Is the RX-8 really slow?
 

So far with a month of ownership , i got to have some highway fun yesterday.....not racing but more cat and mouse play. Needless to say i am really shocked at how well the 8 did compared to a new '06 BMW 525i, '99 745,early 90's cobra,the not so hot 225 or 245 HP one. Anyway the 8 was on there bumper, or either walking away from them. It was intresting to see when the guy in the cobra shifted(possibly 5500,6000 range), and i look down and i still have 3000 rpm left to go in the 8.

Is it me , or is the rotary a bit more responsive then piston engines? Seems like just a touch of the gas and the rotary reacts instantly, especially doing highway speeds. The car just pulls effortlessly and smoothly, not compared to my Z, which was like a F16 jet hitting you from behind when downshifted.

This car still amazes me everytime i get into for a drive....
For a 1.3 motor , it can hold its own amongst some of the larger displacement motors out there. Very impressed...... :icon_tup:

You do know about bliping the gas during a downshift to smooth it out right?

The Renesis is definitely faster than it feels and better than many give it credit for. It's a deceivingly smooth little engine.

No, the RX8 is not slow. The only people that think it is slow, are the pimple faced street racers. A true car enthusiast will be delighted to drive a modified RX8 platform on a road course track. Mine is a sheer joy to drive.

Haha.....funny you mention that.....my 18 year old cousin was in the car when all the cat and mouse action was going on , and he is from the fast and furious era. He is all about twin turbos,large single turbos, blow off valves, excessive negative camber,wild paint schemes,NOS, etc....He loved my Z, and lost respect when i purchased my RX-8 a month ago. He was bad mouthing my 8 it saying its slow, its weak, it will get walked by Type-R's in the corners and straits,etc...

Well he was dead quiet as i was glued to the Cobras tail and walking away from it as well, as well as the other two beemers. When i dropped him off , he said my 8 was ok, but would still get rocked by a 350Z. :rolleyes:

And maybe so, but at least i know the 8 is no slouch......

The RX-8 is slow if you don't know how to drive and they other person does, and vice versa.

I find a large majority of people are not experts and it's a possibility that just by you becoming better than most people you will make your Renesis faster! :)

congrats on your 'conversion'.... sounds like you are someone who appreciates all cars for what they are. good deal.

welcome aboard!

I have run even with SRT-4 and Mustang GT. The engine continues to open up over time. Yesterday it pulled harder in 3rd than I've ever felt before.

Sorry, but that was a Neon SXT :rofl:

Fast enough for me. Racing Mustangs is sort of like kissing your sister. :yumyum:
Them fords are over wieght with about the same Horsepower and a little more torque.

Power to wieght is the key to being fast. Plus We got better brakes and suspension.

i agree with u guys our rx8s are the sh-t!

They are deceiving. The power is so smooth, it can make you think car is pulling slower then it actually is. However, they are still very vulnerable to those high displacement cars like g35, 350z once rolling. You need to work harder to go faster, as the RX8 is not as easy to go fast in as most other cars. No they are not slow, but I've had my embarassing moments on highway against the g35 and 350z before, and they will eventually reel you in, no matter how good you are, and take you out. Nonetheless, I have never felt a better feeling engine in my life, and I wish that engine was in my S2K. :)

I guess that depends on what you've experienced, doesn't it?

Yep it sure does. I my neck of the woods - the kids cannot buy anything but Hondas & Neons. Most of the Hondas have white body kits on them with big arse wings. The Neons have 4 to 5 chicks in them. The WRX is the only one that I truely acknowledge as legit.

No I think he meant an SRT-4.

I know what he thinks he meant, and that you think he meant that. I'm just pointing out both of your mistakes.

And for Ike's sake - I also acknowledge the EVO as legit :)

That sounds like alot of the kids around here. The Type-R isn't anything to be scared of in the slightest. It's just a higher level of slow. My little nonturbo 1st gen RX-7 walks them hard and by no means would I call it terribly fast. Before someone comments, yes I know what a real Type R looks like. My little car hangs with the SRT-4 Neons pretty easily. Overrated cars. Those kids always ask me what type of turbo I have. They get mad when I say none. Of course I have a ported (mild) motor and just about everything done to it shy of a turbo but that's never the question I get asked. You beat the average ricer around here and they think you must have thousands under the hood since they do.

I also remember hearing 2 of them talking in Barnes and Noble one day about gains from each mod and then adding them up like it's all a cumulative gain! That must be it! The WRX and Evo guys around here are decently quick but I've never found one that didn't have an attitude and think that they weren't the absolute shit on the road. They always have that attitude (until they get burned by a Z-28 or something else faster). I actually don't hate those cars although I make it sound like I do. Many of the kids that own them around here are punks. That's where my angst with those cars really lies.

