ExtensiveRX8

I just picked up my Rx8

Today what the first time I could take it for an aggressive test drive.. I understand that by choosing Automatic I lost some performance from the engine.. But it still seemed to be underpowered for a car that is still producing 197HP...

I sold my Lexus Is300 to buy the Rx8 .. Don't get me wrong.... I love my 8 but can Not understand why it feels so much slower then my Automatic IS300 did..

IS300 215HP
RX8 197

Not that big of a gap in HP.. But the Is300 did have 200 pounds of torque.

Any Advice you can give me to get the most out of the vehicle would be appreciated.

What mods can I add to gain Power without Voiding the Warranty.. Please No flaming about I should have got a Manual!

blksf8

how many miles do you have on your car? didn't you want to break the engine first?

ExtensiveRX8

The vehicle was Prior Owned !

It has 4000km

irish8

Why did you buy the auto? The manual 6speed has so much more power!! Anyway, I'm sure the more you drive the car the more you will find the power. Also, shift in sport mode. I hear from the auto guys this is where the fun is. Redline baby!! Of course you have to wait 700 miles to go there.

Is it to late to bring it back and buy the manual?

- Irish

grapes

An automatic, enough said. Sorry that you made that choice. The standard power and Hi power are completely different animals. I drove the automatic to satisfy my wife and she's the one that said get the 6sp.

Omicron

What you're feeling is the difference in torque. Give it a little while and you'll find the lower torque of the rotary is easily offset by the way it revs. :D

But now I gotta ask... if the car feels so much slower than your old Lexus, enough so that it's already bothering you enough to come post about it, then why in the world did you by the '8 in the first place? You did JUST bought the car, right? Did you not push it at all prior to buying it, or are you having a little buyer's remorse?

Murray16

... But if you really want to get the most out of the car... take it to the track or on twisty roads.

ExtensiveRX8

In answer to your Questions,

I did drive Test Drive the RX8 prior to purchasing it.. But did not get a chance to give her a hard push.. I am NOT regretting my choice! I only drive Automatic so Manual was Not an option.

The RX8 is one of the nicest Vehicles on the Roads it's unique in everyway. In the last 2 days of owning it I have had about 10 people stopping me on the Road to give me Compliments..

At this Point I am 90% unbelievably satisfied, 10% dissatisfied do to Engine Lag

I was Hoping to get some Advice on Mods or Tricks from Other Members that Own AutoMatics..

It is a Fully Loaded 2004 Gt Package Sunlight Silver / Black Leather

dmp

...that's why you drive it like it's 'yours' on a test drive.

No surprises.

irish8

Sundance?? Riverdance!! You mean Sunlight Silver. BTW, you have come to the right place to learn about your new wheels. Welcome to the cult!! :D Surf till you can't surf no more. You will be an expert in no time.

- Irish

mtnpass

Welcome aboard, you should be able to find what you are looking for thru searching the forums. I know what you mean firsthand.....I first bought an auto, kept it less than a month and traded for a 6sp. Autos can be fun when driven in manual mode.

shakRpahX8

I didn't know how to drive manual
and i got 6spd
Now i'm driving manual! Oopdie doo!

I'm telling you Manual and Automatic is completely different in power
I test drove automatic and bought manual
haha the salesman was sittin next to me and we were just cruising down the road nicely, i didn't want to push the car hard for being a new and havin salesman next to me too. But he told me to floor and get the feeling, so i floored it....and salesman was like go ahead floor it. i'm like uhhh i am flooring it....ahhah the automatic felt so weak, the salesman had nothing to say when i told him i was already flooring it! hah

Now i drive manual. It's so much different man. I used to drive gs300 and my bro drives it now, but then i can't be disappointed with the power of my rx8.

Omicron

Definitely check out the Aftermarket Performance forums... but really your best bet is to wait a bit until someone comes out with a supercharger or turbocharger kit for the AT RX-8. There's a whole bunch of them just now starting to come out - by the end of the year you'll probably have some options.

cgrx

It the lack of TQ you are feeling

mazdabob

There's more to a sports car than initial acceleration. At least you won't burn up your rear tires. But, you will find that the handling and passing acceleration are terrific. It's a fun car! Enjoy!

easymmkayrx8

Do a 6spd swap and Turbo your 4port :D

rx8wannahave

Congrats on your purchase but as others have told you when you go auto you lose 40 HP, 2 ports, and a higher RPM range. I really am loving my 8 (I recently got it) but it was disapointing that Mazda did not make a better auto for it. I hear...(take that as you wish) that they are going to build a better auto that makes the power or close to the power it should.

