RX-8 Auto - not that slow on track!
#1
#2
Further to this post, THIS CAR IS SO AWESOME TO DRIVE!!!
Brakes were a little faded at the end of the day, absolutely no hassles with anything else on the car. I ran the car with 'DSC OFF' only, worked a treat.
I always like to run a little pre-mix in the tank for track days (1:200) 2 stroke oil - keep a close eye on engine oil level - didn't use too much.
Still can't get over how good it is to drive, the video probably looks a little boring - but there was PLENTY of sideways action.
Out of 35 or so cars I was 15th quickest on the day, only .71 secs. behind an SP RX-7! Really happy with it considering it is a completely standard auto!
Racetimes here: http://www.racetime.com.au/?event=i0...3&view=fastest
Brakes were a little faded at the end of the day, absolutely no hassles with anything else on the car. I ran the car with 'DSC OFF' only, worked a treat.
I always like to run a little pre-mix in the tank for track days (1:200) 2 stroke oil - keep a close eye on engine oil level - didn't use too much.
Still can't get over how good it is to drive, the video probably looks a little boring - but there was PLENTY of sideways action.
Out of 35 or so cars I was 15th quickest on the day, only .71 secs. behind an SP RX-7! Really happy with it considering it is a completely standard auto!
Racetimes here: http://www.racetime.com.au/?event=i0...3&view=fastest
#3
Glenn,
That was absolutley frigging awesome. I wish I had been able to watch that before I hit that track in April. Just watching it helps program the brain for the correct line. I picked up some good tips for turn 1 and braking into turn 2!
BTW - The "timing system" wasn't working the day I went, but I got unofficially clocked in the low teens from memory. Think I even got a 69 in one lap - but I can't remember and it was unoffical
It would have been great to see L&L expression when you lapped him
Good stuff!
Cheers,
Hymee.
That was absolutley frigging awesome. I wish I had been able to watch that before I hit that track in April. Just watching it helps program the brain for the correct line. I picked up some good tips for turn 1 and braking into turn 2!
BTW - The "timing system" wasn't working the day I went, but I got unofficially clocked in the low teens from memory. Think I even got a 69 in one lap - but I can't remember and it was unoffical
It would have been great to see L&L expression when you lapped him
Good stuff!
Cheers,
Hymee.
#4
Hymee
I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT THAT HYMEE WOULD BE IMPRESSED BY OR EVEN CONSIDER AN automatic rx8 YUK , hey but then you could get the leather pack , AND CRUISE AROUND LIKE A RETIRED GENT.
CHEERS
MICHAEL
I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT THAT HYMEE WOULD BE IMPRESSED BY OR EVEN CONSIDER AN automatic rx8 YUK , hey but then you could get the leather pack , AND CRUISE AROUND LIKE A RETIRED GENT.
CHEERS
MICHAEL
#5
I always like to run a little pre-mix in the tank for track days (1:200) 2 stroke oil - keep a close eye on engine oil level - didn't use too much.
#6
Cheers guys!
I have another video which is 57% of the way there as I type - it is a pain that uploads are 1/2 as slow as downloads on broadband!!
2nd video is even better I think, had a passenger too! when I ran the 1:17.99 - Brad told me that last time the manual RX-8's were in the 1:17's - 1:19's, 1:09 sounds very fast??
.btw - anyone having issues with viewing the video? it is DVD compression, so you may need DVD software/codecs for it to work (playable on FULL SCREEN!!! )
RX-8 Smooth - I have done this for years with all my rotaries, racecars don't even have the oil metering pump (OMP) and soley rely on the pre-mix in the fuel. I don't think there would be an issue, but at the same time - I am only going 1:200, really just a helper for the apex seal lubrication (and makes it smell nice!) on a car with a functioning OMP.
I have another video which is 57% of the way there as I type - it is a pain that uploads are 1/2 as slow as downloads on broadband!!
