First AX with our R3
10-02-2012 | 01:23 PM
#1
First AX with our R3
OK, so what do you do 3 weeks after buying an RX8? Autocross it!! Bonus? Make wife co-drive!!
Result? Wife is hooked and wants to do it again. Benefit? She becomes a better driver and learns the cars limits better.
Some pics and videos:
Pic of the wife leaving the starting line.
Member from here and from South Florida Mazda Crew.
Photobucket is acting up so lets go to video's. My wife first, this was her first event. It was a full event too, 100 cars, so they bumped up the start time 1 hour, this caused us to not be able to walk the course. We had to run it cold with no looks at it. Thank god we worked first so we got to know our station well, then we tried to watch some other areas and see as best we could the flow of the course.
So here is my wifes first run then 3rd run and then her 5th run (we had 8 run this day)
ReneeAX - YouTube
Then I ran this is my 2nd and 5th runs:
RX8 R3 first AX - YouTube
I mounted a Contour Roam on my helmet and I liked the result.
RX8 Autocross Contour Helmet Cam mount - YouTube
Impression of the RX8? I liked it a lot, buttery smooth, fantastic feedback, and very predicable.
My main complaint, understeer, the alignment felt flat, I think a little camber in the front will do a lot of good and then I would like to see the toe in the front adjusted some too, I suspect it is toed in a lot, I would like to open than up some.
I am thinking a front swaybar might be the ticket as well. It would also help to have 4 of the same tires (front and rear are mismatched by PO) and have them be a better tire as well.
So, some small changes coming soon and hopefully it will be even better at the next AX.
Result? Wife is hooked and wants to do it again. Benefit? She becomes a better driver and learns the cars limits better.
Some pics and videos:
Pic of the wife leaving the starting line.
Member from here and from South Florida Mazda Crew.
Photobucket is acting up so lets go to video's. My wife first, this was her first event. It was a full event too, 100 cars, so they bumped up the start time 1 hour, this caused us to not be able to walk the course. We had to run it cold with no looks at it. Thank god we worked first so we got to know our station well, then we tried to watch some other areas and see as best we could the flow of the course.
So here is my wifes first run then 3rd run and then her 5th run (we had 8 run this day)
ReneeAX - YouTube
Then I ran this is my 2nd and 5th runs:
RX8 R3 first AX - YouTube
I mounted a Contour Roam on my helmet and I liked the result.
RX8 Autocross Contour Helmet Cam mount - YouTube
Impression of the RX8? I liked it a lot, buttery smooth, fantastic feedback, and very predicable.
My main complaint, understeer, the alignment felt flat, I think a little camber in the front will do a lot of good and then I would like to see the toe in the front adjusted some too, I suspect it is toed in a lot, I would like to open than up some.
I am thinking a front swaybar might be the ticket as well. It would also help to have 4 of the same tires (front and rear are mismatched by PO) and have them be a better tire as well.
So, some small changes coming soon and hopefully it will be even better at the next AX.
10-02-2012 | 06:58 PM
#2
Banned
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 329
Likes: 1
From: Pottsville, Pa
you sound like me and my r3, wife goes with and all
i got my align at 1.6 front, 1.2 rear, 0 toe, not camber adjust and am enjoying it for last 2 auto crosses,
as for tires, i found hankook v12, 245/35/19 to handle better than stock potenzas, grip wise. but they def did not have the response and stiff side of the potenza's rain was great.
currently i have 255/35/19 potenza re-11's and these are amazing wet and dry , respsone and grip beat both the others by a wide margin, down side expensive, but i will most lily replace then with a 245 all around or 235 front 255 rear
as for mods,
bhr iginition noticed throttle response improve and a lil mpg maybe .5-1 %
racing beat intake and duct, noticed nothing in butt dyno.
bhr midpip. notice nothing in butt dyno BUTT, it shoots flames and sounds amazing, not crazy loud at all but adds a nice deepness to the current sound, i still have stock catback. no drone at highway either almost silent under 3k rpm crusiing
axial flow SS, love it, but it is noisy, and it does wobble more, but the shifting feels great and it is actualy a little higher.
those are my impressions of mine had it almost a year. put 26,000 miles on it. i love it dearly enjoy
i got my align at 1.6 front, 1.2 rear, 0 toe, not camber adjust and am enjoying it for last 2 auto crosses,
as for tires, i found hankook v12, 245/35/19 to handle better than stock potenzas, grip wise. but they def did not have the response and stiff side of the potenza's rain was great.
