Road Trip & Reliability
New RX8 owner - 2007 RX8 with 1,600 km on it.
Looking to do a roadtrip from Toronto to LA in the spring Anyone out there with experience with long road trips in this car and any concerns about reliability or is this a stay close to home kind of ride Tks |
I drove my car from Lexington Kentucky when I bought it to San Diego Ca in like 3 days. No problems out of the car at all so I wouldn't worry much just keep a thing of oil with you and top it off every once in a while and you should be fine.
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Originally Posted by Roger
(Post 2844874)
New RX8 owner - 2007 RX8 with 1,600 km on it.
Looking to do a roadtrip from Toronto to LA in the spring Anyone out there with experience with long road trips in this car and any concerns about reliability or is this a stay close to home kind of ride Tks Be sure to bring your tire repair kit, a few quarts (2 or 3) of oil, I would suggest a gallon of your favorite radiator fluid as well. The RX8 has been a great travel car. I made a road trip from Phoenix AZ to NW Indiana by lake Michigan which was about 1,800 miles one way with zero problems. If you have a tool kit be sure to pack that as well. Don't forgot to post lots of pictures! We love pictures! |
2 yrs ago, I drove from Chicago to Daytona (for the 24Hr race). 1200 miles and 18 hrs. each way, without stopping (except of gas). The ride was very comfortable.
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What worries me about long trips is the lack of a spare tire (if you didn't get the kit). The fix-a-flat goo won't patch all types of punctures.
Otherwise, I've found it to be a wonderfully comfortable car for long trips. No reliability problems at all. |
Longest trip I've made was Northern Virginia to Charlotte, about 400 miles each way. Didn't do anything except check tire pressures and fluids, and make sure oil was topped off before I left. Since then I've added a tire plug kit, just from paranoia about there not being a spare.
The car is just too new to worry about breakdowns. I carry a few tools, but I'm more likely to use those to fix something in the motel room than on the car. Very different from when I owned a VW Rabbit, where a good tool set and a shop manual were always kept in the back. Ken |
I've had no problems driving from Calgary to Vancouver each year (1000km each way). Done it 3 summers in a row.
Only possible problem I see is the fact that the 8 has no spare tire. |
Here are my road trip lengths:
1100 mi 2100 mi 1000 mi 2100 mi = 6300 miles can't be wrong. Only problem is when your at 14,000 feet. Which all cars get choked out except those monster truck with turbo diesel. That was the worst, when I was as slow as all the other cars out there, and had little or no acceleration capability. Keep in mind that was before the MSP16 oil flash though. But those monster truck were on my tail and I couldn't shake them like I could at sea level! And dial into your gps for the closest gas stations around 1/2 tank so you know there's stuff up ahead or not. I didn't know it at the time, but I also drove through the longest stretch without gas services in the mainland, which was in UT. Barely survived it. |
Drove from Waco, TX to Chicago, IL twice... only problem that came up was a big rock puncturing the underside of my oil pan -=X
Can't really fault the rx8... it did great and ate up the curves for hours on end... the rx8 is a fantastic road trip car (if gas mileage is not too important). |
In the past three weeks I've done two 1100 mile road trips. No issues at all. Farthest non stop was Phoenix to Boulder Co. Like 1200+ miles. Very comfortable long haul car.
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As long as the car is well maintained and you make sure oil, fluids, etc. are good, the RX-8 is about as reliable as any other car on a long trip.
I can't think of any common problems with the 8 that would make it suddenly die on a long road trip. Most serious problems are things that happen over a very long period of time, like carbon buildup. EDIT: But anything can happen to any car on a long trip, you never know. I think it's a good idea to have some kind of roadside assistance in case of the unexpected. |
After almost 3 years, several 300+ mile drives (and countless local rides), I've yet to have a mechanical problem. Not one. Nada. The 8 is as reliable as any car I've owned.
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Last July I drove mine from Upstate NY to Ohio, then to Daytona Beach Florida and back, The 8 does great on long trips.
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i just drove from iowa to killeen texas, and the 8 was great till the end when my aftermarket coils went out. then i was along the side of the road waiting for a tow. but really not the 8's fault. so i think you'll be fine
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One "problem" I have though is on really long, cruise-control for hours kinda trips, the seats are SO comfy, and the faint hum of the engine so calming, it's REALLY hard to stay alert and awake (for me anyway). Caffeine and good music are your friends ;)
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Originally Posted by Maries8
(Post 2847246)
One "problem" I have though is on really long, cruise-control for hours kinda trips, the seats are SO comfy, and the faint hum of the engine so calming, it's REALLY hard to stay alert and awake (for me anyway). Caffeine and good music are your friends ;)
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Are these long roads trips with a turbo eight? I wanna drive to Deals Gap(NC) with my eight. Im kinda worried about the trip.
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I did a 3400 and 3100 trip in my 04 rx8GT. Never had a problem on either trip. I added 1 qt oil during both trips. Carried an extra quart in trunk. The car is perfect for long trips. It's comfortable and never gets boring. Half the fun of both vacation trips was driving it in the rx8.:)
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Originally Posted by remixlp
(Post 2847485)
Are these long roads trips with a turbo eight? I wanna drive to Deals Gap(NC) with my eight. Im kinda worried about the trip.
