EvritaniaGR

herd some bad things about rotary and i was so close from buying an rx8.. help me out a lil is rotary good or bad!

lurch519

i love mine. so i guess my opinion is that a rotary is good. but this thread may help you find answers

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-how-use-search-function-rx8club-com-forum-73846/

LiveBlues

Out of curiosity, what bad things have you heard?

I've had mine for over a year now and nearly 12k miles and I haven't had any problems.

BoilerX8

What were you doing, talking to the Nissan dealer? Of course they are going to say bad things about a rotary. Do a search on here and you will see what the usual complaints are. Overall they are very dependable and a really good engine. You do have to check the oil every other fillup, and you will get less than stellar gas mileage (varies by user), but the car is a blast.

RenoIV

After over 162,000 miles of driving a rotary, I'm a little biased .... it is a great engine ... It's for folks that like to drive not ride. It's different than a piston engine... it's addictive. You actually have to check the oil and add some between oil changes. It's a sports car not an appliance.
The little extra effort it requires vs a piston engine is more than worth it!

read the sticky thread at the top of this page .... the little things ect.

Buy one and drive it! :D

Pkskull77

The rotary engine in the RX-8 is relatively reliable, but does require a great deal more attention than most piston engines.

First and foremost, the 8’s engine must be warmed up before being shut down. Failure to do so may result in engine flooding. Generally speaking this isn’t an issue, because you usually travel far enough to get the car warm. However, a flooded engine will leave you stranded and that is always a bad thing. So if you need to move the car in the driveway, or run down the street, you should take it for a nice long ride, which may be a good think if you know what I mean.

Secondly, the cars oil level must be monitored constantly. My 8 didn’t burn oil badly, but I’ve heard of others having real issues. If you drive the car hard, it’s going to burn oil. This is a relatively easy problem to overcome, just check the oil often, and bring some with you. Just keep in mind that checking oil all the time can get annoying!

The RX-8 burns gas much faster than it burns oil. With gas prices rising, this could be a serious consideration. The harder you drive the faster it burns, just keep it in mind.

Finally, the rotary aftermarket is bad. It’s a matter of simple mathematics, only 1 car with a rotary engine, means less profit for companies making parts. Will the 8’s market eventually come around? Can’t know for sure at this time, but there are couple of FI kits out there now, so adding power is possible. This leads me to my last point.

If you’re going to be happy with the 8 you have to realize it’s not a drag car. Don’t expect to blow STI’s, EVO’s, SRT-4’s, or Z’s off the line, or pull on them in the top end. This car is made to handle before it’s made to accelerate. If this is what your looking for, than this is a great car for you.

nzarnow

Well I was loving every second of my car untill the engine blew...

I think I just got a runt of the litter and since it is all under warrenty I am getting a brand new engine. I shall let everyone know how it goes on my other thread.

Read all about it here:
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...ighlight=Curse

Mugatu

iTrader: (1)

280RX-8

Speaking of, our Nissan dealer told me,the 8 was " gutless," and the Z was waay better. He said the only reason I was considering it was b/c I hadn't test-drove the Z. Boy, did the test-drives prove him wrong... I love the RX-8, it's way more fun to drive. I don't give a damn about stoplight drags anyway. I've owned 4 20-year-old Z's so just checking the oil once in a while is a large reduction in maintenance for me.
Besides, rotaries have come a ways since the 13 series.

NoTears316

Nope, we all hate the rotary. Thats why most of us here own one.

Nemesis8

iTrader: (3)

Let's see, the engine has three moving parts :p

The fourth moving part is my right foot

RotaryNoob

Ha. I had the local Nissan dealer begging me not to buy a Mazda. He told me that even Hyundai was better than Mazda. He also dropped the price of the Z I was looking at a few thousand dollars and over 100 a month begging me to buy it.

Funny thing was my mind was already made up and I was just wasting time at the Nissan dealer waiting for my wife to get off work. It's fun watching them squirm. :D

Gerael

Yah.. rotary sucks... i mean my rx8... i hate how you have 9k rpms of pure revving roaring pleasure....

i really hate how it purrs so smoothly at idle and then keeps being too smooth when i'm cruising.. which makes me not even realize how fast i'm going.. or how high my rpms are...

hate the extra weight of twin exhaust that add symmetry and beauty.. too such an already stylish sports car...

