DestLuck

So ive been on here a while and reading a few different posts. And i was wondering
is it bad to drive the rx8 at a low RPM 3k?

Is it better to drive it hard and try to keep the RMP's around 4 - 5k? when i drive to work and so on. I got so used to driving other cars that im not sure what is safe anymore :P i know the 8 is a High Rev car...

What are the Pro's and con of running low RPM and high RPM:

i know Low RPM = gaz saver

you can flame if you want but i did try to look it up but the posts i got are not very helpfull.

feel free to toss me a link to a post that might help :D
ill be more then happy to read it.

Tyvm
DestLuck

New Yorker

You can safely cruise at 3K rpm, 60 mph on flat portions of the interstate for sure.

Two things, though: 1) don't lug the engine (or any engine), so if you have to accelerate in the above scenario - to go faster, pass, or if the road starts climbing – yeah, you would want to downshift a gear or two or three. 2) The Renesis likes to be revved regularly, so feel free to rev it to red line whenever you like. (It's not something most drivers do naturally, as they're in the habit of driving cars with ordinary engines that have plenty of oomph at lower RPMs.)

DestLuck

what u mean by dont lug the car?

R80MAV

i often cruise at very low engine speeds when there is little load soo flat roads and downhill gradients, but i shift according to the surface of the road, i usually shift into 4th at around 30mph and 5th at around 38mph then 6th at abut 45. my old 3 series had a constant mpg needle so i got used to keeping it between 40-50mpg. but i am an aggressive driver and redline the 8 more than enough times whilst driving it, usually from 2nd to near the top end of 4th to satisfy my ego and to keep the carbon out.

R80MAV

meaning dont have your foot flat to the floor in 6th when your going slowly to get up a hill you are better off changing down. works for any vehicle.

New Yorker

"Lugging the engine" means having your car in too high a gear for conditions, so that your engine is struggling - or laboring - to maintain (or increase) RPMs. It's just like when you're riding a bicycle up a hill in too high a gear; your engine (in this case your body) struggles because you're asking your leg muscles to work too hard. In both cases, gearing down lets your engine spin faster at an RPM appropriate for conditions.

Once you get to know the sound and 'feel' of your car's (or any car's) engine, it will be obvious to you when you're geared too high, asking your engine to work too hard.

pistonhater

Not really, lol.

With the renesis whether you drive like crazy or like a grandma you get the same fuel results - seems like. So you might as well have fun with it

The only time I notice better fuel economy (regardless of RPM) is when all conditions are "right"- meaning, cruising on a highway with cruise control, no hills, no front wind, no extra passengers or cargo, etc. With those conditions I can get closer to 20 MPG - perhaps the claimed 22 although not very often - regardless of cruising at 3RPM or 4 RPM. I usually cruise between 3.8-4,000RPM on 6th gear at about 75-80MPH (again, depending on driving conditions)

But of course, if you are are driving on the interstate on 2nd gear at 8,000RPM for a long time you for sure will get crappy fuel economy!!

I think many people will tell you to not drive at such "low" RPMs on a rotary simply to steer you away from the bad habit of never revving the engine up - which apparently leads to all kinds of bad things.

As NewYorker suggested above, many people probably don't rev their engines often enough. Have to remember that not everybody that owns an RX-8 is a member of this forum - or a rotary enthusiast. I've met at least 6 people already (work, going around, etc.) that didn't have a clue that rotary engines should be revved up often. They were just normal people who liked the car and bought it, but not rotary enthusiasts like many people here. So you can bet many of them simply drive the car like a regular piston engine.

Hope this helps.

R80MAV

now that was better put

DestLuck

Sick thanks for the info all this finaly awnsered my question about the 8 ill be sure to rev it high atleast once every two days.... Bet ill start getting the cops attention especialy with the MS body kit going on in about 1 month when i take it out of storage.

Thx again
DestLuck

P.s anyone know a good site to buy grills that i can fit into the MS bumper.

Prophet

I run mine pretty hard. Only thing that sucks is that it burns oil faster and I get about 13-14 mpg when I do. Oh well. lol

DestLuck

hehe

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Most people seem to forget that you can go WOT (wide open throttle) in 1st and 2nd gear entirely legally. I don't drive my 8 that much since I got this new job, but when I do drive it, it usually gets quite a few redline runs every time. To and from my last job was lots of ramps, city driving, etc... and I'd hit redline 5-9 times per drive each way. Still ~18mpg. It's too much fun not to.

Burning oil faster is not a problem. It's a good thing. If it wasn't burning oil faster, then you would be losing your engine faster.

pistonhater

well...I don't think the RX-8 is as loud. Sure, it has that wonderful rotary sound - especially when you are pushing past 7,000RPMs and up. But I do not think it is any louder than other sports cars out there - especially american cars. So a cop should not give you crap about your tiny wankel

- unless you have and aftermarket exhaust...or not exhaust

And burning the oil is certainly relevant to engine load. The more you push the engine, the more it will burn.

Also, my average is 13-16MPG and 18-20 on the highway. In some rare occasions I get 20-22MPG on the interstate with the right conditions.

I think the stated MPG (consistent upper 20s) of many users on this forum is

40w8

On rare occasions I get 25-27mpg on the Interstate, and nearly always get 23 mpg @ 80 mph and 2700 rpm.

then, I get 8mpg on the track.

NotAPreppie

How are you getting 80 mph from 2700 rpm?

40w8

6spd Auto and even geared down 3.3% with 225/40r18 tire instead of stock 225/45r18.

there's another world the manual fanbois won't look at!

xexok

The couple times I have taken long trips(over 500 miles) I got 22 mpg on the dot, couldn't go higher or lower than that. That was driving between 70 and 90 depending on the speed limit at the time.

In the city I get around 16 mpg but I have only checked that once so thats a bad example lol.

monchie

Never ran mine hard, and i still get 13-14 mpg...lol

Ianspeed

I run around 4k and downshift if I'm below that and on a noticeable grade.

Now thats cool stuff. I'm really curious to try a 6speed auto. Never driven a rotary with a modern auto trans.

I get about the same. I have run 600 miles on mostly flat roads (LA to SF and back) a few times and the numbers are about that. 22 on highway cruise, 16mpg in San Francisco. Higher now that I'm in LA.

McGridDLe

I'm new to the rotary and still trying to make adjustments from what I've learned with previous cars, so just to be clear. What is a good rpm range to just be driving regularly? or does it even matter?

It seems that some people here say around 4k and some people elsewhere say 6k? I know its a noob question but I'm really curious lol.

It just doesnt seem right to me that I can be driving perfectly normal at interstate speeds (70mph) in 4th gear.. It's certainly not what I'm used to anyway.

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

^Driving is one thing. Cruising is another...

McGridDLe

You're right, sorry I didn't really think about it.. Driving, I typically shift around 6-6500 depending on how im feeling at the moment. But what's a good rpm for cruising? Whether that means just going through town or on the highway, just any situation where you would want to keep a constant speed.

Renesis555

iTrader: (8)

I normally get 17mpg combined around norcal. With that in mind, I took my RX-8 to socal for the first time when I went to sevenstock for the first time. I was blown away when I was able to achieve 22mpg(75mpg consistent with hills in the beginning and end of trip), and that's no BS.