GEEEZ who stepped on our toes? If you can't handle the speed, drive slow. It might come as a shock to you, but some people can drive fast and still safe, even if some old, blind fart, scared of highways and speed like you gets in a way. Some poeple will never get it ......GEEEZ

 

Try I got pulled over in Thousand Oaks on HWY 101 in 2000. They towed the car and gave me a ticket for 120+mph since the cop couldn't pace me. Also was facing $8,500 in fines and 6 months in prison. A good attorney got me just speeding and about $850 for the speeding fine. I paid the attorney $1,000.

 

I think we've all been somewhere, sometime attempting to top out our cars. It's not that big a deal to go that fast in a well equipped vehicle. As I mentioned before, the problem is when there are other cars on the road. If you're on an empty road, no one around, etc, then it's only your butt on the line and for the most part it will probably work out (as it did for the thread originator here).

When there is traffic, and I mean just one other car that you need to pass it becomes unpredictable. Most people know they should just stay in the lane they're in when getting passed. The passer will manage. You never know, however, when you're going to pass someone and they do something stupid.

This has happened to me at simple freeway speeds. Someone is doing 60-65, I'm doing 75-80 (along with everyone else on the freeway) and some idiot changes lanes for no apparent reason causing me to react in one way or another. At 80mph it's no big deal. At 125, 140, 155 though? That would suck.

 

only 10 years? I thought in Cali it is decapitation....oh and they cut your right foot for 100mph....

 

The key here is that the RX-8 isn't a sports car :P

 

It really has nothing to do with being a good driver or not.

But after seeing how often "I'm a good driver" is used in the same paragraph as "I did a top speed run," I'm starting to think it's a kid's way to equate the two via simplistic thinking... much as they use 1/4 mile times to rate a car's performance.

I ran at 145mph and didnt' kill myself or anyone else <> I am a great driver.

I ran at 145mph and didnt' kill myself or anyone else = I need to convince myself that I can drive through suicidal top speed runs and I really don't care if I kill other drivers in the process.

 

I guess I should start firing my rifle in the air since I don't see too many people around my area?

The thing with most accidents on the freeway is that other cars appear at the least likely time. On the 605 last night, a car was stalled on the far left lane... looked like their battery went out. If anyone was driving 100+ at 2am, they wouldn't have seen this guy. Luckily I was able to notice this guy, because another driver had pulled beside that guy and used his blinkers AND flares.

 

Don't tell Mazda that.

As far as my driving abilities go that is something that I can rest assured with and you can only speculate about.

This is after all a car forum and some of us bought a sports car for different reasons... You may have bought yours for any reason at all and I think you can guess why I bought mine. This isn't as fast as the M3 I traded in on it and it corners just about the same. I don't drive as fast as I used to but I know that I still can.

There are some people in this world that are better drivers than others and I agree that too many of the bad drivers try to drive fast. But I will stand behind my driving record to attest to which driver I am.

 

That is another issue. It seems that people stop on a highway, blocking lane and traffic, just because somebody scratched their bumper... or the car stalled. Is that a safe behaviour? And obviously if you want to go fast, you do as much as the conditions let you.

 

I'm pretty sure Mazda knows it's not a sports car. At least the dealerships I've been to have mentioned this not as a sports car... but a "sporty looking" car. The sports car would be the Miata, S2000, 350z, M3, Vette, Evo8, etc etc...

If the RX-8 was a sports car, then the G35, Accord, and TL series would be sports cars.. which they are not :P

Good drivers for me are safe drivers. Great drivers are the ones that have ran courses and especially stuntmen.

 

I wonder what is the definition of a sports car? I guess you are following what the salespeople at dealership told you. Way to go!

 

Exactly... Like I said in my post... When there are cars you have to pass things become unpredictable. Speeding in the city is just a bad idea IMO. I really don't speed at all anymore. What I mean is, I don't excessively speed. I did that when I was young. I'm just too old to care anymore. Now, I keep my eyes trained on my rearview looking for the next bozo weaving through traffic 20mph faster than everyone else.

 

I would rate the M3 as a sports sedan not too different from the M5 except in size and powerplant. Kinda like the S4 versus the RS6. But I get off track.

