Well Im inches away from buying my RX-8, but of course my parents have to have last minute safety peeves... They think the car and its seats are a little low, and the car is very small making it unsafe... Give me some material to prove them wrong, I have wanted this car for over 8.5 months, I dont want a BMW 3 or an a4 i want my RX-8... what should i do?

airbags! lots of airbags..

Been there said that, the main arguement they have is that, there are a lot of SUVs out their, and this car is very low, so thats what makes it dangerous.... Yes I know what they are saying makes no sense...

I routinely take my two kids in it. The back seat is very secure (and the divider keeps them far enough apart so they cannot hit each other).

Amazing brakes... just amazing.

Do a search here for people who have been in accidents. The car is very safe. Side airbags in both front and rear and steel beams reinforce the the doors. Also my wife and I have an A4 and it is a good car but not as much fun as the Audi. Bring up how the RX-8 will limit the number of friends you can have with you to 3. This will mean that you will be less distracted and more likely to pay attention to the road. You will get a better insurance rating on the 8 than you will on the 3 series BMW.

Personally, I hate driving my wife's SUV because I feel like I have no control over it. If you need to make a sudden evasive maneuver or stop quickly, an SUV is useless. I will take an RX-8 over an SUV any day. The best way to not get hurt in an accident is to avoid it completely. With an SUV or a large truck, you're pretty much just along for the ride. Ask them this - when they encounter an accident on the side of the road, what types of vehicles do they see the most? Where I come from, it's SUVs and pickups.

I could easily roll-over my wife's SUV on a flat surface if I wanted to - it's impossible to do in an RX-8.

Lastly, there have also been pictures of 8's in accidents posted on this forum, and it looks to me that the occupants were always well-protected.

THANK YOU ALL...

Originally posted by jniamehr
Been there said that, the main arguement they have is that, there are a lot of SUVs out their, and this car is very low, so thats what makes it dangerous.... Yes I know what they are saying makes no sense...


like others have said being little and quick really has its advantages. Especially on SoCal freeways where you get trucks that lose their ladders and have to do evasive manuveurs. (like I had to do just recently) Better to be able to avoid something than barrel down in an uncontroled manner.

The crash pictures should help. illustrate the crumple areas and protection of the cabin.

I will admint though that being in a smaller vehicle does have its drawbacks as I cannot see anything while admist the bazzilion SUVs in LA.

But I do feel like I am in control of my car at every moment. Something that I lack when I am driving a truck.

limited slip differential, abs, dynamic stability control, traction control, low center of gravity, low polar-inertia moment, 50-50 weight distribution, incredible structural rigidity(all of these things combine to make the car nearly the most stable car on the road, and keep you on the road), iso-fix child seat connections, stereo controls on the steering wheel(keeps the hands where they should be). front,side and full length curtain airbags. steel reinforcement beams in the doors (keeps those suvs out) etc. etc. etc. has passed all of the most stringent crash tests in the world with flying colors. it is even safer to the unlucky pedestrian as mazda developed a new hood design to keep them from getting too injured should you hit one. incredible brakes so you can stop instead of hitting that guy and ruining your hood. the list goes on and on and on.....

I am one of those people who have been in an accident with an RX-8 and I'm happy to give you a perspective on the car.

The first thing to remember is that the car's handling is one of its best safety features: you can avoid getting into accidents in the first place. This was the point of a recent article about vehicle safety in The New Yorker magazine. You can search the forum for a discussion on this point.

As for situations where you can't avoid being in an accident, I think that the safety engineering of the car saved my and my wife's lives. I had to stop suddenly at highway speed when a van had stopped in the passing lane of an interstate. Because of the great brakes I was able to stop before hitting the van. I was then rear-ended by a pickup truck at a high rate of speed (probably 50-60 mph.) The crumple zone in the back of the car took the brunt of the impact . The car was totaled but my wife and I were unhurt. We opened the doors and walked away without a scratch. (No one else was hurt in the accident.)

Two weeks later I took the insurance money and bought another RX-8. Believe me, I wouldn't have done that if I had thought that the car was unsafe.

I hope this information is helpful to you and your parents.

I also had a rock drop off a truck in front of me. I bounced right over my 8. If I was in a SUV, it would have hit square on the windshield!

Originally posted by rx8gator
I also had a rock drop off a truck in front of me. I bounced right over my 8. If I was in a SUV, it would have hit square on the windshield!

Cleared your entire car and didn't touch a thing?!?!? Now, that's what I call good luck :)

It got a 5 star safety rating.

