allsmile

I got silver RX-8 automatic, little less than 5,000 miles.

I recently feel my RX-8 has vibrated too much whenever I put on the brake in drive. First time I thought I've been just too sensitive to my car. However, a few days ago I could feel more vibrating or shaking in traffic whenever I slowed down and stopped the car. Also now I can feel the car shakes whenever come to a stop at signal. It's not like you can see the car vibrating from outside. It's more like the driver and passengers can feel it inside of the car. I feel really uncomfortable with this shaking or vibrating because I have not driven a car like this much vibrating. Even Camry 99 and Civic we have does not vibrate that much.

Anyway, I finally took my car to a dealer. What they said was it is just normal that RX-8 is vibrating more than other cars because it has different type of engine (rotary engine). My brother has Mazda 6 V6, 220 hp which does not vibrate as much as RX-8 does. It is just comfortable driving Mazda 6 like other cars. I don't feel like I should trust what the dealer said. I kinda regret getting RX-8 if it is supposed to vibrate more than other sedans. I don't know why I couldn't feel it when I just got my 8. I really like to ask the other RX-8 automatic owners.

Does your RX-8 auto vibrate more compared to other cars that you have?
Is this vibrating just normal thing for a sports car like RX-8 with a rotary engine?
Should I take my car to another dealer to get it checked again?

Please answer my questions. I really want to hear from other RX-8 auto owners.
I would really appreciate it.

Peace... :o

allsmile

I got silver RX-8 automatic, little less than 5,000 miles.

I recently feel my RX-8 has vibrated too much whenever I put on the brake in drive. First time I thought I've been just too sensitive to my car. However, a few days ago I could feel more vibrating or shaking in traffic whenever I slowed down and stopped the car. Also now I can feel the car shakes whenever come to a stop at signal. It's not like you can see the car vibrating from outside. It's more like the driver and passengers can feel it inside of the car. I feel really uncomfortable with this shaking or vibrating because I have not driven a car like this much vibrating. Even Camry 99 and Civic we have does not vibrate that much.

Anyway, I finally took my car to a dealer. What they said was it is just normal that RX-8 is vibrating more than other cars because it has different type of engine (rotary engine). My brother has Mazda 6 V6, 220 hp which does not vibrate as much as RX-8 does. It is just comfortable driving Mazda 6 like other cars. I don't feel like I should trust what the dealer said. I kinda regret getting RX-8 if it is supposed to vibrate more than other sedans. I don't know why I couldn't feel it when I just got my 8. I really like to ask the other RX-8 automatic owners.

Does your RX-8 auto vibrate more compared to other cars that you have?
Is this vibrating just normal thing for a sports car like RX-8 with a rotary engine?
Should I take my car to another dealer to get it checked again?

Please answer my questions. I really want to hear from other RX-8 auto owners.
I would really appreciate it.

Peace... :o

pret

i notice that the 8 will feel the road more then the 6. tighter suspension setup and stiff frame contribute. rotary, it is smoother and should be less vibration then a piston. drive any other comparable sports model (350z, s2000) and it will be the same. plus the stock re040s are like track tires (140 treadwear). and have you not learned not to trust anything a dealer says? was the person that told you that a certified rotary mechanic? if not, i wouldn't believe them. you may have a brake problem if always 'vibrating' (warped rotors, brake that is?), you could always take it to another dealer for a 2nd opinion.

bxb40

Mine vibrates to some extent when sitting at a stop light. Usually, I'll take it out of gear (shift to Neutral) while waiting, then when light turns green, I move back to Drive. I feel the transmission is slightly engaged and the idle engine speed is fluctuating as it does not like a slight load at low RPM. Not sure if it is a design thing this non-complete decoupling while siting at idle in Drive.
From your note it sounds like yours shakes while stoping, so it might be a warped brake disc. This might pull on the steering wheel if it is on the front, or not, if it is in the rear.

zoom44

a. yes you should take it to another dealer and ask them to check it. just for peace of mind. have a service person ride along with you to show them what you are talking about. then ask them to allow you to drive one they have on their lot, bring the service guy with you, and see if there is a difference.

b. more than likely what you are noticing is the difference between the front wheel drive autos that you are used to and this rear wheel drive car. the FWD cars have alot of linkage that absorbs alot of the feel of the engine and tranny. with the rx-8 there is hardly any distance between you the engine and the tranny, hence there is less vibration abosorbing material- linkage or other. you are literally sitting right next to the tranny and the engine is under the windshield. most automotive enthusiasts and journalists would call this lack of numbness a "GOOD THING". it gives you more/better feedback to the car/road.

