I am in the market for an RX-8 as i have been studying the rotary engine for quite some time. I was looking for a vehicle that was RWD, more than 200 hp in stock form, and reliable. I then found out that the RX-8 is the only production car that utilizies the rotary engine. What worried me was finding a mechanic experienced with rotary engines, just in case anything ever happened after the warrenty ended. i'm still looking around, but as far as aftermarket modifications go, i want to definetly turbocharge the RX-8 if i do purchase it. I've found that Greddy offers a turbo kit, and i have also found a quality shop, SP Engineering, that would do the professional installation as well as the tuning and timing aspect. Has anyone utilized this turbo kit or have extra knowledge of it? curious to kno if there are such things as forged internals like you would have for a piston engine if you were to turbo charge it. i don't want to blow a motor, so i'll pay a little extra for forged internals if i have too.

 

hey airforce, alot of people on this forum have the greddy installed and running fine, but most of them also purchase the interceptor cpu and install over the e-manage that comes with the greddy kit. plus if you plan on having a pro tune it then the interceptor is a must.

edit: sidenote i say change the title to this thread to "interested in an rx8, have some turbo questions..." that'll attract a more knowledgable crowd to this thread

good luck

 

thank you. when you say install "over" the e-manage, do you mean they don't use the e-manage and just the interceptor or add the interceptor cpu?

 

they don't use emanage, it replaces it. it has a wider range of control over the engine than the emanage

 

i see. i've read about the e-manage as well, and heard that it's not out of the box "safe" to use. it has to be properly tuned before hand. of these people you mentioned that use this turbo kit, have you known any to pull 300+ rwhp at stock psi with or without other added modifications? plus any blown engines?

 

You should post in:

e-manage forum https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-engine-tuning-forum-63/

major horsepower upgrades https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-major-horsepower-upgrades-93/

if you plan on going FI with it

 

thanks.

 

I honestly have never heard of forged internals for a rotary engine. I have heard of low compression rotors though as well as lightened rotors. racing Beat sells lightweight balanced rotors, but im not too sure where you can find low compression rotors for the rx8. I read a post elsewhere on this forum where someone was rebuilding their renesis, planned on using low compression rotors from a 13b-rew but they werent compatible.

 

dude your in southern california. if you throw a rock and dont hit a rotary enthusiast or mechanic id be suprised. check out the socal7 club. you can just pm bern on this forum for info. they'll point you to the right people

 

lots of rotary mechanics in cali... especially LA. lots of rx7club peeps too. im sure theyll all help you out.

 

zoom is absolutely correct on this one... Quite a few Rotary shops in So Cal that can take care of you.

Fast Freddy's Mazda comes to mind. (corner of Harbor and Warner in Santa Ana) They've got tons of experience with Rotaries... (it's the only thing they've been doing for about 20 years)

 

Check this turbo kit out. 5k for the kit and you just have to wait till probably August or maybe later this year.

http://ptp.tuningmotorsports.com/pro...cat=422&page=1

It says 390 HP at flywheel, so I'm pretty sure that would be 300+ at the wheels.

Can't wait for it!! Hope it lives to the hype...

 

thanks guys. you all gave me a lot of great info. think i am going to go with the RX-8. It is a car that has much potential, especially with aftermarket modifications. The simplicity of the rotary engine is also what drew me to it. have a lot in mind to do to it, if i am to purchase it...which is a good chance.

 

warner & harbor...awesome. great to know i live extremely close to this place and used to drive by everyday to work.
sweet *** sweet

 

I have very extensive knowledge of both the Greddy Turbo kit, and SP Engineering. Have the Greddy kit, and have had a lot of work done on it by SP Engineering. Greddy is pissing me off big time. Have a faulty actuator on my turbo right now, and Greddy is being ridiculous in helping me solve it. We have gotten to the point where we offered to buy one just to move forward with my project, but they are giving us a hard time with that. Un-freakin' believable ! SP Engineering has been top notch. They have some of the best guys around in terms of tuning the EManage or other stuff. Do a great job of installing stuff. You (or SP, which I'm sure they do) will need the Greddy support tool software to tune the EManage.

As far as more reliable parts, Racing Beat has an Metering Oil Pump modification that would get more oil to the engine (very important for a rotary) during high RPM's, also lighetened rotors, but very pricey. Also Ianetti makes some ceramic Apex Seals that would improve reliability, but again they are pricey, and would require some disassembly of the engine.

 

wow, i was under the impression that Greddy had a helpful customer service. what about the warranty on the turbo kit? i also agree about SP Engineering. I've spoken to people who have had the cars modified by them, or bought parts from them, and everyone says how great they are. I checked out their website too, and all their car projects look amazing! It's a little bit over of 30 miles from my house (LAX area) which i am willing to drive without a problem.

 

Check out the high horsepower forum. There you will see several projects going on at this time. If you are interested solely in turbocharging the 8, you might want to look at MazsportScott's turbo kit development in addition to PTP's kit.

 

i'm going to be doing a lot more than turbocharging it, but i've found almost everything else without a problem. just want to make sure i make the right decision on the turbo...seeing as it is the most expensive mod i'll be buying.

 

Car&Driver also did a write-up on this a couple months back. Just incase you were wondering their findings:

http://www.caranddriver.com/specialt...x-8-turbo.html

Might I add...it is quite tempting when you start thinking about another 100HP to the wheels. Even if the tag is a hair on the pricey side...