i went car-sighting with my dad today, and we were commenting on how american car "door clunks" (you know, when you close the door) it really sounded really bad. like "ka-tank" instead of the norm japanese "woosh." i was wondering (i know some of us have had first hand exp. with the rx8) how the door clunk of the rx8 was, especially with those suicide doors. the past experiences i've had with the suicide doors (namely, american trucks) have been, alas, bad. any comments?

justin

 

A lot of doors are now engineered to make a louder and more satisfying thud when they close; case in point is Audi. Their doors are engineered to sound a lot heavier than they are but it's a really nice benefit

That said, I thought the RX-8's door closing sound was not too shabby... G35 Coupe's was also very good. I'd say BMW quality, but not Audi quality

 

I wasn't specifically paying attention to it, but IIRC it had a nice solid feel.

 

What was your bad experience w/ suicide doors?

 

I got in two different RX-8's in a quite enviroment at Rev-it up a week ago.

Both cars had a bad sounding clunk. The Mazda Rep, who was very helpful, was quick to point out that the pre-production cars were all handmade. He made this comment right after we closed the doors. It sounded bad to both me and my friend. It obviously sounded bad to him as well.

Let's hope the production cars are better.

-Mr. Wigggles

 

At LA rev-it-up, the doors sounded quite solid, but there was visible movement of the rear door when the front door closed agaist it - imagine closing a door onto a door frame which is not solid - it bows a bit in the middle. I was surprised at this, given the amount of talk on how solid the rear doors are for impact protection. Anyone else notice this?

 

Yeah I noticed this when I sat in it too. I tried both sides. I was told they are handbuilt and are'nt as tight as the production cars will be. Lets hope thats true.

 

Hmm, that sounds like question for East Moon. So how about it East Moon, does the production car have any movement in the rear door when you close the door. Also does it have a solid "Thud" sound or is it a "Clank" sound?

 

I allready asked him this on his other tread. I hope he answers one of us

 

I'm sure he can't wait until someone else gets their RX8 to spread the load. There is a premium price to pay to be the very first one to get the 8. I will say it again, thanks again East Moon for taking time away from driving and answering our questions. It is greatly appreciated.

 

Almost every car door closing sounds the same to me but who gives a damn what a door closing sounds like? I care how the car drives. And of course the stereotypical "Americans can't do squat" rears its head again.

 

Well, I tried the Mazda 6 and the Protege in the Mazda dealership, one right after the other. The 6 sounded like a good solid thud and the protege sounds like a cheap crappy clank. Let's hope for the thud!

 

Lou I don't care what it sounds like. What conserned me when I saw the 9Preproduction) car was the way the rear door moved when you closed the front door. It sounded ok, but that is not important.