Hey everyone, new member here with a 2006 RX8 I just picked up from the dealership on November 25th. It had 27km on it when I got it and it's now at 200km. This is my first 6 speed car and also my first rotary and high reving car.

My previous car was a 5 speed 328i. With the BMW, I would shift at about 2.5k - 3k RPM, but the redline was about 6k. With the RX8, the redline is 9k, so I have been shifting at 4.5k - 5k RPM.

Would this be the proper way to shift, or should I still shift around 3k?

Thanks.

 

Shift when you hear the little beep.

 

Good question. Would like to hear other thoughts on this. I usually pull around 6000 rpm.

Time

 

In town driving, around 3-4K (i guess u can call this economy mode haha). Moderate acceleration 4-6K. All out merging on the onramp 8K +

 

 

For day to day mundane driving, I shift somewhere between 4 and 5K. Keep it under 4K until it warms up. Shifting at 3K is on the low side, unless it's a very cold day and you're trying to be extra gentle until it warms. Way too low for normal driving.

I find myself shifting at 6K or so just for the enjoyment of the sound, and for the extra kick if I need to stay ahead entering a highway, pulling away from a light, or if there's a greaser in a Mustang nearby. I go all the way up to the beep every now and then just for the pure pleasure. The rotary was made to rev.

Ken

 

Don't wanna have carbon building up. Unless its warming like ken-x8 said.

 

Agree with VRZOOMZOOM

 

Wait till you break it in before you start reading this.

 

Carbon buildup SU<KS!!! About 5 years ago my family bought a Blazer from a local dealership with 50k miles on it. I guess the person who owned it previous to us really was a little old lady, because 2 days later the engine wouldn't start. We got it fixed, then it wouldn't start again. Dealer said it was because of carbon buildup.

I hate little old lady drivers. A car should be driven like it was meant to......might as well walk otherwise

 

.....

No wonder you all complain about gas mileage.

 

thats a good point

 

Nah just rev it til it beeps. Then if it blows up blame the dealer

Actually if I could get away with it I'd try it and see what happens

 

Well, in the manual there is a place with "recommended" shifting points, which is particularly helpful if you want to get good mileage.

 

Considering it has 27,000 km, I'd say break in is a thing of the past for the car. I generally shift between 3,000 and 4,000, but I'm on the low end of the scale. Every drive though, I make sure that it beeps at least once.

 

dragstrip.....9800 or whenever i hit the rev limiter in third.....

 

I was surprised that the manual listed such crappy shift points. Every single one of the listed points would have you upshifting at or below 3000RPM dropping down to around 2000RPM each time. Not only does that give your arm a rowing workout (shifting through 6 gears just to get to 45 MPH) but it's really impractical, and borders on lugging the engine.

Just do what's comfortable and appropriate for the situation -- I shift around 3000-4000 when cold, 5000-7000 when warm, and 9000 when I actually hit a stretch of road void of stupid minivans in front of me slowing me down. I also take it calmer during bad weather.

 

I do those shift points a lot of the time and I don't lug my engine. Actually, the lower gears are higher, around 3500 RPMs and get down around 3000 for the higher gears. My RPMs don't drop as low at around 2000 when I shift at these points. Maybe each car is a little different that way? It's not entirely practical to shift at those points all the time, though.

 

the best is shifting from 3rd to 5th esp when iam merging on to the highway

 

I shift somewhere between 2500 and 9000. I've actually developed the habit of not watching the tach during normal driving and just shifting when I feel the need. At 30mph cruising, sometimes I'm in 3rd. Sometimes I'm in 4rth. Sometimes I'm in second waiting for some jerkoff to get out of my way because I'm on the highway and he shouldn't be doing 30. Lately, I've been trying to use 5th. I found that for a number of months, I never used 5th. I might touch 5th on my way to 6th on the highway, but rarely did I use it for more than a couple seconds. Now, when doing 45 mph, I use 5th if only to share the love.

The higher you run the engine, the more "sporty" the drive will be. If you never hear the beep, you probably bought the wrong car. If you ride at 5k+ all the time, you probably have friends at the gas station.

 

I read line 1st gear at least a couple of times per drive to prevent carbon and then shift between 5-6.5k most of the rest of the time. Thsi is after it's warmed up of course. I stay below 4k when the engine is cold.

 

my first 5spd was a tacoma w/o a tach... so i had to learn by feel and sound... so i don't really pay much attention to the tach in the 8... i just know i can hit it a he|| of a lot harder and for longer than the truck! but yeah... usually between 3.5k and 4.5k for city driving

 

And particularly detrimental if you do it EVERY time. You should hear the beep at least twice a week for health reasons - engine health & pure performance enjoyment (ie the health of your happiness). After the break in, that is!!

Welcome. & enjoy responsibly!

 

I have a question. WhenI leave in the morning, I always keep it under 4k and usually 3750 if it's cold. But my question is, does it matter how much throttle you put into it? I mean, this thing has so little torque you wouldn't feel much difference. Like if you go about half throttle(which is pretty quick for 1st gear) and shift at under 4k, is that causing any long term harm to the engine? Because whenever it's cold, I slowly take it up to around 4k or less. But then there are those times where you need to step on it and can't go that slowly up there.

OH, and usually if it's warm I am shifting somewhere between 3750 and 5k, but whenever I hit a stop sign or red light I am around 6k-9k.