Originally Posted by rx8wannahave

Can you explain that a little more? I want to make sure that when I do a 0-60 run (probably once a month...all other runs are from a rolling start) I'm not hurting my 8. What's a "hard" launch?

Originally Posted by rx8wannahave

Can you explain that a little more? I want to make sure that when I do a 0-60 run (probably once a month...all other runs are from a rolling start) I'm not hurting my 8. What's a "hard" launch?

Originally Posted by rx8wannahave

Yeah, that's what I thought but how else can you take off? If you are trying to get the best time how can you release the clutch little by little? Maybe I just need someone to teach me but I thought (I don't power shift that's for sure) that's how the mag's get their times????

Originally Posted by rx8wannahave

Yeah, that's what I thought but how else can you take off? If you are trying to get the best time how can you release the clutch little by little? Maybe I just need someone to teach me but I thought (I don't power shift that's for sure) that's how the mag's get their times????

Originally Posted by missinmahseven

Easy: When C&D breaks a car, they don't pay for it.

Which is why Mitsubishi absolutely refused to get 'em a 3rd 3000GT VR4.. they broke the first one by hard-launching, and wrapped the 2nd one around a tree... and they don't pay a dime for it.

What a job! :D

Originally Posted by rx8wannahave

but the day I take it to a track to get the 0-60 times what should I do? Dropping the clutch makes sense...but maybe I just have not been taught anything different???

Note: I've only done like 2 0-60 runs in 2.7K miles on my car so I'm not dragging it all the time or something

Originally Posted by LostAngel

What you do is what you should do to get a good 0-60 run...its just that to do that it's bad for your car. Babing car = longer life and not seeing full potential. Being hard on it = shorter life but seeing full potential.

Originally Posted by missinmahseven

I get the full potential out of my cars, just not in a 0-anything nor in a drag race. No street car I know of, other than the torque-monsters of old, are drag cars in showroom-stock form.

I measure my car's potential not by naught-something, but by how much the tires chirp around corners... If the tires ain't chirping as I near the apex, then I'm not giving the car enough.. if they scream, I gave it *too* much.

I do'nt baby my car. She sees redline at least twice every drive. When I wanna pass someone with authority, I just don't mash the gas -- let's say i'm doing 70 in 6th.. well, I'll double-clutch match-rev a downshift to THIRD, which at 70 means 7000 rpm, and floor it.. no drama, no beating up the gearbox, but the car will do a credible impression of a warp jump, and you'll get sucked into the seat.... before you know it, you're 90, shifting into 5th, before you know it again, you're reching for that last cog, doing truly illegal speeds..

But that's not beating the car -- that's using it as she was designed to be used. Downshift at that speed, from 6th to 3rd, without properly setting it up, and guess what.. we're back to burning up clutches and breaking pilot bearings.

Translation: I beat the crap outta my cars, but I do make sure I don't do anything that'll harm it, and I tend to the things which need tending to. I got 160,000 outta my miata before some dip rear-ended me.. I expect no less from the 8. In fact, if I don't get this clutch to 200,000 I'll be pissed

Originally Posted by Str8cold

The best advice I can give you if you are interested and thinking about buying an RX8 is to go to one of the meets in your area and talk to some of the owners. I went through and did alot of research and then went to a local meet here in Dallas over at Cheddars and everyone there was more than happy to answer any and all of my questions. After your first test drive you will be hooked, I finally picked up my RX8 2 days ago and I could not be happier with it.

2004 RX8 6-speed GT Titanium

Originally Posted by Wurmfist

Pro's: Great Handling, lovely interior, nice dash setup, great bodystyle, high-rpm redline, rotary engine, unique sports car that you don't see on every corner, low weight, and it seats 4, just to name a few, I'm sure others have more.

Cons: Not a daily driver (IMHO), renesis engine requires special care (I.E. Warm ups and cool downs, adding oil at regular intervals. I don't really see this as a con but some people don't take care of engines as they should and the renesis has special or different requirements over your standard piston engine.), poor gas mileage, weak A/C. Lower horse power than others in it's class and price range.

Overall: I really have enjoyed this car in the little over a year I have had it. I'm not the type of guy that has to have the highest power, but I look for the whole package. This car is meant for the curves and if you know how to drive it you can really take it to the extreme. I would say don't even bother to consider the automatic version at all. The Sirius add-on would be nice for the 2005 and up models. I have sirius in my van and wished I had it in my 8. What it lacks a little (very little) in power it makes up for in every other way. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give it a 8.5.

Car comparo (in my opinion)
S2000: 8 (don't like 2 seats)
350Z: 7 (nice power but a rough ride)
Lancer Evo: 6 (It's a 4 door sedan with a big engine, not a sports car)
WRX: 6 (same as evo)
WRX STI: 7 (same as the others but the power is impressive)
GTO: 6 (Crap bodystyle, looks like a cavalier on steriods, gets a 6 only because of the engine)
Lutos Elise: 9 (I love this car, high-price though, can compete with a viper)


I list those just so you can see how I compare the 8 with other cars and why I got the 8 instead of everything else. This is just based on my opinion. Hope it was helpful.

Originally Posted by Wurmfist

It dosen't lack in power at all, but there are many sedans on the road that could give it a run for it's money. I think they could have found another 25-40 hps for the price range and it's competitors.

I want to add another thought: Winter Driving on OEM tires. If you go and get some all-season tires for the winter you will be fine, but the OEM Bridgestones don't do so well in snow and ice.


RX8wannahave: I don't think it's a daily driver for most people because of the way most people treat their daily driver cars. You would have to agree that the majority of people just get in there car and drive off with little thought about letting the engine warm up a hair first. I don't think it's a daily driver because I drive a couple hundred miles a day and I get stuck in traffic all the time, manual transmissions can get annoying when stuck in stop and go traffic. So from my perspective, I wouldn't drive it everyday. I have my mini-van for that. If all I had to do is go to work and back then I might consider it, but for those who are in too much of a hurry to take care of their engine they are going to have flooding problems and who knows what else.