I just bought a house with a steep driveway, no problem for my wife's Mazda 626, but I want an RX-8 next year. Any guys out there with a steep driveway? Do I need to forget about sports cars or does this car have adequate clearance. I do not plan to add the appearance package or any other aero kits to the car.

 

Is your concern the "breakover" - where you're driving over the crest of a drive, or the "ramp angle" - the angle between the driveway and the street.

I have both issues at my house - I have a flat driveway that ends in a steep (20% grade) apron to the street. The breakover seems to not be too much of an issue - the bottom of the car is a good 2.5" off the breakover as I back out.

The ramp angle is a bit of an issue, but one that's easily solved with a little care - I just make sure I pull in very slowly (1-2 mph) so the suspension doesn't compress. I have the Appearance Package and the front splitter is about an inch off the ground as I pull into the driveway. Turning in seems to help - I come in at an angle and that gives me an extra inch of clearance.

Backing out is not an issue as the rear wheels are so far back in the body work and the rear overhang is so short.

Hope this helps.

by the way ... percentage of grade is measured by comparing the drop versus run ratio. My 20% grade on my driveway apron means that for every foot of run, the driveway drops 20% of a foot - or about 2.4 inches. In an 8-foot apron that's a vertical drop of about 20 inches, and a ramp angle of about 12 degrees.

Best bet: See if you can test drive the car over to your house and then with your wife or someone else watching so you don't ground the front end, try pulling into the drive.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I was fearful that with that appearance pack splitter that I would knock if off on curbs and stuff. The height is deceiving - it's about 5 1/2 inches off the ground and most curbs, parking blocks and such are 4 inches tall. It LOOKS a lot lower than it is.

 

The ramp angle is the problem, not sure what it is exactly, the house is in another state so I can't go over there. Guess I'm gonna have to try one out. Maybe I can rent one or maybe a forum member will come over to check for me! It'll be next year anyway. I knwo there are at least a few members in Columbia, SC.

 

If I don't take it slow-n-easy at my driveway connection, I'll scrape everytime! Of course, it's hard to go too slow sometimes Therefore, the saying "oh shi*" has become a staple in my vocabulary when entering or exiting :D

 

BAH! Slanted driveways!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!

 

i scrape my car occasionally depending on how i back out of my driveway. when i have 3 people in the car i actually bottom out

 

I used to have an issue all the time with my Chrysler 300M and was worried about the RX-8. Pleasantly surprised as the extent to which the front end exists forward of the wheels is short and you clear most with no issue. coming in at an angle and at a slow speed def help. i haven't scraped it yet...

 

Hmmm, Florida, is your driveway wet or among the missing???

Just bustin' on ya!

 

Haven't had any problems and I probably have one of the steepest driveways you will ever see. But I can't buy any type of body kit because it would be an issue. I even measured the appearance package and the dealership and it was barely going to make it so I didn't get it. By the way my driveway sits at roughly a 35 degree angle. It sucks to live up on a hill!
Good Luck!
Josh

 

I have one of those "florida rollover" curbs, IE the driveway doesn't drop all the way to street level. The curb is about a 45 degree angle, and then my driveway slopes up at about a 10% grade from there. As long as I hit it at an angle, no worries. My 93 miata also clears without issues if driven in at an angle.

 

i have a pretty steep driveway and have no problem, i cut it close...but no problems! Just roll in at an angle if its really steep...i can just go straight up.

 

easy fix ive been doing on my drive way with the same problem if you just came up on a angle ill provide a demo driveway dont ever go up straight on always
| | come up on a angle and u will never scrape
apron / \ | |
/ / \
/ /\
car angle/ bad | |

 

LOL try it with the mazda speed kit!

 

I have a steep driveway and the angle between the driveway and the garage will scrap the bottom of the car at about the cat area...

so I purchased a set of log (about 20mm) and staple them to a carpet, and place it in the garage. It lift the front wheel up while going in and reversing and it clear without problem!!! :D

Now I can go in and out easily

 

ouch! never thought of that one! that sucks, i dont know how im gonna do that now.... :o

 

I have the appearance kit and have had no problems in steep driveways- and there are many in my area. I was actually quite surprised how much clearance there is- more than my old Miata had.

 

MazdaSpeed kit is not that low! I have the appearance kit on and no problem. Looks like the area of interest is at the catalyst area and it is much lower than the MS side, I think

 

Yeah, you'll be cool. I live on a private (read: unmaintained and full of potholes) and the junction where it meets the public road is very steep and a poor surface. I used to ground the sills on the Z regularly - and that wasn't lowered.

However the 8 is fine.

 

I haven't had any issues scraping the bottom of the car, and I have tried it in several situations where I expected it to scrape. Just my 2 cents

 

LOL, I would guesstimate that the bottom of my driveway is probably at least a 35% grade... it's REALLY steep, lots of fun in the winter... I used to have to pull my Integra in as fast as I could when it snowed or leave it on the street where it would surely be buried by plows. (If not, then smashed by them...) My Integra, my Z28, and my mom's Grand Am GT all scrape if your not careful. I can't wait to get my RX-8 and try the driveway.

Speaking of which I may get in the next few weeks and the house my family needs to sell before I buy my car finally got a C.O. w00t.

 

my RX-8 Scrapes MUCH less than my intrepid on the crazy little driveways around by me. The *ONLY* problem I have, are when there is a sharp angle, and the Cat bottoms out. that is the only part I would worry about... the wheels on the car are just too close to the corners....

 

See my post here:

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/couldnt-get-up-driveway-24376/

I couldn't get up my driveway - the builder had to get a variance from the county to modify my approach.