mazda rx8-anyone have one

victor1 · 28-08-2008 10:10pm #1

hey,
anyone have a rx8, i got a 06 exclusive model - anyone had any issues, also can ye confirm what is the best type and make of oil ta use?

declanoneill · 28-08-2008 10:18pm

I've got an 04 hi power (that's the exclusive)

Issues:
It will eat petrol, I've learned to get 19MPG out of it or thereabouts, but if I'm not careful it can be 13
It needs to be ragged once in a while. If you don't open the third port (above 7k RPM) it can lead to bad things down the line
They have to be allowed to warm up once you turn the engine on. Don't go above 4k RPM until you're a few noches up from cold and don't rag it till the same. If you turn it off before it's properly warmed and leave it sitting for a few hours you run a serious risk of flooding the engine
Flooding the engine can end up buggering your cat, these are not cheap to replace.

Pro's
I

it with all my might
very well balance and great fun on a twisty road.
Bleedin loads of other things

This is a huge source of information:
RX8 owners club, UK
If there's a problem with the car, chances are it's listed here. Personally I've had mine coming up to a year and not an issue.

biggus · 28-08-2008 10:21pm

Much heavier on fuel than a 350z even driving them handy

VH · 28-08-2008 10:31pm

13 miles per gallon - that's savage

declanoneill · 28-08-2008 10:48pm

It's the sitting in traffic that drinks the fuel, if you keep moving you can get reasonable fuel consumption even driving everywhere in 50/60kph zones

VH · 28-08-2008 10:58pm

I think the worst I did in any car ever was 17 MPG in a bmw 535.

galwaytt · 28-08-2008 11:29pm

crumbs, that's bloomin' awful...........pity to have something like wreck a good car........my 3.0 968 (old tech, remember...) does about 26mpg. I don't feel so bad, now

Stufinnegan · 06-09-2008 3:33pm

My 231 was getting about 19/20MPG max. read an article (which I cannot now locate) that suggested that there where a number of devices in the car ading to the poor consumption. The Bose system being one (it actually has three amps running it, the one in the boot an the two for the main speakers in the front). The air conditioning kills consumption and the heated seats and not great either. Try driving with all these off and the article suggested that you could get another 5MPG out of the car.

Brabus · 06-09-2008 9:24pm

victor1 wrote: »

hey,
anyone have a rx8, i got a 06 exclusive model - anyone had any issues, also can ye confirm what is the best type and make of oil ta use?

The brother bought a '06 one a few weeks ago, same model, the exclusive with 231 bhp. 18's on it. A dream to drive.

I love the extras like the heated leather seats and has both A/C and a sunroof.

Same day he bought it, i test drove a 192bhp touring model in another garage and thought it felt very tetchy on the road tho good pick up from a standing start.

As for the oil, the salesman told him to keep a regular check every fortnight on it and make sure its topped up. They tend to drink it a bit.
Probably because of this Renesis (rotary) engine. There was supplied in the boot a bottle of oil with the car.Nice touch.

No problems to report about it so far.

Forgot to mention about the Bose sound system, cracking sound from it.

Gary ITR · 06-09-2008 9:33pm

VH wrote: »

I think the worst I did in any car ever was 17 MPG in a bmw 535.

Pfft I got a GTI golf down to 14mpg, you obviously weren't driving it hard enough lol

victor1 · 07-09-2008 7:25am

yes sound system is class, mpg aint too bad, for economy driving, keep about 3k revs 100km/ph 6th gear, bloody hard to do as she's built for speed!

Graham_B18C · 07-09-2008 9:13am

Uncle has the 231 model and i had a go, fantastic to drive but as mentioned above the cat costs a fair bit, his went and it cost him 3100 to get one imported and fitted, apparently theres more platinum in the 8's cat than other cars, and mazda said there was none available in europe so they had to get it direct from Japan! But a fab car all the same!

Esel · 07-09-2008 6:49pm

Grahamo999 wrote: »

...the cat costs a fair bit, his went and it cost him 3100 to get one imported and fitted...

Painful! Must be the dearest catalytic converter ever.

