i found out 2 weeks ago that im going to be getting a 2009 rx8 r3 for my first car .
As you can imagine im verry excited . for the last two weeks ive been on this fourum SOOOO MUCH trying to educate myself as much as possible .

this car is used and has about 12,000 km on it . ive been told its in mint condition and is mazda certified. so far from what i have learned on the forum there are a bunch of things i need to do to make sure it lasts as long as possible.

just wondering how to get my prioritys in the right order if you guys could give me any advice i would appreciate it alot . this is what ive got so far .

1 compression test right away (i have no clue how to read results :s )

2 getting a few new 2nd Gen rx8 specific oil filters for future oil changing and a shitload of oil bottles ( i learned i gotta change oil and filter like a madman)

3 ive heard alot of stuff about the sparkplugs /coils / wires . was wondering if anyone could suggest a nice replacement to the stock setup for me that would fit for a 2nd Gen rx8 ?

4 i also heard that the stock air intake is decent but i was thinking about getting an aftermarket cold air intake to make it sound REALLY nice wondering if anyone has good suggestion for that aswell.


from what i have learned so far these are the things i should do right away when i get it.

did i skip anything important for down the line i should know about or specifficially try to read up about?

but then this is my first car and im really nervous i dont want to be just some dumbass with a nice car and know nothing about it .

please advise . thanks

 

here, read these:
FAQ’s https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/rx-8-faq-please-read-before-posting-959/
New and Potential Owner’s, Start Here https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/new-potential-owners-start-here-202454/
Congratulations, you got an 8 https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/congratulations-you-got-8-a-202548/
New Owner FAQ’s https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...&highlight=FAQ

Also, make sure you read the “stickies” in each sub-forum

 

thanks alot man .i was thinking about putting around 900-1300 $ into the car once i get it . gotta figure out the best things to start with are. ill start reading those posts now. thanks again

 

Welcome. Glad to have a fellow S2 owner

A lot of information between S1 and S2 are the same. Some modifications can be performed for one and the other generation.

From what I remember the stock intake is doing a pretty good job. I'd have to look again but I also thought about putting in an aftermarket kit for the air intake - and i remember that it didn't really help much.

BlackHaloRacing has a lot of great hardware. Unfortantly for me, I have yet to partake in their store. It's a good thing to get the spark plugs and wires changed around 30k - I'm getting close. But gotta get new tires and wheels first (not selling).

The rx-8 is a fickle, tempermental lady. Rev her high, she's built that way ~ and sounds damn good doing it.

Pictures sir.

 

thanks for the warm welcome

i heard the same thing stock intake is good . however i did see some cold air intakes for less than $400 and i thought it would be a nice present to the car since its bone stock . she needs to breath and i want her to sound real nice haha.

checked out BHR ignition system seems pricy at $600 was wondering if i could get by with just buying a backup set of stock plugs / coils / wires from mazda for cheaper. is that even an option ?

also i heard that the oil pressure is higher and i need an exact specific type of oil filter i was planning on stocking up on a few of those + oil bottles.

installation should be cheap since im probably going to try and teach myself everything i can and do as much as possible myself . (who wants to pay somebody else to work on their car when its more fun and cheaper to learn it yourself right ?)

you said rev her high ?

i got my liscence with an automatic 2002 mazda protege and since then ive gotten practically ZERO expierence with driving a standard car.

i got to practice on a really really really beat up old hyundai accent 5speed with like 341,000 km on it . ( i drove it once for like 4hours just learning on my own after i found out r3 is 6speed)

in the accent i had to gear up at around 3100rpm and even that felt almost " too high" so is there anything particular i need to know about driving the rx8 when i get it? (late sept. 2011)

im almost afraid its going to be too much car for me but from the reviews ive watched it is easy to learn on . but the guys doing the reviews are experts so seems kind of bias.

 

Park it and keep driving the Hyundai...

 

Make it look as sexy az Izzys. Just an example that 20 yr olds can do it right. Oh, and bring it to SEVENSTOCK.. I'm guessing you're from AZ?

 

with a 9k rpm. this car likes to rev higher than most cars on the road.

That said, this is not like other cars. if you tell it to go somewhere, that's where it goes. This can be problematic for some people, as they are inexperienced and tend to "over react" to certain driving conditions.

My honest opinion is this: Practice driving manual until you are comfy. If you're immature, this car is not for you. You sound like you have a good head, but don't let the beast control you. I'd hate to see a thread about a mistake you made because you didn't understand the car...

NOTE: this is NOT a "stop light" race car.

 

The stock intake is great. The AEM and mazdaspeed cold air intakes are the same. The only thing that will change from the intake is sound. And a nice shiny pipe under the hood and maybe shed a few pounds. But you wont really see much of a performance gain. If you want her to breath better i would suggest an aftermarket catback exhaust with a catless midpipe. Knocking out the cat will give you the most hp gain with out any FI. I have a TurboXS full exhaust and i love it. Its pretty damn loud but just the way i like it.

The BHR upgrade is a definite favorite of most members. But it is a little pricey. For all my OEM replacement parts i go to rockauto.com They sell direct replacement parts for really cheap. Check em out.

And yes redline her ATLEAST once a day. This car is NOT meant to be babied. By redlining her, that will heat up and break off carbon deposits (the leading cause of death of the renesis) and send it out the ports.

And as far as oil, thats a decision you need to make for your self. SEARCH about synthetic or non synthetic, what weight, and if you will premix or not. If you start a new thread about oil your going to get flamed.

Good luck with the 8!

 

im actually in B.C canada about an our drive east of vancouver city . i do want to do the exhaust im just worried about passing "air-care" test. want it to sound nice but i dont want it to not be street legal.

 

get a midpipe and keep your oem exhaust for the times you need to have her tested

 

Glad your planning on getting an rx8. Read the stickies and follow it, and you will have fewer issues with your 8. Anyway, post pics whenever you get it, good luck.

 

S2 is pretty much bullet proof. at least mine is.
your problem is to drive it responsibly.

 

Check out 04green's best way to spend your first $100 on the car. Also, read my intake mod link in my signature. It will save you a bunch of wasted $.

 

No changing oil and filters like a madman - just at normal 3000 mile intervals. Plus modest topping off in between. Mazda OEM filters are among the best to use.

BHR is expensive if you're going to keep the car for a short enough time that you'll replace coils only once. If you go with OEM, I second atwood101's recommendation of rockauto. Excellent prices and service.

Ken

 

@Ken-x8: heard the BHR coils are pretty much the most solid and life-long thing we can buy for our lovely rx-8s?

Did something change about BHR's coils that they aren't as great as I've heard?

 

nope

 

I have to be clear: I only passed English because I brown nosed my way through it. Or bullshitted... whichever was more convincing.

 

Shifting in that Hyundai might have seemed a bit too high at 3100, but please, for the love of god, don't think you have to shift low in the R3, these cars LOVE high end, if you never get it up you'll blow it. Research the Automatic RX8's when they were first released, more blow-ups than anything. Redlining keeps it clean and optimal, but obviously that doesn't mean you can ignore oil changes. Keep up on everything and have responsible fun, if that's possible.

 

dont worry about air care bro since your car is a 2009 you wont have to worry about it for a while haha once your get it post some pics what color are you looking at?

 

No - nothing's changed. They cost about twice what OEM coils would. If you're going to replace coils and keep the car for no more than 30,000 miles, you'd be buying BHR for whoever you sell the car to. If you're going to go more than 30,000 miles, then BHR ignition pays for itself.

Ken