6th gear until 55 mph + or you will be very sluggish.

 

i shift from 4 straight to 6 if it's straight open road/highway. if traffic is a bit more dense i'll stay around 4 or 5 for more control

 

After reading several posts (thanks everybody) I have the feeling that to avoid lugging (was a new word for me as a Dutch man) I will remain to run not lower than approx. 3000rpm in 6th and 5th gear before shifting back; not as a regular driving habit but as a lowest point in case of that situation.
The engine also "feels" better, when I "listen" to the vibrations and sound.
Searching for "lugging" on this forum showed up relevant threads a.o. from 2004 and 2008.
https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/can-rotary-engine-lugged-42776/
https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/how-can-ya-tell-if-youre-lugging-rotary-136196/
From the 2004 thread the posts/point of views about oilfilm-stress and relatively low revs of the rotor versus the eccentric shaft (1/3rd); contributed additionally to my personal view.
........."Anwho, just think that next time your cruizing @ 1500 rpm your rotors are going a measly 500 rpm. (Look at your watch and tap your desk twice per second, you should be getting 120 beats per minute, then tap four times for each time you are tapping the desk at 120 bpm (it's easier with two hands). You should be getting ~480 beats per minute... so think everytime you tap is a rotor completing one revolution -- yeah, they're going THAT SLOW!)"...........
Furthermore I saw a RX-8 fuelconsumptiontable for the different gears and rpm's (cannot find it any more) in which for instance driving at 50 mph in 6th and 5th makes hardly any difference.
(by the way, proper engineload is the most important personal aspect for me, not fueleconomy)

 

Its a freakin sports car, not a limo, rev the freck out of it and enjoy it. If you want economy, buy a Honda

 

Hehehehe......very, very original remark..........a little stupid.........well that's your contribution to this forum.........you better go out for a walk around with your dog.....that makes your dusty brains free......and then come back

 

WTF has my dog got to do with it ? He probably runs faster/quicker than you drive .

 

I think the worry about mashing it at low RPM comes from the idea that in a piston engine you will actually burn the valves because the valves won't be fully closed by the time the combustion reaches full strength. I'm not sure if this would apply for the ports on the rotary.

 

no its because at lower rpm and high load, the lubrication between the connecting rod and crankshaft break too quickly causing wear.
same can happen to the eccentric shaft bearing too.

 

I don not believe it at all.....a person that is keeping his dog in his moms basement must be a very frustrated man, abreacting all his unprocessed emotions on this dog continiously....I wonder if this poor dog is even able to walk a few steps....

 

I do rev it up -when needed-. That doesn't mean I'm gonna drive from here to Vegas in 4th gear...

 

I read in an article somewhere on this site that the renesis can spend it's entire life at 9k rpm as long as it's got proper lubrication. All the original engine high milers run mostly interstate. You want your engine hot as possible without overheating. You can drive from Los Angeles to Vegas in third and the ENGINE will be just fine. I drive mostly in town but once a week or so I take a 30 min "fun" trip doing multiple 1st 2nd 3rd gear redline pulls and a 10 min 3rd gear 70 MPH run. The car loves it. Babying this car is what kills it.

 

Just about any car would be fine with staying in 3rd gear indefinitely, but that's hardly the best way to drive a car, and I'm sure the high-mileage RX-8s with lots of highway driving are using 6th gear.

Opening it up occasionally to keep it clean and healthy is one thing; cruising along forever in lower gears when it isn't needed is NOT the secret to long engine life.

 

I agree. I'm not saying you should always stay in the lower gears.