[Kassim786]

My god do these piece of shits drink fuel

Why though I understand there rotary blah blah blah... But come on I owned the 220 something bhp rx8 and the costs, maintenance and reliability just didn't some it up ...?

I use to never see my mpg above 18mpg that's C63 territory

If only they made a diesel version I gaurantee you they'd be quids in by now

[AlanYoro35i]

i looked at the R3 version before buying my 335i , i went into dealer and ask how much for a brand new one. i didn't haggle or anything and he knocked off 6k off 26k car... i stayed clear off when i hears that haha

[acerboo]

rotary engines are well known for their thirst. can get some serious power from them though

[ELD70]

Well known to consume a lot of oil as well.....and blow up!

[acerboo]

Originally Posted by ELD70

Well known to consume a lot of oil as well.....and blow up!

they consume oil because they are designed to like a sort of 2 stroke and the RX7 at least used to blow because of the rota tips but this can be got around by fitting titanium tips. my son does a lot with RX7's and they can put out huge power form a relatively small and light engine. hes working on one at the moment that should be showing around 450 bhp.

[ELD70]

450bhp He must know his stuff

[mowflow]

Is that still with the rotary unit? I know a few people that are building track/drift cars using the RX8 as a base. Every one of them have binned the engine. The old VAG 1.8 turbo unit seems to be a favourite but lots seem to fit Lexus V8s and even Volvo units.

The engine bays are pretty accommodating on them...... presumably a courtesy by Mazda because they knew mechanics would be spending lots of time in there

[Bbacho2002]

I sold my 05 mint condition rx8 to get my e93 !! YES, they are gas guzzlers but so much fun to drive !!! That rotary engine is something else ... Want to save on gas ?! Easy, get a focus!

[robno1]

i had an 57 plate 231 version.

lovely car but it didnt matter if you pinned it everywhere or drove like miss daisy the mpg was the mpg.

the rotary/wankel design is known for this.

they are solid engines if treated correctly, they require mineral oil and nothing else as they are designed to burn oil like a 2 stroke (already mentioned) if you use semi or full synthetic then a layer of "gunk" will build on the apex seals which corrodes them and creates the "hot" start issue.

flooding is common if you start the car, move it and park it. again if the car is treated correctly there is a process and that is to hold revs at 4/5k from memory for 10 seconds and shut the car off whilst at those revs. this is annoying and a bad design but how mazda get around it

i do miss mine as it was all mazda speed parted up

[Kassim786]

Originally Posted by robno1

i had an 57 plate 231 version.

lovely car but it didnt matter if you pinned it everywhere or drove like miss daisy the mpg was the mpg.

the rotary/wankel design is known for this.

they are solid engines if treated correctly, they require mineral oil and nothing else as they are designed to burn oil like a 2 stroke (already mentioned) if you use semi or full synthetic then a layer of "gunk" will build on the apex seals which corrodes them and creates the "hot" start issue.

flooding is common if you start the car, move it and park it. again if the car is treated correctly there is a process and that is to hold revs at 4/5k from memory for 10 seconds and shut the car off whilst at those revs. this is annoying and a bad design but how mazda get around it

i do miss mine as it was all mazda speed parted up

Valid points mate I agree with them


But what's the point going to all those precautions / measures when you can get the same Preformance from a BAM 1.8 Lump which has 225 BHP as standard and plenty of tuning capabilities

A stage 1 ( non aggressive map) can give you well in sight of 20% bhp increase do 50bhp added to the 225 making a total off 275BHP

They'd happily operate at that power with little no issuees

BAM engine can be found in Audi S3's 1997-2003, Cupra R mk1 and the TT225

[mowflow]

I know a guy that's currently sticking that engine in an RX8 chassis. He picked the 2005 RX8 231 with 70k miles on up for only £550.

[acerboo]

Originally Posted by ELD70

450bhp He must know his stuff

he can get substantially more but we want this for tack days so it has to be sensible!

