I have been waiting to see how the RX-8 holds up before buying it (Learned about buying the 1st year of a new body design froma Mitsu Eclipse in 95)
I Own a 10th aniversary RX-7 Turbo, the car is supposed to put out 210HP,i only added a blow off valve and a new air intake.
Now i just had a new clutch installed , and a new turbo (old turbo's seals went even though car has 56K miles its 16 years old and things age) after the repairs i didnt like the feel of the new clutch, so i had the service manager come for a ride(wasn't chirping 3rd or 2nd for that matter!).As i was going through 3rd gear he said "MAN This thing is MUCH faster then the RX-8".
Shocked i took the RX8 for a ride, and boy he wasnt kidding.From 40 to 110MPH there is no way the RX-8 is faster,it actually felt just a little faster then a 2ND GEN NON Turbo RX-7 but a bit more nimble in the corners.

Anybody else try this comparison???perhaps with a 3RD gen also??(Sold my 3RD gen, a couple years back)
Is it just a diffrent power curve(i realize my RX-7 is turbo also)?I know all my RX-7's(Ive owned a BUNCH) have a "Powerband" like a 2 stroke dirtbike almost, from 3 to 6000RPM.Or is it gearing??

I have been reading about the QUEST FOR THE REAL HP RATING~ and figured i couldnt be the only person to expierience this?

PS i have no actual data to back this up, i guess ya just have to take my word, but i am still gonna buy the RX-8 after the winter because ive owned all GENs exept the RX-8.

Thnx for reading, and enjoy your toys!!~

Jeff

 

At what RPM did you shift? The 8 has a redline range starting from 8500 RPM. From what I gather so far because of its low front end torque, to see the type of speed/acceleration you are after, you would need to take the Renesis toward the redline, or at least shifting at 7-8000 RPM.

I haven't try this myself. I'm still babying my 8 through the break-in period. ;o)

 

Not sure about this but if youve owned alot of "fast" cars youll agree with me that some cars "feel" fast but will get left behind by a car that doesn't "feel" fast. My '92 miata feels like its bunching up the pavement underneath it but when counting aloud (too cheap for a g-tech) I can see that the rx-8 is nearly as fast but feels slow. This could be due to the massive improvements in suspension design and sound deadening etc. Just a thought. I know it sounds crazy...

 

lets not forget the 8 is on rails
people always ask me about the speed and I tell them how dead on the suspension is

 

I do agree with you my second gen. with few MODS did feel faster, but I sold it 6 months ago so I can not compare now. The RX-8 rides good but it does not have the feel my second generation had.

 

I took the RX8 all the way to redline, Don't get me wrong i LOVED the drive, however i was i guess hoping for just a bit more push in the seat.I dont think there was an RX-7 made that didnt ride on rails,,hehe, or a miata for that matter~Please dont take this as a knock on the new 8, I'm a rotory lover at heart, and will drive nothing else, actually i'm extremely glad the 8 came out because there would be no other Rotory powered car if it didnt~
I was just curious if anybody else felt that the car needed about 50 more HP to make it more intense.By that i mean take it to the next level that the car should be.Ive owned One 1st gen, Four 2ND gens , and One 3RD gen.I guess i was hoping they would make 1 out of the showroom floor that would hang with the Vette.At this point i really still like the 2ND gen personally,but i wont sell my 2nd gen when i buy the 4TH gen,I dont think i can part with the 10th aniversary RX,hell it still only has 56K miles on it,,hehe.

Greg, i agree some cars feel fast,and that little miata with some extras is a fun car! Hell even the MX6 Turbo was a fun car!!

I am extremely glad this forum is here for me personally because usually the 1st year of a new body style sux,HOWEVER i havent read anything to bad,and i'm quite happy about that,BUT i am still waiting till after winter to buy~
Maybe somewhere in the back of my head i'm hoping they will release a Turbo,,I'm gonna ask SANTA,, i think ive been pretty good???......hehehe


If anybody lives in New York (Westchester, or Putnam county area) and would like to put them side by side for a little experiment i would love to try it! (just for fun, not money!)

