rotary crazy

and the brakes are mazda's not brembos

Ike

Agreed, I've got about 300 wtq but the delivery is so different compared to a larger displacement engine that you'll never hear me braging about how much torque my car has.

Ike

Actually they're Hyundais. Our little Evo smack talker drives a Tiburon for those of you that haven't figured that out yet.

devious12

Wow, I was just answering generally because apparently some people had a problem with having a choice of a piston engine or rotary, I really don't care what your decision would be hypothetically or not, you would still recieve **** from some who aren't for it. All I was doing was pointing it out because it seemed as though some were getting uptight about it.

There was no need to insult but I guess that is your nature...GROW UP!

zoom44

oh gotcha

h-khunterkiller

because it takes 4 strokes of a piston to equal 1 spin of a rotor so we are ahead of the game in cc and i'm sure the mpg won't be that bad

h-khunterkiller

is my 4th rotary car i don't care who makes it. and i will keep buying them as long as they make them.

h-khunterkiller

but not impossible, is just easy for them to see the bugs with out FI first and maybe later add it in. so it will be in our life time
and the mx-8 does not exist either

SayNoToPistons

iTrader: (8)

13bt or 13brew ftw!

New Yorker

We own a fabulous car that's lauded by just about every auto journalist in the world. It routinely wins "RX8 vs" comparisons and has been included on countless "best" lists from the day it first appeared—even with the so-so reliability of the first year model.

Is 35+ years of R&D enough? Clearly, it's more than enough.

New Yorker

Well hell, if we're gonna open this poll to everybody, why stop at a turbo 4!?!

BlueRenesis82

I'm here for the gangbang!

Tirminyl

Nothing like getting the entire board into a personal bashing fest by mentioning a hypothetical scenario in which Mazda produced a piston MX8 and rotary power RX8.

BTW, I would choose which ever I felt "home" in.

mac11

iTrader: (1)

where did i ever say anything about my car is better than yours?

i said that my powerplant potentially more reliable. nothing more nothing less. you saw one word about the evo not being the best car ever and jumped my **** before you bothered to even read what i said.

Furthermore, i may have critisized the car you have, but nowhere did i actually critisize you.

9291150

Never tried the 2.3, but then again never tried a turbo anything without being annoyed by erratic power delivery. My wife's old 1.8t was awful before and after being chipped, I took it once and only once auto crossing and never knew when the power would kick in!

I was impressed when I first tried the linear power delivery of the 8, but I was hooked when I felt the smoothness of the rotary at redline. The rotary sold me on the 8, followed by the best handling/ride compromise of anything I have yet tried, the lightness in feel, and finally the 4 seats.

The only argument for the 2.3 is better fuel economy. It does have more power, but so does a neighbourhood kid in his $4000 fast and furious shitbox. Maybe its age or maybe experience, but feel is more important than bragging rights.

BlueRenesis82

yeah, if you want a engine that is old and not nearly as strong as a ren

kartweb

Ilked the way the RX8 drove and bought it. I like the way the CX7 drove and bought it. No regrets.

Years ago I had a 315 HP Porsche. More power would have been nice. Power is one of those things you never seem to have enough of.

The rotary is cool in fact it makes the RX8 an exotic. It costs about half as much to manufacture as the 2.3T. So in asking the question of which motor one would prefer, it would be fair to ask if one would be willing to pay $2000+ more for the 2.3T as an option.

Granted Mazda has a better margin on the RX8 then any other car they build. But they certainly wouldn't want to give that margin up on their showroom trophy product.

I'll stick with my RX8 pretty much the way it was built. Sure a few things like CAI and cooler screens but thats about it. It's not that I don't like to play with mechanicals, it just doesn't make sense to spend the money on a car to go fast when it's mostly used for transportation. If I wanna go fast I'll climb on a $3500 shifter kart and blow the doors off a Viper for 0-100 times.

BlueRenesis82

Noble M12GTO FTW

r0tor

iTrader: (1)

Judgeing by the fact that the Mazdaspeed 3 is selling for $23k and the AWD Mazdaspeed 6 is less then $30k, and the CX7 starts less then 25k, i don't think that is a correct arguement.

Flats

The poll is skewed since your asking an RX-8 forum to judge the performance of an engine they have already purchased. Forums attract the die hards and enthusiasts so I'm surprised the turbo got as many votes as it did. I think if you asked the same question in a general automotive forum the results would be drastically different especially if you presented the engine specs side by side. People buy the rotary because it is unique. If it was actually a better engine, Mazda wouldn't be the only company manufacturing them. It is a simple business model. If the rotary was better than a piston engine, every major car manufacturer would sell it (the exotics don't even touch it). Fact is, that it is not. It's poor fuel efficiency (poor is being kind), poor low end torque and low horsepower will always keep in on the sidelines. I agree it sounds great and provides a different feel than a piston engine but when I eventually sell mine, I will stay with piston power. I'm not that impressed.

BlueSky

The Kabura needs the 2.3 with turbo, not the 8. And the world needs the Kabura. Badly.

phroztbyt3

ur on a rotary forum... what did u expect the result 2 b..lol

VikingDJ

I realize that there are a lot of defensive very partial RX8 owners and fans on this forum, so I won't take it personally if what I say gets attacked, and I won't respond to it (I'll sure as hell try not to). This is pure opinion on my part so don't try and argue it. That includes you ZOOM44. You're supposed to be more objective and less argumentative as an admin (at least I think you should), so lets try and read without partial comments or stop reading if it bothers you shall we?

