Why do people keep thinking we pack a v6 in our RX-8??
 

:Freak_ani Past few times i've been out......gas attendants and random people are like.....nice car blah blah, it has a v6 right? or its a v6 right? and i'm trying to be polite but annoyed lol......and i'm like no it doesn't have a v6, its a rotary, no cylinders and they look at me all dumbfounded and almost like am i sure that i know what i'm talking about that it doesn't have any cylinders... :Eyecrazy:

I had a few G35 owners asking me. how big your v6 in your car? and i'm like huh? It doesn't have a v6, its a rotary and theyre like OH, whats a rotary? and agh. :mad: . You would think people would know what a rotary engine considering the fact that the RX-7 had it for the longest time.

I wish i had internet connection in my RX-8, i would show them this clip about a rotary engine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGrD7FTFLJc

When i try to explain the rotary and the rotor housing. people are even more baffled like i'm crazy cause my car doesn't pack a v6. It gets quite annoying. and i wish there was some pamplets that i could pass out to strangers about what a rotary engine is and how it looks like. :sad:

Anyways do you guys have people asking you if its a v6 in our 8s? How do you explain to them about our rotary engines, or do you guys just play along and nod and go yes it has a v6 to screw with people minds. i'm so tempted to say yup its a v6. ..but i feel like owning an 8. it is my duty to explain to people it has a rotary when asked what kind engine is in there or it has a v6 right?? :ylsuper:

I have seen adds at dealers (not Mazda dealers) that advertise a used RX8 as having a v8. A couple of weeks ago I was at a Mazda dealership and a salesman was arguing with a receptionist that the RX8 was turbo charged! The receptionist insisted that it was not and that she knew that even though she knows nothing about cars. He kept telling her she did not know what she was talking about. She saw me and looked at me like she was saying, "help me. Please." I chimed in and said, "I have one. It is not." Thank dog I was not there to buy anything.

Not only v6, but most people seem to think it's FWD too.

I've also seen RX-8's advertised with V-8's - usually used ones at non-Mazda dealers. I get asked if mine is a 6 or 8 cylinder by my wife's family, and I always respond, "Nope, it’s a zero cylinder". That always throws them for a loop. One thought that it meant it was a hybrid. One gas station mechanic (seeing me at the pump, not working on my car) asked me if it was a V-6 or a V-8, and I replied, "Its more like a triangle-in-a-circle". That threw him for a loop, so I had to explain it is a rotary. He thought they had stopped making them in the '70's since they always blew up...

It's because the RX-8 looks too small to hold a V-8, but too cool to carry a mere 4-banger.

When onlookers seem clueless as to what's under the hood, I just tell them it's a high-tech steam engine.

1.3L

VRzoomzoom, LoL
pop that video clip in a video Ipod and your ready to explain it. :)

Two of my best are the MAZDA DEALER telling me you cant compression test a rotary, and second a guy gave me the v6 question and when I followed up with the "it doesn’t have any cylinders" response he said and I quote "You obviously don’t know much about cars do you."

Same thing for me. Each times somebody ask me about my engine, they don't understand that not a piston engine !!!! And they repeat, a V8 or a V6 !!!!

They don't want understand....

It is necessary and your duty as well...
Wankel Evangelism has been a part of my life ever since my first 12a RX7

You can try keeping a small printed diagram in your glove box, that seems to help.
Although I must admit, I get a little tired of having to explain to onlookers,
where the "valve covers" are. However, now that you brought the question up,
I realized that I may be able to utilize my ipod to illustrate the loveliness of the Wankel. I love technology. :)

I have grouped the unknowing / un believers into the following categories...

When I say it's a rotary, I may get a response like

"Oh like a turbine aircraft jet engine?"

These people at least know what a turbine engine is, I can usually explain within 30 seconds about the rotors and eccentric shaft and housings, etc.

And they get it.

"How can an engine run without pistons?"

