revhappy

Your post is filled with errors! All of the RX8 road tests by the US magazines were pre-production cars as they were tested in March/April and the RX8 didn't arrive until July (after the supposed dealy for the ECU reflash at the port).

While the Grand Touring model is heavier than the Sport package, it is not even close to 300 Lbs. heavier (maybe 50-100 lbs.).

Finally, skidpad test results vary significantly (see the variation on almost any car in different tests).

350z Driver

LOL, ya like everybody is pushing there car up to .9 G's on a daily basis.. I have a G-Timer in my car and I have gotten my car up to .90 before in a parking lot messing around, but after .7 everything in your car starts to get flung around and hitting bumps while exceeding .7-.75 gets a bit scary..

I doubt anybody exceeds .5G's on a day to day basis unless they are really trying to push it. Going from 0-60 is alot more "real world" then hitting .88 or .91 G's and your crazy if you think otherwise..

PoLaK

iTrader: (1)

Mazda RX-8 Curb weight with driver (R&T) 3180
Mazda RX-8 Curb weight with driver (C&D) 2940 which is also with drive as the sport model weighted by members is 2860 (I believe could be wrong).

As for the Ecu's being reflashed maybe, maybe not you don't know. Judge's car got a 14.5 whether it was done me (a 16year old kid) or him (a 15 year old drag vet). And as for powershifting you can infer R&T did that, i quote "we used a 7.5 rpm for our drag-strip launches. Despite the resulting wheel spin the elevated revs keep the wankel in the fattest par of it powerband"

revhappy

That 2,940 lb. figure is NOT with the driver! The weight of the sport package measured by members was around 2,940 lbs. and 2,980 lbs. I beleive the variance may be due to the amount of gas in the tank.

Again, he did it with an unusually strong car and race gas. Interestingly, his car just about died shortly after. This needs to be duplicate by a few other cars using pump gas to end the controversy.

THOR

I would believe the results of the car being actually driven on the track with timing equipment from a reputable magazine, then a number someone saw on the dyno on their speedo. That is not an accurate way to record top speed on a car, nor is reading your speedo either unfortunately.

Thor.

RX8-TX

Get out of here! Yeah, so a quarter mile time difference of 1.5~2 seconds makes a big difference on the street for 'real world' driving! You are crazy if you think like you do! Ups...it came out harsh: good!:D

vosko

can someone please get mazda to give me an rx8, so there will another posted time besides judge ito's because everyone else is too scared to race their cars

i know its winter time on the east coast but what about all the west coast guys!

Ike

We saw your runs in his car.... not so good... Haha, just givin you a hard time :p

O.R.A.

As much difference as 100 hp.

RX8-TX

Pardon my impertinence, but for the 'real world driving' scenario, you can have 1000hp difference. I don't give a dang, if you don't have a stretch to use them, those ponies are not worth a lot (now, I am not being a snob saying I wouldn't want half of that! :D )

Genom

Hey Vosko, I asked you for some tips and you just ignored me. NJ is a bit of a drive for me man. I'm trying to fit in some time to play, but sadly, play is soemthing I dont have too much time for right now.

Lets see how the holiday shapes up. Lovely weather here so far :D

350z Driver

Do you have ANY clue what torque it? Do you know the Z has 2 times as much of it to the wheels then the RX8? Say I am going 30-35 in 3rd gear and I mash the pedel, the car takes off straight to the redline with no fuss and plenty of power.. Now in the RX8 with half the torque, your cruising at 30-35 and you mash the pedal, you get slow gradual acceleration until you get closer to your extreemly high HP peak. I know how this works, I have driven MANY VTEC style engines, My buddies old 15 second, 95mph trap 2000 Celica GTS had NOTHING until it hit the VTEC at 6k to the 8300 redline, this is very similar to the RX8 since the powerband is NOT smooth and its very peaky and the torque curve is nearly none existant..

Now imagine throwing in a few passangers (up to 4 in an rx8!!), that makes it MUCH MUCH worse and you will be reving crazy. Torque makes everyday driving effortless. Like going up hills, I can go up a very steep incline in 3rd gear at around 2k-2.5k rpms with no sweat.

Thats the "real world" difference when NOT talking about overall acceleration. Advantage = Z and any cars WITH torque. You don't have to rev your engines to HELL to get power out of it.

renotse

350z Driver, Do you have any idea what a transmission is?

Quoted from an Article written by Paul Yaw of Yaw Power

If I were to do my own "Most Ridiculous" item in the world of racing it would be based on the following statement. "Horsepower sells motor cars, but torque wins motor races." This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Like it or not, everything that goes on around us is governed by the laws of physics, and these laws are non-negotiable. The good news is that we don’t have to be Einstein to apply the basic laws of physics to racing. The fact that too few do is the reason that such ridiculous statements are common in racing.............

........As you can see, a gearbox gives us a simple way to vary the torque through leverage, and it is equivalent to changing the length of the lever. Thanks to gears, we can have any amount of torque that we want!


350z Driver,
Please read this article completely and learn something about torque.

