Xyntax

Hi,
I have been driving my new RX8 for 3 days now. Coming from a very fuel-efficient Toyota Solara, I'm trying to drive this fun car (RX8) as if it is the Solara. This means, revving the RX8 to 4K rpm max, and then shift. Cruising to at least 2K rpm but not more than 3K rpm. This is how the Solara drives. I am running this experiment on my RX8 in an attempt to solve the missing MPG mystery :p

So tell me something, has someone tried this experiment before? If so, can you share with us the results? I run 45 - 50mph in the city on 6th gear and this is at 3K+ rpm. I think it is how people drive that waste them their gas.

I'll keep you posted on my first refill.

zerobanger

dont bother. You will get flamed. If you get good results and post them they will criticize you and call BS. They will call you names, insult you and treat you like ****.

This is a rotary, there is no missing MPG. My Rx-8 gets slightly better gas mileage than my 94 Rx-7 which is just average.

zerobanger

By the way...what part of the bay area? im in east bay.

Xyntax

San Jose my friend. Home of the smooth roads

I currently have 115 miles on my trip meter, and the fuel gauge indicates half tank on the dot.

zerobanger

Xyntax, in my experience 115 miles on 1/2 tank gets me about 17 MPG, but again thats with me redlining and running High rpms all the time.

I found that 91 octain gets me best gas milage.

Kaliken

0banger

I do the same thing redline about 2 a trip.. driving it hard on the onramp so I can slow down to the stop and go traffic!

still get 16-17 mpg!

though I did get 21 once on a llonger trip with modest driving..

I would just let her rip where is the fun??

zerobanger

I agree, 17 MPG is great.
This is my 3rd rotary, Im used to gas mileage sucking big time, haha.

Ike

Care to explain why you bought a performance car? :p

Xyntax

Coz I like the RX-8 since its rumor came out Ike. I've hung around this site coz i desire the RX-8. I envy the constantly-flamed RX-8 owners because they get to drive one everyday. Sound familiar to you?



Hey, at least I'm honest... I went and bought one. Anyways, the final reason I bought it was because the only reason I shouldn't get one was eliminiated due to a post on this site explaining that the 17 MPG average wasn't really a problem. It enlightened me that the annual maintenance on the 8 isn't as painful as some think. With that gone, I was finally ready to get one.

Now, I'm only doing this experiment because I'm still breaking in the car. It is also giving me comfort from not driving this car like crazy when I get tempted to

My Solara wasn't really somethiing I could play with. And because it's a great car, I'm keeping it.

I thought it would be interesting to treat a "performance car" (quoting Ike) like my Solara while I'm still breaking it in. Maybe, just maybe, I could uncover something most people find annoying about the 8.

Ike, I find solutions and not flame on those who need it. I try to be useful rather than live up the "I dont care" culture that most people are so found of nowadays.

Good question though... :p

Ike

Well, it was a joking type of question and I really didn't expect an answer... But my point is who cares what kind of gas mileage it gets when you drive it like a "Solara". Anyone who drives like that regularly shouldn't own a performance car, nor should anyone that questions whether they can afford gas buy a 30+k car. But since you're breaking it in I'll let it go, this time :p By the way, if you do a search discussions very similar to this and people trying very similar things were very common. If nothing else digging up those old threads will give you something to compare your results to.

Ike

davefzr

Exactly.. Just drop the clutch at 5k and rev to 9,000 in all gears..

Xyntax

Dude, I did not know that this site actually appointed you "Police". Regardless, I'd appreciate any usefull feedback from you or anyone else. I've seen some of your arguments in this site, and I tend to agree on some of them. One question comes up though, "Why would someone waste so much time reading and responding to all threads in a forum that loves what he hates?" Heck, I love the RX-8 and this forum, and I still find it hard to find time reading and responding to all threads here. Kudos Ike!

Ike

Why are you getting hostile and defensive? I really didn't say anything offensive and I was kiddding with my first post, lighten up!

