Ok I dropped it off yesterday, it stayed there 2 days and it came out with:

1) New Battery
2) New Spark Plugs
3) Reflash
4) lots of info

I am 99.99% sure I got the R flash by these screenshots, if its not let me know.

Feelings of the new "R" flash:

Faster more grunt on lower RPM's
More responsive
Less but still some vibration at idle ( They say its normal on all rx-8's ) do you guys have a little vibration on idle????
Hopefully Gas mileage will go up also we will see in time i just got it back today.

P.S also spoke to the shop foreman for a while and he confirmed the RECALL on ALL Mazda Rx-8's. He says we should be getting calls from mazda n.a to schedule appointments at dealerships. he says its something with the gas tank and it will be replaced if yours falls under the problematic gas tanks not ALL will be changed just some that have the problem.

Hope these files i got him to print for me help some of you guys get your R flashes at your dealerships, print it and tell them this is what I want.

The trick i used was I said my unlce works for mazda 3 states away from me and told me to come here and request an R flash and he treated me great. My dealership that I go to sucks, but now that I lied to the shop foreman he was nice because he thought my uncle worked for them and I knew what I was talking about. Use key words "WDS/PCM REFLASH/ R Flash".

 

i didn't even ask for it, all I said was I have rough idle/hard start and my unlce told me to come and get the "R" Flash. he hooked up his WDS got the R flash loaded and flashed my car. Then he changed the battery and spark plugs telling me its part of the hard start problem and this should fix it. P.S I didnt even have hard starts i just used it as an excuse to get the flash but i got it ALL....

 

OK - so I have this question. I just bought my RX-8 Shinka, Saturday. Obviously it's new... how do you tell what ECU/PCM version "flash" I have? I've read that the N flash was the newest, and now I'm reading that there is an R? Is this correct or am I mis-reading?

Please fill me in.

 

... I just noticed, you drive an automatic?! :-) Just giving you grief.

 

How do i find out what flash I have and what is the benefit of getting the most current. I am a new RX-8 owner, and I want to make sure t hat when i ask the dealer to flash my car, I know what I am talking about. Also, I am looking into getting an exaust upgrade, what is your suggestion, I wnat something with a deep throaty tone, not the Honda whining noise I hear from the little Civics that run around town,

 

take your car to your dealer they'll tell you what flash you have. the most current usually has the latest tweaks.

 

The R flash is the newest. I got it over a week ago. You may or may not have it. Some dealers are really on top of the flash updates...others not so much.

Here are my observations of the R flash. The flat spot in the upper RPMs is almost gone....way better than before. I've found the idle to vbe about the same.

My mpg has improved with this flash over the N flash...but my mpg went down wiith the N flash. I'm about were I was for mpg with the M flash.

 

so by Z flash they may have it right? lol

 

Every North American RX-8 will get the "R" flash or something newer as part of the recall. All NA RX-8's are subject to the recall. You don't have to demand a new flash.....it's coming for you like a bullet with your name on it .

 

Man, with all this reading on the forum here..when's a guy 'sposed to find time to go for a drive?? But at least when I take mine in for the first service check-up, I'll be a WHOLE lot more smartee about this contraption then wen I furst boght it!

Cheers!!

 

So with a new Shinka, should I be looking at trying to get the Battery and Spark plugs when they do the flash. Is this for 2004's only or does it apply to '05's? I noticed starting takes time, not sure if it is a hard start but more of a long one I don't have a rough idle, but I notice that on occassion it dips and then rises. I figured it was a Mazda thing since my Miata does this also.

 

I got the R flash a week ago. I felt more low end torque, power delivery was very smooth all the way to redline and a little more responisive. Very happy with the new flash...

 

So how do i find out if i need it? And how do i find out if my 8 falls under the recall list

 

Didn't you read what I posted above? You will be recalled if you live in North America and own an RX-8. Search for the recall thread. It's in the Issues and Problems area of the Tech Garage.

 

lol

 

I swear everytime a new flash comes out every claims more power. I doubt the flash gave you any more grunt than when you pull the car out of that lot. I'm beginning to think it's all in the head. I swear I felt more power with my K flash when I had it. Now i'm all the way to N, every flash after L, I didn't feel a dam thing. And I doubt the R does anything either. I'm to save my time on this one and just wait til a flash and specifically deals with power comes out. Sorry, but all these flashes are getting out of hand.

 

You won't get a choice. You'll be reflashed as part of the recall. You could lock the car away and throw away the keys, I suppose.

 

even after N i still have the 6k lag worse than ever it seems.

 

Mods: Please don't move this thread to Tech; most every owner wants to learn about these flashes; it will be lost in Tech.

 

I had that lag too but I really got to say this flash was a vast improvement over the N flash in that respect.

 

Haha, right. I have to pull rabbits out of a hat to get flashes done here. Trust I wouldn't mind if they gave me the flash w/o me asking for it. But 9 times out of 10, they're going to ask me to pat my head and rub my belly at the same time to get a flash done for the heck of it.

 

odd,
the two dealerships i have dealt with jump out of the way to do it. the last time i was in the service writer mentioned that it was just out and needed to be done before i said a word.

does not make sense.

beers

 

Well, if this flash is a recall then it wouldn't be a problem but usually dealers don't neccessarily have to reflash your car until it has a specific problem that flash can solve.

 

At this rate the R flash will be out dated by the time of the recall.

 

The way I read it, the R flash is the way they rate it for 2005 cars. It's the same as the P flash.

And gomez you do have an option on the flash. You can buy a new ECU and have them use the current flash while you keep your old ECU with M flash or what ever.