I was wondering if anyone's seen published data on the location of the Renesis engine's CofG...height in relation to ground, and distance from the front axle??
also, what is approx. weight of the engine sans tranny ?

I imagine the weight is relatively low, compared to other engines of similar output?
another thought regarding the Renesis' CofG; since it seems the CofG is well behind the axle, calling the RX8 'mid-engine' isn't really all that far-fetched is it?

 

To the best of my memory, the naked block was a little under 200 lbs when last I weighed one.
Paul.

 

the engine is completly behind the front axle. it is considered mid engined. mazda calls it "front mid-ship"

 

Does this help?

 

That looks like great info, Spin, except I'm having a hard time reading the text on the first page, on my monitor at least :-( esp. the bottom two graphs. care to point out some of the items out loud? TIA.

 

here you go.

 

nice info, wish I had all that ...

 

Thanks, Spin. got more??

-What is the significance of the BIC Line??
-any idea what cars the other data points represent? I'll assume 'roadster'=MX5?

 

I think :
- BIC = Best In Class?
- Roadster might also well be Boxster S as it was a benchmark for the RX8 program.

 

These all come out of the press kit that came out at intoduction here http://www.media.mazda.com/press_in...glish/text.html Grab the "Full Press Kit" for everything.

Enjoy!

 

Well *that* I didn't know....that's impressive if true. I guess they did manage to get a 'mid-engined' car in the end, didn't they....

 

I'd say Roadster is the Miata, as it's called that in some markets

 

For the engine's size and output it is actually fairly heavy. There are a few cast iron parts on it that really could be made out of aluminum if it weren't for cost. The nice thing though is that the engine is so small and compact that all of the weight is really focused in a small area. Compare this to a piston engine, even one weighing the same amount. The weight is spread out over a larger area in height, width and depth. The center of gravity for the Renesis is lower than a piston engine of the same weight. Location of the weight is very important to handling. To a certain point (obviously), the location of weight is more important than how much total weight. This is why I find the weight arguments of V8's vs rotaries installed in RX-7's to be a flawed argument as many people think that the same weight installed up front must mean everything else stays the same. It's where the weight is that counts.

 

Yup. that's why I posted my original questions, curious about the RX8 since I can't think of too many cars with similar yaw-inertia mass distribution, at least from the POV of the engine's placement.
I remember w/ my old 911, a lot of other owners would *add* ballast to the front fenders/bumpers, to help balance the heavy rear. I don't think it made the car faster around a circuit, in absolute terms, but it probably kept the car more predictable.

 

Spin, link is dead! hope it's still available somewhere?? Enginerds like me eat this stuff up!!

TIA!

 

""media.mazda.com" is designed to provide journalists with press materials including news releases, photos and other sorts of the company’s data and information.

User ID and password are required to enter this website. Please register if you do not have them. Registration will take only a few minutes, and you will be able to use your own ID and password immediately after the registration is completed - you will receive the registration completion notice from us."

Dawn broke over Marblehead for the site mods and they probably noticed all kinds of access and wondered "Who's doing that!". Then they figured out " - How come no ones logging in? oh ya... we put a lock on the front door and then opps! left the back windows open !"

Rather than figure out how to fix that, they said "Well it's old info anyway (2003) lets just wipe that area."

Instant "fix"