It seems I've heard a lot about people taking their cars to the track and launching and destroying their tranny. Supposedly the best track times I've heard of are with a launch at 7.5k or 8k. Is it just that these are weak trannies, that they're new, or are they being put through some serious abuse by individuals and I should pay no mind?

 

I'm having a shift fork fixed right now! Not track abused tho.

 

Aren't these gearboxes used in numerous other cars?

Surely someone (KAAZ, Quaife, X-TRAC) makes a replacement set of gears. Replacing gears isn't *that* uncommon...

 

Without question or exception anyone that launches their car from a dead stop by droping the clutch over 6K is abusing the car. This is a $30,000 Mazda not a $130,000 Porche Carrera Twin Turbo. I will never understand why anyone would run their 8 that hard and them wonder why they shredded thier tranny - it was never designed for that kind of abuse. I love going up to redline when the care is warm every now and then but I dont think you can expect more from this car.

You have nothing to worry about.

 

I don't think redline'n all day would do to much... if you shift correctly. Just those above 6k drops from the posts I've been reading. and like guy321, stuff just breaks sometimes... nothing we can about that one.

 

I used to launch my streetported 13B 1st gen around 8000RPM with no problems.....this was on an all stock 12a drivetrain, with just a mazdatrix street/strip hd clutch setup. Thing ran high 13's never broke anything....this RX8 is a stuck up prom queen...not the family jock...hahah...but I still love her.

Mine needed a new diff after 2700 miles, and it never saw the track or anything....

 

The 8 has the same 6-speed as the Miata, and also the Nissan 350Z from memory. Neither of those cars have problems with it from what I hear, but neither of them rev to 9,000 rpm either!
Mazda are improving the transmission from what I hear...

 

miata's have had some tranny problems. and the way i understand it is the tranny in those two cars , while very similar, is not exactly the same as the one in our 8's. i could be wrong, correct me if i am.

 

In my experimentation, which is strictly anecdotal and not scientific, there is no benefit to launching at anything above 4K, especially with aftermarket parts. My parts have resulted in a drop of torque below 3K, or so, but it is made up with loads of power above 4K. It seems to launch smoother, very little wheelhop, moderate tire spin, and one helluva rush when it gets above 5K. I haven't felt a car pull like mine does now since I had a Nova that ran low 13's in a detuned state. I will soon go to a track and see what is going on with this thing.

Charles

 

I was at the dealer yesterday getting the new flash and they said someone just came in with a broken tranny. He was shifting from 1st to Rev while still moving forward at quite a speed and destroyed several in the transmission. They did say that he was being really rough with the car.

 

The 350Z Tranny is in no way related to the tranny that our RX8 is using....the IS200(not the big engined IS300), Altezza, Silvia, and Miata use similar trannies. They are from the same family, but all are modded to suit their respective applications....I would think that of all the trannies the new Mazdaspeed Miata tranny would be the most similar to ur RX8 tranny...but they aren't interchangable.