To R3 or not to R3
 

Finally going to buy an RX8. :ylsuper: Wanted one since 2002, joined this board in 2005...

It will be the occasional fun car and see auto-X, track days 4-6 times/yr. 5k miles/yr max.

Is the R3 worth it? I will definitely get an S2.

The R3 is ‘just’ a GT with Recaros, Bilsteins, 19’s, "foam filled cross-member” and some exterior goodies. Is that it?

18’s are cheaper than 19’s, and a set of Bilsteins (or Konis, Tikico, etc) are not much either.

Thoughts? Thanks!

If you can get an R3, go for it. Great car

The wheels aren't only bigger by an inch, but they're forged by BBS and have a gunmetal finish. Some of the nicest rims I've seen IMO. Much nicer than the stock S2 ones.

The R3 is a crazy deal, so if you can find one, get it!

If you're going to track it, go R3. If you're comparing to a GT, the R3 is lighter - no sunroof, less junk in the interior. Anyway you wouldn't run stock wheels with stock tires for autox and track, right? ;)

If I had it to do over again, I would get the R3 instead of the GT.

I plan to run 200 treadwear tires like the BFG Rivals or RS3's on stock rims - whether I end up with the 18's or 19's. The 19's sure are pretty!!

Good feedback on the R3 vs GT, thanks! the GT is a helluva lot of 'value' for the $$. Most of the gizmos I don't need or want. Keyless entry and start? What are we, cripples? And I spit in the general direction of Bluetooth ;)

The R3 comes with BT I believe. Biggest advantage is the lack of sunroof (weight as well as headroom with a helmet). Rims are nice, but as stated before, probably better to get dedicated AX setup. I opted for the GT as it was several $k less.

^ Correct. Bluetooth is standard in the R3.

Keyless start and entry are standard on the R3 as well.

If your serious about going faster the r3 won't make or break it. Like you noted, the wheels, while pretty, won't matter on the track. Likewise, the shocks on a gt can be swapped out (legally in the scca's stock class if that matters to you) and the regular seats are pretty good already.

It would all come down to the exact price difference and how far you are willing to go to go faster.

Looking at premium low-mile cars,
R3: $17k
Sport: $13k

I have a feeling I'd replace the suspension even on the R3; I have a hard time leaving things alone.

I like the R3 Recaros a lot but many of the used cars have damaged seats. I can replace the stock seats in a Sport with kickass Corbeaus Evolution X for $1k .

I don't care about SCCA classes, etc. I'm just there to have fun and improve myself. A couple seconds here and there don't matter, as long as I slowly improve on my own times.

Looks like the most reasonable car is the Sport
-Cheap
-Light
-Simple
-no worries about expensive damage/repair of the Recaro seats.

Simplicity. This is exactly why I went for the Sport. I did my research regarding R3 vs the Sport and, for me, there was no way I was going to spend that kind of money on an R3, no offense to R3 owners. The R3s are beautiful cars, but that was pretty low on my list; to each his own.

My Sport is absolutely minimal; no sunroof, no fancy stereo, no heavy leather interior, no navi, etc; a real driver's car. You can easily have a second set of lightweight wheels and sticky tires and upgrade the suspension if desired for track days or autocrossing. In SCCA, you'd be classed in C Street; in there with the NC and ND MX-5, the Toyobaru twins, etc.


QUOTE=acroy;4727021]Looking at premium low-mile cars,
R3: $17k
Sport: $13k

I have a feeling I'd replace the suspension even on the R3; I have a hard time leaving things alone.

I like the R3 Recaros a lot but many of the used cars have damaged seats. I can replace the stock seats in a Sport with kickass Corbeaus Evolution X for $1k .

I don't care about SCCA classes, etc. I'm just there to have fun and improve myself. A couple seconds here and there don't matter, as long as I slowly improve on my own times.

Looks like the most reasonable car is the Sport
-Cheap
-Light
-Simple
-no worries about expensive damage/repair of the Recaro seats.[/QUOTE]

Purchased a low-mile R3.
Steve Dallas: Thanks - your threads have been very informative.

Congrats! Now post up some pics of her :ylsuper:

Excellent choice! :)

Agreed. Some things about the GT, like the heated seats are nice (even for those few cold days in TX) and sun roof, but I would have rather gone with the R3 if I was being honest. I've lowered my car a bit, powder coated my wheels, and even bought R3 skirts, things which could've been avoided financially if I had gone with the original R3. That said you're pretty much splitting hairs between the R3 and GT, can't really go wrong with either.

^ The heated seats weigh something like 55lbs each. The R3 seats are considerably lighter and are compatible with harnesses. The sunroof supposedly adds another ~75lbs and decreases helmet clearance by ~1.5". The R3 suspension is perfectly track-able for novice and intermediate drivers, whereas the GT suspension is outgrown pretty quickly. My GT is a really nice car, but for my purposes, the R3 would better suit me.

I should weigh them, the R3 seats are not as light as you would think. My buddy just pulled them from the R3 parts car he has and swapped out his Sparco's for them and we were surprised at how heavy they were. The stock cloth seats are really light. I am picking up a set of leathers from a 09GT tomorrow, I will weigh those to see how they compare. The S1 leather seats are heavy as FAK.

R3 is a great looking car