RX8 Group,

I need some encouragement to move toward an RX8. I currently have a 2001Z28M6. I love driving it because I barely have to push on the gas to get low-end power and it handles and brakes well. I have over 50000Mi and my warrantee ends at 70000Mi. I have a choice I can keep it and face problems from my abuse and hard driving or trade it in. I am looking for new Reliable RWD Sports car that has plenty of highway power (60-100MPH) around $30K. Giving the choices:

Mustang GT+ (just not my type of car)
350ZX (I had a 300ZXTT and a 300ZX they were good)
*RX8*
GTO ($33,000 Ugly and overpriced)
BMW (Models under 30 don't seem to have enough power??)
Used Corvette?

I love what I read about the RX8 but I am concerned about upgradebility with a N/A. Can you add a turbo to this new Rotary Engine or a Supercharger w/o wearing it out or getting predet? What other options do I have like chip, exhaust, intake? I know basically how this eng works but I am not sure what potential is has. I read some of the posts here but they all seem to hit a mechanical dead end. I met a few RX7 owners who had turbos
and bragged how the HP was almost limitless even a few of them
claimed to have converted thier NA to a Turbo. They also said
they had insane 1/4 Mile times like in the 10's. Personally
the RX7 was too small inside for my tastes. I felt like I would
be dead if I ever had a wreck with an SUV. The RX8 looks
pretty rommie inside...

I saw Internet time of RX8 estimates of 14.5 in the 1/4 which is great but what can you do to make it at least a 14.0? I am not much of a 1/4 Track person myself more of a highway player if I feel the urge. I am just looking for a ray of hope that I
can upgrade it w/o coughing up 10 grand.

Thanks for you help and the forum.

Troy

 

Hi TroyRX8,

Welcome to the forum!

Imo, the RX-8 will prob be fine on the highway since all the power is up top. Just don't step on the gas in 6th and expect it to rocket forward

As to mod potential, if its anything like old rotaries it should be pretty mod happy. Just make sure u kno what ur doing! :p There's been a lot of speculation on how the changes made in the Renesis will affect mod potential. We will just have to wait and see when the car comes out.

 

there is going to be LOTS of japanese parts for upgrade.....there is something we (asians) would use to fix up our cars, called THE BIBLE....it could be bought in japanese book stores it has everything, pix, turbo kit, body kit, rim, and lots more....i could say that the BIBLE would prob come out after 6 month when RX8 is sold everywhere.....trust me u wont be disappointed :D

 

You can count on Racing Beat and a few other vendors for creating performance upgrades - I forget where you are, but Rotary Performance in Garland (Dallas) TX comes to mind too. They race FDs very successfully, and IRRC they get somewhere around 350 - 400HP from theirs. My suggestion: read the recent Car and Driver comparison of the RX8, Mustang, and G35 - watch the video of that report if you can. And there are several more comparisons out there and more to come for sure. As an example, I have tacked to my cubicle at work the Automobile mag article last year declaring the Miata as the best sports car < $40,000. It has new competition from within the fam this year! But I'd most just recommend you to drive one when you get your first chance. I'm pretty sure if you were driving on a highway and got the fancy to kick it from 60 or 70 to 90 or 100, drop to 3rd and floor it, you'll like it. But there's a lot to be said for a good ole small block V8 American car like yours. Long term reliability and soundness of chassis aren't one of them. It is for a N/A rotary. And when you watch the tach fly when you drive one , you may see what so many of us enjoy about these cars. Or not. There is no one car out there to appease everyone's tastes!

 

Low end torque will be less than you like, but top end power, handling, braking, seat comfort, style, smoothness will be superior.

Besides, this is a revolutionary car, having attributes that no other car on earth has:
Rotary engine
Suicide doors

I cant see myself with anything else.

 

there ARE other vehicles with suicide doors, but you're right, no one's done them as cool as Mazda recently

 

well, i'm going to be honest here... yes the renesis has been tested since the 90s and such and it's supposed to be reliable, but it's still new. there's just no comparison when you consider something that looks like it will be reliable and should be reliable but subsequently lookup something that has a proven reliability record, such as nissan's VQ v6 motor or toyota's 22RE motor. i'm hoping my rx8 will be reliable, but i won't be the least bit surprised if it doesnt' turn out to be.

it's been mentioned once that the renesis was designed to take boost, but i don't expect anything to come out for it in 2003, and maybe not anything tuned well in 2004 either, so it will be a bit of a wait for forced induction. intake/exhaust may serve up a bit of power.

as far as size goes, the rx8 is actually pretty close to the size of an rx7, lil taller tho. it is rigid as the bloody dickens from the reports i've read.

the 350z...neat car really, has one of the nicest v6's ever made in it, maybe you wait another model year for them to work out a few of the kinks in it. there are issues with the sound system, some cars have grease streaks on passenger window, and front tires feathering (better than having connecting rods break and your engine blowing up)

GTO ...from what i read, this car is going to be a pig and not terribly impressive.

Vette...reliability? hehehehe, but even with a ls1 vette i bet you would be hard pressed to find an rx8 that could out gun the vette in stock form...if you happen upon a used z06, the rx8 won't out corner you either. only 2 seats tho

bmw ...maybe a late 90's m-roadster for low 20's and a 6k dinan supercharger to push that puppy to 340 hp? not bad for a 3k lb vert. once again only 2 seats (not sure if that's an issue for you)

now lets see if i can bring you over to the dark side *cracks knuckles*

the rx8 250hp, 159 ft-lb torque, 3k lb car stiff chassis but comes with suspension that is a bit forgiving. seats 4, looks good, fuel economy not horrendous, good on highway though. if you're into modifying your car, i think the -potential- of the rx8 well exceeds that of the aforementioned cars (just opinion but flame anyway).

it's a rotary, it's a rotary, and oh yeah it's a rotary. i swear we're like a cult. i saw in one at the auto show, just sitting in it i felt i was going fast. i honestly don't care too much if i really do go fast but if it feels like i am, good enough =) given the track record of previous NA rotaries, one would assume the renesis would be damn near bulletproof given proper maintenance, ie. warm up the motor, change/top off the oil, and don't turn it off til it's properly warmed (not sure if flooding will be a problem again)

it's the rebirth of the rotary, mazda has a lot on the line with this car. so, that's what i can offer you, this board has a wealth of info on it so if you have any more questions feel free to search around