PERTANO

Last night on my way home I ran into a RX-8 and paced him for a short while. We caught a light and I heard his RPM come up as the other light changed to yellow. I followed suit and when the light changed we both launched. I can honestly say that I expected the RX to get out on my truck or at least be right beside me, but I got a good launch and put 1/2 my truck on him. By the end of 1st I was up a full lenght and made the shift to second. Second gear proceeded to put another 1/2 or so on him and then time for 3rd. By the middle of 3rd I was up to 2 full lenghts and backed off. Point proven..... Anyway not that I think my truck is fast by any means, because it isn't. But I was just shocked at how slow the RX-8 was.

93rx74lyfe

iTrader: (1)

the rx-8.....mazda what where you thinking?!?!

Buzzardsluck

^^i almost started to reply to that.

BlkS5TII

I almost bought one recently. I kept trying to convince myself that it was a great car as I started some paperwork, but the S2k was too good to ignore. Not getting beat by an X-Runner is also a bonus.

YELLOWGSLSE

iTrader: (7)

You guys do realize that;
1. The Rx-8 IS a great car. Speed isn't everything, and it is NOT "slow". It' may not be as fast as some other cars, but its on par with it's competition, BMW 330, G35 coupe, s2k, etc. And it always comes out on top of ALL of them in EVERY competition they've been in. It wasn't made to be a supercar. It was made to be a great handling all around car. And it is. People don't complain that the BMW 330 is "slow" or ask "what were they thinking" because it won't do 0-60 in under 5 sec. People are rediculous when it comes to seeing the car for what it is.
AND
2. If the Rx-8 got beaten by the x runner (legitimately), the S2K would've probably lost too. It's not THAT much faster than the 8.

DeRFmAn

Indian

iTrader: (1)

Brap!! Brap!!

adrock3217

Meh..it's all in the driver.

For instance, in my RX-8, I've beaten 3 or 4 Mustang GT's (Three 1999-2004s, one 2005) and my fair share of modded turbo-diesel trucks.

:\ And it rapes in the turns!

BlkS5TII

I don't know about the RX8 being almost as fast as an S2k. I tried really hard to love the RX8 seeing as how I love rotaries, but getting out of the RX8 and into an S2k was such a huge difference that I never looked back. That's saying something considering I never once thought I would ever own a Honda car.

I also recently bought a few BMI DVDs, and anytime they are driving the RX8 they keep cursing about how slow it is. It is sad, but I'm not making it up.

They say the handling is great (something I couldn't test out with a salesman riding shotgun), but everything I've seen places it behind the competition aside from Top Gear's spectacular lap time they did with it. Top Gear's track is all about the handling though, so I can see how it would do so well. On Tsukuba (most BMI testing), where there are a couple of straights, it just tends to fall to the back of the pack.

Don't take any of this the wrong way if you do own an RX8. I'm not saying it's a bad car by any means.

DrifterX

yeah i think you won by luck because if you know how to launch the 8 it's not that bad of the line but a lot of stuff will get you down the line i got an Srt4 of the line but he got me in 2nd and 3rd and so on but take your truck to the track and put it agains the 8 it will kill you so when you talk bad about the 8 you obiously just want straight line power and dont know what the car can really do this is a cornering machine just like the s2k but more practical.

DeRFmAn

I've actually looked at the numbers on an s2k and its not that great, the thing is a friggin brick, its also not that powerful, not to mention over priced. Plus the 8 seats 4 not 2, so it better be quicker in a line. Most 4 door cars can't compete with roadsters.

BlkS5TII

It's a brick? Faster than an RX8, and costs the same where I'm at. I didn't care about how many it seats when I bought it, just as those that bought RX7's didn't either. The S2k is faster than an RX8, but the RX8 stops better. According to slalom speeds both done by Sport Compact Car the S2k handles just a hair better at 71mph to the RX8's 70mph. I would toss that to the margin of error and say they're tied in handling. The RX8's published curb weight is 250lbs higher than what I've weighed my completely stock S2k at.

Upon further research I've noticed that a lot of the stock RX8 dynos are at 170-180whp. Are those all wrong? I don't see how it could have that much drivetrain loss. Anyone know?

Yes, those dynos are the 6MT versions.

Buzzardsluck

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...zda+rx-8&hl=en

Aspec RX8 IIRC is just mazdaspeed stuff, no power upgrades.

