Topic: RX-8 rotary

[Robarakira]

haha......I didn't say the RSX was a good people hauler.  I also said that what I thought, was my own opinion.  You are entitled to yours too.  For those of you who think I'm selling Acuras, I'm not (and I don't).  I have, on the other hand, been able to experience the RSX throughout, and I personally love driving it.  I also love MANY other cars.  Seen my personal stats?  

As for the RX-8, I PERSONALLY would hate to have to check/fill the oil so much, as well as pay so much in gas.  Wow, what a car though besides those flaws.

[RayT]

Check your owner's manual, you are supposed to check your oil regularly anyway...rotary or not. One day, it's going to catch up to you if you don't (loose filter causing leak etc)

What's another $3 of oil put in every 5000km...seems to be no big deal to me.  

And as stated, the gas mileage isn't that bad....20mpg city is considered nominal. I certainly wouldn't let that deter me.....the range is kind of low, but I've had worse.

As for engine longevity, it's all speculation. Mazda says it's the best and more reliable rotary ever, and it's not even turbocharged so the previous arguments don't apply anymore.

Anyway, I don't have a vested interest in defending the RX-8, because it's unlikely I'd ever buy one.....but I really like and respect what it offers.  

I'd certainly wouldn't have any problem cross shopping it with pricier cars including the Nissan Z, and mid-end 3 series cars. For $41K, I don't think there are any cars that satisfy as much for lesser money.





(Message edited by rayt on October 20, 2004)

[Mdxtasy]

I like both the RSX and the RX8.  A RSX Type S will run you $35K...and a base RX8 is in the same ballpark.  Hands down...RX8.  I'll check the oil (like I do anyway), and I will fill it with gas (like I do anyway).  

I think you mentioned you don't sell Acura's...but your love for them shows.  They are good cars, I've owned 4 Honda/Acuras in my driving life.  

[Captain_ron]

No one complains about the gas mileage of the 350z? (Well at least not to a great extent) Is it good? HELL NO!  It is a sports car so people don't raise the issue.

RX8, why is it such a huge issue on this car? Why have numerous threads been started on RX8club.com to email Mazda and complain about gas mileage? BECAUSE the gas mileage is HORRIBLE! There have been so many threads started concerning gas mileage on the RX8 forum.  

Recent Post (1 day old)  

"16 MPG since I got mine (6MT). 93 octane, normally drive at 6 or 7 on the 0-10 scale. Curiously, my MPG seems to be dropping. I used to get up to 230 miles per ~13 gallon and maybe 240 if I was going downhill on a highway, but recently my light is on around 190 miles, and I've been getting 210 mi per ~13-14 gallons. "

"After reading in various media (including the buff books, owner's comments posted on websites, etc.) that the RX-8's gas mileage was nothing to rave about, if not just plain bad, I anticipated much of the same for my borrowed car. But, au contraire, this is what I found after one tank:

258.5 miles @ 11.773 gals = 21.957 mpg."

"I dunno how you people drive the car to get gas mileage like that, the best I've done is a hair under 18. About the same as my old FD."

"I get about 17.5 myself, mixed driving. Better than the 12-13 mpg in some publications that scared away buyers. People don't read the articles and noted it was from constantly shifting at 8k. In other forums that's I read and was a big deterrent."

"Best I've ever managed was 21 mixed driving. I usually get 15-17 around town."

"I get a solid 14 MPG in the City (93 Octane, Exxon, Mobil, or Shell)
I got 23 MPG driving to the beach (sustained speed at 85-88 MPH [6th gear over 4,000 rpm] for about 2.5 hours)"

"21-23 MPG all the time...mostly highway driving."

No matter how you add it up, the AVERAGE RX8 does not do better than 17mpg city (probablymore on the lower side), 22mph highway, or 18/19mpg combined.  

this last thread is not that bad. Some of the previous threads if you added up all the city gas mileage it would be around 14mpg

I rest my case.  

[Captain_ron]

I think it is also a big deal because a lot of people who buy the RX8 use it for daily commuting.

I drive my Vette 8,000km a year, so gas mileage is not a big deal.  

I drive my daily car (EL currently) around 35-40k a year.  Thats a potential savings of around 1,000-2,000 dollars a year depending on how efficient/inefficent your cars is.  For me there is nothing wrong with saving up a morgage payment per year by driving a more efficient car.  

Lets say the difference per 100km between the Type S and RX8 is 5L/100km (I think it is a bit more, but ohh well).

5 years, 100,000km later you will have wasted 5000 liters more with the RX8.  Thats around $4500.  Not to mention the extra oil, more expensive to maintain ect.

(Message edited by captain_ron on October 20, 2004)

[Mdxtasy]

With that....we can lay this thread to rest.  

[wing]

Maybe not, I have issues here....

How can you say the RX8 is not a daily driver  
Robarakira ?

Have you ever driven one?  I'm sorry but even if you say you have, I'll call BS on it now.

I remember reading so much about lack of torque hard to drive in the city etc etc etc.

I got out on my test drive an immediately was blown away.  Grant it the fastest car I had driven before was my Tiburon, this thing was a rocket in comparison.  Shift at 3500rpm 1st to 2nd and I'm already going 50km/h.  Why does everyone complain I exclaimed!

