playa78

wonder anybody checked out the latest issue of Wheels.
they did a review on handling of performance cars.

RX-8 came 6th overall, beating its closest rival as perceived by many, 350z in fairly close margin. Interestingly, 8 lost out to z in the straightline speed but beat it in the overall track time.

the cars that beat out RX-8 in the handling department were the usual suspects of handling monsters like BMW M3, STi, evo9.

PacMan

I think the comparison between the Zed & the 8 in the article is a fairly good summation w.r.t these two cars. I am a former 350z owner and, empirically, agree with the outcome & results.

I've had the 8 for two weeks, but already feel that it handles better, & has more grip - it feels more go-kartish, so to speak. I've been over very familiar stretches of road with both, & whereas the Zed's traction control would always intervene in certain places, the RX8's wouldn't. And that's not because the Zed's TCS is more intrusive, it's because the 8 has more grip. At places, the Zed's rear would break loose, whilst the RX8’s feels totally planted (with the exact same tyres remember).

And this is against, not just the Zed, but most competitors who (unlike Mazda) have increased engine power over the years. Full marks to Mazda for having the guts to keep the 8 the same, and still beat updated rival cars.

Btw, I don't know what all the fuss is about concerning the supposed lack of torque for the 8. It feels very adequate to me.

Cheers

xxup

Which edition? I check the one on the news stands and all I saw was Mustang vs Monaro vs Z..

playa78

the latest issue. it's been out couple of wks maybe? i only saw it last week but didn't see any post regarding it here.. I think that maybe the issue, or maybe u checked out "motor" ?

Gomez

Welcome aboard PacMan. I don't recall us ever having an Oz RX-8 owner who swapped out of a 350z. I don't recall anyone ever going the other way, either!!

Cheers,

Gomez.

sjb266

That story almost had me wanting to swap the 8 for an MX5!!!

astro

Me too!

timbo

I agree. It is much easier to drive a high torque motor, especially one that has good torque low down. Nothing wrong with this, it is just not the Renesis and -- most obviously -- makes stop/start traffic driving a little more tolerable. But if that is not your daily drive, and there's a few corners and hills around, the 8 is just beautiful

PacMan

I would say the 8 is a better daily car than the Z - the Zed's harsh ride made it a dog of a car to drive everyday.

Ltd

Adrian that is the right mag Mag March 2006 page 85.

astro

I use the clutch as a means to improve my fast twitch muscles for my cycling duties. I am still pathetic... I need a new heart and lungs to keep up with Taka going >45km/h riding in a bunch.

I only get to use my car on the weekend. Maybe I should drive it everyday to improve my left leg strength. I will start tomorrow... no pain... no gain!

Back on topic...

I drove an XR6 once... and the clutch was heavy. I thought... I would hate to drive this car everyday in peak hour traffic. I would definitely be a better cyclist.

Clutch in the RX8 is pretty light in comparison. That's why I am still weak.

xxup

Thanks Don - I'll go back and get it...

Hymee

iTrader: (1)

I'd like to have a read, but that bit is no surprise to me.

Cheers,
Hymee.

kunz

Neither.

The 350z has much, much more torque compared to the rx8 so comes as no surprise that it did a better job in that aspect. We all know how good the handling is on the rx8 especially when it comes to those curvy-zoom-zoomby-bits we all love so much

-- Yes, I had a hard time deciding between the 350 and the 8 and the _only_ 2 things that made me favor the 8 were handling, and the interior.

Now if only we could inject more HP into our 8's without blowing 12k (and voiding our warranty), we'd all be so much happier.

..

*Sigh* ; well, we can dream

/ps no, i'm not whinging :P I love the rx8.

SoFL_RX8

I think everyone in here is ignoring, or forgetting one major issue that probably effected a great number of us in making the decision to buy an 8.

INSURANCE RATES.

The 8 is most defently the cheapest sport/compact to ensure on the market right now. My quotes showed unshakingly that the 350Z is just under TWICE AS MUCH to ensure per year.

This may not matter to some of you old foggies who have beautifully low insurance rates no matter what you drive, but to a 19 year old guy who is paying his own insurance, a matter of $1,100 every six months is a major deciding factor in which car you drive.

Yes, in the end the 8 would have won me over anyways, due to the exponentially better interior, two more usable passenger seats, and handling the Z cant come near. But I didnt even bother test driving more than one 350Z after I got my insurance quotes, as affording myself that kind of a rate is not an option.

All road tests aside, the 8 seems to be the better bang for your buck. If you'd calculate all the money Ive saved in insurance costs alone over the next, say, 3 years, you'll see I'll have accumulated more than enough money to make my 8 surpass the 350Z in HP.
For a personal in my particular demograph, looking at it as a long term investment (which it most cetainly is), the 8 is the smarter buy, hands down. THAT is why I love the 8.

kunz

Interesting.