THNX again for the great replies, i have found true Rotory fans are some of the nicest people to chat with~

CHEERS Folks
and enjoy your toys~
Jeff

 

the next rx-7 is gunna be such a beast
________
affair Cam

 

Only other "sports" car I've owned before this 8 was an 82 Camaro with a 350 small block in it (and an X-11 Citation, but lets not talk about that one). When it accelerated, you felt it... but at 100mph, you knew it was going fast.

I've had about 22 different people in my car since I've had it and every single one of them has made a similar comment. Wow, this car is smooth... how fast are you going? 70? 75?... they are all shocked when I tell em... "oh, about 110." I've also heard some squeals from a few of them when I take a 35mph curve at about 70... but always hear something to the effect "wow, thought we were on a roller coaster, this thing is on rails." I can't compare an rx-7 to an 8, but I feel this car is not as quick an accelerator as my 'maro was, but it sure moves faster without you ever realizing it. Can't tell you how many times I look down and am moving past the speed limit, 15, 25, 35, 45, 55 and 65mph... I'm always above what speed I should be, but it doesn't "feel" like it.

Did I mention.... I LOVE THIS RIDE!!!!!

:D

 

I test drove a couple 3rd Gen. RX-7 turbos, and it's been so long it wouldn't be fair to compare it to the RX-8. However, I was left disappointed by my test drive, I just expected more power. It felt like it pulled about as hard as my 95 Maxima. <Awaits the flames>

 

No need for flaming, we all have a common interest here.
My brother had a 2000 maxima all worked out by Stillen,and i absolutely dusted that with a 1988 rx7.I think you may hear the motor roar more in the nissan(big V6), and that makes you feel like your going fast.

Another person said that some cars "FEEL" fast, and thats the great thing about RX7's, and RX8's.The cars are small and low to the ground, and that makes you feel like your not going fast.Ive driven the RX8, and its by far faster then a maxima.Actually its like apples and oranges, they are 2 different animals.

I know my RX-7 at 140 feels like your going 90-100,(good for those of us who's wives complain at 150,,hehe)


put it in prospective :
For 26 grand (Base model 6 speed RX-8) you get 1 hell of a car.And i can't think of anything at that price range can out perform that car.

Remember the car is new, and the aftermarket parts are just starting to come out.It wont be long before you see 300-400HP+ turbo upgrades.There are threads in here now from people working on those upgrades~
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...threadid=12521

Give it time~
CHEERS

 

I can give you a pretty good comparison. I have an almost stock '89 T-II. It has a downpipe, high flow cat, and a boost controller (can be turned off). Still has the stock mufflers and even the stock air filter. I turned the boost controller off completely to remember what the car is like mostly stock. The downpipe and cat make a little difference but with the stock catback system the gain is minimal. The car feels relatively quick. I can tell about how fast that car is moving with my eyes closed. You feel the road. The turbo spools and pushes you back in the seat pretty quick and holds you there. I test drove the RX-8 twice. Luckily the sales manager let me rag on the car pretty hard the last time. He even said go find a parking lot and spin it around so I did! Forgot about the TCS on the first 2 attempts though. I floored the RX-8 and chirped a 2nd. The car is gradual in it's feel. The power comes on more smoothly and gradually. Since the lateral acceleration is more constant over a longer amount of time it feels like it isn't as fast. I don't like first gear in the RX-8. The RX-8 is a very smooth and stable car. The wheelbase is much longer than a 2nd gen RX-7 so it doesn't feel as fast at speed. I had to look down to see how fast I was moving. While I would have liked more power out of the car too, it isn't bad. A side by side race between a stock RX-8 and a stock T-II should yield a very slight margin of victory to the RX-8 driver assuming both runs were perfect. One thing I did notice is that a turbo car is much more forgiving when it comes to a bad launch from the line. At least mine is. The RX-8 needs a clutch dump from a frightening 7500-8000 rpm to get off the line good while the T-II can do it from 3500 or so. When the car is under a load the turbo just spools faster too making recovery time faster. When you bog an n/a, it's over. Anyways both cars are comparable but the 2nd gen feels faster even though it may not be. It feels more fun. The RX-8 was meant to be the sports car for the civilized family man and it met its goal. Smooth and stable. I get crap for gas mileage on the T-II though and rarely get over 18 anywhere ever. I know some RX-8 owners get less or comparable to that but others get more. The car also has about 40 more hp too so not too shabby for a rotary. My T-II is nice though since I can just turn the boost controller on, give it a couple psi of boost and run with the 3rd gens in a split second. Gotta love that turbo! Hurry up Mazda. Force feed that Renesis!

