I'm considering an RX-8 to replace to 5 speed 2002 BMW 325i. Does anyone have any experiences driving both cars? What are your impressions?

I've been reading this forum, and am startiung to be a bit concerned with the wildly varying fuel numbers. Could I get low 20s on the highway with the 6 speed RX-8? Does fuel economy seem to improve as more miles are put on the car? I'd be interested in hearing about fuel economy experiences, and the associated driving style (shift points etc.)

Also, I've done some searching on the web for winter tires that would for the 18 inch wheel, without any luck. Does anyone know if they exist? Would I have to change rims to accomodate winter tires?

Thanks for your help!

 

I have a '02 E46 M3 Coupe and I am just a couple of months away from selling my M3 and buying an RX-8. So although a 325 and an M3 are not the same, I can tell you that the RX-8 does everything very well. Now, I still think the M3 is a better sports car, but at about 1/2 as much money as the M3, the RX-8 is a great buy.

I would not worry about fule usage - just buy the car and enjoy it.

Winter tires: TireRack has everything you will even need, and YES, they do sell them in 18" sizes (same rim diameter as M3).

 

You'll get a lot of different responses about the fuel economy issue, so I'll just address what I've experienced. Yes, my fuel economy improved quite a bit over the first 2500 miles... first tank was around 13mpg, then I had a few in the 14's, then a few in the 15's, then quite a few in the mid 16's, and my last tank I hit 18mpg... all mostly city, somewhat agressive style driving. Cold weather, crappy winterized gas, ethanol gas, etc all can be a factor to lower mileage. If you shift conservatively (3-4k), and cruise below 75mph, you should be able to get 20-22mpg on the highway, or possibly better.

As for Winter tires- do a search for winter tires and wheels or check out the wheel/tire forum in the Tech garage section of the site. I personally have mounted Dunlop Wintersport M2's on my factory 18's, and they're great. There aren't many choices in the 18" size, so if you have the money for an extra set of rims, I would recommend getting a 17" wheel and tire combo for the winter. Keep in mind it's really late in the winter tire season, so everyone's stock might be low right now.

Good luck...

 

The RX8 does very poorly on fuel mileage short trips. It burns most of its gas on warm up and traffic. Mine has gotten no less then 15.9 and has gotten 25.1 on a 2 lane 60 mph trip. If you go over 70mph you will get about 19 mpg. I can see it getting 12 mpg in the city driving 2 to 5 miles to work. I must say this car is the most fun car I have ever driven. It may have four seats but it drives like two. It doesn't beat you to deaf going down our winter roads. Your best bet on tires is to buy new rims and tires and mount for the winter. The stock tires are useless in the winter even on dry roads (great in the warm weather).

 

Thanks for the responses!

I did some searching on the web, and I think that all season performance tires can be mounted on the factory 18" rims. Does anyone have any driving experiences with these tires?