Normal

 

When was the last time you replaced plugs and ignition coils? I just got my RX8 so I am not an expert, but mine has a misfire and I am replacing the coils and plugs as soon as they come in. I only drove the car for one tankful and only got about 180 miles out of it. There was quite a bit of idling in order to warm it up, however.

 

Alexp-... Hmm, if you bought it brand new then the plugs and coils wouldn't have initially had anything to do with low mileage. That would most likely just be driving style... But, if you have not changed the plugs and coils out yet then it probably is about time to. If they are getting old and worn out then it could definitely contribute to your MPGs getting lower recently... And it couldn't hurt to clean your MAF sensor either. It is quick and easy, there is a really simple DIY on here for doing it, and it could possibly get you a little better gas mileage if it needs cleaning... 9 is pretty damn low even if you drive in a way that takes a ton of gas, and since it has dropped from what it usually is, I say try to figure out why by doing those two things....

Rx8vsMalibu-... How long are you warming it up for? You do need to let it warm up before you hit it hard, but you don't have to just let it sit and idle for too terribly long... Once you crank it, wait for the RPMs to drop down to around 1500 then go ahead and start driving it easy (don't go much over 3k RPM) for a little while. You can start giving it more revs as it gets warmer... The engine doesn't warm up as good idling as it does driving a lot of the time. And idling a lot gives you a whole lot of 0 mpg that has to be averaged in to get your gas mileage haha... So don't drive hard before it warms up, but you don't have to sit there and let it idle till the engine is warm... Hope you are enjoying your new 8!

 

Last week was my first time driving it, so I let it warm up for about 10 minutes before driving it. About 30 minutes each day, so about 2 hours of total idling in the few days I drove it. I have read on here to let it warm up for a bit until the idle settles down. It was just my first couple of days and I wanted to be extra careful. I was also careful to shift at 3,000 rpm. I am enjoying it very much thank you.

 

I dont want to be mean and flame or anything.. Because I dont like it done to me.. But I'll just put a sad face here -> and say, dont do that.. a minute or so is alright... i do that when i have to open the gate before i leave work, then i go.. but 10 minutes? really? sigh.. just driving it down my street after a minute long idle will warm up my car moderately in the cold. be sure to redline once a day, no babying the car

 

You guys are over thinking this process. The important thing is to just be aware that the first few minutes of driving should not involve bouncing off the rev-limiter. Otherwise, simply give the motor a minute to warm up and drive like a normal human being.

 

It's all good, I understand what you guys are saying. It was just my first few days of driving the car and I know I have a bad coil since I hear squeaking when starting it up, so I just wanted to be extra careful. The temp here in michigan was also in the single digits last week, so that was another reason I let it warm up so much.

 

hm, understandable.. Although there was just a thing on yahoo news I believe about car idling, and if you don't leave within a minute or something, turn it off, cuz you waste more gas just sitting there with it on.. Except don't do that ever until the engine is warm or you'll fail lol. And how many miles are on it? Brand new? If you're referring to the brap brap brap at the beginning of starting it as the squeaky noise, it's normal, and I love the sound, but it doesn't last too long

otherwise, if that's not it.. Then I don't know.

 

It is an '05 with 33,000 miles GT MT. It is a distinct squeak that I first thought was the belt. After searching on here, I came to the conclusion that it is one of the coils, because I just got a CEL for a misfire in rotor 2. I just ordered OEM coils and plugs, hope to install them this weekend.

 

yes, that what happened with my old car, so i just tightened it up and it was all better. hopefully you get better results than with mine.. I only changed out 1 coil.. everyone says to just change them all out... but i didnt know, so i'll just save up for BHR in the mean time

 

if i wanted to change my current stock hid's to be an 8k instead of the 4300k that is in there from the factory, can i just get new hid bulbs in 8k or do i need the entire ballast set up as well????

Edit: just saw that.. i was having trouble finding that thread so i just decided to post it on this one.. but now that i think about it, i am subscribed when i post in a thread arent I???? Ahhh, whatever im tired.. thank you for answering again though

 

This question was already answered in the thread that you posted it in!
Answer: You just need the bulbs, unless you are going to use 55watt bulbs, then you need a ballast.