Someone posted here a few weeks ago that the car had a 5 star rating...I have not been able to find that...

Yes what evidence is their to back that up, I have seen no government test results...

well it won't flip over so easily since it's so low . . . .

jniamehr, when I was doing my research before buying, safety was one of my criteria too. Here in the US, the 8 hasn't been crash tested yet by NHTSA or Insurance Institute. It has been crash tested in Japan and meets their requirements. Thought I bookmarked it but can't find it right now.

one of the magazines that reviewed the rx-8 said it had a 5 star rating. I *THINK* it was C & D in the "Rotary Revival" article, but im not 100 pct sure.

please post those RX8-safety-related articles in this thread! thanks guys

Originally posted by Texas 8
Cleared your entire car and didn't touch a thing?!?!? Now, that's what I call good luck :)

It was incredible luck. It went right over the middle of the entire car. I don't know if it hit someone behind me. We were on the turnpike doing about 70.

It doesn't show as being tested by NHTSA
http://www.nhtsa.gov

It is a proven fact that SUV and safety are direct opposites. SUV have the worst safety record of anything on four wheels.

Yea I know, I even explained that to them (and my mom is an suv driver...)

I almost forgot. What about the DSC or VDC (Dynamic Stability Control, or Vehicle Dynamic Control "I forget what it is for the RX8" Either way, this has saved me many times, it actually takes control of the car when it starts to slip.


This is one of the best safety inventions since air bags.

Originally posted by jniamehr
Well Im inches away from buying my RX-8, but of course my parents have to have last minute safety peeves... They think the car and its seats are a little low, and the car is very small making it unsafe... Give me some material to prove them wrong, I have wanted this car for over 8.5 months, I dont want a BMW 3 or an a4 i want my RX-8... what should i do?

This one is easy. Safety????




A car that can stop in 50 less feet from 60-0 is much safer than one that can't.


Example, RX-8 stops 0-60 in about 112 feet. That is about as good as it gets. According to Road and Track, that is a shorter distance braking than both the Porsche GT2 and the Turbo and the GT3.


What about handling? When a car handles and responds better, you can potentially avoid more accidents, as long as you are paying attention to the road. How about, get a bright color and say that you will be easier to see.

Originally posted by rotarymagic
This one is easy. Safety????




A car that can stop in 50 less feet from 60-0 is much safer than one that can't.


Example, RX-8 stops 0-60 in about 112 feet. That is about as good as it gets. According to Road and Track, that is a shorter distance braking than both the Porsche GT2 and the Turbo and the GT3.


What about handling? When a car handles and responds better, you can potentially avoid more accidents, as long as you are paying attention to the road. How about, get a bright color and say that you will be easier to see.





I almost forgot. What about the DSC or VDC (Dynamic Stability Control, or Vehicle Dynamic Control "I forget what it is for the RX8" Either way, this has saved me many times, it actually takes control of the car when it starts to slip.


This is one of the best safety inventions since air bags.

Originally posted by dobe_dad
I almost forgot. What about the DSC or VDC (Dynamic Stability Control, or Vehicle Dynamic Control "I forget what it is for the RX8" Either way, this has saved me many times, it actually takes control of the car when it starts to slip.


This is one of the best safety inventions since air bags.


This is weird, I posted a reply and the reply was under Dobe-dad, what the heck is going on?

Well heres an update on my situation... I printed out selmeralto's story and showed it to my parents, it moved them, and they never thought that it was that good of a car till hearing his story, I printed out the safety information from the Mazda website, as well as the rest of this forum, and they agreed, and Im WELL WELLL WELLLL on my way to getting my 8 this weekend! THANK YOU ALL.

Good luck, and enjoy. It's the most fun car that I have ever owned. When people asks you "Is it a four cylinder or six", (and they will), say "NO PISTONS!!!"

HAHA, friends already have, and most ppl dont know what a rotary is, it stirs up great car convos.... The only things that kinda irks me about the car is, my friends want to race me, but i know that the auto im getting wont out race most cars in its class.... or does it?

Well, if you want a fun car, the auto is still likely to be fun.

But it won't beat a manual... of many cars.

But you and your parents want you and the car to be safe, right?

Then don't race on the street. You'll be safer than if you do.

Take it to an autocross. Get your dad to go with you and have some fun with it... and you'll learn a lot about how to drive it properly. And you won't hurt your car or yourself.

