ayap888

By Driving like you stole the car ...

I'm now 6,600+ miles. I can say that if you drive the RX8 like you stole it more frequently and making the 2nd gear rev limiter beep beep occasionally, it will make a difference. I feel it's much more responsive now.

There is a claim that "Rotary engines get faster over time" and if driven hard, rotary engines will become much faster ...

A recent article regarding the long term test of the RX8 prove this. A new RX8 Manual was tested at 6.6 sec while an older RX8 with 40,000 miles did 5.9 sec. That's a 0.7 sec improvement for 0-60mph. For 0-100mph, there was a 1.5 sec improvement.

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....rticle_id=9838


Performance new car 40,000 miles

Zero to 60 mph 6.6 sec 5.9 sec
Zero to 100 mph 17.5 sec 16.0 sec
Zero to 130 mph 36.6 sec 34.8 sec
Street start, 5-60 mph 7.4 sec 7.2 sec
Standing 1/4-mile 15.1 sec 14.6 sec
@ 93 mph @ 96 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph 153 ft 145 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad — 0.88 g
Top speed (drag limited) 144 mph 145 mph


So my guess is (based on this observation), if a new RX8 Auto can run at 7.6 seconds 0-60, then it could improve over time 7.0 or even 6.9 seconds.

By the way, UK rates their 192 HP RX8 at 7.2 seconds.

Based on my observation, the RX8 auto could do 0-60 in mid 7s on good time and around 8.0 sec on bad timing. As the rotary gets accustomed to more mileage and high revs, RX8 autos should approach the 7.0 second mark.

therm8

there's really too many variables for that comparo.

Did both cars use the same tires with the same mileage on them?
Was temp/press/humidity the same?
Did they use the same test track?
Did they use the same driver?
etc
etc

The 4port engine is already capable of pushing the car into the high 6 second range. It just does it with a 5spd manual transmission. The biggest limiter is the automatic transmission, and the fact that all those 0-60, 1/4mile times are done with a severe clutch drop. The auto transmission might be able to launch you from 2500-3000rpm. You could bump up stall speed on the TC, but you'd either need a custom job, spare converter, or rip the current converter out of the car and mail it off. New converters are over $1000 from the dealer last I checked. I haven't tried any used parts places.

The car might be a little quicker than new, but it's hard to tell since I drive it every day. Now the new 6speed auto should be a significant improvement, just because of tighter gear ratios. (I'll believe the extra power, when I see it)

DOMINION

So if the 6speed Trans is faster and stronger, will the 6speed Trans fit in our 4speed 8's?

KYLiquid

I know you could bolt up the 5speed manual, I belive the bell housing is the same and you could bolt up the 6speed manual as well.

slllygrl10

Figure it out people I'm waiting on something really big!

DreRX8

Don't think so--the new 6speed auto is supposedly a 6-port; which means that no more 4-ports for the U.S. market. You could put in the 5 speed tranny though, if it was me-I'd just trade in or boost the 4-port than go through the trouble of a tranny swap.

09Factor

I like to make things diffacult. A tranny swap & a SC.. for now thats the plan for mine when
A. The warranty is up
B. A supercharger is released.

I'm not expecting problems finding a 5spd. and foreign ecu.

KYLiquid

Its cheaper to just tradein/sell your auto and buy a new/used 6speed...the cost/time of the swap would outweigh the benefit...IMO.

Also why swap the 5/6 speed manual onto the 4port Auto motor, for a little more you could just swap the 4port/4speed for the 6port/6speed.

Noth worth it. If your thinking about swaping to a manual...then why did you get an automatic?

I can understand the people that wanted an automatic, and now want more power....they dont want to drive stick, or cant.....but they still want the performance, I totaly get that, but I dont get the people that bought an automatic and want to swap in a 6 speed manual....your gonna spend 2K+ to change from a manual to an automatic, but youll still have the lower redline, and less power.....and you will have paid more for the swap than the price difference in the 2 models.

