any V6 with over 250 HP should be able to beat it.

But I'm more than certain that the RX-8 will run circles around the TL at Laguna Seca. Sure, people only post about street runs here, but the RX-8 wasn't built as a 50/50 ratio car for drag racine, it was built for handling the "twistys."

And as for comparing it to the 350Z, I don't think that's a straight comparison; I think the RX-8 competes well with the S2000. (This is usually where all the honda fanbois start throwing s.) If you compare the S2000 to the 350Z, then you'll have to agree that the S2000 is also anemic. But then again the S2000 wasn't built as a drag racer here.

Power wise, 350Z will beat the RX-8 and the S2000 in a straight line, and will even beat them around a track because of the difference in power.

This is probably falling on deaf ears, as most ppl who post on these forums are only running drag races. But to those who have driven a RX-8 around a track, or any closed course, you know of the strengths that the RX-8 has.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frKrEcWMr1U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ0i4...eature=related

The lap times are as follow on Tsukuba:

S2000: 1:08.83
Skyline Coupe (G35): 1:09.07
WRX: 1:10.21
Integra R: 1.09.67
RX-8: 1:11.66

One of the reasons why it's not as fast as the others is the gear ratios, especially when shifting from 3rd to 4th gear. That transition is similar to our TL 5AT,where the rpm drops rapidly.

The old 350Z is very close to the S2000 in terms of track performance, their lap times have always been similar. The new 350Z with the updated engine is faster though. But then the new S2000 Type S (CR) is as fast as Nismo 350Z too, according to MotorTrend.

What RX-8 excels is driving fun, as the driver has stated many times, he understands the car isn't that fast, but its fun to drive factor is pretty much unbeatable. If you want a fast RX8, the RX8 A-spec is there for you, and it will smoke the above cars on that same track.

 

ran a Rx-8 mt before.........in my ep3 with i, rh, e. we were neck to neck

and THAT same ep3 i had gets left behind by rsx S and civic Si by 3rd gear....so a second Gen TL-S should take rx8 no sweat!

the rx8 has one of the nicest shift feel! damn nly flaw about this car is the power, if it had more, this car would be a real winner

then again, used rx8 are so cheap to come by now compared to 350Z and S2k that you can just buy one and FI that shit, you'll still come out cheaper

 

had a run-in with an rx-8 last week myself..first time for me...at a red light turning left, him in front, me right behind him...he decides to try and lose me right after the turn, but i stayed right on his ass...it was early in the morning, so i had no intent to pull up next to him and race down the streets in morning rush hour....but after 20 seconds of proving he wasn't going to lose me, i changed lanes and stuck next to him...finally i punched it, with him giving up rather quickly trying to keep up...

nice run, sleeper...like a dodge (minus the viper), the rx-8 is all looks...

 

I raced one about 3 years ago in my 4dr GSR I/H/E/Cams and absolutly killed him. From a dig, from a roll. I have driven a few as well, they handle very nicely, but for the most part are slow and unreliable.

The older RX7's modified on the other hand is a different story when it comes to speed. Still unreliable. lol Can't beat Honda/Toyota/Nissan when it comes to that.

 

Dear god why would you do such a thing when there are so many better options out there? Sure, for HP/weight, the Renesis is pretty good. But let's talk about useable power. It makes decent peak HP, but it's total weak sauce below 6500rpms. HP wins bragging rights. Power under the curve wins races.

Secondly, MPG. The engine displaces 1.3 liters, yet it gets far worse MPGs than my G35 and the RX8s MPGs rival that of a F150 4X4 crew cab. My friends and those on RX8club report about 15-17 in the city (depending on weather) and 20-23mpg on the highway.

Then there's the cold start, flooding, and oil consumption. These engines STILL have cold start issues, tend to flood if you shut them off before full warm up, and they naturally drink oil as if they were a two stroke.

It still shocks me that people still stick up for the Renesis rotary when the only things it has going for it are about 60-70lb less weight than a standard V6 and they're damn smooth. Everything else works completely against it.

The RX-8 would be an extremely badass car if Mazda would just fess up and admit the rotary just doesn't work well. The RX-8 needs the 2.3 turbo from the Mazdaspeed series cars. Sure, you'd have to dump the "RX" name, but the only people that would cry foul would be those 10,000 bleeding heart rotary lovers and I'm certain they'd accept the turbo 4 once they realize just how great that chasiss can be even with an additional 70lbs in the front.

 

I do see your points; I mean there are tons of great cars in that price range, especially in the horizon - I'm really set on a V6 Hyundai Genesis Coupe BUT ONLY if the V6 hits close to 300 hp.

For me, the RX brand has been something I've just liked. My dad used to have an 94 RX-7 Twin Turbo (FD) and when I turned 16, it was the first car I got to drive around. Since then, I've always imagined myself getting the next gen RX - sort of like how many people here go from 2nd Gen TL to 3rd Gen TL. There are plenty of times when I've seen friends go from a 2g to a 3g and I asked "Why? Why not just get a G35 or even better a used GTO or [insert car here]?"

