rx8spiritR

you sure they gonna increase their HP??????? **** i hate nissian.

Strider

spiritR, please watch your language... remember this is a family site... there are quite a few more words that you could use

-strider

EightIsEnough

We all know the 8 is not designed for power as it is for handling. If you want to drag race, go ahead and buy those cars.
I bought this car knowing it will relatively lack horsepower to competitors. We all know our drives aren't always a drag race. My friends that own cars with more HP couldnt catch me up in the hills where I live. To be honest, the G35 coupe kept up to me. We'll see the new coupe in a couple months!

JimW

It's funny that Nissan isn't competing with Mazda but going after B.M.W. and alot of B.M.W. owners are going after the 8. I think they understand that it's not only about power but rather the handling, ride and quality along with the ability to seat 4 people.

zerobanger

Hmm..

maybe you need to re-phrase this? If you want to say the rx-8 engine so far has not been responsive (other than the canzoomer greddy emanage mod) to mods...I'll not comment..but to say mazda rotaries are not receptive to mods is funny as hell.

My 3rd gen stock dyoes at 217 to the wheels. With catback, highflow cat and downpipe dyoes at 266 to the wheels. Hmmm...replace the highflow cat with a midpipe and it went from 266 to 298. Did some timing adjustment and went to 316.

Thats was on a stock engine. Lets not mention larger turbo, porting the engine, pulley's, etc.

The fact is that mazda did an exceptional job getting power out of the renesis. n/a 2nd gens with larger port jobs and all the aftermarket stuff (n/a) have about the same HP as the renesis but way worse gas mileage. Mazda made the renesis very optomized from the factory.

last, mazda can increase the displacement of the rotary to a 1.5 or 1.6. Let them go to a different housing. if they can get 1.5 or 1.6 liters the car would make near 300 HP, 225 Tq, NA.

HiTMaNN

just by adding a few .2 of liters mazda could get that MUCH?? what is the gas mileage like if that were made??

man that sounds so hot!

Shiri

Yeah you're right, I should rephrase that. I was probably talking about the RX8 as compared to most of the Nissan cars that were using the VQ engine.

And of course the FI cars will gain a lot more power than their NA counterparts.

PS. The FD is a bitch to fix isn't it?

areitu

The G and the Z are very different cars. A friend has gone through both within a one year period. They're VERY different and unless you're a nissan fanboy (most of the population isn't) you would seperate the two cars very far apart in your mind.

The VQ is easier to mod becuase it's tried and true. Twin turbo kits, AEBS's 4.3 liter stroker kit, etc etc. It's a PITA to work on and everything is expensive (look up Nismo cams + labor some time)

The FD is a bitch to fix. 30 feet of vacuum tube. Look up "rats nest" and "vacuum hose diagram" on www.rx7club.com and see w hat I mean.

2QT2bSTR8

how hard could it be to fix? a car is a car.

pret

why does this post ask me for user id, pass, and domain? (sorry to hijack).

shelleys_man_06

Anyways, I don't think we need to worry about what Nissan is doing. If I were Mazda, I would go at the pace they're going right now. There's no need to panic. Rotary-powered cars will always have a strong following. Of course, piston engines will be more responsive to the aftermarket; they have a following dating back to, I guess whenever. Rotary engines haven't been out as long (remember the Cosmo 110S? Sigh ...), so it's natural for slow development. When looking for power increases in rotary engines, engineers and technicians have to start off on a clean slate, especially with this new Renesis 13B-MSP. The production engine hasn't been out that long, and it has employs brand new technology that has yet to be understood. Mazda shouldn't rush a power increase for the RX-8. Remember the horsepower wars of the early 90's? How many of those twin-turbocharged cars are left? None. Reliability issues became the new problem, forcing Nissan, Toyota, and Mazda to consider newer and more reliable options. Forced induction for the RX-8 would be nice, but I'd rather not have another war. I'm happy with what I have now, and I wouldn't change the power rating just because someone else adds a few extra ponies to their sports car. The V35 is a refreshing car, and it probably needs the power increase to offset its hefty weight, clunky drivetrain and faulty suspension. Same thing with the Z33. These two cars are FAT. I'm talking Tanya Parker fat. And she's analagous to Shamu. We needn't be worried folks. And as for asking to sign in again, my computer does that to me too. What IS the deal ?