No I would def. go to a track (no thank you to tickets and higher insurance) its kinda a macho-father-son event with my family friends, as well as flaunting money, cars and homes... Its ridiculous....

Yeah, I hear you. Everyone deals with that at some point.

Heck, even people old enough to be your dad, right?

The thing is, once you go to the autocross or track once, you'll realize that true skill does not come from who has the most mods or HP and can *yipee* press on the accelrator.

No, real driving's about more than that.

Good luck with your 8, and good luck finding the fun in the car... where it's safe... especially when you're first learning about the car and how it reacts.

thanks for the wise words....

Originally posted by racerdave
Yeah, I hear you. Everyone deals with that at some point.

Heck, even people old enough to be your dad, right?

The thing is, once you go to the autocross or track once, you'll realize that true skill does not come from who has the most mods or HP and can *yipee* press on the accelrator.

No, real driving's about more than that.

Good luck with your 8, and good luck finding the fun in the car... where it's safe... especially when you're first learning about the car and how it reacts.

This is a wise man..is everyone listening????

WOW, I just heard the most retarded story in the world from my parents about a kid who got an RX-8, a family friend of mine has a son about my age and he got an RX-8 (idiot kid that is not responsible at all) he gets winter tires but they "dont fit" obviously he didnt get the right ones that match the car, and decides to go into the ice regardless... Well guess what the idiot hits a patch of ice and has a collision with something, and his parents dont like the car because there was "too much damage", what exactly is too much damage when you hit a wall? He even knew about the winter tire issue, and decided to ignore it and go into a patch of ice... Now his parents are going to get him a 4 wheel drive car... Now Im a honors physics student, and our teacher got on his knees and begged the 4 wheel drive car students to not think they are god in the snow because they have four wheel drive... I just cant believe that people dont know that people dont understand the concept that AWD helps you GO and not STOP, it amazes me... My mom who has the MB ML 320 with AWD does not perform 1 bit better than my dads Camry XLE, I know Im going to kill this topic, but can someone who has either a FWD or AWD and an RX-8 compare it with their car, you all seem to hold weight in my parents pocket, and they and I expecially appreciate it.

Tell your parents that S.U.V. are definetely not safer , only bigger .

Most Suv s have poor brakes , chew up heaps of petrol wear out components and tyres like mad , pollute the enviroment , but above all are mostly unsafe as they have a high center of gravity and are prone to rolling over ,

michael

Believe me they heard all that, and the gas millage on the RX-8 aint that great either, almost equal to my moms ML 320 from what I hear...

Unfortunately total independence from your parents comes only when you are your own man , pay your own way until that time comes you may have to do as mummy and daddy tells you .

Shit happens .
michael

No it doesnt work like that in my family mummy daddy, and I are equals we discuss and debate like adults, i dont just do what they say, and they dont just do what i say, each of our arguements need reason behind them, I have never just gotten what I wanted.

I have and Audi A4 1.8t Quattro Sport and the RX-8 GT. The Audi does handle better as long as I have my foot on the gas. As soon as I need to brake or let up on the gas the Quattro or AWD disengages. If I felt like I could go into a turn at a higher rate of speed because of the AWD and needed to slow down I have some trickiness there to deal with. When this car first hit the market people were flying off the road left and right because the AWD disengages as soon as your foot is off the gas.

Also tell your parents that I call this the stealth car because for some reason no one can see it. My wife and I have almost been in many accidents together and just before we were married someone did hit her in that car. They were only going about 15-20 mph but it caused $4,800 worth the damage to the passenger side front quarter panel. Audi's and BMW's are going to be more money than the RX-8 to get repaired.

Also it sounds to me like this kid was exceeding the speed limit if he lost control by that much. I have found it extremely easy to drive this car around in the snow and on ice with good winter tires. I even take the DSC/TC off so that I can have more fun since that limits how much I can get the car to swing out. Let them know you need to the GT package for "safety reasons". Oh and Nav wouldn't hurt either.

93rdcurrent you think like I do... Im building my own nav though, I like those types of projects...

Originally posted by jniamehr
Well heres an update on my situation... I printed out selmeralto's story and showed it to my parents, it moved them, and they never thought that it was that good of a car till hearing his story, I printed out the safety information from the Mazda website, as well as the rest of this forum, and they agreed, and Im WELL WELLL WELLLL on my way to getting my 8 this weekend! THANK YOU ALL.

Glad to be of service. Just remember when you get your car to drive in a safe manner. The best accident protection is avoiding getting into one.

