If it's so quiet at idle then...
 

how do you know when you've started it?!

This is a serious question actually and aimed at one of the new owners. If you can't hear the engine ticking over how can you hear it start when you turn the key and therefore shut off the starter motor. Is it obvious from the rev counter? Am I deluded??!

With the windows closed it makes it very hard to hear.. maybe I'm just hard of hearing.

I mean you CAN hear the engine but it's very faint. My clue is to look at the tachometer and make sure it's just over 1000. You can hear the engine start, because that is obviously louder than the idle..

But believe me when I say this baby is pretty silent..

I second that

Thanks. :)

The car was idling at my dealership when I went for my test drive. As I was walking around the car I leant over and put my ear about 1-2" from the hood (bonnet) and could not hear a thing. Admittedly the main road nearby was noisy, but I could hear my MDX engine from several feet away at idle. It's very quiet at idle, but makes a turbine like roar as the revs get high.

Im sure that can be solved by an aftermarket exhaust if required :D

You should just look at ur rpms i think at idle it should be a little bit below 1

Yeah, the first few times I started it I had a hard time knowing when to let go of the key - sometimes I'd hold too long, other times I'd have to do it two or three times. I find that revvvvvving the engine after a second or two helps, but ultimately you may be forced to watch the needle on the tach swing up to ~2300.

BMW's are the same way. The I-6 in my 325i was so quiet I ground the flywheel more than once. As everyone has been mentioning, you just have to pay close attention to the tach.

to rx7 owners:

does the FC or FD engine sound the same way at idle?

long as the tach reads above zero, you can bet the car is running. pretty easy check to add to the, "hmmm... should i turn the key or not" process.

My FC had the cold-start assist, so as soon as it fired up it would rev to 3K and hold. Pretty immistakeable - as long as the engine was cold. Other than that, I hadn't had any problem hearing, though I had the Dynomax exhaust which tended to drone quite a deal.

Well, since it's a new car, it should fire up every time very easily. I give it one solid crank for just long enough to hear it roll over a couple times and it takes over from there. It is very silent however. Anybody got a line on a straight pipe after the cat back? I may have one custom built. Had one on my 7, loved it ,the sound was incredible.

If I disable the AWS it I can tell it's on in my FD. The engine stumbles a bit and hangs around 1500RPM for a few mins until it warms up. As for the noise, I can definately hear it, but I do have a 3" downpipe and nowhere near the sound insulation the 8 has.

When I'm in my garage the walls help amplify the start. In the open it's a little tougher and you have to listen for it, but once you train yourself it's ok. Th other thing is that it doesn't do the high rev that the 2d gen did. It goes to about 1500 for about 5 sec IIRC then drops to a hi idle.

My SA is very quiet at idle. In traffic, I can't hear it running with the windows up. Of course, the RB header and presilencer on the way will fix that real quick. ;)

I almost sarted it twice at the dealership. Till i saw the shifter vibrating.

Is a 3rd gen as quiet. No way! I rode in my friends RX-8 today (first customer car in Canada?) and it's ..... well, wonderful. It sounds like an electric motor idling. You can hear the unmistakable rotary sound when driving with the windows closed, but it's drowned out if they are open. I am impressed. It's really different compared to my 3rd gen. Much lower torque, but it sure gets to speed quickly. It's deceiving, how it sneaks up to speeds you'd rather not be seen going.