No those dynos arent wrong. Many believe the RX8s' computer can "tell" that something isnt right when on a dyno and doesnt run full. I dont really believe that though.

Nothing being taken personal here, civil discussions are welcome.

PERTANO

It's comments like this that show how truley uninformed people are. The X-Runner will pull almost the same lateral G's as the RX-8. In fact the handling of the X-Runner is comperable to the RX-8 and 350Z. So to say that it's only a straight line performer and that's all I was looking for was just plain wrong. Now I have driven an RX-8 before, and wasn't impressed then. I doubt it will beat the X-Runner around a track for the simple fact that corner exit speed will be about the same but the torque of the truck will more than make up for any difference gained in the turns.

Anyway I was just voicing my disappointment about beating an RX-8 and then it turned into a RX-8 bash. I wasn't really trying to spark that conversation with the post. But since it got started yes I am not impressed with that car, and from the sounds of it neither are very many other enthusiasts. I will stick with my RX-4 and be happy that I have a rotary that I enjoy.

YELLOWGSLSE

iTrader: (7)

And these are some of the reasons the RX-8 is always declared the better car. It costs the same, handles just as well, is nearly as fast, and is worlds more practical.
Makes it all the more impressive that the RX-8 stops shorter, and handles just as well, while only being a hair slower in a line. This is why I'm so baffled by people who are "not impressed" or consider the car a "let down". What the hell are they expecting from the car?? It does EXACTLY what it's SUPPOSED to do.

Frankly, I don't see why people have been so hung up on the dyno #'s of this car. The acceleration and performance #'s have not changed, despite the dyno results. Aside from bragging rights, what difference does it make? All of the acceleration #s and handling and performance achievments were accomplished with that amount of power. What's the problem??

BTW, none of this was directed towards you specifically, BlkS5TII. Just the ideas in general.

BlkS5TII

When I say the car is a let down it's not because the numbers don't add up. The RX8 is just not a fun car for me to drive. There's no excitement when running through the gears. When I first got in one I was expecting for it to be slower than what I'm used to, but it just felt so slow that I decided I couldn't deal with it. Apparently the drivers on BMI agree with how it feels. The only way it kept from being dead last in one race I saw was by blocking the JDM DC5 that was behind it.

True that it is more practical, but I wasn't necessarily looking for a practical car. I still think it's a very nice car for what it is, but it just doesn't "zoom zoom." Know what I'm saying?

DeRFmAn

Yes, I do see what you're saying, and thats what I was trying to point out. For being a 2 seater/roadster, the s2k is a brick. I wasn't trying to say that the 8 was lighter, its going to be heavier its a 4 passenger car. As for what you were looking for, it you want a slightly impractical car then S2k is good for you. The 8 was made to be practical not impractical like the 7, thats why its not a 7. Just like the RX-2 and RX-3 are different from the 7. Each one is its own thing.

BlkS5TII

I weighed my S2k at 2700lbs even. I didn't think that was too bad for a convertible.

For reference, on the same scale my Evo was 3300lbs and my TII was 2860. My old '01 Celica GTS was 2400lbs. All were with a full tank.

You're right about each car being its own thing though. I keep comparing the RX8 to the RX7, but I have to remember that it's not supposed to be a continuation, but more of a new direction. Maybe one day Mazda will ressurect what the RX7 was kind of how Nissan is bringing back the GTR.

21K95RX7

well you seem to be misinformed also. the lateral g number is a pretty overated measure of a car or trucks handling ability. yes the rx-8 numbers on the dyno are pretty low...i think one mag tried "unhooking" the abs but that didn't clear it up. it must be a mystery. also, good kill who knows it might have been an auto rx8 dont those come with like 40 less crank hp?

breckboarder55

nice kill... i would really like to own an x-runner, im going to say its one of my favorite cars on the road...

good mileage (well better than the 7 an the old expidition we have)
awesome handling for a truck
good looks
and place for ****
and even tow the 7

cant loose but if i could only find one...

PERTANO

I really like the truck for that reason. It's a great value for the price. I believe they go for around 23k now. For that you get a great handling truck, that gets better gas milage then all the big trucks, but can still two and pull around all your crap. I've towed all my old Corolla's, Celica's, and even the RX-4 with this thing and it hasn't had a problem yet. I just rent a U-Haul trailer and hook it up and off it goes. The styling is hit or miss with most people, but it's not that bad IMO. Either way I'm satisfied with it, and with the Supercharger and possibly a turbo kit coming out for it, things will only get better for it.