Just come back from the Motorexpo and wanted to tell you some of the things the Mazda people there told me.

First things first though, must say that the Mazda guys there today were really good. About the only thing they wouldn't do was turn the car on, and I don't blame them! :D

First thing he told me was that the only difference between our car and the US one is a bit of programming in the ECU, so he reckoned that it could easily be upgraded. Although he did warn me that this would invalidate the warranty.

Second was that one of the guys believes that Mazda are going to give us the option to have 19 inch wheels! Not sure I believe that one.

Another point he made of interest was concerning the ride height. Again the car was sitting quite high, and I commented on the fact. What he told me was the car doesn't usually sit that high, but they have had to jack it up! Anyone who has seen this done will know that the car will only settle back to its usual height after it has been driven around a bit. The car couldn't be driven around so the suspension has not been given time to settle. The reason it was jacked up was that Mazda insist that all the logo's on the wheels are straight! :D

Lastly, he said that the tyres are not run flat, and that there will be a option to buy a space saver spare, which will mount on the top of the inside of the boot.

Anyway, enough typing for now! If I remember anything else, I will let you know.

Shahpor

Interesting. I got the same story about the jacking affecting the suspension so you never know. Remember that the pictures of the Japanese cars are very similar though so this could be a smokescreen.

The car had Bridgestone Potenza S03 tyres on it which are indeed not run flats. Does anyone know if these are the tyres we will actually get?

Hmmm, so to get the 9bhp (or whatever) back I have to lose a 3 year warranty? Might give that a miss then.

Well for the ride height we will probably not know until the cars arrive. They will probably tune the suspension for each region anyway.

According to the latest reports we should be getting Bridgestone Potenza RE040's. Shame really, cause the S03's are much better tyres.

About the power, the guy reckoned that the programming is the only difference between our cars and the US & Japanese spec's. So it is possible that with a reprogramming of the ECU and maybe some changes to the exhaust you could reclaim 23BHP.

Mazda do say that this will invalidate the warranty, but a lot of these aftermarket tunes reckon that Mazda dealers will not realise that the car has been modified.

It depends on what diagnostic equipment the dealers use, also who you believe.

Personally, I know a lot of people that have had their car chipped and then had warranty work done. It seems that if you just modify the code and don't change the physical ECU unit, it is difficult for the dealers to tell that changes have been made.

Still I think it is not really the time to be discussing thing like this. If the performance figures appear to be correct then that is enough for me. Besides at this point I just want the damn car!

Shahpor

PS I know that Mazda monitors this forum, but I think they, like all car manufacturers, are well aware of this problem. Still, I don't think we should get into specifics on the forum.

Originally posted by Lensman
Hmmm, so to get the 9bhp (or whatever) back I have to lose a 3 year warranty? Might give that a miss then.

I'll just get it done after to years when I've laready racked up 60k and no longer have a warrenty!:D

So who's going to be at the MotorExpo tomorrow afternoon - just so I know who the other guys taking a real interest in the RX8 are.:D

I spoKe to my dealer for the second time yesterday and said I was going to see the car tomorrow and he didn't even know there was one on the country! After I told him about MotorExpo (and that it is free) he's taking the day off to go and see it and try and get a lot of questions answered - it seems like Mazda are keeping their dealerships in the dark as well. I bet we know more about the 8 than most main dealers!:p

Im off there this morning with a mate (Mrs not interested), should get there around 11:30/12 and will be heading straight for the RX-8!

hey, i might see you there. I'm also on my way....

Look out for the guy stuck to the bonnet of the 8 with security guards trying to pull him off! It'll be me!

Don't forget to post your opinions on the car when you get back (like you weren't going to! :D)

Anyone going tomorrow (Sat)?


-andy-

Posted my views on the other thread......