9500...!

Nah, I usually shift below 3000 rpm to maximize fuel. Unless I'm in a spirited mood in which case I won't shift anywhere below 7000.

Yes. With a rotary engine double-clutch downshifting is pretty much a required technique, you will often find the need to drop two or three gears smoothly for acceleration.

If you drive a MT 8 and don't know how to do it, you should learn it. It will change everything. Fortunately, it's actually very easy to do, just don't watch the tach and learn to do it by feel and sound (not as hard as that might sound).

As for starting off in first, I've never looked at the tach, you just develop a feel for it after a while. Just don't drop the hammer and feather the clutch out slowly or pop the clutch while stomping the gas, if you can't engage the clutch quickly without jerkiness then you're doing it wrong.

It's not necessarily how much gas you give it, but when. You should be starting to push the throttle in just when the clutch engages, you should only need to give it a tiny bit of gas before the clutch engages. Unless you're on a drag strip.

I stall in any gear if I let go of the pedal :(

That shoudln't happen unless the rpms fall to 1000 or below. I let go of the throtle all the time when I need engine brake--even in first gear--and the car won't stall until you slow down to about 10mph.

Re-read the thread, it was suggested that you can idle along in first without touching the gas, I was commenting on that ;)

It's possible to idle along in first gear without touching the gas and not stall, if the car is already moving. When I do it, I end up moving at about 7mph. Of course, you aren't really idling if the transmission is engaged.

^Go out and try it ;)

I've done it plenty of times in traffic. I just went out and tried it again on the street by my house, to make sure I wasn't always going downhill before. On a fairly level grade in first gear moving at about 6mph I took my foot completely off the gas.

Leveled out at 4-5mph. Lurched slightly at first but did not stall. Continued to roll and maintain speed. Would certainly stall uphill, but level or downhill not a problem.

So, now why don't YOU go out and try it and report back to us, Mr. Smartass?

Mine stalls

Maybe it's the gearing in the '09s then, because mine manages to chug along.

yeah mine'll do it and it does level to about 7mph- i cant get it to do any lower than that

Because I don't care enought... :dunno:

And its called bogging down the engine...Which is not something one should want to do...

doesnt bog at all- just cruises right along

Sorry to drag up ancient threads, but does this apply to the series II as well? The part about first gear being incredibly touchy when letting off the gas. Because the last MT I owned was like 6 years ago and I either never encountered speed bumps in a residential neighborhood, aka below 5mph (actually very possible), or first gear in that car wasn't nearly as touchy (2000 or 2001 GS Eclipse). Just curious if my car is behaving normally or if there's a problem that I need to look for. Thanks!

It's normal.

If you compare two engines with different rotating mass, the one with the lighter rotating mass will be 'touchier' when getting on/off the throttle. There aren't too many cars on the road that have a rotating mass lighter than the RX-8.

The torque multiplier of the gears (even the negative torque from the engine drag when letting off the gas) exaggerates this effect, so 1st will always be more dramatic for any car than 2nd, which is more dramatic than 3rd, etc...

So yes, it's completely normal for the RX-8. Just teaches you better/smoother throttle control :)