Hi everyone, I just picked my car up from the dealer yesterday, 06 black M/T.
It's by far the nicest car Ive ever owned. I'm not new to driving manuals, but this car seems a lot different from anything else ive driven. Where's a reasonable place to hold the rpm while driving? My last car was a 4-banger that got shifted at 3500...
I'm guessing thats not the right strategy to use with this car. There's too much space on the tach, Im not sure where to go! Anyone have any advice?

 

3500 is good. But 4 to 5k is best.

More than that and you suffer bad MPG.

6 to 6500 is ZOOM ZOOM and fun.

9k is madness and makes you a manic. But I can't describe the pure fun of it.

 

For best gas mileage, shift around 3000-3500, cruise at 2500-3000.

For zoom zoom, shift and cruise at whatever you want. It wants to rev.

 

Play around with it and find what you like. There's also a guide line in the owner's manual. Congrats on getting the car!

 

If i'm just cruising around,,,,,,normally shift around 3000--4000 RPMs. 5K onwards is where the fun begins for me anyways. Bring her up once in a while and listen for the faint beep. its what the car was made for! well after the break in period anyways but dont be afraid to bring it up to 7K during your break in period. But like someone said, just mix it up and you'll find your comfort zone in shifting gears at the right time.

 

I think the secondary kicks in at 3800RPM? Stay below that if you want better gas mileage.

 

If your car is brand new, dont be taking it up to 9k till you get through the break in period.

 

I drive slow on my commutes. Shifting around 3500-4000 monday thru friday. But when the weekend comes .. keep it between 4000-6500 for the best 'spirited' driving experience.
And if you have a passenger that needs to be shown why you bought the RX . .. above 6000 THE WHOLE TIME. The car can handle it . .. . can you?

After 'break in period' . of course

 

I really like this car. I'm a poor judge (never owned anything other than econoboxes)
but this car is pure fun to me. It goes through turns like on rails and doesnt complain if you mishandle it. It feels SOLID like it has its feet planted all the time. As far as the car lacking power, it definitely does not feel slow when its moving through traffic. Is it still this much fun after youve owned it awhile?

 

Well, I've had mine for a year-and-a-half, and it's definitely still that much fun.

 

Greetings to all, new member here, new owner too.

I unfortunately didn't get the user manual from the dealer (they ran out !!), so I find these comments very useful. I traded a Peugeot 307 2 liter diesel (66kW, or 90bhp) for a 6 speed 8 yesterday. Now, lets let that sink in for a moment......

It's like going from a mountain bike to a superbike indeed!!, that is even before break-in. I still keep things simmering between 3000 and 4000rpm for now. My question is, on a bumper to bumper traffic I found I could drive at below 1000rpm in third gear with no problems even on inclines. Is this good for the engine?

 

^It's never good to bog down any engine like that. I personally wouldn't drive my 8 like that. Might be because I'm on my second engine now and wouldn't want to risk losing her again for another week.

 

From what I have read on here, two additional ports come on at 3750 and the final two come on 6250 or so.

From torque graphs, the 8 produces the greatest amount of torque from 4K to 5K. So I'd try some shifting below 3750K and then some tanks shifting between 4 to 5K and see if it is much difference.

 

With this engine I would never let the RPMs drop below 2k unless you're coasting to a stop and plan shift to neutral at 1k (idle speed). If traffic causes you to slow below 2K RPMs at whatever speed you're at, then Downshift!

 

Very helpfull comments, will make sure I don't let the revs drop too much.

 

RX-8 Break-In

Mazda's Guidelines

The Mazda RX-8 Owners Manual lists the following information for the break-in period of a new vehicle:

"No special break-in is necessary, but a few precautions in the first 1000 KM (600 miles) may add to the performance, economy, and life of your Mazda.

- Don’t race the engine.
- Don’t maintain one constant speed for long.
- Don’t drive constantly at full-throttle or high engine RPM for extended periods of time.
- Avoid unnecessary hard stops.
- Avoid full-throttle starts."

A review of the Mazda RX-8 Service Manual Highlights revealed the following information regarding break-in:

"A fluorocarbon resin coating has been added to the trochoid surface (rotor housing) for improved initial break-in."

The Mazda guidelines are reasonable and prudent. If you have any questions or uncertainly regarding the break-in period, we suggest you follow these official recommendations.

- For the first 1000 miles do not accelerate under full throttle.
- During the first 1000 miles do not exceed 4000 RPM.
- For miles 1000-2000, expand the RPM upwards - but do not accelerate at full throttle.
- Over 2000 miles, full throttle and high RPM is acceptable.