2nd video is even better I think, had a passenger too! when I ran the 1:17.99 - Brad told me that last time the manual RX-8's were in the 1:17's - 1:19's, 1:09 sounds very fast??
.btw - anyone having issues with viewing the video? it is DVD compression, so you may need DVD software/codecs for it to work (playable on FULL SCREEN!!! )
RX-8 Smooth - I have done this for years with all my rotaries, racecars don't even have the oil metering pump (OMP) and soley rely on the pre-mix in the fuel. I don't think there would be an issue, but at the same time - I am only going 1:200, really just a helper for the apex seal lubrication (and makes it smell nice!) on a car with a functioning OMP.
#7
Hymee, you'd be pushing to get anywhere near low teens in a stock-ish 8 at wakefield... Improved production cars run in the 8 to 11 bracket... (semi slick shod, 300 hp, fully stripped dedicated race cars)..
Glenn is about the mark for a stock 8 i'd think, maybe 15's on a spot on lap. Though a couple of guys I know ran in the 14's in their rally cars on road and rally tyres on the weekend ( Familia GTR and Celica GT4 respectively)
Rowds
Glenn is about the mark for a stock 8 i'd think, maybe 15's on a spot on lap. Though a couple of guys I know ran in the 14's in their rally cars on road and rally tyres on the weekend ( Familia GTR and Celica GT4 respectively)
Rowds
#8
You are in mix with all the RX-7s and in front of an STi... that said a lot about RX-8 in the twisty circuit and your driving Glenn....
May said a lot of STi guy's driving... he must have about to drop dead with a heart attack when he saw a 198bps Auto 4 RX-8 clocked a better lap time than him
I shall improve... and I am getting a camera mount to film my Sandown run... will improve.
May said a lot of STi guy's driving... he must have about to drop dead with a heart attack when he saw a 198bps Auto 4 RX-8 clocked a better lap time than him
I shall improve... and I am getting a camera mount to film my Sandown run... will improve.
#10
#11
Thanks for the 2nd video Glenn. I'll download it and enjoy it as much as the last one!
Glen/Rowds, like I said about the times... I couldn't really remember and it was just one person in the pits with a stopwatch. There were a few Red 8's running around as well. I didn't have any sense of time brackets for the track, so I didn't have anything to validate it against.
Cheers,
Hymee.
Glen/Rowds, like I said about the times... I couldn't really remember and it was just one person in the pits with a stopwatch. There were a few Red 8's running around as well. I didn't have any sense of time brackets for the track, so I didn't have anything to validate it against.
Cheers,
Hymee.
#12
#14
Only way to do it I find turning in hard helps put the car where I want it - also induces a little oversteer. The amazing thing is though - that it does pretty much what you ask of it in all conditions, such an awesome car.
I was riding the curbs in almost every corner, it didn't fuss the balance at all.
But I do have some out-takes when I went out for the first session, was a little rusty
LOL! yeah, but I did enjoy catching up on the corners!
I was riding the curbs in almost every corner, it didn't fuss the balance at all.
But I do have some out-takes when I went out for the first session, was a little rusty
LOL! yeah, but I did enjoy catching up on the corners!
Last edited by rx-8club.co.uk; 07-06-2004 at 03:02 AM.
#15
Great stuff. Made me regret not ponying up again, but pressure of work etc
The 8 has such wonderful neutral handling, very predictable.
Made me think that perhaps the (higher/broader spaced) gearing in your auto is strangely better suited to Wakefield.
My recollection was that it was basically a 2nd-3rd gear track, with limited opportunities for 4th, and 5th only on the main straight. I found in places I was looking for a higher gear but couldn't grab it before needing to brake/change back. But the auto's gears might enable slightly higher speeds
Admittedly, it was my first time there, and when I go back, I hope my tyres are a bit stickier and I can grab 4th more often
The 8 has such wonderful neutral handling, very predictable.
Made me think that perhaps the (higher/broader spaced) gearing in your auto is strangely better suited to Wakefield.
