According to the many, many threads I have read by using search, it seems the consensus is that there is not a governor on the US model of the auto RX-8. But, I have also read many threads saying that it won't go faster than 124.5mph, which I've experienced myself on an un-towered airstrip out in the desert.

So I am trying to get to the bottom of this... is there, or is there not a governor on my car? I know, I know: If I want more power, I should trade it in and get the MT model. I don't want to drive a manual, southern California traffic sucks with a MT. I just want to know why, if there is no governor, does the 8 max at 124.5 for multiple people in multiple situations? It doesn't make sense that drag magically stops the car at that speed no matter what any of the environmental factors are. If there is a governor, I'd like to know why it's there, and why it's so low. I have read that it is there to keep the engine revs down, but I have seen 124mph @ about 4500-5000 RPM in 5th gear. Being the 6-speed AT 2006 model, I know that 6th gear is basically like over drive, to keep the engine running at a lower RPM once it's moving along, but what happened to the 2nd half of 5th gear?

I'm just sad that I had the opportunity to take my car to a drag strip to see my top speed, and I declined because I already know it goes slower than molasses at full throttle. I am also ashamed, since my brother's '95 AT Camry will do 135 at least on that airstrip in the desert before he has to start braking. Sure it's fine around town, but sometimes you just want to open up and let her fly.

Ok that's enough ranting from me for now.

 

no governor in the usa.

beers

 

So what is stopping my RX-8 bought in california from going faster than that, if it's not a governor?

I don't plan on going 155... but the car seems stable at 125, so I imagine hitting about 140 and being content.

 

hp vs air drag. what gear, and what rpm are you hitting 125 in?

as to 140 the front gets a little light at ~132 then settles down at 138.. i have seen 148 on gps, but it took a long time..

the only way to make if go faster is to increase power, so fi or nos are you choices....

other mods are not going to add up to enough to make much impact on top speed..

beers

 

Maybe it's the digital speedo that stopped working after 140mph while the speed is still increasing thus making you think that it's governed? hmm....

 

answered in my rant:
I don't really want to put too much effort into making it go faster. It's the principal, this is more of a question of why can't I go faster if I wanted to, instead of how can I make it go faster?

I only hit 125. Well, it flickers 125 for a split second before it drops the revs automatically and slows to 121.

 

you might get a few more mph if you keep it in 4th..

sorry i had about 7 windows open.

and the answer to why is hp vs areo drag.

beers

 

You can test it yourself.
Just chock the fronts, put the rears up on jackstands, put it in gear & step on the gas.

 

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...oid=2018129725

 

Most AT equipped 8's are governed at 125mph due to the speed rating on base AT OEM tires. I say most, because some claim to have exceeded 125.

Personally, I don't see why a governor bothers most people. You'll never see 125 on any track that I know of, without some heavy modifications, in an AT equipped 8. And doing it in public is just stupid.

It sounds like the throttle body shuts at the limit. To get around that, you're going to need someone to change the programming in the pcm, or intercept the signal in some way. They do it in Japan because all 8's have governors there.

 

It's not a governah!1!!

 

you fail...he has AT his is goverened ive had my MT up past 150

 

I will try that if I ever get out to the airstrip again, but I doubt that no matter what the weather is outside, or altitude is, all AT RX-8s only hit 125 and no faster because of hp and drag. Even small amounts of dirt could alter the aerodynamics of the vehicle enough to change the top speed, in theory.

 

Drag is not the issue. The 8 has a relatively low (though I don't remember the value) CoD, and even at only 130whp (on the low end) could easily exceed 125mph. The car pulls to 125mph, does it not? If it were drag, it would take forever to get there, acceleration would decrease exponentially as you approached the maximum speed.

It is simply the computer shutting the throttlebody until the reset point is reached (at least I assume it is the throttlebody, but from descriptions it sounds like it).

 

confirmed, the auto is governed... i just got a pm from someone with a sc on a auto.. he is stuck at 125 mph..

you learn something new everyday.

beers

 

Funky in a MT you would have been heading towards 8000. You sure you have the revs right or is the auto geared differently.

If you search Youtube there was a video of someone hitting something like ~150 in a Rx-8. It took a long time once he passed ~120.


Doesn't a company that makes vented hoods for the 8 say that the venting solves that?

 

The engine computer limits speed on AT cars to 125 due to the speed rating of the original AT tires being 130 or less.

The engine computer on the MT cars cuts in at 155. I've had mine out to 140 before and it was still gaining speed - wouldn't exactly call it acceleration at that point.

That's way freaking fast on street tires, so I've only done that once. You never know what sort of impact damage you've done to your tires driving on the street and if you have a tire come apart at that speed, you are literally a dead man.

Having been out to close to 200 mph in pure race cars, I'm not much for driving street cars any faster than about 90 or 100 mph, and then only on a wide open road with no other cars around.

 

I've had my stock manual to 167... there's no governor. There's plenty of threads on this search it.

 

In the immortal words of another poster somewhere...

167? Perhaps off a cliff...

 

Perhaps on a dyno....

 

 

167 KM more like it.

 

Cliffs are the ultimate equalizer. Hell an SUV could not only hang with an 8 off a cliff but beat it to the bottom. And it might even get better gas milage.... if both engines where on.

 

^ lol atleast in the 8 you're falling in style.

 

You also might be able to beat an SUV if there are enough protruding rocks...