Things to do and NOT do with a new 8?
 

I'm supposed to pick up my new 2005 RX-8 AT w/spoiler this weekend.

What kind of break-in time frame is recommended?
What things should I avoid for X number of miles and what is X?
Is there anything else I should be aware of with a new 8?

Thanks in advance,
Topaz88

This is a good thread for new owners....lots of good links throughout.
https://www.rx8club.com/australia-new-zealand-forum-37/10-things-new-rx-8-owners-should-know-day-1-a-35405/
Run it in as per the manual but let it warm up for longer than 10 sec! I wait until the rev's drop back and are stable at about 1300 and then drive it under 3500 until it's up to temp.

Best of luck.

Do not redline it or rag on it for 1000 miles. Check the oil. And pet it a lot until you get past 1K and can redline it! :D

Today's experience of what NOT to do with your 8: While driving in Colorado snow on a 3 lane 40mph road, DON'T use the 'manual' mode of the automatic to drop from 3rd to 2nd! This can yeild a very ~fun~ sensation: scare the total crap out of the driver and others on the road beside and behind you. The great feeling of powershifting all the time has only one tiny drawback: dropping to a lower gear on, shall we say less than dry conditions (ice/snow/slush mix), causes the great ability to look into the passenger window of the car next to you while looking out your windshield! Of course any good driver will instantly steer into the slide and reach for the clutch. No problem with the steering, but oh wait, we don't have a clutch! In the panic, my big foot caught the edge of the brake pedal! Not good. My brain was on the comfortable 'cruise to work' mode so it took maybe a full second to get it recovered. My heart was in my throat, but I'm still impressed that I didn't hit anyone or anything. Its the second time I've done that. I've heard that switching to real snow tires is a good idea if you drive where it snows.... A slightly risky benefit of this manuver is that it tends to clear any traffic from your general area for a few miles! Moral of the story (for me): use the 'regular' automatic mode when the weather is slippery (or, just take the truck!)

Don't....
 

NEVER take it over 6k until it's warmed up. Really warmed up, not just needle at 'usual position'.

ALWAYS redline once or twice per trip (after break-in, of course). The actual rotors inside rotate at one-third the revs of the output shaft, they get carboned up if you don't get some real effort out of them.

.....and be diligent with the oil changes - half the old oil stays in the pump and cooler circuit, so regular changes take a high priority.

enjoy! :D
S

Dont get an auto.

I have one, Now I want ot get rid of it the car is 10000000 time more fun in manual =]

dont turn it off when its cold and not warmed up, ie make sure not to stall your engine driving it out of the driveway as RENESIS is flood prone

make sure not to hit any large potholes. stock wheels are expensive

really, how much is one jose?

what to do: anything

What not to do: DONT BY AN AUTO!!!!! :mad:

the dealer quoted the rpice at $510 each

but i got them for much cheaper from my friend whom owns mazdarx8online.com :)

O.O wow you can get a set of them for like 750 bucks on these forums or other rx8 forums...

Don't drive in the snow unless you buy snow tires

The 8 comes with summer tires for the twisties. :cool:

Don't shut off your DSC unless you're on a race track.

Don't forget to smile at all the chicks who take an interest in your car.

The door window sills are a bit high and tend to restrict vision, especially to the right, so when making tight right hand turns, be careful of curbs and other high objects. You don't want to ding those nice wheels or scrap the paint!

1.3L

very good point, those good looks of the slim windows have a practical disadvantage.

although make sure to use the wide front fenderwells to your benefit in parking and turns

yes, but i needed them ASAP. i ordered them last wednesday at 5pm and they were delivered at 10am on thursday morning. also, like i said, i didnt pay list price :)

wow the guy from mazdarx8online shipped them that fast?

yeah also i was lookin around and you're right stock wheels are about 450-550 list...

excellent tips deslock

yes, excellent shipping. i would definitely recommend his site if you are looking for parts. if you cant find it on his site, email him as he will usually carry things that he does not have listed.

deslock, very good tips - except for the one about not getting auto :rolleyes:

1. Already mentioned but I will reiterate it... DON'T TURN THE DSC OFF unless you spend time in a training situation.

2. Leave the DSC turned on.

3. If you have the urge to turn the DSC off... DON'T!

4. DSC defaults to on for a reason, leave it on.

5. Just in case someone tells you it's OK to turn the DSC off... Don't listen to them.

6. Don't turn the DSC off.

7. DSC should be hardwired to the ON position.

8. Don't push that damn button!

i am a window piston who's DSC is broken, SS is also an ugly colour

i think im going to turn my DSC off. ;)

1. don't buy auto.
2. buy Manual.
3. but one with a clutch.
4. buy the 6 speed tranny.
5. don't buy only two pedals.
6. go have some fun.

:rolleyes: jeez, here we go....

yes, please, dont by an auto. it not a REAL rx-8......whatever.

Good lord you act like the car will turn into a raging fireball and explode if you turn off the DSC.

If you can't handle the car with it off, then obviously leave it on. However, you should become comfortable with the car before disabling it, it's there to help (or hinder), but don't depend on it.

Seriously, don't buy an Auto 8.

