JmurphRx8

so i was checking out the EVO forums and i came across an evo owner who might trade it in for an RX8....i guess the rest of the evo owners feel differently about his decission...

evo forums

Spin9k

When you start to read what those guy say about the 8, it's like a cross section of urban legands about HP, space, reliability, etc. My personal favorite is the complaints about 'too low' LOL.

I guess when you are 'way up there' in an EVO, you forget what sports cars are all about, and think rally cars are all! Then again, at least EVOs can put a smile on your face pretty fast! Why they all seem fascinated with G35s is interesting, guess they are just everyday sedan guys at heart...

Hanzo

Noh, if you read most of the post the guy wants a more of a comfort commuter so that is why G35 was brought up. And since he does so much traveling the RX8's gas mileage is not ideal for that purpose.

The G35 is more comfortable IMO, driven both.

mysql101

*laugh* I hope no one is taking those guys seriously.

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

lol good read

it's like people asking for Evo advice on this forum :X

Hanzo

If you can find an FC or FD that still has it's original engine and doesn't need a rebuild I would be shock.

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

NA FC motors lasted a whole lot longer than the poorly designed TT 13B REW's

there's a reason Mazda re-introduced the RENESIS as an NA motor. This thing should be a whole lot more reliable than any rotaries in the past *cross fingers*

jonny

Actually FCs engines lasted over 200,000 miles
the FDs weak point were the apex seals, and heavy heat that was generated--I'm a former FD owner--mine has 80,000 miles when I lost it in a real flood

Hanzo

Any fuel-injected rotary can be reliable but it requires an owner that knows how to maintain it and know how to check for problems. There just isn't enough RND done on the rotary since Mazda is the only company makes rotaries. That is compared to a traditional combustion engine I mean.

The fact of the matter is an average consumer is not going to know how to maintain a rotary engine.

KC_Prelude

"looks like I will be keeping the EVO, the trade in value it horrible already. Had the car less then 6 months and they only want to give me like $23500, for a car I just paid $32k for., don't think so."

That says it all right there.

Ike

Overall I think the guys on the EVO board are correct with most of the points they make. You can nitpick some of their comments but I really don't see anything over the top.

As far as Jason thinking the 50k comment is out of line... I've been casually shopping for an FD for years and 9 out of 10 are on a new engine. I don't care if you baby the hell out of it and keep it stock, it's just not a good design. There are many many FCs that have come up in my searches as well that have new engines or rebuilds. I'm glad you guys are so confident that the Renesis will be reliable, but given the past history it would be a little unnerving for me if I owned an RX-8. There have been several engines replaced already on the RX-8s, lets just hope that number doesn't increase greatly as more cars get more miles on them.

KC_Prelude

NA rotary is a perfectly reliable engine. There are plenty of first gens running around with 150,000+ on the original engine and still running fine and those are crappy old 12A's. Ive also seen a couple NA 13b's with over 200,000k on the original engine. Now add twin turbo's and I would get scared. Too much heat for the poor rotary. Still, I think if the apex seals are of quality material and you don't run too much boost and keep it tuned properly it will last.

zoom44

actually most of the suggestions are quite good except for the inaccuaracies in some and the "me too's" about the g35. for instance this car doesn't "suck " in rain. believe me i know i live in rain. i would suggest to him a new Chrysler 300M. Hemi and all wheel drive with lots of comfort for under $30k and decent gas mileage for a commuter.

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

i like the new Chrysler 300's. looks really cool in a squarely muscular way.

PaulieWalnuts

A few of them made fair comments but the majority of them sound as clueless about the 8 as we probably do about the EVO.

While I can't comment on an FD, of the five RX-7's I've owned all of them went well beyond 100,000 miles with no engine failures. I take that back. I bought the 83 with a failed engine (the guy overheated it several times and kept driving it while overheating until it failed) and replaced it myself, which then ran fine. The 81 went around 150K before I sold it. Naturally aspirated rotaries are reliable. Turbos are more severely abused and less reliable, which in addition to emissions issues is why I don't believe Mazda will be making a factory production turbo 8. When treated similarly, I doubt any turbo motor will last as long as the same motor NA.

Seeing that about half of the members here have owned a rotary before, maybe a good poll would be to see how many engine failures there have been from all RX models. Yes/No?

Spin9k

Hold on a minute!

What about - "Yes, I am somewhat glad I will not be trading, I really do like the car, I will just have to get use to the noises, not even so much the ride. Just the noise of the transmission and rattles is what really drives me crazy."

JmurphRx8

The worst is when other car owners say..."the rx8 is no rx7" when in reality its not posed to be...people forget the rx7 was also turbo...put a turbo or sc on the 8 and you've got a car thats just as fast prolly faster..take the turbo off the rx7 and you have no power....

Gigolo Jason

The 8's reliability limits are untested and unfortunately becasue of the last few turbo rotary, these drivetrains have a stigma that is not deserved.

Hanzo

Keep in mind just because the engine is still "running" doesn't mean the engine has proper compression with optimal performance. Some engine still run with 1 rotor people just don't realize it.

Gigolo Jason

Incorrect again.

Trust me, you realize it when you are running on half an engine, the thing shakes like hooker at a hula party.

Rotaries do require preventative maintenance, but they are still prone to breaking even with this. Fuel injection is not a determining factor in reliability due to Mazda's history of engineering and use of substandard fuel injection components (fuel pulsation dampeners?).

FD engines last 80K to 100K miles usually, FC NA engines last twice that long. Any type of forced induction on a rotary will seriously shorten its life.

Hanzo

Trust me, I had an low compression FC turbo II but it drove fine just keeps flooding. I was running on one rotor and I can still chirp tires shifting into 3rd. The car was running like normal. There is a reason why people say check the compression of a rotary before purchasing one.

The Fuel injected rotaries are a lot more reliable because the old skool carb version has the problem of oil catching on fire.

I haven't seen a FD that has past 50k miles without replacing the engine. I've been looking for a while.

Gigolo Jason

Your looking in the wrong place then. My first engine lasted 85K miles. I presantly have 20K with no problems on my second. I am expecting to get another 60K or so out of it.

A properly maintained and properly tuned FD will last anywhere between 80K and 100K miles. This has been extensively documented.

Hanzo

Just looking in my area, want to see the in person before buying, you know what I mean.

Gigolo Jason

Most FD purchases are not done locally. In order to find a good one expect to travel and then either ship the car back or drive it back. I found mine in Tennesse, had it shipped to St. Louis, and then drove it to KC where I lived at the time. The chances of finding on in your area that is in good shape is small, there just arn't that many around anymore.

If you are in the market, I know of one that is relatively stock and in good shape here in Houston.

Oh ya, something esle, PFS is in your area, stay away from him.

Hanzo

LOL, thanks for the lead but I am not in a hurry, if I get one it will be a second car. I am always looking around.

BTW let's get back tot he topic.


So yeah, I think the G35 would fit that guys' need a lot better.