StevieD561

seriously? i clocked an 11.8, i have a 2004 stock 4 speed. Now i know its not the quickest thing in the world, but come on? any suggestions on what might be the problem?

fahrfegneugen

It is an automatic. The torque converter is your problem and the less powerful engine.

StevieD561

what's the difference between the manual and auto engine?

6dmnbg

11.8 huh? I'm guessing you were low on blinker fluid, if I'm low on that or whatchamakalits, I would get the same numbers. Did you have to use the parachute?

StevieD561

thanks for the help man. yeah, the chutes were out. because i used chutes doing a 0-60. that wasnt a quarter mile time.

Razz1

Try going on a race track and see how fast you can go around corners.

Easy_E1

iTrader: (2)

Manual engine rated at 237hp. 2004-2005 AT engine rated at 197. Your missing about 40 HP.


I did that and was .52 slower than the manual. Faster than a couple of other manual ones too.

fahrfegneugen

kinda funny because theoretically autos are faster off the line... they shift better than humans usually can.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

sounds like about six seconds. two ports. and a bit of searching..

beers

StevieD561

maybe, but its only a 4 speed so once the MT catches up... thats another reason im upset. im beginning to regret not buying an M/T. i would contemplate a transmission swap, but i dont even think that would be worth it. along side the crappy 11.8 0-60, this car hasn't been much fun.

fahrfegneugen

The tranny swap would be a nightmare to perform. Just go get a manual one. Hey, the car looks good right?

StevieD561

it looks fantastic. dont get me wrong, it just seems like everyones looking through the rearview mirror!

fahrfegneugen

^yep they are, lol You can find a few threads about that here.

Post some pics of it.

StevieD561

my main concern right now is not getting floored by mini-vans. i need to figure something out!

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

From what I gathered, you only care about how fast you can go straight.
You bought the wrong car for that (unless you start considering FI).
Now take that mini-van to the auto-x and see who is faster.

Shoafb

So loosing the 40hp means your 0-60 time is DOUBLED??? That is one very effecient use of 40hp the MT has

Take the car in to a rotary shop and have it looked at, something is wrong.

learycd

iTrader: (1)

yeah my old stock 1.7L civic did better than that, i highly doubt your car should be running a 11.8 0-60 unless its a hybrid

and since we know how enviormentally friendly the 8 is, i think we can all rule that one out

Falken

I'm getting sicker and sicker of people posting low times and everyone jumping up and down and waving their hands over their heads screaming "corners corners corners" like its an excuse for 175WHP. Or, if anyone so much as mentions a problem with their straight line speed everyone goes into "you shouldn't have bought the car if you want to go in a straight line" mode. I love my car but you're wrong if you think that wonderful handling justifies lack of power.

Sorry, the world is mostly straight lines, and most of the world is not an autocross track.

For those stupid 12 year old NOOB thread that is allright, but this guy obviously has a real problem (11 seconds??) The prius is faster. So can we help him now please?

Get a compression test at the dealer. If you get low 7s or worse get a new engine.

ODDDOOD

iTrader: (3)

At first I was like OMFG! 11.8 quarter mile...Tat's crazy good!

Then I saw...0-60...yikes.

Any CEL codes? How many miles on the car/engine? +1 on the compression test. Also, may be a clogged cat...that'll keep your car slow and sometimes it will not throw a CEL til much later.

Have you had the most recent recall performed (MSP-16 I believe)? The one where they clean out the carbon in the engine if you complain about "lack of performance". <hint> which I think you most certainly have <hint>

Also the stand-by referral of "plugs, wires, and coils".

I wish you and your car luck.

saturn

Uh yeah, there's definitely something wrong.

There are some people here who instantly go into hyper defensive mode when you say anything even remotely disparaging about the RX-8. You'll have to excuse them -- they're idiots.

11.8s 0-60 means something is wrong. That would mean you were slower than a Honda Insight which has 67 hp at the crank (albeit less curb weight).

StevieD561

lolol very true. no i love the way this car handles but my racing doesnt extend past friends and locals. i do live close to moroso though...

StevieD561

thanks man, those are all great suggestion. no CEL codes, 27k. Is that recall effective on all 8?

ODDDOOD

iTrader: (3)

yes, go in and say that you are suffering from a "severe lack of power". If they don't tell you about the recall, mention that you got a letter recently from Mazda about a power loss issue and you think it might be that. Even mumbling MSP-16 or printing out the following pages will get you much further.

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...13-08-1925.pdf

and then print out this one too...

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...14-08-1924.pdf

This will hopefully alleviate some of your problems or help diagnose any masked symptoms.

Cheers

416to212

Like ODDDOOD says, make sure you get the MSP-16 flash done.

Then also do the following on launch because I don't think you're launching your automatic properly for a good 0-60.

It's called Torque Loading and it's critical to getting a good launch with an Auto.
1. On the start line use your left foot to hold down the brake.
2. Use your right foot to press the gas pedal. Your car will not move as long as you hold the brake firmly.
3. Using the right foot build the revs to 2500 or more RPMS - do this rather swiftly so you lessen the stress on the transmission. Hold firm on the brakes, don't want to trip the lights with a false start.
4. Once the revs build and the lights on the tree fall pop off the brake and control the thottle for grip and power.

Drag racing cars is a dirty business and hard on parts, but the thrill is in good timeslips. Rental cars are best for Torque Loading experiments! JK

Tell me how it goes this time around.

LionZoo

This begs the simple questions first:

1. How did you launch the car? Just stomped on it from idle or did you brake torque?
2. What rpm was the transmission shifting at? If you were in manual mode, what rpm were you shifting at?
3. Did you pin the throttle all the way down?