Truss

Agreed, SM06. I would rather see Mazda focus on bulletproof reliability for the RENESIS before upgrading the HP.

What I would like to see in the RX-8 is a stripper version with a better HP/weight ratio. Adding lightness is preferable to adding HP, and it can be done with zero sacrifice in reliability.

350Z buyers are a very different breed than RX-8 buyers. I just don't see the same person being perfectly happy with either car. You either "get" the 8, or you don't. And, frankly, if the 8 weren't on the market, I would be looking at GTOs right now, and not the Z. It does nothing for me. They could give it 350hp and my opinion would remain the same.

I also question whether Nissan is actually increasing power or merely increading its rating. Maxima HP numbers have bounced around all over the place in the last 10 years, but the cars perform about the same regardless of Nissan's quoted numbers. Mazda had the integrity to correct the 8's HP numbers when they didn't deliver. I doubt Nissan would do the same.

T.

sportscarfreak

I dont understand why people are crying so much about the HP claims of Mazda / performance numbers of the RX-8. Mazda said 250 HP for the RX-8, then drop the rating to 238 HP, and nw some say it is closer to 220 HP .... Great!!! So What? have ANYBODY noticed that the performance numbers from Mazda and countless Magazines that have road-tested the RX-8, have NOT changed ???

Also, yes the G35/350Z have more HP/Torque ... but the are only 2 tenths of a second faster on the Quater-Mile, and they can't even approach the RX-8's handling numbers!!!!

Really, fpr you guys that are SO interested in the HP per Dollar ratio ... you guys are looking at the WRONG Manufacturers ... Ford offers a great buy ... the SVT Mustang Cobra can be had for $32,500 (with vrey little ngotiating) and it brings STOCK 390 Horsepower and 390 lb-ft of Torque.

PoorCollegeKid

A lot of the reason for a neglible increase in performance between different generations of Maximas in the 90s is because every time Nissan would increase the horsepower, they would also increase wheel size and weight. The wheels went from 40lb, 15" wheels in the 3rd and some 4th gen Maximas to 42lb, 16" wheels in the other 4th gen and some 5th gen Maximas, to 50lb, 17" wheels in other 5th generation Maximas. The fact that the more powerful Maximas perform just about as well as their forbears, if not a little better, is proof that the power did indeed increase. Look here for a more detailed explanation. The 2002-2003 manual transmission Maximas run low to mid 14s and the automatic versions run mid to high 14s. I don't know much about the newest generation of Maxima, but I would imagine that it's not much slower than the '02-'03s, if at all.

Before you start bashing Nissan about power ratings and saying "Well, at least Mazda admitted something was wrong" with the Renesis's output, you might want to read your own tech forum. Although Mazda did "correct" the power rating, the true power rating of the RX8 is about 10% less than its rated 238hp. Interestingly enough, this is the maximum discrepancy allowed by law. Racing Beat did an engine dyno of the Renesis and came up with 211CHP, which falls neatly in line with the dyno results of 175-185rwhp that many members have gotten when considering that an RX8 should lose a bit less power through the drivetrain than cars using a conventional steel driveshaft. Personally, I think that both Nissan and Mazda should be forced to state the true horsepower figures (A "240hp" V6 Altima and a "255hp" Maxima both dyno in the 205 to 210fwhp range and, consequently, both accelerate nearly equally. A similar situation exists between the G35 Sedan and the "more powerful" G35 Coupe.), but since they are doing it within the bounds of the law, neither will be forced to any time soon. Sad, really...

