peterdobey

I just bought a 2004 RX-8 and have a few questions (Sorry old-timers):

Which fuel grade do I REALLY need?

Do rotaries "ping" like piston engines?

What is the best wheel and tire size combos? (I hate rubbing)
Give me the straight scoop. (no street racer/Poser input wanted)
I want to AutoCross the car.

Best shock and spring combos?

Sway Bar upgrades?

Brake Rotor & Pad upgrades?

Does the stock radio work with an I-pod / I-phone?
If so... what adapter should I get?

What are the best RX-8 websites?

Who are the best high-quality aftermarket part suppliers?

Thanks for the help,

Pete in Aptos, CA

Mazurfer

Search is your friend!
Too many questions.
Do some reading on this site....and see the stickies.
There is loads of info and all your questions have been answered many, many times.

ken-x8

Good question. If you ever figure that out, let us know.

Ken

ZumnRx8

Lmao... for every one of your questions there is a sub-forum for that. How lazy people have gotten... they start to think we are Genies around here.

04RX8man

search and your dreams will come true

xsnipersgox

You need 100 octane race fuel,

it doesn't ping, it actually just break off the engine

23 inches and as wide as you can fit with chrome

toyota.com

i hear unbolting the stock swaybar is good enough

our rotor are small as hell, slap on an oversized brembo kit and paint it please

the best aftermarket i sell it, just message me for more info.

Silverisk8

iTrader: (1)

Read the bolds in red , hope it helps ... welcome to the forum

Huey52

iTrader: (2)

^ 91 octane is fine, but 93 is good insurance to provide max performance. Some run 89 with no ping issues, but potentially some loss of performance.

Yes, a rotary can ping (aka knock, pre-detonate, dieseling) due to insufficient octane. All internal combustion engines can. In layman's terms it's simply fuel lighting off before it's supposed to.

Staggered is not recommended as it adversely affects handling. But if you're just going for show than have at it.

You can't add an Aux adapter if you're already using the head end for say a Sirius radio.

Search in general. "All this has happened before and will happen again." - BSG

xsnipersgox

cause i feel like a nice guy, run 87. anything more is a waste of money unless you are racing it or it gets pretty hot. i run it all but maybe 4 months.... i live in texas.

04 GT 6speed 75k miles, no problem, premix

peterdobey

Eight responses... only two had useful information...
(Thanks Silverisk8 & Huey52)

I guess you have to have a pretty picture and cute icons to keep up in this neighborhood.

Sorry to bother you guys...

ken-x8

I counted three useful replies. Doesn't xsnipersgox's second post count? His answer looked pretty straight to me.

FWIW, I'd say that three of the other replies (not mine or xsnipersgox's first) were also useful. There's a ton of info here. Ask a question and you'll get the opinions of a few people who choose to pitch in at the moment. Browse/search and you'll get many opinions, from which you can form your own. That really matters if you're asking subjective questions...which several of yours are.

Anyway, welcome to the rotary world.

Ken

SheffieldSteel

I'm running 89 octane (the local choice is 87, 89, or 93 compared to the officially recommended 91) and the only knocking I've heard was when revving the engine in neutral and just letting the revs drop - something I don't normally do anyway.

Silverisk8

iTrader: (1)

running 87 is not a great choice, i'd use a great octane booster if it was me like Lucas Booster or even Turbo 108 which either one wont affect your oxigen sensor or cause harm to the cat... but that's my 2 cent

xsnipersgox

1) the rev in neutral and the "pop" is NOT knocking, it's excessive fuel being purged out the engine

2) running anything more than you need to is stupid, there are tons of information out there to educate yourself on what different octane means. but here are some nice informations.

lower octane pack more power per volume (result in more power and typically higher mpg)
unless it's very hot outside, racing your car, or boosting your car, there is absolutely no reason to throw money at the oil company. (and i worked for one)

kster

The Enkei RPF1 is a popular wheel and the newer PF01 is worth looking at too. I run 18x9.5 +45 with a 255/40/18 but this is for track use. With the same wheel, many folks have gone up to a 275 with no rubbing on a stock suspension.

For autox, you might want to stick with a 9" wheel since this is the limit for SCCA STX (from what I hear).

SheffieldSteel

Thanks Sniper, that's good to hear.

greg985

LOL octane boosters are a rip off

Silverisk8

iTrader: (1)

Most octane boosters YES lie, and claim to increase performance when in fact they don't except for LUCAS BOOSTER.... I don't get paid for the promo, but sure can vouch that it's a great product, I use it with my premix every full tank....

2oz lucas octane booster ( if you read the back label of this bad boy product it's meant for rotary engines....

2oz 2 stroke oil ( castrol )

2oz Lucas Upper Cylinder

But of course there is a full thread that talks about premixing... if you buy BS garbage boosters like STP, GUNK, SHELL, Valvoline, etc... you're getting ripped off by every dollar and every ounce...

xsnipersgox

^-- what i am seeing is a waste of money on octane booster,
and not enough premix, at least 4oz per full tank for any effect at all.

ZumnRx8

...

04RX8man

octane is the resistance to detonation...so use whatever keeps it from knocking/pinging/MIAC whatever u want to call it...I just use 93 all the time..you never know when you will go for a spirited drive and that last thing i want is it to start knocking...93 vs 87 is only a couple bucks a tank don't be cheap...

Silverisk8

iTrader: (1)

1) Too much premix can clog your fuel pump, but there's a full thread for the proper amount, it will depend in where you live and how often you use your RX8....

2) Using a balance of each product won't harm the engine like overkilling it with just straight premix, besides I run with 93 and premix since day one...

3) Redline each day your RX8 is a BS theory..... you loose compression each time until you start having ignition problems...

4) waste of money will be buying mods when not correcting the daily maintance mistakes

5) My 2 cents , you don't have to listen to what I just wrote, everyone's opinion is diferent just thought of sharing some advices...

xsnipersgox

4oz is a very low ratio.
13 US gallons = 1664 US fluid ounces
2/1000 ratio man, any less than that you are just joking with yourself.

There is a difference with being cheap and wasting money, i do not go cheap on this car but i also do not waste money. My engine do not knock in Texas HEAT with 87 all the way to april, maybe when the temperature starts to hit 90F i'll go up to 91, then when it starts to break 100 i'll go up to 93.

I will say it again, Octane Booster is the dumbest **** you can put in your car unless you are tuning your car to the limit of that octane of gas.