DreRX8

You'll definately get into Sport Compact Car with that setup--it'll be a nice performer too.

Do your thug thang

09Factor

You are spot on brother.
I just don't follow the normal thought process all the time. Plus I like working on cars.

Thanks!
The only Sport compact car I care about getting into is mine!

dust12

+1 KYLiquid

09Factor

you must be bored !

therm8

I don't know if it's stronger. It was developed for lower powered cars than the 4EAT which was developed for the FD afaik.

I'd bet a manual (5spd) swap would be alot easier than going to the 6spd auto. The electronic tranny control program is imbedded in the ecu. To use the 6spd auto you need its programming. To use the 5spd you only need the tranny and an overseas 4port ecu. The 6port auto's ecu is not going to work on the 4port auto. So someone would need to drag the program out of the ecu and make it flash-able to the 4port. I'm not sure if the gauge cluster would support displaying gears 5 and 6 either.


Eventually my 8 will be retired to second car status. At that point I'd consider the 5spd swap. Then daily driving and bum knees would not be an issue.

DOMINION

First not everyone and there Daddy has a 850 creidt score. So you get what you pay for. Its not a matter of who can drive stick or who has more power. Its not a option of more power for me, if I wonted more power I would have got a used Vett for under $10K and with $1K in mods get 300hp+ to the floor. This car is not ment to do 1/4 mile drags in under 10sc that for the big boys with there $100K in mods under the hood. I wont a daily driver that I can do light mods and take to the track (not drag strip) and have a good time. When we got our RX-8 my girl at the time and still, cant drive stick plus the model we got was $32K VS the loaded at $36K.

zoom44

you mean a Mazda RX8 ecu from a different country that has a 5speed manual available? It wont work. You cant just swap PCMs because they are part of the CAN network. you would have to have them reprogrammed by a Mazda tech . they basically "suck" in everything from your previous PCM and then blow it into the new one. so it wont help to swap PCMs.

You also cant just swap 4AT for the 6AT. the control of the auto tranny is not in the PCM but ina seperate CAN module - the TCM( t for transmission). It contains the shift points etc for the tranny. this would have to be Flashed with new programming AT THE LEAST.

DOMINION

I'm glad someone (Administrator) said that ^. I was not about to open this can of worms LOL!

truemagellen

I thought we saw pics from Sevenstock and in fact it is a 4port like usual

where is RG

therm8

pics I saw had a 6port intake manifold.

truemagellen

you are correct, I was confused with the Brillo pic post that he didn't infact post

here is the low down
https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...8&postcount=60

09Factor

So are you saying that each module of the Rx8 data network system is registered to that system only? For example: swapping a TCM from one 8 to another 8 wouldn't work?
Or is it because that the 8 is so computer controlled that with the TCM in place, the 4port manual PCM would have communciation errors?

If you have some useful technical info to share too, speak up.

ddub

I don't get it.

If an auto owner wants to swap over to a 6speed, why did they buy an auto in the first place? The engine is worse, the redline is lower, etc. So why did you buy the auto?

If someone wants a manual rx8, buy a manual rx8. Plain and simple. Swapping is just stupid, at least to me.

Unless you're talking the new model 6speed autos that are 6port? But once again, why buy it just to swap to a manual? I don't get it.

therm8

He was talking about swapping the 6spd auto in for the 4spd. Which is a reasonable question, based on your criteria.

ddub

Don't understand the point of that either I guess. Auto is auto

therm8

If you've driven the 4spd you would understand. tall 1st gear(2.79:1), really tall 2nd gear(1.55:1), 1:1 third gear.

Try starting the manual in 2nd(2.27:1), shift to 3rd(1.65:1), then shift to 5th(1:1) and you'll understand better.

tlniec

I really wonder why the 4AT's 2nd gear is so tall. I could break any speed limit in the state while driving in second gear!