Hope you and your parents enjoy your new car.

Originally posted by jniamehr
No it doesnt work like that in my family mummy daddy, and I are equals we discuss and debate like adults, i dont just do what they say, and they dont just do what i say, each of our arguements need reason behind them, I have never just gotten what I wanted.

My fathers version of a debate was his foot in my ass...I did what he said, I never asked him to do anything...:)

LOL... I know Im really lucky... But I also show my parents an unprecedented amount of respect, and I am (at age 17) my fathers right-hand man, when it comes to business advice etc...

Klegg,

Did you ever hear the dread phrase "HEY! Your in range?" Of course this meant stop whatever it is that you're doing and move quickly. Maybe your dad and my dad went bowling together?

Originally posted by jniamehr
LOL... I know Im really lucky... But I also show my parents an unprecedented amount of respect, and I am (at age 17) my fathers right-hand man, when it comes to business advice etc...


jniamerhr

A 17 year old giving his father bussiness advice ??? .

You must be your" FATHERS SEXUAL ADVISOR "when he wants your F%^&*ng advice he asks for it .HA HA HA

Yeah right

michael

Whatever you do make sure your parents don't run out and get you the yellow one. Your friends will start calling you Pikachu if they do.

Originally posted by jniamehr
No it doesnt work like that in my family mummy daddy, and I are equals we discuss and debate like adults, i dont just do what they say, and they dont just do what i say, each of our arguements need reason behind them, I have never just gotten what I wanted.
When I grew up there was this thing called a switch or paddle or belt or as klegg put "a boot in the ass". If your parents are already letting you debate what you do and don't have to do they have already lost control. So just tell them what you want and be done with this thread.

The RX-8 is inherently unsafe on anything other than a completely dry road. The Bridgestone RE040 stock tyres are crap when there is water around. The nature of a hi power but low torque engine means that you need loads of revs to avoid stalling the beast (mouse). In icy conditions this means that you cannot get ANY traction from the 8. Sell it while you can get a decent price...............

I cant see how they have already gone wrong with me, Im a respected young man, whos never gotten into trouble, who helps his father manage hotels, real estate, and his jewelry business... My father who is very sucessful, never got the education that I am getting and needs help with math, reasoning, and debating values of things, as well as interpreting the law and I also help with sales and have made large sum jewelry sales. I work at one of his stores 5 days a week. I dont want this to be a debate of my caracter. You dont know me so please dont judge me.

Originally posted by 93rdcurrent
Klegg,

Did you ever hear the dread phrase "HEY! Your in range?" Of course this meant stop whatever it is that you're doing and move quickly. Maybe your dad and my dad went bowling together?

HAHAHAHA!! they are cut from the same cloth, I HAVE heard that one, on more then one occasion!

His "best" painful lesson? I was feeding our dog, kahn(Italian for dog) a sweet surplus belgian shepard milatary dog....anyway, the dog stuck his head under the can of food while I filled the bowel...got food between the ears..Now, I was about 11 years old.

The old man takes me outside, it is about 45 degrees, and dumps the ENTIRE contents of the fridge on my head..katchup, pikles, eggs, a whole mason jar of homemade peppers in vinger (burnt like hell in my eyes)...a pot of soup..you name it, on my head it went.

I then had to stand like that for an hour.

Would I do it to my kids...nope
was it way out there? yup
Did I ever let dogfood even think about touching the air within 10 fett of that dog? NOPE!


I still wake up screaming thinking about my parents...Nick and Fran..the twins of evil....She is old world jew, he is old world Italian..

He beat me, she whined at me..I was raised with ulcers and fractures, in the house that guilt built..

Originally posted by satan666
The RX-8 is inherently unsafe on anything other than a completely dry road. The Bridgestone RE040 stock tyres are crap when there is water around. The nature of a hi power but low torque engine means that you need loads of revs to avoid stalling the beast (mouse). In icy conditions this means that you cannot get ANY traction from the 8. Sell it while you can get a decent price...............


Not only is this guy a troll, but he also lacks reading comprehension skills.

