I live in West Bloomfield and was wondering if there are ever any meets in the detroit area.

haven't seen any but i'm up for a meet in SE mich

I'm up for a meet as well. It would be nice to get one in before the typical post-Thanksgiving snow hits. :D:

Where you you guys live?

Hmmm...Detroit...didn't they lose the World Series in um, five games?

Oh yeah, and blow the AL Central lead settling for the wild card, oh well.

me and my friend live in New Baltimore, we lookin for a meet before we put up our 8s

Where you you guys live?

Ypsilanti / Ann Arbor area.

Freezing rain tomarrow and snow forcasted for the next 6 days after that... Time to see how good these Dunlop M3 Winter Sports are!!!

Any of you guys driving your 8 this winter? This will be my first run with mine.

I'm going to give it a try on selective days. I need to bite the bullet and get proper snow tires for the RX. Otherwise, I'm stuck commuting with the Mrs in the Grand Cherokee. :banghead:

I'll be in West Bloomfield next weekend (hopefully), sans my baby. :(

I'd still be down for a meet! :D:

I might be able to convince my friend to bring a surprise, hehe. That is, if it isn't already garaged for the winter.

Ypsilanti / Ann Arbor area.

I work in Ann Arbor near Jackson and zeeb

^^ Zeeb and Jackson, I know that area.

Welcome to the first real snowfall in the area. I had the 8 out and about yesterday and as usual, she didn't like some of the slick roads. Then again, neither did the 4WD in front of me. (LOL)

I'm going to assume that any meets from here on out are with salt covered cars. (OK by me)

I would like to see a detroit area meet now that better weather is not far off (hopefully). I am in the Lansing Area, but Detroit area is fine. I have family in, & am originally from New Baltimore kid.

Maybe end of the month or early April. I've got a lot of clean up and some lingering mods to do before the Deal's Gap Rally in Mid April. (BTW, any of you interested in going? I'm willing to caravan down.)

I'm sure we can come up with a location central to a few members and near an interstate. (Such as Brighton area.)

Hang in there, nicer weather is coming!!!

Yeah, I think Brighton, Howell, or even Novi area would be a nice location. I am up for waiting until April for some nicer weather, plus, I am still waiting on my stereo system & wheel setup for a few weeks probably.

Weather seems to be warming up.. Can't wait to clean up the my 8 and do some real driving.

So...When's the meet?

Weather seems to be warming up.. Can't wait to clean up the my 8 and do some real driving.

So...When's the meet?

Dang, the forecast for 3/13 is 68 degrees and mostly sunny. Saturday is 34 and possible snow showers. Cripes! Phreakin' backwards weather. :mad:

I plan to spend the day tomorrow enjoying the car. :ylsuper:

I'm game for a meet at any point the weather is decent. (Cold and snowing kind of bites.)

Yeah, if today's weather made it to the weekend, I would be up, but doesn't look that way. Maybe in the next few weeks though. Had a nice day yesterday here & was able to enjoy it in my 8 for a while.

Same here, I put on 110 miles today "enjoying" the weather. (Over half a tank of gas - LOL)

haha, yeah, I went through about the same. Ya know how it goes...those 2 trips into town really dries out the tank.

I work in Ann Arbor near Jackson and zeeb

WOw... my parents live around that area... I drive around there sometimes with my velocity red... :)

Just when 68 degree weather makes you think winter is gone ... this hits in the middle of the night. (Taken a few minutes ago.) :wallbash:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/Phreakdout/RX8/3-15-07snow001-1.jpg

Looks nice! Didn't get any out here, must have just missed Lansing. Anyway, looks like we have some warmer weather coming for at least a while. We should start thinking about moving on a meet idea. Maybe create another thread once a spot is decided.

Some ideas for meets and activities this year ...

- June 29th & 30th: PINKS is being taped at Milan Speedway.

- July 21st, NOPI Drags and show at Milan Speedway.

- Early July (I believe), Ann Arbor Rolling Sculpture Show.

- August 18th, Woodward Dream Cruise

- Backroads spirited drive to Hell, Michigan. (I did this with the Michigan Ferrari Owners Club last September. It was a good cruise.) I posted up a thread w/ pics last September.

