Travel and the RX8
 

When I first bought the RX8 I asked the forum members if they had any info on making long trips in the RX8. I got some good feedback, at least enough to make me comfortable with trying it to see. Since then to date I have made 4 round trips from Missouri to New Mexico. Trip distance each way has been in the 1025-1200 mile distance depending on the route and stop made. The result hase been over 8000 miles of highway travel in the RX8 since I purchased it in late November.I thought it would be nice to share some observations back to the group, and to other potential RX8 owners that might be interested.

The first thing I have to say is the car has been faultless with no problems since my original purchase, so reliability has not been a concern for me. Not having a spare has been somewhat of a crap shoot however, as dodging road debris has taken on a new meaning for me. I did install winter tires/wheels (18") as insurance against unforseen ice/snow conditions. Fortunately I only needed them once, but overall they have provided me a sense of security, and they also ride with a bit more compliance and don't become hockey pucks in cold temps like the stockers. I do think the spare tire kit would be great insurance, but I use most of the trunk space (read packed-tight)on these trips for clothes and Laptop. So the trade-off is luggage space and tire repair security. Again it hasn't been an issue yet, but the fact that an uneventful trip and a disaster trip is only a tire flat away.

Comfortwise, the car has been great, but does require periodic stops to stretch and get the blood flowing. It is actually as comfortable, if not more so, than my Subaru Forester XT. If I were taller than 5'11" or a big heavy guy though, the comfort factor would drop greatly I am sure. Having the Sirius package is a godsend as I can listen to lots of news and entertainment programs to keep me awake as opposed to music which makes me sleepy(not a good combo with driving!).

Fuel economy has consistently averaged around 20mpg over all of my highway trips, and my oil consumption is normally around 1/3 to 1/2 quart over the 1000-1200 mile trip. Again, other than not using as much oil on the trip down last time, it been very consistent and predictable. I would also mention that the RX8 does fairly well in high side-wind situations that would have been difficult in my Forester or my wifes Sequoia.

I made the trip again yesterday, and during a highway transition in Oklahoma City in traffic, a guy missed the exit and made a last minute swerve directly into my lane. Although I do have reflexes like James Bond, the RX8 nailed an evasive manuevre that I don't think I could have pulled-off in a lesser car. Total control in an out of control situation..awesome!!! Performance on the road has been excellent, and other than having to answers repeated questions at gas stations, restaurants, and rest stops about the car its a great car to get from points A-Z very quickly.

In summary the RX8 has been a great travel companion, and other than the spare tire security issue, and mediocre gas mileage, its been the perfect grand touring sports car for my purposes. Hope this helps others with questions about trekking in the RX8.

Jeff :)

Nice summary. Good job.

Pretty cool write up. I think I remember posting awhile back in your thread about my trip to Sevenstock. 1183 miles one way. :) That was on a softer suspension. Now that I am glued to the road with the Zeal coilovers, I think I might not enjoy the long haul that much.

Are you totally stock?

I do remember your comments regarding the Sevenstock trip! Those comments helped sealed the deal for me. Other than the snow tires/wheels and a VooDoo shift knob the car is still stock. I have been accumulating a few parts including a Supercat, Axial Flow SS, and a K&N Typhoon, so I am sure that they will impact the travel comfort somewhat with a bit more noise. I would like to invest in a better suspension, but probably won't until my travel requirements change as the stocker really works well over a large variety of road conditions while still offering great handling.

Thanks again for the feedback guys!

Jeff

Great write up. Thanks!

Very thoughtful write up. Everything I was trying to find out before I bought mine. (And did, though it's nice to see it all in one well written thread.)

I too eschewed the spare tire in favor of more trunk space, and did so with the following explicit thoughts about "spare tire security":

I have always kept a car about 7 years, and for each one, I've had one, maybe two times that I had a flat tire and had to use the donut spare. So I anticipate the same for the 8. So not having a spare means that over the life of the car, that's one, maybe two times I'll be stuck somewhere and have to call for help rather than change the tire myself. That's not a bad trade at all, especially when you consider that changing the donut isn't such a great treat either. Aside from the hassle of actually doing it, now you're stuck on a fake tire and have to drive slow and careful and pretty much drop everything and take it somewhere to get a real tire anyway. So, in my unfathomably humble opinion, if you need the trunk space, the trade-off is an excellent one. I don't lose a second's sleep over it.

Great write up. No spare for me either, but my long trips are few & far between (and AAA is always 30-45 mins away).

One thing you didn't mention is a general idea of your driving style. Stolen? Granny? A bit o'both?

I drive about 500 miles a week all highway and the 8 does very well.

