RX-Dreamer

What's the minimum RPMs for taking off? (not racing, but normal... lowest possible)

And what is the idle rpm?

robertdot

I've got the manual tranny. I think mine idles at less than 1,000. If you feather the clutch slow enough, you can start moving at idle. So, I guess that is the lowest, as you can't make the car go any lower than idle w/o stalling it. The '8 idles very very very low, anyway. Just enough to keep the engine alive.

wakeech

yeah. idle speed is something you can define as the absolute minimum speed for the engine to keep itself running smoothly (if it was bucking, starting and stopping all the time it wouldn't be very efficient or healthy for the engine).
i think once warm engine idle is around 800 rpm.

when i first drove the 8 (gracious 93rdCurrent) i stalled it about a billion (ok, 5) times, the important thing to starting at low rpm is just letting off the clutch real slow, 'cause they're very very forgiving, not at all easily burned. you can definitely get the car moving smoothly from the 1100-1500 range, but you dont' really have to: if you buzz the engine and get the rpms up to give it a little more energy, then slowly slip the clutch up and reapply throttle it can help with smoother starts.

zoom44

idle is, according to the service manual, between 750 and 850.

MazdaManiac

iTrader: (3)

2200 RPM is an OK engagement point. I usually zoom up over 3000.

Xyntax

:D 3000 rpm launch is fun; not hard enough to screech but hard enough to let you forget that you have a low-torque car.

zoom44

i usually launch around 3k or a little more.

robertdot

He wanted lowest RPM and non-race... so were not really discussing launching, but "just barely starting."

While I'm on the subject, RX-Dreamer, why are you asking?

zoom44

i am not talking about racing either. i in my day to day driving usually start at 3k. but in traffic i can start at a little over 1k fairly smoothly and then i let it slow down to betwen 5 and 7 miles per hour.not usually watching the tach at that point- im more interested if the peole in front are stopping or not. can't really get much slower than 4-5 mph with the clutch out withotu feeling like it's going to stall

RX-Dreamer

Just wondering how controllable it would be in annoying, and highly populated parking lots. (I've never driven a sports car, or manual)

robertdot

Nutty. My 4K launches tend to bounce or screetch. Never tried 3.

It's not bad once you know how to drive a stick. No worse than any other manual I've driven, and probably better because I love to drive my '8, even if it is just moving it around in the parking garage so that my roommate can move her car.