Some Shinka Observations
 

I have been reading the threads on this site for a couple of weeks and I have not seen any on the Shinka. From what I have read there seem to be some minor but noticable differences:

1) Dunlop SP8090 91W tires. The sales person gave me the warranty for the Bridgestones so he obviously was clueless. I don't know if Mazda switched out on all 05 models or if this is only on the Shinka. BTW I cannot find this these tires on Dunlops site. Made in Japan, so maybe only available in Japan??

2) Flooding etc... Not a problem. I drive 1.1 miles to work and was concerned because the car does not budge off of the C in the temp gauge. But, I have had no problems. Even backed out of the garage, turned it off and re-started a few minutes later without even a hint of a problem.

3) No wheel bounce with DSC. I have even tried by dropping clutch at 4k rpm, no problem.

4) No rust on brake rotars. I have only had the car for a couple of months so we will see.

Has anyone had a chance to see if the upgraded suspension is noticable from the GT to the Shinka? Also, has anyone ordered any MS body upgrades for the Shinka? They do not list the color on the options so I wonder if they are going to make it availble?

1) i dunno

2)mine never floods either it is a 03 build

3)none of them do b/c dsc is on...hold the button till traction control and dsc is off then "drop" the clutch..you'll bounce like a po-go stick (it's a rotary thing:p)

4)haha mine look like the Titanic...yes they are rusty...so at least you got rust free brake rotors out of it :D

i thought you mostly got a custom color....and interior out of the shinka...oh and all the upgrades that come with the gt as standard on the shinka? but i haven't really researched it:p

P.S. welcome to the club............oh and Nice Car :D

1. My '04 came with those Dunlops, so this is not a Shinka or a '05 thing. TireRack has these tires.
2. Good luck! Make sure you have the Mazda roadside assistance number handy.
3. ?
4. Wait awhile.

The sport package comes with a sport tuned suspension and is available on all models equipped with it. The Shinka has basically the same package with thicker front and rear roll bars.

My 05 has the Dunlops. Thought it was a Canadian thing, but Pops' 04 has them, so I don't know.

Thanks for the replies...does anyone know:
What diference is there between 12mm damper shafts and 14mm shafts in the performance of the car? And does a foam filled front cross member really aid in the handling of the car?

Well, I'm by no means a suspension expert, but from what i understand, the difference in 2 mm of shaft will make for a slightly more stiff ride in order to keep the wheels planted. However, 2 mm difference is very minimal, probably as to keep the ride liveable. I mean, it's a shinka, not a dedicated track car....

My guess is the minimal difference is more for marketing purposes, but correct me if I'm wrong...

You're probably correct with that assessment. Certainly, these "enhancement" will make a difference, but the very slight improvement in handling and/or frame rigidity likely would be imperceptible.

Up on Soap Box:
IMO, the Mazda Special Edition cars, be they RX-8's, Miatas or whatever, are just what you say, primarily marketing tools for creating interest in Mazda's products. Which is not ALL bad--nice paint, chrome wheels, leather upholstery, and so on can be very appealing--but buyers should understand exactly what they are getting when paying a premium price for the SE's. They are somewhat unique cars intended for people who want something a little different. But they are not "faster" and not significantly better in the handling department than the stock versions.
Down from Soap Box. :D

Up on Soap Box:
IMO, the Mazda Special Edition cars, be they RX-8's, Miatas or whatever, are just what you say, primarily marketing tools for creating interest in Mazda's products. Which is not ALL bad--nice paint, chrome wheels, leather upholstery, and so on can be very appealing--but buyers should understand exactly what they are getting when paying a premium price for the SE's. They are somewhat unique cars intended for people who want something a little different. But they are not "faster" and not significantly better in the handling department than the stock versions.
Down from Soap Box. :D[/QUOTE]

It's always intersting you get a "soap box" response. :)

You are probably right on the handling characteristics and you are certainly right about the SE building interest in the car. I wanted it the moment I saw it. I strongly considered the GT in black which is very nice, but the leather in the Shinka was just too nice to pass up. It contrasts nicely with the black dash and trim.
It does however handle incredibly well. I got it drifting just a bit today and it was great. My 14 year old son begs me to take him out driving. Even a trip to 7-11 (1.5 m r/t) takes half an hour because we take the longest way possible.

