LostAngel

Hi, up until about 3 weeks ago I was an avid Celica GT-S fan. I loved the exterior and interior of it. About 3 weeks ago I saw my first Red RX-8 up close at a dealership and fell in love. I was wondering what the pro's and con's are of the RX-8 6-speed NON shinka version?

Thank you.

rx8wannahave

Shinka adds a new interior, new color, and some minor changes to the suspension. Oh yeah, that Shinka tag too. It's really just up to you if you like it or not...either way (speed & handling wise) there is not much IF ANY difference in the 6spd RX8's. I have not seen any test done on the Shinka but based on the list or explanation of the differences there probably is no REAL difference.

Read as much as you can here...and then go test drive one, you will LOVE IT!

LostAngel

Sorry if I didnt explain myself right, I was wondering what the pro's and con's were of the RX-8 itself.

Wurmfist

Pro's: Great Handling, lovely interior, nice dash setup, great bodystyle, high-rpm redline, rotary engine, unique sports car that you don't see on every corner, low weight, and it seats 4, just to name a few, I'm sure others have more.

Cons: Not a daily driver (IMHO), renesis engine requires special care (I.E. Warm ups and cool downs, adding oil at regular intervals. I don't really see this as a con but some people don't take care of engines as they should and the renesis has special or different requirements over your standard piston engine.), poor gas mileage, weak A/C. Lower horse power than others in it's class and price range.

Overall: I really have enjoyed this car in the little over a year I have had it. I'm not the type of guy that has to have the highest power, but I look for the whole package. This car is meant for the curves and if you know how to drive it you can really take it to the extreme. I would say don't even bother to consider the automatic version at all. The Sirius add-on would be nice for the 2005 and up models. I have sirius in my van and wished I had it in my 8. What it lacks a little (very little) in power it makes up for in every other way. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give it a 8.5.

Car comparo (in my opinion)
S2000: 8 (don't like 2 seats)
350Z: 7 (nice power but a rough ride)
Lancer Evo: 6 (It's a 4 door sedan with a big engine, not a sports car)
WRX: 6 (same as evo)
WRX STI: 7 (same as the others but the power is impressive)
GTO: 6 (Crap bodystyle, looks like a cavalier on steriods, gets a 6 only because of the engine)
Lutos Elise: 9 (I love this car, high-price though, can compete with a viper)


I list those just so you can see how I compare the 8 with other cars and why I got the 8 instead of everything else. This is just based on my opinion. Hope it was helpful.

rx8wannahave

Maybe I did not explain myself fully either....go search and test drive, lol :p

I'm just messing with you...

My personal Pro/Con list:

Pro

Sexy looks
Very good handling
Good quality
Modern sportscar/fighter plane interior
Standard options are plentiful
Useable 2+2 seating
Comfortable seating
Extra side doors
Fast (fast enough for most people)
Good trunk space
Firm but still comfortable ride

Cons

Interior easy to scuff
Tail pipes are forever dirty (more so than a piston engine)
Trunk opening very narrow
No spare tire (it's optional)
Not an engine for lazy people (Rotary engines are made to eat a little oil)
Low on torque
While fast, another 40-50HP would have been nice
Door stop points seem to be off by a bit

Enjoy!
:D

rx8wannahave

Why would you say that? I drive my 8 almost every day and I love it!

LostAngel

Thank you all very much, I too am not big on power. I'd rather look good getting somewhere (where people are seeing you) than having a FAST car that can only be FAST sometimes (which in my city...cops = a lot and mean lol)

rx8wannahave

Lost...then for you, the 8 will be fine because while we have had a huge debate over what "fast" means, the 8 is faster than most cars on the road which to me = fast enough.

LostAngel

Yeah, thats why I liked the Celica GT-S. It was faster than most cars on the road. And I know the RX-8 is a bit faster than the celica.

Wurmfist

It dosen't lack in power at all, but there are many sedans on the road that could give it a run for it's money. I think they could have found another 25-40 hps for the price range and it's competitors.

