There's so much info out there on just about every topic that it's really a shame that we have to go to work every day instead of learning as much as we can.

Eh, who am I kidding? If I wasn't working, I'd be sleeping in, relaxing, and doing the occasional hobby or random thing around the house.

(mostly sleeping and eating)

:D

 

For me working 'in home' is nice that way. It allows me combining learning and working in an integrated highly connected environment. Since it's 7/24 there's actually only one environment but I try to keep them separate so they stay in competition for attention. It's all learning anyway which is needed, of course, to stay sane! You say if you weren't working you'd be relaxing ? I'd be racing my 8 :D

 

Yet every trackday regular will tell you to put a little more in than the manufacturer's recommendation. 4psi over is often quoted.

I have to say both my 8 and my previous 300ZXs feel / felt a LOT more settled with 2 psi over recommended. In the 8 I have tested this empirically on the track.

 

K so after a trip to the dealer for a check-up there was no problem with the suspension. I can only assume that my original problem is a tire issue. I guess that if pushed too hard the "stones" (seems appropriate) simply give up after about 6k miles. I asked the Firestone guys what they thought and they had nothing to offer other than "no problems here". I have never been a Firestone fan so I guess I will find another brand and see how they run.

I suppose this is the price you pay to play with the 8. The expense is worth it though for the thrills. I just wish I could get more than 6k out of a set. At this rate I will go through 4 sets before my dealer has to buy his set (free tires and brakes for life).

 

Have you tried playing around with the rear tire pressure?

If it were me, I'd start at about 40 psi and then lower the tires in 2 psi increments until I found something I was happy with.

~ Matt

 

Vail check out my previous posts. I have tried everything to no avail. When running The Dragon I ran 36psi (to compenstae for heat expansion) and now am at 33 with horrible handling. I am tellin ya the "stones" are junk!

 

So what WERE the exact alignment settings? Hmmm, didn't tell you, did they? They just said "they're in spec", right? I suppose they forgot to mention just how huge the Mazda alignment specs are, too? You could have alignment settings that would give a terrible handling RX-8 and still be within Mazda's allowed range.

Forget the dealer for alignments - check with your local autocrossers for a shop that does REAL performance alignments, and get it checked/done properly. Dealers are useless when it comes to properly doing a precision alignment on a sports car.

Regards,
Gordon

 

Ok so finally someone that agrees with me. I don't think they even checked alignment to be honest. I think they just said yeah uh huh it's not he car, especially since they go tme in and out in a hurry and didn't charge me. I am going to a shop and get it checked before I spring for new rubber. Thanks for the affirmation of my concerns! Will keep you all updated.

 

Same here, I guess

It snowed not long after I'd gotten the Miata, and that first snowy ride was a real eye-opener. I highly recommend taking any new car to a big open area (big parking lot, etc) in the first available inclement weather and push the envelope. Safely, of course. A very valuable learning experience.

 

Just drove a friends new RX8 with 1200 miles on it and it feels more loose than mine. Perhaps I am just loosing my mind. Maybe I am just pushing it harder than I was in the beginning. Perhaps after getting used to it it isn't as impressive anymore? Who knows. At least I don't have to spend the money on tires .

 

LeeP,
Last Sunday during a fast left hand sweeper in the middle of a autox, the 8 got a little tail happy. I have not noticed any other change during normal driving. I was running 35 in the rear and 36 up front and the car was really pretty tight for the entire course. I did have the car aligned Friday and dialed in 1 degree neg. camber in front and 0 toe all the way around. I may increase the rear camber to compensate a little for the oversteer and the rear toe as well. It is .5 neg right now. I offer these settings as the car tightened up after the alignment. The factory specs for the camber varies + or - 1 deg and that is enough to really change the handling. Give DaveT a call. I am sure he can help you sort it out.

Hope this helps, BTW, my 17 yo son spun the car twice because he lifted in the sweeper. Trailing throttle oversteer was a rude awakening for him!

om-nc
Paul

 

Yeah, the lift-off oversteer in these is fearsome. :D

For those of you who find it twitchy on sweepers - it's actually more stable with DSC off. It seems to brake wheels slightly too early and upset the balance a little.

 

Ok, I'm sure this is a silly question, but I can't resist. When they did the rotation, they didn't mistakenly do a "diagonal" rotation did they? The tires are directional and if you rotate them to the other side of the car they will be rotating backwards. These tires need to stay on the same side of the car and simply go front to back.

 

I've previously owned a first gen RX-7 GSL-SE (13B), Porsche 944, BMW 325is, Mustang LX 5.0, first gen Toyota MR2. The 8 is extemely well balanced, forgiving, and predictable. It doesn't have enough low end torque to surprise me and the Torsen limited slip is fabulous. I have never lost the rear end of the car in 16k of mixed driving with plenty of fun runs in both 60 to 100mph country road sweepers and in tight mountain roads in Western NC.

If you've never owned a RWD car you have a learning curve to climb, though this car is very forgiving. You may have some issues with your tires and tire pressure but the problem's not in the car's design.