About the Mazda RX-8, please enlighten me

last SG · 2006-01-06T19:08:29+00:00

allrite man, catch up wif u then.

yeehaw SG

so it runs on 2 rotary engines. i heard the FC for RX-8 is really REALLY high, is that true? How's the backseat like? Is it fairly comfortable for people of height 1.75m and above? RX-8 is only 1300cc...is there a significant drop in power then?
what are your opinions about it if you driven it before?

P.S. i haven't got a car or a driving license but interested in these stuff. thanks for all constructive feedback Very Happy

AE86tofu SG

good pts:
very very smooth engine (cannot feel vibrations at all and u cant tell tt u're at the redline till a buzzer warns u 2 shift)
back can accomodate tall ppl but only 2 as got center console at back.....
SICK suicide doors(the cars party piece IMHO)
interior is well built

bad pts:
ex insurance(which sports car isnt?)
quite bad FC(abit lesser than EVO if its manual...auto worse...max 8KM/l) which is quite bad for a 210BHP car considering its weight too
reliability still in Qn....but shld be alot better if u compare to FD and FC

Lancerlot SG

well its quite spacious at the back for 2 tall adults. for a 1.3 its bang for displacement,but if u compare wif other models like evo,sti,s15 etc then lose out, unless u tc or sc the car. if u want more power then go for the 250hp jdm type s model. mazda motors is bringing in the detuned 230hp.

for fc its between 6-8km/l depending on ur right foot. there's a saying take whatever fatory spec info n discount by 2km/l, thats quite true in my opinon. insurance wise i can say its cheaper then evo skyline sti etc.. caz its considered 4dr by some ins companies n not under the performance category. but a supercharger or turbocharger should bring it up to speed. happy high revving! Wink

ölala SG

its a combination of fd3s n fc3s….so good for both straight highway acceleration n circular tracks…=)

Kr0n SG

Hmm…slightly off-topic, but just curious. Is it true that if you mod an NA to a FI you would be required to inform your insurance company? Cause I saw that one of the factors considered when calculating your insurance is whether your car is turbocharged or supercharged..

[email protected] SG

thats prob true. and yea they do take the aspiration of the engine into account when calculating the insurance amt

[email protected] SG

btw what do u mean by "it runs on 2 rotary engines"?

as far as i know, there is only one engine in each RX8.

unless u're trying to say there are 2 engine specifications for the model.

Kr0n SG

I think he’s just referring to the 650X2 layout

siaokao SG

I suppose he meant running with 2 ROTORS. rotary engines do not use pistions, instead, they use rotating rotors (rotating in an oval shaped "chamber" ) to generate compression and combustion. As for intake and exhaust ports, unlike normal piston cars which uses valves driven by cams (via rocker arms and/or tappets), these engines have their valves on the chamber lining very similar to 2 stroke engines.

FC? high as hell.. Rotory engines are also not known to be robust or last very long.

yeehaw SG

oops. sorry. i meant 2 rotors. Embarassed

Lancerlot SG

that is the case, but usually people who FI their rides won't inform, as who wants to pay more insurance $$$?? Smile

rayshaw23 SG

actually i would think that rotory engines might be more reliable due to the fact that it has lesser moving parts. it doesnt have cams or valves or anything like that. the only moving parts are the rotors spinning in the chamber. as for fuel consumption. i wonder whats the FC for a 210 hp sports car? mind u, the engine is a 1.3 litre engine. well, if u want, u can say that u save the road tax to top up ur FC. rather buying a 2 litre engine and paying a 2 litre road tax together with its high performance FC.
yes, i would recommend to get the 6 speed manual either from PI (thats if u can find one. u can maybe inform me too!) or from mazda motor. redline at 9000rpm is a characteristic that not many production cars can boast off, esp if they are stock....
on the whole, i would think that the engine is wonderful, having won the engine of the year as well as for the best engine in its catagory. car is nice and comfortable for a coupe, esp with the doors. low road tax. FC depending on ur right foot. nice clean look.... if u are not really a speed junkie and wants to drive a coupe with enough practicality, rx8 is definitely the choice for u in its price range. if u are a speed demon and 0 to 100 km/h timings are a priority for u, then maybe the EVO or subaru WRX STI are better choice.
if not maybe u can wait abit longer for the new S2000 coming i think.

uaremyfayth SG

Personally, i love the Rx-8 so much, that i would day dream about it.
The best part of the car that i love would have to be its engine.
Having a 1300cc engine that churns out atleast 200hp. Is quite impressive compared to the conventional piston engines.
But my aircraft engineering lecturer keeps saying rotary engines are unreliable = (
Feel like ripping his head off Twisted Evil
Last but not least, i think it looks real hot especially if you add on a spoiler for it = D

Anyone here tried turbocharging the rx-8 or supercharging?
can share your experience on the car?

[email protected] SG

I seem to remember the engine in the RX8 has 3 rotors? correct me if im wrong.

siaokao SG

While it is true they have less moving parts, the seals on rotors (such as the piston rings on pistons) comes in different pieces and get damaged very easily. I do have frens driving RX2, RX3, RX7s.. their engines really do not last very long. I would think the newer RX8 is better.. maybe some RX8 owners can provide some feedback.

Yes, I agree that FC if compared with other cars with similar power output may not be too bad. Problem is ppl usually compaire with other 1.3l cars. Wink

[email protected] SG

this i can answer. the seals now last longer because the exhaust port has been moved from the chamber wall parallel to the crankshaft to the chamber wall perpendicular to the crankshaft. previously because the ports were on the chamber wall parallel to the crankshaft, there was a lot more friction on the seals.

siaokao SG

Yes, there are turbo versions.. I've tried a FC3S with bridgeported 13b Turbo.. its wild.. Wink

siaokao SG

I'm not sure about this, my last contact with Rotaty engines are the 13B turbos.. in those days, they comes with 2 rotors. Wink

I'm not a fan of the RXs coz i do not like the handling part. They are difficult to drive especially the more powerful ones. Unlike other rear wheel drive I've driven, i find it difficult to tame its tail... its a "on-off" kinda thing Neutral

[email protected] SG

oh i like the RX7 but not the RX8. Its just... not the sort of driver-orientated car the RX7 was.

siaokao SG

Its too demanding for me i guess.. Laughing