Paulmee · 08-09-2008 12:45pm

Hi,
I have a 04 231bhp model.
Great car to drive, yes its quite heavy on petrol but you get used to it.

After a lot of reading various website's I use the following oil
CASTROL MAGNATEC 5W-30
I bought a 4 litre bottle for about 35 euro a while back. I just top it up very now and then and I check the oil once a week. Its usually needs a top up every 2/3 refills of petrol.

Or you can go to a mazda garage and get Mazda Dexula Oil 5w 30 which is more expensive.

Hope this helps.

Henry Ford III · 08-09-2008 1:01pm

Fuel and oil consumption are horrific. I've never driven an RX-8, and with them becoming virtually import proof, and horrendously expensive (new CO2 VRT & road tax regs) they'll become a real rarity here in a few years. A shame.

victor1 · 08-09-2008 4:04pm

hey,
yah got an oil and filter change last week, they used mazdex about 7 bucks a litre or there abouts, by top up every so ofter do you mean a drop /half litre ect?

Esel · 09-09-2008 12:00am

I'd say the plan is to keep the level at max, no more.

Paulmee · 09-09-2008 1:33pm

It really goes down to how often/how hard you drive the car.
I check the oil every week, not because I need to top it up, just to keep an eye on it.
Top-up levels vary each time, really depends.
The best advice I could give is to check it every 1/2 weeks and if you need to top it up, do so.

Andrewf20 · 10-09-2008 6:55am

So whats the advantage of these rotary engines over a standard one apart from the tax advantages. From what I have read, they are:

- A disaster in juice
- A disaster on oil
- No low end grunt
- Need serious TLC

victor1 · 10-09-2008 12:18pm

.........

Andrewf20 wrote: »

So whats the advantage of these rotary engines over a standard one apart from the tax advantages. From what I have read, they are:

- A disaster in juice - not really, depends on how hard you drive it, i'd say its similar to other similar eng size and spec cars
- A disaster on oil - again not really, the newer rx8's its by design that the
engines expend a little more oil
- No low end grunt - dude have you ever driven one?
- Need serious TLC - Again not really, just chk oil every 1000k or so, most cars - u should check oil frequently also

LolaDub · 10-09-2008 12:27pm

Andrewf20 wrote: »

So whats the advantage of these rotary engines over a standard one apart from the tax advantages. From what I have read, they are:

- A disaster in juice
- A disaster on oil
- No low end grunt
- Need serious TLC

As Victor said the TLC is really just about the oil. They are amazing to drive and the engine noise is fantastic. We got a full licensed driver and a provisional with no no claims bonus insured for 1100, pretty decent i thought! A friend has a 350z and the rx8 is a much smoother drive

victor1 · 10-09-2008 12:36pm

yep, engine noise is unique, starts out like a whirrrrrrrrr , serious pep in it!, lot of rotary engined cars like its predecessor the rx7 got bad press due to people saying needed full engine rebuild after 60k or so, the extra consumption of oil in rx8's is by design, im sure there are loads of higher spec beamers or such cars that use more oil than std cars also - i know aht i'd rather be driving though:p

JimmyCrackCorn! · 10-09-2008 12:36pm

Andrewf20 wrote: »

So whats the advantage of these rotary engines over a standard one apart from the tax advantages. From what I have read, they are:

- A disaster in juice
- A disaster on oil
- No low end grunt
- Need serious TLC

Doesn't sound much different than any big cammed 4 cylinder or performance turbo 4 pot to me.

Stufinnegan · 10-09-2008 2:07pm

So many people offering an opinion on how troublesome the rx8 is, how bad the low end torque is, how slow it is compared to the 350Z, S2000 etc......
-Well my 231 has not missed a beat since I got it over a year ago
-Comparisons all seem to be with 2 seater coups that are a lot lighter or have larger power plants
-Agreed straight line grunt is a bit lacking but not by much......take a look and listen......(that noise is worth it alone)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmx7UCG70Pw
- The car comes into it's own on the mountain passes, back roads etc....
A good example here (even though I think the M5 driver was a bit crap)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huyYlyMooSY
-Well thats my 2 cents,

LolaDub · 10-09-2008 2:11pm

The 192 has more torque than the 231

kayos · 10-09-2008 2:21pm

Onkle wrote: »

Pfft I got a GTI golf down to 14mpg, you obviously weren't driving it hard enough lol

Pfft I got an Ibiza down to 7mpg....learn to drive man! Then again easy driving on a long run I can hit 40mpg+, urban only would be mid to high 20's.

