Focal

Hey all, brand new to the forums.. I've been lookin at a newer car to play with.. been lookin at Si's, WRX's SRT 4's.. Kinda mid class sportier cars.. I haven't put much thought into RX8's mostly just due to not being so sure how they hold up, but then I saw a clean one rollin around by where i live and it kinda sparked some interest.. I know this the age old question with these cars... How do they hold up for mileage? I saw the sticky about the extended warranty kinda like that but just need some short and simple answers as to their reilability..

SuperCereal90

well for some reason people have a lot of problems with their rx-8, and i seriously dont know why. i make my car go through hell almost every time i drive it, and i have never had a problem. i've owned it for a year and a half now it has 70K miles on it. i think has long has you do the scheduled maintenance, redline it, and keep it clean. you shouldnt have a problem.

Beodude

iTrader: (3)

There are a few things you can do that seem to help extend the life of the engine.

Upgrade the ignition
Get rid of the cat
PCM tuning
Thicker oil than called for
Installing a Sohn adapter, that let's you use fresh 2 cycle oil in the combustion chamber
Premixing (debatable)
Increase oil pressure


Seems like if you do those things, the engine can last a long time, if you keep the revs up. Carbon is a real bitch in this car. The side seals get gummed up pretty easily with junk. Leaning out the air fuel mixture will help with that. The ignition coils are a known weak spot, with some failing around 30,000 and causing misfires. Upgrading the coils to GM coils extends life a ton, and produces a much better spark.

In America, Mazda called for 5w20 in the engine. This is just plain too thin for a rotary. Many have had bearing wear on the front rotor. Running thicker oil will help with that. 10w30 or 10w40 seem to be pretty good choices. The rotary shears the viscosity pretty quickly (within 1,000 miles or so), so the 10w30 you start out with ends up being 10w20 or so after a few hot runs. Used oil analysis will show you decent trends of oils that hold up against sheering pretty well.





It seems like kind of a Trojan horse, but I think with the right mods, and some good love, the engine can last a long time. How do you specifically feel about power? Do you need a lot of it? If you do, it might not be the car for you. If you want a complete experience, from precise steering to linear power to a nice interior, the car could be for you. It's not a torque monster, nor a 1/4 mile drag car. Mazda dumped many many monies into making this a true drivers car, with focus on how everything feels. It's a very communicative car, that isn't intrusive on your driving. It's easy to drive on the limits, and doesn't punish you when you goof.

Truly, it is an amazing car. I'm still learning this for myself, but I have already converted one person to the RX-8 side that has been looking for a car for a while. It's just a joy to drive. That's what it's meant for.

York

And here's some more reading for you:

FAQs https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/rx-8-faq-please-read-before-posting-959/
New and Potential Owners, Start Here https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/new-potential-owners-start-here-202454/
Congratulations, you got an 8 https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/congratulations-you-got-8-a-202548/
New Owner FAQs https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/rx8-faq-new-owners-116484/

Enjoy!