Hey guys, I'm new on here, I've just bought myself a 2006 RX8 192 5 speed. I've now had it for 2 weeks with 76k on the clock, it's got all the history with it too, I only paid £600 for this little nugget as a none runner (guy that had it couldn't get it started as it was flooded) I've since got the car running (within the first 5 minutes of having the key I got it running) so got it running, took it for a drive, I loved it, agreed I'm buying it so gave him the money, drove away, filled the tank with a mix of V-Power and 2 Stroke, driving it back home from Nottingham (I only had to go to Sheffield junction 35 M1) it made it back PERFECTLY fine, without any problems at all, even redlined it a few times which sounded EPIC. But it's not gonna be without it's problems for that. 1 been the clutch, it was going, I knew that, I could hear it and feel it on the clutch pedal, and the rear tires needed replacing (they just was replaced not 500 mile ago) I was doing brake stands and stuff plus the camber was out on the car by a LONG shot.

But now the clutch is dead (fully dead) and the tires are cords.....

How much would a clutch be on one of these? I'm a mechanic so swapping the clutch really won't bother me.

Also do I go for 225/40/18 or the size I got on there now 225/45/18?

I've heard people complaining about how these drink petrol, burn oil, how they are a nightmare to run and look after and all the other stuff and so far in the 2 weeks I've owned my silver nugget I've not had 1 single problem with it apart from the traction system dying but I don't like traction anyway so that's a good thing, it's not burnt it's oil, it's not failed to start, it's not tried killing me, it's not super heavy on fuel, it's nothing like owning say my MK4 Golf 1.8T as that thing is a DOG.

I've covered 1,570 miles in this since I've owned it and it's been great, been super fun, I'm used to a slow 150BHP FWD Golf and now I have this RX8 I'm keeping with it.

This is the best car I've owned, I'm 24 now and this is just an epic cheap car to run, the tax is a bit on the pathetic side at £535 a year but meh, oh well, something I gotta live with for having this much fun.

I'll upload photos of it soon, just need to get on my photobucket, lol.

Also can I smash the cat out of this without having it go into limp mode or need mapping?

This is my first Rotary, first Mazda, first Jap car and first RWD, gotta say, I love the mix, lol

 

Clutches go for 400ish USD, no idea what they cost in your neck of the woods. Original Mazda clutches are plenty fine, and more reliable than most. These cars don't require any extra torque holding capacity.

You won't go to limp mode for gutting the cat, but you out to read the New and Potential Owners sticky on this forum so you have the full story. You will have a check engine light though.

They're designed to drink oil via the oil injectors, so if after 1570 miles you're not seeing the level drop, investigate that.

Welcome aboard

 

Read this thoroughly, if you haven't already

https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...t-here-202454/

RX8 Club’s recommended maintenance schedule, more comprehensive and proactive than Mazda’s schedule.
30,000 miles:
- Replace Ignition coils
- Replace Plug wires
- Replace Spark plugs
- Clean MAF (mass air flow sensor)
- Clean ESS (e-shaft sensor)
- Reset ESS profile
- Clean power steering connections
- Clean battery terminals and clamps
- Replace transmission fluid
- Replace coolant (Mazda FL-22 is highly recommended)
- Replace air filter
- Replace brake fluid (fluid in the brake lines AND the clutch line)
~$300 USD in parts if you shop smartly.


every 60,000:
...all 30,000, plus...
- Clean all chassis electrical grounding points
- Replace accessory belts
- Clean OMP lines
- Replace rear differential fluid
- Replace thermostat
- Clean / Straighten AC condenser fins
- Clean / Straighten oil cooler fins
- Inspect catalytic converter
- Clean / Inspect intake valving
- Consider / inspect all points in 90,000+ as well, many items fail early
~$130 USD in parts if you shop smartly.

90,000:
...all 30,000, plus any 60,000 not yet done, plus...
- Replace coolant bottle
- Replace radiator hoses
- Replace radiator
- Replace front O2 sensor
- Replace motor mounts
- Inspect clutch pedal assembly for flex / weld breaks
~$900 USD in parts if you shop smartly.
At 100k, anything original in the cooling system is really suspect and failure prone. It represents the biggest threat to your engine.
__________________

 

Here's the photo's, I'm the one in the passenger seat and my brother is driving.



My mum wanted her car recovering as it was stuck somewhere due to engine failure, this is what happened...... I used the RX8 to tow it back 100 miles, lol.





Clutch died on the car so had to recover it back


How the car looks from factory is well, boring....


Now here's the start of the project.






I know the spray job isn't perfect as it's with £1 rattle cans but I HAVE booked the car in to have a body shop do it for me, I'm just looking to see what it'll look like. then they can do it right for me as if I don't like it, I can change it to something I do like so........ but that's my RX8 anyway, I plan on lowering it, some sticky tires (cheap ones for sideways action) probs gonna drop some 19's on it at some point. Also tinting the rear windows 5% limo black and also fly eye the front and rear lights, I'm probs gonna buy a rocket bunny kit for it IF I can find one, if not I'll be throwing some other parts at it

 

I must be the one and only lucky person who has a RX8 as I have a bunch of bitching paper to say that all of these have been done, also got a set of new plugs, wires and coils which the guy didn't get round to fitting, I haven't yet as the car ran perfectly fine so..... when I get it back on the road again, I'll give it a major service so.....

 

and yes you can laugh at the spray job, lol, I do, lol

 

Oh and I've also got some Corbeau race seats to drop in Rexa :P

 

I'm throwing a few links on here, I wanna know what you guys think of the alloys, they're 19's......