My recollection was that it was basically a 2nd-3rd gear track, with limited opportunities for 4th, and 5th only on the main straight. I found in places I was looking for a higher gear but couldn't grab it before needing to brake/change back. But the auto's gears might enable slightly higher speeds
Admittedly, it was my first time there, and when I go back, I hope my tyres are a bit stickier and I can grab 4th more often
#16
Hi Timbo,
Yep - I only used 2nd and 3rd in the Auto, because of this you have to keep your corner speed right up (to keep it in the revs). It takes forever to get going when down in the revs, like coming out of turn 6 - heading up the hill to the back straight.
I would love to have a drive of a manual, that extra 2000rpm must make a big difference. You have to shift at 7500rpm with the auto.
I believe Ric Shaw has now run a 1:13 around Wakefield, with a modified RX-8 manual (ECU, Exhaust, Suspension, Brakes etc.) - which is very fast.
I feel that brakes would be the next thing I would look at if I was going to modify my car (don't know if I will yet) as they were fading a little after some VERY hard driving. Mind you - brakes were much better on the RX-8 than the 2000 model RX-7 I had (they faded after a couple of laps of a track in the UK!)
Yep - I only used 2nd and 3rd in the Auto, because of this you have to keep your corner speed right up (to keep it in the revs). It takes forever to get going when down in the revs, like coming out of turn 6 - heading up the hill to the back straight.
I would love to have a drive of a manual, that extra 2000rpm must make a big difference. You have to shift at 7500rpm with the auto.
I believe Ric Shaw has now run a 1:13 around Wakefield, with a modified RX-8 manual (ECU, Exhaust, Suspension, Brakes etc.) - which is very fast.
I feel that brakes would be the next thing I would look at if I was going to modify my car (don't know if I will yet) as they were fading a little after some VERY hard driving. Mind you - brakes were much better on the RX-8 than the 2000 model RX-7 I had (they faded after a couple of laps of a track in the UK!)
#17
Outtakes!
Thought I better put this up! this was the first fast session of the day, was a little rusty!
Approx 18.7MB - Right Click the pic. and Save Target As:
Or right click this link - save target as:
http://www.mymazdarotary.com/mazda_r...-outtakes.mpg]
Thought I better put this up! this was the first fast session of the day, was a little rusty!
Approx 18.7MB - Right Click the pic. and Save Target As:
Or right click this link - save target as:
http://www.mymazdarotary.com/mazda_r...-outtakes.mpg]
#19
Originally Posted by RRS
Hymee, you'd be pushing to get anywhere near low teens in a stock-ish 8 at wakefield... Improved production cars run in the 8 to 11 bracket... (semi slick shod, 300 hp, fully stripped dedicated race cars)..
Glenn is about the mark for a stock 8 i'd think, maybe 15's on a spot on lap. Though a couple of guys I know ran in the 14's in their rally cars on road and rally tyres on the weekend ( Familia GTR and Celica GT4 respectively)
Rowds
Glenn is about the mark for a stock 8 i'd think, maybe 15's on a spot on lap. Though a couple of guys I know ran in the 14's in their rally cars on road and rally tyres on the weekend ( Familia GTR and Celica GT4 respectively)
Rowds
My last time at Wakefield was a 1.17.10 in my 1.6l MX5 on road tyres, but started out in the 1:19s.
My brother "slammer" holds the track record for a 1.6l MX-5, he's gotten down into the 1:14s on track tyres (Yoko A032-R 185/55/14).
At wakefield it's all about handling and finesse - (like Winton) - which really suits the Mazdas.