Personally, I fell totally head over heals in love with the looks and the feel of the RX8 both inside and out, which is why I bought it. It was a bit of an impulsive buy I admit. It's overrated hp was a bit bothersome, but the look and feel of the car made me not care. However, one thing I do not tolerate is unreliability. The fact that I was always having to take my car in to the dealership before I even reached 10k miles took away my trust in this car as a daily driver and a fun car, so it had to go. IMO, the RX8 is nicer looking (both inside and out) then my S2000 (and much more so then my STI), but it didn't mean anything when it was the one giving me problems so soon, when my STI was never showing a single hint of a problem. The S2000 was already a proven car in reliability, so I had to make the switch. Mazda makes some gorgeous cars there's no doubt about that. However, it makes sense why the RX8 isn't selling well.

I currently have an 06 MS6 as my daily with that 2.3 Turbo, and I would consider an RX8 if it came in an MX8 form with that engine. However, the jury is still out reliability wise on that engine, and that too like the RX8 is overrated on HP, and failing in the market, and depreciating fast so who knows. If Mazda could build an RX8 close to as reliable as an S2000 or an STI, and got good gas mileage vs it's power while maintaining it's value in the market place respectfully, I'd really consider looking into one again. The first step would be offering it without that rotary, which as much as I understand it dis-pleases the diehard rotary fans, would work out better in the market place. It would be nice to see the rotary become both fuel efficient, and problem free, but I just don't see it happening. If the rotary does leave the market which I believe it will, Mazda needs to make something similiar to the RX8 with that 2.3 and call it an MX8 or ( or something). Both cars can't co-exist, as that would totally destroy the RX8, and it would stop selling completely. You cant deny that the reliability/ gas mileage, underpowered current state of the RX8 is why it's failing, and will continue to fail unless they either whether this storm and fix these issues peroamently, or replace it with a more powerful, yet just as sexy, and similiar feeling sports coupe. Whether owners on here care about that or not is irrelevant, so dont' argue that. Props to you for not caring, but a lot of of us do.

I also give props to those who were/are willing to absorb the aggravation of dealer recalls, TSB's flooding, and other minor problems with an expensive car like the RX8. I simply could not do it, but I loved the way that car looked and felt, and I'll always be a fan. It makes me sad that I was one of the chosen ones who suffered a lot of aggravation with this vehicle, and had to let it go. I'd love to come back to this car, but only if and when it starts holding it's value, gets better gas mileage, better performance, and becomes more reliable. the 2.3 Turbo does present a strong case so far.

Winfree

So far so good as the man said at each window when he jumped off the top of the Empire State Building -

No problems with the 8 and love it more each day - and now they want to give me a free tune up and new spark plugs!

Does the turbo have the classic Chevy/Volkswagon/Mazda 323 clutch pattern or the evil Ford truck clutch pattern?

Does it come with an alternative automatic/stick system?

Does it run silent and deep or does it sound like someone stuffed a sound amplifier up it's exhaust to annoy the neighbors?

Does it have small boys come up and tell you how cool it looks?

Think I'll stick with the "Team Granny" 8-mobile!

New Yorker

I'm sorry you had so many problems with your 8. But that's the exception. (And the announcement of a recall tends to make the car being recalled seem generally "unreliable".) The new "Road & Track" just gave their '04 RX-8 a reliability rating of "excellent" after 40,000 miles. And "Consumer Reports"—which has always given a lot of weight to reliability in their ratings—found RX-8 reliability improved to "average" after 2004 (based on owner responses); the improved reliability rating has landed the 8 on their short "recommended cars" list. Most RX-8 owners have found the car to be reliable. Try to remember that the many complaints you read about here are NOT a representative sample of all RX-8 owner's experience. And owners with problems—curious to see if others are experiencing them—are far more likely to find a forum and post on it than owners who are happy.

Again, for the majority of owners reliability has been ok. True, gas mileage is an issue for many (though I suspect those of us who manage 18+ are cool with it). And yes, some have issues with the 8's low torque, but most owners—not the gearheads who live here—don't feel the 8 is "underpowered" when driven properly (keeping it over 5K rpm). Maybe that's why so few have "voted" for the 4-cyl. engine. Now… why do you say the RX-8 is "failing"? True, it doesn't seem to be selling particularly well here, but it's my understanding that the 8 sells quite well worldwide, which is how Mazda evaluates the "success" of the car. If total RX-8 sales remain strong, Mazda will continue production. Wouldn't you?

Again, the car has been reliable for most owners, who don't happen to post—or even know of—the existance of this forum. And just so you know, the 8 is not at all thought of as an "expensive" car. Quite the contrary—most consider it a bargain!

(By the way, I love the 8, but by no means do I think of it as perfect! I like—but don't love—the way it looks. Many people find the appearance to be something of a mishmash—they like the front fenders, or the doors, or the hood, but not the tailights, or the rear, or the way all the elements come together. I tend to agree. I think it looks interesting—in a good way—but it's certainly no classic (like a Jaguar XKE or the last RX-7). Also many take issue with having to check the oil so often and the whole "engine cover/hard-to-reach dipstick in the dark" routine. Doesn't bother me personally—I've always checked my oil every other fill-up with all cars. Finally, I'm not one of the "rotary diehards". If an Accord or a Pontiac came with a rotary I wouldn't want one. I love the 8 because of the whole package—especially the way it feels and handles, which is a direct result of the placement of its small, lightweight rotary engine.)