Paul_in_DC

If you think it's underpowered then you don't know how to drive worth a sh*t.

MadRonin

+a googolplex

Racer X-8

lol agreed, they look like pinewood derby racers lol. kabura... rotary under glass ooooooooooooh yeah!

rotarygod

The RX-8 sells just fine. They are everywhere around here. It's hard not to see one. Mazda has ALWAYS had a faster sports car than the Nissan Z up until the RX-8 so I'm not too sure about your "butt handed to them by Nissan comment". Needless to say it's not correct. It doesn't matter anyways. If you guys got a 300 hp Renesis, you'd still complain in some way. How do I know this? Look at the power increases throughout the RX-7 years. Power went up, rpm limits went up, performance went up, and people wanted more. With the RX-8 you have far and away the most powerful naturally aspirated street rotary engine ever built (if anyone claims that a bridgeport or peripheal port engine is streetable, their an idiot!) and people keep asking how to get more rpms and more power out of it. People complain it has no torque. It's a tiny freaking engine! It won't have any torque as a result! No one stays happy. Maybe Mazda should hand rotary enthusiasts their own asses and discontinue the rotary altogether. That way they won't have to hear bullshit from people on what performance is in their opinion and who's *** they are having handed to them. Here's a wake up call, Chevy, Ford, and many other companies are making the rotary look bad too when it comes to power! Comparisons are stupid in this respect.

9291150

Let's face it, when the 8 came out in late '03, it was never a ripper but could hold its own against many other performance cars in the day like the Audi TT, most Z3/Z4's, the base Boxster, even the prev. generation Mustang GT. Was a step ahead of most hot hatches too. But since then all those cars have upped their power, and even the Civic SI/VW GTI types have caught up. Still a great engine, but nowhere near as competitive in 2007, Mazda should and can respond.

mikeyfuzz

Well, I hate people complaining about the RX-8. Sure, I wish it was better on gas and torque, but knowing everything I know now, Id still buy my 8 in an instant. I haven't had any problems with flooding or oil usage. The RX-8 was a big step over the RX-7 in terms of sales, price, NA horsepower, and practicality(4 seats and doors, big plus for me ). The 2010 rotary will obviously be a step over the current RX-8, hopefully making rotarys more mainstream and cheaper.

Wankelmut

We need a new RX-7! The RX-8 doen´t sell very good in Germany and Europe. I can see more Z 350, because it needs the same amount of gas per mpg and has more torque and more horse power!
Sometimes it is really sad for me, driving on the Autobahn and behind comes a little Supercharged Mini Cooper or a fast A3 Audi Diesel and gives me the headlight flasher!

flomulgator

Sometimes it is really sad for me, not driving on the Autobahn.

Design1stCode2nd

Your are not going to get any sympathy when most speeds in the US are limited to 55-65MPH. Just teh fact that you can run at over 100MPH legally is a treat.

Sephiroth

If you think your RX-8 needs more power, do something about it. Sell it. Go port it. Go build your nitrous set up. Go get some F/I. Make the car your own.

Actions > words.

mikefrombarrie

Having a street start of 7.5 seconds for the RX-8 is not underpowered for you?

SmokeyTheBalrog

I doubt you are getting 7.5, maybe try timing yourself.

Also, if it's from a stop light you can try to get a standing start instead of a street start.

I love my 8 but sometimes the 0-30 is a little annoying if I'm trying not to make to much noise. People seem to think I'm racing even if I barely break 5k rpm.

Nubo

So many people talking about the difference between 2010 and 2007 as if internal combustion technology is going to suddenly soar after more than a century of development. I kind of think not. The trend of increasingly powerful cars over the last generation wasn't due so much to technology as it was to relatively inexpensive gasoline. The thing that really has the potential to change in the next 3 years and beyond is the cost of gas. A 20 mpg or less car is already a tough sell. Sure there are still folks who are unfazed by $3/gallon gas. But how about $5/gallon or $8/gallon. How much will you be willing to pay before a gas guzzler just isn't worth it anymore? Somone posted earlier, "the rotary is dead". If it's any consolation, the internal-cumbustion-powered vehicle will not be far behind. The good news for driving enthusiasts is that electric vehicles can and will be built with jaw-dropping performance. Go to Youtube and look for vids of electric cars kicking *** against supercars. It's already being done. The inevitable increase in petroleum cost will make electric cars a reality. You'll start seeing them on the road by 2010.

murix

I do not think power is the issue. I wish they would make it lighter. Bring back a car in the spirit of the 1st gen! 2500lbs in a 2 seat coupe would do just fine with only 250hp or so. That would put it back on par with the Z in lb/hp and probably leave a lot more room for handling and braking too.

SmokeyTheBalrog

The reason cars have gotten heavier is crash safety.

The don't make them heavy for fun.

rotary crazy

the main reason cars have gotten heavier is luxury: climet control and some time dual, electric adjusting seats, auto power windows, 14 speaker audio, navigation sistem, 18 inch wheels, 13 inch brakes, remote opening trunk, 12 cd disc player, Ipod conection, last but not least due to the increase in weight a larger engine is needed wich its heavier too,if the 350z weighted the same that the rx-8 it would do fine with a 3.0 litter 250hp engine

c41250n

iTrader: (5)

that is good to know!

Racer X-8

cough . cough . kabura . cough . cough

http://www.gizmag.com/go/5011/picture/18511/

tajabaho1

once again......flame fest

NoTears316

I cant stand that Kabura... looks like an Eclipse and a Crossfire mated.

Racer X-8

Maybe so, but it's got the Mazda look, no mistaking that. It's the Mazda look for a 2-door sports car, it drips Mazda. Wait, Eclipse and Crossfire? Man, wake up from that nightmare dude! lol wtf...

rx8frank

Here is an other article
http://car-reviews.automobile.com/ne...y-engine/2795/

rotary crazy

I think the mort importat part of the article is this:

arlier this week, Mazda unveiled the second generation RENESIS rotary at a business conference in Tokyo, Japan. The primary goals that Mazda set out for the new engine are to further reduce emissions output, increase efficiency, but most importantly reduce fuel consumption.

a second generation is not a new engine, so we may see a refresh RX-8 not long from now

Transam kid 01

iTrader: (1)

hmm....power of a 3 liter v6...meh, nothing to get too exceited about and i sure as hell wont be holding my breath.

...they are hoping for 250 miles to the tank...i think they are setting themselves up for another disaster, especially with the wonderful reputation the RENESIS that non enthusiasts see.
*sigh*

rotarygod

Except for the fact that the average 3 liter V6 makes more power than a Renesis does. It's only a 2.6 liter engine though so what kind of miracles do you want?

How large is the gas tank going to be? Are they going to use a 12 gallon fuel tank as in a Civic or is it going to be a 16 or larger gallon fuel tank? If you don't know for sure then a mileage figure really isn't very relevant. I can go 300 miles on a tank in my RX-7 all day everyday and have even topped 400 miles on a tank on extended highway trips. It's a 16 gallon tank.


Non rotary enthusiasts have ALWAYS had a low opinion of it. Now is nothing new. As a person who owned a rotary the last time they were sold here I can tell you that the concerns of RX-8 owners and the opinion of others outside the community towards the engine have not changed. Mazda is a company geared towards it's fanatical fanbase than almost any other car maker. They always have been. If they make a new rotary that is better than the current one, people will buy it. Others will always hate it. You just need to accept this. It's always been this way and it always will be.