jtdwab

The May issue of grassroots Motorsports Magazine has a review of the RX-8. Nothing really new or earth shattering expect that they feel the car is a cross between a RX-7 and a MX-6.

"Before we get the hate maile for that comparison, we fere at GRM have always liked the MX-6, as it offered a good chassis adn a silky-smooth V6 encased in a pretty shell"

They go on to say its a fun car with great engineering but they feel the body is homely.

"The catch is this: LIke many modern styling exercieses, the RX-8's creased origami-like styling is not actually pleasing to the eye. You can lump it with the Honda S2000 and the Nissan 350Z in our books - all with great engineering and unsettling looks."

I will take the article to work tomorrow and OCR the complete text. None of the pictures showed anything new.

jtdwab

Sorry for the delay, the OCR software converted all the "th" to "m". "me, mis, mat" were comment thoughout the captured text. Enjoy.

The Mazda rotary is back. While the car that wraps around Mazda's newest pistonless engine is darn good in its own right, it might not elicit the cultlike fervor that its humming powerplant does. The 2004 Mazda RX-8 is a great car that handles well, feels good and can get around a track with no real fuss. The car's innovative "suicide" style rear doors offer sedan practicality in coupe shape. But it's the powerplant in the engine bay that makes the RX-8 truly interesting.
From its introduction in the 1969 Cosmo sport to the last twin turbo third-generation are asked RX- 7 sold on U.S. shores, Mazda's rotary engine has enjoyed an extensive following. Its lightweight compact design and strong power curves have led many enthusiasts down the path strewn with foreign sounding engine parts such as apex seals, peripheral ports and oil injection.
Mazda's rendition of Dr. Wankel's creation could be called the only commercially successful variant of this efficient and powerful design. The engine has also seen success in what nearly all forms of motorsports from amateur road racing and autocross to drag racing and land speed records. In 1991 the company entered three rotary powered prototypes in the 24 hours of Le Mans and earned over all win plus sixth- and eight- place finishes. The 10A, 12A and 13B versions of the two-rotor Mazda engine weren't without their problems, however. High fuel consumption apex seals wear (with its resulting loss of compression) and plentiful O-ring failures in both the oiling and cooling system fractured many owners.
When the third-gen RX-7 was dropped from Mazda's U.S. lineup after the 1995 model year, many enthusiast believe that they had seen the last rotary engine from a major manufacturer. Tightening emissions requirements and a plethora of warranty claims on the fragile RX-7 were to blame.

The Rotarv Is Back

With the introduction of the RX-01 at the 1995 Tokyo Auto Show, enthusiasts got a tantalizing hint that the rotary might not be dead. The car itself was kinda neat, but the big news was the MSP-RE-designated rotary engine under the hood. This next generation 13B became the basis for the Renesis rotary in the RX-EVOLV show car paraded at the 1999 Tokyo show. Mazda developed the Renesis to bring the rotary engine into the 2lst century, and the new engine employs several features that boost power and reduce emissions.
The previous peripheral-port design necessitated a certain amount of overlap between the exposure of the intake and exhaust ports, and just like a high-overlap camshaft, the design was bad for born fuel economy and emissions. The Mazda engineers, led by Hiroshi Kinoshita, moved the exhaust port from the main rotor housing to the side housing. With this new design there is no overlap in the rotary's cycle. Another benefit is that the expansion cycle (think the power stroke in a four-cycle engine) can be made longer, increasing power and economy at the same time. In an almost win-win situation, the intake ports are 30 percent larger, and the exhaust ports have nearly double the cross-sectional area.
The RX-8's engine is available in the U.S. in two configurations. A 210 horsepower version is mated to an automatic transmission, while its 250-horsepower sibling relies on a six-speed gearbox to supply power to the drive wheels. The chief difference between the two engines is that the high-powered unit has three intake ports per rotor housing, versus two in the standard.
To maintain intake charge velocities and help offset the Renesis's lack of low-end grunt, Mazda employs dual-path intake runners on born versions of the Renesis rotary. The high-powered Renesis also has a variable fresh-air duct on the airbox, providing a straighter path for intake air under full-throttle conditions.
In the 250-horsepower RX-8, the six-speed transmission is a reworked version of the Aisin unit found in the Lexus IS 300 and other Japanese rear-wheel-drive cars. In the RX-8, a carbon-fiber driveshaft connects the transmission to a Tochigi Fuji torque-sensing limited-slip differential. According to Mazda, the carbon-fiber driveshaft reduces drivetrain vibration and is 11 pounds lighter than a steel two-piece unit.
The rear differential appears to have different mounting ears than the previous generation RX-7, meaning that it wouldn't be a direct bolt-in swap. The Renesis engine mounts also look like they are located in slightly different positions on the block, foiling a simple bolt-in swap for earlier cars. Interestingly enough, the exhaust manifold's down pipe is routed through a hole in the Y-shaped engine mounts, which could make aftermarket headers for the RX-8 a tricky proposition.