Do as you wish, but any engine modifications should be left till after the warranty is over. I'll mess with my 8 in terms of some looks n stuff but I wont mess with the rotary until those 4 years are up.

Also, I think this year you will see ALOT more companies building performance stuff for the RX8 and I thought there already was a supercharger for the auto RX8 which brought it's power up to 250HP+??? Someone please direct him to that company, mag, etc that talked about it.

But, a supercharger will void your warranty...no doubt about that...

Nick

A couple things to say...

#1 ExtensiveRX8 never brought up the RX8 6 speed at all.. it was a comparison between 2 automatic cars with similar hp... so why all the comments about "you lost 40hp" and "the auto is just so slow" and "sorry that you made that choice" (that one just kills me).

#2 Even if those comments DID apply to this thread, why all the fuss of repeating these same comments anytime anyone mentions having an automatic? I don't think you are telling anyone anything they don't already know. Considering the auto and the 6 speed are nearly identical in price, I think that the case is rare where an automatic transmission was not an intentional priority on the buyer's list. I bought an automatic, and it was for a reason. I do know how to drive a manual, and I'm fine with doing so. I also test drove a 6 speed. It's not the power alone that makes this car great. If it was, then I would feel sorry for anyone who spent what they did on this car! You could have easily had a much more powerful, rear-drive sports car. You COULD NOT, however, have the total experience that makes up the RX-8 -- styling, quality, rotary, fun, etc. -- which is why, in my opinion, this car is great in automatic standard-power OR 6 speed high-power.

Just let all the "auto vs. manual" comments rest. We've already heard them too many times.

DreRX8

If you do exhaust and intake you will maybe get your car up to about 205HP. The best thing to do is try the Canzoomer Unit and tune it yourself--that could get you 10-20HP. Another Auto owner is attempting to tune the unit on an auto--so we'll see what gains he gets. The next option is nitrous, if that isn't your cup of tea; there are several turbo/supercharger kits that are compatible with the auto. Re-Amemiya (sp?) is the company that has a kit for the auto RX8 on the way, also I believe the blitz supercharger or SSR units are auto compatible. If you go the boost route--get ready to void your warranty. Me, I'll just enjoy the handling and looks of my auto and then trade it down the line for the 6spd/SMG/or 5spd auto with the 6-port motor. Or I'll keep it as a 2nd car and boost it.

mysql101

If you do exhaust and intake, you'd be lucky to make 5 hp. The stock intake is superior to almost all the aftermarket intakes. While you may gain a little in the upper, you lose down low, so it's not a good trade off. VFAD was used in the car for a reason, and it's already a cold air intake from factory.

I'll never understand why people take a VFAD cold air intake and install a K&N typhoon on their car.

jaedcem

My concern with modifying the engine is the auto transmission. My understanding is that Mazda lowered the power and rev limit of the engine because the automatic transmission couldn't handle the higher engine speeds. They HAD to lower the redline to protect the transmission, and the lower power was the result.

The easiest way to "tune" the engine for more power is to modify the ECU to allow 9000 rpm, but that would over-stress the transmission, right? If this is true, then I'd be careful with aftermarket ECU upgrades not for the sake of the engine, but the transmission.

MikeMaj82

doesn't the auto RX-8 have slightly more TQ than a manual?

Mike

my10ae

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreRX8

If you do exhaust and intake you will maybe get your car up to about 205HP. The best thing to do is try the Canzoomer Unit and tune it yourself--that could get you 10-20HP. Another Auto owner is attempting to tune the unit on an auto--so we'll see what gains he gets. The next option is nitrous, if that isn't your cup of tea; there are several turbo/supercharger kits that are compatible with the auto. Re-Amemiya (sp?) is the company that has a kit for the auto RX8 on the way, also I believe the blitz supercharger or SSR units are auto compatible. If you go the boost route--get ready to void your warranty. Me, I'll just enjoy the handling and looks of my auto and then trade it down the line for the 6spd/SMG/or 5spd auto with the 6-port motor. Or I'll keep it as a 2nd car and boost it.

Speed Racer and I are the ones working on tuning an auto 8 with a CZ unit. Check out our
preliminary findings here: https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=49665

therm8

I thought only the hi-power got VFAD. At least I don't see it on mine.

DreRX8

Yeah the A/T has slightly more torque--some developers believe that the 4-port engine is better for boosting though. Right now I would follow my10ae and speedracers canzoomer ecu tuning--so far they are making a few gains here and there.