I currently own an s2000, and absolutely love it. Would like to have something better for the winter, so I've been shopping for an RX-8. But is this thing really worth the money, and can it compete with the 350z's and s2000's? Ultimately, I'm just hoping it doesn't come up short in comparison to my car as a FAST and agile sports car. All opinions on this would be great.

BTW, I plan on getting every possible option, including gps and 18" chromes. Will this be slower than a trimmed down base 6sp?

 

i drove a S2k and RX8 once... personally .. for preformancewise ... S2k give me more feedback from the road...
Test drove a RX8 and you will see the different.:D

 

There are a number of posts on the subject. Try a search. In a nutshell, I don't know that the 8 is any better or worse for winter weather in particular. It doesn't have the same hp or torque but handles extremely well.

 

Hp is about even and torque is higher on the RX8....but it all comes down to weight, gearing, and driver.

-Eric

 

Of course. Options add weight.

 

If you're looking for a 30k winter car and you already have a sports car(assuming you plan to keep your s2k), get a mercedes or something. The RX8 is rear wheel drive, just like any sports car and everyone knows, front wheel drive is the way to go on snow (or all wheel drive).

Just my personal opinion. The 8 doesnt have as much torque as the S2K, but it is a fast car.

 

I think I have the perfect combo for winter and summer! I really don't think I would look at the RX-8 if I wanted a winter time car. I think the drive would be similar to the s2k. You have to rev both cars to reach peak power, and they are both low on torque.

 

If you really want to compare the 2 you can pick up a copy of the March 04 issue of Motor Trend. Note: The RX8 used for the test was a base model 6spd. IMO They get better with options, as do most.

Good luck!

ps I LOVE MY 8!!!

 

Yea RX-8 definitely isn't a winter car. First of all it's rear wheel drive. If your looking for a car that wont "dissapoint" go with a WRX, those things handle the weather so well, and they have power. But for winter....rear wheel drive, cold, takes a while to warm up, and low end torque. Go with an STI or WRX with AWD.

PS: I also love my RX-8, this is why i live in California! no snow...

 

Your statements answer your own questions. You won't like it. I'd still recommend test driving it...it might just surprise you, but I don't think you'll like it still.

The RX-8 isn't an S2000 or 350Z competitor. Everyone LIKES TO THINK it is, but it isn't. The RX-7 is and will be out to do so in 2006. Those cars are 2 seaters with a harsh ride and hard performance. The 8 is a 4 seater sedan that is sporty... it's basically a BMW 3-Series or a Lexus IS300. Do you have an interest in either one of those cars? No? Now you see why I don't believe that you'll enjoy it. Compared to similar cars the RX-8 is more than worth the money... it is getting a lot of car for the money. When you compare apples to oranges... all you can get is juice.

 

The 8 is a more comfortable car. I feel the car is roomier and more space to store things.

The drive is much better in S2K. except it will tend to oversteer. I will keep the S2K but the RX-8 will be classier and more young family orientated. If I am single.... S2K! :D

 

You will love the rx-8. Drive it. I have driven an S2000 and its very fun. My other car is a 94 rx-7. Its twin turbos and modded. It has 350 rwhp and weighs 2735 lbs. Its light as hell handles amazing and will blow most cars away in a straight line, and out handle all but a few exotics.

My rx-8 is just as fun.

 

You list these 'problems' with the RX-8 as a winter car, yet you have no first-hand knowledge? Tsk...

I won't go off on a Gord(R) rant here, but the RX-8 with stability & traction control makes an awesome winter car with the right tires. No, it does not take a while to warm up, and the lack of low-end torque actually comes in pretty handy in the winter.

 

I have driven my RX-8 through snow, ice, and slop. Thats in city, urban, rural, expressway, and on days when the local schools were closed. So far my RX-8 has done very well in the snow, and my comparison is based on the six Honda (Civic, Accord, Odyssey) FWDs that were good in the winter, and one Grand Marquis RWD that was marginal (at best) in slippery winter conditions.

If you look you will find many threads and posts on the RX-8 in the winter . The items that come to mind are tires and cabin warmth, and I didn't find these to be issues.

