Peter Sawko

We'll it's been about a month since the horsepower problem surfaced and we have nothing definitive from Mazda or anyone else!

In addition, problems of different severity have been noted on some cars.

I think most will agree the horsepower issue is the one that effects us all and the one that really demands an explanation along with assurances of current estimates of 238hp. I for one am keeping the car and I guess am willing to accept the performance, mileage and heat issues that to one degree or another are part of this car. I will not forget about or accept the diminished horsepower and regardless of Mazda's "compensation plan" believe they still have a responsiblity to their customers to develop a solution and offer it to us for purchase if we want.

The tone of this forum has changed; I think for the better. There are less rabid comments from various sources. These were excessive reactions and imho served no purpose; in fact many being just immature.

Is this car still a great buy with the reduced horsepower? I don't think so. It compares to a lot of cars at or near the cost but doesn't quite reach the level of luxury offered by other makers. Performance is still quick realtive to non-performance cars but at the lower end when compared to other performance cars. All in all it's worth about what you paid for it. Spend 2-4 thousand more and you'll get mere gadgets or more performance.

If Mazda takes some of the advice found here and replaces the ECU and emmissions systems and regains or even increases the horsepower to originally stated levels and performance increases with it then they will have a great car for this money. It will fly out of the dealerships! As it stands now I think they're going to still have a difficult time reaching any significant sales volume.

I own an RX8, I've owned a Saab and BMW and I've driven the 350Z. Yes they're all commpromises and different; to me what makes something great is it is what it is without compromises. I think the buying public ultimately recognizes this and makes that manufacturer successful.

Sorry for the rample; I just wanted to get these thoughts out and see if given additional impetus by other owners Mazda will do the extra it will take to make this a great car.

Squidward

well it's only been a month dude, these things take time.. I'm thinkin' 6 mos. to a year before they do anything again about it, if at all..

For all we know, it's wrapped up in their perspective.. They've dealt with the HP issue and have moved on.

Now the question is if enough people complain about the MPG issue, will they do a recall and reprogram our ECU's with a more effective remapping?

My suggestion is that EVERYONE who isn't happy with their MPG, to bring it up with their dealerships so that the complaints get tracked.. I'm sure if enough people do it they'll move on it.

My fingers are crossed for a fix on the MPG issue.. as for the HP issue, I don't have any doubts that it's history for them.

Lock & Load

IMHO
What mazda has lost is more than a few hp or kw it has lost the trust and confidence of some of its most faith full buyers and that is harder to replace than mpg or power,however nothing is perfect in this world thats man made , so lets enjoy our rides and take pride that we are fortunate enoudh to own such a distinctive car that is as near perfection as mazda has been able to make it at this point in time , in a few years mazda hopefully will go further and make even better cars.

r0tor

iTrader: (1)

I just gave up and sent the card in to get my $500...

wasn't happy about not receiving a real explanation, wasn't happy that they weren't going to try and fix it, but there was no way I was getting rid of my car and well $500 is $500 so I sent the letter in. Keep in mind, in order for you to get the money they have to receive the letter by Oct 1, thats only 9 days away and the postal service can suck from time to time!

Gord96BRG

You're obviously not paying attention! There are several long threads (1 in the Tech forum, 1 in the aftermarket forum) where it's been found that the RX-8 falls into a safe mode when being run on a dyno (stationary front wheels) and in that safe mode, timing is pulled and extra fuel is added at high rpm, resulting in less power. Paul Yaw discovered this on his own, and RotaryNews.com was told this by Mazda but asked not to announce that info. Also, RotaryNews has stated that the reason for the 9 lost hp (247 - 238) was to protect the cat for the emissions 100K miles durability requirement.

So - there is definitive answers - the cat lifespan was the reason for the 9 hp, and the dyno tests to date are flawed and not at all representative of the real power of the car when run on the road.

Regards,
Gordon

MrRed

<div style="width: 800;">
<p>I do not own the RX-8, but I am thinking about buying one. I completely understand Peter's point of view, yet my take is slightly different. First I must say that my experience with performance cars is almost non-existent. I have taken for a test drive the following cars: RX-8, Infiniti G35c and BMW 330ci; and between these three I liked RX-8 most. I should say thought that a short test-drive gives rather limited idea about car performance.</p><p>As I see it, RX-8's is unique due to the use of the rotary engine which provides significant power being relatively small and light. Because of these two characteristics the car is compact, light and have an optimal weight distribution - all are the features that are essential for your driving enjoyment. And yet it still offers enough room to be acceptable as a practical
car for a small family. I do not know about any other car on the market that offers similar set of features. Some cars are close but are FWD (therefore - less fun to drive). Other cars (like G35c and 330ci) are also similar, but heavier, not as nimble. It also happens so that they are significantly more costly. But even if we concentrate solely on the technical merits, rotary makes RX-8 truly unique. A little bit more power would make this car simply
outstanding, which, as I see it, is Peter's main point.</p><p>Having said all that, I find it difficult to make a final decision on the choice of the car. My primary concerns with respect to RX-8 are:</p>
<ul>
<li><font color="#00FFFF">heat</font></li>
<li><font color="#00FFFF">reliability</font> - primarily because of excessive heat and potential problems with maintenance - I am not impressed with dealerships' service departments in general, and with rotary being a rather rare thing, situation may get even worse.</li>
<li><font color="#00FFFF">viability</font> - if for on reason or another, Mazda stops production of RX-8 soon, getting parts and services may become more expensive and time consuming.</li>
</ul>
</div>

Zio

I totally agree with Mr. Red. I'm also a perspective buyer and what concerns me is the heat, and fuel consumption issue. Hopefully these things may be solved.

Squidward

about heat.. I've been reading complaints about this, but is it just me that I don't see a huge problem here?

I mean the only place that I sense an unreasonable amount of heat from the car is where the cup holders are ... (my icy drinks don't last very long in there hehe)..


But other than that, I don't feel alot of heat coming from the passenger or driver feet compartment.. as for the rear, I don't know--- never been a rear passenger in an RX-8.

Psylence

You know, I'll bet *anyone* here $50 that these same doom and gloom proclamations have been made each and every time Mazda has released a rotary powered vehicle.
Anyone care to take me up on this? I remember all the whining and moaning about the RX7 turbo and its flaws.. but guess what? WE GOT ANOTHER ROTARY.
If you are that concerned, then maybe the rotary aint for you. Ineffiecient? I get 15mpg in town in a WRX wagon! What are you people complaining about?
If Mazda was going to shitcan the rotary concept, they would have done so years ago. But don't let me get in the way of the sky falling or anything

graphicguy

APPLAUSE....APPLAUSE!!!!!!!!!!!

Zio

Yeah I didnt really think the heat was an issue anyway, but just wanted to make sure.. :P

I dont know about the mpg.. its just that some people are getting REALLY low mpg like 13 mpg.. that kinda worries me, but other are getting 19-24 like stated so its really a mystery o_O.

mikeb

some answers are supposed to come at sevenstock

Peter Sawko

I wouldn't give up so easily on the horsepower issue. Compaining to Mazda and keeping it alive as an issue here and elsewhere might prompt them to take another look and come up with a better solution to whatever the real reason to modify the car was.

If Mazda is a good company they will go the extra mile.

LesPaul

When I returned the release for the $500/service agreement, I noted that I was releasing them from liability only on the horsepower issue. Hopefully, that will leave me some options if other issues develop.