I want to add another thought: Winter Driving on OEM tires. If you go and get some all-season tires for the winter you will be fine, but the OEM Bridgestones don't do so well in snow and ice.


RX8wannahave: I don't think it's a daily driver for most people because of the way most people treat their daily driver cars. You would have to agree that the majority of people just get in there car and drive off with little thought about letting the engine warm up a hair first. I don't think it's a daily driver because I drive a couple hundred miles a day and I get stuck in traffic all the time, manual transmissions can get annoying when stuck in stop and go traffic. So from my perspective, I wouldn't drive it everyday. I have my mini-van for that. If all I had to do is go to work and back then I might consider it, but for those who are in too much of a hurry to take care of their engine they are going to have flooding problems and who knows what else.

LostAngel

How is the shifter? Is it smooth or notchy feeling? Also, does it put you back in your seat when you step on it?

Wurmfist

Shifter is a nice short throw. The transmission is really smooth, but you have to hesitate for a split second when shifting gears to make a nice transition. I really love the stick. The extra syncros in... i think the first 3 gears make downshifting a pleasure and the placement of the accelerator and break are perfectly lines up for great heel and toe action. Actually it's so nice you don't have to turn your foot at all, you can heel and toe, just with the toes. LOL.
There isn't really a "push in the seat" feeling off the line, but you can feel a smooth gentle pull when taking it up to the redline in second and third gears. Don't expect this car to throw you back in the seat though due to lack of torque off the line.

Spin9k

LostAngel, couple of thoughts different from the above geared toward your comments hopefully

Pro
- 1st and foremost the 8 is a fun car to drive (just go try it!)
- 2nd the car is a blast to drive fast (borrow a friends or if you have a cooperative - dealership...)
- 3rd the car is a great drive-it-in-off-the-street track car (take my word for it:D )
- the 8 is a car to be proud of owning, and you'll be proud to be seen in it
- The car is asthetically pleasing to the eye, the ears, in fact all the senses
- Your wife/gf/sig other will enjoy riding with you
- It's a small car, so doing things like washing/waxing/detailing are relatively fast and easy... and enjoyable

Con
- You have to fill up a lot - tank is small - which means you spend time talking to people about the car often - taking up your time
- You'll spend money on it doing things/buying things for it
- You will spend too much time on this forum reading stuff like this
- Your wife/gf/sig other will possibly become jealous of something they can't match for it's attraction for you
- trips everywhere will take longer than they ever have before even though you may be going faster then usual

Good luck and enjoy the 8 if you get it

missinmahseven

So far so good, as a daily driver.. 60 miles each day. Engine warmup is achieved by not stomping on the pedal until a few minutes after the temp needle reaches 'normal' -- it takes a wee bit more time to warm up the oil. Once she's hotted up, by all means, beat the crap out of it.

Besides -- it's not advertised on the tach, but when cold, this car WILL NOT go past 6000. The PCM doesn't let you. Nice move, Mazda.. you took away our real OPG, but put in a mechanism to at least try to prevent idiot driver abuse. BMW also does this.

Cooldown? This ain't no turbo car. You turn it off, remove key, lock it up, and walk away. Car does the rest.

I'll agree that the Renensis is not a motor for the un-educated, lazy average motorist. You need to pay attention to the oil. Then again, I don't drive mine any different, nor care for it any different, than I have any of my previous car. An oil, coolant, washer, tire, belt and hose check every Saturday, wether it needs it or not. So far, both my rotaries would take 1/2 quart of oil every 2nd Saturday. The Miata would take 1/2 quart every 4th Saturday. Takes about 5 minutes.

Point I'm trying to make: This is not some ultra-finicky hi-strung uber-exotic that'll crack pistons if you even touch the throttle when cold. Just follow good, common mechanical sense and you'll be fine.

