arnoldj

Im very curious of this as I have never driven a non turbo rotary before. Will the RX8 be weak and lifeless before it gets into its powerband? Will you have to drive around and 7500 rmp constantly to feel any power? Will this car handle well? Have they release handling specs?


I've been in love with the RX8 for a long time and been wanting to put down a deposit, but no one can even tell me what kind of tires the thing has yet. Any numbers from mazda would really make me feel better. Are they going to release this info because I just don't feel comfortable handing over a grand not knowing anything but the color.

Fëakhelek

Skim the messages in this forum. Especially the Discussion section. There are tons of posts about the expected performance of the RX-8. A couple of the guys here have posted torque curve graphs and analyses based on weight, gearing, power and other factors and give approximate 0-60 and 1/4 mile times.

You might also want to use the search button. There have been a lot of comparisons to the 350Z, S2000 and G35.

Happy Researching!

Spoonie

If the RX8 performs anything like the S2000 they can keep it. Have you ever driven an S2000? The car feels like an Acura Integra up untill 5,750 rpm. After that the car really performs. Although the integra is not a slow car, its not really a fast car either. You would expect a performace car (S2000) to have acceleration that resembles a Muscle Car not an Integra.

jmanolov

Expected from who? You?
To resemble a muscle car? Hahaha, but No, thanks ...
S2000 has a great engine.
The fact that you have to rev is on of the best things in that car.
I hope the RX-8 feels the same way. 9000rpm is not as cool as the 18000 redline of the formula1 engines, but is still tons more fun than the 5-6K redline of the muscle junks

Quick_lude

Haha.. the S does the 1/4 in about 14 secs so I guess the final result resembles a muscle car, just not how you get there. Please go troll on the S2Konline.com

Arnold, from what I've read here so far the Renesis engine should feel as good as the S2000 powerplant if not better. I think it will feel smoother throughout the powerband and pull all the way to redline very nicely.

That said I would never put any money down on any car before I get to see it and drive it. If I was making $200K a year, well then maybe I would.

Spoonie

14 sec flat. You are dreaming. The S2000 has not run 14 flat in years. The only time that a stock S2000 ran 14 flat was when honda provided modded examples to run low times for the magazines. Recently, the best times that Iv'e seen falls in the 14.5 -14.9 second range.

Car and driver summed is up best about the S2000, and i couldn't agree more. December 2002 "hot tin roofs" You should read the comparison test. The 350z beat out the S2000.

"Highs: Light, tight, and ready to fight, and by far the easiest top to remove.

Lows: Claustrophobic with its hardtop on, a nest of hornets under the hood with not enough sting.

The Verdict: Always searching for a track and settling for the road.

Quick_lude

I'll be first to agree the S is not a great 1/4 mile car. You need to launch at 7K rpm and that can't be good for the car in the long run. BUT some owners have broken the 14 sec barrier stock, depending on conditions of course. So it can be a 1/4 mile car but it's NOT made to be a 1/4 mile car. It was also designed to be a roadster/convertible, it doesn't work very well with the top on. I'm hoping the 8 doesn't need to be launched at 7K to get good 1/4 mile times but personally I don't really care, I don't race the 1/4 anyway, I race at a real track with turns. :p And I will have absolutely no problem keeping the rpms up there.

Rich

I expect the RX-8 to be very close to the S2000 in performance. I wouldn't be surprised or disappointed at all if it's a few ticks slower in a straight line. Every car I buy from now on must be a capable autocrosser, and the S2000 certainly is. I'd like to have one. With that said, for me the handling on the S2000 that I drove was a bit much at the limit. Again, I'd be quite happy if the RX-8 comes in a few notches below the S2000 in skidpad, slalom, etc. if it feels more stable at those limits. The Miata takes that a bit too far for my taste; it makes horrible drivers look fantastic because it's so incredibly easy to catch if you push it too far. You can do some of the most idiotic things and it won't bite you too hard. Somewhere right in the middle is where I'd like the RX-8 to be. If it's not, it should be easy enough to fix with alignment, tires, shocks and sways.

I guess I'm not the right person to answer your question. I enjoy how a car feels on the street and autocross than what the numbers are. Feel can't be faked or fixed nearly as easily as skidpad or slalom numbers. All those really take is sticky rubber and an alignment, and you're well above whatever the car was stock.

