Hey guys Im new to this forum but not to the Rotary world. I have been a member of the RX7club for a long time now (my car is the one at the top of the home page) I have a lot of experiance with FC's but not a whole heck of a lot with an 8. I had my wife pick up an 8 when they fist came out for her dialy driver. We have had our fun with it but its really starting to **** me off on how slow the car really is. A friend of mine has a 350z and another has a WRX both those are are neck and neck in a race and the little RX8 gets left in the dust when we hit 2nd gear. The 350z has an intake and the WRX has a full exhaust!! Since my FC has been in the shop getting all my NEW goodies put in (for the past 4 months) I have been driving the RX8 a lot and Im just getting sick and tired for the car being beat up on by cars that if it were back in the mid 90's the Rotary would have walked all over them!!!! What can I do to this car for lets say 1700.00 that would actually make a difference other than the standerd intake and exhaust? Basicly the biggest bang for the buck???

Any imput would be great!
Thanks guys and gals,

 

Unfortunately the days of cheap easy rotary power are gone. You are going to find that it takes a lot of money to get only a little gain. An intake on this car will only get you a few horsepower. Exhausts will only get yuo a few horsepower. Flywheels will definitely increase your acceleration. For $1700 I am sad to say that it is very unlikely that you will catch a 350Z or WRX that has been even slightly modded. Porting hasn't proved to do much yet either. The ecu is so controlling that it makes aftermarket tuning very difficult. This is the boggest challenge in terms of tuning for big power. The stock ecu learns what changes you make and compensates for them. In order to catch those other cars, for the money forced induction is the way to go. Unfortunately you won't be getting huge power out of FI yet. The Greddy kit uses a pathetic small turbo that doesn't have much potential. Not much more than a stock T-II turbo. It was designed for a slight increase in power and quick spool times though and not ultimate power. You would completely max this system out at around 300 hp. This new rotary just doesn't behave like the older ones. There are some other kits out such as the PTP turbo and others but they are much more costly. To really catch those cars with only $1700 will probably take nitrous. That's the cheapest way to get any speed.

FWIW: This forum does not condone street racing nor do we allow kill stories or the like to be posted here. Remember your comparisons between the RX-8 and the WRX and 350Z were performed on a track and not on public roads.

 

Thanks rotarygod, I almost forgot that all of my races were sanctioned and on tracks each and every time.

 

I dont even know if you would be able to beat a stock 350z in a straight line with 1700 invested. The RX8 is not a straight line rocket by any means, but that is not its purpose. Next time ur friends race and you get left behind in the dust, ask them to go with you in the twisties and you will wipe the smiles off of their faces.

 

Dude I hope you are referring to the STI....because the base WRX with 220hp is neck and neck with the 8, I have had real world experience with that, from a stop, and on the highway. Unless your 8 came out of the box underpowered, there is no way the WRX should beat you. Mine pulls just fine, and against a regular WRX turbo, the cars are almost identical in performance.....those who don't believe that well I guess I must have been dreaming when the last WRX tried to take me from a light....lets just say he didn't. Man there must be some seriously underpowered 8's out there.....mine feels just fine...quick yes...fast no...quick cars are like the 8, RSX-s, even the WRX....fast cars are the STI etc.

 

For $1700, maybe the canzoomer piggyback ECU unit (tuned), hi-flow cat package. That is probably your best bang for the $. Depends where your car dynos. If it is a 170 whp unit, you can get a bit, if it is a 190 whp, not quite as much. Other than that a nice Zex wet system with a 55/65/75 jet will help you out the most.

 

I'm calling BS on you buddy! Go back to your own forums!

 

the hell?

 

I'm just messing with him. LOL But how come he hasnt posted anything since then? Kinda fishy if you ask me!

 

Midpipe, Catback, Lightweight 17' or 18's, keep the car light, thats your advantage over a 350z or a WRX. Driving the car right is by far the most important thing to do in order to even think about keeping up with a 350z. If you drive the car right you would be suprised with what you can stick with. A WRX with a turboback should not be a problem. A 350z shouldn't be either until 4th.

 

A catback exhaust system can be a very nice power increase on a turbo car. Boost will go up. Even if it is only a standard WRX with an exhaust, it wouldn't be hard to beat an RX-8. Turbo cars are very easy to get moving faster for little to no money.

 

Very true. My younger brother has an 05 WRX and for under $1000 got 50 whp. He dyno'd 264WHP with a piggyback, uppipe, downpipe, and exhaust.

Stock was a drivers race. Now I won't mess with it.

 

I admit the 8 is a great handling car, but fwiw those cars aforementioned isn't far behind. Quit thinking the 8 is the ultimate handling car, its great but you won't wipe a smile of any 350z or wrx if you don't know how to drive and if the opposition is a better driver chances are likely twisties or not it will keep up just fine if not have you beat. Bottom line straightline is a race based on a cars power and the turning part is base mostly on skills having a great handling car helps but won't save you the day if you can't drive.

