tightaznguy87

hey i just bought a 04 rx8...Love it. but i have a question with the 6speed. When i switch the gear you hear like a bump noise. It reminded me of my bmw z3... It thats suppose to sound like that? and i heard that this car break around 60-70k is that true too. Please reply

youpey

what color is your car

XRX8X

This is normal for most w/6sp trannys but might be a bit nicer with a trans fluid change and flush the brake and clutch system.diff.too!

do a search in tech section!

Toly

Absolutely... Consider yerself lucky if you make it to 70K... You're really driving a Ford with a weird engine.

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

ahahahahahaaa

Nopstnz

hahaha, true.

Roaddemon

If you go on other car brand forums they all believe it's a 20k engine and needs rebuilding every other month. Talk about stupid.

RotaryRider36

I can honestly find the humor in this statement so please dont be offended by my next comments.

The rotary engine has gotten a bad rap due to the 3rd generation rx7's motors going down the tubes on a constant basis. The truth is that the rotary can be reliable as any other engine as long ay you take care of it. There are quite a few 2nd gen rx7's that have made it to the 200k mark without a rebuild. This latest incarnation of the 13b uses much stronger parts than previous generations and remains n/a from the factory. If you properly maintain your rx8 (this includes frequent redlining of the engine to prevent carbon buildup on the rotors) your motor will be fine.
While the FD3S is arguable the best performing car to come from the factory with a rotary engine, its overall twin turbo design in a cramped engine bay created an environment that was unfriendly for the engine. Since rotary engines run hotter than piston engines, the twin turbo system "cooked" the motor over a smaller than usual amount of time. Couple that with the fact that the car was packaged with an insufficient cooling system and smaller intercooler, and you have a recipe for failure. Upgrades to the cooling system, a downpipe to free up air, and better ventilation to the motor help increase the longevity of the 13b-rew. Many people also upgrade to a larger single turbo because it does not generate as much heat as the twin units.The second reason the motor has a bad rap is that alot of people who purchased third gen rx7's modded them without really knowing what they were doing. Many mods were made without properly tuning the car's fuel system. If a car is putting out too much power and isnt recieving sufficient fuel, its going to be a bad day for the motor. With proper tuning and maintence, the 13b-rew can make ridiculous amounts of power and do so fairly reliably.
Mazda addressed many of these issues with the rx8. You dont have to worry about twin turbos cooking your engine, the apex seals (which were seen as a weak point on earlier rotaries) have also been strengthened for greater longevity. If you look under an rx8 where the front air damn would be, you will notice a very large and sufficient radiator. The car comes with dual oil coolers stock, wheras dual oil coolers were available only on the the R1 model of the FD3S.
If you decide to mod your rx8 by going the forced induction root, than expect the problems associated with going that route on any NA car. If you stick to NA bolt ons, change your oil regularly and check it often, and make sure the car is driven often, then your rx8 motor should last you a very long time indeed.

Nopstnz

^^^ I completly agree. All these new threads popping up with questions people have about a short lived engine seem to be because of the bad rep of the fd.

tightaznguy87

my car is blue

tightaznguy87

thanx u guys for replying nd helpng me understand my car more.... oh and yeah doe the air intake and the exhaust help this car alot... like better performance and also better air flow for the car?

Duke15

Sorry, blue ones are actually the bad ones that only go to 70K miles. The red ones last forever and are much faster.

RotaryRider36

An exhaust and intake will not net you much more wheel horsepower than you already have. Mazda seems to have done their R&D on the RX8 and if you want more HP, you might have to wait for some engine management programs to come out. The Interceptor X can net an additional 20whp NA if im not mistaken. If you want an exhaust, your max benefit will be a reduction in weight, good looks (stock tips are kinda smallish) and a different sound. An intake really wont get you much except noise. Racing beats was designed to be quiet and even looks like a stock airbox but netted like 2-3whp I think. Your modding money is best spent in suspension goodies, better tires, and/or flywheel. In a car that revs to 9k, the quicker it revs the better. In due time, more and more FI options will become available if you are really after big power. Just be patient, let the companies work out the kinks, and learn how to drive what you have first. You would be surprised how many people can't drive their stock rx8 to its max potential (myself and probably 9 out of 10 other owners). For all other performance inquiries, feel free to check out our performance section and use that search feature. You'd be surprised at how many questions you might think of that have already been answered.
Zoom-Zoom!!

supergoat

It's more than adequeate. Prove that it's not.

RotaryRider36

You may want to upgrade to a bigger radiator if you are going to be racking up some serious lap time, but otherwise the cooling system is fine. Even if you do the occassional track day, you should be fine, at least on a stock engine. I drive my 8 very "spirited" and have never suffered any cooling problems. With everything I said in my previous post, you nitpick at this statement?

RotaryRider36

!! You guys and your 110 degree days!

stickman

Green ones are environmentally friendly and match the face color of people who have other cars

tightaznguy87

i have another question about my car noise... when i drive it.. it sound like a wine-ing(hover) noise... like a toy car.... is that the rx8 sound like

puch96

Don't you think by redlining the engine you reduce the life expectancy!! More wear to the apex seals.!!!

RotaryRider36

Ive been told time and time again that redlining this engine is good because carbon builds up on the rotors, and redlining the engine every once in a while helps keep them free of carbon. Anyone with more rotary experience than me should feel free to correct me if Im wrong, or back me up if im right. Ive read it quite a few times on these boards and the rx7 forums.

puch96

I am not arguing here, but don't you think that maybe redlining the engine too much is what caused the short life on the rotaries (particularty the rx7s and the bad reputation of those engines??? Now supposedly the Renesis is more robust and has better materials, but I still hear of people needed to get their engines replaced.
I cannot speak for certain, but I believe it will be a trede-off. I do believe by reving up the engine, it clears the carbon deposits...(that is true with every engine). (Sort of the concept that highway miles are better than city miles)....
On the other hand, high revs put more stress on the engine (pistons or rotary) due to higher friction and heat build up.
As I stated before, I am not pretending to be the expert here by any means... This is just my "believe". Anybody that has a lot of experience with rotaries should correct me here.... Questions: Why are the APEX seals subject to failure rather fast?

yiksing

The seals are weak in comparison with pistons with regards to detonation, I may be very wrong.

tightaznguy87

i have another question about my car noise... when i drive it.. it sound like a wine-ing(hover) noise... like a toy car.... is that the rx8 sound like

JonsToy

That's what mine sounds like. Beautiful, isn't it?