mymazda

Hi,

I was debating on getting a Mazda3 for the longest time but seeing that I'm still young, my older brother advised me to indulge and get an RX-8 instead.

My questions are:

1. I'm thinking of geting just a 6 speed base model rx-8. This doesn't come with traction control and I live in New England where it snows a lot in the winter. How bad will it be for me to drive this car in the winter (this will be my primary car).

2. Are the front and back seats removable? I wanted leather but do not want to pay for the whole packge (4k) so I was thinking of removing the seats and taking it my brother in lawy who does upholstery do pretty decent jobs with adding leather to furnitures. The ony way for him to do it however is for me to take out the seats out of the car.

3. Should the flooding problem be a main concern for me? I am a little worried about buying a new car and having it die on me...

4. Should I wait for the Mazdaspeed version? I want to because I wanted more HP but I did some research and it seem the HP will only be 250 so it doesnt seem worhtwhile to wait. I could be wrong though, please inform me. (please do not include info on other aspects of the mazdaspeed version, I'm only looking at HP)

I do thank everyone ahead of time for reading this and helping me in my decision on buying a rx-8 over a mazda3.

THanks

Sue Esponte

If you're looking at a base model RX8 because of pricing considerations, don't wait for the MazdaSpeed version since it will most likely cost a lot more than the base version.

-Eric

Mikelikes2drive

As long as you're careful and follow the procedures, flooding shouldn't be a problem

MMGDC

1. The car should be fine in winter conditions IF AND ONLY IF you mount appropriate snow/winter tires. DSC is nice, but I rarely had it kick in when driving carefully in snowy conditions. With the right tires, the Rx-8 can handle New England winters just fine. Expect to spend around $800-1000 for good quality tires.

2. Aftermarket leather is available and will probably cost you $1000ish.

3. Flooding is virtually always a result of owner error. Don't shut the car down when the engine is ice cold and you should never have a problem. The manuals seem to have fewer flooding problems than the ATs as well. Flooding is covered under warranty.

4. The MazdaSpeed version will probably be considerably more expensive than the base... if cash is a concern and all you really want is more power, you're better off getting a base model and modding it yourself.

msrecant

1. First, plan on buying winter tires. When we had our one snow here I had to park the car because even with 1" of snow on the road there was zero traction with the stock tires. Without traction at any wheel LSD, TCS, DSC and ABS are useless. Posts from northern owners indicate the car is fine with winter tires. I own a GT and I am not convinced that I got my money's worth out of the TCS/DSC. I believe the LSD is standard on the 6-speed.

2. The seats do come out using shop techniques. Its not an end-user thing.

3. I have had my 8 since mid July with no flooding. I do avoid "short trips".

4. Bucks vs HP. Your choice depending on how many bucks you have and how important the extra HP is to you.

Trx8

Here is a good link for driving in the snow:

Wheels, Tires and Suspension > First test of RX-8 in snow - it's great!

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...threadid=13623

boarder

1,2) no comment (wouldn't know)

3) I had the same question/issue. Bought a manual RX-8 a week ago. No flooding yet. So the "floodwatch" is currently 1 week and counting.

4) Unless you want the majority (~65+%) of the MazdaSpeed parts, I would suggest buying them seperately. You could also get other items that aren't MS as well that may be better or at least more cost effective. Secondly, never trust anyone who says they know when its coming out. Their wrong at best, lying outright at worst. At least until its in a Press Release ... but even those are wrong sometimes

mymazda

I have a question. I'm new to manual transmission and will likely stall often. If I start teh car and stall, would this cause flooding as well?...

Riccio

While I'm not new at manual transmissions, I find that the 8 is pretty forgiving. Newbies at shifting are usually pretty focused on their shifts - so are generally somewhat LESS likely to stall their cars. The biggest problems new MT drivers have is going uphill from a stop - so, try to make that not be the first part of your drive. Everybody was a novice at one point - just relax and enjoy.

That said, I have found my RX8 to be a very EASY car to shift - have not stalled it at all (which is more than I can say about my 99 Boxster - which I still manage to stall often enough for it to be pretty irritating - so much so, I will probably sell it soon......)