A few days ago I was passing a car and as I came back into my lane (> 60 MPH) I had to cross over ridges of snow that bounded the wet areas caused by tire traffic. This was a drift area and I couldn't see it until I was on top of it. I expected the car to slip a bit as I crossed over, but it was stable throughout.

Edit Clarification: I am not recommending the RX-8 as a general winter car. As Mat points out below, there are better cars for the winter. I have found it to be an effective car for Ann Arbor winters, easily going through inches of fresh or old unplowed snow, even when the local schools are closed for snow days; an untested issue for me (its in my other posts) is when the snow depth approaches the RX-8 ground clearance. I have lived in Ann Arbor (some snow), Petoskey (more snow), and the Sault Ste Marie (lots of snow) with FWD and RWD cars, never needing AWD

 

a 30k winter car? I would definitely get something AWD. Mercedes have their 4matics, BMWs have their xi, Subaru's have their... well... cars, and Audis have their quatro. I think you have plenty of choices. I wouldn't be looking at any RWD for a winter car. Unless you consider 1 inch of snowfall as a "winter storm".

I would personally go for a cheap WRX or a nice 330xi. The RX-8 is a great car, and with DSC, it can survive winter, but go and test drive it in the snow or on ice. Then go try a WRX or 330xi under the same conditions. Plus having a more... well, practical car could be useful to you, considering you have a S2000.

 

Victor E,

Call Tire Rack. A second set of wheels with snow tires will solve your s2k winter problems.

The Rx8 is way more machine for the money. I test drove both and preferred and bought the rx8. The 8 is a real sportscar and will Ultimately compete with any sportscar. The s2k is too small and rough for me. I need more comfort and luxury.

 

If your only issue with the S2000 is better winter driving, invest in some good snow tires and be done with it. The Rx-8 is a capable winter driver with good snow tires, but it's hardly an ideal choice.

 

:D Well put! The RX-8 actually does make a great winter car - I much prefer driving it to our Audi allroad, just because the RX-8 is so much more fun! (Note, proper winter tires are essential for any winter vehicle, especially cars equipped stock with high performance summer tires like the RX-8.) The traction and stability control mean that RWD is NOT a disadvantage, and when turned off the RX-8 is extremely controllable, ie it slides and recovers at will. I suppose in deep snow the Audi is at an advantage, but those conditions don't hit all that often. The RX-8 suspension isn't as firm as the S2K or 350Z, which means that it actually handles winter conditions better than either of those two cars could, and the torque curve (high peak) means that the power (actually, accelerating traction) is more controllable than it would be on the 350Z. When warmed up, the heater output is great, and the heated seats are very nice too. I've taken my RX-8 skiing in the mountains several times.

I've owned plenty of FWD cars, and I'd take a RWD with good winter tires over a FWD with all-seasons ANY day. Personally, I'd take a RWD over FWD with equal winter tires, just because it's more controllable. There are some severe conditions where FWD might have a slight advantage, but those are rare, and on those days I'll be driving the quattro Audi anyway!

Regards,
Gordon

 

All the information you need is in the March 2004 issue of Motor Trend (The one with the test between the s2k, rx8, and 350Z)
it gives you the pros and cons to all three vehicles.

 

I own both and '02 S2K and an '04 RX-8.... and I live in Texas, so we don't have much 'winter weather'... but I we do have the occasional storm, and I can tell you first hand the RX-8 is VASTLY superior in poor weather compared to the S2000.

It shifts almost identically to the S2K... but the RX-8 has its own problems:

1) Its slower than the S2K (not by a lot, but it is slower)..but you wanted a winter car, so this probably isn't an issue.

2) Flooding problems. Do a search-- its pretty serious. What would happen if your some remote location and can't start your RX-8? Would you be in serious trouble? This is my #1 concern about having this car as a winter vehicle.

3) Gas Milage.. again, do a search. Driving the RX-8 like I drive my S2000, I get ~20mpg in the S2K, and ~11.5-12.5 MPG in the RX-8. Thats mildly spirited city driving-- not passive, but not overly agressive, just running around where I have some power (4-5.5k RPMS).