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If I am concerned about my car not making a road trip, it is probably a 1979 Ford Fairmont which is leaving pieces on the road as a drive along or something. Your car is barely broken in. There is no new car on the market that I would be afraid to take a trip in. (Although if I had a Ferrari 399GTB or something I just wouldn't want to put miles on it.) A hand-made 3-rotor can go from Daytona to Seattle in 24 hours (i.e. Rolex 24) screaming at 8600 rpm, or a 2-rotor engine go an entire racing season, why can't your 2-rotor cruise along the same distance much slower?
I personally change fluids when break-in is done. If you are so inclined, I would do that before the trip, and as a previous poster said, bring some additional engine oil of your choice for topping off from MOP consumption. |
I've made multiple 700-1000 mile trips with no problems. The RX-8 is very comfortable on road trips.
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1800 mile trip from cali to Iowa.
I also drive from chicago to Iowa (300 miles each way) at least once every 2 months. And Im also taking a road trip to Deals gap (NC) then up to NJ to see my family then back to chicago which should be another 2000-3000 mile roadtrip. Your car will be fine. EDIT- Ive made all these roadtrips with 65,XXX + miles, now my car is at 72,XXX and Im making another 3K mile roadtrip. Enjoy your car, you only live once. |
ay, i nearly fell asleep when I first bought my car.. had to drive from Ohio back to NYC.. the hum of the rotary is something else.
that was before I stuck a midpipe and exhaust on it though.. now it's a .. bit louder.. |
Originally Posted by alnielsen
(Post 2844914)
2 yrs ago, I drove from Chicago to Daytona (for the 24Hr race). 1200 miles and 18 hrs. each way, without stopping (except of gas). The ride was very comfortable.
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I can't compare to most of you guys, the longest I've done was a trip from Sacramento California to San Jose California, about a 4 hour round trip. All I did was check the fluid levels, and tire pressure, and checked oil level every pump. No drama on the 8's part, but if I had to pick one problem, my cds got really hot after the 2nd hour of driving.
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Summer of '07 I did 6500 miles in 16 days. Great comfort and had pleanty of room for me, my girl and all the camping gear, food, clothes, etc. We went through the desert in late June by the Grand Canyon and past Rachel NV in 105+ deg weather with no heat trouble at all. Car ran like a champ the whole time...made me want to do another 6500 lol.
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Lots of reassuring posts
Anyone else out there who can add comments would be appreciated Thanks |
It will be fine, I did about 1200 miles in August round trip no issues. Its actually better to drive full on 2000 miles round trip then drive 2000 miles over several stop/go's if you think about it. You wont burn any oil pretty much since its a steady pace without city driving involved and you wont wear the clutch/transmission/starter out going non stop at the same speeds. If anything its better to drive a long distance then short distances for the same miles over time imo if you understand what I am same.
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The only thing I would add is you might want to consider pre-mixing. I did a road trip from Northern Va to Jacksonville a couple of years ago and pre-mixed the whole trip - late summer temps in the high 90's plus with AC running full time, average speeds 80-90mph (with some stints at 100+), and I averaged close to 22 mpg. That's a good 1.5-2 mpg better than any previous "best tank" I'd seen and she ran like a dream! I'm guessing I could have seen 24 mpg if I kept to 65 mph . . . but that wouldn't be any fun! And zero heat soak issues.
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besides the 250 miles to one tank, its a great car for long drives
i havent had any trouble with 4+ hour trips thus far, but if you do have a test pipe maybe get some ear plugs? |
I wouldn't worry about racking the miles up quickly on this car. Honestly like I've posted before I've put 45k miles on my car in less then a year (65k miles total). In dec-jan I took a ~3500 mile road trip with no hiccups at all. Just made me realize how much better the 8 likes sea level.
What is everyones opinion on the 8 in high wind conditions? For me, it's the most aerodynamic vehicle I've driven and it seems to "cut" through the wind when most vehicles are waving around. This was especially true through some parts of southern new mexico where there were 100 mph gust winds. |
only thing with me was that the cup holder and the shifter was getting really hot only after 1 hour of driving.
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Last call
Thanks to all
Does anyone else have any other experiences / comments |
Last April I drove from Melbourne, FL up to Knoxville, TN and then across the entire state of North Carolina and back down to Florida during a 5 day road trip. Followed a GT Road Racing Champion through the Tail of the Dragon (US 129). Well over 2000 miles, no problems, and the car is very modified.
It's a freaking great car. |
Welcome to the club fellow Richmond Hill'er!
I drove my 8 from Richmond Hill to New Jersey in November. I was on winter tires too. Like others have said, make sure your wheels are good (yours should be as they are practically new). Keep an extra bottle of oil, and some tools just in case. I think you'll be fine. I know N.J. is not quite as far as L.A., but it was a fun trip, and quite comfortable too. Cheers, and enjoy the trip :) Ed |
just last month my cousin drove from Huntington Beach CA to San Antonio TX, he sed the 8 was good to him and he made it there without a problem
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