For a car with so much technology in it, why did Mazda choose to go with a 4 spd auto for the automatic tranny? For a car of its stature, Mazda should have at least offred its customers a 5 spd automatic. Or a 6spd SMG would have been even better. Then it would have been able to handle the 9000 RPM redline instead of the bullshit 7500 RPM redline of the automatic.

 

Or since it's a sports car they could have just as easily not even sold a version with an automatic.

 

Anyway, more possible reasons are that since the 6-speed box is shared with the Miata, Mazda simply used the transmission that was available to them or modified it slightly. Or perhaps since the powerband is relatively wide and the car has a high redline, it was deemed that a fifth gear was relatively unnecessary.

 

This has already been extensively covered in this forum. The consensus is that the rx8 was already delayed so many times, the RX8 team didn't have the time or resources to properly research and develop a 5 spd auto, and certainly not the SMG (which is much newer technology for cars at this price range).

Also, to MrFatBooty's point, Mazda could *not* have just as easily not sold any automatic, since automatic drivers are a significant percent of car buyers (esp. in the U.S.) and Mazda would prefer for these buyers to spend their money on a Mazda.

 

Issues, issues, issues.

Already covered, that the 8 had to be produced, especially with Nissan getting a big portion of the "sports car nastalgia" pie with the 350Z and G35's. The main focus apparently was to get the MT out, and the AT for those that wanted the looks, but didn't lust for the extra 41 poinies.

They basically made due with something which they already had on the shelf, a 4 speed automatic that is able to handle 7500 RPM.

 

Already been extensively discussed - Mazda only had so much development budget to get the RX-8 out the door, and they have much fewer resources than many other manufacturers - there's only so much they can afford to do and are physically able to do in a certain time frame. They had to stick with their existing RWD auto transmission for the time being.

It has been reliably reported here for a long time now (well, reported by me, who was told by a very reliable source inside Mazda) that the RX-8 will receive a 5 speed auto that can handle the high power engine's revs and power for the 2006 model year, and at the same time will also offer a 6 speed SMG. If either of those options are really important to you, you'll only have to wait a bit. Otherwise, get a real transmission now! (6 speed manual) :D

Regards,
Gordon

 

sorry for my ignorance...what's an SMG transmission? is that a 6-speed Auto?

 

It's not a "true" sportscar sadly. 4 doors, 4 seats. Sorry. It's "sporty"... but you can't put it in the same class. Not even the insurance company consider it a sports car.

 

SMG is one of the acronyms used to refer to a manual gearbox with hydraulicly operated clutch and shifter, under computer control - it stands for Sequential Manual Gearbox. Ferrari offers it in their road cars as the F1 system, BMW calls theirs in the M3 SMG, Toyota's MR2 has a SMT version, etc. It is not a variation of an automatic transmission, those Tiptronic etc. are all just ordinary slushboxes with computer-controlled selection of the gear ratio. A SMG is a real manual transmission, but the computer controls the clutch and shifting.

Regards,
Gordon

 

Hmm, that's funny - most of the auto magazines reviewing the RX-8 state most emphatically that it's a true sports car. A sports car is defined more by it's handling and responsiveness than the number of seats (to many, at least). Some people get hung up on seat count (Porsche 911 not a sports car, then?) or dragstrip numbers (Is a Maybach 57 a sports car because it can do 0-60 in 5 sec?), but those are inadequate arbitrary measurements. My insurance company knows dick about cars, so I sure wouldn't trust them to define categories for me!

Regards,
Gordon

 

Here's my question.... Who gives a rat's *** what people (especially insurance agents) call it?? Looks good and performs good. That's all that matters.

 

We all say that Mazda pulled the 4-speed auto off the shelf, but where in the Ford parts bin did it come from?!?! Mazda does not have any other rear-wheel drive vehicles, besides the Miata. My only guess was that it's a refined version of the Miata transmission? And if it did come from the Ford parts bin, why didn't they use the 5-speed from the Lincoln LS/Thunderbird/Jaguar S-Type??? It already has manu-matic capabilities...

Anyone really know?

 

I totally agree with you. I actually have a 350Z on the way, and yes it is a 6spd manual. I guess the point I was trying to make is that the RX-8 is also a great car, and it's a shame that those who chose the automatic won't be able to enjoy the 9000 RPM redline.

 

exactly...


auto is for people who want auto, not for the majority.

They gave it a 4 speed auto to save money. The auto trans is in other cars of theirs as well.

 

The 4-spd auto is the RX-C Activematic. This is basically a reinforced and tweaked RZ-0 transmission (63, 64). It has been used in past Mazdas, so I'd guess the Miata and maybe even the RX-7.

Also, I've got news for you - all the trannies were pulled off the shelf. The 5-spd manual was used in the RX-7 and Miata, and the 6-speed is a modified version of the 6-speed originally used for the Miata 10AE (63).

As for your question about the Ford trannies - I have no idea. Maybe those weren't suited to this application due to size, weight, etc.?

Source:
Yamaguchi, Jack. The Mazda RX-8: World's First 4-door...pgs 63-64.

 

If you want to be picky about it, a "true" sports car has two seats, rear wheel drive, and no hard tops are allowed. That would make everything from a 350Z to a 360 Modena not a "true" sports car.

The point is that plenty of cars that have similar prices and similar target audiences as the RX-8 don't offer a manual transmission option. Hell, plenty of lesser cars such as the Acura RSX Type-S, Honda Civic Si, Volkswagen GTI VR6, etc are not sold with automatic options either.

 

Mazda will update the RX-8 with a better automatic... There wasn't enough time and money was tight.... Orders were comming in like crazy... so mazda just started selling rx-8's for now(rather than investing in a better auto tranny), make alot of money... then invest money made into the rx-8 to make it better....it will come 2 years...or so...

 

And if my insurance company doesn't want to call it a "sports car" I sure as hell won't press the subject either! I like saving a heft sum of money!

 

Thanks B-Nez!

 

The reason that the auto RX8s only have a 7500 RPM redline is while in development, the torque converters kept blowing up at redline. Mazda was forced to lower the redline to its current 7500 RPMs.
It could be that Mazda chose a 4 speed because that was the only tranny they had available that could handle to power.

 

There is also a size issue, evidently the 5speed auto transmissions available did not fit into the transmission tunnel, the 4speed did.

I'm pretty sure that was mentioned in either the C&D or R&T reviews.

 

Aside from the fact that it's only a 4spd, are you AT guys generally happy with performance?

 

The Vette has always come with a 4 speed auto so there is nothing really the matter with that!

 

I'd be pretty pissed off if I was an AT owner. Your buy a rotary to enjoy the 9000 RPM redline. With the auto, you redline at 7500. That's bs.

 

How can that be BS - if you buy an auto RX-8, you know up front that you're trading off 2000 rpm and 40 horsepower. That's obvious upfront - you pays your money, make your choices, and live with your decision. If you want the extra power - get the MT. If enjoying the 9000 redline is important to you, get the MT. If you want the shiftless convenience, then you accept up front that the car will be slower and less powerful. If that compromise isn't acceptable - either buy something else, or wait 2 years for the 5 speed auto or 6 speed SMG.

Regards,
Gordon