The stability and traction controls on the RX-8 (if you excluding the flooding issues) make it a GREAT winter car compared to other RWD vehicles. However, as others mentioned, an AWD Scoobie (like a WRX) would probably make a better winter vehicle (and its faster)... Though I don't care for the looks of the subaru.

 

2) Flooding is only a serious problem if you a) you don't follow the rules to prevent it, and b) you don't know how to solve it.

3) That's definitely the low-end for gas mileage (enough that I would go to the dealer and have it looked at). I now drive my RX-8 like I did my Miata (revs up and very spirited runs to redline), very much like an S2K, and I'm now averaging 16.5mpg over the last 4 tanks (mostly city). And that's in the cold weather with crappy 10% ethanol gas... if I were in the south with better gas and slightly warmer temps, I would expect 1-2mpg better than that even.

I'm not saying you're not experiencing these issues, but it's important to balance out infomation with several data points.

-Sean

 

re 2) How do you get to this hypothetical remote location? A long drive? Then the RX-8 won't flood, so no worries.

Remember, the ONLY condition which creates the chance for the RX-8 to flood (and also remember, it's only a possibility that it could flood, not a certainty) is if the engine is stopped within a minute or two of a COLD start. You know, back the car out of the garage and turn it off right away sort of thing. After the engine has run for more than a couple of minutes, it will NEVER flood. If it's been run recently, and you start it and stop it within a minute of that restart, it still won't flood. It really isn't that big a deal.

re 3) Your mileage is NOT typical - there are quite a few people who are getting poor mileage like you (so I'm not ignoring or dismissing the problem), but there are far more who are getting 16-18 mpg in city driving.

Regards,
Gordon

 

The flooding can happen by accident... you park, engine gets cold, you decide to leave the area because of weather conditions worsening... you let the clutch out too fast, poof.. a cold engine stalled -> Flooded (maybe.. but who knows..thats the scary part).

Now, restarting an RX-8 from a flood, FOLLOWING THE PROCEDURE 110% doesn't always work. I've started stalled engines many-many times over my 18 years of driving experience, and the rx-8 is no different. Gas to the floor, turn engine over until it starts. Well, that simply doesn't work all the time. THAT can leave you stranded in a bad way.

I'm not saying it will happen all the time... but it can. And thats a concern-- I've never-EVER worried about a perfectly fine vehicle not being able to start from a flood...

and I wasn't referring to backing out of the garage and turning it off... that same scenero could happen while camping.. move the car because its in the way of some camping equipment you want to move, or under a tree that has a pile of birds in it you didn't notice... move car 50 feet..turn car off. Weather gets horrid, go to start RX-8... stranded.

To me, thats a major concern..same thing could happen after eating at a diner...stall car... stuck on railroad tracks, dangerous intersection, blind corner, whatever.

 

Don't do it

 

As a previous s2000 owner, I can tell you that the rx-8 is (for me) not nearly as much fun to drive. The engine in the s2000 (also award winning) is just incredible, and a lot more adrenaline pumping than the rx-8.

As someone else on this thread mentioned, the rx-8 is a sporty sedan more than a true sports car. I bought ours for my wife to drive. She previously owned a 225hp TT Roadster. That was a heavy peice of crap car that we had numerous problems with, but I promise you the TT felt better in the curves than the 8, despite the TT's ridiculous curb weight. The 8 sits really high, and the suspension just doesn't give me confidence in the curves.

The 8 is a fun, nice car... but for the money there are better and more true "sports" cars out there. If you are looking for practical and mushy (comfortable) suspension, backseat, etc... then the 8 is fine (my wife loves it, but she's a girl :D ). If you want performance, then the s2k is where it's at in that price range. But you already know that.

As far as snow driving, I would say that neither is a smart option. But when it's not snowing and you're ready for a drive I would be willing to bet that you'd jump in your S2k before jumping into the 8 if you were to have both.

Just my opinion.

RR
---------------------
'03 NSX - Black/Tan
'04 RX-8 - Ti Silver/Black

Previously owned:
'00 S2000 - Red/Black
'00 TT Coupe 180 hp- Silver/Black
'01 TT Roadster 225hp- Silver/Gray