Compared to other stick shifts, where does the 8 stand in ease of driving manual?
 

I'm curious b/c i haven't driven many other manuals...so there's not much for me to compare with. The only others were a '92 Geo Storm, '96 Explorer, '01 Ecclipse, and (sigh) the SRT4. Of these, the easiest BY FAR was the neon, even in 1st.

The first time I drove the 8, I didn't stall, but found that first gear was a bit harder than I expected, relative to other cars (confused b/c I assume the newer the car, the easier to drive?). So early on for me I became aware that the car could easily jerk if I wasn't careful.

I understand most of you in here are major car enthusiasts and very skilled/experienced drivers...but what did/do you think about the 8 in comparison to other stickshifts you've driven?

Ive driven for at least 5 years a Civic Hatchback (5-spd), in which the tranny was very good, and an NSX, which was super good! BUT, I would have to say that smoothness in shifting wise would go to the RX-8. But it could be due to the shift being shorter, damn it's like cutting through butter! 2100 km and counting haha

Personally, I think it's just about the easiest stick I've ever driven.

Let me go ahead and nip this one in the bud. If you want a standard then go for it. You will not regret it. The RX-8 is my first car with a manual transmission. The test drive was rather interesting! :-) But after that....I was really surprised how easy it was. It is much more intuitive than one might think. It may take you a week or so to become "smooth" but you should be able to "drive" it after about 15-30 minutes of practice. And don't worry about stalling out...I stalled out at least 5 times my first day (there are a lot of stop lights where I live). At first I was embarrassed but then I looked over at the people next to me and they were giving me a thumbs up. They new it was a brand new car and I was learning. But now after about 3 weeks I am experiencing no problems...even in stop and go traffic on a 30 min drive home from work in the D/FW area. The car is an absolute dream. This car gets major attention.

There's only one manual that's better that *I* have driven, which is the S2000s.

To compare, I've driven an M3, 330Ci, G35C, 350Z, WRX, Nissan Sentra and a bunch others.

Having test driven virtually every automobile known to mankind (there are posters at all the local dealerships with my face on it saying "do not let this guy test drive") I would say that the RX8 has the 2nd smoothest manual tranny of the lot. Only the S2000 bests it.

Same here -- the RX-8 is without a doubt the smoothest shifting manual I've ever driven. Not that I've driven anything really exotic -- a Saturn SL2, a Toyota Pickup, a Nissan Sentra, an Audi A4, and a BMW 328i.

Now that I'm at 2k miles, I've noticed that either I'm getting better at finding the gates, or the transmission gates have become looser. The car shifts better and better all the time.

I still have trouble finding 6th. I think it's becasue I'm paranoid of throwing it into reverse at 70 mph.

the 8's stick is very short and very light...i'm coming from a '96 3000GT and the stick was very heavy and is now very long (i used to think it was short after driving my friend's Acura Integra GS-R but after driving the 8, i know now i don't know what short is)

the clutch is a bit stiff about 2-3 inches after pressing it and loosens up after midway...it's funny because it's stiff at the point where it grabs so i've found that in order to get on first smootly, you need to ride the clutch a bit...in the 3000GT i was able to basically press the gas at the exact point it catches and drive off smooth while in the 8 i have to rev the engine up a bit before it catches to get off smooth (i believe that i just have to get used to it)

overall it's been pretty easy...i like it a whole lot more...and that 6th gear has added a new dimension to shifting...i remember the first test drive i had to "relearn" how to drive the 3000GT as it just all of sudden became awkward and more difficult even though i've been driving it for 4 years! yes, the RX-8 is easy to drive

I find the shift to 1st notchy at times (still very new), but most of the time it's close to the best gearchange I've experienced (S2000 and Miata 5MT).

I think most people here are commenting on the quality of the manual transmission or the smoothness of shifting from gear to gear. But I think the "ease" of driving a manual, as far as a beginner is concerned, has to do with how smoothly the clutch engages. So, IMO, the more worn the clutch, the easier it is to accelerate without stalling or bucking. It's true that the 8 has a wonderful transmission and with smooth shifting, but the clutch is pretty sensitive and therefore will buck the car. Either way, you'll get used to it very soon and other cars will seem like a breeze.

the 8 has a great shifter and clutch. its short, not to notchy or rubbery and the gates are pretty easy to find. The clutch was also good, I found driving around the city to be very easy. My 6 has a real easy clutch also, and the shifter is good (the 8's is better), its gotten easier to shift after 9K miles.