I'm not saying that I would ever drive 160 mph in my RX-8 (at least not stock). My '91 MR2 turbo certainly wasn't stock either. And I had plenty of time in that car in many adverse conditions (rain, oil, ice/snow) and I knew it very well. I knew the limits, after all this was a car I couldn't let anyone who wasn't experienced at race cars drive (575 hp at the crank). That drive was the fastest I had done and I was racing a Mustang supercharged (and won). The freeway was pretty empty and it wasn't for more than about 3 miles. I was on the edge to Thousand Oaks moving into Newbury Park where you could see the road for a ways ahead at around noon on a sunny day. I think that the conditions were conducive. Whatever the case I don't drive that fast in my 8 because it won't drive that fast. And safely I don't think I could take my stock car that fast it would need an upgraded suspension, tires, rear and front spoilers etc. But I do drive over 100 mph when I am driving through Montana, Idaho, and in Nevada when I am on the right stretch of road. So I guess if you're a cop you can just try to catch me. If not then pay attention while you're driving because sometimes the unexpected does happen, stay out of the fast lane unless you're passing someone, oh and get off your cellphone because you're driving not ordering a pizza.

 

It is more like that: I am comfortable driving fast and that is why I dont hesistate to do it. Am I a good driver? maybe yes, maybe not, but have you seen a good one who is scared of speed?

 

It's the bad drivers who AREN'T. That's why they scare me.

 

Bad drivers dont drive fast. If they do, they die fast... On a serious note you are right. It is a matter of responsibility and a matter of who are you to judge your own driving abilities. I bet 99% guys think they are great behind the wheel, but when it comes to high speeds, sunday drivers wet their pants and slow down quickly...

 

I feel bad now. I helped hijack this thread. I'll help get it back on track.

Maybe they set the limiter down to 125 on the auto because of transmission or gearing constraints with the lower RPM? I'm curious what the RPM is @ 125 in fourth the Auto vs 155 (or whatever the top end is) in 6th in the M/T... Anyone know off hand?

 

Yeah the rev limitter is set at 145 mph.

 

Maybe it's the tires? I mean, the normal 16" tires that come with the auto. What's the speed rating on them? You would think they would be the same as the 18s on the M/T... Who knows.

 

I think that the tires are the same. And they shouldn't be too limiting a factor. If I remember right they are rated to 150 mph.

 

I mention it because if the car goes out of the factory with tires rated at 135 (for instance), it has to be speed limit to 135 or slower. I don't know if this is a Federal mandate, or if it's just to avoid lawsuits. At the same time, more (larger) tire chains will only sell you tires that are speed rated at or better than those that were original equipment.

If it's not the tires, not gearing (which it doesn't seem to be since he says he was around 3/4), then I have no idea.

 

rx8freak, i've gotta say that's a very wise choice. It only takes a day to learn. Noone ever says, 'man i wish my car had less power'. not to mention driving an automatic really isn't driving in the first place. if you think about it, what are you really doing? sitting in a seat moving your right foot and your hand around? you might as well be at home on the sofa flicking your remote and tapping your foot. Besides that, to be a little more specific to the rx8, its hp is made mostly in the high rev range because more ports open up at higher revs...sooo, as tiff says, you must use the gearbox to really reach its full potential..after all isn't that what driving is really about? The bottom line is you either drive stick or you drive b!+(#. Mazda could have fixed this auto problem by going S2000 style.

 

Well this is definitely an interesting thread, yes driving your car at max speed on a public road is stupid, however driving on public roads at max speed with other cars present is just pure idiotic. Im not gonna harp on someone if they have a wide open stretch of road with no one around for opening it up and seeing what they got, its there choice, just realize its your **** on the line. As for me I would love to have the opportunity but I live on the East Coast=Mass population so for me I just enjoy the quick pick up speeds the winding roads and looking at the all to common diesels/semi's in front of me over that beautiful looking hood.

 

Then I don't know what Mr. Ford did when he was "driving" his Model T car... must be some sort of momentum from gravity then... if that isn't driving.

Come to LA, drive from the 405 freeway from Malibu to Newport beach at 3pm weekday everyday, with your manual RX-8... Try that for one year, and if you still think it's BETTER than automatic RX-8.

BTW, I have owned manual CRX and now an AT RX-8. So I do know both sides of it. It's all a matter of preference... sometimes I feel like a nut, sometimes I don't. My mom has the G35 AT that I drive sometimes, and I'm pretty sure that car can go a lot faster than any RX-8 Manual stock. Big frickin deal.. it's all cars to me. Who are you trying to convince that driving manual is the way to go? So are you telling us that a Manual civic DX is better than a AT RX-8?

 

manual is the way to go.........My girlfriend is from germany, her family knows about driving fast