Driving It

We drove the RX-8 at Northern California's famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, where we found the car truly capable at speed. It was nicely balanced on the track's high- and low-speed sections, with just a hint of tail wag under heavy braking. With the traction control turned off, the tail could be coaxed out under heavy throttle, but only when the tail was already wagging under trail braking.
Dynamically, the car was a boatload of fun, feeling almost like a cross between a third-generation RX- 7 and a Mazda MX-6. Before we get hate mail for that comparison, we here at GRM have always liked the MX-6, as it offered a good chassis and a silky-smooth V6 encased in a pretty shell. The RX-8's suspension tuning is exemplary, being comfortable and stable over the worst roads, yet not compromising dry track performance.
Like most Mazda sports cars, the RX-8's front and rear suspensions are fully adjustable, with toe, camber and even caster adjustment from the factory via eccentric cams on the suspension arms.
The adjustment should help drivers take full advantage of the original-equipment Bridgestone REO40 tires. The high-output version of the RX-8 is fitted with 225/45ZR18 tires on 18x8-inch aluminum wheels; the automatic-equipped car Sports 225/55R16 tires on 16x7.5-inch aluminum wheels.
There appears to be enough room under the fenders to fit a set of 245/35R18 Hoosier race tires for some serious autocross action, and we look for the RX-8 to be slotted in the SCCA's B Stock class along with the BMW Z4 and the Honda S2000.
So what's the catch? The car has a cool engine, the suspension is a work of art, and it's all priced under 27 large. The catch is this: Like many modern styling exercises, the RX-8's creased origami-like styling is not actually pleasing to the eye. You can lump it with the Honda S2000 and the Nissan 350Z in our books-all with great engineering and unsettling looks.
The RX-8's "compromise without compromising" four-door layout is partially to blame, as the C-pillar is carved out by the rear door's cut-line and is hard not to focus on. The shape of the rear passenger area also dictated a high roofline for adequate headroom, further distorting the car's shape. Front and rear views aren't unpleasant, but full side views can be pretty homely.
Hints from Mazda indicate that the RX-8 is the first of several cars that will offer the Renesis engine. Look for turbocharged as well as two door versions in the coming years.
Mazda must be looking over BMWs new vehicle-launch playbook, offering the basic-but-cool models first and thereby making enthusiasts squirm in their seats for the uber-cool versions later.

rxeightr

Those considering autox'ing their RX-8 would be interested in knowing this.

Thanks for the post -- I enjoyed reading their opinion.

eccles

We've already discussed it in this thread.

The fact of the matter is that anyone who tells you that the RX-8 will definitely be in this class or that, is blowing smoke. While it's probably safe to conjecture that it'll fall into BS or DS, the SCCA SEB has not yet made a decision, nor will they until the vehicle becomes available and they see it in final production trim.