Also, do not put those shoes on your 16 month old daughter that light up when she puts her foot down, then put her in a car seat behind the driver's seat. Trust me, NOT a good idea.

hmm...still trying to figure out what uberjumper means by this...i assume a major distraction from the lights maybe?

Well, not quiet but close! I'm just speaking from a non-experienced point of view. A lesson learned from a stupid mistake. Six months in my new RX8 I turned my DSC off for the first time, made a left hand turn from a red light and a right hand turn (at what was a comfortable speed with DSC on) and totaled my car. Stupid I know but I was not experienced. That is why I made my statement above. If it makes someone think and not do the stupid thing I did then my comments were worth it.

I agree with you 110%. I will eventually turn it off. After I have had an opportunity to properly learn the techniques of driving without it but I will not make the mistake again.

I think it is very important to share your experiances on this forum as a lesson shared could save someones life and that is important to me.

WOW silvereight. did you end up with another rx8? how much did you end up losing from that ordeal?

StealthFox, an extremely long story shortened; Because of the total I received a new car. I upgraded from a Sport Package to a GT. I'm a happy (smarter) camper now.

Your word "ordeal" is appropriate as it was an excruciating experience with my insurance adjuster. In the end he quit and a week or two later I had a check for my new car.

This forum is without a doubt the single most important part of my achieving victory over my insurance company and the extensive online diary I kept made everything come together in the end. If you really want the gory details I documented everything but you may need a few beers to get through it. Below, #1 will give you the intro and you can skip to #4, which is when the real fun began.

All of this because of stupidity and lack of knowledge of what that little button (DSC) was about.

1. (My first Post on this forum) DSC or NOT! Not a choice for me again.
https://www.rx8club.com/polls-70/dsc-not-not-choice-me-again-44379/

2. (Visit to body shop) Exposed Engine
https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/exposed-engine-45852/

3. (Scheduled to get her back) 2 weeks till I get her back!
https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/2-weeks-till-i-get-her-back-49249/

4. (This is when the fun really began and a good read for anyone who needs to know how to deal with insurance companies) Help Please, I think I'm screwed!
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/help-please-i-think-im-screwed-49412/

I appologize for this long post but I think it is appropriate and "topaz88", I hope you understand what I'm trying to tell you and why I think this is the single most important thing you learn about your car.

very approprate, also, can i have a link to your thread of your plight?

--edit--
nvm, forgot about it, i just realized those links were to threads :rolleyes:

What to do: apply for the AAA Visa card, you'll get 5% cash back on all gas purchases everywhere. Bro, you'll need it.

What not to do: run from the cops on half a tank. They will catch up!

especially with a rx8, it will eat up half a tank of gas in no time

SilverEIGHT,

What an incredible story with a great ending!! Glad everything worked out in the end and glad no one was injured. Can imagine going through that for months on end. BTW, I never read what insurance company you had? Also, where did you end up getting your new car? I ended up working with 4 different dealerships and ended up at Rick Case. The clown over in Roswell was shady SOB and the Jim Ellis dealership acted like they didn't want me to buy a car from them. The only minus was they put over 300 miles delivering it from another state. I was so worried over the weekend before I signed that they would pull a "bait and switch", but surprisingly they came through on all of their promises.

After reading all your posts regarding your accident I didn't realize other people had the same love for this car as I do. My last car (Mercury Tracer) was 6 years old when I turned it in so I didn't care two bits about it. Now, I'm anal as crap about everything with this car. Even when I bought a new 95 Pontiac TransAm I never cared for that car like I do the 8. My wife is getting used to sharing me now ;)

My 8 doesn't have DSC so nothing to turn off, but I've been slowing working it out. I took it out last night to test a few things at a local corporate parking lot in Alpharetta. Still waiting until I hit the magic 1000 miles before I really start testing things.

I knew most of you guys/gals would rip on me regarding the automatic. I've had sticks before, but they're no fun in stop and go Atlanta traffic. 5 days of heavy traffic for a few hours of weekend fun is not a good ROI in my opinion. Not to mention I have an irritated sciatic nerve in my right leg so in my last car I would drive with my left foot while I stretched my right leg on top of the dash! :D

So lessons learned from the past few posts:
What to do: Practice with your car in a controlled environment
What NOT to do: Don't drive with SilverEIGHT...just kidding man :D

Georgia Farm Bureau. My problems were not with the insurance company but the adjuster and I'm still with them.

Moss Robertson in Gainesville. They even gave me a $750 discount after I bickered the price for being a repeat customer.

I made a stipulation that I would not accept a car that was driven to my dealer. It had to be delivered on a trailer or flat bed. It came from Jacksonville on a car transport and had 8 miles on it when I picked it up. That included the mileage for my salesman to go fill the tank up before I picked it up.

I think if you do not have DSC you need to do precisely what you did in Alphretta. I was told to do an autocross but have not had the opportunity yet.

I didn't realize you lived here in N GA. There is an awesome group that get together here and go to Road Atlanta, mountain drives, Andretti Kart Racing, NASA events and such. PM me if you are interested. Check out the SE RX-8 Forum: https://www.rx8club.com/se-rx-8-forum-30/

Well Silver I can certainly understand why you made the comments that you did. Good luck with the new car ;) Be safe.

DSC = Destruction Safe Control