Just out of curiosity, can the governor be disabled or is that a really tough and/or expensive thing to do?

 

Nope, it's programmed into the PCM/ECU. However, many members have gotten the car up to around 150 MPH... :D

 

I've only had mine to 105. I don't really have anywhere to go faster safely, even though 105 isn't exactly safe anyway. :p

 

I've talked to members that have exceeded the 150mph mark. Not by much. 152mph is the most I have heard. Me...135mph is the fastest I have gone, I crapped my pants and had to pull over!! :D

Be safe. Don't overdrive yourself or the car. Better be alive than have a cool story to tell!!

- Irish

 

The limit is evenworse on the automatic - 125 mph.

 

Could buy an ecu from ..i think it is Knight Sports.. in Japan, they advertise one that removes the limiter (may be meant for the AT, i didn't think the US 6-speed had a limiter)

 

official top speed for the manual is 145. i've had it to 143. i think i would need something to create more downforce on the front if i were to consistantly run at those speeds. at about 130 or so i could feel the car getting light in the steering. nothing i couldn't handle but light none the less. i don't know if the manual has a limiter or not but i think the engine had another 10 or 15 in it.

 

By gearing alone the RX-8 is good for 180 at 9200rpm. 90mph in 6th gear equates to about 4500rpm, hence 9000 would be 180. The speedometer error at 90 is about 4 mph, so you would probaly need the extra 200rpm over 9000.

However, since its not gearing alone, the car does not have enough horsepower to go faster than about 162mph. The manual is electronically limited to 148mph at what should be 7650rpm. Any additional downforce would only reduce the possibility of reaching 162mph, so light or not it wouldn't do more than 162 in current trim.

There is one more thing that tends to have an affect on your top speed run...If the oil temp, coolant temp, or exhaust temps are too high, the ECU automatically reduces power to reduce heat. This has not been considered in a number of dynos I have seen where there is insufficient airflow to keep the engine cool. The RX8 ECU does alot of different things to keep from running any hotter than it already does. Air/Fuel Mixture, Ignition timing, etc are all changed based on these factors. Unfortunately, very significantly.

 

I hit 148 mph on the freeway. That was fast, very fast. I thought it was gov at 148 but I didn't feel anything.

 

What would be the motivation for going over 148 MPH. Just wondering. Why would it be worth all of the trouble
1. racing?
2. that 155 MPH jaunt every once in a while instead of 148 :-) (sarcastically)?
3. just the satisfaction of knowing you weren't limited(this would be my vote even though it would be pretty useless)

 

And if anyone is wondering why Mazda picked a strange random number like 148 (mph)... they didn't. They picked 240 km/h, which just happens to equate to ~148 mph.

The German manufacturer's "gentleman's agreement" followed by BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and VW, is to limit top speeds to 250 km/h, which equals ~155 mph.

Nonsense - in the right (safe) conditions, 105 is absolutely safe. If you're doing it through heavy traffic that is moving much slower, if the road conditions (curves, bumps, sight lines, etc) are too tight, if the road surface is wet or slippery (or gravel ), if the vehicle is not capable of travelling safely at those speeds, then it isn't safe. But on a relatively light traffic, fast moving road designed for high speeds (like, say, sections of the Autobahn or US interstates), in a good car, then 105 is perfectly safe. Don't fall for the overwhelming propoganda pushed by bureaucratic agencies with other agendas that trumpet "speed kills". In itself, it doesn't - it's the sudden stops that kill. Properly managed and in appropriate circumstances, there is absolutely nothing wrong with highway speeds in excess of 100 mph. That's why the Autobahn fatality rates are no higher than North American highway fatality rates. Speed doesn't kill, 100+ mph can be perfectly safe.

Regards,
Gordon

 

Let loose on a dyno I saw 175MPH on the speedo at 9000RPM in 6th. On the actual road I've taken it to 142 and didnt have a lot behind it at that speed (I am a bit chunky though)

 

Didnt it take forever to get up to that speed? Even when I go to the track I only get up to 125 and it takes a while to do so.

 

Yeah what Gordon said, most speed limits now are artificially low, made that way to generate revenue for the city/state/province.

I wish someone would do a study on slow drivers, had two of them today coming back to work going slower than the flow of traffic in the fast lane on the highway, whole line of cars had to overtake them to get by.

Granted the flow of traffic was 20 over the speed limit (kph), but that just goes to show that the speed limit is too low!

 

I drove my rx8 at 932mph and the sonic boom was cool.

 

I'm curious whether this will actually work on the 8 :

http://www.hksusa.com/products/?id=781&rsku=

"SLD - Speed Limit Defender
The HKS SLD is an electronic device that prevents the triggering of the factory speed limiter. SLD units are vehicle specific due to the unique electronic signals of each type of vehicle."

 

150mph.!! hmm.... is that not fast enough for u?! honestly I have not reach the top speed yet.!! not even once..!! the fastest mph I reached was like 138mph..!! that's fast enough for me.!! and I don't really think there has some place around city can let u drive ur car up to top speed.!! even there has... I don't think that's a good idea to do that.. because in top speed 8 is very easy to lose control..!! also I believe if there happen some accident u die for sure .!! don't try that.!!