I LOVE the stock RX8 alloys, they look sweet, but I want bigger, so 19's it is, the 18's will be kept for when I take the car on track for drifting.

1AV Alloy Wheels Only

AXE EX18 Alloy Wheels. Finished in black with polised face.

AXE EX16 Alloy Wheels. Finished in black with polised face.

Lenso S73 - 8x19" Alloy Wheels Finished in Hyper Silver with Mirror Lip

Let me know what you guys think.

 

Made my mind up on the route I'm taking with the car......1.5 Diff, Sticky R888 tires, Lower it on coilovers, Corbeau race seats (fixed) 4 point harnesses and when you have a turbo Golf and feel the turbo come in, you've just gotta do it to a much better car, yep, Greddy turbo kit is getting ordered, that's after and engine rebuild and better apex seals. To hold the boost saves engine shitting itself after a few thou miles.

Clutch is currently dead so I'm swapping that out for an unsprung 6 paddle clutch made more for track than road but oh well, I have the 192 model which is the lower compression model so if I'm right in thinking I can throw more boost at it, not stupid amounts just a little more than what I would if it was the 230 model, I'm aiming for about 400BHP with this donkey, and if I can't get 400BHP from this block, I'll blow it up trying, then I'll just drop an SR20DET or a LS2 V8 and supercharge it

Plans alert, watch this space.
First is to finish spraying the turd, lol

 

400BHP out of a 192 is not really feasible. Also it's not lower compression, it just has a lower redline and 2 fewer ports.

I like the ambition, but what's your budget here? Because all of the things you mentioned (boost, LS2 and SR20DET are tens of thousands of dollars each). I'm not even sure an SR20DET clears the hood, it's a pretty tall engine.

 

There's actually no budget, can't put a price on fun.... if the SR don't clear the hood it's simple, I'll go down the supercharged LS2 route and if not that then maybe a single turbo LS2 setup? Either way it'll be boosted.

I'm in the UK as well where the LS engine's are like rocking horse ****, the Monaro (Pontiac GTO in the US) is the ONLY car we have in the UK (Unless imported) that has the LS engine's, it has the 5.7 LS1, 6.0 LS2 (none supercharged and supercharged model) and the 6.2 (in the newer models which are known as the VXR8) [4 Door GTO]

So the V8 will be super hard to get my hands on but the SR20 won't be that hard as I know of an import company that can get them like they're going out of style.

 

Kinda needing help, I have the 192 5 speed model, it needs a clutch, I've changed a clutch on a MK4 Golf 2.0 before but with this being a RWD is this harder than a FWD? I've just ordered the clutch (only got £75 all in, that's a brand new 3 piece kit) I've used these clutches before in my 2.0 Golf and my 1.8T Golf and they was from the Gecko, Launched the hell out of them from the moment they was fitted, beated on them, made them super hot and they all handled the abuse so for the money I can't complain.

I'm not willing to pay £140 for someone to change the clutch over for me.

Also what will I need? Diff oil, gearbox oil, new prop shaft bolts (I never reuse the old bolts, I always buy new for peace of mind)

 

you dont need oil for a clutch change. i think rwd is easier than fwd for a clutch. get an oem clutch kit and make sure it comes with the new bearing. if you order from a good company like bhr you will have everything you need. check your flywheel while you are in there. no need for new driveshaft bolts. you may have to bleed the clutch line. again just get the oem kit (exedy). theres also a certain pattern to follow when reinstalling the ppf you need to look up

 

VXR8's are known as Chevy SS Sedans here. I was considering buying one but decided against it for the price they go for here.

the clutch isn't hard on these cars, but like 200 said find the pattern needed to properly install it. And for future reference the stock clutches on these cars are actually excellent as they're made by Exedy who also makes a number of high performance clutches. So if you do have problems from that just switch back to a stock unit and if anything upgrade to a lightweight flywheel. They usually handle into the 400 range okay but anything over that and they may start slipping slightly.

and the 192's are still fun, but that's the 4 port motor so it's not gonna make as much power as the 6 port motor. Compression's the same, but the amount of air going into the engine is not. If you're ever considering big power I'd also lean towards a 13brew swap over a ls swap personally. Seems to be a little cheaper from my understanding and there's more examples of it being done successfully with zero problems and "minimal" work. But that's just from what I've seen and my perspective.

 

I see you're from Sheffield - traveled a few times to a small metalworking company in Doncaster (Tickhill). Had a great visit and toured around the areas within ~ 75 miles around Doncaster. Welcome aboard.

 

Yeah, Sheffield is a dump, Donny ain't much better either so..... worst place is Wolverhampton, place just needs a bomb, lol

 

So..... yeah, got some plans together, getting my tools back today (27/07/2017) so that's all good, I can then set on working about getting the Corbeau race seats fitted into the car and a Sparco wheel with a quick release boss kit, it's a daily and probs won't see a track that often but small details, then from the wheel to the outside, I'm getting some 19's for it, they getting powder coated Jazz Blue, then cars going to the body shop to be all sorted, silver body work with a black bonnet and black roof.

I'm looking into lowering the car, I don't wanna go stupid amounts as the turd already scraps the speed bumps (stock height) I'm looking for a TOPS of 40mm if not 35mm, just something to get rid of the arch gap, I'm also gonna be throwing a straight pipe on it (with Res) my race seats I'm having retrimmed black and blue leather and the same as the back seats as well.

I've got a few things planned for this donkey of a car, gotta look after the most fun car I've owned.

Best part about this car is I don't need to go fast to have fun, I can still have fun without braking the speed limit