No offense to 3g owners, as 3g TLs are clearly better than the 2gs, but honestly for just a little more, there are better cars out there. But again, it's a matter of brand loyalty; I'm sure many Acura owners will stick with Acura, once their current Acura loses its appeal. Sadly, I'm not one of the Acura owners (for many reasons).

But anyways back to the RX-8 specifically; yes your right, that it has crappy mileage on the streets, and for the HP output, I must say the gas consumption is pretty bad. So you got me there.

Again though, the handling in the RX-8 is amazing; I had a chance to drive around a friends RX-8 for a couple days while I was house sitting, and driving up to Mountain High go snowboarding has never been so much fun.

And the 2.3 DISI MZR in the MS3 is a great engine, pretty much bulletproof from what I hear, but again its heavier than the Renesis. I haven't driven an MS3, but I've ran against a few in my 02 TL-S... not even funny how quick they are. But yeah, its a bigger and heavier engine than the Rensis, and you're right, if they used the DISI, then it wouldn't be an RX.

HP wins bragging rights most of the time. But people stilly buy the Lotus Exige's, the MR-2s, the NSXs, RX-8s, S2Ks, vehicles that are all hailed for their handling ability, despite their "low HP output." HP isn't the end all factor for determing a great vehicle; in my opinion Handling > HP, but many will disagree.

I'm not looking for bragging rights, but for something thats fun to drive.

 

Owning a supercharged MR2, and having owned several RX-7s I agree that while my TLs is quick, it doesn't give the visceral feel of a true sports car. The TL is a great car. I would love to see which is faster, I think the TL would win on the highway, but the MR2 would definitely win on a road course.

 

I agree on that. I am sure Mazda knows the disadvantages of Rotary engines, but that's also the part that makes RX sports cars unique. And for the more general public, or non-rotary fans, there's always the Mazdaspeed 6 and Mazdaspeed 3, as well as the MX-5. And also, it's not like Mazda is trying to make large profit from its rotary powered car, it's more of an...icon..if you know what I mean. IMO this is similar to why Honda always uses high revving engines for its Type R cars. Honda can build large displacement engines with tons of torque, but that would be against the Type R tradition. A lot of the time, philosophy or heritage behind a vehicle means a lot more than simply high power or fast. IMO, most, if not all RX cars are made for car enthusiasts that appreciate the uniqueness of rotary engines, not the average Joe.

 

You're from CT, damn if you want to try out that supercharged MR2 on me that would be fun.

 

I own a Rx-8 and despite it's short comings (fuel mileage, lack of torque), I still love the hell out of it. It put's a smile on my face everytime I driver it, it's a very fun car to drive.

 

^ Holy crap, did you sign up just to post that?

~Cheers~

 

I can understand that, Having had several 1st gen RX-7s and now Several MR2s, the feeling of being really low and whipping around corners can't be matched in my TLs.

 

The RX-8s are pretty good cars, they have an awesome F:R weight ratio that makes them handle quite well, but too bad they lack much torque. I thought they ran mid 14s though.

 

^ they should, if you drop your clutch at like 6000+rpm...

 

good run dude.



awwww man i love the RT 8 runs...



watch out for trooper collins though

 

A trooper was coming the other way when I caught up with traffic, the detector was beeping away! The RX-8 kept on rollin' , the trooper showed up about five minutes later, but did not do anything...thank the big man upstairs...

 

No, I didn't sign up just to defend the Rx-8. I signed up to get some information on the TL since I might buy one in the future, especially if they go to a rear-wheel drive layout.

 

^ I see. Welcome and I hope you end up getting one!

I just remembered about this video:

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=JocITVEpPTI

That was fun, haha.

~Cheers~

 

It's a pipe dream to get a RWD TL, they are probably going to make future TLs with SH-AWD.

 

Go90go that's an "awesome" video haha!

 

This is how we do Rotary in Puerto Rico

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5Izv6a5d04o&feature=related

 

whoaa those are some fast "beaters" haha!

 

RX8 is a girl car

i've raced one and he almost flipped it twice.....

 

How do you flip a RX8? Gotta be the stoopidest thing i've heard in a while

 

And how is the RX8 a "girl" car? It's a driver's car and DRIVING is generally regarded as a masculine trait. Get with the program.....VW New Beetles and Jettas and Miatas may be girl's cars, but hardly an RX8.

 

IMO its a girl car i also think Mustangs that are V6 is a girl car.....

and he was the worst driver in the history of driving lol

 

The RX8 is definitely a driver's car which IS typically a masculine trait. (I think someone was watching a bit too much Tokyo Drift. )

Back on topic, that RX8 driver in the original post better take it easy. My best friend just emailed me stating that the Renesis in his 04 is in need of replacement: $4,750 rebuilt. Although a daily driver, he is by no means a hard driver. x 2