Being that this is my first post i first would like to say hello to everyone. im seriously looking into buy an rx-8 very soon and had some questions.. I was in a motorcycle accident back in October of last year, my injuries left me paralyzed from the waist down. the last 4 months or so have been rough to say the least. being out of work caused me to return my least vehicle. the reason im now looking into the 8 is for the extra wide door opening for the easy access to my wheelchair (20lb. quickie Chair). my question for everyone is ....... CAN THE RX-8 BE MODIFIED FOR THE HAND GAS AND BRAKE CONTROLS? Ive really become quite fond of the car so if this modification is possible it would really put some excitement back into my life lol... Im missing the adrenalin rush.

BTW- Anyone looking to sell an A/T GT if the hand mod can be done?

 

Yes you can drive an RX-8 Check out this thread and you might wish to contact the original Poster https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/mod-i-think-only-i-have-hand-controls-92246/

 

WECOME! Hope the 8 will work for you.

 

good call expo. hand controls can be done for sure.

 

Looks like you need to find an 06+ AT RX8 now......the fun begins.......

 

that was a lot help seeing how everything shapes up inside the car. Yes the 06 and newer looks like it be the best buy due the the 6 gear auto transmission. if anybody else has any info the would help me better find a good sale. or just general info on the car given my situation that would be awesome.. thanks for the feedback everybody...

 

expo beat me to it!
Pico: sorry to hear about your accident but I'm glad to hear you're not letting it stop you from getting one hell of a car!

You should chat with WikkedOne, he's had the hand controls for quite a while now. Where are you located?

 

Definitely PM WikkedOne. He is probably one of the most helpful people on this site.

 

Hey Thanx for the shout out guys!

Yeah the hand controls are NO PROBLEM... I can't remember what brand mine is but it's one with a handle twist for throttle, instead of the push down or pull kind.. I really like that one better because my legs ALWAYS get in the way of the other kinds

I also had them remove the little foot rest thing next to the clutch so my feet have somewhere to go -

as for the car - it's PERFECT for wheelchairs.. the back doors make it SUPER easy to put stuff in the back.. me and my girlfriend (she is in a chair too) can both get in the car and get our chairs in the back without too much difficulty..

another thing i like about the AT is the shifter - there is the the little up shift paddle on the back of the steering wheel and the down is a button on the same side so you can shift up and down with the same hand! how sweet is that?

and if you're thinking about getting a MANUAL TRANSMISSION check out rediasutosport.com I went and test drove their manual transmission miata and it was AWESOME!

anyways if you have any other questions PM me - I respond quickly as you may have noticed

I'm gonna be out of town for this week, but i'll still have limited access..

Nice to meet ya man!

if you live anywhere near LA I can meet up with you and show you some stuff - or anywhwere near Nashville, TN (for this week)

 

i just remembered the brand of my hand controls is "wells-engburg" left handed with twist throttle my guy charged 550 installed and it took about 3 hours. But of course the VA picked up the tab because I got injured while I was in the Marines

Details - I wrecked a yamaha r1 streetbike on September '05 - I'm 100% para at t 12 - and my accident was the best thing to ever happen to me

 

hey wikkedone thanks. seems like we may have a lot in common. I'm a complete t-12. the info on this forum has been very helpful in making a decision on this car. being that this happened only 4months ago to me I'm still heeling and looking to be back in a vehicle by summer. Wikk i ll like to talk more about the car and living situation if the would alright.

 

I work for a Urological supply company, and our founder is in a wheel chair, and he just bought a brand new 535i with a new type of hand control. Instead of the tradition pushing down you actually pull it toward you, which is cool. But the coolest thing is I was talking w/ him the other day about a company called Autoready (I think) anyway the hand control they have is actually called a speed ring or something like it. Basically its a ring behind the steering wheel, and you pull back for acceleration, and braking I'm not sure.

 

I'm stupid I just saw that wikkedone posted the correct name of the place that does the Miata, rediasutosport.com. Sorry

 

yeah thats how the gas on the manual transmission one is... and they said that some race cars have the gas ring, and then you push the entire steering wheel forward for the brake... so you can do all 3 with one hand while you other one does clutch and shifter..

I have driven a push pull before.. i didn't like it because i couldn't break and gas at the same time.. to build up the revs for a cali highway on ramp takeoff... it's crazy.. they have a redlight then expect you to merge into highway speed traffic in about 200 yards..