Anyone have links to specific how-to's on this subject?

 

Do you have to do 6k clutch drops every day? I drive my car hard, it's highly moded, a daily driver, and I have 8k miles on it and it is still so damn stong. Drive the car right or pay the price.

 

i dont plan on raping it every day , but some have reported burning the clutch without racing. of course some have reported no prob with clutch and there is also the issued with the paint chipping that i have already experienced. have never had a new car (or old for that matter) chip this easy. it will need a paintjob probably after a year or so. . anyway i know the evo is a much better performance vehicle than the rx-8 , but the local subaru dealers (only one of which has a wrx sti) will not let go of there f***ing dealer mark up of 4000.

i realize all cars have there probs , but unforunately the evos happens to be an item that is not covered by warranty. again, if this is really a problem. which ive been told it is and it is not.

 

Let me save you some time. Unless you want more convenience features and a more cushy ride, do NOT even consider the RX8. Let me give you some background. I put off a new car purchase for nearly two years in anticipation (I started the "Mazda RX8" thread on Ednumds in November 2001) and followed it religiously. I always loved high reving powerplants in light vehicles with slick gearboxes (i.e. Honda, Celica, etc.). Unfortunately the RX8 is a cross-over vehicle and does nothing very well.

Here is my review of it:

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...threadid=35878


In addition, dynos have indicated the engine is only making around 210-220 HP at the crank in a car that is around 3,000 lbs (without a spare tire and tools) and has ridiculously tall gearing. Track times (from owners; Mazda is claiming mid 14s in the 1/4 miles) are the in the mid 15s in the 1/4 and IMHO the car is not as fast nor handles as well as the RSX-S and Celica GTS. The torque curves actually looks like ours (except with a higher redline) in that they drop off in the higher RPMS!!! In addition owners are getting around 15 MPG and soot all over their exhausts. If you really love the car, wait until next year if you can to see if these bugs are cleared.

 

I have to dissagree with this, it does have a soft ride, which may give you the impression that it does not handle well, especially on a limited test drive. I have driven the RX8 on a road course (full 20 min session) and I have to say that the handling and braking are outstanding. With a stickier tire (BFG KD'S) I think it could out handle the EVO and a lot of of cars costing far more. It was about 2-3 seconds slower than my EVO, but that was with smaller/lower grip tires and a lot less TQ/HP.
It just has such a low center of gravity, it's light, and has awsome balance and chassis dynamics. This car is a LOT of fun on a road course, so is the EVO, they are just very different in execution. The RX8 with a stickier set of tires and more power would be a truly awsome road race car.
It's not that slow, I believe that it is capable of mid/high 14's, it has such a flat wide troque curve that it is deceptivly fast. The suspension and brakes are so good that it really does need more power though. Making more power with this car is not going to be easy from what I know so far.
I preferr the EVO, but I would not fault anyone for getting an RX8, it's a great car in it's own way.
Now if they come out with a lighter, more powerful (turbo) rx7 based on this platform

 

thanks for the info guys, i have been looking on the rx8forum and am finding that some are and some are not happy with the torque and hp.

 

Test drove an RX-8 about 2 weeks ago. It was a blast coming from driving my Eclipse. Still, I'm waiting for a call back from a couple dealers so I can get my new toy this weekend. Oh how the siren's song of the EVO calls...

 

I have no doubt that the platform is nothing short of excellent. Unfortunately, the tune form the factory (specifically the handling) is way too soft. The results I've seen with the RX8 on the track were not pretty. It lost on a the Streets of Willow Road Course (should be its strong point) to the G35 coupe. It got destroyed by the S2000, WRX (250 HP Japanese version) the Integra Type R (Japanese RSX Type R) and G35 Coupe. That was the presumably the "250 HP" Japanese RX8.

In all honesty, the RX8 didn't feel any faster than the RSX Type S (I know the RX8 has a deceptively powerful powerband, but the torque curve on the RSX Type S is not that more peaky) and costs $8,000 -$10,000 more out the door.

More impartantly the feel of the of the car was not what I was hoping for. The steering had a novacaine like feel and the body roll made me sea sick. This is not acceptable on a "lightweight" (BTW...if you put a spare tire and tools in the RX8 it will weigh about the same as the turbo, AWD WRX) high-reving low engine torque car. I love this type of car, but the RX8 is a poor example due to it compromises and dirty and inefficient engine (can't produce enough power and must utlilize tall gearing to have mileage and emissions that are barely acceptable). There are various Hondas (S2000, ITR, RSX Type S, JDM ITR) and even the Celica GTS that are much better examples of this type of sporty design.

In all honesty, Mazda should have put the Rensesis powerplant in a Miata.

 

I personally think that any car that is used by the X-Men, is not a real sports car...J/K. I finally saw an RX8 on the road this week, UGLY IMHO. As for our clutch issues, any car that has continuous 7,000rpm clutch drops is gonna have issues, even V8's. They aren't designed for that type of torture. I never rev it like that, was told not to!! I'm sure Subura north america will be ProDrive's favorite customer due to overzealous STi owners dumping the clutch from street light to street light on the regular.

 

i probably will keep the evo , i dont like what i've heard about the rx-8 but the s2000 is interesting.

 

In all honesty, if you want a high-reving, light and fun car the S2000 is the clear choice. It beats the RX8 in just about every performance category. The S2K was a VERY close second choice for me. If I lived in California with the great weather and crappy gas, I probobly would have bought the S2000.

 

ive just got to check insurance and do another test drive to help decide about the s2k. there is a 2003 at a local dealer for 29,500.

 

I can't believe no one has mentioned that the Rotary engine in the RX-7 was well known for dying an early death. I kow that it was because it was turbocharged, but remember that one single hint of detonation can blow an apex seal. This means that if you are going to tune the car, you have to leave a lot of saftey still in the tune. Also, the ability to add a turbo to the existing motor is really limited. Given the fact that the EVO can be modded so cheaply, and that there is already so much saftey still left in the factory tune, it is a much better option. The AWD alone will allow you to pull faster launches then the RWD. Also, any turbo car clearly has the torque advantage over all but very large displacement NA motors. If you really want a Mazda, I would wait a year or two and see if a MazdaSpeed version of the RX-8 comes out. Of course by then, the clutch "problem" will have been fixed and there will be no more EVO 8 cars, they will all be EVO 9. Good luck though.

 

it was mentioned that they are not reliable. but i didnot know how bad. thanks for the info