yawn.

 

Hook, line and sinker.

 

I call BS. The RX8 got one of the best launches and it was doing OK in the corners. It was doing a decent job blocking the Skyline early and then the Skyline just flew past. If you watch his foot in the little footbox video it's planted to the floor everywhere it could be. It did well on corner entries and got worked on corner exits..

john

 

It seems silly to me to even compare these cars. I looked into several cars before getting my 8. The Z is a nice looking car, but not nearly as unique and stylish as the 8 IMO. But, before I could get too into the details of the Z, the lack of a back seat immediately ended the thoughts of ever getting it. It's just not practical as an everyday car that's still a sports car and fun to drive. Situations come up where you may need to squeeze someone in for a ride, and the wife would have never gone for it with the thought of kids in the near future. You can actually fit 4 adults in the 8 if needed. And the suicide doors meant my insurance is lower than it would have been on the Z, a Celica, an Eclipse or any other 2 door sports car. Plus, it looks hot! :D

 

First off, head back to a 350z forum, troll.

Second, that video proves nothing. The guy driving the 8 doesnt know how to drive. He took horrible lines on a lot of the turns, and was in the wrong gear half the time.

 

LOL.. yeah.. that **JGTC DRIVER** doesn't know how to drive...

john

 

(Revenge race: great, an RX8 with lots of $$$$ in mods hangs with a STOCK S2000. And the S2K got a handicapped start behind the 8. )

The RX-8 only hanged with the S2000?
That's interesting becuase the video I saw showed the S2000
nowhere near the RX-8 when the RX-8 crossed the finish line
on the last lap. In fact the S2000 was quick enough to catch
the 8 in Tsukuba's famous straight. But couldn't take the same
line as the 8 and fell back..... far back.

To make matters worse Kurosawa was behind the wheel of the S2000. No one is better then Kurosawa at driving Honda made products. Must be the sponsorship he has with Honda coupled with his experience whatever the reason if you beat an S2000
while he's driving, its an accomplishment.

on to your other comment

(The best part is that the RX8's best lap time is still 3-4 seconds behind what the Evo's and STi's were getting in Best Motoring Int'l #7. I don't have the DVD's in front of me but I wonder what the S2K was getting in BMI 8 when it beat the 8...)

Yes you are right.
The Mazdaspeed RX-8's lap times are still no match for the Evo's and STi's.
Its true.
Can't be denied.
Those cars are much more suited to the track then even Mazda track like Mazdaspeed 8.

Then again.....

Would the 350Z or G35 fair better?

hmmmm no

What about an S2000

hmmmm no

Heck could those cars even compete with a
1997 J-spec Mazda RX-7 RS 1:04.8 (old B.M. video)

hmmmm no

It's really a mute point. The 8 can't lap what those cars can lap.
But those other cars don't fair better.

To answer your question. The S2000 is about 2 seconds faster per lap on Tsukuba. It's just simply more geared toward track
then the 8 or G35 or Z is. The 8 as someone else put it is geared
for the track just not as hardcore as the S2000. It more a balance
of comfort and everyday life with the addition of sport then simply tracktimes. If you wan't tracktimes. Then get another car? If your patient then wait for the Mazdaspeed RX-8 coming to the U.S.
That car will deliver tracktimes. It will also do so without Sacrifciing what makes an RX-8 an RX-8.

Also the new Best Motoring showcased a race between
the G35 (with a huge gargantuan lead)
vs.
Skyline GTR R34,Skyline GTR R33,Skyline GTR R32

The best the G35 could do was to match the lap times of the R32
which it did beat. They both ran identical lap times.

Mind you the R32 GTR was built in the late 80's

 

I kind of disagree here. The 8 only suffers a power disadvantage when compared to the Evo and Sti's. That doesn't mean that it isn't more suited for track use than the other two. Now if we were talking modified IMHO there is no question that the 8 is superior. SCC mag tested an 8 with an upgraded suspension and it ran 77 mph through the slalom. No other car SCC has tested has ever run the slalom that fast. Overall the 8 has the "potential" to be "superior". The only problem is that Mazda hasn't currently offered us this "superior" version yet. Stay tuned!:D

 

Oh great. Why is that when 1 troll comes in and makes an *** of himself all the others show up as well?

I'm surprised with that inability to use their heads they can actually type, let alone drive.

 

Whoa, a non fanboy post! GASP!!

Gan-San knows the S2K, and the RX8 after 5 laps picked up some time. I don't have the video handy anymore.. Look at the best lap times though, and remember that the RX8 started first.

All that proves however is that if you drop a bunch of $$ into an RX8 you can make it go faster. IF they start selling the Mazdaspeed RX8 here, and it's less than $35K, then you've got something. At that point the consumer needs to decide whether they want a roadster or a 4-door. But you can still buy a 4 door car that will be more practical (AWD) that will walk all over it, for less money.

One other important thing being overlooked here, however, is that the S2000 has gotten faster too. Still rated at 240 hp but that is apparently bogus:
http://www.vtec.net/articles/view-ar...&page_number=2
The ones in the comparisons are, IIRC, still the 2.0L.

350Z/G35: I don't care, although torque makes daily driving better IMHO.

"My dad will beat up your dad! One of these days! Stay tuned!"

Stock vs modified is stupid. With enough $$ you can make anything handle well, or go faster.

john

 

I’ve always figured myself more an enthusiast of cars then of companies. The Honda S2000 is an amazing car and does what it does well. Despite what many here on this sometimes one-sided form might say the G35 is beautiful as is the 350Z.
It's no surprise those cars have sold as well as they have.

