Easy_E1, I was just giving my 2 cents worth to TwoEleven. The AT offers less of what I love the rotary engine for, so I just don't see the RX-8 as suited for it.

If you like your AT RX-8 then that's all that counts. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

 

I track my car and between the 4-5 8's out on the track at the same time I'm in the middle if not in the front with my AT. All the rest are MT's.
I do think it's a personal preference. I do like the manual. But for now I have an AT. And I will make the most of it.
This is an open debate thread so your free to say what you want. I'm not criticizing you, just want to know why people think AT's are inferior.
Right now all I see is a lack of power separating us. Well I'm real close to what you guy's have now. And believe me it feels good. I plan on having more hp in the future. I'll work on getting the most from the Renesis 4 port AT as I can.

I just hope you enjoy your 8 as much as I do mine. And I think you do.

 

You'll notice that most of the "Bashers" are newbies or kids who still live with Mom & Dad.

 

I have no doubt that a modded AT can perform as well as or better than a stock MT. But comparing a modded car to a stock car is a bit unfair.

 

I just don't see the point in buying a watered down version and modifying it. If they were the exact engine specs MAYBE i'd understand but in this case of the RX8 ESPECIALLY 4-port autos' I fail to understand the logic of putting power gaining mods on it.

If you buy it for the convenience and ease of traffic driving I can totally understand that. But once you start throwing a ton of money into it just get to where you could have been if you had just gotten an MT to begin with seems a bit foolish to me. Not trying to offend anyone, but it is just my honest opinion. To each their own.

 

i'd put power gaining mods on any car i owned.

even if it was a kia sedona.

 

Yup, getting the AT is exactly what I'd need to do to get into an 8 at all. My wife's got a bad left knee and there's no way she'd go for an MT. But I've got to decide whether the AT takes the sheen off the car for ME. The Sportronic may be my saving grace, I don't know--I did kind of enjoy the Tiptronic on my old B5 Passat. Did the Sportronic shifter comes with all AT RXs, or did it begin with a certain MY? I don't care about the paddles, I don't like paddles.

 

The Sportronic is on ALL AT's . The thing to look for if your getting an AT is the difference between the 2004 - 2005 AT and the newer 2006 - 2009.
The 04 through 05 had the 4 port/4 speed and the 2006 and up has the 6 port/6 speed transmission. HP is 197 on the 04/05 and 212 on the 2006 and newer. A bit of a difference. And some would look to modding the 2006 AT and up as just as easy as doing mod's to an MT 6 port.
I personally will try to get the most out of whatever year and model I have.

 

There is no debate. The answer is clear. Everyone knows putting an AT in an 8 is like putting a trash bag on a supermodel.

 

What debate? Manual is superior on the 8.

 

I'll race you to the top of Pikes Peak anytime.

Something like this?

 

Easy, it's impossible to win a debate when you don't have knowledgeable people on the other side. The debate has not entered the difference in hp so all we are debating is what is easier to drive or cool to drive?? I think I'll just leave this thread to the uninformed it's just too bad that some one on the cusp of purchasing an a/t will read this and think it's the final story.

 

What is the purpose of the transmission development in racecars these days with regard to shifting characteristics?

To make them shift as quick as a well-prepped A/T.

 

wait.... there's a debate about this?

 

This is why my next RX-8 will, most likely, be an A/T.

 

Sure. We already have a template for it, too.

 

I would like to add further evidence that there's more to this than just raw horsepower. Consider the following:

I'm in my late 30s now, but I was about as reckless as it gets in my 20s and even totalled a turbo laser, twice.

I've got a boatload of kids now and a wife that tends to be more protective than less. Money isn't a major factor, but I can't be buying new tires, for example, every 8 months to a year, especially z rated 18" ones.

So I offer these benefits of the AT, which in my book are priceless:

1. "But honey, it's an automatic. YOU can drive it too when you can pry my hands off of the steering wheel."

2. Less ability to spin off the gate = less rubber being left on the road which = more money to shower you (implied wife) with gifts

 

Shell, you should have driven my Nova when I had it 25 years ago. Gentle as a lamb when exhibiting restraint behind the wheel but the converter, being of a switching-stall nature, would allow holeshots at 4,000 RPM when it was hammered. Enough torque from the well-built SB to fully unload the front suspension but not quite lift the wheels.

And consistent in that it ran 1/4 mile passes within .06s of each other.

 

yup, sounds like I wouldn't have even been able to afford Ramen noodles lol

 

I would test drive both and see which one works best considering your driving habits. I live in Delaware and I love my MT, but traffic isn't that big of an issue.

 

That's why I have a stalled auto.

But for the RX-8, I think the car needs every bit of hp it can get. So if I were to get another, it would be manual.

 

wrong! I actually mentioned the difference in HP between them

 

High performance cars these days in general favor dual clutch electronically shifted transmissions. These are neither "manual" nor "auto" when you are talking about an Rx8. They are manual in that they use a solid frictional clutch connection from flywheel to trans input shaft removing the speed differential and hydraulic power loss. They are automatic in that there is no clutch pedal to push and shifts are governed by the computer to make them as fast as possible. So, the car puts more hp to the wheels with a more simple connection but also takes advantage of computer controlled fast shifting.

 

I don't really find it a HORRIBLE thing to have an AT 8. Not my cup of tea, but for some people it's needed. At least they bumped up the HP. To bad they can't raise the RPM limit!