Hello Everyone,

This is my first post on this board and I would like to greet everyone. I am the owner of a 2004 Pontiac GTO and am in love with the RX-8. I would like to ask a question which could have been answered already but since I couldn't find an answer in one single thread, I thought it may be helpful for people like me to dedicate a new discussion to this topic.

My question is:
If I buy a turbo-charged RX-8 (or purchase a regular RX-8 and install a turbo system) and the engine blows up, what are my options to bring the car back to life? If I were to buy a new RX-8 rotary engine, how much would it cost? If I decide to go another route and try to fit another engine into the car, which engines would fit and how much $ do you think those would run? Would the transmission need to be changed if an engine of 300 or so horsepower (at the flywheel) is installed? Such an engine will of course have much more torque than the rotary and could stress the components...

Thanks in advance

 

you can find ALL the answers to your questions if you search. btw, first time rotary owner?

 

Option 1: Replace motor and continue driving rx-8

Option 2: Discontinue driving of rx-8

 

Option 3: Crush car into cube

You have 30 minutes to move your cube....(phone rings)....is that about my cube?

 

Go Search, GOD

How hard is it ? You cant even SEARCH. How can we expect you be able to do anything else ?

 

Another troll.

 

There are a few options... and I dont know the pricing of all.

1) upgrade to a 20b (3 rotor) engine... if you're willing to drop enough money (20,000 or so) you can have a 600 hp (or so) 20b RX-8

2) reman engine. basically self-explanatory, a remanned renesis.

3) brand new engine! also self-explanatory, brand new renesis engine.

4) Mazsport rebuilt engine!

5) some other engine you drop in such as the 2jz swap someone is doing..

The best option and affordable is probably the mazsport. I'm not sure how much the install + engine are for the mazsport vs new vs reman though. I'm guessing actual install is pretty similar, but the price probably varies a decent amount based on the engine.

 

new engine from what i hear: 8k-10k.

don't buy turbo. enjoy it N/A..

or buy MazdaSpeed 3.. it's turbo.

 

^ for that price you could get a rebuilt one from mazmart with much better extras than the base engine, if mine ever dies thats the route im going.

 

stick with your gto this isn't the car for you. Why are you planning to blow up and engine you don't have.

 

That's a good one. I am not planning to blow it up, but is it such a bad question to ask and find out about the worst case scenario before buying a car?

 

The engine will run you maybe $3,000 for a nicely rebuilt unit. Several people here replace the engine on their own because the engine is so light it can be done with 1 person.

The transmission is OK with 300 whp. The issue isn't if it will work, but HOW LONG it will work. My original transmission only lasted 32k miles on NA power before it started having issues.

You would be looking at around 2k for an upgraded tranny (rx7 dropped into your 8) which would take the abuse without issue.

 

assuming this isn't a troll...

1) have a local rotary shop rebuild
2) go to dealership, bring lots of KY...you'll need it.
3) buy a rebuilt from Mazmart (forum Vendor) from $2500 - $4,000 depending on the goodies he throws in.

 

Thanks for posting this question, omoplata!

 

Bah, you guys are all thinking way to small...

When mine goes I am going to throw in one of these.







Sorry, I couldn't resist

 

Hey man. Dont you even THINK about it...
RX8 owners move to GTO's, not the other way around.

 

I see no issue with this, but anyone who moves onto a GTO should know how hard it is to use the rear seats. There is very nice room back there but getting in and out is a near impossibility. When I am carrying 1-2 medium shopping bags and want to slip them into the back sets as opposed to opening the trunk, I have to squeeze them in... Also, the low-end torque on the GTO is excellent but gas consumption is also quite a disaster.

I love the rear seat entry on the RX-8 but of course the car has it's own set of problems.

One more question: Is the engine bay in the RX-8 bigger or smaller than in the RX-7? ...and please don't go crazy just because I asked guys, I know RX7 vs RX8 comparisons have been made on many occasions here, but I couldn't find the threads where specifically the size of engine bays are discussed. That specific issue is probably buried in somewhere.

 

I've never owned a RX-8, but if I had to guess I'd say the RX-8 engine bay is larger.

In the Rx-8 there is a huge amount of empty space once you remove the giant intake box and relocate the battery. I don't see nearly that amount of space available in the 3rd gens.

 

Throw LSx V8 into an RX8. Problem solved.

 

One of those kerosene space heaters. OK...

 

The GTO is not a family car.The rear seat issue was one of the first things I noticed before I bought mine. Not that it mattered to me because I didn't buy it as a daily driver. In all honesty I don't even recall the last time I used them.

Yeah who would've thought that a V8 with 400 HP would suck on gas mileage.If your concerned about MPG then the GTO or the 8 for that matter probably aren't the wisest choices.

Just my .02

 

Actually my choice was between a 2005 GTO and a 2005 RX8 and the 8 won me over for being an all-around better car to drive. I've driven both and the GTO has a lot of power and a nice V8 noise, but it feels way too boxy and it never feels like it quite takes advantage of its 400hp engine. I guess a GTO is a good choice if you plan to run around with Mustangs.

 

it sucks that some people buy the car with the mindset that they will need to get their engine replaced sometime

 

The rx-8 engine bay, and general layout of the drivetrain and suspension, is VERY similar to the FD rx-7. The rx-8 cowl and firewall can present issues with mounting engine swaps...the rx-8 intake manifold is stepped to clear the firewall and cowl.

Contrary to popular belief, there are other people in the world who can rebuild and swap renesis' other than mazmart and mazda. Anyone who rebuilds rx7 engines can rebuild a renesis...there are very minor differences from an assembly and building standpoint. Rebuilds generally have some used part content (to save the owner money), including mazda remans, which are of questionable quality. I routinely go through mazda reman engines and find issues that never should have left the facility. I just rebuilt a 93 reman that had the wrong version of main bearings in it.

In general, there are no "new" rotary engines floating around. From what I understand, every once in a while they come through the reman program, and you might actually get an engine assembled from all new parts. There is not a way to ask for this when ordering, to my knowledge...you just get what you get. They only do this when the reman program runs out of reuseable parts from core exchanges.

Of course...if it is the people at the reman facility assembling the new parts, that still doesnt mean it is right. They seem to just grab whatever is laying around and slap it together with a bunch of sealant, and call it good.

IF you could get ahold of a JAPAN assembled new engine, well then that would be the way to go.

Couple of years ago there was a dealer who was able to obtain several new, japan assembled rx7 engines, and they were being sold for about $4300 with no core required. This is how you could tell they were new and not reman...the reman program requires core exchanges in return, and are in the $2500-3000 range.

I plan to offer renesis rebuilds for $1000-2500 depending on the condition of the core I am given to build. If you catch it before it breaks a seal, it will be dramatically cheaper than when it lets go.