 

shocking

 

Thanks for the advice guys, my plugs have been changed about 8K ago, but the coils are getting old. I guess I am getting that BHR coil upgrade kit, and will also clean my MAF sensor.
Here is another question: what's your technique for down shifting while approaching at turn? I have seen multiple videos of crazy Japaneese men pushing down on the brake with their toe, while tapping on the gas with their heel. I can't seem to get that technique down, although I have to admit that I have very wide feet (dont ask). Do you have to modify your gas pedal to sit higher to do that comfortably or is there other techniques that I am not aware of? What do you do?

 

Must...not...flame...

It's called heel and toe shifting. Look it up on youtube and practice. There are others besides the Japanese that use this technique.

 

If you just cannot get the hang of heel toe shifting you can always just go ahead and downshift (leaving your foot on the clutch) a little way before the turn... Then just brake with the clutch in... Then rev match and let off the clutch as you are going through the turn...

Try to youtube heel toe shifting if you want some pointers on technique and all. I'm sure there is some pretty good stuff on there about how to do it properly

 

You don't have to modify anything in order to heel-toe. I find it hard on the Rx8 because the steering wheel is so low and I have long legs. It gets in the way when putting my foot on the brake. Just move your seat and tilt the steering wheel until you find a comfortable position where you can reach all three pedals at the same time. Practice the motions with the car turned off, until you have the general idea down in your head.

 

Serious dumb question: Can megan coilovers go a lot lower than sprint springs or just about the same in the rear?!

 

I'm too uncoordinated to heel and toe, so I just brake hard in a straight line, then, all at once: start the turn, push in the clutch, shift to neutral, drop the clutch, blip the throttle to the rpm you know works for that lower gear on that corner (approximate), push in the clutch, shift to that lower gear, let out the clutch, and apply power as you accelerate out of the corner.

Heel and toe is for real racing, and can save fractions of a second, but even Lemans racers shift slower than I can with above method to save transmission for the 3k mile 24hr race.

 

Trying to tell if my battery is bad. I hooked it up to a voltmeter and it read 12.5v. Just replaced it last June. The reason for the concern is I'm having long starts. I want to make sure I've done everything on my part to minimize the start time. Any other parameters I should check for in regards to the battery? I also replaced my spark plugs last June, going to replace the wires next, and just replaced all of my coils in December. I'm wondering if I drained the battery at all due to the long starts and at times repeated starts to get that engine going that sometimes last as long as ten seconds or so each time. I guess another question, anyone know how long I can crank the starter before I burn it out? I have the new/upgraded one. Plan on taking the car in for a compression check sometime soon.

 

do you have the upgraded starter?
Just as an FYI, you should change plugs/ coils at the same time. Not MANDATORY, but definitely just better for overall longevity...
Also, is this before or after your engine is warm?

edit, oops, you have the upgraded starter... cancel that question

 

I think I read somewhere that a normal start should be like what? 2-4 seconds? On the initial cold start, it will take about 3-6 seconds. If I go fill up for gas after shutting down warm, you can expect at least an 8-10 second start, if not an additional 2-3 cranks to finally get it running on its own. I suspect compression has something to do with it, but like I said, I want to make sure I did everything I could.

And I plan on replacing the plugs within the next week or so, with new wires as well.

 

Ever since I bought my car a little over a year ago, the glass covering the instrument cluster on
the right has had some stains of some sort on it. I've tried scrubbing it off but without success.
How hard is it to get these pieces of plastic out? I wanted to try and clean em up with maybe a
headlight cleaner or something..
That should work, right? It almost looks like the spots are on the inside of the glass.

 

Had the same problem, it kind of looks like a residue. What I used was a headlight restore and a micro fiber towel. Got most of it cleaned up with out taking anything apart

 

Yea I suppose I'll try it first and see if it is in fact on the outside of the glass. Don't know how it would've gotten on the inside, but it kinda looks like it is.