 

Great post rotarygod!
Great comparison!
I have basically the same car as you, i have the 1988 10th anniversary T2.I thought the RX8 drove great but wasn't as punchy,However it is the PERFECT RX for those of us that have kids~ my house has Dads car (RX-7) and moms car (Nissan Quest) so having 2 kids, i can only drive my car when i only have 1 of them with me.I'm looking forward to spring when i'm buying my RX-8.Unfortunately i just bought a house right as the 8 came out and my wallet is dusty now~

So until then i will live vicariously through you people~

THNX again for the GREAT comparison!!!
Jeff

 

A turbo car will always feen quicker.

Its the slow/quick humped torque curve that does it. The RX-8's torque curve is flat so will give a more constant acceleration.

Also the sence of speed is down to the vehicle build and ride height. My old Austin metro (rover 111, v small car) beater always seemed fast, even if it was aproaching max speed (50mph lol) seemed like I was realy racing.

 

You know, as far as the rx8 is concrened, I'm amazed at the progress Mazda has made in the 15 or more years since the rx7 was released. The gains in horse pow ... erm... fuel econ ... err... numbers of seats is truly phenomenal.

C.

 

How much horsepower did the last N/A rotary had? rated 160hp... I believe there's a BIG improvement there. Also there's a lot of people getting over 20mpg on this car, that's an imporvement as well.

 

I also once owned a TII, and have driven, but don't own, an 8. I would say that the two cars are comparable in acceleration, but that the 8 is a bit faster. I think the TII feels more aggressive because of the added torque from the turbo. The RX-8 seems to be much more deceptive.

The only way I can accurately think to explain my thoughts is by example of a 454 Trans Am. A friend of mine had one and that thing snapped your neck from all the torque, but it had no hp, and went no where. Published 0-60 times for those cars was around 10 seconds. A first generation RX-7 was faster, but didn't "feel" as fast because of the flat, gradual torque curve the rotary displays.

 

I don't know where you get your information from, but the '88 TII's had 182hp. And don't try to tell me the 10th Anniversary Edition came with more...I HAVE ONE ALSO.

The reason why you weren't "pushed" back into your seat is torque. Turbo rotary=fair amount of torque down low. My car's torque peak is 4100rpms...MUCH lower than the RX8. HP is the difference.

I've driven both back to back, the RX8 is faster...and my RX7 is no slouch, I put down 197.5rwhp. (Exhaust, intake, FCD)

By the way, unless you built a full AFM-to-turbo pipe(TID, as Mazda calls it) you have gained almost nothing from the air filter. Also, the BOV's in the TII's are well known for being good to 16+ psi, so your not gaining anything there.

 

Good call, I completely missed the hp error. What were the 87-88 TII's - 182hp and 183lb/ft? Then from 89-91 they went to 200hp and 196lb/ft?

 

Any idea what they dyno stock?

 

Yes, my TII dyno'd at 151rwhp and 146rwtq in stock form. A air filter, full 3" exhaust w/high flow cat and a FCD(fuel-cut defenser) I dyno'd at 197.5rwhp and 201.5rwtq, thats more than a 45hp gain from basically just an exhaust. TII's were VERY underrated cars and will give many cars a good run, even today.

 

Absolutely, lightly modified TII's are definite sleepers. They weight about 2800lbs, and with those numbers they fly. Mine had a similar configuration, never had it dynoed, though, and it could give most any car a run for it's money.

I miss that car more than I do my old FD.

 

Too bad theres only a handful of 8's in my area