#20
Hi Guys,
just a quick reality check: we did a 1:12.68 at Wakefield in a stock RX-8 on road tyres a year ago on Bang For Your Bucks. Assuming you're taking everything the auto has to offer, that's still five seconds a lap off the manual's pace...
that's a significant slice of slowness, compared to other manual-to-auto lap comparisons, which usually front up at between 1.5-2.5 seconds (though they don't cop a power shrinkage like the RX-8 does)
cheers
Mickey T
editor-at-large
MOTOR
just a quick reality check: we did a 1:12.68 at Wakefield in a stock RX-8 on road tyres a year ago on Bang For Your Bucks. Assuming you're taking everything the auto has to offer, that's still five seconds a lap off the manual's pace...
that's a significant slice of slowness, compared to other manual-to-auto lap comparisons, which usually front up at between 1.5-2.5 seconds (though they don't cop a power shrinkage like the RX-8 does)
cheers
Mickey T
editor-at-large
MOTOR
#21
Originally Posted by mickey t
Assuming you're taking everything the auto has to offer, that's still five seconds a lap off the manual's pace...
I don't mean to say that Glenn is ****, for all I know he could be a bloody good driver, but until someone posts a time from a professional driver (no I don't mean a cabbie) then it's anyone's guess.
Having said all that, I doubt McConville would be that much faster. Anyone bringing an auto to QR this weekend?
#22
Good time by McConville. I recall seeing Ric Shaw's best time in his 8 was 1:13 or thereabouts, and it is not stock (at least in terms of suspension)
Maybe the MM car was one of those early ones 'with the extra 7Kw'! :D :D
Maybe the MM car was one of those early ones 'with the extra 7Kw'! :D :D
#23
I would say there may be another second, maybe two at most in my driving with the auto (I only went out for 3 fast stints, and I haven't driven on a track for quite some time). Last Ausrotary day out there were a few 8's there running 18's, 19's - so I was pretty happy with my car considering that I am 2,000rpm short and 40 or so hp down on the manual.
I rate Ric Shaw as a VERY good driver, and if he is running 1:13's in a non-standard RX-8 - then to run a 1:12.68 is pretty astounding for a standard Oz spec manual?.
Anyone know what times Ric was running before he modified his RX-8? I know Ric is on here from time to time - I would like to have his opinion on the 1:12.68, from the same spec car as his originally.
I rate Ric Shaw as a VERY good driver, and if he is running 1:13's in a non-standard RX-8 - then to run a 1:12.68 is pretty astounding for a standard Oz spec manual?.
Anyone know what times Ric was running before he modified his RX-8? I know Ric is on here from time to time - I would like to have his opinion on the 1:12.68, from the same spec car as his originally.
#24
Glenn
Trouble is there was no accurate timing at the previous Ausrotary day -- those times were people using watches and mobiles.
I had my tongue in my cheek before, but actually if I was Mazda giving an 8 to a motor mag, that will be driven by a lead driver to assess performance relative to competitors, right around the time the 8 was being launched on the market, I'd make sure it was ... er .. running well, very well
I am sure Mikey will say that's never the case...... but.... think about it!
Tim
Trouble is there was no accurate timing at the previous Ausrotary day -- those times were people using watches and mobiles.
I had my tongue in my cheek before, but actually if I was Mazda giving an 8 to a motor mag, that will be driven by a lead driver to assess performance relative to competitors, right around the time the 8 was being launched on the market, I'd make sure it was ... er .. running well, very well
I am sure Mikey will say that's never the case...... but.... think about it!
Tim
#25
Hi Tim,
Oh ok! well, be interesting anyways to see what Ric thinks and when some other guys go out again.
Totally agree with what you have written about Mazda, any manufacturer would be the same I guess. But I am interested with this, as I think Ric would be very close to McConville time wise around the track (in the exact same car).
If I take my car out again, I will look at putting a better set of brake pads and better fluid in it - as they were definitely fading by the end of each session.
Oh ok! well, be interesting anyways to see what Ric thinks and when some other guys go out again.
Totally agree with what you have written about Mazda, any manufacturer would be the same I guess. But I am interested with this, as I think Ric would be very close to McConville time wise around the track (in the exact same car).
If I take my car out again, I will look at putting a better set of brake pads and better fluid in it - as they were definitely fading by the end of each session.