This may need to be moved, I'll let the mods make that call.

I'm on my way to work this morning, in Atlanta rush hour traffic. It's cold out, maybe 34 degrees ambient. I had just filled up the tank about 5 miles ago, and the car was getting fully warm, about 84 degrees on the commander.

I'm cruising up a local toll road, about 60-65 mph. traffic slows a bit and I'm in 5th gear. Not wanting to load the car at those speeds, I slowly downshift. I hear the hollow "thump" of flames coming out my tailpipe.

I didn't see them in my rearview or anything, however, this guy in a black ranger pick up pulls up next to me with a horrified "your car's f'd up look" on his face. He's trying to get my attention, and pointing to my RB dual tip. He "loudly" mouths "Fire is coming out of the back of your car!!!"

I look over at him calmly, give him a thumbs up, and let him roll by.

I'm not certain if I should be spitting flames at that speed, but from my understanding it is normal for a car rich with no cats.

Anyone else have any experiences similar?

 

cold out, running rich, downshifting...I could imagine flames with no cats.

 

My RX-8 with a Borla exhaust will shoot flames when I am driving even though I still have a cat. Couldn't imagine it with a straight pipe.

 

Rotary =flames coming out the tail pipes.
No cats make it worse, but it will happen with cats in place.
Happened on both my second gens and my third gen. and pretty much every rotary I have seen run in the dark (tough to notice during the day sometimes). Usually happens during shifts when there is an abundance of unburned fuel in the exhaust.

 

are you sure about that? stock rx8 with just a borla exhuast will shoot flames?!?

 

Hes not kidding.

 

i shoot flames when shifting from 3rd to 4th and from 4th to 5th almost everytime i run through the gears on my low boost setting.

 

The stock RX-8 ecu may run even richer than the stock FD ecu above 6k rpm....one of the reasons the car didn't meet the hp target.

 

....

 

I've shot flames at idle.

 

Thanks Guys. I thought it was normal. The classic part about the story was the look on the guys face next to me, and then I glance over and give him a thumbs up.

Gotta love it...

 

When my car is fully warmed up, I can shoot flames just by bouncing the car off the 2-step at a stop.

 

Flames are COOL.

 

Yes depening on how rich your mixture is and how hot your exhaust is, a rotary with or without cats will backfire, the question is just will the cat burn up all the flamage before it gets to the back. Usually the answer is yes, and I don't own an RX-8 but I'd say on the RX-8 with cats and flamage, since the cat's job is to burn everything up especially when red hot, the flames are consumed by the cat.... Only black smoke may come out of the exhaust....

 

Dont Call bs it is true I have done it.

 

Theres actually a video on the net of someone doing it with only Borla exhaust. Ive seen it.

 

That must be one crappy cat, I can't see how they pass emissions...

 

When has Mazda used anything quality wise?