New 2011 Sport MT Owner from Austin TX
 

Howdy! I recently purchased probably the last 2011 Sport MT in Austin area and have been quietly reading around the "essential" threads here - they are extremely helpful so thank you for putting them together.

I am mainly a Miata guy with 2 NBs and a 2005 MS GT in my past, i considered RX8 before but wifey always pulled the plug on it. Come 2012 and i thought this is my last chance to experience this car so out goes the family sedan and welcome RX8!

So far i have gathered (and come to my own conclusion) to check and top-off with regular 5W-20 oil. Bought a 12-pack of 1-quart Castrol GTX and put it in the garage. Few questions that i still can not seem to locate answers for:

1. I gathered the rate of oil consumption is around 2500 mile/quart... at that rate my 12 pack will last 30,000 miles. That's a lot of miles for me considering I would probably drive about 500 miles per year; does engine oil expires or goes bad if stored for long time?

2. So you check the oil level when engine is hot; when do you top-off if its low, right away or wait for it to cool down?

3. Pre-mix... It sounds like its a good thing to do; when to start - mine has just 500 miles on it currently - should i wait for first oil change. Also what's the best way to add premix; pour in 2-stroke oil and then fill the gas?

4. As i drive just 500 miles per month; should i change my oil every 4 months/2000 miles or 6 months/3000 miles?

5. So i read flooding is not an issue with newer models; can i safely make short trips o move it in/out of garage and turn it off right away? I've heard the old "hold the rpms at 5000 while killing the engine" does no longer apply?

6. Mine was standing at the lot for a long time - prob. from June 2011 - i feel the shifter does not move as crisply/smoothly - especially in first - as i expected. Could it be running low on transmission fluid? Also when moving after coming to a stop and shifting to first with clutch fully depressed, i kind of have to fight the shifter and there is a good deal of resistance coming back to me with some sort of whirring that does not happen when shifting into other gears when the car is moving - is this normal?


I guess i am still warming up to it. It has started to feel like a 4-seat Miata - which is a very good thing - but the longer highway jaunts are meh. Unless there are some twisties when i felt other cars are just stationary as i pass them by :)

1. For your climate, I would highly recommend using a thicker oil. I don't want to start a debate about oil/warranty/etc. Do the research (click the google link in my sig, as an example). Also, I wouldn't keep oil sitting around for too long...

2. Remember that oil expands as it heats up. I top up when I get home from the gas station, no waiting period.

3. It doesn't really matter. However, I add before fueling.

4. Change every 3k miles.

5. Just turn off engine normally.

6. Take it back to the dealer and have them inspect it. If they can, have them replace the fluid. Many people use Eneos 75W-90 or Redline MT-90.


Make sure you read the "New and Potential Owners" sticky, post pictures and enjoy the car! Welcome to the addiction :)


EDIT: read this article from Black Halo Racing regarding lubrication http://blackhaloracing.com/?page_id=179

Welcome aboard. Most of the Austin guys hang out in the SARX lounge in the Gulf forum so stop by and say hello.

Thanks guys, posted in SARX lounge - seems like most guys there are heavy on modding - i stay away normally beside minor cosmetic stuff.

Make sure to let at least 1 red bar disappear from the rolling redline thing on the gauge before shutting off. When i owned a 09 i never started driving until that 1 bar disappeared, maybe im just paranoid but it doesn't hurt.

My '11 Sport goes through a quart of oil every 750 to 1000 miles, so I'm not sure where you got the 1 quart per 2500 miles idea from.

As for how often to change the oil, you need to at least change it the minimum amount of time the owners manual says. If your 500 miles a month is mostly easy highway miles, then once every 6 months should be fine for the warranty. If you do a lot of stop and go driving, then every 4 months is probably a better idea.

BC.

Good to know i can shut it off after just one bar disappears - which happens pretty fast actually. I was so far driving it around a bit waiting for all the red zones to disappear and that takes a bit more.

I will keep checking the oil, if it needs to be changed 750 or 1000 miles, will do it. Thanks.

The one part i miss actually, On my 08 i have to wait until the dummy water temp starts to move, which in the NE right now could take 2-6 minutes. Im paranoid maybe, I really miss that gauge the most about my 09.

Is your 8 red and was that you behind me on 1st this morning?

1. 5w20 changes to water pretty fast so u might want to change it a bit more often.

2. Just top it off when its hot.

3. You dont really need to premix for 2011 rx8, extrs nozzle helps. Even if u premix 4 oz every tankful of gas is good enough.

4. Change it more often, see reasons #1

5. Just like any other car.

6. Thats is hard to say, factory filled tranny oil is not that good. U miht want to use something better

They already answered your question...now, post pics of your car. ;)

Nope, mine is silver with the lip spoiler.