G8rboy

My $.02 on the DSC/winter driving question- as mentioned above- you cannot get away without winter tires if you're going to drive in the snow, ice or even frozen cold pavement. Whether or not DSC is worth it to you, I'd base that on your experience driving rear-wheel drive cars in the snow/ice. The RX-8 is very well balanced, so its easier than most to keep pointed in the right direction on slippery surfaces... but if your winter driving experiences have been limited to FWD or AWD (or none at all), I would highly recommend you get a package with the DSC/traction control. I've driven through some pretty deep stuff at a decent speed, and DSC/TCS was definitely at work.

BillK

It definitely could, if you stall when the car is cold.

I used to not think so (and in fact Mazda USA customer service originally said it had to "sit" a bit after being shut off cold to flood), but since Mazda cites it as an example in their flooding TSB, I now feel completely differently about the subject...

BillK

OK, what's your point?

I apologize if I believe the possibility of needing a tow to a dealer and perhaps being without a car for a day or more is a pretty harsh "penalty" for stalling a car when cold.

It's not guaranteed to happen, but as Mazda themselves cite a stall when cold as a possible cause of flooding, it's certainly a disconcerting possibility...

Winning_BlueRX8

same rules still apply. if you're that worried about it, let the car warm up before you take off.

Winning_BlueRX8

I deleted my thread. I just get sick of hearing about all the people blowing this crap so far out of proportion, that we see new users asking questions about flooding almost daily. Look, if letting a car warm up for x minutes is too much of a hassle for you to prevent the possibility of flooding, then this car just isn't for you. That is all there is to it unless someone can come in here and tell us: "There is a 20% chance of flooding on cold starts if the car sits for x hours" or "There is a 15% chance of the vehicle flooding if you stall at a busy interesection on a cold engine. 5% if the engine is warm." I mean we can all give anecdotal evidence that seems to vary a great deal, but anecdotal evidence is just that, anecdotal. Just assess the risk, then make your decision.

Oh, and it isn't a "penalty", it's a "consequence".

G8rboy

Well put.

You go Limecat! Hisss!

BillK

I too am not trying to blow something out of proportion.

It's merely disconcerting to have an email from Mazda NA that says "Nope, can''t flood unless you stall and then let it sit," then have them issue a TSB that explicitly gives "stall when cold" as an example of how an engine can flood.

While I guess I should know better than to trust Mazda NA's customer service people, it was still a bit surprising...

Rhumb

I might imagine driving in snow/slippery conditions where the RX-8's lack of low rpm torque would actually be of benefit! That, a good pair of winter tires and slow 'n easy with your driving.

MMGDC

It could. I have yet to see anybody post an anecdote of that happening to them on this board, but I suppose it's possible. I've personally stalled my 8 several times, but never when it was ice cold. No floods. Most people who have reported floods on this board have a similar story... very cold weather, they back the car out of the garage, turn it off, and when they try to start it up again x hours later, it floods.

As another posted pointed out, the 8 has a forgiving manual transmission and is an easy car to learn on. If flooding is a big concern, just let it warm up for a few minutes before you start driving... at least until you feel comfortable that you won't stall it while it's ice cold.

G8rboy

It most definitely is a plus... compared to RWD cars with similar power but more torque like a Mustang, 350Z, etc., having a tall RPM range and lower torque allows for a lot more control in slippery conditions (with a manual tranny).

WHealy

Rear seats ... those come out easy. Check here for more info.

Trx8

Thread on learning to drive MT with RX-8:
RX-8 Discussion > Good/bad idea to learn manual in this car?
https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/good-bad-idea-learn-manual-car-5831/

Yes, some people have had problems with flooding, when it happens it can be real problem, and it hasn't happened to me, yet. Things go wrong with cars all the time, that is why there are so many car repair shops. My Accord blew a radiator, my Odyssey stripped its transmission, my cars have all been hit, and one day my garage door wouldn't open. There are no perfect cars and when things go wrong its a hassle and disruptive to get them fixed. I think the spectacular nature of "flooding" has blown it out of proportion.

As for Mazda said one thing, then later said something else ... I tend to read as much as I can on these sorts of topics (this forum is good) and try to make sense from the diverse and sometimes contradictory information.