32 or 33? Just got rid of my 32 to make a start on paying for the 8. TOTALLY different cars but my driving has evolved in the gearbox-stirring revvy direction of the 8. (And I don't miss the Z's extra kilos, that's for sure.)

I deal with drag-strip ricers by either ignoring them or overtaking them on back roads when I can easily outcorner most of them. (Excepting the rally boys who can do both of course. It's not often you find a Scooby owner who knows how to use what he has.)

The Evo is well-known as the closest "rally" model to the actual rally car, by the way, especially the RS versions.

Changing car has "lost" me at least 100bhp and over 200ft-lb, but I don't miss it at all. The 8 has enough power for the chassis - the Z has too much power for the chassis and you can't use it. (Besides which, it's rare you can drive either car near the limit on public roads.)

And finally - there's nearly always room for 50% improvement in your driving. A friend of mine was telling me he once swapped his 205GTi track car (<150bhp) for the track demo Evo (>300bhp) and the instructor driving the 205 kept up with my mate in the Evo on a lap! (And this friend can drive, believe you me.)

 

Sorry to post twice but I thought of something else...

You have to have a car that suits YOUR style of driving. To drive a scooby hard you stand on the brakes, turn in on trail, and smack it out the corner again. A lot of people drive that way naturally and it's great fun. (The Leon drives that way too.)

The 8 requires "proper" RWD style... balanced on the throttle at all times, all braking done before you turn in. The crispness of a rotary NA actually makes this easier. (The Z used to catch me out on exit - you never QUITE know when boost is going to arrive...) You'll kill yourself if you drive an 8 like an AWD should be driven.

I'm not familiar enough with the car yet to try drift cornering, but it certainly feels to me like a bit of late braking would do the job nicely and it would be easy to keep it sideways on the throttle. :D

 

Very true.

At first, it seems like the "ultimate" car would have 1,000hp and infinite grip. But if you stop and think about it, you realize how boring that would be. Where's the challenge? Where's the fun if the run up to 60mph is over in 2 seconds... and every corner can be taken without any driver adjustments?

No, the fun of DRIVING is in learning and being involved in the car's handling DYNAMICS... how it moves, how it behaves, how it rotates in a corner. The whole point is to be INVOLVED, and a car's power and performance statistics don't always reflect how involving a car is for the driver.

This of course all means nothing to people who buy cars to inflate their own egos by bashing the egos of others. That isn't to say that the Evo isn't involving to drive, as it can be just as much fun - but I think the Evo ALSO appeals to those who measure fun by who they can beat, where the 8 is more narrowly a driving enthusiast's car.

 

EVO is a good car, no doubt. My take on the two models vs manufacturers:

Mitusbishi has gotten a bad rep for being associated with Chrysler. The Lancer is mostly Chrysler while the EVO is mostly Mistubishi. This is a good thing.

Mazda is in bed with Ford, and share technology. RX8 is Mazda Japan, which is also a good thing.

Of the EVO and the STI, I prefer the STI. Both are monsters in the dirt and purpose built for rally.

 

If I could get the STI without that absurd wing, I'd consider it.

 

Could I possibly agree more? Hmmm......NOPE!


Well said.

 

I have only one regret about my buying my RX-8. I didn't wait for the Green Model. Man I love that green. Don't get me wrong the Winning Blue is spectacular but the Green.... /swoon.


Anyway,

V8Killer I just wanted to comment off topic about how well I felt your phrased your original question and how you took some of the offensive sounding comments in stride. You showed a lot of maturity in doing that. Welcome to our boards here and I hope you realize most of us are pretty good people. :-) Hopefully one day we will be able to put a Turbo/Supercharger (See threads about which is better for us in this forum, not something I am gonna try and validate here...) on our RX-8 and do some different test with ya. :-)

Quarter Mile is always a favorite for a lot of people.. but personally it's all about the twisties with me. That is what made me decide on the RX-8. I felt more comfortable in it then any other car I test drove. I HATE anything that resembles or feels like body roll. It makes me uncomfortable to say the least. I ride a GSX-R750 every day I can and when I can't do that I am in my RX-8. I think that is where I get my love of the twisties from.

Well until we speak again stay safe on the roads!