Novice upgrade question: Which to do first
 

Hello,

I am not mechanically inclined. I'm a computer freak by nature and also love to smoke good BBQ.

So I bought a 2004 RX-8 with 30K miles on it. It is automatic. No grand touring package :(. I did drop a knot of cash on an stereo solution (800 watts of love).

I have an issue with the pep of this car. From a stop light when hitting the gas it seems to hesitate for a few second, maybe 3 to 5 seconds. It seems like the engine is gearing up for a fast take off but just hesitates then kicks in. It just seems really "soft" in this nature. I am using manual on the automated console shifter. This is mainly first gear.

Is this normal? If so what should I look at upgrading first to help this issue?

I hope I explained this well enough to start off and don;t sound tooooo stupid.

I also see all the "upgrade" sub-forums but was unsure where to search first prior to posting.

Take care,

Brian

The AT section is the place to search...short and sweet: turbos and superchargers are your friend....

nitrous

Thank you for the thoughts.

I was thinking cold air induction mod. I thought that would be a good low end mod to start. Would that help?

Take care,

Brian

Many have opinions and subpar facts on this subject. I agree that it wuld help make noise.. but that about it. The stock intake box is really unrestricted. Other than that i can't help i have never driven the auto 8.

Noise will be the only thing you get out of an intake. You MIGHT get a 1 hp increase at the wheels.

Guess that's why I stick to smoking BBQ and working on computer networks.

I looked into the mentioned mods above. Man I need a second job or need to start dealing something :lol: .

Maybe I can ask a different question...

On limited budget what would be the best bang for the buck ratio for increasing HP?

Thanks for not flaming me, I really appreciate. I know I am coming off, well, stupidly ;).

Take care,

Brian

^ +1

c'mon now son...your trying to get power out of your automatic rx-8!?! :squint: thats kind of like saying that you bought a shiny new bicycle so that you can go go-cart racing with everyone else. your out of your league...:icon_no2:

IMHO:
sell your auto-rx8, buy a manual rx8, THEN worry about going fast :)

dont say that ~~~ if phil8 sees ur post, he gonna pull his SC 8 out and pwn ur ass :lol: :lol: :lol:

As stated before nitrous is the best bang for your buck for those moments you need to go fast in a straight line. Sc / Turbo will give you more usable power but complete kits begin around $5,000 and can reach $10,000. By complete I mean you would have to pay someone for the install and tune + the extra parts needed for reliability.

Dont do anything.

Sell the car back out while you have a chance, and get a Manual Transmission version.

yada yada yada yea yea yea your whatever or you cant drive a manual, GO LEARN IT !

i take it then from this post that you agree with my suggestion :)

manual rx-8 > automatic rx-8
any day...

OH! and just for you nycgps:

SC manual rx-8 > SC automatic rx-8

ftw :)

hey BBQ, welcome!

Well, I definitely wouldn't suggest you 'start' with a turbo or sc, that's more of something you should do after you've had the car for a while.

Unfortunately the rotary is much harder to squeeze power out of then it's cylinder brothers / sisters. The intake will be a good idea but don't expect much power out of it (3-5 hp...maybe). A good intake's primary purpose should be to deliver more cold air to the engine then the stock part, not to maximize HP.

I think you should look into a better flowing exhaust and a high flow cat. I recommend the RP supercat and then just pick the exhaust that you like the sound of the best. (hp wise, they're pretty much the same) Lots of users here have uploaded videos on www.youtube.com so I'd go there for sound clips.
Make sure to check out the RP supercat + Racing Beat exhaust combo (my current setup)
If you want something louder: greddy is pretty agressive
There are a few HKS videos available as well, both of the single exhaust tip and the dual tip Legamax. (courtesy of our HKS King; XdeedubbX)
Mazdaspeed exhaust is also a popular choice.

Hope this helps... Let me know if you need somethign else.

Thanks Jedi.

Others, no way to back out unless he car is under a lemon law. I've had it two maybe three weeks. Lesson learned on my part.

My last sports car, around twenty years ago, was a 260Z straight 6 manual. So I feel you on AT VS. manual. That thing screamed.

Take care,

Brian

<edit>Jedi, just as an aside, I am going to be moving back to CA hopefully this summer. Last time I lived in Santa Cruz. This time we are looking at Grass Valley in the Sierra-Nevada mountains. Can't wait.</edit>

Bah... get a SC or Turbo.

nitrous

nitrous is not going to help him immediately off the line, which is what he was complaining about.

All the posts about the air intake not any power are BS. It adds power just like any other NA power add on. It accentuates the character of the stock engine. As the RX8 has little power on the bottom end, it will not give you the low end power, but it gives decent power gains on the top end (6-8 hp). Will you feel it...no. If you are expecting 20 hp from a simple NA mod, you won't get it. Even if you did the air intake, ECU reprogram, hi-flow cat, cat back exhaust, & pully you might get about 20-25 hp. You might feel a little more pull on the top end.

The simple answer is there are no mods that will really help you on the low end except an SC, not even really a turbo (more mid & upper rev range, unless it is a small turbo ala Greddy), but that is nowhere close to a simple upgrade.

Trade it in on MT 8. The LAST thing an AT 8 owner should be focused on is power, is just not worth the $. Furthermore, what good is power when ur not the one wielding it...what fun is it to just mash the gas pedal? Sry to be a buzz kill, just stating facts.

WTF is smoking BBQ? I'm assuming marijuana. If so, why on earth would you be so proud of that fact?

Agree with Fanman. Look at the dyno days sheets where intake equiped 8's get significantly more hp. Pouring money into an auto is like putting lipstick on a pig though.

Either way you look at it.. the underpowered auto even with every simple bolt on will barely be able to see a manuals tail lights.. :)

Feed 4.77 rear

Should be the most power off the line for the dollar, for an AT. I would think at least, not from experience.

or strap a rocket to the hood of your automatic rx-8

then you'll fix your off the line problem OP!

You've never heard of a bbq smoker????????????

Are the electric smokers any good or should I go pit style?

How long should I smoke?

I'm thinking about getting into this, Famous Daves has too much influence on me.