My "NEW" 2004 Mazda RX-8.. Need some info thanks.
 

Well,

I just got this 2004 RX-8 GT package for $8,700 it has 80k miles on it and seems to be runnig great. Starts a little funny but could be the old plugs and wires is my guess. Its starts everytime no problem. I had a 81' RX-7 bridge ported when i was in high school and loved it. I read about this cars reviews before i bought it so I new what i was getting into. This thing eats gas like no other. I got 175 miles before the gas light came on. wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I've seen on the net that there is a fuel saver thing i can get. Anyone have this? Or know of something to help this. Yes.. I was driving the car a little fast but damm. Also, what oil, plugs and wires do ya'll recommend? I would love to keep this car for years to come so i need all the info I can get. I will eventually mod this car for power..but now im getting a house built so that is the priority. Thanks RickZ

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check your coils, wires and plugs as they usually are the main cause of poor gas milage. Those fuel saver things do not work and are a waste of time and money. Welcome to the club!

fuel saver is a joke.
keep the car tuned up should give you better gasmillage.

First off, let me say, welcome back to the family! We're glad to have you back.
Secondly, I've only owned 1 RX8, and it hasn't been for that long. What I'm gonna put in here is just what I've learned from reading other people posts, and doing a lot of searching. That's where you'll find most of your answers. However, I have summed up a couple simple solutions for you, to help you get a guide on how you should proceed. These are just my opinions from what I've got from around the site, but make sure you do your own investigating (Searching), and see what works for you.

Well, when it comes to oil, it's really up to you, but I can point you in the right direction to start you own investigation. There are many factors to consider especially with what climate you're in. Don't forget your K&N Oil filter!

Gas/Oil Premix Thread (A wealth of knowledge in this thread, along with some antics.)
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...&highlight=Oil

With 80k miles, one of the first thing's I'd do would be to replace the spark plugs, coils, wires, and air filter like you said. :)

For coils and wires you can't go wrong with the BHR Ignition System.
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...gnition+System
Ask anyone who has one, they'll never use anything else more than likely. It's well worth every penny.

Then of course for plugs you have a few options, but what most people are running are the NGK Iridium spark plugs, which are OEM, but word on the street is that they're pretty much the best ones all around.
http://www.sparkplugs.com/results_ap...1&AAIA=1416844

Don't forget about the air filter as well! The stock air box was engineered quite well, so unless you really need that aftermarket look and feel, the miniscule hp gain (if any) most of the time won't be worth it. Just plop a K&N drop in filter in there and you'll be smooth running. It's worth the $55 bucks to me.
http://raceroots.com/index.php/produ...ir-filter.html

I'm sure a lot of the other members are gonna jump on here and say how wrong I am, or how what they're running is so much better, to which I will pre-reply, "Hey now, everyone entitled to their opinions!"

I hope this helps you out some. Just try out the search feature, what you find may surprise you.

That's exactly what my 2004 did when the coils started going bad. Longer and longer starts and a little worse than usual gas milage.

It depends on how you drive it too. When I first bought the car and couldn't resist making it beep all the time lol, I'd get around 16mpg. These days I'm much calmer and always manage around 20mpg in ordinary commuting.

^+1 For the BHR Ignition http://blackhaloracing.com/products-...tion-system15/. The OEM coils are weak and prone to fail early.

Also i would look into premix http://www.idemitsu-usa.com/page_210.htm.

If you are NA just use the OEM spark plugs

You may have the old starter, mazda came out with a new updated starter. Contact Mazmart for a good price.

Wow! Thanks for everyone on this. Everyone seems very serious and professional here. I also have a 2003 R6 and a 2008 R1. Im on both forums and aasking little ?'s you get alot of prick answers. Thanks to all. I'm in the USAF and have been living in Italy the last 5 years. This is why I got the new car. Couldn't bring the euro spec BMW back. I love the RX cars. Really wanted a RX-7 but with building a house can't put that kind of cash out right now. I will look at all suggestions and do some much needed research on upgrades needed. Thanks to all Ciao!..oh i live in Missouri now about and 1 1/2 east of Kansas city.

For 80k miles, you got a pretty good price on that vehicle.

Thanks...I talked him down for awhile. I had cash so he went down even though he was askin $9.3 for it. I just did lots of research. Wow! im tired now

Congrats! That's a nice car... enjoy it!

You got a great deal on it. Any plans for it? (after you work on your house)

Plans for it? Of course, I'm tinting the front and rear light, but not too dark. I actually like the tail lights stock but a little smoke will look good. Volk wheels or Konig wheels with an offset. New BHR ignition package. Smoked side markers. Im also goin to take it to a body shop to have the paint taken care of. Being black it shows swirls and light scratches. Im gonna have the paint buffed then waxed. Make it look new again. I will do performance upgrades like Racing beat headers and exhaust but I really would like to FI it.

^ good plans bro congrats and welcome to the club

I'd choose Konigs over the Volk wheels, but I'm always for tinting the heads/tails, esp with a dark paint job. Good luck, and post pics as you make your mods

? for everyone. When I bought the car the owner said the guy saod the remote for the alarm worked just needed a new battery. Well, i went and bought the new battery and no WORKIE!!!. Its the stock remote and ive seen it on ebay. How would i program it. Also is it possible that the remote just lost its signal and needs to ne reprogramed. Thanks for any help.

anyone?

take it to the dealer they'll charge you ten bucks for programming

^this person is correct. dealer can take care of this relatively cheap and quick

Except that the remote is probably dead. They die within 2 years. I would imagine just about any owner of any recently built car is familiar with this. If you buy a brand new one at the dealership, it will cost a lot. The dealership isn't going to be able to bring your existing remote back to life.

I believe when the above people are talking about programming, they mean if you buy one on ebay.

why would you pay 10 dollars for something that takes you 4 mins?

lemme get you the site i used one sec...

(the lock/unlock is the part you need, it still starts the car correct?)

welcome to the club do it big boss man :)

heres your site if all you need to do is get the lock, unlock, etc. buttons to work

http://www.programyourremote.com/cla...Ad.asp?id=1518

Thanks I'll try this one. I tried one like it but it didn't work.

Here's what im goin with for my rims. I got 18x8 stock wheels and the tires are only 4 months old. So im goin to just get the wheels and swap the tires. $655.00 shipped form discounttire. WHAT YA" think.

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...rt/showCart.do

Here's another I went to Auto Zone today to get the NGK spark plugs. The had 2 types. Leading and Trailing. From my last Rotary...The leading is the Intake plugs and the Trailing are the exhaust plugs. I will need two of each correct. Sorry for the Rookie ?'s but I've been out of tha car game for a good minute. Thanks!

Here are the plugs.
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/cat...&parentId=62-0

Can anyone get better prices on them?

You should be getting closer to 250 per tank, 175 is really low... and so is 8700 for an 04 gt... i just bought mine in January (now granted it was from a dealership), but it had 75k miles and was the base model and it was 11.5.

After reading the rim info more the rim if powder coated black ad has a machined face..i still want it