The best 350Z times are in the 13.6-13.8 second range. The average times are in the 13.8-14.3 second range, and all of the stock Z 1/4 mile results that I have have trap speeds in the 101-104 mph range. The best RX8 time that I've seen is 14.32@95.XX by Judge Ito, with the other "best" times ranging from 14.5-14.9. Average times seem to be low 15s, and most of the RX8 traps are in the mid 90s. Given equal drivers, the Z is about .6 seconds faster in the 1320', which is a significant distance given the times that these cars are running. The Z doesn't handle quite as well as the RX8, but has enough of a power advantage that it still manages to at least stay even with the '8 even on the shortest, twistiest tracks. On a long track, the Z's greater power would give it an even greater advantage. The RX8 is a truly great car, there's no doubt about that, but letting your enthusiasm for one model of car blind you to its weaknesses and to the strengths of competing models is rather foolish.

RX8-TX

Don't be so confident about either one...

mjd

I'll throw in something way off base here, but since a 3 rotor engine can't be done (currently) because of mpg issues, how about an option of an 8 with a "regular" engine in it. This could add a ton more hp and torque. I know all of the rx cars are identified with the rotary engine, but I just thought I'd throw that out there. Obviously, a regular engine would add weight, but if you shorten the car a bit and take away the back seats, it could be done, and even though it would no longer have the rotary engine, it would still probably look better than anything else oout there.

babylou

An RX-8 shortened by removing the rear seat area. This so the weight is reduced to compensate for the addition of a high horsepower but heavier piston engine. I think we have just created every other sports car built. What's the point?

zoom44

leave the rotary in it and you have an rx-7

Skyline Maniac

Supposedly the 350Z will have 300hp next year, and the 295hp G35C has already been confirmed along with 277hp G35 sedan. Nissan's VQ engine have always been detuned in the first model year and gradually increase power over its production period. Nissan could easily increase the redline to give it more power or tune the ignition timing for the next few years. Turbo VQ might be in the near future as Nissan knows how to do this~ their JGTC cars have been utilizing FI for the last 2 years with very very good results.

Mazda hasn't announce any change for 2005 and I certainly hope they will bump the power back up to AT LEAST 250hp and give it some more usable torque. Increasing the redline for the rotary would be fun, but not very useful 95% of the time. I hope Mazda can find a way to make a clean FI rotary, or make a high-revving V6 light enough to fit the chasis of the RX-8.

PoorCollegeKid

Only the 35th Anniversary Edition 350Z will have 305hp; the other trims of 350Z (base/enthusiast/performance/touring/track) will keep the 287hp rating for now. The base G35C will also keep its current rating, but a new trim of G35C, the G35 Coupe Sport, will have 295hp and be offered with either an automatic or manual tranny.

Skyline Maniac

Don't even start talking about the Nismo Fairlady GT..... it's got 300+hp but it's also has a $50k+ price tag and offered only in Japan. Nissan hasn't announced changes for the 2005 350Z, but I have a very hard time imaging them having more hp in the luxo-GT G35C than the pure sport 350Z.

PoorCollegeKid

Look at it this way: the "base" level Zs have 287hp while the base G35C has only 280hp, and the Special Edition Z has 305hp while the Special Edition G35C has 295hp. Trim level for trim level, the sportier Z has more power than the G35C, just the way that the marketing department wants it.

shelleys_man_06

Once again, this has turn into an online hp war. Does it really matter which one has more power, let alone which one is better? Put it to rest. I'm staying out of this one .

bxb40

Guys, this thread goes on and on and misses the point most of the time.
I drove several times each of the RX-8 (most times), G35c and Z350.
I got the RX-8.
Why?
Three kids in my buildings' parking lot knew today: "This is such a cool car!" said the little girl after all of them rushed to my car once parked and start touching it.
You think they would run to or from a noisy Z or G35c? I bet they would run away or simply not care (they were 4-5 y/o, no HP or other hi-tech knowledge yet).
So, the point is, kids have instincts - when you grow-up and lose them, you get a Z (for HP, tuning, etc.) or G35c (for HP, prestige, etc.). Logic kicks in and we make-up reasons to replace the lost intuition.
So don't worry so much what Mazda is going to do, they will do something to keep us happy and bring more happy people to the Zoom Zoom family :o)

Cheers!

PS I did tell the kids not to touch the car because it will not be "cool" anymore. I'll see tomorrow if it worked :o)