I agree with this too. Just in the few months I've had this car and have been on this forum, I've seen (what I think) are huge improvements on not just the power potential but also the reliability of the Renesis. Esmeril apex seals comes to mind, as well as newer technology for turbos, tuning, etc. Also, I'm really impressed with the Panspeed RX8. They've definitely pushed the envelope for NA 8's and done a lot more than what I thought possible. And this is coming on top of the already great suspension and chassis tuning that's been known for a while now. I think more people are finally starting to pay attention to the RX8 and realize its not just some strange stepsister to the RX7.

 

i couldn't agree with you more.
my friend who's a big honda guy told me that he always thought the rx-8 was slow and a crap car, but when he actually test drove one, he realized that it actually is a great handling car...maybe a little underpowered downlow, but nonetheless still a note worthy car.

 

wtv. It's still a pain in the *** to barely break 200whp with this car. Excluding nitrous of course.

 

That's alright. In the real world, most people pay attention to advertised HP measured at the flywheel. So in that regard, we're sitting over 200! Also, I remember frequenting Protege forums when I had one, and I recall people trying to break 100 or 120 WHP.

 

Where those mazdaspeed proteges?

 

I’d have to disagree a bit. The car has been out 6 years and there isn’t a significant aftermarket for it when compared to other performance cars. There just aren’t enough units sold to justify many tuners jumping into rotary development. There are definitely some but not many. There is probably more available for the 2010 Camaro than there is for the 2003 RX8.

 

True.

 

The forum had a lot of MSP's on there, but mostly Protege 5's and the standard model. I had the "more powerful" ES version, which I can't imagine being much slower. After getting an intake, I kind of gave up on modding, because I knew my car was never going to be quick. But it could pwn in the twistiez! Well, not really, but I always appreciated Mazda's ability to make such a boring car somewhat fun to drive, with nothing more than a great chassis/suspension system. Maybe that's what brought me to this car.

And I don't think there are any mods available for the 2003 RX-8. Oddly, starting with the 2004 model, you'll see plenty of aftermarket parts. Someone should think about tapping into that 2003 market. You could become a rich man.

 

Yeah, my old Protege was slower than cold snot, but it had great steering and handling for a FWD ecobox. It was very easy to control when the tires broke free, and could be quite fun once you got it up to speed. I drove it to the limit a lot, more so than I do with my 8.

 

Wasn't 2003 the production year, but 2004 the model year?

 

Yeah it was. In Japan it was the beginning of 2003 and they actually had a 2003 rx8.

 

First off i believe only japan had 2003 model year RX8s, and they could just use 04 parts since it is the same car. Usually mods are not year specific unless some huge changes went down.