Now trying to figure out if i should just top off with a thicker oil or get a complete oil change first. Mine is brand new out of the dealership so probably has Mazda's recommended 5w20 oil. Is it OK to mix different viscosity oils?

Also what are your thoughts on premixes? NEEDED for my S2 engine? I will drive it casually without modifying. I will want to maintain it properly but don't want any items that will be overkill for me - not taking it to track, won't be racing the ricers etc.

Just saw your post - Thanks, these all seems most reasonable.

Well its just stock with no options so i am sure looks like any other S2 8; Anyway if you want pics: http://www.pbase.com/mejaz/11_rx8

Sweet lookin' ride!

Dang... Theres a bunch of 8's around here, hardly anyone is active on the forums though.

I'm in south Austin if you ever need help, I doubt you will since you have a brand new car.

But the offer is there if you need it!

The oil issue is an ongoing debate - and a good one;) My take on it, not enough evidence to show that 5w-20 is what causes engines to fail prematurely. There seem to be a correlation - however - between abnormal bearing wear and the use of 5w-20. But most renesis engines fail due to loss of compression and coolant leaks anyway - which have nothing to do with oil weight. There maybe some cases of engines that failed exclusively due to abnormal bearing wear, but I haven't found any of those cases reported here on the forum when I was searching on the subject.

For peace of mind and to avoid potential warranty claim dramas with the dealer in the future (in case you have any issues with the car), go with whatever oil Mazda "recommends" - unless you guys down in TX really need to use thicker oil due to the hot weather.

In regards to premixing, you don't "really" need it (especially with the added 3rd oil injector in your car). However, you need to know that premixing is a looooooong standing tradition among rotary engine enthusiasts, especially with high hp race engines. Notice: in older cars and race cars some owners disable the oil metering pump altogether for various reasons. (there are some unconfirmed rumors that it has been done successfully in the RX-8, but you don't need to worry about that!!). In those cases people have no choice but to premix as there would be no oil injected to lubricate the seals otherwise.

Anyway, the way I see it, premixing the RX-8 is extra insurance. I do it religiously in my car. The only loss is the time it takes at the gas station (at times inconvenient), and the price of the oil itself. Other than that, if it doesn't hurt the engine...why not?

Also, there is no way to predict how much oil you will burn between oil changes. Oil consumption is based on engine load - provided the oil metering pump is working well and the lines are not clogged. The harder you push the engine, the more it burns. And from my experience, it is very unlikely you will burn a quart every thousand miles - unless you are really pushing the car constantly and consistently ( auto cross, track days, reckless driving on the street lol). But you said you will drive the car casually. I would be surprised if you burn more than a quart between oil changes.

In regards to the shifter, there have been some reported transmission issues with the S2s. Search into that folder to gather the data. Perhaps you can ask the dealer to take a look at whatever you are experiencing with the shifter.

Enjoy the car!!!

Thanks for all that input! Yes, i discovered that if i just row the shifter b/w 1st and Neutral back & forth (parked, engine not running), the resistance goes away and it moves smoothly BUT then it seems it pushed some cog towards 3rd as now shifting into 3rd gives me same resistance. Once i row 3rd/Neutral a couple of times, it starts moving smoothly and now pushes the resistance back to 1st. Maybe normal?

Yes, the transmissions are fairly stiff when they are brand new.
Mine felt much smoother after a couple thousand miles, especially when going from 4th into 5th.

BC.

I havnt read all of what you wrote but on my 08 with 32k miles sometimes it does feel as though there is a "wall" when trying to get into first, putting it into second and moving to first resolves this.

Oil consumption can vary widely, depending on driving conditions and driving style. If he is not driving the car agressively, 2500 mi / qt is a normal rate for a S2 car.

You might want to run that by other S2 owners in that folder.

So i top off the oil for the first time today after about 800 miles of driving. It was down by 1.2qt and i poured in a quart of Castrol GTX 5w20. This was after 4th gas fillup. It was down by half a aquart after 2nd fillup and i started driving it more spritidely since then.

My 11' R3 has close to 700 miles on it. I just top it off with 1/3 qt of oil. Like you OP, the RX is my weekend car and probably sees < 100 miles/week. I have taken the extra precaution of ordering Idemitsu 10w30 full synthetic oil and premix. Yes, it was a bit expensive ($208 shipped for both cases from West to East Coast) but $208/yr is not bad for insurance and a piece of mind. I plan to do my first oil change @ the 1,000 mile. Also, I added some Militec-1 in the past week and right away, I can hear the engine running smoother (it was smooth before but even smoother now). I used Militec in all my cars and transmissions. I was skeptical about Militec in rotaries, but the owners of Miitec assured me that it was perfectly safe and that the rotor chambers will benefit from treatment and more resistant to carbon build up.