[M4rius]

Originally Posted by Kassim786

Valid points mate I agree with them


But what's the point going to all those precautions / measures when you can get the same Preformance from a BAM 1.8 Lump which has 225 BHP as standard and plenty of tuning capabilities

A stage 1 ( non aggressive map) can give you well in sight of 20% bhp increase do 50bhp added to the 225 making a total off 275BHP

They'd happily operate at that power with little no issuees

BAM engine can be found in Audi S3's 1997-2003, Cupra R mk1 and the TT225

1.8t can be as unreliable as rotary engine if treated wrong , i use to change oil every 4 months on my tt just to keep it in top condition Obvious it had abit more than 225bhp

[AlanYoro35i]

To be honest , when it was first announce it was highly anticipated to be the next big thing because it was the successor to the twin turbo FD3S ( rx7) for short. After the engine detail came out , there was a mix review as everyone wanted at least 280bhp car but it was a disappointment. The good handling ,almost 50/50 weight ratio and the high rev it allows made up for it but it is serious still lacking power.

I think the lack of power doesn't justified the expenses for people to keep it. A Honda civic Type R can give you a good run.

I really wish mazda would do a new RX7...

[smoked]

I had one of these in 07. I think I averaged 13mpg but had an awsome time! never had any problems but I was happy to jump through all the hoops needed and the car was basicaly new when I bought it

[Kassim786]

Imagine if they made a diesel version !! Now that's what I'd buy

[Russbmw]

Diesel?! LOL! The best thing about them is changing gear at 10k rpm.

I had one a few years back, in between a disastrous e46 325 and my lovely e46 330.

Awesome fun to drive, but way too many problems for my liking.

Self destructing engines are a time-bomb, regardless of enthusiasts on forums sticking their heads in the sand about it.

If i had money to burn, I'd buy one again. The only other one I'd consider is one that has been rebuilt by an independent specialist already.....and even then it'd have to to be a 3rd generation of the Renesis engine with the 3 oil injectors, and not the earlier ones with just 2 (like mine had) - which was supposed to be the cure to the rotor tip wear and compression loss over the first rendition that only had one oil injector.

There are very few (if any?) aftermarket warranty places around these days that will offer a warranty on the RX8 becuase of the inherent engine issues.

Shame, because it's a surprisingly well put together car that revs like my bike, weighs fuck all and handles brilliantly.

If you people didn't have any problems, then they were lucky. When I bought mine, it was from a reputable dealer who had sold loads of them. It didn't display any issues whatsoever when I bought it. Hot or cold starts were identical and always started on the button. Drove lovely, had full service history and only 50k on the clock. less than a month later, after a few motorway runs, the car started stuttering at idle. Other than that drove fine. A week later, it started conking out in traffic and taking ages to start. The following week I had the compression tested and it was less than half what it should have been on both front and rear rotors. The dealer gave me a full refund and was very good about it to be fair to him, so it could have been a far worse outcome (like a £4600 bill from Mazda for a new engine, or £3500 for a rebuild using new rotors and casings). Fuck that.

The biggest issue, in my opinion, is that the coil packs do not feature ANYWHERE on the RX8 service schedule. Like most cars, the coil packs are not especially reliable, so weak spark = fuel washing round the combustion chambers, which washes the oil away, which causes the rotor tips to not be lubricated, which causes wear and ultimately loss of compression. To help the situation, unburnt fuel combusts in the catalytic converter, subsequently destroying that as well.

Incidentlally, as the car was running fine when I got it, the first weekend I had it, I replaced the coil packs, plugs and leads as a precautionary measure - the car had only done 50k miles, obviously I didn't get to it soon enough.

If the coil packs were replaced regularly (like about every 20k), along with the plugs and leads, to ensure a good strong spark, then the chances of engine death were a lot less - but not many people that bought them new were enthusiasts that considered such things - and Mazda never told them.

Anyway, hence the RX8's are worth next to nothing second hand - but if you were to get a rebuilt one, you'd be on a winner.

[Kassim786]

Noooo as in I think of they were to re do them again I think the car visually would sell better in a Diesel engine .... Regardless of how hard you can rev the tits of it ..... Let's face it the Mazda against a E46 330D.... If both were druses and both offer 4 doors etc it would be a good contender ?

[The_Bear_Yid]

I watched last nights Wheeler Dealers (with an RX7) and me old china Ed was saying that each chamber is .6 litre. So with 6, he said it's more like the equivalent of a 4l engine fuel wise. Interesting point if true and makes sense. Sure it'll be shot down.

I've come close to getting an RX8. Glad I didn't. Can pick them up for next to nothing though.