In summary, our guidelines offer a progressive method to increase the working loads placed on the engine.

Oil Change

The Mazda RX-8 Owners Manual indicates that the engine oil and oil filter be changed every six (6) months or every 7500 miles, whichever comes first.

Mazda recommends the use of SAE 5W/20 with a quality designation of ILSAC or SL.

 

You'll get a feel for it the more you drive the car, but in general you want to cruise at the lowest RPM that provides enough power to maintain speed without needing to depress the accelerator too much. I find this to be 2500-3500 for most speeds. If I'm in heavy city traffic in which I need to drive a bit more assertively, then I keep the RPMs a little higher (3500-4500). At speeds above 50, I cruise in 6th, unless I'm going up steep hills and then I might drop to 5th or 4th.

As others have written, shift points depend on how your driving. If I'm merging with traffic or passing I shift between 6000 and 9500 (depending on the situation). Otherwise, I generally shift between 3500 and 5000. But I do it by feel and sound more than by looking at the tach.

Also, to elaborate on the break-in procedure posted, you should vary your engine speed when cruising on the highway (you can shift between 5th and 6th periodically). While you want to baby the engine, don't worry if you go above 4000 RPM or hit WOT a couple of times.

Lastly, read the manual if you haven't.

Welcome to the club and enjoy the car!

 

I'm not sure this is right. I spent a day driving a friend to Turner Motorsport to pick up his M3 and we took secondary rural roads the whole way there and back. It was a spirited drive, spending most of the trip at 4-6k. I averaged 22.8mpg on the trip! My around town commuter average (shifting at 3.5-4k) is 16-18 mpg.

 

This may seem like a stupid question but ive driven the car like my grandmother for the first 750 miles.

Today one of the lawyers at my firm test drove the car and lets just say he comes from a racing background. He put the car through its paces and shifted that bad boy at 9k rpms. I have never, ever, in my life driven or been driven like that before. Lets just say it was exhilerating to say the least.

My question is, since i drove the car for the recommended 600+ miles rather gently, will the five minutes of utter torture my friend put the car under cause any permanent damage?

 

For regular driving, Prodrive in the UK offer the following advice for the RX-8:

The power band comes in at around 2000-2500rpm. Below that there's very little power and you'd be labouring the engine. The heavy use of fuel starts at around 5500rpm when the second injectors kick in. So for economic driving keep it between 2500 and 5500rpm.

As for break in procedure:

The break-in I followed with my hi-power was simply to keep it under 5500rpm for the first 600 miles or so. I avoided cruising at one speed for any length of time and I made plenty use of the gears. Remember you're not just running in the engine, but also the gearbox; the whole transmission in fact.

After the first 200 miles or so, I kept to under 5500rpm for most normal driving, but occasionally (say once every 30-50 miles) took it to 7000rpm. This exercises that third port which can be prone to sticking if it isn't worked.

It is only after completing the first 600 miles that I started taking it up to the 9000rpm red line. But only once fully warmed up and only occasionally to begin with, building up until after 1500 miles or so.

 

I've not found my gas mileage to vary too much with the revs in the upper range. I cruise around town in 3rd all the time, just waiting for a chance to punch it. 4th is for when I'm stuck in lots of traffic. I never use 5th and 6th until I'm on the highway.

Magsz, your baby will be fine. It's just not something you would want to do every time you drive it. Bet it was damn impressive though wasn't it?

 

when you shift gears, find 'em, don't grind 'em

 

The car meant to be driven hard, I didnt run redline nor did i baby this car (under 5K) in the first 600 miles. I've switched it up from cruising to going to 7K, just so the rotors are used to rotating that fast. Its a good idea to mix it up so the engine and trans are used to those different RPM. I dont see any problems going WOT after 600 miles. Something about the 9K redline that makes me feel that it needs to be push towards that range. It is a rotary after all. I wouldn't worry about hitting the redline and hearing the shift tone beep a few times during break in period. The car meant and built that way.

 

if your not shifting at 9k every gear you my friend bought the wrong car.

 

7andan8, lets just say i havent stopped smiling since yesterday. My friend is truly an exceptional driver, far better than i. Like i said, ive never driven or been driven like that before. I felt like i was in a rally race. Sure, the rx8 isnt the fastest car out there but still, hearing the engine rev up to 9k rpm's was...indescribeable.

Thanks for the advice guys, you've quashed any worries i had which were small to begin with but still, i feel much better.

Its a beautiful florida day out today so i think after some turkey im going to go rev the crap out of my car a bit with some aggressive driving.

PS, what does WOT mean?