RX-8 review on Autoweek.com
 

I'm not trying to start another 350Z vs RX-8 war, but I needed to post a few facts, and to be a voice of reason in here. Overall they liked the car (read the review here: autoweek review ), as do I, but a few of the things you've used to bach the Z were reported in the 8. People in here were bashing the Z for it's reported understeer. Well --- "The low torque is not the stuff of power-slide dreams. Brake late, crank the wheel, and floor the throttle in an attempt to kick out the tail: The RX-8 understeers off-course through innocent orange cones." And everyone keeps stating how the Z is an overpriced 35K$ underperformer, have you forgotten that the enthusiast Z is priced at 26$ and change with the same engine/output and the higher models.

"2004
MAZDA RX-8
ON SALE: Mid-June
BASE PRICE: $26,680
$25,180 for the Standard model and $26,680 for the High-Power version." according to Autoweek.

I like the 8, but I was reading a lot of false information about the Z in here. A real auto enthusiast can appreciate anything, even when it's not their car of choice -- as I do with the 8. Just because your somehow emotionally attatched to the 8, doesn't make it the batmobile with two extra seats. This of course does not apply to everyone, and you could probably come over to the Nissan board and find people with the same attitude. Just had to get that out of my system --- enjoy your cars



:cool:

Well said.

Making a Miata or a first gen RX-7 oversteer isn't even that difficult, and both of those cars have low torque and low power. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that they were forced to leave the stability control system on...

I like that they used the phrase "sporty" and not sports car.

Is it correct that Autoweek was not allowed to disable the stability control system? If so, then of course you cannot tail slide the damn car. That is what stability control is for.

and i dont remember any other reviewers mentioning any problems thru the autox course, in fact most were pgiving high praise about it's nimbleness.:confused:

Ok, the autoweek guys can't drive worth shit if they couldn't get the tail to slide out in the auto-x, here is the video to prove it:

http://www.3rotorrx7.com/images/Lagu...%20out_web.wmv

And one more picture, in case there was any doubt left:

http://www.3rotorrx7.com/images/Lagu...stole%20it.jpg


My opinion of Autoweek just went WAY down...

i couldn't get the video to load, but i could hear the tyres... wow, HEAR them, holy shmokes... :D

I have never been all that enamored with the RX-8 styling but in this picture she sure does look fun to drive and that makes the car better looking in my eyes.

i only got audio too. can anybody get the vid too work?
:(

It didn't work for me until I installed Media Player 9. Now it works perfect. Go figure...

well, i'm on a Mac (OSX), and all i get is the audio...

for those who check out the site, the "hot lap" video freakin' rocks!! you can even hear the rev buzzer!!! :eek:!!! cool beans to the max!!

Isn't that the version that implements Microsoft's draconian rights management, and has no uninstaller? Thanks, I'll pass.

well i went ahead and upgraded my windows media player.
the vid is of a red one he's in the same position as that black one thru the first turn but on the second he spins all the way around:D :D :D and i think i would consider the body roll of the car in the vid well within my range of acceptibilty.:cool:

GREAT VIDEO! THANKS!:D

I've just watched it for the 14th time in Linux :D
no draconian anything here :cool:

Emailed author
 

This is the response I got from the author of that article concerning his comments on the ability to break the rear end loose.


Josh,

First, let me apologize for being so short earlier. I hope I didn't seem rude--I was just in the middle of doing ten things when I got your message, but I still wanted to reply. Anyways, about the RX-8: It's not that you can never break the rear-end loose. The quote you originally sent me is taken from the part of the story where I'm talking about its behavior on an autocross course.

As I'm sure you know, those are usually really slow courses with tight corners. All second gear stuff. In that setting, the RX-8 is not a car that is easy to slide sideways. Really, as great as the rotary is, it's just not torquey. As I go on to say, it takes some real technique to get it sideways. If you've read somewhere that it's easy (again, on the autocross), then the author must be far more talented behind the wheel than I. If that's the case, then I can accept that, no problem. I'm certainly not Michael Schumacher. But what I can tell you is that the Skip Barber instructors Mazda hired to coach us around both the autocross and Laguna recognized the same thing. They told me it took them the better part of two days before they got a handle on how to slide the thing around the autocross. They finally learned that you basically have to unbalance it on the brakes before feeding the power in. This isn't bad and it doesn't mean you can't do it. But compare the RX-8 to, say, the 350Z. The Z is a pretty tail happy car if you want it to be, and it's not at all difficult to break the rear end loose in almost any situation. You just need to stab the throttle. I haven't driven that car on an autocross, but I've driven it enough to see how it would behave, and I don't think it would be hard to kick the rear out.

I think the Z is a good car to compare the RX-8 to because the pricing isn't that far apart, and they'llappeal to the same segment of buyers. I also think so because both have strong individual characters. Drive a Z and you'll know it thrives on sideways antics. But the RX-8--while it can be made to slide--doesn't feel as natural or as loose when doing so. Like I say in the story, that's not the way to get the best out of it. It just doesn't respond to that as cars like the Z, Boxster or S2000 do. At least it didn't in my relatively little time behind the wheel. If you happen to be considering buying an RX-8, and if breaking the tail loose is what you love, there are indeed cars that will satisfy you more. That is my honest opinion.

Now, away from the autocross and at slightly higher speeds, it's going to be much easier to get the RX-8's tail out. The increased momentum is a big help. Josh, please don't misunderstand me. I never meant to imply that this car is impossible to slide and just an understeering nightmare. It's not. If that is the impression my story gave you, I apologize. Perhaps I should have tried to discuss these details more than I did. I will certainly make a note of this for future stories. I appreciate your questions and input, it's always nice to hear from AutoWeek readers. I hope that overall, you enjoyed the story, and please let me know if I can clarify anything else. Thanks.

Mac

It is true that the base 350z is $26K. But the RX-8 is better equipped at $26K than the Z is. The 8 comes with 18 inch brakes, a high performance prake package and a LSD standard.

In order to get an LSD on the 350z you have to take it up to one of the options, which quickly skyrocket the price to 28 or 30K.

Woah, those are some huge rotors. This thing must be rollin' on 22's just for clearance.
;)

This was a recent change by Mazda engineers who saw the MR2 video that was posted to this forum in the Lounge;)
http://www.rx8forum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2537

Hehehehe, whoopsie, gotta love the early morning posts. :D

I would edit it, but I think I'll leave it to mess with people :D