I love it when stupid Americans think rally racing is like a freaking offroad event. Ever heard the word tarmac? There is plenty of it in rally racing.

 

Infidel

You guys just cant stay on the freaking road so had get BI

 

I guess it's a big leap of assumption(?), kinda like how we call football, football, when the rest of the world thinks football is soccer. And how World Series has nothing to do with the world.

Yeah, I'm very sad that SPEED Channel doesn't show rallies anymore. It's NASCAR and drag racing most of the time . I'm just glad it's hanging on to F-1 and Le Mans, but I wonder for how long?

Ike, do you know if the surface is real tar macadam? I'm asking because I don't think tar macadam is common anymore. That stuff is expensive. I think Europe uses BST tar and chip coating for low traffic roads commonly used in rallies, but I'm not sure.

 

Nah, tarmac was actually a proprietary name that developed into a generic term used for just about any form of pavement with a sealed surface. Much along the lines of Kleenex for tissue or Jacuzzi for hot tub.

 

Raw performance the 350Z wins but for comfort/quality/build the RX-8 wins hands down. Styling is a personal preference. I like aspects and both and don't like aspects of both.

I have never driven a Z, but from what I have read review wise, it can knock you fillings loose. You may be able to drive fast and corner fast, but you're going to feel it everytime you start to move.

 

We all here could have purchased a Z if wanted. We made our choice. I for one dont regret it.

Z"s & STI"s are good cars but when you see one at every other street corner, I for one am glade I did'nt get one.

 

flush yo whole radiator

 

I think that some people are not on the same school of thought as to what fast is. A lot of people think a car is fast because it can go 0-60 the fastest or cover the quarter mile in certian time. I think of a car as fast because of the way it can make it's way around a tight race course.

What makes the 8 so "fast" is the balance of the car. It can transition from turn to turn, from the brakes to gas, like about nothing else out there. It takes the very bumpy corners with such ease that it is crazy. Corners that has the stiff suspension in the S2000 bounce around, the 8 goes around with realy no drama and little steering corections. In my definition of fast, the 8 is fast. How can it not when I can get it around a racetrack with cars that cost 2 or 3 times more.

 

On the topic of "racing pedigree": head over to the Competition forum and check out those guys who are competing in Nationals-level Solo II competition. these guys and their Rx8s have pretty much had the 350Zs' number in B-Stock class over the past couple of years. I'm hoping they win again @ Nationals coming up, but not *too* convincingly, lest SCCA bumps the RX8 up to even tougher competition in A-Stock next year. this is what happened to the S2K a couple of years ago, BTW.
of course Solo II is but one type of racing only, and certainly nothing like drag racing. But I guess my point is the RX8 is at home on the track just as much as the Z.

 

Ehh, skipping gears is NOT good for the syncros. The drivetrain shock for shifting into 6th right from 9000-9400rpm is KILLER on the syncro, and 4-6th gears have less "backing" to the syncros then 1-3rd.


Ok, someone needs to set this forum straight. STOP TALKING ABOUT CARBON BUILDUP. If you redline the car once a week, and ride at 2500rpm at ALL OTHER TIMES, you will not have any abnormal wear. Hell, going to 6000rpm under heavy load will do the same thing as redlining 1st/2nd.

Seriously, you need to stop talking about carbon buildup when you obviously have no idea how it works. If you drove for YEARS without redlining it, yes, you will have a massive build up of carbon on the faces which could flake off and take out a seal. But driving under heavy load at low RPM's will not cause any carbon buildup that is worth mentioning.

 

That is what you call a McDonnald Car. AKA one around every corner.

 

The 350Z is just an Infinity G35 without a back seat and a shorter warranty. What's to get excited about? The original 240Z was a groundbreaking design brought in at a competitive price. The 350Z is just a chopped redo of the luxury oriented G35. If performance is the issue, there's plenty of cheaper cars with more performance than the Z.

 

The total numbers of STIs since it was realesed in the US is less than the number of RX-8s sold in its first year alone.

 

So? This comming from a banana avatar?

Joking lol.

Anyway, Im mostly speaking of the Z, which I see everywhere, EVERYwhere. As for the STI, I see at least 5 to 1. So not really a McDonnald car like the Mustang is, but still. Also, the body style of the STi is common looking, which adds to the McDonnald Car classification.

 

I wish....try 11.5 to 12.5mpg city.

 

???? Why are the MPG differences soo vast? (dont answer that it has been posted a bazillion times im sure).

Anyway 70% street (2/3gear) I get 17-21mpg. Again, 06a/t.

 

I believe the WRX may have been included in his count. I do find it hard to believe the STI is in such limited numbers. I probably see 3 STIs for every RX I see.

I love the RX but have some bad news, Nissan has a 400hp sub 5 sec super charged Z running around in testing which is rumored to be heading into production next year. Mazda better get there act together with some type of forced induction.

 

Same here. And some other guy I knew had one, and he was quite possibly a homosexual.

 

I read about that car, but it said it wouldn't see production. We'll see.

 

...not that there is anything wrong with that.

 

Mazda needed to get their act together a while ago on the RX-8, especially when horsepower matters most here in the U.S.

 

:sigh:

 

I have an 8 with a aem cold air intake and my friend has a 350z stock. In my opinion his feels a lot heavier and not really as solid. The 8's handeling and style are alot better and with my aem intake I easily not only keep up with him but I can now almost beat him off the line.

 

yeah im looking to get an intake for my 8 soon. THe last cold-air i bought was an INJEN for my 05' subaru (:-( sold now), which i loved. It was a little noisy at first but then i got a new exhaust and it sounded much better. I'll prolly gonna get another Injen for my 8 (if they make them) or possibly an AEM. How many horses will the Cold air intake ACTUALLY add on an 8?

 

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