I have only had my new RX8 for 1 week and I noticed that there is a black residue coming from the two tail pipes. Is this normal? Does it go anyway once the car is broken in? I know that I have burnt the clutch several times while getting a feel for it, is this causing the problem?

 

Do a forum search on "smoot".

 

It's normal. Unburned fuel/mixture too rich as well as a small contribution from the injected oil. If you keep it cleaned off it will not burn on. If you leave it too long it will burn into the metal and be very hard to remove.

 

Yep, normal - mainly due to the oil injected into the combustion chamber. A typical by-product of burning oil. Ever look at the exhaust of your 2-cycle chain saw or string-trimmer? Wipe it off once a week and it'll be easy to keep clean.

PS: Burning the clutch wouldn't wind up in the exhaust...