jimmy_jammy

Ok, how come the RX8 in Japan is 250 BHP whereas in the UK and US the top spec is 230bhp ?? where do they get there extra 20 bhp from , if its just the ecu surely we can all do the same??

Brice-RX8

I think it is mainly due to emission regulations in the "rest of the world" cars to save the cats. I highly doubt a Japanese ecu is going to work right in a car that isn't made for the Japanese market.

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

The did it because US and EU emission laws required to have a Cat life of around 120,000 miles or something.

but it doesnt really matter, my CAT failed at 8000 miles. Im polluting the world now since my cat Already failed.

Mazda have to replace it till my warranty is over, which Im going to do it soon (as soon as the P0420 Catalyst system efficiency below threshold ON 2 Catalyst CEL comes on again)

jimmy_jammy

So... Is it possible to have my UK spec ECU tweaked to output 250 bhp like the jap cars? i dont care about my CAT lol...

rx8wannahave

^why? If the internals are the same...why wouldn't it? Their ECU and ours are designed for the same engine...just tweaked for diffferent needs, so why couldn't you just swap them out?

Anyway, yes...this has been discussed here before. The one we got had to live up to a 100K or 120K Cat lifespan so we lost some power and maybe fuel economy since it's been well documented that our 8's ECU is pig rich. (at least a bit of a pig)

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

Yes its PIG RICH

and yes thats probably why our fuel economy like so freaking sucky.

left or right handed model are different (layouts are different)

Gas are different. alot of stuff. Thats why u cant just swap the ECU and expect it to "work"

You can always try, but the result is not something that u want to see.

jimmy_jammy

Can you not have the current ECU tweaked to output 250bhp with better fuel economy....?

DARKMAZ8

I believe you can run any jap spec 8 ecu in the usdm 8 as long as all the emissions equipement is removed from the car...ie..egr. Also it would have to be the same transmission code on the ecu. An auto ecu won't work with the high output motor and the manual ecu won't work on an auto.

Smoker

Hey you guys should really stop using the racial slur "JAP" all over the place. Have some respect for the people who built and design the nice car that you are driving.

If you want to say Japan, use the univerisal short form "JP". For Japanese models use the "JDM" acronymn.

The mods should be policing this.

jimmy_jammy

what!? thats not racist at all what are you on about. People shouldnt see it as "racial slur" as I am discussing foreign cars. Thats like saying.... if you called me "British" i might find it offensive and call it racial slur and prefer to be called "english"
Trying telling the hundreds of tuning car magazines out there what you just said.
Please, dont be so petty.

zoom44

its not 250bhp. its 250 ps which is roughly 247bhp. themain reason for the different specs is looser laws in japan. japanese rx-8s seem to run same 0-60(2) 1/4mile and lap times and dyno in the same range as cars in other markets.

QBallz

Ontopic:
I think the US engine did originally rate at 250hp, I'm just guessing that the "JP" market didn't spaz as much as the US market when the found out it wasn't true.

Offtopic:
I would like people to stop refering to me as ENG or USA. Instead please use EN or US.

jimmy_jammy

Qballz, thats interesting zoom44. I wonder how much better/ worse the "JP" RX8's fuel consumption is than the rest. There must be some improvement in performance for the extra horses?

rx8wannahave

Yes, true...but how about us bad spellers....I didn't use it cause I know that "jap" was not used nicely, but Japaneseseerseerseseseses gives me problems...lol.

JP is cool...

RotarySpirit

Maybe you should do a little research before you get defensive. I don't know the origins of the term, but I'm thinking it stemmed from WWII animosity.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=jap

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

they consider "ricer" racist too ...

Glyphon

well, rice would be the styling used on a car, and ricer would be owner/driver of said car. that's said, i hear it used to describe cars/people of every nationality. although, i believe that it stems from the derogitory slang "ricer burner" used to describe japanese car manufacturers when they first started becoming a large force in the US market, also around the same time as the Buy American "marketing" (using the term loosly) campaign started.

the term rice is trying to shed its racist background buy becoming R.I.C.E.
R. ace
I. nspired
C. ustom
E. xterior/equipment

Also, racist is a misnomer. its the human race. All ethnicities are of the same race.

Genetically speaking, different races are not able to reproduce. different breeds are. last time i checked, its possible to reproduce with every single ethnicity on the planet. Breedist, nationalist, or ethnisist are all more accurate words (even if i did just make some of them up).

wow...that's a tangent.

yiksing

Does a single digit hp difference makes a big difference???

jimmy_jammy

Can we please stop going on about whats racist and whats not !! it will be a 100 page thread if not. Back to the point....
Yiksing no you would not even notice 1bhp gained or lost. and would probably add or reduce 0.00000001 seconds of any time lol..

So has anyone got an answer if the current ecu u can be tweaked to "JP" power output ?

Winning 8

I read it somewhere, it is because in japan they have better fuel.
i think the octane is higher, that is why they could get that extra hp with their ecu

jimmy_jammy

Oh interesting... In the..... "UK" here we have Shell Optimax which is 98 octane rating. Our premium petrol is rated at 95 octane. Im always using the 98 octane and since owning the car (just over 2 weeks) It seems to have got better at giving a smoother power delivery with better response. I wonder what I could have my ecu tweaked too (if possible) to give the best bhp running 98 octane.
Im gonna try find out what Japans octane rating is.

maikelnait

Hi there,

Japan's octane rating is 100. I believe it is the same as our 98 and USA 93. Different measuring methods applied to same quality gas.

Zoom 44 mentioned that JDM cars run the same 1/4 mile and 0-60 times as US spec.

I believe the 247 HP JIS (Japanese Industry Standard) are the same as the 232 SAE and the 231 DIN or EU ones. Just like the gasoline.

Do a search. There are data about JDM mags getting a 7,04 Km/H from a 247 HP Rx8.

StealthTL

iTrader: (1)

I think you will find that most gas is the same in most countries.

In the UK, Japan and Australia, they quote just the Research Octane figure, in North America, we use both the Research and the "Motor" Octane figures, then divide by two. The Motor number is lower, giving the illusion that US gasoline is lower "octane". It isn't. (I work in a gasoline refinery.)

If the JDM laws don't require the same longevity of the catalysts, then they can tune leaner, closer to optimum power.

Ridiculous situation, I have to burn lots more gasoline, in order to pollute less .

...come on guys - crack the damn ECU!!

S