But seriously 13mpg as an average? Before you get down to ragging it? It would want a bloody BIG fuel tank.

In saying all that I do like them as a car just could not justify the running costs that would come with one.

Stufinnegan · 10-09-2008 2:31pm

LolaDub, you are right, but there is not alot in it. here is a breakdown between the two Jap models which have a slightly higher BHP of 210 and 250 ( they do noy have to conform to EU emission regulations).

http://www.rx8ownersclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10258&highlight=graph

LolaDub · 10-09-2008 3:01pm

Tested a jap import automatic recently and it was nowhere near as good as the 231 manual. The engine made a noise even a diesel would cry at.

What colours/engines/hp/mileage etc did you guys have and how are you finding them?

Stufinnegan · 10-09-2008 3:38pm

Got a 231,
Strato Blue,
getting about 19-20 mpg city driving,
Car has been great, not that heavy on oil,
Can be a pain to drive in bumper to bumper traffic (sore clutch foot)
The car needs to be opened up to the beep every couple of days or I find you get a slight power loss on hard exceleration at about 5 - 6k revs.
Perfect family car, takes a baby seat no probs. A pleasure to drive on long journeys, but you do tend to get hot feet....something only RHD RX8,s suffer from. All in all a super car......

BNC · 10-09-2008 3:51pm

Strato Blue....A man with good tatse.

Haven't seen many around, thought I was on my own!! Of course you know too that Strato Blue is the fastest colour.

Stufinnegan · 10-09-2008 4:05pm

Ah Yes, hail the UK imports. I think you can only get silver, black, winning blue or red here as a new car. And yes, they are faster.

victor1 · 10-09-2008 4:07pm

What colours/engines/hp/mileage etc did you guys have and how are you finding them?

winning Blue jap import , 06, exclusive 231 - approx 450/500km's per tank----i wish it was miles:)

Stufinnegan · 10-09-2008 4:18pm

Another question to add; do you have alot of rattles in the car (as a result of our fantastic road infrastructure)?
I find that most rattles disappear when the car heats up, but I still have a really annoyinh one in the steering wheel (I think it's the airbag vibrating against the steering wheel housing).

victor1 · 10-09-2008 4:19pm

nope, nothing like that, what u have stu?

victor1 · 10-09-2008 4:20pm

sorry, just read ure prev post, what year?

Stufinnegan · 10-09-2008 4:33pm

It's a 04 with only 53k KM's. As I mentioned the steering wheel center rattles, but so does the center console (when cold) and I also tend to get rattles from the rear side windows at certain rev ranges. I must admit though that the roads around my work are in a terrible condition and I'm usually running late for work so the car does take a bit of a beating

victor1 · 10-09-2008 8:07pm

what u reckon for servicing? - i only got mine recently, i had to go to a main stealer to get something repaired, but other than that can you go to a independant mechanic for services?How's the oil, do you have to chk it often?

Brabus · 10-09-2008 8:26pm

Stufinnegan wrote: »

Got a 231,
Strato Blue,
getting about 19-20 mpg city driving,
Car has been great, not that heavy on oil,
Can be a pain to drive in bumper to bumper traffic (sore clutch foot)
The car needs to be opened up to the beep every couple of days or I find you get a slight power loss on hard exceleration at about 5 - 6k revs.
Perfect family car, takes a baby seat no probs. A pleasure to drive on long journeys, but you do tend to get hot feet....something only RHD RX8,s suffer from. All in all a super car......

The bro's one is in the silver you get here. think theres only 34k kms on the clock. Not bad for a 2 year old.
I agree too that it needs to be opened up every couple of days. Especially with his where he's only about 15 mins from work.
Tho one day last week he certainly did that for sure when i was with him in it!!

LolaDub · 10-09-2008 8:42pm

04/UK import/black exterior/black interior/42k miles/231.

