23109VC

don't get an auto. you fell in love with the car and the handling. .not the tranny.

if you CAN drive stick - go test drive a stick BEFORE you buy an auto. i'm not saying an auto is bad..plenty of people here have them and like them. some people can't drive stick or due to their driving patters - tons of stop/go/traffic, they DON'T want a stick.

if you want the car for FUN driving - you HAVE to get a stick. the slick shifting tranny was one of the highlights of my test drive...

you can easily find another car, in a color you love, with those miles, that price, in a stick.

this car you drove and fell in love wtih is NOT THE ONLY RX8 for sale...believe me.

maxxdamigz

iTrader: (1)

My point mostly was that the car has very little in the low end so acceleration in any gear where you are doing 3000-4000 rpm is pretty weak - highway passing and such. If 6th were deeper, I think the 8 would have a hard time getting out of it's own way in 6th. Downshifting for even conservative passing would be almost manditory. Gas mileage has never been a rotary strong point. They move a lot of air, pump a lot of gas, and don't have options for variable timing. Low rpm power is low so trying to burn less gas and create even less power for better MPG becomes an issue. I wouldn't be surprised if, with some upgrades, tuning, and some creativity, you could get 25 mpg out of an Rx-8 on the highway but I don't that's the direction most of us are taking.

snipaz2420

he is getting stick. i dont want to sound mean just letting you know. dealership only had an auto for him to test drive.

Plaz

Actually, no, the revs are already too low in 6th, for such a rev happy engine, IMO.

There's no point to it unless one is already 30mph over legal limits.

I wish 4th was shorter, too... too great a difference in ratio between 3rd and 4th, IMO.

Alano

What he said . This will be my first stick car though, hear its a good car to learn on. I know how to drive, I just havent driven for a long period of time. Guys think its a bad idea? Heh.

CarAndDriver

6th gear is for saving gas....that's what downshifting is for.

Plaz

Saving RPMs doesn't necessarily mean saving gas, since the amount of gas consumed on each revolution will always vary between gears and speeds, and the demands being placed upon it.

I doubt there would be any measurable difference in the amount of fuel consumed per mile at a steady 65 mph in 5th versus a steady 65mph in 6th. If anything, it might take less fuel to maintain that speed in 5th, since at the higher RPMs you'd be closer to the engine's efficiency "sweet spot."

When I changed the differential in my BMW from a 2.92 to a 3.31, as an illustration, my overall gas mileage didn't change appreciably at all, even though my average RPM went up.

CarAndDriver

Any evidence supporting your claims?

Plaz

Just the anecdotal evidence I already pointed out (diff change), and common sense.

As another illustration of the same principle, I would posit that it would take more gas to accelerate from 0-25 in x seconds in 2nd, than the same acceleration in the same time in 1st, since 2nd would be using the power available from the engine less efficiently. In that case, lower rpms != lower fuel consumption.

souljamcdiddy

The more you press the gas pedal the more gas you burn... plain and simple. You want great gas mileage, drive like grandma. You want to have fun while driving your 8, don't expect 21+ mpg.