Xyntax

Oh btw, I've read somewhere here that they barely use the 6th gear. Not even on freeways. I'd like to know if using the 6th gear in city driving is bad for a rotary engine. Damn, I dont want to break my car while I'm still breaking it in. lol.

hotpot

Maybe Xyntax is just trying to match the EPA figures. I'm sure that he won't be driving his car like that for very long. This granny driving style has been tried by other owners already but none has achieved the EPA figures so far. Let's see how Syntax does.

Ike, for someone who does not own the RX8, you spend a helluva lot of time on this forum. The WRX forums are not as entertaining, I guess. You're not thinking of getting an 8 soon? THAT would make the headlines!

Xyntax

Ike, I'm cool. I like your role in this forum, it keeps a good balance and reality-check on most members here. You're famous here. I'm just being honest by asking that question. I've always wondered since I noticed you already have 1400+ posts in this site. I only have 600+ on Solaraguy.com and I'm a usual there. You just remind me of a member from that site who plays the same role... except he was a real moderator there.

Xyntax

Right on hotpot. Ike, I say "F the critics, do what you feel like".

Ike

Nope, no RX-8 for me, at least not in it's current form. To be honest the WRX forums are so full of info and so well established anything you could possibly want to know or talk about can be found with a search (for the most part). I post on various WRX forums a little, but more than anything else I search and read.
This site will be like that some day, and at that time mine and most other peoples posts will slow in a big way. In fact I think it's already started to happen and the overall traffic is seemingly slowing down.

Ike

Xyntax

I have been to WRX forums before, and yes most "past posts" are really informative. But the current posts are really boring and usually go nowhere. At least IMO based on my last visit to one over 3 months ago.

hotpot

I would think most things have been discussed on this site as well, when you find people starting polls like, Best Teenage Movie; Wat duff...
I guess long term ownership/maintenance would be covered more extensively in future.

Ike, you either like him, or you hate him (a bit like Britney Spears). But he's a true car enthusiast imo.

boothguy

In case anyone is still interested in the original topic: Driving around at low speeds in 6th gear is not that bad an idea provided you downshift right away if you need even moderate acceleration. Rotaries do not like to be lugged and since they don't have nearly the rotating mass of a piston engine, it's a bad idea anyhow. It also accelerates wear on the input shaft bearing of the transmission. So that's a qualified "yes".

hotpot

Not sure if I understand your point.
If the rotors are lighter than pistons, surely it would take less effort to turn the rotors, hence easier to accelerate in the high gears than pistons. Or am I getting it all wrong?

hotpot

I'd wish the RX8 had a mpg gauge like they have on the BMWs. On my previous beemer, I found that it helped to work out the best gears in which to drive, and it seemed pretty accurate .

TM45

I have had a mileage computer before--on my passat turbo. I learned how to milk good mileage and it means driving like our former Solara owner and being very aware of minimizing braking in stop and go driving. Also means driving at 60 or under on the highway. I drove the RX-8 like that during break-in and got 19mpg--a little better with every tank.

Now that it is broken in I have been having a blast wasting fuel.

Spin9k

Hope you can stick with it! I tired this in 6th, but found 5th more suitable gear for around town. But on long flat suburban roads 6th and 40-45 is just fine!

Also found that acceleration from slow speeds in higher gears to be no problem whatsoever. You get decent acceleration, like a std low power car, and no 'lugging'. The rotary seems to be very forgiving of what would otherwise cause lugging in other cars, likely cause it just goes round-n-round.

In the end, for me, I just couldn't stop having fun (spin9k IS me) and so not really sure on MPG that way, it just is what I do when I'm feeling like 'regular driving', so the mix seems to always get me 17-19 mpg mostly.

Keep us posted Xyntax, welcome to the club and the forum, remember - no one will flame you if you document your experiment well, calculate mileage by the gallon not the 'tankful ', and don't tell all you've found a new hi-mileage driving style before you are sure it is repeatable by all. Good luck!