ANY ENGINE NEEDS TO BE HOTTED UP BEFORE YOU JUMP ON IT! Not just the rotaries. Why do people in this site make such a big-*** deal about this!? I had a friend with a brand-new 03 Passat, well, he's the type that'll jump on a cold engine.. yup.. within 30,000 miles, he'd broken the motor. It's not just the rotaries.. all engines, piston, wankel, steam or jet, need to be warmed up before you can wail on 'em.

LostAngel

This may sound dumb, but my friends got a zx2 escort and it has a bit of a 'throw you back' feeling when he takes off. Does it give at least a more of a throwback do you think compared to a little zx2? I know it's not gonna be the same as a mustang, or 350z though.

rx8wannahave

Well...not a bit, more like a chunk...lol (under a sec in difference but in the car world more than .3 is significant, but in the normal world it probably is not)

Fair enough...

LostAngel

Yeah, I know even though websites advertise the GT-S as being 15.2 in the quarter, this is not really the case. The '02 GT-S has a nasty rev limiter which wont let you land 'lift' in each gear. Most GT-S owners (non '02) get their 1/4 in 14.8. But I do know the rx-8's a tad more than a 'bit' faster haha

Spin9k

yes in fact it is nearly as fast as those cars - not as fast - but nearly on a scale of cars AND it'll blow the doors of 'an escort' (heaven help us - it's a fast fast car- just not a drag queen)

rx8wannahave

You will feel a push, I know I do when I do a 0-60 run (and I have not even pushed it hard, I take off at 5-6K). The cool thing is when most engines are needing a shift, the 8 really starts to pull hard. This is something that is really surprising and fun...so if the zx2 pleased you a bit, the 8 will leave you with a permanent smile! lol

LostAngel

Hahaha, I know it would beat an escort, but some slow cars ive been in seem to have more 'throw ya back' feel to them than some faster cars. I know this is the case with the Celica GT and GT-S. Though the GT-S is the faster car, the GT feels faster when you launch because the GT-S is torqueless under 6000 rpms.


I really wanna thank you all for your welcomes and information, and hopefully I will be getting an rx-8 within the summer. (does anyone know when the new model years come out?)

missinmahseven

Hm..

Yes and no. The ZX2 does it, but by cheating, the same way a Cadavalier or any other crappy american car will -- when you tip in the throttle it *OPENS* a lot. You get thrown in your seat.

Then as you keep feeding it gas, very little happens....

The rx8 is different. All of this happens in a very short timespan, so please bear that in mind..:

You put it in gear, and give the gas a good goose.. first you feel a finger, then two fingers, then three, then a whole fist, pushing you into the seat. It's not a "jerk your neck" type feel, it's more like taking off in a jet... it creeps up on you and very quickly. In far less time than it took to read this sentence.

So yes, it pushes you in the seat nicely. But no, it won't snap your neck. It's not supposed to. This is what linear power is all about. Controllable, yet forceful.

Of course, if you don't care for your pilot and throwout bearings, you can allways do a hard launch to feel it.. but why? ALl that means is you'll buy a new clutch later down the road.. how much later, depends on how many and how hard..

rx8wannahave

I think it's late in the year, probably October....???

Maybe...just maybe, there is a 8 owner on this website in your area that could give you a teaser test drive so you could feel how it performs. Someone here offerd it to me, but I was slow to respond and dumb...so I missed out on it. Lucky for me...I get to feel it almost daily!

I hope the best and read read read, this website is great!

LostAngel

Thanks missinmahseven, I didnt know thats how the american cars did it. I think I might just take a test drive this weekend. :-)

rx8wannahave

Can you explain that a little more? I want to make sure that when I do a 0-60 run (probably once a month...all other runs are from a rolling start) I'm not hurting my 8. What's a "hard" launch?

LostAngel

Yeah, I know what its like to be in a great car community on the website. I was apart of one for 3 years till the owner started banning people that had problems with the parts he sold being faulty (mostly MTEC headlights).