Newbie questions
 

Thinking about getting an RX-8. Don't laugh, but is the trunk big enough to get a medium sized road bike in with the wheels off?

What is the deal with tires? A spare is optional? So does that mean run flats are standard, or you are on your own if you don't have a spare?

Forget getting the road bike into the trunk with the wheels off. It will never happen although, I am pretty sure that someone is making a roof rack for the car, but that's your option for transporting a road bike without putting it in the back seat with the wheels off, which of course would be fairly detrimental to the interior of the back seat.

The spare is not standard. The car does not come with run flats. It comes with an electric air compressor and a bottle of goo that you are supposed to pump into the trunk after pulling the tire valve. The patch kit is only appicable in situations where there is a puncture that isn't too big in between the treads. Anything else, they tell you to call roadside assistance. The goo also trashes the tire and requires the purchase of a new tire.

Hope that answers your questions.

Really? Where did you get that info? I didn't read anything about that in the manual. Nor did the salesman say anything about that when I bought the car...

can it fit, technically yes. That 8 cubic feet of cargo space is incredibly spacious, two golf bags or two suitcases. Will it fit? probably not, the trunk is deep and not very wide and the opening may not be able to accomodate the bike (i assume you mean motorcycle because most bicycles dont come in many sizes but even a bicycle is going to have logistical problems, that frame is bigger than the opening widthwise and the trunk isnt that front to back).

we dont get runflats but we get a fix a flat kit, and 24 hour roadside assistance from mazda, so we're at least covered in some sort of way.

Yeah, unfortunately it's true of all "fix-a-flat" type kits. The so-called "M Mobility" kit that BMW shipped with ///M Roadsters and Coupes also came with the same caveat. The goo is really nasty stuff that adheres to everything and anything. After all, you (and Mazda's attorneys) don't want the tire to blow out after you've tried to reinflate it. The goo disturbs the balance and heft of the tire and is virtually impossible to remove from the rubber. It also makes a huge mess of the wheel itself although presumably there's a way to buff it off of the aluminum. Unless you're in a real bind, you're much better off making use of roadside assistance.

-Eric

I believe that it is in the Owner's Manual, but do a search, it is all over the board whenever anyone mentions the patch kit.

In response to the other, he means a bicycle, and it ain't goin' in. I did try once with an old Raliegh sport tourer, and with removing the handle bars, I might have been able to get it in, but I was really thinking that the front fork would have to come off, and at that point it just wasn't worth it. Maybe a racing frame articulation would work, but I am still dubious.

Yeah well, I just looked again, and there it is. Page 7-5 in the manual says that if you use the "goo", have the tire replaced.

Bummer...

Yup, does suck.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by MazdaspeedFeras
[B]can it fit, technically yes. That 8 cubic feet of cargo space is incredibly spacious, two golf bags or two suitcases. Will it fit? probably not, the trunk is deep and not very wide and the opening may not be able to accomodate the bike (i assume you mean motorcycle because most bicycles dont come in many sizes but even a bicycle is going to have logistical problems, that frame is bigger than the opening widthwise and the trunk isnt that front to back).


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No I mean a bicycle. Yes they come in sizes, if you are talking anything above Walmart level. A high end road bike might will come in 7 to 10 sizes (or more!) depending on the brand and other things.

Bike CAN fit in back!
 

About the bike transporting:

The very first thing I did when I brought my 8 home was to see if I could fit my bike in it.

I have a 55cm Litespeed Tuscany (road bike).

Here's what I am doing: First, take the front wheel off (no big deal with quick release skewers) and lower the bike's seat all the way down (no big deal if you have the right size allen wrench on hand). Then you have to slide the front passenger seat all the way forward and tilt it forward also (as though someone were getting into the back). You have to leave the seat tilted forward like that while you drive. Now you can actually fit the bike into the car! (Put a nice soft blanket in first.) From the passenger side, shove the front of the bike in first (with the gears and chain on the upper side), and rotate the handlebars so that they are kind of above the frame.

If you do all that, the bike will actually fit in the car! Can you believe it? I am very pleased -- no ugly bike rack for me!
The only drawback is that I can't take a passenger with me when I am transporting my bike.

If your bike is a similar size and frame geometry, I bet it will fit.

Re: Bike CAN fit in back!
 

One thing I didn't mention was a car seat in the back! I take my daughter to school, and with 2 little kids, the only time I get to ride regularly, is to work. After dropping her off, I drive a mile or so to a good parking spot, take the bike out of the trunk and ride the rest of the way to work (1/2 hour). It works well, but I hate the thought of driving around all the time with a rack, especially on a sleek car like this. Bummer.

BTW, Yakima lists a roof rack fitment for RX-8s.