MTCD01

I think you may have failed to communicate the problem correctly. Ask them to check the brakes and make sure they are alright maybe the alignment after that. If it only vibrates when you use the brakes then there is a problem. Hell if it vibrates at all I'd say there is a problem. If anything the 8 should vibrate less than a conventional V type car.

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

i need more description of this shaking/vibration. do you feel it from the seats, or from the steering wheels, or from the brake pedals? what kind of motion are you feeling, side to side, pulsating, or just vibration?

be more specific and we can take a better guess, but in the mean time, I would get a second opinion and take it to another Mazda dealer for a quick look.

allsmile

I feel it from the seats and steering wheels as well as dash board, but not from the brake pedals. I will say it's just vibration.

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

so it just vibrates as you come to a stop and during idle with gear in D?

what happens when you put the car in N when stopped?

if the vibration goes away when you put it in N, then it's transmission-related and not motor mount-related.

zoom44

double posted. threads merged.

mikeb

mine doesnt vibrate at stops
but it does when I first put it in drive or reverse it will shake for a second

allsmile

When I put the car in N when I stop, the vibration goes away. So I should assume it's a transmission-related problem, right?

bij8611

mine does this exact same thing. and its twice as bad when i am in reverse. i can also hear the vibration too, can u allsmile?

allsmile

Yes, I do. I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one who has this vibration. On the way home today, I could feel more from the part where my both feet are. I guess we should take this seriously. I will visit another dealer soon.

wakeech

it doesn't sound like a seriously serious problem, it's just a symptom of having an automatic car. try shifting to neutral at a light if it starts to bug you, and before you go to accelerate again (still holding the brake) go back to D.

does the symptom change from when the car is cold to when the car is warmed up quite well?? does the symptom change with the weather or tempurature outside?

Photic

I agree with bxb40, I had a truck and drove a friends car that would vibrate when I was breaking. It was a warped brake rotor for the truck, and a tire was misaligned on the car.
The car would also vibrate violently at speeds higher than 70.
Possibly ask whatever dealer you decide on going to about a tire rotation as well.

khoney

Mine shudders when sitting at a light, clutch in or out doesn't matter, in neutral or in gear doesn't matter, A/C on or off doesn't matter. I can see the images in my side-view mirror shaking, it shudders so much. And it's not constant, but it also doesn't seem to be directly tied to RPM, e.g. sometimes it shudders and the neeedle does not drop. It has been doing this for quite a while now, and I've already had the dealer record the problem once. They 'could not duplicate'.


The car also make more noise at idle and when shutting it off. Almost a squeaking sound htat makes it seem like it's got a 100K miles on it already. Didn't do that when I first got it, either. I've had passengers give me funny looks, as if to say "should your new car be doing that"?

VelocityRedRX8

allsmile,

I noticed the same vibration especially when comparing the car stopped in neutral vs stopped in drive. Particularly bad when the car was cold. In my case, replacing the engine mounts made a huge difference. You might want to look into that.

RX8_Buckeye

It might be as simple as neutralizing the engine mounts. If the mounts are bound up, the effective stiffness increases and more vibration is transmitted to the body. Neutralization simply involves loosening up the joints connecting the mounts to the engine, letting the engine find its "neutral" position by revving it up a little bit, and retightening. You should ask the dealer to perform an engine mount neutralization--this should be covered under warranty if the dealer believes your car has an abnormal amount of vibration while idling in drive.