- Run to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio

- Run to Frankenmuth (sp)

- Weekend camping on South Bass Island (Put-in-Bay). It would be awesome to get a shot of the ferry loaded with RX8s!!! This is close to Sandusky, Ohio. (Less than 2 hrs from Detroit) The campground is great and we can walk to the bars at Put-in-Bay. Lots of boats dock here and lots of bikinis in the Summer. :D:

- Catch a Tigers Game

- Races at Waterford Hills in Oakland County. Schedule (http://www.waterfordhills.com/info/schedule.htm)

- Overnight run to Mackinaw Island

- Organize a "Cannonball Run" between RX owners and some local car clubs. (Not a race, that would be illegal. Just a cruise with time slips. :) This can be combined with another event to get to it. (Such as Cedar Point.) Here's a vid of one done in TX. Video (http://videos.streetfire.net/video/7a47fd42-5d3a-4f57-9894-c4ff80b666fa.htm)

Post up some other ideas. (Just brainstorming)

Yeah, saw the NOPI thing & really want to go. Same for Put-in-bay. Might take some effort on those ones, but I will try, cause I definitely want to hit those. NOPI is on my girls b-day & she seems to think there are permicsuous females at these events for some reason :) It's crazy!

The rest of the ideas sound pretty good, although not a big Frankenmuth fanatic. You've covered most of the ones I was thinking, except maybe the Cruisin' Downriver. http://www.cruisindownriver.com/Default.asp. It is at the end of June.

Anyone else have any ideas?

- Weekend camping on South Bass Island (Put-in-Bay). It would be awesome to get a shot of the ferry loaded with RX8s!!! This is close to Sandusky, Ohio. (Less than 2 hrs from Detroit) The campground is great and we can walk to the bars at Put-in-Bay. Lots of boats dock here and lots of bikinis in the Summer. :D:


This place is crazy fun. Good idea with the ferry!

Let me know when, I am up for anything if I don't have plans made already. Haven't met any other 8 owners yet. I am definitely interested in the Put-in-bay thing. If we decide on a weekend for this, I will definitely work on getting out there.

Yeah, DEFINITELY!! I have been into rotary's for a while & know a bit about them, but never taken actually taken one apart & would love to see it. Especially on someone elses ;) Seeing as we are back to the snow & freezing temps, I am guessing it will be a week or two before you do it, but let me know. I have been toying with the idea of replacing the rotaries with the lightweight counterparts I see on mazdatrix.com, but a bit scared since i am still pretty new to rotaries. I read a lot, but refuse to say I know a lot about them until I actually take one apart.

I'm pretty interested.

Yeah, just let me know when you plan on doing it. I might eventually swap out for a 13b or 20b, but would feel more confident doing it myself if I knew more about the internals. Sorry for the over-enthusiasm. I was doing a little partying last night & was in a really good mood. :beer:

Bump for Detroit RX meetup!

Wow, sinking some cash into the project this year.

anyone have stock RX8 18"s for sale? :(

Don't mean to thread-jack, but how about a Michigan Mazda Meet? I moderate a forum with roughly 20 members, all drivers of MS6. We have an event coming up in May where we meet at Kensington Park for an all-day BBQ event.
Feel free to join this forum: http://ryobob.proboards53.com/index.cgi?
And keep up to date on what's happening at Michigan Mazdaspeed Community.
Thanks.

Dang, I'm going to miss this one. I'm in Dalian China right now and headed to Tokyo tomorrow. (This is why I had to miss the Deal's Gap Rotary Rally this weekend.)

I'll have to catch the next gathering. Take lots of pics!

just curious... what happened to your engine? Why are you re-building? Are you doing mods?

It would be nice for me to see the engine tear down... I have to check my schedule and see if I can make it next weekend.... It will be interesting to see...

Anyone staying in town over the Memorial Day Weekend? I'll try and pull together a meet and spirited drive for that Saturday afternoon. (If we can get a few cars.) I went on a drive last year with the Michigan Ferrari Club on a route to Hell Michigan. I can duplicate the same route. It was a good time.

Anyone interested?

I'll be around and available as a passenger. If I go I'll need to bring a couple crying towels though, as my engine is not done yet.

That's the spirit! It'll be good motivation for ya. If you're waiting on someone else to finish the engine, you can always be working on something else while the engine is out. :ylsuper:

Anyway, we'll get something going if there's some interest. The wife and daughter are headed to the in-laws for the weekend and I don't have the time off. So it's a car weekend for me. Yeah!

Come to Sandusky! I live near there!

There is a slight chance that I may be reassembling the engne right around that time, so those who want to see the guts of a rotary engine in-person may have their chances.

See the guts of someone else's rotary is cool. See the guts of mine, a worst nightmare. LOL. I have an old school project 300ZX in the garage that is going through a rebuild when I have time. (which is almost never)

If we can setup a drive and meet, perhaps that is a good place to start or finish.

