BillK

I personally find things like this ludicrous, but to each their own method of driving a car.

To me, owning a sports car is about capabilities when you drive it for fun; on a 40 MPH drive to work on straight roads there's no need to rev at 5K, IMHO. Then again I think street racing is stupid, too, and some live to "burn" the Acura TL in the next lane.

If you want to not "drive the car as if it's a Prius," that's fine, but do realize there's going to be a substantial MPG penalty. If you're not willing to drive in 6th, and to shift there ASAP, you'll never achieve the MPG on the window sticker. It's a tradeoff; high revs may be fun but they also mean low mileage.

Roaddemon

Why don't you test drive an 8. Tell the sales rep you want to start it cold and move it a short distance and then restart it. See for your self if it floods. My 8 doesn't flood. I've stalled it several times backing out of the garage and have no problem restarting it. If you beleive all the negative hype you should not by one. Stick with the honda accords and camrys They may be more suitable to your ideal of a car.
'

shebam

I don't disagree with BillK about a thing. I just don't feel like downshifting every time I need to change lanes or regain speed after a slowdown -- which is most of the time around here. If I had an easier commute I'd be happy to cruise along in 6th. But under commuting conditions, I'm turning my ride into a low hp car by doing so. I readily admit I'm not likely to get good mileage on my commute in ANY capable car. (And my road racing days are well behind me.)

Q121825

That's what I do in the short (10 miles but can take an hour) stop-n-go I drive in the evening. You want good throttle response and IMHO that means keeping the car above 4k RPM.

Not to mention all the wise RX-7 guys in my club will tell you "lugging" a rotary is very bad!

Besides, a tank of gas is cheaper than therapy for road rage! :D

Shooter

riding around town in 6th gear won't help your mpg. it drags on the engine too much at low rpms.

BillK

Sorry, I know by experience you're wrong.

As long as you're not bogging your engine (which driving at 40 MPH in 6th is not), you're saving fuel if your foot is on the gas (obviously if you're coasting, it's a wash.)

Roaddemon

Regarding the mpg issue. My 2000 Mazda 626 only gets 17mpg in the city in the summer. It has a 2.5 v6 170 hp. I think many of you are unrealistic for a car that puts out 238 hp. The 8 is a high powered sports car. If you can afford to buy one you should be able to afford the extra gas costs. Who here can't afford $200 more a year for gas? The fun factor is well worth it.

Also be glad you don't live in the uk. Their cars only have 232 hp because of their stricter emision requirement

rxeightr

Thanks for stating, what in my opinion, is the obvious. The 'extra' gas cost is chump change, and in fact, worth every penny for what I get in return.

Haze

BillK -

I agree with everything that you said above.

Reeko

I thought earlier you said being in 6th at 35MPH = 1700RPM ?
Even at 40, you are only doing 2000RPM, which in my opinion is still lugging it.

IMHO, when I reach my cruising speed, I try to keep RPMs about at 3000 RPM.

Elara

You'll get better gas mileage at 2500. And you aren't lugging the engine then.

Shooter

i noticed worse gas mileage driving around town in 6th gear. Maybe its just me but i definitely noticed a difference in mpg after i stopped going to 6th gear as quickly as possible....

chief8

1)Don't buy a sports car for good fuel economy buy a prius. That being said you can achieve the posted MPG if you shift before 5,000 RPM. If you want to play than your going to pay.

2)Every morning I drive half a mile to the local 7/11 and I've owned the 8 since October and it hasn't flooded once. It's not something that can be guaranteed as others haven't been so fortunate. Keep in mind I live in Texas.
Bottom line: I am a car nut and have purchased on average a new car once every year and a half since 1990 includineg a 911, MR2, Integra GS-R, Z-28, 3 different Celica GT-S including current generation, and a 85 RX-7 GSL. This is the best car I've owned by far and will be the first one I keep for a long period of time. I look for exuses to drive my 8 and simply put this car is AWESOME!! All new cars have problems to iron out these days. Have you seen how many cars Nissan and Honda have recalled this past year including the 350Z?

red_rx8_red_int

I think that's what he said. I could be wrong. Or he could have mis-spoke. It would be nice if someone here that has removed thier plugs would post a how-to post.

RX-GR8

thats weird

SCiMMiA

I may be wrong, but aren't the plugs on the driver's side?

GiN

Maybe he's from one of those right-hand-drive nations where the passenger side is on the left...

red_rx8_red_int

The plugs are on the drivers side, so my earlier post is in error. I looked today. I'm not sure exactly how removing the tire and wheel well piece helps though. You can see all four plugs pretty easily and they don't look too difficult to access. The back two look like you have a straight shot. The front two look like you need to work close in under a mount for an electronic unit. The plugs are all angled up at maybe a 70 degree angle, so I'm not sure how the side access from the wheel well helps.