Mr Monk

Just bought an 07 the beginning of june. I live .08 miles from work. When I get there the car isnt driven for 81/2 hours till I go home which is another .08 miles.
I dont usually go anywhere so the car isnt started again right away to drive another short distance. Most of the time it isnt started till the following morning to go back to work.

When I told the dealer this the face he made was not a great one. I guess from what he said these cars are not the best for short trips. I leased it so I'm thinking, what the hell do I care. By the time the warranty is up, the car will be turned in. But now I am starting to add **** to the car and was thinking about possibly keeping it.

How much harm, if any, am I doing to the engine with these short trips?

dillsrotary

carbon build up that you need to "burn" off with a decent drive.


click this thread "https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/practical-redlining-techniques-123047/"

Razz1

You mean.8 miles.

Why don't you use a bike or walk?

GRGJTSN

+1

Less than a mile, I'm definitely walking or riding a bike.

Cody Red

+2

Mr Monk

I did ride a bike. Till it got warm and people started to go outside where I had to see them everyday. People irritate me, just the site of them. I had to take alot of alleys and back roads so I didnt run into anyone. After I figured out I couldnt get away from them, only other solution.

laythor

If sitting behind the wheel, foot on the gas.. listening to the the engine rev doesn't make you want to drive more then .8 miles each way .... well then, get a honda.

I drive 12 miles each way to work and easily double that on some days just because I'm enjoying the ride so much.



PS Nothing keeps you away from people like an RX8 on an open stretch of road with a good radar detector.

Silver_Surfer

Take the long way to work & drive around to/from work.

RX8Maine

I live 4.8 miles from work, and I still use this technique. In the winter, I have to (car barely warms up in 4.8 miles) and in the summer, I just WANT to.

New Yorker

Yes, that's bad for this car, or any car. If this is all the driving you do, why not just drive an old Accord, Sentra or Lumina? The 8's "thing" is that it's fun to drive—if you keep it, you pretty much have to take it for longer drives at least now and then. That's true for all cars.

DarkBrew

??

Congrats on the car!

My experience is that people are even more irritating when they are in traffic with you.

Telecommute and take the '8 out for fun.

Mr Monk

I drive it more than 1 1/2 miles a day. Thats on average.
It gets taken on longer trips.
Im not sure why everyones response is to get another car.
I pay for it, why does anyone care? All I was asking if its going to be bad for the car being driven such short distances at a time. It gets driven on longer trips, just not to and from work.

ken-x8

It's not good for the car. Most of the wear on an engine happens when you start it. Most of the contaminants in the oil (sludge, water, whatever) are generated when the engine is cold. After the engine wams up and you continue to drive, a lot of that gunk evaporates from the oil and the exhaust system.

You should change your oil frequently, and expect your exhaust system to not last as long as normal.

That's the case with any car. With the RX-8, you might also encounter flooding problems.

I'm curious about one thing. Do you have a really good (i.e., close) parking space at work?

Ken

Mr Monk

I'm curious about one thing. Do you have a really good (i.e., close) parking space at work?

Ken[/QUOTE]




I have the best spot in the lot. The furthest away from everything and everyone

ken-x8

Is it more than a 0.08 mile walk from there to your desk (or workstation or whatever)?

Ken

DarkBrew

I'm sensing a patten here...
I thought I was the only one

SmokeyTheBalrog

It's cause the original name for the forum was PMSclub until we decided to switch themes.

I too take lots of short trips(~5 miles). However, I just put effort into taking longer strips and red lining when I can. Once in a while I hold off upshifting just to let it sit over 7000 rpm for a few seconds.

Also, NEVER red line your engine cold. Always let it warm up. There is throttle cut to prevent you from over revving a very cold engine part 5K, but you shouldn't do it even in warm weather. Wait a couple of minutes after the temp gauge reaches the center.

Spok

Mr. Monk, I'm curious as to why you bought an RX-8. I bought mine for several reasons: I find the exterior design to be aesthetically very pleasing and markedly different from what the competition is offering; the techy rotary engine and the fact that the engine's small size, minimun weight versus power output allowed for engineering advantages that enhance the car's handling and performance. The latter reason is the most significant to me. Because I really enjoy driving the car, I do as some have suggested: take the longer route to work, preferably with as many twists and curves as possible. This not only gives me a daily opportunity to enjoy my car, it sets my mood for the rest of the day.
As to your original question, I would agree that these very short drives are going to damage your engine. Carbon builds up as do impurities, possibly water and acids, in the engine oil. Going for longer drives will clear carbon, however, the fact that the car sits for over 8 hours between short drives during the day (what about at night?) gives any harmful impurities an opportunity to work unhindered on your internal engine parts. However, I'm not really knowlegible in the area of engine oil. If I remember correctly, there are some threads on this site that address this area quite thoroughly.
Good luck with your RX-8. Enjoy it. It is really quite an extraordinary vehicle.

Spinning Sushi

iTrader: (21)

Aye, I as well take alot of 5> short trips... the thing though is that I let it warm up and then readline it once a drive in hopes that it'll keep my wankel nice and healthy.

Mr Monk

My drive is actually .8 miles
I was corrected about the 2nd post down.

Mr Monk

I didnt buy it, I leased it. I had a 2006 Cadillac CTS which I loved. My wife was going to college and we didnt need 2 cars. I thought, since work was so close, I would just get a bike and ride there. That was all fine until the warm weather hit and you can read all about that above in my other replies.
I was actually going to get a Scion TC, but the Toyota Sales Reps were *********.
I was working and had some extra time and was near a Mazda Dealership and always loved the look of these cars, so I pulled in and took it for a drive.
Not bad. Next was seeing what it would cost me a month. Obviously leasing is always my choice, cause I go through vehicles very quickly, around 11 or 12 in the past 5 years + I am very conservative with my money. So I got a couple quotes and at this point I didnt really care one way or the other if I actually ended up with it cause of such a short ride to work, but then I thought of the people i encounter everyday riding back and forth from work. One thought was me running them over with the car, but the other was I wouldnt really have to deal with them as in depth in a car as I would riding past them on me bicycle. I really jewed my way into an awesome lease ($327/month/tax included, $0 down and the dealership made my first payment for me)

Nothing else mattered really except the last line decision wise, but I thought I would throw in the rest for easy reading and possibly making it a bit more interesting.

One reason I was so curious about the short trips is I might decide to keep this car cause I really like it, but I am doubtful now, I can just turn it in and possibly get a new one when its time.

New Yorker

ken-x8

I'd say the people he no longer interacts with are the lucky ones.

Ken

New Yorker

Mr Monk

Guess I offended a few by my remarks.

And yes, the people I no longer interact with are very lucky, and I am very happy to no longer interact with them.