The RX8 actually has a soft complacent ride, it feels like a GT car, like a BMW 3 series etc.  I took it on a few long trips and it was VERY quiet and soft.  When you open it up it's a totally different car.

In comparison the S2000 is loud ALL the time, and harsh.  You get tired much more quickly on long trips but it's the price you pay I guess.

Sometime I do miss the quiet cushy feel the RX8 had, it really does have it all.  It's a great car, and for the money it is HIGH on my list, even after already having one!

[RANT ON]  
Complaints (especially on the internet) about lack of torque on some cars these days is silly.  

You hear about 150lbs on the RX8 and the S2000 and a few other cars, and you get hundreds of thousands of posts about how it has so little torque you can't drive it in the city etc etc.

Well, you know it's EASIER to drive it with less torque, you aren't spinning the tires and shooting off like a rocket if you hit the gas a tad too hard on take off, it makes it easier to drive in the rain and snow.

And NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY complains that the hyundai Accent has no torque, or the Cavalier, or the Spectra or etc etc etc.  You can drive those cars just as well at legal speeds with no problems.

[RANT OFF]

I get 5 stars for that

[Ghost]

I believe the RX-8 is targeted at RX-8 buyers.

Anyways, while the rx-8 is nice and all while new, it would be a bad financial decision to keep it once the warranty expires. Have two rx-7s in our household in our past, the maintenance is quite expensive and due to the rotary's unique design, the handful of mechanics that can work on it will charge you an arm and a leg over regular piston engined-cars.

[Snowman]

Yes James….Five Stars for sure. I just love how people go on and on about cars which hey have little or no experience with. Please see green highlighted statement in my signature for clarification.

[ovr50]

Yep, you do get 5 stars. Your "rant" is right on - too many unfounded comments and too little reasonable analysis and fact.

[RayT]

good post james....

[Robarakira]

I have driven a GT in the past. Although I couldn't get a good feel for the car in the time I drove it, my speculations are not totally bull.  Gas economy and engine durability are important to me.  Guess I'm just not an RX-8 targeted buyer.

[Railton]

Amen to that.
Railton

[Jimmery]

Here's a positive note for the RX-8 rotary engine from http://media.ford.com/newsroom/feature_display.cfm?release=19107:

Two Mazda RX-8s Set Speed, Distance Records in Germany
   
 
Featured Stories  
 
Press Releases  
By: Brad Nevin | Ford Communications Network  
 
 
PAPENBURG, Germany, Oct. 21, 2004 -- Earlier this month, Mazda set a host of international speed and distance records as a group of journalists drove two Mazda RX-8s for 24 hours at full throttle at the automotive proving grounds in Papenburg, Germany.  
In all, the Mazda set a total of 40 FĂ©dĂ©ration Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) records with two Mazda RX-8s in the categories A (Special Vehicles) and B (Mass Production Vehicles).  

The RX-8s were piloted by 15 automotive journalists from 11 countries. All were licensed by the FIA to participate in the event. Other than occasional pauses for necessary pit stops and to change drivers, it was full throttle around the track.  

Before the endurance record attempt began, the German Motor Sports Organisation DMSB e.V. had selected three production Mazda RX-8s in Antwerp, Belgium and sealed their engines and transmissions. All remaining stages of the record attempt were accompanied by commissioners of the DMSB e.V. to make sure that all FIA rules and regulations were followed.  

The only difference between the two Mazda RX-8s that took part in the endurance trials and RX-8 production models was added safety equipment -- both had special body-contour seats, five-point seat belts and a roll cage.  

The record setting began on Saturday, October 2 when Mazda Motor Europe engineer Shoji Tokuda waved the green flag and started the 24-hour drive. The driver accelerated, shifted through the gears and held the line at full throttle.  

During the record attempt, journalists drive the two Mazda RX-8s at consistently high speeds without incident, even though everything did not go according to plan. An hour after midnight, it began to rain. To make the cars less prone to hydroplane, JĂĽrgen Herschel from the tire supplier Kumho lowered the tire pressure.  

On Sunday, October 3, Shoji Tokuda dropped the checkered flag and waved the two Mazda RX-8s into the pit. When it was over, Mazda set a total of 40 international FIA records. Mazda RX-8’s RENESIS engine, the world’s only production rotary engine, had been driven for 24 hours without a mechanical problem. With average speeds of 133 mph (212.835 km/hr) and 134.9 mph (215,934 km/h), the two RX-8s drove more than 3,106 miles (5,000 km).  

Record-setting performances of this kind are nothing new to Mazda, which boasts a long tradition of 24-hour endurance races. In this latest 24-hour attempt, both Mazda RX-8s shattered a Mazda record set in 1991 by Bertrand Gachot, Johnny Herbert and Volker Weidler at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world. That year, the team drove a Mazda 787B race car with a 690 horsepower rotary engine 3059 miles (4,923 km) during the 24 hours of the race, with an average speed of 128 mph (205.133 km/h).  

"The RX-8 and the RENESIS engine are the ultimate and most advanced examples of a rotary-powered production car in history," said Tokuda. "Our effort at Papenburg, with the cooperation of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), was a chance for Mazda to once and for all to establish its rightful ownership of these awards."

[Brig]

Congratulations!

94 posts about one topic, and no tangents or hijacks.

And my token two cents, to keep it going:  I rode in an RX-8 once.  It was nice.

Brigitte