I little more difficult to explain. However, because they are at least aware of what pistons do / work, I usually have them grasping the idea in 30 seconds to a minute and a half... (This scenario is where the aforementioned glove box cheat book pays off in dividends)

When I get a question like...

"I love Maseratri's / Porsches" "Are the V12's / Flat 6's hard / expensive to work on?"

I say "No pistons , Mazda rotary"

response "huh?,right.. whatever dude.."

If I'm feeling particularly helpful / sympathetic that day I will try to explain.
If it still isn't working, I resort to answers like:

"Magic" or "reverse engineered alien technology..."
I know, I know, I'm going to hell...

Some are just not reachable (It took me a while to come to that conclusion, and that I just have to let go.)

Otherwise, to quote a saying from my Porsche 912 / 356 days
I just have to.
"Keep the faith"
sorry Harry, but I know you would understand. R.I.P.

Times like that that the rotary key chain comes in handy.

titling the car is awesome. On ours, it says 4 cylinder, 2 doors, 5 passengers. Gotta love the DMV

The confusion can work to your advantage though:

According to my insurance policy, our 8 is a 1.3L 4-banger with four doors :lol: Insurance ends up less than our IS!

Yeah - got one. Use it all the time for impromptu lessons. :rock:

^^TMAK26B
When I first bought in 2003 my insurance read 4 cyl and 2 doors. I insisted that they change it to 4 doors (in the hopes of paying less) but they told me that their system didn't have any data on the rx-8. Duh really?

When questions like these comes up. I often just smile and walk away.

I will explain only if

Im in extreme good mood.

Or

Im extremely piss off by the person's attitude.

Cuz some of them are really rude, u know.

I love the steam engine line... When one of my wife's friends asked what a rotary is, I told her that it is a belt that a little wolverine runs on kind of like a tread mill. It is great on gas, but my raw meat bill has gone through the roof!

An unrelated note: I'm not sure why all of my wife's friends think I am a smart ass.

My insurance says that it is a 4-cylinder, 4-door. We sold my wife's 1999 Honda Accord 2-door 4 cylinder in 2006 when we got my 8, and my insurance is less than $200 more per year for the 8!

Thanks for my laugh of the day. I've seen a lot of funny pictures on the internet to make me laugh under my breath.. but this deserved, and received, a real laugh.

They shouldn't even own a G35 if they don't know what type of engine is inside a RX8!!!

explaining (albeit in futility) the wonder that is the rotary engine is a prerequisite duty of a rotary car owner since the beginning of time... or whenever you began owning a rotary car lol

Ahh, nice to know that i'm not the only one getting, it has a v6 right comments. I really need to find some or create some pamplets. the IPOD video sounds cool if i had an ipod video, only have a nano lol. sucks for me. I feel like Mazdas should provide like 100 pamplets in the glovebox to give out to uninformed people. haha. Make my duty as a rotary owner easier. :)

This is exactly why I LOVE this car. I love telling people what it has for motivation at it leaves them speechless!

The flip side is a 350Z with the same motor as the soccer mom in her Quest. Um.... no thanks.

true, but it burns less gas and makes more power

On my insurance they rate it as a "2 cyl. 1.3L engine" 4 door, 4 pass. I pay less for my 8 than I did for my 1994 525i.

I get the V6 question all the time. If Im near my car I get the little pamphlet that has a picture of the rotary working. If Im not Ill usually give up and just tell them "Its not a regular piston engine, just trust me."

Agreed, but the valve train in the VQ family always sounded very "truck like" to me.

Not nearly as smooth as other Japanese 6cyl's, much less a Wankel...

You make it out to be a hybrid compared to the RX-8, which isn't true. Look up what real 350Z owners are getting in the city. Also add to it that it's using the same frame that they use in SUVs (FX35)... It's no lightweight.

should listen to a Subaru turbo flat-4, fast yes, but it sounds broken straight from the factory

No doubt, And that's ironic, because the boxer 4 in theory is one of the most well balanced (pisoton) engine designs ever made...

