30 day reveiw
 

Well I'm new the RX8 board, but would like to thank everyone for the input that help me purchase this car. My most recent car was a Audi A4 that with modifications Ienjoyed very much.

Rx8 Positives

great handling, changes direction so fluidly
fun to let rip thoughthe gears
could shift all day long and you have too
gets lots of attention
relaxed ride
seats are great


Negatives

back end jumps when accelerating through corner and hit bumps
not so great interior miss the audi thick stearing wheel cheap plastic
funky butt
No all wheel drive
gas milage
gets lots of attention

Re: 30 day reveiw
 

okay, I'll bite- what is "funky butt?" Do you mean the rear end looks funky, or is this something we'd rather not know about? :D

Maybe we shouldn't ask. Like the Ladies' Man says:

Whats funky with your butt :D

"lots of attention" is a NEGATIVE?

I thought not AWD was a positive.... and IMO the steering wheel is thicker than most. The back end hopping around is just one of the pleasures of a high power RWD car. :)

Don't get me wrong I love this car, I'm just picky

fundky butt - just too much going on back there needs to be cleaned up or I'll just make sure I walk up from the front, that looks great.

not all cars hop on bumps, bmw or audi don't

I'm not loosing sleep over the steering wheel but I do wish it had more meat to it.

Because of the negatives mentioned above, i guess i will have to return my 8 :(
My 30 day review: Positive: cant stop driving
Negative: cant stop driving

After 30 days and 4000 miles ...

Positive:
- I love the car
- Everybody else loves the car
- I'm learning how to really drive again

Negative:
- Car produces some unidentified noises, but I don't care
- Mileage is high, but I don't care
- Some things lack the "over the top" feeling, but I don't care

Since I live in California, I will take RWD over AWD any time. RWD has better handling. That is the reason BMW 325i handles better than 325ix.

LOL, unless you're doing some serious off-roading I'd say AWD is useless, it just adds weight and reduces the amount of power to the wheels. Top Gear did an interesting bit awhile ago making a good case why RWD is superior.

Not trying to hijack the tread, but here is my 30 dayish review...

I am also coming from an A4 (our other car is now an Audi Allroad)
I love the AWD on my Allroad, but I wouldn't want it on a sports car as AWD tends to generate a lot of understeer (sorry, push for you NASCAR fans).

Prositive RX-8:

Handling is amazing
Brakes are amazing
Seats are comfortable and supportive
Car is pretty practical (as a second car)
It's really beautiful!

Negative:
I agree that the rear wheel hopping on acceleration is annoying
But mostly, the RX-8 just feels alittle cheap sometimes.
In comparison with my old A4:
The doors don't feel very solid when you close them
Why do we only have auto down for the driver's window?
The climate control is pretty chintzy

No auto up because Mazda does not want to be sued by people who got their fingers squeeze. Blame it on the American lawyers.

I've had mine for just a tad under 30 days. Here's my review.

Pros:
Handling
Braking
Practical (as a second car if you have kids)
Lack of Power
Good Looks
Smooth Engine
Great Tranny
Great "Bang for the Buck" Value

Cons:
Lack of Power
With stock exhaust its too quiet

***Lack of Power Pro/Can?*** Because I know I'm going to get asked about that one. IMO the car is short about 60-80 h.p. there just isn't enough straight line acceleration to satisfy me (I'm a little biased as my last two cars were an 11 second Z TT and a 13 second Pick-up). I'm hoping to correct this through aftermarket gains.

Now why do I like its lack of power. Its hard to really put into words, but I enjoy being able to push the car full throtle through a turn and not have to worry about the tail end kicking out on me (when turning at a moderate speed of course). I enjoy being able to run through the gears a bit during day to day driving and not be soaring into triple digits. I guess what I'm saying is its nice to be able to floor the car and not have it lose its compusure. I think Mazda did a great job in designing the chasis of the Rx-8.

Great car overall. I'm very heppy.

How does Audi do it? Both my A4 and Allroad have (had) auto up/down for all 4 windows and auto open/close for the moonroof.

I'm assuming that Mazda just don't want to add the cost of adding sensores to the window mirror to detect something in the way of their closing.

You're a bit off on your statment.

AWD pros:
- More traction in all conditions
- Higher exit speeds

Cons:
- More weight
- More drivetrain loss

Also, if you examine some of the latest AWD systems (specifically the new G35) they contain the best of both RWD and AWD. The new G35 AWD system only engages when slipping is detected (thus reducing the drivetrain loss). It also allows the the rear to step out a bit before engaging in a corner.

Nope, my statement was correct.

We could argue about this forever, but in the end there aren't any AWD cars that are faster than F1 cars around a track, and there aren't any AWD cars that are faster than Top Fuel dragsters in a straight line. Oh, and the fastest autox cars, you guessed it, also RWD.

I wouldn't exactly call the G35's system "new". It's the ATESSA system, and it still makes it a little hefty. Perhaps when it isn't offered on only the automatic sedan, it will be more interesting.

You all are correct a4 awd is not faster just adds a sense that you can never have too much power in a corner. I have allready enjoyed sliding the 8 through corners but my confidence on public streets with sliding doesn't allow as aggressive thottle as with awd. I guess I'll just have to practice.

Ummm that's funny. How many AWD cars are there in F1? last time I checked 0...so there is no comparison there. I'm not even sure they allow AWD in F1.

How are these for comparisons?
- 2004 one lap of america: 3 of the top 6 were AWD...#1...you guessed it...AWD.
#1 in the 1/4 mile went to an AWD car.

- SCC/SS (2004 August issue): 2 of the top 3 were AWD....#1...you guessed it...AWD.

Both events above have real cars that are tuned and driven by professionals. They are not single purpose multi-million dollar machines built for a single purpose (F1 or TopFuel). They both provide a pretty decent comparison.

To each their own. I think you would find a lot of people on this board would not have bought this car had it been AWD. RWD offers a sportiness that simply cannot be found with any car where power is delivered to the front wheels. I, for one, will not buy an AWD or FWD car unless I absolutely have to. It's just not the same. The Audis are nice, though.

Read my post. I never claimed that there were any AWD cars in F1.

My point was that the fastest AWD cars are still slower than the fastest RWD cars on pavement.

I could search the web forever trying to find races that were won by AWD or FF cars, but that won't change the fact that the fastest cars are, and will probably always be, RWD.

I think you incorrect about rwd and racing. The reason rwd drive is used is due to rules it has nothing to do with making a car faster. If you had a 1200 lb race car with 850 horses one was rwd and one was awd I think the awd would be faster.

I doubt it. If it was really faster, someone out there would have built one by now, if just as an exhibition car. For example, there was a guy out there that spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours developing a 4-cyl top fuel dragster for a project, even though there isn't anywhere to race it.

Also, when Porsche wanted to make the 911 Turbo faster (GT2), they removed the AWD!

AWD is usually banned as being an "unfair advantage."

When allowed, AWD cars are often handicapped by extra weight to keep the series competitive and entertaining to watch.