You need to let the engine warm up a bit before you head off i think.

Anybody have a problem with stalling? Apparently if you stall much (or ever) its bad news for the rotary engine. Theres a blue one i pass all the time near the donnybrook garage, lovely colour alright but i prefer the black. Last car was blue so perhaps in need of a change. For some reason i don't love the silver-it doesn't seem to stand out as much as the other colours.

victor1 · 10-09-2008 8:57pm

yeah silver seems to be the commonest colour i've seen on the road, red is prob most attractive colour, but black is class except for keeping the thing clean, when does turbo kick in, what rev? What kinda mpg are u gettin, siome sites were saying for best return 100kph at around 3 k rev's -

victor1 · 10-09-2008 8:57pm

to answer question, nope never stalled thank god, but have read about it

LolaDub · 10-09-2008 9:08pm

I stalled once and nearly bricked it. Have to get the rear tyres replaced soon, was told it will be about 600 euro, anyone have any actual figures from doing them?

Saw a yellow one recently-awful looking. I think the red is the hardest to take care of. Theres a lot on carzone. Blue seems to be the most rare colour. I'd say barely 18-20mpg. Its worth it though its a beautiful car and the engine sound is fantastic. I had a guy in a carrera asking me for a look at i earlier, i got a kick out of that!

victor1 · 10-09-2008 9:14pm

600 is too much i reckon for 2 tyres,
yep, attractive car-defo gets the glances, recommended tyres are bridgestone potenzas, 225/45/r18 re040 or 50, going to change mine soon also, have been ringing about, lmk/tipp areas, cheapest i got so far is 200 each most exp is 270!!-i can send you on dealer if you like about that area, , pricey, but considering type of car no point in cheaping on a cheaper brand of tyre,

LolaDub wrote: »

I stalled once and nearly bricked it. Have to get the rear tyres replaced soon, was told it will be about 600 euro, anyone have any actual figures from doing them?

Saw a yellow one recently-awful looking. I think the red is the hardest to take care of. Theres a lot on carzone. Blue seems to be the most rare colour. I'd say barely 18-20mpg. Its worth it though its a beautiful car and the engine sound is fantastic. I had a guy in a carrera asking me for a look at i earlier, i got a kick out of that!

LolaDub · 10-09-2008 9:20pm

Definitely get the right ones. Its on potenzas now. I'm in dublin, to save 200 euro i'd definitely go further, might not be worth it at the end of my petrol bill lol! If you wouldn't mind pming me the info that would be great!

victor1 · 10-09-2008 9:26pm

yup just did

colly10 · 10-09-2008 9:45pm

Potato Man wrote: »

CASTROL MAGNATEC 5W-30

Is magnatec not semi synthethic, I would stick to using mineral unless you are positive that the synthetic/semi-synth is suitable for a rotary engine

Biro · 10-09-2008 11:34pm

victor1 wrote: »

yeah silver seems to be the commonest colour i've seen on the road, red is prob most attractive colour, but black is class except for keeping the thing clean, when does turbo kick in, what rev? What kinda mpg are u gettin, siome sites were saying for best return 100kph at around 3 k rev's -

No turbo in the RX8 - were you referring to some thing else?

victor1 · 11-09-2008 7:04am

i thought it was semi synth 5w30?

LolaDub · 11-09-2008 10:56am

victor1 wrote: »

yup just did

Thanks!!!

Stufinnegan · 11-09-2008 11:22am

LolaDub, regarding replacement tyres, you might want to look here...I havent used them but they are stocking Potenza's for 175 euros. That includes shipping. However the downside is that garages tend to rip you off on the fitting. I have a few thousand left in my potenza's but have noticed that they are getting really twitchy on our permanently wet roads.

Stufinnegan · 11-09-2008 11:23am

A link might be usefull...http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Ordern&cart_id=59114935.124.4042&typ=R-103197&ranzahl=4&Breite=225&Quer=45&Felge=18&Speed=V&weiter=10&kategorie=6&Ang_pro_Seite=10&Transport=P&F_F=&dsco=124&Achse=

mazda rx8-anyone have one

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