Hi guys,

A year ago I purchased a 5 speed manual 2006 RX8.
Struggled to find a 6 Speed manual at the time.
Really loving the car, the handling is fantastic, love the rotary sound.

The car is daily driver, warmed up before every drive.
Bit costly on fuel but I don't mind as I love driving my RX8.

I've been to the track and want to get a lot more track time going forward.
I've done a lot of reading about performance upgrades, cooling, suspension etc.

My question is more to do with the 5 vs 6 speed.
Before I start throwing money at the car, I would want to know if it will be worth it or if I should rather invest in a 6 speed manual.

The car does feel like it lacks some power as the 5 speed manual has the 4 port engine and not the 6 port like the 6 speed manual.
It a 40kw (54hp) difference between the 4 and 6 port engines.
Quite a substantial amount to try and make up with an engine that isn't very tunable unless you start looking at forced induction.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Cheers

 

How much track experience to you have? If you don't have a few years under your belt, my advice is to always focus your money, time, and effort on seat time. Driver skill is 80% of it. Grip is 15%. Power is 5%.

 

With the RX8 I've only been to the track once.
With my previous car (small 1.4L hatchback) I've went quite a few times.
So not years of experience.

Thank you for your advice.
I think doing some light mods (suspension and cooling) will do and just get some track time might be a good starting point.
Then take it as it comes.

 

Welcome,

And, like Steve said, seat time. Focus on not slowing down and a bit of grip. Will make a much bigger reduction in lap times than adding power. My daughter drove mine in 4th gear only and is scary fast. Really pisses off some of the people she passes.

If I were tweaking the suspension, I would look at a set of TEIN H-Techs with a decent damper as the first step. The slight drop in the front, IMHO, makes the car look better, and it really makes it handle better. Body will still roll, so you can feel what is going on.

 

Thank you.

The car hasn't been lowered and still has the OEM springs.
I'll keep TEIN H-Techs in mind when I start with the suspension.

Would a second set of wheels with semi slicks be worth it or just decent street tires?

 

As for suspension, the best you can do for under $2500 is a Bilstein PSS coilover setup for about $900. That kit guarantees success. You can find success with cheaper alternatives like Koni or Bilstein shocks with Eibach or H&R or whatever springs, but you can easily end up spending $900 or more getting there, and you won't have ride height adjustability. All of the other inexpensive coilovers suck.

Probably more important than suspension is tires. Read reviews of 200 treadwear extreme performance summer tires and try to decide which might be best for you. Star Specs, RE-11s, and Ventus R-S3s are popular good performers.

Cooling is obviously important for a tracked RX-8. Find the best all-aluminum radiator that will fit your car (many threads on this), install it, and seal it around 3 sides with foam--leaving the exhaust manifold side free flowing. Cinch up the undertray to the bottom of the radiator with zip ties to hold the foam in place and keep the tray from sagging. Keep an eye on your coolant temps with an OBDII dongle and a phone app if you don't have gauges. Back off if you see temps hit 220F.

Brakes are also important. You need pads that can handle some heat without too much wear. I like Carbotech, but they are pricey. There are a lot of threads on this forum that discuss brake pads, so I won't go into it here.

Hope that helps.

 

That's some great info.
I'll get a second set of wheels to use for track days and start with the suspension, cooling, brake pads, install some sensors (if required) and some additional gauges.
I'll do some intensive research about all these before I start.

Thanks very much

 

If you are buying a second set of rims anyway, go for Enkei RPF-1 17x9s and mount 255/40/17s on them. The slightly smaller final diameter will give you a bit more torque, and the lighter unsprung weight of the rims will make the car more nimble. Obviously the wider section width will give you more grip, and you won't need to make any other mods to the car to make them fit.

While I am here, make sure you are using track-worthy fluids. DOT 4 brake fluid is a must. 40W motor oil is a good idea. Higher end trans and diff oils are also good ideas. I use ATE Typ 200 brake fluid, Mobil 1 0W40 motor oil, Redline MT-90 trans oil, and Redline 75W90 diff oil.

Of course, make sure your ignition system is healthy. And, make sure your cat is clean and clear. Hell, make sure all of your other systems are functioning properly.

 

I'll check the availability of those wheels and see if i can find a set.
I'll change all the fluids before i go to the track. I use to do that with my previous car as well.
Also make sure there is a green light on all systems before I take the car out on the track.

 

i would take all that money your are going to spend and use it for about 10 to 15 track days before you do any mods other than brake pads and tires..

it will keep you from developing bad habits! the miata guys are fast because they learn how to drive the right line with a low power car. be that guy.

as for tires, i would invest in a set of mich super sports for your learning process, they will last a while are good on track and you will learn faster than something with more grip. dont cheat and mod, learn! i did it the wrong way.

btw, your location?

beers

 

Do you live in a country other than the USA? I didn't know there was ever a five speed manual offered.

 

i think he is in NZ. they get their cars direct import from japan and yes a low power 5 speed manual does exist.


beers

 

As swoope said, I live in NZ.
most of the cars here are imported from Japan and EU.
We also have some American muscle cars here and they are quite pricey.

 

you might want to send a pm to brettus.

he is in NZ, and to say knowledgeable would be an understatement!

beers

 

Thanks swoope!
I'll get in touch with him.

cheers

 

Brettus tuned mine and made the performance a lot smoother along with:
-Removed the speed limiter
-Removed Cat CEL
-Increased the lubrication
-Changed the fan activation on the cooling system

Just coming up to 90km and the engine is still as strong as it was at 20k when I purchased it.

His knowledge is second to none !

 

Thanks a bunch.
I sent him a message and will see what he comes back with.

Cheers.