The best MT I've driven is the TSX, that thing was unbelievable, and it was FWD. the S2000 and RSX clutches are also some of the best on earth, don't know how honda does it.

As a matter of ease and comfort the 8 is great, sure there might be some that are slighly better, but its not like your missing anything.

Mazda has had a good reputation for transmissions for quite sometime, just try driving a Miata, or RX-7. The RX-8 is no different, it combined a lot of the best of having a short shifter that still has some size and shifts silky smooth. When you are used to a manual transmission on a different car, then switch to a new one, it might feel a lot different for awhile, but it doesnt take too long to get used to it.

Don't be. It ain't gonna happen.

So you've got 9000 miles on your RX-8? Have you though about doing a dyno run?

So you've got 9000 miles on your RX-8? Have you thought about doing a dyno run?

I would think the ease of driving a manual transmission car depends on the gearbox, clutch and to a lesser extent other traits of the car.

As for the RX8, I would say the gearbox is very easy to work and the clutch is about average in its resistance. The tall gearing of the car makes it easy for a beginner to think about executing their next shift. The rear visibility is not great (but I've seen much worse), so getting used to the blindspots and looking through the mirrors could be a bit of a distraction when you are not familiar with a manual transmission.

Overall, I would say something like the Honda Civic would be the easiest car to learn on or just drive. However, I think the RX8 might be the easiest sports car to drive a manual in.

I would think the ease of driving a manual transmission car depends on the gearbox, clutch and to a lesser extent other traits of the car.

As for the RX8, I would say the gearbox is very easy to work and the clutch is about average in its resistance. The tall gearing of the car makes it easy for a beginner to think about executing their next shift. The rear visibility is not great (but I've seen much worse), so getting used to the blindspots and looking through the mirrors could be a bit of a distraction when you are not familiar with a manual transmission.

Overall, I would say something like the Honda Civic would be the easiest car to learn on or just drive. However, I think the RX8 might be the easiest sports car to drive a manual in.

3rd Gear
 

For some reason I am having an extremely hard time finding the gate to third gear.......and trust me, I always put a lot of effort into it...:D

Other than that....I have never stalled the engine.

In contrast with...mmmmmm.....uncountable times I was able to stall anything from a G35 to a Rav4

<Chuckles

Me Either. :o :D

Although I bought an AT RX-8 for lifestyle and medical reasons, the RX-8 had the smoothest shifter and clutch I've experienced.

The RX-8 was much superior to the RX-7 I drove for 10 years. In comparison, the RX-7 shifter was very notchy and the clutch was average.

I test drove the Nissan 350Z within minutes of the RX-8 at a dealer that carried both Mazda and Nissan cars. The Nissan had very long throws, it felt like I was shifting a long flexible broom stick in comparison to the short throws of the RX-8. The RX-8 clutch engaged very naturally, and intuitively while I had to constantly adjust and search for the proper engagement of the 350Z.

I agree it is very smooth, and easy to find the gears.
My last car was a Nissan Sentra Spec V, and it had a lousy tranny. Finding the 5th gear gate was always an adventure, even after driving it for 1 1/2 years.
Prior to that I had a Civic SiR, which also has a very smooth shifter, but with considerably longer throw distance.
I drove a couple of 350Z, and the throw and force on those was *much* greater.

My one bitch is that you have to push the knob down to get in reverse, which can be awkward sometimes. I am sure i will get used to it. However if one lacked wrist strength it might be tough. My wife has not driven it yet, but I suspect she will complain about that.

Sorry for the confusion, I have 9K on my mazda6, I don't own a RX-8, but I test drove one for 1/2 an hour

I have drove my friend's 350z. I would say the clutch engagement for Z is very well defined. You can really feel that it is a muscle car. For my RX8, shifter and clutch are a lot smoother, the feeling is kind of like luxury car. For beginner like me, (rx8 is my first stick shift car) rx8 is more suitable for me. :D

Wow...my first post here :)

I would have to say if you can drive a Subaru Impreza 5spd, you can pretty much drive anything

Have not driven RX-8, but gonna test drive a RSX-S someday...manual tranmission newbie since March