Hi all,

I'm new here and new to the mazda RX8 and I bought a second hand one 2003 and 72000km on the clock.... think thats about 30 000 miles... I really love my car and I want to look after it and keep it running as opimized as possible, I had my car dyno'd and it did 107kw and 135nm on the wheels about 140hp... which is low I know but I live in south africa and 1500m above sea level.... so I guess thats normal... right?
unfortunatly I live in a country thats not as cool as you guys when it comes to modding and stuff... but we still have mods but not such a veriety.
I just wanted to know... is there any ways of improving performace thats not expensive like a turbo? Is modding the exhuast a good idea? are the rotary engines good and realiable? would changing my 18' wheels to 17" wheels improve wieght and performance... and anyone got any tips for a noob like me>? Thanks guys!

 

1. there is not cheap way of getting lots of HP out of the 8. Intake and exhaust will get you maybe 10.. usually closer to 5

2. Turbos are great for HP but not cheap. Expect 10k at a minimum and a good tuner

3. Rotary engines are great, as long as you take care of them.

4. Changing the wheels from 17 to 18 could improve weight if you find 18" wheels that are lighter then your 17's.

5. My tip/gift to you is read everything in the DIY section, The major horsepower section, and everything on the boards that you can.

 

If you have an auto your power is about right - if it is a 6 spd I would be concerned - get a compression test done .

 

Thanks so much for your feed back! this is a great site! I hope to stay around for a long time!

 

Is your car a 4-speed automatic, 5-speed manual, or 6-speed manual?

 

yup, that pretty much covers it.

Also, if you want something cheap and simple, look into installing Nitrous!

 

or get a mustang instead

 

Or a Pontiac G8 Gt.

 

before I even clicked on this thread, I absolutely KNEW you were going to say that Razz

 

I got the 6 speed manual... is that bad? I'll post the dyno graph soon!

 

yes - bad
you should be up around 125kw minimum . Your dyno may give some clues to what is wrong .

 

hmmm.... unfortunatly the guys at that dyno has never worked on a RX8 and dont even know how it works.... U.U my old focus ST was 129kw at the wheels... but it was turbo charged... but I am 1500m above sea level.... so oxygen is pretty bad up here... must explain my RX8's power maybe?

also my gear **** and handbrake are looking a bit used.... is it easy to replace those parts and me fit them myself?

like can you just pull the gear **** off?

 

Since when does a turbo cost 10 grand?

 

^it doesn't.....however once tuning and other upgrades are done such as coils, exhaust, gauges, boost controllers, etc...it could easily cost that much. you gotta pay to play with this car.

 

shift **** twists off. lefty loosey, righty tighty

 

That easy? I'll try.... you guys have hot RX8's.... I need to get mine and modded as thisgrey one.... body kits expensive?

How many miles have you guys done in your car...? had anyproblems?

 

Do you even have a turbo on your car?

I do, and I have kept meticulous records of everything I bought, even gaskets and freaking Loctite.

With the MazSport ingition upgrade (something I didn't technically "need") and the MazdaManiac turbo upgrade (another thing I didn't "need), I still spent just over $5600 on my ENTIRE turbo setup, and I mean everything.

That includes a case of oil for the oil change, a new K&N oil filter, air filter, misc zips even.

And don't think I've skimped, either. I still have a GReddy E-01 boost controller, an AEM boost gauge, all other requisite gauges, new injectors, heat shielding, etc etc.


Now, I always warn people whenever budgeting for a turbo, figure out your budget then tack on another $2,000 minimum because the little **** comes back to bit you and you can always have unexpected errors.

But by being a frugal shopper and doing most of the elbow work yourself, you save a ton of cash.

 

I think Laythor meant a Mazsport Turbo + shipping + wait time + paying to keep your car in storage while you wait for the turbo to arrive + other misc. charges.

 

lawl...

 

LOL, yeah, in that case expect to pay over $10k.

If you do it smartly, however, a turbo can be done for much cheaper.

 

might be difficult for him though... not too sure how available the OP can get those kinds of parts, the costs to get them shipped and imported, then finding someone to tune who is qualified. I honestly dont know what the area is like, but it sounds like all that could end up making it difficult. Using the AP to tune would make things easier but the AP is currently only designed for north american models I believe.

 

Today I just raced a BMW X5 4.8... and it killed me! ... I need more power! T.T I think if my car as about 180hp ATW i would have stuck with him or even owned him.... I guess its not possible to add an extra 40hp! U.U Crap! your guys cars look so hot.... mine looks so boring... Is tuning your own car hard? and complecated?

 

Is your car a manual?

My car put down almost 200 whp with an intake + exhaust.

 

He is at over 3,000ft elevation, so his air is pretty thin. That effects power.

You need a turbo to compensate for that elevation

 

or new fuel mapping?