Kyle Engelsmeier

Hello all, new member here

so here's my story. I right now have a 1991 JDM MR2 turbo as my daily driver (also a 1989 Camry for winter and 1986 corolla project car). I am looking to sell my MR2 and finance a used RX8. now to me, I like small, 2 door, window-frame-less cars. and of course the RX8 is none of these. I was looking into buying either another MR2, or an FD3S. But even though I'm only 18, I'm starting to realize the importance of having 4 seats and airbags! So, of course I wanted to buy a 4 seater, FMR coupe, which weight less than 3000 lbs. and the RX8 almost fits this criteria. of course I also wanted a car thats good on gas (having a turbo car really made me spend too much on gas). But from researching, you guys say this car sucks on gas (16-22 mpg) even tho at the mazda dealership the brochure says 21 city and 30 hwy. But i'm used to spending lots on gas so this wont be an issue!

A few questions however...

Whats the difference between a normal RX8 and a mazdaspeed rx8?
91 octane is required, but would using 94 octane be any better?
I want the rx8 to be as fast as the mr2, will simple bolt-ons make me 250+whp?
does anybody make a good 1.5 way LSD for these cars?
what are parts that break often? like are they just as unreliable as an rx7?


aaaaand any other info will do!

thanks!

Kyle Engelsmeier

and just to let you guys know, I'm reading through the FAQ's right now

N rider89

there is no mazdaspeed rx8 in the us, just mazdaspeed parts.
not really iirc
no, it dynos around 180whp and bolt ons dont do much. 200whp+ n/a with a lot of parts.
i dont know
its not nearly as unreliable as an fd. especially because its new.

thats all i have

alz0rz

iTrader: (41)

hahahaha, 21/30? yeah right... more like 15/20

RWagz

It probably has more to do with one car being twin sequential turbo and the other being N/A than the relative age of the two cars.

N rider89

true. there were many problems that came from the twins and the cooling systems. also there are some poor owners out there.

what i meant is that a newer rx8 will have less issues than an 13 year old fd

RotaryP7

I get 10/15.

Renesis07

iTrader: (1)

I didnt see any results with high octane gas, I use 91 and it runs well
Nitrous and all the bolt-ons MIGHT get you there
Dont know
Much more reliable than a 7, especially 05+

your welcome

JRichter

Welcome.

Like said before there is no US Mazdaspeed RX-8, just Mazdaspeed parts.

I wouldn't see any major performance benefits in using a 94 octane over a 91 if any.

Simple bolt-ons won't get you near 250 whp unless you consider a Turbo a simple bolt-on or maybe consider nitrous.

The torque-sensing Tochigi Fuji Limited Slip Differential that the MT car comes with would probably be more than sufficient to control any power you could add to the 8 in most situations.

My 8 is not heavily modded and only has 39k miles but nothing as ever broken powertrain-wise and has never failed to start/run. The key is proper maintenance and up keep. The RX-8 is a much simpler design than the complex twin turbo setup of an FD RX-7 so my guess is the 8 would easily be more reliable especially considering the age of the two cars.

CyberPitz

My '88 RX-7 Turbo is running strong at 170k miles with a rebuild sometime around 100k miles *PO couldn't remember*. The 3rd gen was the only bad one in the bunch for reliability.

xsnipersgox

- NONE, there are no mazdaspeed rx8
- NO, unless you are endurance racing and retuning your engine/advance timing/running high turbos/supercharger
- "simple bolt on" like header, intake, exhaust, will net u like at most 15 hp. to get +20 hp, u have to spend more than 3-4k on "upgrades" only real power upgrade is FI, than the car can easily top 280+hp with stock injectors (~7k installed)
-Cusco or something.. i think we have stock 1.5 way? no idea. but ya, it will cost u a pretty penny, no don't bother setting this car to drift,takes too much work, rather, use ur 86.
- 8's are much better than 7, but this ain't no toyota.

delhi

Actually the only unreliable Rotary car is the FD thanks to its less than ideal twin turbo plumbing set-up. The FCs and FBs can still be seen running around. If you want a reliable FD, just remove the turbos. hahahaha...
If you want hp, look into the Z. Lots of torque compared to the 8.

Kyle Engelsmeier

im looking for a car that is best for twisties, so a 50/50 would be primo, hence the RX8. and i need 4 seats so a 350z i couldnt do

Renesis07

iTrader: (1)

As long as you understand that this car is a twisties car youll be okay. Or you can be like me and spend spend spend to still run 15's

Kyle Engelsmeier

thinking about it some more.... i may actually go back to my original rx7 plans....

the JDM ones still have 4 seats

MP3Guy

Florida driver!!!