Huskyfan23

I'm still getting used to my RX8 (and having a great time in doing so) but one thing I've noticed is an extreme amount of heat radiating out of every area of the interior of the car (the boot of the shifter, the plastic pieces surrounding my seats, etc). I know the engine is designed to handle a lot more heat than a typical engine, but is this normal?

Also, I let my brother and cousin drive it today, and they really went through the gears hard (both were extremely impressed) a total of about 15 to 20 times. Can this rotary engine be worked that hard on a normal basis, or should I make sure to only work it hard possibly a few times a week? Thanks for the responses.

mysql101

you shouldn't see anything "Extreme" in the cabin. Under the hood it does get quite hot. But inside the car, the most you should see is your cup holders getting warm. If you drive the car, then park it, and stay inside the car (like at a drive in movie) you'll notice the center area (where the shifter and transmission is) will start to feel warm... but again, there should be nothing close to being described as extreme.

Huskyfan23

Well, it really isn't that hot....it really is just warm. The insane amount of heat I was referring to was the engine itself, and I found it surprising that it actually entered the cabin through the cupholders / boot.

Good to know that other people are noticing the same thing. Thanks for the response.

mysql101

You can remove the cup holders and put on some additional insulation if it makes your drinks warm...

I used to have a 944 that the center area got REALLY warm. The RX-8 is cold compared to that.

expo1

That depends on what you feel normal is. The basic line of thought is that you should hit redline at least once a day (2 or 3rd gear). The hardest I ever used my 8 was last Friday at Pocono raceway. I did 8 runs on various road courses, some back to back for a total of about 3 1/2 hours of high RPM / lots of shifting driving. The car loved it.

mysql101

If you are used to driving a Jeep, driving the RX-8 "hard" will mean hitting 4,000 rpm

Huskyfan23

My dad used to have a Porsche 944 as well. Great car, not too fast but very good looking.

The heat really doesn't bother me that much, and I'm a quick drinker so it's not heating up the liquid too quickly. I just wanted to make sure something wasn't wrong and heat wasn't getting transfered into the car when it should be directed somewhere else.

And lol, my last car was a 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse RS, a 4 cylinder, 150 HP machine. Not too much heat generated there....


Expo, thanks for the response regarding the engine. I was waiting for the engine to blow up any minute, because 8500 rpm's is insanely high. Since the engine is designed for this type of high reving, I wasn't too worried about it. But around 7800 RPM's the engine made a weird noise on each occasion (Kind of like it was grinding a very little bit...not noticeable to someone who isn't listening). Have you ever noticed anything like that?

expo1

No. Have you tried to recreate it in other gears and in neutral?

Easy_E1

iTrader: (2)

*You could throw a brick on the gas pedal and it would run till it ran out of fuel.*
We did that with an early rotary (13B) and no problems ,we were trying to see if it would blow up.
We had a ported engine to go in its place. Took it apart and nothing out of the ordinary in the wear department. Ran for about 30 minutes. 8000 RPM.


*DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS,THIS WAS DONE BY TRAINED PROFESSIONALS IN A CLOSED INVIRONMENT*

BlueRenesis82

Might also be the last stage of the VFAD opening up

9291150

Maybe, MAYBE its just me, but it seems to feel smoother and more responsive the harder and longer you drive it. Opposite of an old bike air and oil cooled bike I used to ride, had noticeable power loss at higher temps.

Low Fly'n 8

You should really consider breaking your car in properly before "slamming it through the gears" 20 times. http://racingbeat.com/RX8%20Break%20in.htm

RevTo9K

That's what I was thinking. I think of it sounding like a set of keys being shaken. Probably normal. HuskyFan, if you want to learn more about how the air induction works, search for SDAIS.

RevTo9K

Oh, and Husky - rev it as high as you like. The Renesis can turn 13K rpms safely (although the accessories can't!). Your rev limiter will kick in about 9000. High rpm operation also will burn off carbon deposits and can keep your plugs from getting fouled. Also, remember to check your oil more often if you are driving it hard because the car will use more oil.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

search and read all of blueskys posts..... he has asked everyone you have so far.... it will save you time..

beers

Low Fly'n 8

My bad... Drive it like ya stole it