As for the power issue, that's even more difficult. I agree with the Ingegra comparison for the S2k. I didn't like the feel, but it wasn't nearly as troubling as the incredible racket the thing made when it was in the powerband. Every cop within 10 blocks can hear one of those when you hit the VTEC. It's an amazing achievement to get that kind of power from that size engine, but it either feels like an Integra when off the VTEC or is screaming bloody murder when on-VTEC. Hopefully the smoothness of the rotary will take car of the noise and the width of the torque curve and the gearing will take care of the Integra-like feel. It'll never feel like a 350Z pulling away from the lights though. It'll be just as quick (or a hair slower), but the feel should be different.

btw, I'm not at all trying to knock the S2k. I lusted after them until I test drove one, and then I was just impressed. I liked it a lot, just not $15k more than the Miata I ended up getting instead. Great car, just not for me, particularly at that price.

9000RPMan

The S2000 was never designed to be a 1/4 mile car. Drag racing is for people with attention deficit disorder (thats my line anyway hahaha). The beauty of the S2000 is the completely shake free chassis and incredible handling, with the nearest enging to an F1 engine on the market. I have lived with my S2000 for 3 years and in all conditions (I bought it off the showroom floor and drove it home in the middle of a blinding snowstorm. If your idea of a sportscar is a muscle car, that posts good numbers 0-60 or 1/4 mile, then the S2000 AND RX-8 are not for you. If your idea of a sporstcar is a car with above average speed, and can tackle the twisty bits while putting a smile on your face, then the S2000, RX-8, Boxster etc are for you.

Hercules

Amen.

BryanH

That's because the powerband is all up high in the S2000. Not really a bad thing on the track as long as the gearing is done right. You can be in the powerband at all times. To some people that's the beauty of engines like this -- they can tootle around town economically, and then take it to the track and let the engine go wild in its upper rev range. The Jekyll and Hyde effect, if you will.

If the S2000 feels too slow below the VTEC point, just make sure you're on the cam whenever you want to go fast. It's not hard.


Anyway I believe the RX-8 will have a more linear powerband than the S2000.

MazdaMan182

"9000rpm is not as cool as the 18000 redline of the formula1 engines, but is still tons more fun than the 5-6K redline of the muscle junks"

isnt it an 8500 redline now?

Hercules

9000 RPM redline. 9500 Fuel cutoff/buzzer alarm.

pelucidor

Yummy! I've got to experience a rotary engine ASAP

MazdaMan182

Herc, according to Car & Driver, the redline is 8500 and also the pictures boowana took, the redline appears to be 8500... you may be write though

rotisserie

Check it out playa:D

http://www2.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/rx8/rx8_main_flash.jsp

RX8-Rob

As the owner of an S2000, I think the outright performance will be similar, but the on-street performance of the RX8 will be better due to a better torque curve. It will all come down to gearing, too.

BTW, Spoonie, several S2000 owners have gotten them to run 13.8's in the 1/4 mile, so I don't know where you get your info from, but it shows some people can't drive and some can.

nk_Rx8

According to the other post with the spec sheet, http://www.rx8forum.com/showthread.php?threadid=1835 it's curb weight is going to be 3000+lbs. It won't be outperforming an S2000 if it's curb weight is going to be 200lbs more than the S2000.

kry

can't compare two different car like this

reasons
4 cylinder 2 seater convertble vs rotary 4 seater

V6 Class vs 2.0 liter class

every year Bestmotoring DVD has the circuit battle they brought out the best japanese domestic performance car like skyline, type r, lan evo, rx7, supra, nsx, s2000, impreza. all gather on the circuit running 20 laps.. for the past 2 years rx 7 won the champion due the to light weight and good balance compare to skyline, nsx, lan evo... in 2.0 liter class s2000 won , but the rx-7 v6 and rotary class beat the 2.0 liter class by like 5 laps..

i think it's just two different car u can't really compare

i think it would be fair to compare it with 350z

and on autoX RX8 should be faster due to the low end torque and higher hp.. S2000 handles good, but we don't really rev to 6k that often in a AUTOX
on drag race RX8 is faster because has more power

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

where can I find this Bestmotoring DVD you're talking about???

Quick_lude

YES we do.

Sputnik

And why the heck not?

---jps

BryanH

I compare them (RX8 and S2000) because they will offer similar overall performance for a similar cost. I think that's fair. Whether you want that performance from a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder, or a rotary engine, that's a personal preference.

psukhu

The S2000 has no stability control or traction control.

kry

www.bestmotoring.jp