Ive owned and worked on many rx7s. I recently test drove the rx8 and I can honestly say I would prefer the 3rd gen Rx7. I would even favor my second gen over the rx8. Completely different cars.

 

I guess I'm one of the rare people who find RX-8 one of the uglier creations of this century.
RX-7 on the other hand was a looker _and_ a better car (talking about last gen).
If you need some power and comfort and 4 doors, why not go with Subaru Legacy GT?

 

I call BS. In my own opinion (for what its worth), the RX7 TT Touring model is far superior than the RX8. No doubt Mazda has something good going with the RENISIS powered RX8 but its also no secret that turbo+rotary=short life span. At least the 7 was designed to deal with it from the factory. And it seems the true RX8 enthusiasts like not being turbocharged.

Like stated before, RX7 is a true sports car in every sense while the RX8 is more of a enthusiast/weekend warrior car. My vote goes with the 7.

 

I agree fully. I know a lot of other people that would agree, too.

 

although i love the rx8...the 7 get the vote...but i have to say the 8 look better now

 

I definitly go rx-7, before it got the FORD makeover. In fact also do rx-8 owners cause on the cover of a previous Modified Mag they had a silver RX-8 with an RX-7 engine or a SR20-DET motor. Why buy a brand new 30K dollar car and do an engine transplant?

 

I think the SCCA Solo-II classifications say it all:

3rd Gen RX-7 trubo : Super stock (above Evo with Viper and 911s)
RX-8: B-stock (below Evo)

 

Looks = RX-7
Tuning potential = DEFINITELY RX-7
Performance (both in a straight line and in the corners) = RX-7 has more HP and less weight. 50/50 weight dist.

You really cant compare the two... the RX-8 looks fugly in my opinion, but if you have a family to tend to, then its the car for you. For everyone else, there's no other option for a high performance rotary.

Mazda needs to consider making a fourth generation RX-7 that looks like the FD3S (3rd gen).

 

I have an RX7 as seen here http://www.rx7store.net/shopcar.htm and have worked on many RX-7's and 8's. There is no comparison between the two cars. Its apples to oranges. The RX-7 is a pure sports car and the RX-8 is a family GT car. Even if you mod the 8 it wouldnt touch an RX-7 in terms of power.

Jason

 

Definitely rx-7. Not a big fan of rx-8 styling, and I just can't resist turbos.

 

I am concerned about the RX-7 shifting. Although I am only 14 and I have never driven one, I think that the rotary engine will cause you to shift at different RPMs. Is This True?

 

although i've never driven any of them, based on people's opinions and based on car specifications, i think rx-7 is better; it has twin turbo (i was told by a friend that all rx-7's came with tt...), outputting way more hp than 8, awesome handling, distinctive body styling, etc...yes im aware that besides having less hp than 7, 8 has all those too, including good handling, nice body style, etc...however, i just seem to be attached to 7 more

if i owned a 7, the only things i'd do to it are basic mods (intake, exhaust, ecu reflash, maybe headers and air filter) and get a decent cooling system so that the engine will not catch on fire xp

 

i heard rotary engines suck alot of over heating problems exhaust gasses get too hott and umm....alot of people that modd end up blowing them

 

I have never read about a non-turbo FD3S RX7, but the USDM TT's only produces like 251 hp im pretty sure. While the RX8 puts out somewhere in the 230's. Mazda had it listed for 250, but the peole started dynoing them, and the corrected hp wasn't matching up.

 

I had a friend with a late 80's turbo II model. Is overheated to no end, so I can first hand vouche for the overheating problem. It's well known that the apex seals are the 13B's kryptonite. But now days they offer different sizes made of different materials to help cobat that.