silver1.3

I guess its my own fault for not fully researching the car, but I drove it for the weekend and loved it so I bought it, so I'm not sure how I feel about the car.

I was browsing this site last night - about nothing in particular - and I found the subject of low dyno numbers - like reall low. Something like 38 HP low. All kind of reasons were given from all sides. Some talk about the computer going into some kind of "limp" mode, while others talk about fixes with aftermaket fixes - everyone was bitting at the lip with that.

Im pretty perturbed. I don't want an after market fix to something I paid for already!! Don't get me wrong, I do love the car, but when you learn about something like this it undermines the credibility of the car. The reason I'm not totally upset is because independent magazines post up decent numbers and they all pick the car over other tested cars. But I AM upset.

Has there been any resolution to this issue?? The thread I read was dated back in '03. As much as I like driving the car, I don't know if I would have bought it if I would have know about this problem! The credibility would just not be there.

Maybe I'm just making too much of it!!!

mysql101

So, you're saying you drove the car, love it, but a number that no one can quite get their hands on bothers you?

RXE16T

Do you remember the feeling when you first drove the car?
I'm talking about the one that prompted you to buy it.

Remember it?

Now relive this feeling daily and enjoy it for what it's worth.
If you follow this, then you won't give a f**k about anything else.

As any underpowered Miata driver will tell you, enjoy the purity of the drive.

Mugatu

iTrader: (1)

i hate posts like this.

You drove the car, you LOVED the car, so you bought it. NOW, you read somewhere that the numbers may or may not be what they claim, yet your car drives EXACTLY THE SAME.

Either get over it or sell the car immediately to someone who doesn't need HP numbers to make them feel happy. You won't get sympathy from anyone here.

RXE16T

Want HP?

Mugatu, let's start a thread about how you and I ran our 8's on the Blue Steel Dyno with Hanson driving and punched out 513.5 rwhp. LOL

mysql101

The RX-8 isn't nearly as underpowered as the Miata. The RX-8 is fast, it just isn't blistering fast, yet

Mugatu

iTrader: (1)

OH YEAH! My car is making 280 HP at the wheels...and it's "bone stock". LOL

BAM-BAM

I gotta say I feel him/her on this. Back in 99 I bought a brand new SVT Cobra Convertible...slated at 320 HP. About six months later owners all over the country were getting dyno readings of 20 hp less, about 300 hp at the flywheel that is. The entire SVT community backlashed and ford made it a recall and gave us all intakes that were extrude honed (plasma polished) and new exhaust to make up for the lost HP. That was just 20 hp...with this vehicle it was near 40. I mean sure, you might be driving it w/ only 200 hp and it seems fine...but how great would it be if it had 40 more....the 240 that you forked over the money for. Then again, I dont know if there was a conclusion as to whether all rx's tend to be short hp, or not. If not, get it dyno'd...but if they are all coming up short, it is Mazdas responsibility to make up for it, plain & simple. I mean, what if all car company's started adding 50 hp to their final numbers..even if it isn't really there...and then charging for it. But if this is just a random thing with the rx's, then we need to find a way to narrow down which ones were the problem. Anyway, Just my .02.

RXE16T

"Ample"

"Adequate"

"Sufficient"

definition : the power output of the 8.

Mugatu

iTrader: (1)

What is really annoying is that the guy test drove the car and loved it so much he bought it immediately. If not for reading a thread or 2 on here, he would still be as happy as a pig in sh*t. But now he read the car may have less HP, so now he thinks his car FEELS slower.

RXE16T

Placebo anyone?

BAM-BAM

I understand where your coming from. But if mazda's selling pitch was.."This is the new rx-8 with "X" hp. Drive it, & if your happy with the power, just smile and dont test our #'s...k?"...Or they could advertise "238 hp (with aftermarket accessories)"...well, those sales tactics might fly, if this were the 50's. But in a day when we rarely get what we pay for as it is, the automotive industry is one of our last saving graces. There is no monopoly there, and intense competition forces better products for competitive prices. Numbers are numbers and guarantees are guarantees. A 5 hp difference either way is to be expected...but 40? When you signed your papers, you made a deal...so did Mazda. And the deal wasn't "If your vehicle "feels" right, our job is done". Anyway, everyone just wants what they signed on the dotted line for..no more, no less. What if you leased you rx-8 and decided to start paying $40.00 less on your payment each month? Do you think it would get brought to your attention? I didn't "feel" the 20 hp difference in that cobra either...but when I found out everyone was short, I sure as hell went in for the recall. I know everyone on here loves the 8 they bought and wants to stand up for it, I have only had mine for a week and thoroughly enjoy it, but if it is short the advertised numbers it has to be brought up, not hidden. So I can see the point he's making. Again, not knocking the car, I love it. He just wants what was promised per the agreement made with Mazda...and I don't blame him.

silver1.3

Now WAIT a minute, I dooooooo love the car, and I have no intention on starting stink - BUT - what if Mazda called you and said "hey, we got your 38 HP we owe ya, do you want it."