A modded RX-8 would still have trouble running with Mitsubishi
and Subaru latest offerings. The handling is there and so is the look, but this Renesis can't match them power for power like the previous 7 could. That's where Mazdaspeed comes in. Though
the U.S. version itself is shrouded in secrecy Mazda knows who its main rivals are and like all companies will release a product to match them.

However forced induction will most probably be needed.
J-spec Subaru Sti's and Lancer Evo's are putting out much
greater power then the supposed "Japanese gentleman's agreement of 276" Some aftermarket dyno's suggest that
those car's are putting on somewhere upwards of 320hp

Though they did manage to get 77mph trap on that modded RX-8
handling can only do so much. For as many curves as can be taken well and for all the extra exit speed you may get out of a corner it will be reeled in on the straights.

The Mazdaspeed RX-8's race with the S2000 just wasn't a close race. It is still apparent that the S2000 is quicker on the straights
but the Advan equipped tires and more rigid less roll suspension
setup really did compliment the RX-8. It escaped the S2000 on
every curve and it did develop quite a lead. Maybe it wouldn't
have been the case if this race would have been performed in
Fuji where there main long straight is far greater then that of
Tsukuba's but we won't really have a chance to find out. Fuji
is being closed down and renovated.

The RX-8 is an amazing car, but simply because its amazing doesn't lessen the quality and impact the other cars have made. Nissan did very well with the 350Z and they made an impact with the G35 for as amazing as the SKYLINE was sales had begun plummeting. It was a car for a certain market in the corner of the world (JAP/EUR) where the G35 is more a car for the rest of the world.

There is a reason these cars are constantly being compared and there is a reason why the 8 is constantly the reviewer’s favorite...
It's a well made car that does what it does quite well.

 

Your right the MS version could be very expensive and still not compete with those AWD cars. But you have to also understand that the 8 is designed and engineered from the start as a true performance vehicle. It's engineering alone will make it more expensive as compared to a car that starts it's life as a 13k econo box(Lancer).



I'm not stupid enough to compare a stock car vs a modified one. If you read my post I said that Mazda hasn't offered us with the "superior" version yet. Basicaly that means that the current 8 is too civalized to be anything serious(especially when compared to its AWD competition). Sure the car in SCC had aftermarket upgrades but I gave that example to show the 8's "potential". For any car to be able run that fast through a slalom while modified within it's first year of production just goes to show that vehicles "potential". Even those AWD beast (while modded)can't come close to running that fast in the slalom. Also whos to say that the MS version with it's factory suspension upgrades wouldn't be capable of "closely" matching those figures? Overall those AWD version are those companies "extreme" versions. We Mazda owners have yet to experiance the "extreme" version of the 8. Now do you see my point.

 

numbers numbers numbers...

People are forgetting the looks.
Personally the RX8 looks flashier than the Z anyday.
If you like the Z, power to you...

The same reason people are buying a Ferrari instead of say an Evo which cost 5x less but has about equal performance.

 

I think the Z is flashier than the RX-8. The RX-8 is more subtle and laid back, while the Z is more in-your-face with it's styling.

Just my opinion though.

The one thing I don't understand is how someone can think the Z out handles the RX-8. It's common knowledge that the Z is based on a large number of cross platform parts with large sedans, and doesn't benefit from having a super tiny and light weight motor like the 8.

They're pretty much in the same price range, but different markets in terms of buyers I think.

There is no right or wrong answer with which car you decide to get. I'd hate for there to ever be only one right answer, then we'd all end up driving the same car, which is precisely why I couldn't even consider a new Mustang when I was car shopping.

 

Trolls= stupidity incarnate.

No need to say anything else, as it is extremely obvious just by readin the drivel they post.

 

To my knowledge the 8 understeers less then the Z while
the Z is less prone to roll. So there are some turns that the
Z will be able to take better and there are some that the 8
will be able to take better. Both cars are extremely easy to
drive. But nearly all the reviewers prefer the handling of the
8 to the Z. The Z does like to make things overly safe
for the driver even when you switch off traction control.
Where as the 8 will leave it more in the drivers hands (TC off).
I did manage to test the Z and put it through its paces and I must
say the handling does inspire confidence. It might pester you
at the limit but those limits will only be explored by Race Drivers.
I will be looking to put the Mazda RX-8 through its paces when Rev-It-Up comes down to Florida. I have no doubt it's going to be
Composed and agile.

But I am a little worried about the roll.

 

I'll tell you one thing Z-man that driver did not know how to drive a rotary.....
Why would you want a Nissan? Should I say anything else.

 

Well, when you factor in performance, refinement, and bang-for-the-buck, it looks like the Nissan 350Z sucked up just a little more grit than our winner, the Mazda RX-8.

Nuff Said!

 

reading through the thread I now understand why I heard on the radio that Nissan was redesigining the suspension on the Z car - heard it about two months ago. Hmm.

 

Pretty sad that the DC5 Type R was pulling on the 8. Bottom line, they are all great cars and I would happy to own any of them.

 

--Z-- likes plastic in his car.

 

-Z- accomplished what he set out to do, get us 8 owners riled up. He set the bait and watched us go for it. Don't give him the satisfaction. I'm sure he's sitting back in his chair laughing his *** off at us.

 

Wow that Mazda driver sucks! IMO... Good vid.

 

Thats not a fair statement. We have a few Z owners here that are positive elements. Although it seems to me we tend to drive them away very fast.