What is the proper techniques to launching an automatic. My G/F wants to take her car to the track, but I can't tell her the same way I launch my M/T DSM. any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

 

Hold break.
Rev engine to higher than 3K
Let go of brake.

You will have to do some experimenting to find out the best place to hold the revs though..

 

Thanks.

 

When she does, get us some slips since there's a lot of speculation on what times the AT will run, and people ask what it runs quite often.

 

I'm betting somewhere in the 16.6-17.2 range

 

I was thinking about the same, but closer to the mid-high 16s.

 

yikes...running with Honda/Acura...

 

im gonna say high 15s.
If a 99 accord with 200hp and more weight can run 15s, than I think the 8 can too.

 

The very low torque and conservative stall speed of the torque converter handicap the auto 8 off the line. I don't see 60' times lower than 2.6 seconds. Once it reaches 5000RPM then it will pull decent, but I don't see any auto's breaking into the 15's....

Now this is my guess based on a conservative somewhat inexperienced driver. Somebody who doesn't care if they break one or not, with more skills can probably get a 15.9 out of an auto RX8.....


If somebody proves me wrong....I'll be surprised. But kinda happy. I sure hope the auto's are faster than they feel.

 

Odd, I have a 91 TSi AWD and am buying my soon to be wife a A/T Touring and she wanted to know the same thing...And yes the A/T feels Very slow on the butt dyno. I'm trying to talk her into manual but she's scared she'll stall and flood. Damn the over hyped flooding boogie monster.

 

ouch that's cold...Ive never driven a stick but thats what im gettin in my rx-8 so i guess im the only one since the rest are gettin A/t...when you launch do you usualy rev till about 3-4K and then drop the clutch or a lil higher then that since its such a small engine?

 

I have a 2003 Automatic Tiburon with a 4speed shifttronic....

I ran 16.2 sec in the 1/4 bone stock no more no less.

The Rx-8 should be able to do about .5 sec better because of the power difference.

the tiburon is rated @ 170 hp (crank) and 180 lb/ft (crank)

I have a few bolt on's....I now run a 15.3 in the 1/4

I know others that are running 15.0, 15.1 autos with I/H/E.


Point being...u should be faster if u have an auto...unless mazda f'd up. (right now I can beat a 6 speed in my auto)
but for me.

 

Umm....yeah....Tiburon...auto's faster than manual's..........riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggght......

 

retard. a moded auto can easily be faster than a stock manual. My auto Z28 can take a 6 speed Z28. But then again Chevy knows how to build a tranny.

 

Retard. (Not that I'd normally ever use that term, but in this company... ). So Chevy has built a production automatic transmission that can handle 9500 rpm? Didn't think so.

Knowing how to build an auto tranny has absolutely nothing to do with the reasons why the RX-8 auto is slower than the RX-8 manual.

For what it's worth, the 2006 RX-8 will have a 5 speed auto (how many of those were in Z28s?) that can handle the 9500 rpm of the high-power Renesis engine.

Regards,
Gordon

 

The dinosaur big displacement domestic V8's mate perfectly with those slushboxes...they have tons of low end torque to overcome the sloppy torque converters....a regular torque converter equipped auto should never be behind a rotary...unfortunately the market demands them....I'm glad there is the 6 speed.
And in your Camaro comparison, yep the performance is very similar, auto vs. manual. I am retarded...I know nothing....GM is the greatest car manufacturer in the world...I wish GM built the RX8, then we wouldn't be worring about the mileage, because the car won't start in the first place...friggin pieces of crap....

 

wow. my feelings are so hurt.
I really take no offence. You're pretty funny so it makes the insults worth it. Anyway, you're right. The market does demand the 8 carry an auto. It does need the M6 to get good launches and control the revs. I think a SMG would have been a wonderful option for it. Maybe in the future.

As far as my chevy not starting... I don't believe the F-body ever had problems flooding and not starting due to shotty programming.
And my auto gets 20mpg around town if I keep my foot out of it. Get that in your 8.
But you know, I never said the 8 was a bad car, nor did I put it down. I like it. But some of the drivers appear to be a$$holes.

 

Along with having the 5 speed auto that can handle 9500 rpm for the 2006 model year, Mazda will also introduce for '06 a 6 speed SMG. They're way ahead of you!

Regards,
Gordon

 

HAHHA....no prob..it did sound like I took offense to your comments, but I didn't...it's cool man, we all like what we like, and you are right...I used the wrong example....the rotary is hard to start when ignorant owners flood them...but I never had that problem so it's nothing to me...mileage...I can probably match that, but I got to really drive like grandma......Those F-bodies are amazingly fast, best bang for the buck in a pure drag racer's view, and can handle a road course pretty well too...I'm just not a domestic kind of guy...

I guess I did come across as an a$$hole....haha sorry.

 

it's all good. =) I like my Camaros but they only handle so so in my opinion, especially after driving the new 8 and some other cars. The 8 also has a lot higher quality interior. But I bought my Z for the motor not the GM plastic.

As far as the improved 5spd auto for 06 with a good stall, that's awesome. I couldn't figure out why they stuck in a 4 spd with a lame (probably ford) converter. I heard a lot of people saying converters can't handle 9k rpm but i know that to be wrong. they make em, just pricy. And if the SMG isn't too expensive i might end up with one in my drive way.

 

I guess thatsome of the automatic Rx8s are different from others b/c mine cannot get anywhere near 3000 RPM when I brake rev. In fact I can barely get mineup to 2500.

 

I hate to say it but there might not be enough torque to push the engine further. It could also be a programming issue. Converter also? Stall rpm may be shutting you down.
Whatever it is, launching at 2500 will be better than idle. Depending on traction. But I don't think that's a problem with 164 ft/lbs.

 

dude, if you really want to keep your g/f don't blow the tranny and rev the crap out of it and slide it into drive as you get off the break. that will cost her a new tranny possibly. just tell her to let it rip while in drive and breaks depressed. not worth the cost or agravation that dragging your auto will cause in the event you f it up.

 

imho i guess 15.85 let us know what she runs!