Rootski: As for Sandusky, we'll make it happen this summer! I think that has great potential. It would be nice to find a twisting smooth route there and then just take the turnpike back. Any suggestions for good backroads from SE Michigan / I-75 area to Sandusky?

The Sandusky Area is loaded with long, empty backroads. If you guys come down in June when I'll be home in Ohio, I'll take you to one of my favorites.

I have an old school project 300ZX in the garage that is going through a rebuild when I have time. (which is almost never)


Z31 or Z32? I LOVE the Z32's.

There is a slight chance that I may be reassembling the engne right around that time, so those who want to see the guts of a rotary engine in-person may have their chances.

Charles - I've rebuilt several piston engines but all I know about rotaries is what I learned when I built that working plastic model of the Wankel when I was a kid and what I've been able to find on the web.

Let me know when you're working on it and I'm there!

Z31 or Z32? I LOVE the Z32's.

Z31. There was a rare edition in '88 called the "Shiro". Only 1000 were made and mine is #981. The Shiros had pearl white paint, factory Recaro seats, a special air dam, factory lower springs, wheels, limited slip diff, heavier duty transmission which was the precursor for the Z32 TT transmission, no digital dash, no fancy climate control, no speed limiter, etc..

I thought about keeping it factory to preserve the rarity, but no one cares about the Z31. No value in keeping it stock. I'll keep the color, airdam and seats but the engine is rebuilt, a custom intake manifold is in the works, a larger turbo (T3/T4 hybrid) is ready to go in, 3" exhaust, FMIC, aluminum radiator, aluminum flywheel, ACT clutch. I'll still haven't selected engine management system or fuel injectors yet. It's a very slow build only when I get the time.

It's not the kick butt project Charles has going on his rotary. :)

Once you get that intake done, maybe I can polish it for you?

You would be my hero! LOL. I had someone working on it for me and then they dashed. All I have are parts at this point. I need to have it TIG'd together.

I'll probably get back to that project late summer. (The wife's "honey-do" list has turned into a "get-off-the-damn-couch-and-do-it-now" list.) :banghead: How's a guy supposed to have "quality time" with his true love? (I'm referring to the car, not the wife)

Okay, using the power of Google Earth and the hope you guys won't show up and rob me blind, I've put together a little map of the Sandusky/Norwalk Area, including some points of interest. River Road is a deserted and rarely policed country road that includes some good curves and elevation changes. I thrash my 8 on it all the time, it's a blast. You have to be careful though, some sections of it are a bit residential, so take it slow through there. Cedar Point is marked, as well as my house and the drag strip in Norwalk for you quarter-milers like Ray. There's also a high-speed zone (also a deserted back road) on the other side of Milan that I can usually hit about 130 on, but it includes a turnoff that leads to a hilly s-curve that's also lots of fun. The second map shows just some of the extensive network of quiet, unpoliced and mostly uninhabited roads of rural Ohio.

Okay, using the power of Google Earth and the hope you guys won't show up and rob me blind, I've put together a little map of the Sandusky/Norwalk Area, including some points of interest. River Road is a deserted and rarely policed country road that includes some good curves and elevation changes. I thrash my 8 on it all the time, it's a blast. You have to be careful though, some sections of it are a bit residential, so take it slow through there. Cedar Point is marked, as well as my house and the drag strip in Norwalk for you quarter-milers like Ray. There's also a high-speed zone (also a deserted back road) on the other side of Milan that I can usually hit about 130 on, but it includes a turnoff that leads to a hilly s-curve that's also lots of fun. The second map shows just some of the extensive network of quiet, unpoliced and mostly uninhabited roads of rural Ohio.

What an awesome post. Anyone have any favorite twisties in SE Michigan? The only one I ever used was Huron River Dr:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=48104&ie=UTF8&ll=42.300135,-83.747406&spn=0.016347,0.031114&z=15&om=1

This is Ann Arbor, you start at the center of the map linked, then go northwest. There are actually official signs there that read something along the lines of: "Caution: Scenic Drive, Winding Road" =)

Huron River Dr is good for an line of cars. No inturruptions with lights or stop signs. Nice easy and pretty drive.

I did a run down this with the Mich Ferrari Owner's Club and connected to Hell, Mich. There's a loop around Hell connecting to Territorial Road that has nice tree covered roads with lots of turns. It's easy to make a loop and stay together as a group. You can do a few loops and stop for snacks or cokes at Hell.