I'm under 22, insured with JustCars and the premium on the 350z was about 200-300$ more / year. Thats what, 5 tanks of fuel?

SoFL_RX8

Do you have full coverage, and the best coverage you can get, or are you going the super-cheap route?
If you wondering if its because of my driving record, I can promis you its not. I dont have a single ticket or accident on my record.
Look at it from the insurers POV. 2 seater vs. 4 seater. 2 door vs. 4 door. 300hp V6 vs. 240hp 2cyl rotary. 350Z got a 4 star crash saftey rating, the 8 got a 5 star ++.
It seems logical that the 8 would be alot less to ensure if you break it down.
Also, you live in Sydney, I live in Miami FL. EVERYTHING here is more expensive. Even insurance. But I agree, the difference in the gap shouldnt be THAT large between you and I... I wonder why I kept getting such crappy quotes?

kunz

Yup, full coverage including all mods done so far. The excess, however, is ridiculously high.

IIRC, something around $1200 for each claim - no way to escape that though as they have a compulsory under-22/25 excess. I was told that next year, both my premium AND excess would come down a lot.

Put it this way, in my opinion, if someone has to complain about paying $1-2k to insure a AUD$60k+ car/yr, then clearly something is wrong and maybe they should reconsider whether or not they can actually afford the 8 (or similar priced cars).

SoFL_RX8

Agreed, which is why I didnt get the Z... I obviously couldnt comfortably afford it.

The only point Im trying to make is that people act as if the cars performance and apperance are thier only major selling points, whereas something like insurance rates may be the diciding factor. I just want people to keep in mind that the 8 offers more to its customers than just the car, it offers outstanding saftey, and lower insurance costs. I wish that was a factor in road tests.

jormatom

I had the opportunity last night to test my 8 in a straight line against a convertable Z.

Got beaten hands down off the line but started to reel it in as the renesis started to wind up.

What probably flattered the performance of the 8 was that the Z was being driven by a middle aged blonde with silicone enhanced features and a great smile.

We then both ended up at the same shopping centre and wouldn't you know it, i fluked a parking spot 2 cars down from her. Her opening line was "Nice car!" I managed to get my tongue back in my mouth and we had a bit of a chat. She knew quite a bit about the 8 as she looked at buying one, but opted for the Z because ot was convertable.

Why couldn't I have had this car 20 years ago?

Greg

Revolver

I test drove the Z twice before buying the 8, just to see if it was worth spending the extra money on it.

Although the extra power was initially a drawcard, the second drive (immediately following a test in the 8) had me convinced that power was it's ONLY drawcard when being compared to the 8.

No offence to Z owners who may read this - I'm not flaming what is still a good car - but for me the 8 handled better, looked better (both inside and out), sounded better, had a MUCH better ride, was far more practical in terms of passengers and was cheaper to boot. For me, it was a no brainer.

And I don't like convertibles anyway. I think the Z looks poxy as a convertible.

idolo

What car doesn't look worse as a convertible?

As Jormatom observed...convertibles are for middle aged blondes with fake ***** or for middle aged divorced men who think they may score one.

Revolver

Ouch! Tell us what you really think idolo!

I agree though, particularly where so-called sports cars are concerned. Nothing sadder than mutton dressed as lamb or the 'older' shepherds chasing them who think they're cool because they've got some daggy ragtop. Indeed, the only convertible Z in my neighbourhood is driven by a short, fat, bald guy in his 50's - 'nuff said.

However, I will confess to fond memories of a topless Valiant (the old sqare-rigged 'Pacer' shape) that my Father-in-Law owned for a little while. Handled and stopped like the Queen Mary but damn it was a cool summer cruiser and got lots of looks.

jormatom

I don't mind the middle aged blondes with fake *****, regardless of what type of car they are driving.

The short, fat balding guys are a problem.

Have we gone off topic here?

Rotor Convert

Have to offer my 50p worth.....fake whatever....when a car is made into a convertible it seems to me to lose something....now a car that starts and stays a rag top well that's different! Saw a few mini mokes today...it's 35 degrees here and as I sat in my hermetically sealed 8 at a constant temp of 25.5 I smiled at the moke driver getting burnt to a crisp and wished I was in a moke....love them...Californian was my dream car b4 I became a foggie and could get a good deal on my insurance.

To me the Z is a nice looker but after being behind one on the track even my old Alfa ate it up in the corners...and yes it was being driven by a middle aged no ***** guy who wouldn't push the car to it's limits......have seen some Ferrari drivers at VIC Sandown that would win the loser of the year category...my lap time in a 25 yo Alfa was 2 sec quicker than a new Ferrari!!

For me the 8 is enough!