Hmmm, I guess I drive it like its stolen, but with some love thrown in to keep me from trashing it . When I am on the highway, I spend most of the time at 75-85 mph, although I have had bursts of speed exceeding that. I cannot seem to drive any manual car without revving them out, so all of my shifts are typically made between 6k and redline/beep. Luckily for my gas tank, most of my drive is on wide-open highway with few start-stop transitions. Kind of boring driving for the RX8 actually, but a necessity of my current job. I do have triple AAA gold, so I don't worry too much about breaking down, but my trips back to NM are always on a Sunday when nothing is really open. I had the same spare-less set-up in my MCoupe as well and never experienced tire trouble during the time I owned it luckily.

JR

That adds-up pretty quickly for sure! I am lucky that my daily drive in NM is about 3 miles to and from work, so miles don't rack up once I get down there. Your weekly commute miles reminds me of my first new car a Rabbit GTI. I drove 62 miles each way to and from work and then drove all over the city of St.Louis to job sites during the day. I racked-up 54,000 miles the first year I owned that car. :Eyecrazy:

holy sh8t!! 54k in the first year. that's gotta be a record.

A positive write up; wow! I'm already looking forward to my next road trip this summer!

3 miles, or ten minutes is nowhere near enough time to warm the oil even close to operating temperature. Find a longer way to work.....with some curves, a 5 mile straightaway thrown in, and preferably, little or no traffic.

So nice to read about a Happy Rotary Owner.
Wonderful. Thank you.

outstanding! Thanks for sharing!!!

Yeah, I live pretty far from work but it's worth it to have a piece of land. My relationship with my 8 started off rough but she has been reliable since the engine replacement. My 8 won't be worth shit in another year but then I will likely get a low mileage M3 or Turbo 330. the 8 will be my autox car and then end up being my sons first car in 3 years.

The engine deal was sort of a blessing because I got a new engine right before the factory warranty runs out. I do have an extended 100k warranty but my son will likely have to put in some work when I hand him the keys. But I take superb care of my cars so for him it will be like driving a Ferrari compared to my first car which was a 80's model 323.

This is absolutely correct. Obviously its not good to start any engine and then shut it right down, but I know better than to do it with the RX8. Its never super cold in southeastern New Mexico with the colder months around 30-40 F in the mornings, but I do typically sit in the car and let it idle for a short bit, then I actually have a side road circuit I take to warm the car up. No curves though, just open road sections with lots of scrubby desert and the carcasses of jackrabbits and skunks. On windy days I get the bonus of dodging tumbleweeds that come shooting out of nowhere.

When I began taking that side route after getting the 8, I had people asking me where I was coming from every morning, and when I told them I was warming-up the engine they looked at me like I was nuts. I think they believe I have a girl friend I am visiting or something. This is not a good thing, and I am sure my wife who lives in Missouri would also agree! :hahano:

54K miles a year in a car....wow.

Wow... I don't feel that bad now... I also drive 62+ miles to work each way every day.... I don't do it on my 8 anyway... gas prices are not very favorable lately.

Yeah...I will never do that to any of my cars again, especially not the RX8. It was a geat looking little 1984 silver GTI Rabbit with a dark blue cloth interior. The car was in immculate condition inside and out since I was the only one that ever spent any time in the car. I remember the day I got rid of it the salesman shaking his head in disbelief that I had racked-up so many miles and the car still "looked" so new!!

JR

I also don't have a spare and what I did was buy a tire plug kit from the local auto parts store and put it in the black box. The "liquid spare" that is included in the trunk needs replacing every few years and I don't trust it, anyway. So, if I get a flat I will pump the tire up using the air compressor that is in the black box, install the new tire plug, and finish filling the tire with air. Total of about 15 miuntes and never have to remove the tire from the car. If I get a cut in the sidewall, I'd need a new tire anyway.

Glad you enjoy the car for long distance travel ... I still fondly remember my first long drive (of many) back in September 2003 (4500km / 2800miles) :

https://www.rx8club.com/australia-new-zealand-forum-37/adelaide-sydney-byron-bay-adelaide-13124/

I bought my rx-8 April 11, 2006. I have 30,499 miles on it now. To get there I have round tripped it from Charlotte, NC to Columbus, OH probably 10 times. 500 miles each way. The drive through WV is the best part of the trip --- lots of high speed curves. I usually only stop once to get gas and empty my tank. The car is comfortable and handles the road trip amazingly.

One of my trips included my 13 year old in the back seat and my cousin riding shotgun. My cousin is 6' 3" and my 13 year old is 5' 11". None of us were uncomfortable.

I average 80 on my trips and get about 22 mpg.

This car has been wonderful for the long hauls.

Kev

great write-up! i'll take another 100 of these for every complaint thread about gas milage or oil consumption.

:)