I have had 35 year old Porsche air cooled boxer 4's that sound better than their brand new Japanese counterparts. Damn shame.

I remember getting into an argument with a mechanic years ago about my RX-7. I told him that it had a rotary engine. He basically asked what that was. When I told him it didn't have any pistons he told me that was impossible. Yeah, so is a jet turbine and so is flying! I proceeded to describe to him how it worked and he just looked at me like I was trying to pull a fast one on him. Of course this same guy also tried to extoll the virtues and advantages of a solid rear axle suspension as opposed to an independent rear suspension in road racing! He's apparently sucked at his job for over 30 years. That's the only way I can explain it. Experience apparently doesn't give you credibility.

That engine has always sounded wrong to me. Then again so have the flat Porsche engines. They definitely aren't anywhere in the runnings when it comes to a cool engine sound. I don't care what you do to them. Quick sure but they sound like crap.

It's the "mechanics" and "car enthusiasts" like this that really aggravate me. Almost exciting me to violence.

But then my wife explains to them the little triangle thingies with the gears in the middle that bounce around and spin a shaft, and I just have to smile...

The Porsche engines definitely sound like junk. However, I can appreciate the flat four noise though primarily because of the resonant rumble from the exhaust.

Yes, but the more common Porsche flat 6 is not a true "boxer" Without equally offsetting pistons. That makes the six sound very different from the four... I still like it though. (the 6 that is) That boxer four should just be smooth, I guess its the loud valve train in the subie that I don't car for.

I rather like the burble or WRX, especially at idle. But then I like the sound of a V8 tool.

My canned response to "V6 or V8?" is:

"Before I answer that question, do you know what a rotary engine is?"

This puts them on the defensive because their image is at stake and they usually go away. The sincere ones admit ignorance and ask me for an explanation. I formulate my response to only bother with ones that are receptive.

I like the exhaust note too, just I dont want the engine to sound like it is made of stamped steel, and plastic parts bouncing around under the hood. (at any rpm)

Very smart, indeed . Such a perfect approach, I'm just too stuborn, or maybe I like to wind people up too much. :)

:)

I explained the same thing to my dad.. Looked at me like I was some idiot..

so the crower cams i just got for my 8 won't fit then..DAM!

Not to worry, you can always make a really trick hood prop!

The Porsche engine does sound better than the 4 cylinder to me but it still sounds a bit "off".

it always happens to me too, but the first one was from my cousin, first day i got the eight i showed it to him and as i was explaining and showing got to the end and pop the hood and told him.....and its a rotary engine!!.....he was like :scratchhe :1 min silence: so is it a v4 or v6 :confused: then i repeat myself it doesnt have pistons....he was like yeah i know so is a V8 then? :icon_droo..i just drove away :icon_no2: ....no patience here...

I actually like the sound of a Subaru flat 4, but then I used to own one. When in motion they're pretty smooth engines, though definitely not rotary level. I don't like American V8s in motion (idle sounds cool though) or the VQ though. The best way I can describe the VQ sound is flatulence; I don't understand why so many people like it.

I remember trying to pull the whole 4 cylinder thing with Allstate (back when I had those ripoffs!) about my RX-7. They actually had rotary engine listed for the car though. Bastards! I'm with USAA now and I'm not sure what they have that car's engine listed as but I only pay about $100 a year on that car anyway so I don't care. It's liability only and it's 23 years old in case your wondering why my rate is so cheap.

i've stopped trying when someone asks me if its a v8, i just say "yeah yeah it is" and leave.

I tend to respond to the ignorami by getting a really shocked look on my face and saying "You mean you still drive a car with pistons??!!"

That either shuts them up, or puts the onus on them to explain how a contraption with parts bouncing up and down can work.

Ken

Here's a new definition for your vocabulary library:

rotard: A person who is ignorant when it comes to rotary engines.

I hate P.C. but before someone jumps on your case, should it not be
"rotary challanged" :)