Series 1 vs Series 2
04-22-2013, 03:09 PM
#1
Series 1 vs Series 2
Greetings Earthlings,
Used to be a member/owner back in '06. Had to sell my 8 for financial reasons
anyways I may finally be back in the market for an rx8 sometime in the near future and have been pouring over the site for differences between the series 1 and 2 rx8's. The biggest thing that I finding confusing are the track results differences between the 2. The series 2 has a number of reliability upgrades as well as a lower rear end. In every other car I've dealt with a lower rear end means a faster car, but the I keep seeing the series 2 rx8's are .5 second slower than series 1. Anyone have an answer for this?
The only thing I could think of is with the series 2 you have to shift into 3rd before you hit 60, which would drop your 0-60 time significantly, but it seems like it's slower in the 1/4 mile as well.
Has anyone actually put a stock series 1 against a series 2 and seen who comes out ahead?
BTW, love seeing the rx8 community still going strong. I've owned quite a few cars in my short time on this earth and the rx8 is the only car i regret having to get rid of. Absolutely nothing drives like an rx8.
Used to be a member/owner back in '06. Had to sell my 8 for financial reasons
anyways I may finally be back in the market for an rx8 sometime in the near future and have been pouring over the site for differences between the series 1 and 2 rx8's. The biggest thing that I finding confusing are the track results differences between the 2. The series 2 has a number of reliability upgrades as well as a lower rear end. In every other car I've dealt with a lower rear end means a faster car, but the I keep seeing the series 2 rx8's are .5 second slower than series 1. Anyone have an answer for this? The only thing I could think of is with the series 2 you have to shift into 3rd before you hit 60, which would drop your 0-60 time significantly, but it seems like it's slower in the 1/4 mile as well.
Has anyone actually put a stock series 1 against a series 2 and seen who comes out ahead?
BTW, love seeing the rx8 community still going strong. I've owned quite a few cars in my short time on this earth and the rx8 is the only car i regret having to get rid of. Absolutely nothing drives like an rx8.
04-22-2013, 03:42 PM
#2
SARX Legend
iTrader: (46)
The performance difference in terms of 1/4 mile times is insignificant. The S2 is a much better more improved car all around. Do your homework, there are plenty of threads outlining the difference. If you care about 1/4 mile times in an RX-8 you might want to look at something else or consider buying a used S1 that is turbocharged or supercharged.
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04-22-2013, 08:36 PM
#7
Rockie Mountain Newbie
04-22-2013, 10:30 PM
#8
Differences between S1 and S2 were considered minor by every auto publication. But yeah, difference in front grills is huge, and the smarter looking S1 clearly doesn't like having the newer Mazda corporate mouth hastily stuck on it against its will.
04-22-2013, 10:33 PM
#9
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If you want to tune your car, S1
if you don't, S2
Personally I would go for the S2 for reliability's sake.
1v1 in the straight the S2 should be just as fast, if not a bit faster since it's now newer and has a lower final drive ratio. But around a track and corners, the S2 is noticeably faster,
if you don't, S2
Personally I would go for the S2 for reliability's sake.
1v1 in the straight the S2 should be just as fast, if not a bit faster since it's now newer and has a lower final drive ratio. But around a track and corners, the S2 is noticeably faster,
04-23-2013, 12:24 AM
#10
The performance difference in terms of 1/4 mile times is insignificant. The S2 is a much better more improved car all around. Do your homework, there are plenty of threads outlining the difference. If you care about 1/4 mile times in an RX-8 you might want to look at something else or consider buying a used S1 that is turbocharged or supercharged.
for now i'll leave the question open, has anyone actually put a stock series 1 vs a series 2 and just see who was faster? someone else mentioned above that the series 2 is slower in a straight line but faster on a track, any data or examples to back that up? track speed is definitely important. looks wise both cars are sexy in their own way so I can't base my decision on that
04-23-2013, 01:53 AM
#11
Yeah because that always ends well 
The numbers you are asking for are marginal at best, if you are concerned about performance go for an S1 as the aftermarket and tuning availability is much more diverse, if you want a little more reliability and plan to stay stock (for the most part) go for an S2. Its that simple, the number differences are less than a second, and nothing noticeable to the average driver.
Stop crying over .5 seconds and get the one that fits your needs and future wants.
The numbers you are asking for are marginal at best, if you are concerned about performance go for an S1 as the aftermarket and tuning availability is much more diverse, if you want a little more reliability and plan to stay stock (for the most part) go for an S2. Its that simple, the number differences are less than a second, and nothing noticeable to the average driver.
Stop crying over .5 seconds and get the one that fits your needs and future wants.
Last edited by Carbon8; 04-23-2013 at 01:56 AM.