I have not seen any ms body parts on one yet

Funny thing, we (my fiancée and I) had our eyes on the RX8 for a while and about three months ago I pulled the trigger and bought a Black 8 6sp with the touring package with the Navi. While at the Dealership, our salesman was all excited about a ‘special edition RX8’ he had in stock. He was dying to show it to me, so I walked over to check it out. First thing I did was look at the sticker price. I then asked him if had more HP, he said no. I asked if it handled better, he said slightly. I peeked inside to see if it had the Navi, when I saw that it didn’t have a Navi, I just walked away and said no thanks.


Good thing that my fiancée wasn't with me then, she probably would have tried to convince me to spring for the Shinka. I gues our priorites are a little different . I would rather put that money into future mods.

The difference between a shinka and an RX8 are:

1. People driving the other way point at your car
2. People stand around it in the parking lot
3. People argue over what color it is (it's black, no it's burgandy, no it's purple, no its.....) hehe.... it's all those depending on the lighting
4. you don't have to worry about someone else sitting at the stoplight with you in the exact same car
5. Porches, mercedes, and various other high end cars feel the need to park next to you
6. you know you have the nicest RX8

There really isn't that much price difference over an equivalent GT

1. happens to me in my black SP
2. see 1
3. this doesn't happen to me. its black ;)
4. hasn't been an issue. once there was a vr 8 behind me, and there is a vr8 and ss8 at work, but thats about it.
5. see 1
6. thats subjective :p

I think the Dunlop tire thing is a late 2004 addition. I think Bridgestone owns Dunlop or something like that. The Dunlops may wear a little better, but don't quote me on that.
I'm pretty sure you can get appearance package add-ons for the Shinka...I seem to remember seeing some pics on this site somewhere. Try Rosenthal Mazda (Finishline Performance). If they don't have it, I'm not sure who would.
I don't really care for the color of the Shinka. I'm much more happy with my silver.

yup Dunlops are a late 2004 switch, I guess they kept with it for 05 and on.

the Dunlops have a treadwear rating of 280, which is noticeably higher than the 180(?) on the original Bridgestone RE040's.

I think the Potenzas are 140, but I'd have to look again. Not really a whole lot of a difference in 140 and 180 though.

I think the treadwear rating is only relevent within a brand. I think I read on either TireRack or Discount Tire that there is no real regulation for treadwear, only a guideline. BUT, you can tell just by looking and feeling the Dunlops that they are not as "soft" as the Potenzas.
I wonder what the performance difference is...if any.

you should see the way people look at a rx8 that has all the emblems removed

Mine's a Jan2004 build and came with the Dunlops (took delivery in feb2004). I'm not sure what determines which tires you get in the 'lottery'.

Picked up a shinka 3 weeks ago.. build date 11/04.. it has bridgestones.

so i guess it's 2 concurrent tire suppliers then... interesting...

I just hit 2100 miles on my Shinka and have made one major observation:
I have had absolutely ZERO defects with this car.
No rattles, no rust on rotors, fit-and-finish inside and out is flawless.
I really think it is a benifit of buying a special edition.
I work in the electronics manufacturing industry, and we sometimes do "Special Editions" of our products. When this happens, extra time and effort is put into the assembly process to assure there are no chance of problems.

I'm a major RX8 fan. I hate to see the links where arguments arrise over who's RX8 is best; and this is not the purpose of this one.
I just wanted to point out to anyone debating between Shinka and another model, there are some 'undocumented' benifits to buying a special edition.

I'd like to hear if any other Shinka owners have experienced ANY of the minor problems that have been reported.

For the record, I have an 04 V/R and haven't had any of the "usual" problems either. I'm currently knocking on wood and I suggest you do the same.

^^^Okay not trying to rain on your parade or anything, but everything you just stated was speculative thinking. I have had my RX-8 for nearly a year, and have had no incident for nearly 15,000 miles. There are bad apples out there, but I have had zero squeaks, rattles, or defects.

Just because you have an excellent build quality 8 does not mean the other 8's are any less. Don't assume that the shinka vs. regular 8 is more meticulously constructed without any documented information on that.

I take that back, I had a headlight get the "haze" on the inside, and it was replaced under warranty. I believe the Shinka's do have a "chrome finished" headlight assembly.