O yeah, if you think your car slow stop racing it and you stop losing.

 

In a race through the twisties with your average amateur racers driving the 8 will come out WAY on top of those other 2 cars solely because you'd reach the fear threshold way earlier in the other cars...

the 350z at the limit is one scary thing to manhandle through turns...

my 8 feels more like its dancing...

i can't comment on the WRX as I've never purposely tried to spin one out... but the 8 just outshines the car at this moment


I'd like to mention that the intentionally spinning out the 8 was not in my car if any spies from MNAO are reading...

 

i hate the whole 'take them in the twisties' answer. that's SO obviously not where this guy is concerned about, let along 75% of the street racer world, who only care about 0-60 and 1/4 mile times.

I'm not saying that i don't think the RX8 is more than capable with its weight distribution and stuff, but it's just not what the current street racer crowd is worried about.

 

I agree with this

 

Well if you bought an RX-8 with the intention of a drag car then you're a moron and you're hanging out with the wrong crowd...

Stock WRX's and stock 350Z are slow anyways compared to any 'real' drag car out there... If you want to drag go buy a C4 fbody and build a stroker motor... or buy an FC and do an LS1 swap...

Sure all that 75% of the street racer crowd cares about is drag... In my opinion that's as immature as the idea of racing on the street...

The real 'street racers' in my opinion actually 'race' i.e. as in Houston or Dallas. A point A and point B are usually determined and the fastest there wins the cash...
In NO way am I condoning this activity but once the power levels are figured out the RX-8 will DOMINATE any competition such as that. The car is more predictable at the limit than a 996 C2 Cab... and that's bone stock with stock tires. The RX-8 is not designed to launch... its designed to turn... You really need to see what a 220-250 hp at the wheels Miata can do as long as you don't care about 60'.

Sure the RX-8 needs some more power for the straights, and as soon as we find a way to bypass the ECU that will happen. And it WILL happen... even if it means we all have to learn how to rig a Megasquirt setup it WILL happen...

 

All I'm saying is that saying that the 'RX8 can take them in the twisties' instead of straightline is like making the argument to a 350Z that 'yes, an RX8 can take it in the twisties, but bring them to a straightaway and then see who's boss!'

Well OBVIOUSLY! In this case, we're NOT talking about twisties. We're talking about straightline acceleration. And in this instance, there is no way the RX8 can keep up with them, stock or modified.

I can learn to live with it in my RX8, because it doesn't bother me. There's ALWAYS a faster car.

 

Exactly--its not like any of us on this board couldn't have gotten a 350Z, SRT4, WRX, or a cheap F-Body/Mustang to mod the hell out of. People are funny.

 

words of wisdom :D

 

i have personally beat a 350 on a straightline from about 70 to 130 and then we slowed down and he never came up any further than my back fender. I dont know if it was an auto or 6 spd because i went to pull over and he kept going.

 

i got one of the last 04's back in march and if feels pretty quick. I had an all motor prelude before that used to beat up on stock gt's.

 

Its call having a job, a fiance, a house, bills, ect..... sotty I dont live on the computer.

 

Gentlemen, Gentlemen....... Here's the thing.......
I can bang gears with the best of them. I have been racing for a long time and have a TII with 500HP at the wheel so going fast is nothing new to me. All I'm trying to say is that BOTH the 350z and the WRX have been modded to some point. Prior to them getting work done I was running door to door with them because I AM a better driver than them. After all racing, whether its in a straight line or in the twisties, is about 80% driver and 20% car, so the 80% is not a problem here its the 20%. I know that a turbo car has a **** load of potential but so does a N/A. I never bought the RX8 for a drag car but who the hell leaves a car stock? If we were going to leave the car stock we wouldnt even be on line talking about this, Right? Right!
So getting back to my original point all I want to do is make the car slightly faster again putting my car at least door to door with them or just a hair faster would never hurt either. I know I could slap a turbo on it or a 50 shot but I really dont think the fiance would really like that to much considering its her car.

I was thinking I would just pick up the Greddy SP2 cat back with the RP super cat and mid pipe, a set of under drive pullies and Im still undecided about the intake.
Do you think that set up should do the trick or would I need to get a piggie back too?

 

rotarygod..........
FWIW: This forum does not condone street racing nor do we allow kill stories or the like to be posted here. Remember your comparisons between the RX-8 and the WRX and 350Z were performed on a track and not on public roads.

I doubt the majority of the people on this forum or any other forum for that matter really feel the same way.

If your a Moderator do you know Ryan? Webmaster of ......
RX7Club.com | RX8Club.com | ProtegeClub.com | Mazda6Forum.com
Because he should take a poll on whats people think the best parts are of each forum are and then have those same things on ALL forums. What do you think?
Like I personaly think they should all have a "kills" section like RX7club, its really fun to see what people do against other cars or how bad some people loose, its really kind of funny.