New Owner - Intro and 1 Question
01-08-2013, 09:05 PM
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New Owner - Intro and 1 Question
Hello fellow RX8 owners!
After lusting after the RX8 since about 2005 I finally got the grundles to purchase one. After much searching and reading (the FAQ section and newbie guides here were incredibly helpful) I was able to purchase a beautiful 2009 R3 in the drop-dead-gorgeous blue mica.
I've been daily driving a stock NB miata that hasn't been aging well. No real mechanical problems to speak of in the 3+ years I owned it (and 60k miles I put on it in that time) even though it was driven to the limit every weekend in the summer at autocross events, but the salt of northeastern Ohio was killing it slowly. I am absolutely addicted to the seamless power delivery of the rotary engine, it feels like its never gonna stop reving! The steering and transmission are pure miata in terms of being very precise, with tons of feed back (which no doubt has something to do with the fact that the transmission is the same as that in the new miatas). The RX8 feels much more planted (probably due to the longer wheel base, super supportive seats and added 700 pounds) compared to the miata's toss-able nature. But I love it. I love the way when your done blasting around, the RX8 puts down its machine gun, and becomes a normal, well behaved car.
I'm going to keep searching the forums and try to find the answers to the rest of my questions but there is one question I would like to ask since I haven't been able to find the answer to it yet:
Will 17 inch wheels fit over the brakes on the R3? If so (or even if not) what kind of wheels do you guys prefer for an RX8 that's both a daily driver and a weekend track car? I love the look of the stock 19" wheels but would like to be able to get Star Specs or RE-11's for a more reasonable price (a set of star specs for my miata use to cost me less than $400) and I'd like to reduce unsprung weight whenever possible (plus I can snag a set of lightly used snow tires for FREE in 17 inch size from my fiance's mom).
Just for fun, the following is a list of the cars that are currently sitting in the drive way (I live with a few other guys who like their cars):
2013 Subaru BRZ
2002 Honda S2000
2004 Subaru Impreza WRX (heavily modified)
2012 Rousch Mustang Stage 3 (540 hp)
2001 Ford Ranger
2011 Mazda 2
And now my 2009 RX8 R3.
(Coming in March is my fiance's 1 of only 100 made, orange 2013 WRX STi)
...and for the record the RX8 is in the garage
Thanks for your help and I look forward to getting to know you guys!
After lusting after the RX8 since about 2005 I finally got the grundles to purchase one. After much searching and reading (the FAQ section and newbie guides here were incredibly helpful) I was able to purchase a beautiful 2009 R3 in the drop-dead-gorgeous blue mica.
I've been daily driving a stock NB miata that hasn't been aging well. No real mechanical problems to speak of in the 3+ years I owned it (and 60k miles I put on it in that time) even though it was driven to the limit every weekend in the summer at autocross events, but the salt of northeastern Ohio was killing it slowly. I am absolutely addicted to the seamless power delivery of the rotary engine, it feels like its never gonna stop reving! The steering and transmission are pure miata in terms of being very precise, with tons of feed back (which no doubt has something to do with the fact that the transmission is the same as that in the new miatas). The RX8 feels much more planted (probably due to the longer wheel base, super supportive seats and added 700 pounds) compared to the miata's toss-able nature. But I love it. I love the way when your done blasting around, the RX8 puts down its machine gun, and becomes a normal, well behaved car.
I'm going to keep searching the forums and try to find the answers to the rest of my questions but there is one question I would like to ask since I haven't been able to find the answer to it yet:
Will 17 inch wheels fit over the brakes on the R3? If so (or even if not) what kind of wheels do you guys prefer for an RX8 that's both a daily driver and a weekend track car? I love the look of the stock 19" wheels but would like to be able to get Star Specs or RE-11's for a more reasonable price (a set of star specs for my miata use to cost me less than $400) and I'd like to reduce unsprung weight whenever possible (plus I can snag a set of lightly used snow tires for FREE in 17 inch size from my fiance's mom).
Just for fun, the following is a list of the cars that are currently sitting in the drive way (I live with a few other guys who like their cars):
2013 Subaru BRZ
2002 Honda S2000
2004 Subaru Impreza WRX (heavily modified)
2012 Rousch Mustang Stage 3 (540 hp)
2001 Ford Ranger
2011 Mazda 2
And now my 2009 RX8 R3.
(Coming in March is my fiance's 1 of only 100 made, orange 2013 WRX STi)
...and for the record the RX8 is in the garage
Thanks for your help and I look forward to getting to know you guys!
Last edited by poacherinthezoo; 01-08-2013 at 09:35 PM.
01-08-2013, 09:11 PM
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Yes, you are correct, the 19s of the R3 are probably the most unpleasant part of it. Very heavy and the rubber is even more costly than the 18s of the rest.
The R3 does not have any larger brakes than the rest of the RX-8s (all series 2, and all series 1 with sport suspension, which was all manual transmission, all Sport, Touring and Ground Touring). 17s do fit around these brakes, and it's a popular size for winter tires, and very common on auto-cross and track sets for the lower cost rubber and some go for the slightly taller sidewalls as well.
5x114.3 is the bolt pattern.
If you opt not to sell the R3's wheels, store them carefully. The original MSRP on those wheels was $2,400 a piece I believe (which was admittedly a ludicrously large markup). The sets tend to go for $1k+ on the classifieds here.
The R3 does not have any larger brakes than the rest of the RX-8s (all series 2, and all series 1 with sport suspension, which was all manual transmission, all Sport, Touring and Ground Touring). 17s do fit around these brakes, and it's a popular size for winter tires, and very common on auto-cross and track sets for the lower cost rubber and some go for the slightly taller sidewalls as well.
5x114.3 is the bolt pattern.
If you opt not to sell the R3's wheels, store them carefully. The original MSRP on those wheels was $2,400 a piece I believe (which was admittedly a ludicrously large markup). The sets tend to go for $1k+ on the classifieds here.
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