My RX8 has been running sluggish.. My compression is at 6.5.. Engine is in decent condition mechanics said. Anyone have some suggestions to make my RX8 have a little more pep? Its a 2006 with about 118xxx miles on original engine. Any fuel additives, tune ups, cheap upgrades? Anything like that, if you know of anything drop em down into comments, would love to hear. Anything ranging from $10-$200 drop em down in comments, just looking for some extra pep in my mazda

 

Anyone? Advice?

 

$200 wont do anything to make the 8s performance better.

 

If it's been running sluggish, plunk down for a bluetooth OBD interface and an app for your smartphone and start looking into why.

 

Here's what you can do for free;


Read through these forums to get an understanding of how rotary engines work. Then after that, make a free checklist and start hammering away at troubleshooting.
Prepare to spend some dough on troubleshooting tools.

Chances are though, it's gonna get more expensive after that. Well over your budget at least...

 

Compression is one reason it could be sluggish. What have you already done to the car? Have you changed your ignition coils lately? Catalytic converter glowing red on you perhaps?

 

Car is completely stock. Have no changed anything. I am the second owner of the car. Not sure how the last one took car of it. I know my compression is at about 6.5.. I've seen people saying to do tune ups, change spark plugs, coils, ect, Ive also seen that CAI's give a little bit of HP but only like 10-15. so thats not much. Exhaust kits are way over priced for these cars sadly.. Cant find anything decent for under $700-$800

 

Okay, there are two issues here. You say the car has been running sluggish. Do you mean 1) sluggish compared to how a well-maintained RX-8 runs normally, or 2) that it just feels "sluggish" to you compared to how you thought it would run, compared to other cars?

If 1), then yes, you have to get the engine diagnosed, either by yourself or a qualified mechanic.

If 2), there's not much you can do to solve your problem. As I hope you realize, the 8 is not fast off the line, developing relatively little in the way of torque. But drive it smartly between 5 - 9.5K RPM and it's a very fast car. Coupled with its remarkable handling, it's one of the faster cars to drive on real roads, even today. Modifications to plus power (different exhausts, tuning, etc.) won't do very much to make your car faster. It came from the factory pretty much tuned for maximum performance stock, right out of the box.

 

When i first got the car at 93k miles it was a hell of a lot faster than now. After 3 gear, my 8 has like no go once so ever. I feel as it might be from my compression lose. Is there anyway to gain my lost compression back aside from motor rebuild or new create motor installed?

 

for your budget gut the cat and new ignition. nothing short of a rebuild will fix low compression tho

 

And if you haven't - update with high quality coils, plugs, and wires if they haven't all bee updated in the last 20-30K miles. While you're in there clean the MAF with MAF cleaner, change the engine air filter, clean the air intake (if oil present), clean battery and ground connections, etc.

 

Sorry, I don't think so.

But do make sure, for a fact, that compression is down. That means that, if you haven't already, you need a rotary-specific compression test from your Mazda dealer or some other rotary-knowledgable mechanic. A rotary-specific compression test is NOT THE SAME as the compression test performed on on ordinary engine.

Good luck!

 

Time for a new engine! I suggest an Isuzu V6. :dodgy:

 

Especially on these cars, cold air intakes do absolutely nothing. The stock intake is already as cold as it's going to get.

The long-term solution is a rebuilt engine. You can contact Rotary Resurrection, Pineapple Racing, Pettit Racing or another reputable rebuilder. They're cheaper and better quality than many Mazda rebuilds. There are no new engines any more.

However, if you're going down that road and want to give your rebuilt engine the best possible life, check your catalytic converter for clogging (which could easily be contributing to the sluggishness you experience), and go with new ignition coils, wires and spark plugs.