I'm picking up my 2004 RX8 base model, 6spd tomorrow. I'm wondering..any special precautions with these cars? Like, with an FD, you have to do reliability mods. Anything like that with an RX8?



Also..the only mods I plan to do performance-wise would be an intake and exhaust. I've looked around, and notice a lot of them don't really add much horsepower. Which ones sound the best, and which ones provide the most gains?



And...any reccomendations on oil type? Tranny oil, diff oil, etc...



Basically, any advice you can give a new owner, would be super.

 

You've been on this board for a year, and you haven't found the answers to those questions?

 

wow, lot of questions. go to the tech section and start reading, everything is there. then the multimedia and search sounds, just about every product sound there to download

 

I actually joined a long time ago, to make a few posts about people trash talking RX7's

But uh..no, I haven't read basically anything on the forum.

 

now is a good time to start.

read the stickys. and use the search funtion... all of the ? have been answered...

if you have something a little less general... we can help.

beers

 

What's there to trash talk about RX7s?

Anyway, a member named Mugatu may be able to help you.

 

uh, no. none of your 8 posts have anything to do with people trash talking about the rx7..

btw, i dont no of any trash talking threads about the rx7..

get to work.

beers

 

Welcome to the club/

Go Racing Beat intake and exhaust.

Change your brake fluid, it will make a big differance.

Don't drive too fast, learn the car.

Save money and go to a HDPE, you will love it, even if you only do it once.

 

Bravo- now thats the way we all should answer a nice simple question from a fellow forum member. Nice job razz1.

 

Avoid turning the enfgine off cold to avoid the possibility of flooding. If the engine hasn't fully warmed up before you need to turn it off, follow the Mazda recommended short-trip procedure (see your QuickTips booklet).

I would recommend going to the dealer and making sure all recalls have been done and that the car has the latest PCM flash. Since the car is probably still under warranty (better check your warranty termination date) go through the Service Bulleting list HERE and see if you have any of the issues listed there. If so get them taken care of while the car is still under warranty (ie for free). Try to get the dealler to perform the "Engine cransk no start " TSB which can get you a new battery, starter and plugs.

Unless you know when the last service was done I would get an oil/filter change. You may want to pull the plugs and check their condition. My personal preference is to use a synthetic oil in the transmission ... you can really feel the difference.

 

Add a sway bar to that list of yours, and probably a flywheel. Congratulations on your 8.

 

Msrecant hit it on the head. Make sure your recalls are done haha.. trust me I own a Base Rx-8 A/T and yeah so far 3 recalls have been done that have been out for over 6months to a year. So needless to say the previous owner didnt care about her actually I know they didnt. They want me to do a 30k inspection for $400 and I bought the car with 31.5k miles she now has 33k so yeah I feel like I got jipped or is that screwd over bah. Anyways man these boards are great I love it..!

 

Make sure you check the oil - the dial only records oil pressure - not amount of oil present. This can get you into trouble.

If you live in a rural area, watch for mice - they love to eat the firewalls (has some sort of attractive fiber) - moth ***** and deep woods off can really help

Don't over-wash - you can get water into odd places and soft metals in brakes and some screws can rust. Also smells have been reported in very wet areas.

When you really want speed you may have to push down on the gas and then lighten up (it's counter intuitive) so the rotars can find a sweet spot, then you can ask for more power by pushing down again and they will respond again and again ( I have not yet found the true limit) just make sure you have lots of space ahead of you because you might get there sooner than expected.

Don't let the punks rattle you- a lot of kids driving anything with a spoiler will try and get you to play with them - don't let them get you into unfavorable situations.
Do be friendly with people who want to admire your car - you will have perfect strangers of all ages come up and want to talk cars - be nice and return the favor. They are giving you the gift of their admiration.

Don't let trolls on the forum get you down - they just need love attention and occasional discipline - most members are really helpfull and will sympathize with your bumps and bruises.

 

Winfree, I've never heard that before on your technique for going fast. I'll try it next time I'm out.


One tip for the topic poster, besides getting the recalls done you might want to take it into a specialized Mazda/Rotary shop and have it thoroughly inspected. They'll check everything from the suspension to the engine compression. The place near my place, Rotory Reliability, charges around $180 for the full inspection.

 

Winfree...I know what you mean about punks trying to race....


Just on the ride home (30 miles or so)...

A bodykit/bright orange'd Honda Civic...pulls up next to me on the highway revving..Ignored..

A Mini Cooper was sitting next to me, looking over at me, and then revved and took off...Ignored..

Omg, a brand new Pontiac GTO (had a 6.0 badge on the back and hoodscoops, definitely the 400hp one) was revving at me at a stoplight...4 young kids all in it starring at my car..Ignored!



Finally I gave in to a black new-ish Honda Civic Si (the hatchback one, just before the current version) was tailgating me on a "neighborhood" kind of road, it has a whole bunch of random 90* S-turns, he had numbers up on his windshield like having been to the track...

Going like 35, dropped it into 2nd and just took off..I heard him drop down and try to keep up, but right after the first S-turn I never saw him again.

 

hey james. congrats on the 8.

 

Consider all the attention compliments - sort of like being a famous gun fighter they all want to see if they can shoot faster.

But you will find yourself doing a lot more car care just because people do look!

Oh, and besides young punks, you have to watch for 40 yr old females, especially ones driving expensive but not too new cars ! They tend to tailgate and try and check out the driver - Mom (94) thinks it's a crack-up!

 

Search so you do not get flamed!!! LOL. The people here have been great to me, but I have seen some people get hammered on ( I helped).

Other than that, Congrats on the ride!!!

 

I'll try to save you from searching. Most people here like the Racing Beat REVi intake.

The exahust is mostly for looks and sound so just pick one. Some aftermarket exhausts are actually heavier than stock, just do some research.

But neither of these ae going to give you any big gains. Youd be lucky to see or feel any real difference. I took off my REVi and just have the stock intake and the greddy exhaust.

I vote replace the exhaust, leave the intake alone.