I just bought my 07 RX8 about a month ago. I autocrossed it as soon as possible. Here are the results. These are not SCCA classes. I'm in class G which is for production cars with street tires, no modifications and an engine less than 3 liters. There were two RX8's there. My name is Chuck.

http://www.wedrivefast.com/srfiles/1...ultsbytime.pdf

Before that I autocrossed my Z for about 3 years. My 8 is 100% OEM, even the tires, and it's faster than my Z ... errr ... I should say that I'm faster in it than I was in my Z. At least based on this single event.

I've been to two events now, which equals about 13 runs. It took some time to realize that neither the front nor the back would SNAP loose upon corner entry or exit. My Z was famous for that. I've yet to experience either of the ends significantly breaking loose - which only means that I'm not going fast enough

It helps that the car doesn't really have enough power to easily break its tires loose. The Z would spin 'em at will, which got me in trouble more often than not. The only downside is that I cannot downshift to 1st worth a crap, and I'm going to need to learn how.

I really like how (1) it gets up to about 69 or so in 2nd gear, (2) how on one particular section I kept going a little faster, and it just kept turning in when I thought it would slip (3) the steering feel - screw the crappy throttle response. (4) progressive braking, as opposed to my Z which had great brakes. It's just that they were more like an on/off switch.

My main point is that the 8 is a pleasure to drive at speed. It made me look better than I am. I can't wait to wear out my street tires, get better ones, and get my alignment done.

 

good to hear.
i'll be attending track events with a friend who has a 350z and can't wait to show him what the 8 CAN DO~!!!

 

just wait til you get used to the car. you will be able to fly like nothing

i cant wait to try my 8 out with my coilovers and sways

 

I'm thinking about getting sways at some point, but not shocks or coilovers. Everything I've read says there is just not much time to be gained with them. They always say that shocks/coilovers are more an upgrade that makes the car easier to drive. The RX8 is already easy to drive! But who knows, maybe the stuff I've read is wrong, or I misinterpreted it.

Too bad you don't autocross in Florida. There don't seem to be many RX8's down here that do.

 

im moving soon, and the entire US is available to me. where ever down south i get a job, thats where im moving

i cant say quite yet if coilovers make a difference cause i dont have them on my car, but from what i have heard on here, coilovers along with strut bars and the right sways will make your car handle flawlessly, assuming the driver is good too

 

^^ the stock suspension is lready awesome. go with a coilover set only in serious efforts...and thats when i assume you know exactly what you want. but yeah...i believe being able to spend just about $1k can get you a beautiful set-up and be competitive.

on a side note...how come you were so eager to race your car? what happened to the break-in period? racing it right away, especially on a rotary can have its long term affects i'm sure. be easy on it, or change your oil early and see if you find anything in the oil.

anyways, nice to hear you love the 8. have fun

 

5 mazdas in the top 10, and 18 mazdas in total...

good to see the racing tradition alive

 

^ +1

 

Reality has hit. The 8 no longer makes me look better than I am

Since I created this post 1.5 months ago, I have done two more events. In both of them my results have been s**t.

Coincidentally, I got my alignment done before my last two events. However, my problem could be any combination of the following ...

a) my crappy driving
b) possibly the course design
c) better competition
d) my alignment
e) weather is warmer, maybe RE040's get too hot

Here is what I had done to my alignment. My car definitely oversteers now when it didn't use to. Tell me if I have effed it up.

BEFORE:

LF RF
Camber -0.89 -0.48
Caster 6.13 5.99
Toe 3/16" 1/8"


LR RR
Camber -1.04 -1.11
Toe 0" 0"



AFTER:

LF RF
Camber -1.85 -1.88
Caster 4.65 4.53
Toe 0" 0"


LR RR
Camber -1.60 -1.63
Toe 1/16" 1/16"

 

Oversteer, understeer... I wouldn't worry too much about which one you've got more of at this stage. As balanced as the 8 is, you're likely to experience one or the other at different points on a course or track. Your driving skills should be the priority. Have an instructor sit with you as much as possible. Once you develop good competence in handling/responding to what the car is doing then move on to modifying suspension set-up, tires, etc. Focus more on competing with yourself than with others early on. Your results are just giving you guidance about what you need to work on.

Also, do some reading. There's a wealth of literature out there that can help. Relax, be smooth, and have fun.

 

That rear toe is toe in right?? With those numbers it will push when you got on some good tires. Only thing I would change would be make the front toe out 1/16" to 1/8" total, and rear toe zero, but only after you get some good tires. With the OE tires the car will be a mess.

 

Thanks for the good intentions. I'm no national competitor, but I've been autocrossing about twice per month for three years. I'm new to autocrossing the RX8, but not new to autocrossing.

I appreciate any feedback on how / whether I have screwed up my alignment. Based on the original stock alignment, I'm guessing that the rear needs more negative camber than the front, instead of vice versa.

 

could you give me an example of good tires that you referred to, that could fit the oem wheel???

 

I'm not sure if the rear toe is in or out, but I can give you more detail from the print-out the shop gave me.

Left Rear
Actual Before Specified Range
1/16" -0" -0" 1/8"

It's the same for right rear.

Then on the bottom there is another table like this. It's hard to get the formatting correct, but hopefully you can understand it.

Rear
XXXXXXX Actual Before Specified Range
Total Toe 1/8" 0" -1/16" 5/16"
Thrust Angle -0.03 -0.03 ... ...

 

I think Jason is referring to "good" tires for SCCA stock classes i.e. Hoosier A6 & Kumho V710. If you're on a budget look at the Hankook Z214's. I used them previously and they're quite good (on my RX-8, I've gone with the V710's).

You'll need to invest in a 2nd set of wheels though. Try to drive these tires on the street and they'll only last a few thousand miles at best.

 

Toe-in is positive while toe-out is negative. Watch for the sign (+/-) in your print-out. The rear squats under load, so the wrong combination camber/toe can kill the outside shoulder really quick.