And how did she end up with a 3 rotor in her RX7? You must have some pics of this creation of yours...?? How is your RX7's engine management dealing with the RX8's ABS, DSC/TCS and other specialized functions?

 

Troll...

 

drive like ya stole it.............

 

Ha, I was actually wondering the same thing but g8rboy came up with a good enough response for me--I'll have to use that when I go!!

 

Check your Flash. maybe you have a low version. Get the M flash. Remember you have 20 less hp to the real wheels

 

therm8, thanks for posting that chart (thanks, brothervoodoo, for posting a reference). I had no idea that the auto's 3rd gear redlines at 130mph. What is the source for that chart, though? Have those numbers been confirmed in real life? If that's the case, and I'm looking to maintain good acceleration, in the future I'll stay in 3rd rather than let the transmission shift itself into 4th. I suppose that will mean a decrease in fuel efficiency, however.

I'm still concerned as to whether I might have a mechanical problem. Since I'm still under warranty, I think I'll play it safe and heed g8rboy's advice (nevermind that you're a gator fan--sorry, I'm a die-hard UGA fan ). I'm not familiar with this sort of issue, though, and would appreciate any insight you could provide.

 

Well, that data is flawed, but it seems "therm8" got to about 122 with the paddle shifters in 3rd..

 

Hey, we're all SEC friends until TWLOCP weekend :D

 

Yes, and the way this season is going, it looks like we're going to be friends until someone beats Tennessee!

 

Flawed? Please explain.

 

It's not just a problem with AT. My MT is slower at accelarating at high speeds. It's called drag. First gear WOT has a higher g effect than 3rd or 4th gear WOT.

 

Yes, drag does play a big role, but going from 100-115 in 4th gear is pretty damn quick in my 6 speed... almost too quick. It's like crack. Need more... :D

 

Heh. My old Celica GT-S had 180 hp at the crank and I could easily get from 100-125 in short order.

 

I didn't bother reading the whole thread, but I can tell you that a 1994 Integra LS sedan can hit 132 with only 140hp so I'm sure the auto RX-8 can get up there. (Then again the Integra was a 5sp manual.)

 

why don't some of the engineers come out of the woodwork and figure out the drag/road friction and such and count for the gearing at that speed and figure if there should be a noticeable drop in acceleration.

 

I think the numbers on this grid are slightly off. I just got back from a highway test and hit 80mph around 5000-5200 rpms in 3rd gear (remember I have an a/t). According to the chart, however, I should be closer to 90 around 5000 rpms. What is the source of this grid and has its validity been tested by anyone?

 

Maybe I have too high of expections, but IIRC redline in 3rd to redline in 4th takes about 20 seconds, or so it seems. So (again iirc more than 1 sec per mph increase) I guess its all relative. I think I've gotten too used to the low end accel. to apprecaite the higher end accel as much as I should. Either way the 8 needs about 100 hp more to the wheels to be as fast as she looks IMHO.

 

I thought I would revive this thread to give a quick update on the diagnosis the dealer gave me today of my engine problems. I've actually had 2 issues related to my engine: 1) slow acceleration, discussed above, and 2) a loud rattling noise when I punch my A/T above 5,000 rpms in any gear. The initial culprit: 87 octane fuel.

Like a number of threads have mentioned before (though it was hard to pinpoint just from reading them b/c apparently "pinging"="knocking"="rattling"=any other adjective you can think of to describe an engine sound), the lower-grade fuel negatively affects the compression ratio and screws up the combusion timing (hope I used the correct terminology). They said the loud and annoying rattling noise was from spark plug misfire, and the very slow acceleration in 4th gear (a/t's highest gear) was, therefore, a direct consequence. In other words, performance (and, I fear, engine life) have been compromised at the expense of money saved at the pump.

We still don't fully know if this is what is really happening until I go through a few cycles of 93-octane fuel, but after experiencing these problems at only 4500 miles, though my wallet will hate me from here on, I'm becoming a firm believer that only the higher-octane fuels are good for the engines in our 8's.

PS. I just realized this thread should probably be moved to the Tech Garage... :o

 

Use 93 octane. If not, your auto has a problem. I have an auto and i could get pass 105 mark pretty quickly.

 

To go back to the speed question, speeding more than 20 MPH over the limit (25 MPH in some states) is usually considered reckless driving, which is bad, bad news for your license...

 

Well I have gotten my Auto RX8 up to 125mph.

It was unbelievable. Its like there is no power up at that speed anymore.

One of the many reasons I want the 6 speed.

 

If the auto's 4th gear is anything like the manual's 6th gear, acceleration over 100 mph will definately be slow. When going for speed, there isn't any reason to use 6th gear because of this and the limiter.