Hey guys,
I am not an 8 owner. I actually bought a Mustang and that is my car of choice. But my friend bought an 05 RX-8 about 4 months ago. I am on here trying to learn about the car, engine and modifications. I like to do my research so that I know what I am talking about.

I am not into racing but my friend with the 8 is. From what I have read, the RX-8 handles well but it is not a race car. He claims to not care about straight lines (because the RX-8 is a track designed car) but all of his races are straight line races.

My friend is always claiming to beat cars such as 05+ Mustang GT's, Subaru WRX STI's, Porsche Boxsters and many others. I don't see this happening simply because they are faster cars. He says that he beats them on the highway. Personally, I think that if you are going to race straight line races, then you should race from stops and obvisouly from rolls on tracks because of multiple laps.

Will the RX-8 really take all of these cars on the highway?

How much rear wheel horsepower do the 6 speed MT's have stock? (He claims over 210-220 rwhp because of the carbon fiber driveshaft)

Thanks for any info. I want him to be informed about his car rather than making up random info. When he spent the $24,000 on the car, he didn't know the HP, tourque or any other specs about the car. I just don't want him to waste money on random things and talking to other drivers like he is going to win and making an *** of himself.

 

FYI, street racing isn't condoned in this forum.

And try the search button at the top right hand of the page to find the answers to your questions.

 

I know street racing isn't condoned. I don't like it either. I am not talking strictly street racing. I am talking in general.

 

Try the RX8 Competition (Racing) thread.

 

Quick Answer: He's lying. An RX-8 that is not boosted can not beat a Mustang GT or a WRX STi. Maybe an older (base) Boxster, but probably not a new one.

Also, I think most people that have had their car on a dyno are putting down anywhere from 175-185 stock, and up to 200 or a little more with several mods.

 

I don't street race... period.

However, I have had a little fun with other cars on highways. Not really a "race", but more of a "hey... I wonder how long it'll take to put a carlength between us."

In my experience, it seems that stock for stock the RX8 has the same, if not more, pull after 80-90mph than all of its counterparts. The only exceptions that come to mind are the GT stang & the S2000.

In the short time I've owned this car, and based on the few "fun runs" I've had here and there, it seems like the Renisis doesn't seem to struggle when it's in high revs like other sports car engines. In 1st & 2nd gear, the RX8 accelerates no faster than a low-end V6 family sedan. While not exaclty "slow", it certainly lacks the "throw you back your seat" feel that you would expect from a sports car.
However, 3rd gear is where the RX8 becomes a sports car again. Not only that, but it's the gear that reveals the wonder of "rotary power." From 2000 all the way to 9000, the car is in a perpetual state of accelerating faster. I can't tell you the number of times that I've hit the fuel cut-off in 3rd gear when first merging onto an empty highway. At 8000, you're gaining speed more rapidly than you were at 7000. At 9000 you're gaining speed more rapidly than you were at 8000. At 9499 you're gaining speed more rapidly than you were at 9000. Then the car lurches forward and you're like "what the HELL? How is this gear OVER? I was still CLIMBING!!" Then you hit 4th...
Sadly, this happens right as you're about to hit triple digits, which is a realm few seldom enter. However, the 3 or 4 times that the highway has been middle-of-*******-nowhere enough for me to feel comfortable continuing on, I have seen many priceless "OMGWTFBBQ" faces. When you shift @ 9200 from 3rd to 4th in an RX8, it looks like your competition turned it's cruise control on.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the RX8 has this infinite torque band, it's just that piston engines have a much harder time building power in the high revs than a rotary. You put a 350z, V6 stang, STI, or Evo in it's higher gears and you can just feel the engines straining to hit the next redline - watching the needle try to reach that redline is like watching a big fat guy trying to reach for his toes. In the RX8, however, watching that needle go from 8000 to 9000 in the higher gears is like watching the needle go from 4000 to 5000 in the same gear - the needle just looks back and you and says "umm, hello?? 1.3 liters! Just give me a damn second and I'll get there."



MY POINT:
The RX8 has some feirce power under the hood - it just happens to be located where you can hardly ever get to it. If your friend wants to drag race, he's an idiot, and just brought a knife to a gunfight. If he wants to track/autocross his car, with some intelligent tuning and smart investing, he'll be carying more pictures of his 8 than of his kids for the rest of his life.

 

RX-8 dominates BS class in autoX. 'nuff said.

 

Thanks for that info. I am not really sure what he wants out of the car. He says "I know you can take me in a straight line, but I only care about curves." The only thing is that every race he has ever done has been a straight line race. He doesn't go to Auto-X events. He just races stupidly on the streets and highway. So if he really wants to race straight line I will just get him to drag it.

Thanks for answering the questions and not being dicks to me because I am a Mustang owner. This seems to be a great forum.