Can this site actually be correct? With the soot issues that I have read I wouldn't think so. The only car I could find with lower emmissions was the Toyota Prius and even that car was only slighty better. Is the Wankel good for the environment?


http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/E-M...azdaRX8-04.htm

 

I think you need to read that again. There are TONS of cars on the list that have better numbers than the RX-8.

http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/smcar-04.htm

FYI, the bigger that number, the better. RX-8 is rated 8, now go count all those cars that are rated 9 or 10.

Of course you're right. There are a lot of vehicles rated below 8.

-Peter

 

flatso, I would say that the information is accurate, but you have to remember that the emission number is looking at greenhouse gases specifically, unburned hydrocarbons. To my knowledge, the Renesis has no overlap between exhaust and intake cycles, therefore unburned fuel does not get pulled through for the cats to clean.

All piston engines have overlap between exhaust and intake cycles and pull some fresh fuel straight out into the exhaust for the cats to clean.

Another factor to consider is that the EPA calculation is based on 24/25 hwy mpg. Since no one is really achieving this, the greenhouse gases are probably a bit higher.

Still, good to know that the engine is clean. Thanks for the url.

 

The RX-8 did pass Federal, and the even restrictive California emissions requirements. Acoording to the smog emission information on the sticker from my RX-8 the smog index (SI) is 0.49, while the average new vehicle's SI is 1.02. The lower the SI the lower the emissions.

Cars like the Prius are a disaster waiting to happen if they are ever produced in mass quantities like gas cars. When those batteries wear out in a couple of years, and need replacing, there will be huge landfill dumps with dead batteries leaking their toxic chemicals, billions of tons worth. I hope these hybrids never get pass the novelty stage unless they have plans developed to deal with the byproducts of their use.

 

My job requires me to travel quite a bit and I swear to god, I don't care what you're running here, it's not gonna help or hurt as long as all of south and central freakin america can run their dang smokers up and down the road without restriction.

Greenhouse gases are not unburned hydrocarbons, they are carbon monoxide (half-burned carbon) and carbon dioxide (fully burned carbon) and nitrogen oxides, that have nothing to do with carbon or hydrocarbons - they just come along for the ride so to speak. Like I said earlier, it's all a crock unless the rest of the world goes along.....

 

Did anyone else notice that the 8 is listed as a 2 cylinder?

hehe

 

Greenhouse gasses is based on almost 100% on the gas millage, period.

Smog forming pollutants are what are reduced by the emission controll equipment namely the catalytic converters (i.e. cats).

The RX-8 is VERY clean. EPA is confussing as always, the scale is not linear at all.

http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/about.htm

If linearized the chart, with 121 lbs/15,000 miles being 0 and 0lbs/15,000 miles being a 10 then the RX-8 would be about a 9.5 not a 8.0.

To further keep things in perspective, from the chart the RX-8 is 6 times cleaner than the average new vehicle model of 2001, is also well over ten times cleaner than the average vehicle sold ten years ago and is over 100 times cleaner than the average vehicle sold in the early 80's.

The Federal government is beating a dead horse here. You will likely polute more by fueling your RX-8 than actually driving it. In a congested urban enviroment like NY City, the air going into the RX-8 will be dirtier than air going out.

The air pollution problems of big cities (which are far from perfect but much better than many cities of the 60's-70's) are do to gross polluting poorly maintained cars, industry, lawn mowers, construction equipment, and the big daddy SUVs but by no means today's modern sub compacts like the RX-8.

But none the less the RX-8 and other 2004 models has to meet the brutal tier II requirements. This puts the automotive engineers in a bind. To meet Tier II they have to use a very thermally sensitive cat. During full throttle high RPM use to protect the delicate cat, they have to tune the cars very rich to reduce exhaust temps. This of coarse lowers gas millage and increases green house gasses (also lowers power output as well).

Thus in the process of reducing smog emissions from the infinitesimal 2003 required levels for compacts to the sub-infinitesimal levels of 2004, they have increased greenhouse gases by a measurable amount in the process.

Poor engineering judgement. Sorry for the rant.

Bottom line: the RX-8 is a very clean car.

-Mr. Wigggles

 

I don't think Hybrids will take off. THey are not the future.



The future is in... FUEL CELLS

 

hydrogen RE!!!!