What are you going to say, "no thanks, Im quite satified!" I don't think so.
It now about not being satisfied with the car, its about how much better the car could be WITH the right ponnies under it!!!!

Wankeler

I think you ARE making too much of it. If you test drove it and loved it and ended up buying it, why would the horsepower numbers be of any concern? Either you love the car or you don't (IMO). I wouldn't care if all the major car rags reported the RX8 only dynoed with 100 HP, this car is an awesome machine and my 3 test drives in it, proved that to me.

If anything should get your panties in a bunch is IF your actual MPG isn't anything NEAR the EPA's "estimated" MPG rating.

FWIW -
1. I purchased this car in Aug of 03, AFTER discovering this forum and the wealth of information from pre-order owners.
2. I purchased the car a few days AFTER the known factory buyback/free maintenance offer over the HP issue.
3. After over a YEAR of ownership, my avg MPG is no where near the EPA's estimates.
4. After over a year of ownership, I still love this car!

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, if it really bothers you that much, maybe you should think about your car choice. I'd hate to see anyone get stuck in a car they have doubts about. I on the otherhand, have absolutely no doubts that this RX-8 is the car I wanted... until the new RX-7's come out that is.

Congrats on the new car BTW (hope you decide to keep it!) :D

czr

iTrader: (3)

Everyone has a point here, if you are happy you don't care… but you'd be happier if you are at the higher end of the hp scale. I am assuming the majority of our 8's have in the vicinity of 238 hp. Like all cars, horsepower fluctuates a little with each car. It would be wrong (and false advertising) for Mazda to say it has 238 when the majority has let's say 220. If you are so concerned, get your car dynoed and find out for yourself. Maybe, you'll feel proud again. Let us know.

silver1.3

I WILL keep the car, and I do STILL love driving it. But come on, you are not the least disappointed in the fact that it should have more power, and maybe its owed to you!!! You did pay your hard earned money for it. I understand that you knew about it before you bought - and its my bad for not knowing before I bought - but hind site is 20/20.

I just want to clarify - I DO LOVE THE CAR - I was just disappointed when I read about this - can everyone understand at least THAT - please dont jump my ***, I was just expressing a concern, not trying to infurriate anyone!! I no hater!!! :D

silver1.3

From what I've read (and I may be wrong here) most cars only have 200 HP at the CRANK, not 238, and that has been proven with Dyno's that supposedly have delt with all the ECU piculararities.

6speed8

Argggghhh, some people get way too caught up in the NUMBERS game. What happened here is someone took an RX-8 for a test drive (without knowing the "numbers") and fell in love with it. Then read or heard (mot likely heard) the
car had less Hp than originally adevrtised and now feels cheated.

I say screw the numbers, and just enjoy the car for what it is, cause it's a pretty substantial car, and it has a very unique bodystyle and engine. Yeah there are faster cars, yeah there are some better handling cars, but most of them are either econo boxes with turbochargers, or are impractical two seaters.

Just open the door, slide in, start the engine, drive down the street, and when the road opens up, tach it up to 9200 silky smooth rpms, then shift and do it again . Enjoy the different textures on the interior, the rotary clues, the shape of the shifter, feeling of being a part of the car. You can drive around all day in second gear and not know it. Watch as the people in other cars sstrain their necks to get a glimpse of your car.

Then for real fun find a nice open road with lots of curves, and see if a smile doesn't come across your face. What more do you want in a car?

afeldman327

Get this guy out of here and end this thread already. This car is not for "power nuts." It's for people who want a serious, refined sports car that does more than get to the next red light in first place.

When I bought my 8 I test drove more "powerful" cars first. no comparison as far as total value.

More horsepower is not an indicator of how big your johnson is.

czr

iTrader: (3)

I'd be concerned with what is "most cars." There's over 10k rx8 sold in the US now. Maybe what was tested was only a small sample at the time. Anybody can back me up who got there stock cars dynoed past and present?