I especially hate all the people who stare at me cuz the rx8 is so beautiful... they always have this look of "Damn! I want that" in their beady little eyes... makes me feel like I have to run away.. and push it through the revs.. hearing that infamous beeping sound letting me know.. its past time to shift...

so.. anyway.. thats what i think...
LOL

the fact of the matter is... every engine has negative comments about it... rotary is a beautiful design.. and makes a whole lot more sense to me than a reciprocating piston..

love whatever you get... love includes being hurt.. but pushing through and getting things worked out... i love my rexy..
8)

valpac

iTrader: (2)

Just herd em up and move em out. Git along little doggie.

The car is pure junk.

1.3L

WHAT bad things, exactly?

1.3L

StewC625

Why do we bother responding to people like this?

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

it's like a reflex action stew, we've been trained to defend our cars whenever the slightest ignorant comment is posted

Astral

Oh, I don't know, gas mileage sucks, engines are unreliable 'cause the "apex seals can go and then you're done", rotaries won't last more than 75K, stall in the winter when it's cold and you have a flooded engine, etc... things that are half-truths and non-truths that I heard when I was talking about buying the car at work... I guess the most common one was that the engine is unreliable and the whole apex seals comment (people think they're smart when they say "apex seals").

I bet he/she heard some of those things...

Anyways, soundsl like these types of questions shoudl be in a FAQ somewhere... like:

Q: I heard that the rotary engine is unreliable. How long can it last? A: (link to that great thread we had about it recently)

Q: I heard that the apex seals can go (or something like that), what's up with that? A: (dispel misconception here)

Q: I heard it's really easy to flood. Is that true? A: (not really, and especially with the most recent flashes?)

etc...

Tigster

To increase your post count?

Krankor

I completely agree with this. I know that I had these kind of concerns before I bought my 8, and I was reading places like this before I made my decision. You can't fault people for being ignorant on the topic, because there is so much disinformation out there, and so few places that can set you straight. At the same time regular members can be forgiven for being tired of answering the same things over and over. This is why FAQs were invented. There should be a FAQ for such newbie questions, and it should be front and center and unmissible on the home page.

Krankor
05 Shinka 6MT

MyRXdrug

I was thinking of the WRX (cheap interior and don't like turbos), S2000 (too expensive), 350Z (just a little out of my price range and everyone has one or an Infinity). I love my 8, had it for about 500km. Girls say it's a sexy car, guys gawk, then nod and smile. Just the looks alone from people say it's worth it. They only bad thing is that people usually vote for me to be the designated driver. I don't drive it that much, but gas is expensive ($60, only one fill up), oil checkup is going to be a pain in winter, and now I am super-protective of my car and wish I had a garage. You can find information (good and bad) everywhere on this forum!!!!! If you have problems then people come out and help you for sure!
oh don't forget about washing my car every weekend.
ps, is it THAT bad if you push your car to about 9500rpm once at around 800km?

StewC625

WRX: don't forget the engine that sounds like a stressed out lawn tractor.

Y&Y

Hey hey hey hey :p WRX aren't all that bad...besides they were designed for rally races. As the 8 was designed for the everyday road hugging, people gawking, girl swooning, gas til the needle falls off the tach type of car. :D :D

Ike

Better than an electric lawn tractor if you ask me...

Gerael

haha agreed...wrx interior is the biggest factor that deterred me from getting one... and a bit of body styling in the front end... esp 06.. omg..

350z has the hardest suspension.. its like my friends FC... breaks your spine.. and then you can't relax your left arm anywhere cuz the door sill is too high... and the armrest slopes down.. whats up with that???

and.. I think it is THAT BAD... if not techinically.. then... morally.. or something..
treat your rx nice! I still haven't redlined it.. and i'm about 1100miles heh..
most i went was probalby 6k.. and that was after 1000 miles..



and i happen to like my alien sounding engine.... ufo's are awesome..