currently i have 255/35/19 potenza re-11's and these are amazing wet and dry , respsone and grip beat both the others by a wide margin, down side expensive, but i will most lily replace then with a 245 all around or 235 front 255 rear
as for mods,
bhr iginition noticed throttle response improve and a lil mpg maybe .5-1 %
racing beat intake and duct, noticed nothing in butt dyno.
bhr midpip. notice nothing in butt dyno BUTT, it shoots flames and sounds amazing, not crazy loud at all but adds a nice deepness to the current sound, i still have stock catback. no drone at highway either almost silent under 3k rpm crusiing
axial flow SS, love it, but it is noisy, and it does wobble more, but the shifting feels great and it is actualy a little higher.
those are my impressions of mine had it almost a year. put 26,000 miles on it. i love it dearly enjoy
10-02-2012 | 07:31 PM
#3
IS your CEL on with the midpipe?
I want to get the cat off this car (rotaries hate cats) but I do not want the CL on all the time, plus, I am about to buy a 5 year 60K warranty on the car and do not want to mess that up.
I am heading to the Dragon so no AX for several weeks, then we are heading to another even early in Dec. the entire family is participating. Wife and I in the 8, my 19 y/o in his E30 (very dialed in) and my 9 y/o in his Kart. I am loving hat I have the entire family involved, years ago I used to go alone all the time and felt bad. My wife and older kid are both afraid of the RX7 so no co driving there. This 8 purchase has really made a positive impact on the family.
I want to get the cat off this car (rotaries hate cats) but I do not want the CL on all the time, plus, I am about to buy a 5 year 60K warranty on the car and do not want to mess that up.
I am heading to the Dragon so no AX for several weeks, then we are heading to another even early in Dec. the entire family is participating. Wife and I in the 8, my 19 y/o in his E30 (very dialed in) and my 9 y/o in his Kart. I am loving hat I have the entire family involved, years ago I used to go alone all the time and felt bad. My wife and older kid are both afraid of the RX7 so no co driving there. This 8 purchase has really made a positive impact on the family.
10-03-2012 | 07:09 AM
#4
Banned
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 329
Likes: 1
From: Pottsville, Pa
IS your CEL on with the midpipe?
I want to get the cat off this car (rotaries hate cats) but I do not want the CL on all the time, plus, I am about to buy a 5 year 60K warranty on the car and do not want to mess that up.
I am heading to the Dragon so no AX for several weeks, then we are heading to another even early in Dec. the entire family is participating. Wife and I in the 8, my 19 y/o in his E30 (very dialed in) and my 9 y/o in his Kart. I am loving hat I have the entire family involved, years ago I used to go alone all the time and felt bad. My wife and older kid are both afraid of the RX7 so no co driving there. This 8 purchase has really made a positive impact on the family.
I want to get the cat off this car (rotaries hate cats) but I do not want the CL on all the time, plus, I am about to buy a 5 year 60K warranty on the car and do not want to mess that up.
I am heading to the Dragon so no AX for several weeks, then we are heading to another even early in Dec. the entire family is participating. Wife and I in the 8, my 19 y/o in his E30 (very dialed in) and my 9 y/o in his Kart. I am loving hat I have the entire family involved, years ago I used to go alone all the time and felt bad. My wife and older kid are both afraid of the RX7 so no co driving there. This 8 purchase has really made a positive impact on the family.
10-03-2012 | 09:17 AM
#6
I click on any post that says R3 and I am glad I did on this one as well.
Hero - Thanks for the parts reviews.
Jim - We are in the same boat. I am looking at the BHR midpipe as well and the whole CEL thing annoys me. My R3 is a mazda CPO and when I take it in for oil changes etc, I don't want CEL popping up so the stealership does not immiediately void warranty. If the car acts odd, I will swap the midpipe out and take it in. I am almost looking at the BHR catted version, but seems like it is only for street use.
Hero - Thanks for the parts reviews.
Jim - We are in the same boat. I am looking at the BHR midpipe as well and the whole CEL thing annoys me. My R3 is a mazda CPO and when I take it in for oil changes etc, I don't want CEL popping up so the stealership does not immiediately void warranty. If the car acts odd, I will swap the midpipe out and take it in. I am almost looking at the BHR catted version, but seems like it is only for street use.