Wankeler

Sure I'd love more power... I'd love the original 250 they promised. But they changed that to 238. Does my car have 238? I dunno. I know there have been people that have dyno'd their cars and have come up with numbers lower than the 238. Then there are reports that because of wheel speed sensors and ECU programming, that we may not be seeing the correct numbers on the dynos. It's all disheartening... but I look at it this way. I love the car as it is now. IF i had bought the car 48 hours earlier, I would not have opted for the buy back program anyways and taken the free maint. If in the future Mazda said... HEY! we've got a miracle ECU flash where we can bring the HP back to 247 (or 250), HELL YES I'd take that. If they NEVER do, oh well... I'll add more power when the warranty expires (hopefully, we'll have a functional FI system available to us in the near future - go Hymee! go RP!)

BAM-BAM

Just what was on the contract he signed. I don't think it's a numbers game for him at all. They said he has 8 airbags...but if he was in an accident and none of them went off because they weren't actually there...he'd be a bit on the pissed side eh? It also states ABS braking system...but if in actuality, it didn't, there would be hell to pay ya know. So it's more of a "Don't tell me its there if its not" kinda thing. People look for 4 major factors in vehicle purchase...Safety, MPG, HP, and styling. And they sum these up using the price tag. Some lean more toward MPG or safety for the little ones..and some, like silver and I lean a bit toward judging the price-tag to the HP and weight ratio, but still expect all amenities on the sticker. We want performance, and if 240 ponys worth or perfromance is on our contract, then we expect it. Just like you expect the car to start every time, and the wheels to stay on & so on. We just want the total package promised, and believe it or not..it's against the law to give us less. To not give us the safety featues, the HP, or amenities promised in the contract, its illegal...even if we still "love" the car, they have guaranteed him something that very well may not exist. If every consumer just took what they were given, despite what was promised and what the price was, a loaf of bread would be advertised to net us an extra 40 I.Q.s, make or dicks 6 inches longer and would cost 650 bucks. But we are smart shoppers, and follow through on our purchases and the guarantees that were made to us therein. I love everything about this car...but to think I could enjoy it more, because it isn't actually what was promised to me is disheartening. And "silver" seems to feel the same way.

StewC625

Apparently this guy didn't read the thread "The Little Things ..." yet ...

Serously, who the hell cares how many horsepower are coming from the rear wheels.

Here's what I know:

1) There isn't a day that goes by that I don't get at least 5 "thumbs up"/"nice car"/"cool!" comments (as well as snide remarks like "midlife crisis?", "what are you thinking?" which I think are just as fun).

2) I love the sounds of every moment of operation of this car - from the sound at start up "varoom, bub, bub, bub, bub, mmmmmmmmmmm", to the incredible scream from the engine as it heads to redline, to the constant gearbox whine (reminds me of the Hewland sequential shift gearbox in the Formula Dodge that I drove at Skip Barber school a few years ago), to the slight off-throttle burble you get when tooling around the neighborhood at low speeds. Hell, I even like the tire noise from the Bridgestones!

2) The handling of this car is simply mindblowing. I'm a professionally-trained driver who, 20 years ago, was running in SCCA "serious" racing - Showroom Stock, Solo 1, etc., and even when I"m pushing the hell out of the car, it feels like I'm barely touching 7/10ths of the capabilities of it.

3) Say what you want about the 0-60. Personally, 0-60 in 5.8 seconds (the most consistent time I get on my stopwatch) is a number I think it's pretty goddamn quick! It beats my brother-in-law's Porsche Boxter! That's good enough for me.

4) I love the huge blast of acceleration you get when the revs are up - downshifting from 6th to 3rd at 65 mph and WOT'ing to redline in the next 2 gears takes you to nearly 120 mph! YOW!

Hearing something here? Have I referred to "I love that it has 238 horsepower"? Nope.

Love the car for the driving. Who the f-ck cares about the stupid numbers, unless you're one of those dipsh-ts that has to flop his schwanz out on the table and talk about how big it is. Guys who do that all the time are obviously not USING their schwanz for the intended purpose and getting the enjoyment of it.

Which plays me right into my wife's hands that this car is a false-***** car. DAMNIT! She's right!

LOL



Stew

mattyg

i thought the 238 hp rating was at the flywheel not the rear wheels

MELRX8

Would I like more power? Sure, why not! Am I disappointed? No! I bought my 8 before I found this forum and I got nervous at first too, but then I thought hey, thats not my car.

Mine is a 9/03 build date, had 200 miles on it and was a demo. All TSB's were implemented as matter of coarse as the dealer wanted people to buy the cars. Never flooded, cool cup holder (even cooler since Red Line added), air conditioner works great.

I'm usually the first across the intersection, love the smooth application of power from 3000 rpm to red line. Love the balance of the car, both weight distribution, quality of interior and performance.

Enjoy your car, it's a great ride!