Complete Text of Paul Yaw's excellent article Torque vs Horsepower

Then post your apology to the forum for spreading the uniformed rantings of the "GALACTICALLY STUPID"

Rick King

I want to talk to the guy who posted this originally. I think I read he signed on as someone else. But I think his point was the reason he considered an RX-8 was it was quick. And when he found it wasn't he bought something else. An AWD Evo.

I hope everyone jumps all over me for what I am about to say. Unless you are one hell of a driver 99% of you will never get the full performance out of any car. Unless you take YOUR car to the track over and over. There is a good chanch YOU"LL NEVER learn how to really drive the car. But lets say most of us are inline to drive John Forces car when he retires. We are just that good, great drivers. But, we haven another problem. We just can't master that tree. We have been to the track three times in the last year. We have never felt what it's like to race under pressure. In a money round...........Our reactions just suck. Too often I thing many people buy a car then aren't happy cause they can't drive the car.

Mr. EVO - have you been to the track? I would think an AWD car might handle better than a RWD car. Have you tangled with the 300 h.p. AWD Subaru yet.

What difference does it matter how quick the car is if YOU can't drive the car? The magazines say it runs a best of 14.5........ If every RX-8 ran 14.5 and I caught you sleeping at the tree more than likely I could run slower than that and beat you..

14.5 is quick. 15.0 is quick 15.5, isn't bad either. I think the car was designed to do something else then run 1320' and turn. How much of your driving is devoted to 100% performance? Or do you really need a quick car to hide your poor driving skills?

If your EVO runs like the one in my car club you'll run 13.9 in the 1/4. While that's quicker the the RX-8. I have an automatic FWD Cavalier that would be all the match you ever wanted on the track. Think about it A Cavalier beating and EVO. So while you're pointing out how quick your car is in this forum why can't you just blow my doors off with your higher h.p. AWD car...?

RX8-TX

I will ask you the same question Renotse did: Do you know what a transmission is?? I am pretty sure that you can outaccelerate almost anything in 6th gear as well. I don't give a ****. Can't you understand that?? I DON'T GIVE A ****: for what is worth you could outaccelerate a grandma' in a scooter, or Schumy and his Ferrari;.....on the street, were you car has to take you places, and you have to do a lane change, or are on a passing situation: you have to know how to f'ing drive YOUR car.

Now, I believe I derranged totaly from the 1/4. Back on topic.

revhappy

Well, I'm not "Mr. EVO" who started the thread, butI'd like to address your points (though you seem to be running all over the place). First, off I there are some roads I take fairly regularly, that are so challenging that I have exceeded the limits on the EVO. Sure, a road course is something everyone would enjoy, but the ability to access them is limited. Of course, driver skill is important as everyone should take a good driving course.

As for the times, numerous gius on evolutionm.net (and in our local EVO club) have achievied times 13.0 - 13.5 in stock EVOs.

In regards to the Cavalier, I assume its modded and driven by a super driver? You are throwing additional variables (i.e. money for parts and the development of skills). Put the same money into the EVO and its not even close.

Chuck Clifford

That is the problem when talking to magazine racers like 350Z driver, he always talks real world, yet has no real world experience of anything but his Z, and his friends old honda. He assumes that the gearing in the RX-8 is the same as his Z, (and they are not close). He assumes that because his friend honda runs 15 seconds and revs high that this is the same as the RX-8. Even though many people have driven both and say there is no comparison. I told him that my RX-8 goes to 68 MPH in second gear at redline, and he said, that it doesn't because his Z can't do that. This guy is really ignorant about any and all processes that creates speed, making him incapable of reading his own butt dyno. Don't worry 350Z driver, scientist are close to perfecting a device that will help you see clearer. A GLASS STOMACH.

RX8-TX

Uhhhhh, that reminds me: was 350Z Driver who asserted that his Z has similar gearing as the RX8. If so, then explain this to me 'scientist' - How is it possible that the RX8 reaches 60+ mph @ 8500+ rpms in second gear, when you probably reach that @ 6500~7000 rpm ?? What does that mean? Is the gearing identical, or even similar??

RX8-TX

Here you go, just for fun: 25% difference on the final drive ratio.

revhappy

Great post, RX8-TX. Gearing is so often overlooked, but a high reving engine can really use it to its advantage. That being said, some of us thought the gearing was a bit too conservative given the weight of the car and wheel size. I think the Renesis's fuel economy and emissions issues were the main cause of that.

350z Driver

...message severely edited...


In the end, and in REALITY the 350z outperforms the RX8 in any and all acceleration tests you can throw at it no matter what you ... believe.. They are simply in a different class.

Re-added stats:

5-60 for 350z = 5.9 seconds
5-60 for RX8 = 8 seconds...

Function of torque

mikeb

350 if you are done
please leave you are in the wrong forum

and that's what you look like
you look like you got hit by a HONDA CELICA

Sea Ray

Why does that clown even think we care what he has to say?

O.R.A.

You don't need much of a stretch to go to 60 or 70 mph. It does happen every day in the real world.

eugene

...let's keep this on track....