Actually you can't... I know because it freaked me the hell out this morning!
I was late for work and didn't let it sit for very long before I took off.

As I went down the street in first gear, i hit 6.5K and the engine cut out like it does if you redline it. I was shocked! I tried it again and the same thing hapened. About ten min later when the car had warmed up I tried it again and it had no problem at all. So this car is so smart it won't let you over rev a cold engine! Now that's pretty sweet.
G

 

This feature is explained in the owner's manual.

 

This is very interesting and I certainly will try it. Another trick you may try is removing the engine cover. A few weeks back I was in a hurry and after putting in some oil I failed to put the cover back on. Result...my overall milage jumped from 16/17 to 21/22. Not sure why, maybe better air flow. At first I thought maybe it was a fluke, but i've driving it now this way through at least 6 tanks and it has yet to drop. Try it out and let me know if it works for you. Goodluck.

 

I have no engine cover on mine, doesn't seem to help any, in fact it seems to take longer for my engine to warm up. However, I will try disabling system to see how that does.

 

Removing the engine cover reduces the airflow through the engine compartment and raises engine compartment temps. It also exposes your hood to higher temps. This is not advisable for anyone in hot climates for sure.

 

very interesting

 

I just can't really see that happening MazdaManiac.... But who knows... A lot of things on the RX-8 serve a purpose.

 

Bruiser wins the inaugural Gomez Award. This award will be e-presented annually to the most ridiculous claim made on this forum.

Congratulations Bruiser1255......

 

That's nothing. I once forgot to fasten my seatbelt and managed to get 24 miles per gallon, instead of the usual 18.

I dare you to doubt my claim.

 

My milage improves when I fart...

Extra "gas" I suppose...

 

OK JH, in honour of your momentous achievement in fuel conservation, I'll implement a change in the frequency of the award e-ceremony.

You win the Gomez Award for the hour of 0200 UTC, 18 Jan 2006. It's probably a good thing I give these awards out hourly, there are quite a lot of bullshit claims on the forum

Cheers,
Gomez.

 

I wish I got18 MPG!! I've been in the 13 - 14 MPG range! And i don't even drive her that hard!

 

The *weird* thing is... MY mileage improves when you fart!

 

I have yet to break the 200 mile mark to a tank of gas. My tank is bone dry at the 198 mile mark. When I fill it the pump shuts off at 14.3 gallons. So I'm getting 14MPG. Thats just about all city driving. Don't understand how people are getting 18MPG city driving...I dont drive the car hard

I'll try turning off DSC/TC on my next tank and see what happens....

 

I swear, the only reason people will see an improvement is because they're being more careful with DSC/Trac off.

 

Glad to be of service...

 

BTW, turning off DSC/TC sounds like a BAD way to save gas...

 

I'm looking forward to seeing how the UK model behaves in these circumstances. First, any MPG figures I report will be based on Imperial, not US, measurements - to compare I multiply the US figures x 1.2, which certainly gives me hope for getting reasonable consumption from my car.

EDIT: Before anyone says "the multiplication won't change the consumption" - I know. I mean, that if I got around 23mpg in UK terms I'd be happy - so 23mp(US)g looks like a good figure to me.

Secondly... I haven't driven a powerful RWD car for some time. My Supra may have claimed to have 200bhp, but it was a lardy automatic thing, and quite old - I very much doubt it was really generating that much power. I'm torn on whether or not I will have the reactions/connection to drive enthusiastically with the DSC off, but I also think that learning the car's handling with DSC off is the way to go. I drove my X1/9 enthusiastically without any driver aids, same goes for my 924S, Manta and other cars.

My Beetle has traction and stability controls. With them off, it really does handle like a pig, which makes me think that in fact, they are only intrusive when you do something it interprets as silly, but are doing something all the time.

Gah, this is going to be the longest month EVER.

 

Well gents, I find this thread very interesting. We have two 8s both are base model 6 speed units. My wife and I both get 20-22 mpg regularly. While we do not get the chance to run curves alot, we do drive on the high side of 80, a l o t.... As stated, both cars are the base model units so neither have DSC or TCS. I have always wondered why our mileage was above the norm. I think that there should be some additional research done on these systems.

Lastly, we don't miss having them.

 

I have a base 8 and I get 14-16 MPG...

 

the dealer asked me if i wanted one with tcs i said f no my right foot is my tcs.

 

Please post the inevitable pic.. thanks..

 

Twin 8's --
My GT gets 21-22 mpg consistantly, and just leave the DSC on all the time. That's using 87 Shell.

 

I cant believe this useless thread is still alive

It was established ages back that turning off your DSC has no impact on your MPG.

Mods, please lock this thread...!! Die thread, Die.....

 

Probably because you are using the not recomended lower Octaine gass.

87 will not burn as fast as 92/93 there for you will certainly get better gas milage.
That's still pretty high and hard to believe but you probably do a lot of highway driving and not so heavy on the gas.