I highly recommend this route.

As for next weekend, I'm going to try to install my Espelir spings (finally) this Friday. (So long as I can get a spring compressor.) Hopefully everything will go well.

Would anyone be interested in a run on Saturday? I'll want to try out the springs. :)

Okay, using the power of Google Earth and the hope you guys won't show up and rob me blind, I've put together a little map of the Sandusky/Norwalk Area, including some points of interest. River Road is a deserted and rarely policed country road that includes some good curves and elevation changes. I thrash my 8 on it all the time, it's a blast. You have to be careful though, some sections of it are a bit residential, so take it slow through there. Cedar Point is marked, as well as my house and the drag strip in Norwalk for you quarter-milers like Ray. There's also a high-speed zone (also a deserted back road) on the other side of Milan that I can usually hit about 130 on, but it includes a turnoff that leads to a hilly s-curve that's also lots of fun. The second map shows just some of the extensive network of quiet, unpoliced and mostly uninhabited roads of rural Ohio.

Awesome!! I know who to go to for planning the route.

Not to toally bump in... but I am.

I used to live and work in MI, Troy to be exact. Do any of you guys cruise Wyandotte anymore? I used to head down there sometimes and drink some coffee outside and watch all the hot rods roll by. About the only good thing I have to say about MI, besides the Red Wings.

Not to toally bump in... but I am.

I used to live and work in MI, Troy to be exact. Do any of you guys cruise Wyandotte anymore? I used to head down there sometimes and drink some coffee outside and watch all the hot rods roll by. About the only good thing I have to say about MI, besides the Red Wings.

Michigan to Hawaii ... hmm, quite a switch. I hope you didn't used to dive in the water around here. The water near the Monroe nuclear plant is nice if you ever forget your dive light. The green glow keeps things nice and bright. :Eyecrazy:

I haven't cruised that area. I tend to prefer the back roads to the city streets.

I was there a while ago, from 98 to 02. Yeah, not so much for the drive, as much as the scenery in Wyandotte if you know what I mean?

I signed up for a one-day driving course at Mid-Ohio on June 10. Anyone want to join me?

What an awesome post. Anyone have any favorite twisties in SE Michigan? The only one I ever used was Huron River Dr:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=48104&ie=UTF8&ll=42.300135,-83.747406&spn=0.016347,0.031114&z=15&om=1

This is Ann Arbor, you start at the center of the map linked, then go northwest. There are actually official signs there that read something along the lines of: "Caution: Scenic Drive, Winding Road" =)

yes. I've been around that area as well... But there is quite of police present in that area....plus the speed limit is 35!....
I'm in Milan, and there are some roads that are good between cities (Milan, Tecumseh, Saline, Manchester, etc)... Those country roads are better from a police standpoint...

I signed up for a one-day driving course at Mid-Ohio on June 10. Anyone want to join me?



I was thinking of going....but I never seem to have the time...I might have to plan something for this summer since I don't get to drive the 8 much... I work about 60 miles away from my house, so with gas prices now it is not very economical to use my 8 as a daily commuter....

A co-worker has gone to one in Mid-Ohio and he claims it's a blast!!!...
I'm not sure what happens as far as insurance..... Do you need special insurance for the car to go to the track?

How much do you pay for the event? I heard it's about $140 for 4 - 20 minute runs....

I'm in Milan, and there are some roads that are good between cities (Milan, Tecumseh, Saline, Manchester, etc)... Those country roads are better from a police standpoint...

I agree, the backroads are much better. There are a few good roads for turns and hills. If you have some favorites, let us know. I've got my favorite listed in the 5/26 meet in Ann Arbor. Hope you can join.

How much do you pay for the event? I heard it's about $140 for 4 - 20 minute runs....

It's a class. $580 (w/NASA discount) for 9:30am-4:00pm.

Soooo it looks like I'll be moving to the Detroit area within the next month or so. I think there should be a meet so I can meet some other 8 owners around the area :D:

Soooo it looks like I'll be moving to the Detroit area within the next month or so. I think there should be a meet so I can meet some other 8 owners around the area :D:

Welcome to the Detroit area Mandy!!! It should be quite a change from MD.

You should organize a meet on your move-in day. "Hey guys, nice to meet you. Since you're here, do you mind grabbing some of those boxes?" LOL.

Seriously, we'd be glad to have a "Welcome to Michigan" meet in the area of your new home. This way we can show you around your new town. :) Keep us posted on your move.

Welcome to the neighborhood! See ya on the road.......