Did anyone read the recent Road & Track they have a 0-60mph time of 5.9 for the RX-8 and 6.1 for the G35. I've read on here that they released the clutch at 7000 rpms (which isn't something I'm prepared to do constantly), but wouldn't that mean they released the G35 at a high rpm too, right? I've long been under the impression that the G35 would cream the RX-8 in a straight line race, but these seem to say otherwise. Do you think these results are accurate?

 

6.1 is probably for the sedan. The coupe is faster.

When magazines do number testing they do what they can to get the best time possible. All cars are different. I'm sure the G doesn't require such high RPM clutch drops to achieve its time because of its higher torque at lower RPMs.

 

i've done a 5.85 recently on my rx-8 with a borla exhaust on it. I've dropped the clutch at 6000rpm, maybe 6500. And, the g35 that was featured on the road and track was indeed a 6spd coupe. The picture of the model was shown in the magazine.

 

Pidge, that is priceless....and I don't just mean your avatar!

 

Yes. The magazines experiment with different launch techniques for each car to find that which will give the best times. Some cars, like the RX-8 and Honda S2000, require clutch drops at 7K rpm - others, like the G35, 350Z, etc. with more torque, might be optimal with a clutch drop at 5000 rpm. It depends on torque and traction (tires and road surface). Be assured, that for pretty much every car with a manual transmission, the magazines tests use a clutch drop to generate a small amount of wheelspin.

Regards,
Gordon

 

The RX-8 doesn't have a lot of torque off the line (re: at low revs). With a car like this, you must rev the engine way up towards the upper end of the rev range in order to generate enough torque for a powerful launch.

Cars with more low end torque, like the VQ-whatever Nissan/Infinitis, or a Mustang GT with the 4.6 V8, make prodigious amounts of torque at low revs, so the engine doesn't need to be revved highly to get the car to jump off the line. In fact, if you rev these cars too high on launch, you'll smoke the tires and accelerate much more slowly than if lower revs are used.

Ideally, you want just enough wheelspin to break the tires loose for an instant, and then hook up with the ground, in order to get the fastest acceleration. That's what good test drivers/street racing hooligans/drag racers do - they can find the ideal launch rpm and throttle modulation for each car.

 

and... pidge, every goddamn post you put up, is negative. Why don't you ever be helpful instead of being such a pain in the ***? If people want help, help them, instead of trying to be an insulting douche.

Get a life.

 

Wow, wish I were a good enough driver to do a 6500 clutch drop, but I don't have the finess. Probably just get lots of wheelspin and not much else. Anyone have a good technique to try?

 

In my experience best launches on an RX-8 are at arond 7500rpm (assuming the sotck Bridgestone tires).

Slip the clutch judiciously to prevent the car from hooking up all at once, or to pfevent it from spinnign the tires for too long.
In general I combine slip and spin for most of a second to get the most effective launch. Best I have done with stock tires is around 6 or barely under.

5.9 is a pretty darned good launch. Either that guy is a master, or the car was not delivered to them with stock tuning.