Believe me I know a troll when I see one... Everyone has said good things besides this jerk, and Ive read the morons other posts... I was very impressed by the car last night (we basically bought it, but Im waiting for the dealer to locate Winning Blue with the GT package in an auto) I cant say anything but WOW. It was my first oppertunity to really drive the car (without the mum) it was just me and my father, and he was a sceptic at first, but was speechless from the ride and expecially the handeling of the car, he saw exactly how safe it was due to its superb handeling, and really fell in love with the car, and now thinks hes going to be taking it out one or two days a week (maybe in his wildest dreams) the dealer allowed us to basically put the car to the test, and hit the higher speeds, and we even got on the highway (each of us got turns) and the car passed my expectations with flying colors... After the test drive, we were going to put down a down payment, but we didnt at the dealers recomendation, he told us since it was late and they didnt have the color we wanted he would attempt to find it and we would come and do the stuff the day he found it.... I hope I will be getting a call in the next few days... Although I did point him to the direction of a dealer who had the color in an auto with the GT package, and I told him to attempt a swap. Again thank you all, for the wise words, the great advice, and the straight forward facts...

Ill be waiting till the next winter season to get my winter tires, I dont think it will snow much in the coming months, and if it does, Ill just take the bus... I would have bought them if tirerack.com had them, but I checked and they didnt... Anyone know of other sites that have winter tires for the car?

Call Discount Tire Co. There sight says they are out of stock but I know that local branches have them here and they don't charge for delivering them to a local branch by you. They have about the same prices as Tire Rack. Oh and Congratulations. I bet your dad thinks about buying his own within 3 months.

LOL, I know he will but hes already got a car, for the time being at least, Im willing to put money on the line that he will call to find out how much it would cost him to end the lease early...

lucky devil having a car like the 8 at your age..you seem to have a good head on you, but drive safe, do not show off for your friends, and pack some condoms in the glove box..:D

:D

Cool jniamehr!

My advice is - take good care of the RX8. Read the manual thoroughly, and check in with this forum often. (but read with the proper amount of skeptisism!) The rotary has some differences and idiosyncracies, but it ain't from outer space! Common mechanical sense still prevails.

You don't want an SUV. They take up too much space and can be extremely dangerous! (to us and others who drive cars) Then again, it seems in this area, if an SUV gets in a collision with another vehicle, it will likely be another SUV. (Christ, it is like driving in a tunnel that moves along with you sometimes)

klegg, I was thinking the same thing, and my school gives free condoms out lol... but, heres the real question, is your woman flexable enough to do it in the back of an RX-8... I actually went to see the car with my g/f, she said its A-OK with her... lol

And yeah, I know how annoying those SUV's are... I drive one way to often... People still dont understand the concept the higher the car, the easier to flip it.... I cant tell you how many irresponsible friends of mine are getting SUV's, the cayanne, or the Lexus GX... Its ridiculous.

While we are on the topic of SUV's I heard something about the Hummer H2 being banned from the road for being overweight or something?

My wife is 37, we have two kids, and we work full time. As you will find out someday, this means:

1-we do not bend at all (to much trouble)

2- Even if we could bend, too damm tired to try!!

Have not heard about the H2 thing, still see a lot of them around..

Re: the IMA - don't know much about it but sounds great. Perhaps some of the increased weight could be offset by a smaller fuel tank and still deliver comparable range.

On safety, NCAP results show 4 stars on side impact front and rear for the 8. Frontal will be re-tested in April, due to an airbag issue. Several other thoughts re: safety - as I can't stand the SUV bashing. Look, if you don't like them, fine. Let's face it, there are a lot of people who don't like sports cars either. And come on, RX-8 drivers calling SUVs environmentally unfriendly. I recall quite a # of posts complaining about 13 mpg. Don't get me wrong - I love the car - had a '79 RX-7 and will likely buy an 8.

Anyway, on safety, if you want to educate yourself re: cars or SUV's - don't read the New Yorker (as someone mentioned earlier). I saw that article and it was crap - clearly the author had a grudge against Expeditions, misused statistics and didn't factually support most of the assertions he made.

Not to turn this into a pro-SUV rant, but the facts are SUVs are very safe even when accounting for an admittedly higher roll-over rate. Wouldn't want to be hit by one, but for driver and passengers they are safe. Check out the IIHS website: (http://www.hwysafety.org/sr_ddr/sr3507_detail.htm). The Toyota Avalon for instance actually has an overall death rate twice that of the Expedition based on IIHS data. (I pick the Avalon because that was the car The New Yorker had on the top of its "safe" list). So even factoring in the fact that rollover deaths are 2X as likely in an Expedition than in an Avalon, you are still much safer overall in the Expedition, based on this data.

But I digress - back to the original post - if you want to convince your parents you will be safe in this car (which I think was the gist here), offer to pay for the insurance, and then pay for any deductable if you get in an accident. 90% of automobile safety is the driver.