I actually couldn't care less who's faster. I just like annoying the punks with the attitudes who apparently have something to prove. I like my car and that's all that counts.

Oh definitely, i am a car enthusiast, i like all cars, some more than others. :yesnod:

Before the purchase of the 8 i was going to buy a '04 M3, another well balanced sports car. Well my wife gave me hell and said we could buy two vehicles for the price of the M3, she was right......Out of all what was out there and i test drove, the 8 besides the S2000 and M3 won my heart over. I loved the S2000 for its impressive four cylinder, and its open air motoring and go-cart feel. But i love the fact that the 8 looks sexy,its rare appeal to the masses and it has back seats that is actually usable for a average size adult, its quick, handles extremely well, etc.

After owing 3 Z's, '80, '86 turbo,'94 TTZ stage III....everybody thought for sure the 350Z was on my radar. To be honest with you i am impressed with power aspect of the Z, but to me Nissan has moved away from making passionate sports cars like they use to. The 350Z has become more of a cash cow mass market sports car than a "unique" niche car like it use to be. The new Nissan is not my cup of tea anymore unless they go back to making the Z more of a "unique" car again. IMO the 350Z is as special as a Ford Mustang......not that the Ford Mustang is bad, but its a common car.

The 8 is the best of all worlds, it can handle,hauls 4 ,performs and looks unique. And i can appreciate Mazda for keeping the 8 as simple as possible, like a sports car should be. So many cars have to much techno garbage in them, i love the fact that Mazda gives you the option of turning off the drivers aids(training wheels IMO :p: ) and letting the more advance drivers or enthusiast really put the 8 through its paces and unlock the true potential of 8. Yet the 8 can be driven as easy as a civic when need be....the 8 is truly a automotive marvel.

True this...

The 350Z is built on a heavy beefy platform of which is shared with many Nissan and Infiniti models, including sedans, coupes, and crossovers.

Edit: Let me add a little more... I've driven an '05 and it is no doubt fast, but doesn't seem very agile and feels numb (hard to explain or maybe I'm used to the 8).

You are 100% correct ....alot of these kids don't know whats up.....theres' more to it than having a fast car. So true what you said by beating there modded car in your stock car or semi-modded car, and then they want to ask you 21 questions after. You must have a large turbo,... no, NOS... no, heavy internal work.....no...... How about driver skill may be a factor and a world of experience. They then look at you like this.. :eek:

That looks is so priceless!

Actually...no.

No your not just used to driving the 8, the 350Z actually feels like this. When i use to get my Maxima serviced, i would almost all the time test drive a 350Z to try and convince myself i really need this car. But after every test drive , i felt empty, the car handle ok, but it was so numb, so vanilla, and the feedback was sterile, i was left unimpressed. Nissan rushed the 350Z, they didn't care about the enthusiast at heart, they cared about making a sports car for the masses to save themselves from going under, so they made a car that would appeal to everybody under the sun, soccor moms, newbies to the sports car world, old folks, etc....

Nissan knew that making a unique car doesn't sell well. So the only way to make money , is make a Japanese Mustang. Thank God there are still car companies that make cars for the enthusiast at heart, where the almighty $ doesn't have to influence or take away from what a sports car should be. After all a sports car isn't for everybody anyway.......Nissan missed this point when designing the 350Z.

i get a kick out of the kids with these fast cars. i didnt see too many up in maine and nh. but when i came back home to maryland they are everywhere. i remember when i first got back in the fall an sti tried to race me. some geek with a hot chick next to him. i didnt even bother, my friend in maine had one i know i'll lose. the jack ass srewed up his launch so bad he kinda twitched sideways before spinning all 4. once he hooked up he shot away like a bat out of hell and passed me(i was rolling at like 15mph). i did notice the temp tags though which meant his car was new and i could smell his clutch for no shit a mile or more.
another time i dropped it cause a z28 wanted me to. they still thought the car was quick when they slowed up to say high. i like nice people like that who respect all cars.
i had an evo that could not catch me once. i know the car is faster and do not dispute the fact but whoever was driving would drop like three car lengths everytime they shifted then shoot right back up on my ass(they had there own lane) but would lose it at the next shift. what were they doing wrong? and they were trying.
i miss driving with some of my old friends though. we had a lot of cars sti,2- 350z ,2- rx8, g35, z28, c5 vette, 83 Hurst olds, 79 vette
it was fun driving around with diffferent cars like that you really learn what different types of cars can do. i definetly loved that hurst olds my friend could drive it like no other too.

I just love that a mod is participating in a streetracing thread...