You'll never hear the audi/vw guys complain about the automatics there. It just looks like they're more refined with the intent on making a great car with an automatic tranny.

It seems like mazda wanted people who can't drive sticks to be able to own a rotary powered car and slapped a mazda3 auto tranny in there at the last minute.

 

FYI: Mazda 3 is fwd...the 8's tranny is from the FD (which leads to another FYI: the 8's not the first rotary powered vehicle to have an auto tranny...). In fact auto's go way back.

The only complaint most people have (of those who have actually driven one) about the 8's AT is the gear ratios. There are those who complain about the AT for no other reason than to boost their own ego, and to rave about their awesome intelligence that made them buy a 6spd. Hint: no one cares what they think, if we cared, we wouldn't have purchased the auto in the first place. The auto 8 is quicker than it's 0-60 numbers suggest, it's just very slow from a stop. It moves just fine at speed, even with it's terrible gear ratios. And it'll handle the turns just as well, if not better than its 6speed equivalent.

For the OP: I've never encountered any delay in shifting, perhaps it was that particular car? (56000 miles here).

 

Test drive another one.

I have noticed a slight delay every now and then but few and far between.... it's barely noticeable. Some have reported more of a delay using the paddle shifters rather than the actual shifter.

I would echo the people that think you should wait for the 6AT though.

You MT fanatics are sad.

Give it up b/c:

• He physically can't drive a MT
• He physically can't drive a MT
• He physically can't drive a MT
• He physically can't drive a MT

 

Yes thats it, please with all the mistakes I have made in life (and not regretted) I think it will be a while before I regret buying an AT8. I sit around all the time in traffic, hills, and city driving, sippin on my coffee wishing I were so smart like you and jamming on the tranny. You so cool, could you send me a lock of your hair. lol.

Like I said, few are the times I am out on the US Autobahn pushing the limits of my car. I am usually just getting from place to place which is really what the AT is all about. If I had a different driving enviroment, a set of knees that pop like a granny clutch from years of baseball, football and tennis maybe I would be envious...but then I just take my poor pathetic AT for a high spirited drive and it goes away.

In the end, its about how comfortable you are with your choice and the situations around it. It seems you are the one with the uberMT that feels the need to lecture others about their "choices". A shrink would call that "projecting".

My point being we all KNOW that the AT has limitations compared to the MT R8 which has limitations on the next uber car. If it was about having the best car we would all drive testerosa's or something. Its about the "right" car and I find people who mock others for a personal choice out of some sort of self-percieved grandiosity that annoy's me. Do you have to drive his AT? No. Has he asked for your opinion on the MT vs AT? No. Are you inconvenienced by his choice or anyone elses? No. So then why must you get all hot and bothered over it....to each his own and as I mentioned before...get over it and move on.

 

I purchased an AT RX-8 a few weeks ago and am completely happy with it. I do like the MT RX-8 more because of the extra power and they are a lot of fun to drive. But I don't drive around looking for street races everyday. Your car doesn't have to be the fastest car on the block to be the coolest.

 

Let him get an '06 AT 8, he has an excuse, geez

To lighten the mood...


Stare into the eyes of the smiley.

 

I ordered a 6MT but I have only driven an automatic RX-8. I didn't try the paddles on it or anything. Just driving it. I was happy with it. I was actually debating whether or not to get an automatic or a stick since I have a left ankle injury that causes me problems. I tore the muscle away where the tendon attaches that controls the up and down motion of my foot so repeated use of my foot on the clutch in stop and go traffic causes me to limp later. This is a nonhealing injury. However, I didn't have to decide what to get for myself. My second job told me I had to have a stick, so that's what I ordered. I figure since I don't actually do a lot of stop and go traffic it shouldn't be a big deal to have to limp on occasion.

I think you'll be happy with the AT. I don't have any answer for the "shifting" issues since I have never tried it.

 

You're confusing the car, and perhaps you're also not used to a tiptronic system. They do have delays and you have to factor this in to how you shift it. Trying to pop it instantly down two gears isn't going to work, you need to give it a second or so between each downshift to let the gears complete their shifting. You're also much more likely to get down there quicker if you rev match between each shift, particularly from 3rd to 2nd, and it will certainly be smoother.

In fact if trying to jump down two gears is what you're trying to do, you're better off driving in full automatic mode, where slamming on the gas WILL drop it from 4 -> 2 instantly and the moment you let off the gas, it goes back to 4 instantly. A friend that test drove my RX-8 arbitrarily played around with this (and I wasn't very happy about it really) thinking how it was cool the display number jumped from 4 to 2.

Logically speaking, you should be in 3rd anyways at 40 mph. You'd be lugging if you were doing 40 in 4th. You need to be at about 45 mph to not be lugging the engine while in 4th. Yeah the Renesis can handle being lugged at some ridiculously low speeds in 3rd and 4th (I've rolled through some stop signs in 3rd doing like 5 mph when it got stuck and wouldn't go back to 1st on its own like it should) but it's definitely not happy about it, and sometimes will show this up in the form of serious lugging that you can feel. Being it's not the torquiest engine it needs to be run at some decent revs to keep things nice and smooth.

 

I have a manumatic (non RX-8) and I drop it two gears constantly. It's the same amount of lag as if I mashed down the accelerator. I personally don't understand why you would want to try and rev match in one. The computer is going to handle everything for you. Just shift and mash the pedal down.

It's perfectly reasonable to be going 40 and be in 4th. If you're cruising on the highway at this speed you will be in 4th in an automatic. I don't know if the automatic has "lug-protection" or some random thing like that, but my car ALWAYS (well, above 20mph or something) goes to 4th when it realizes I'm cruising (meaning I'm maintaining the same speed).

Anyways, just my experience.

 

There is a huge difference between how the RX-8 feels if you rev match or don't when just dropping down gears, particularly at high RPMs. You get quite a bit of engine braking if you don't rev match. Even just dropping it down and mashing the gas does not feel as smooth as if you rev matched first. There is a slight moment of engine braking before the lower gear kicks in if you just drop it at high RPMs, whereas with a good rev match you can hardly feel the gears change.

As for the 2nd point...it ain't a rotary. Piston engines, even 4 bangers, have enough torque down low so that you don't feel the lugging in 4th gear at low speeds. Mines will start lugging in 4th at 40 particularly if I'm barely applying throttle...the car will start shaking miserably and generally feel like it's going to die. It tends to happen in scenarios where I have to follow up close to another car around town, where you can barely apply any throttle. Letting the RPMs drop and then suddenly trying to give it gas at low speeds while in 3rd or 4th causes the lugging. I don't think it's just my RX-8 either as a few others have had the same experience around here. I've never gotten a straight answer as to why, but some have just chalked it up to the rotary not having much torque down low.

 

Couple questions then. Are you saying that if you're going 50mph in 4th gear and want to go as fast as possible, it's better to keep it in fourth, rev the engine a little, and then downshift to 3rd, rev it up again, downshift to 2nd, and then mash the pedal? I'm more than likely missing something, so I'll let you explain.

In my car, I can either mash the pedal and let it think and downshift appropriately by itself (auto mode) or I can slap it down two gears (manual mode) as I begin to floor it. I always get more kick with less lag when I do the latter.

Secondly, does the RX-8 display what gear you're in when you're in full auto mode? What does it say when you're cruising at 40mph down the highway? Does it stay in 3rd? Just curious.