04-23-2013, 10:51 AM
#12
the S2 is lighter by just a tad (60lbs), and has slightly different suspension geometry too.
the engine, gets a giant oiling system upgrade, new oil pump, higher pressure, completely different oil metering system..
that being said, although they changed a lot of stuff, its a lot of small tweaks, instead of big changes, so you might not notice
the engine, gets a giant oiling system upgrade, new oil pump, higher pressure, completely different oil metering system..
that being said, although they changed a lot of stuff, its a lot of small tweaks, instead of big changes, so you might not notice
04-23-2013, 11:58 AM
#14
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iTrader: (46)
If you want to tune your car, S1
if you don't, S2
Personally I would go for the S2 for reliability's sake.
1v1 in the straight the S2 should be just as fast, if not a bit faster since it's now newer and has a lower final drive ratio. But around a track and corners, the S2 is noticeably faster,
if you don't, S2
Personally I would go for the S2 for reliability's sake.
1v1 in the straight the S2 should be just as fast, if not a bit faster since it's now newer and has a lower final drive ratio. But around a track and corners, the S2 is noticeably faster,
I know exactly what I'm buying in to, I've have owned an rx-8 before. I ask because I have only driven the series 1 and am investigating the series 2. and let's be honest here, anyone who is buying a sports car (no matter what kind of sports car it is) and says that acceleration doesn't matter to them is full of crap. Now there are a ton of additional factors that go into a car (which is what makes the 8 such a great car) but we are talking about 8 vs 8, so every little difference matters, atleast in my opinion.
for now i'll leave the question open, has anyone actually put a stock series 1 vs a series 2 and just see who was faster? someone else mentioned above that the series 2 is slower in a straight line but faster on a track, any data or examples to back that up? track speed is definitely important. looks wise both cars are sexy in their own way so I can't base my decision on that
for now i'll leave the question open, has anyone actually put a stock series 1 vs a series 2 and just see who was faster? someone else mentioned above that the series 2 is slower in a straight line but faster on a track, any data or examples to back that up? track speed is definitely important. looks wise both cars are sexy in their own way so I can't base my decision on that
04-23-2013, 02:14 PM
#15
The difference in performance is in terms of acceleration is so insignificant that the driver plays more of a role than anything else does. Now on the track at Harris Hill locally, a seasoned instructor who is a series 1 owner (suspension upgrades but stock power wise) beat his fastest time in a basically stock R3 (had Moton coilovers IIRC). So with a good driver, stock to stock in well running condition, I would say a series II is faster, especially an R3. But there are so many factors that come into play that it is ridiculous for that to be an important buying point.[/QUOTE]
That helps me out. It's difficult to read in between the lines because everyone keeps saying the speed difference is minimal, but coming from someone who used to do a ton of drag racing, .5 seconds is a lot in the racing world. I've spent over $1k to drop my 0-60 time by that much (and no I'm not buying this vehicle for the purpose of dragging it, but on a road track that .5 seconds makes a big difference coming out of corners). It sounds like perhaps the numbers between the 2 models are perhaps more of an apples to oranges situation. Either way, at this point I'll just have to find a series 1 and series 2 that are near by each other and go drive each one back to back to get a feel for each one individually. Thanks for the help, it's nice when I get a response that isn't simply, don't buy this car if you care about 0-60 times.
That helps me out. It's difficult to read in between the lines because everyone keeps saying the speed difference is minimal, but coming from someone who used to do a ton of drag racing, .5 seconds is a lot in the racing world. I've spent over $1k to drop my 0-60 time by that much (and no I'm not buying this vehicle for the purpose of dragging it, but on a road track that .5 seconds makes a big difference coming out of corners). It sounds like perhaps the numbers between the 2 models are perhaps more of an apples to oranges situation. Either way, at this point I'll just have to find a series 1 and series 2 that are near by each other and go drive each one back to back to get a feel for each one individually. Thanks for the help, it's nice when I get a response that isn't simply, don't buy this car if you care about 0-60 times.
04-23-2013, 02:17 PM
#16
SARX Legend
iTrader: (46)
The difference in performance is in terms of acceleration is so insignificant that the driver plays more of a role than anything else does. Now on the track at Harris Hill locally, a seasoned instructor who is a series 1 owner (suspension upgrades but stock power wise) beat his fastest time in a basically stock R3 (had Moton coilovers IIRC). So with a good driver, stock to stock in well running condition, I would say a series II is faster, especially an R3. But there are so many factors that come into play that it is ridiculous for that to be an important buying point.
The RX-8 is a momentum car.
04-24-2013, 04:21 PM
#19
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I think C/D is the only one to test the S2, twice. They got a 14.9 @ 94 and a 15.1 @ 93--both slower than the S1. The S2 is not lighter either. And the steeper rear end doesn't seem to help, mine hits 59 in 2nd. The looks of the S2 are finally starting to grow on me, although the wide mouth and the silver crap on the outer sides of the taillights still bother me.
04-25-2013, 08:35 AM
#20
I think C/D is the only one to test the S2, twice. They got a 14.9 @ 94 and a 15.1 @ 93--both slower than the S1. The S2 is not lighter either. And the steeper rear end doesn't seem to help, mine hits 59 in 2nd. The looks of the S2 are finally starting to grow on me, although the wide mouth and the silver crap on the outer sides of the taillights still bother me.
