RX8 is seriously underrated, it's the probably most daily driveable rotary. It's also of the cheapest. It handles amazing too. I have an 04 six speed which I daily and plan to make my track car. I love it, I love it, I love it. Though I should mention if you don't like working on your car, and can't pay to have a shop fix it sometime, then this is not the car for you.
Center analog tachometer with inset digital speedometer is the perfect set up. It's that way in my Porsche Boxster, and it's one of the reasons that I bought a 2004 RX-8 yesterday.
That’s true about Maintenance. It’s annoying when ppl say a Car is Unreliable because a lot of people who’ve owned that particular Car didn’t keep their Car Maintained!
Dude, the rx8 has minimal oil injection for emissions reasons. Delete the cat and with an intact oil injection system add 1/2 oz 2 stroke oil for each gallon of premium fuel.
Bought my 2008 40th Anniversary edition two months ago. I love it. It's got 41k km on it and is pretty much in mint condition. And I plan to keep it that way with premixing and regular maintenance.
Love my 2006 RX8 - the handbrake guard is just another triangle - you can get the engine ported, helps with hot & cold starting, & gives more BHP, I also only run it on 99 octane fuel & use K&N filters - every little bit helps - it goes like a rocket.
99 octane does nothing, k/n maybe less restrictive but that allows debris inside engine, porting only shifts the powerband with no extra hp, and does nothing for cold/hot starts.
Nice review, great daily, very cheap these days. Upgrade to more powerful coils (like D585), upgrade to the Series 2 starter motor (if you have an S1) + high CCA battery, de-cat and perhaps cooling like a full alloy radiator and all you really need to do is change oil and spark plugs to maintain them. (outside of brakes, tyres etc. of course) Almost all (even well taken care ones) start to lose compression 180,000-200,000kms or so, but rebuild (cheaper to rebuild that a lot of engines if you have the right workshop) and enjoy for another 100,000+.
150K miles on my original engine. A 2004. I have owned 4 RX-7's in my life so i knew what the rotary wanted and i simply give it just that. Only one of the RX-7's had engine failure and it was a mistake with a downshift on the highway into second. That was all it could take. It was an 87. The other three lasted years until poor drivers ran into my vehicles in bad weather. All head on collisions ended their journey's... actually one was my fault as i entered an on ramp and hit a slick spot spun around and ended up facing the wrong way on the freeway. Yes, that was my fault.
If you premixed from the get go on one of these and took very good care, following Zach's recommendations of care, how many miles would you expect before any engine work?
I still have my Red RX-8, shown in Rotary Around the world #4, although poor girl needs a rebuild... Faulty sparkplug has caused engine failure, but, i still admire my 8. :)
You mentioned how you'd like to daily the RX-8, but you hardly made any mention on how daily driveable it is. I think one of the biggest marks against the RX-8 is that they have the fuel consumption of a 5 litre V8, and has only about 200HP. The NA RENESIS Rotary is also notorious for it's peaky engine, so does it make city driving and highway pulls difficult? Does the transmission tunnel cook you alive like the FD does? etc.. I'm personally really curious as to how practical the rear seats of the RX-8 are, and they're so increasingly rare where I live. When you got in the back seats, was ingress and egress a challenge or a hassle? Were the front seats in your driving position? How tall are you, if you don't mind me asking? Are these seats really seats, or just a novelty thing? Can you feasibly sit in them for long journeys? I think it might be helpful in each review to go over the mods the owner has made to each car for us to better understand what we have on our hands. I'm sorry for the ramble, but I'm subscribed to this channel for Rotary content, and I genuinely want to know more. Thanks for making this video!
I'm gonna try my best to answer the most I can. 1. Yes, MPGs are bad, that's just a fact. 2. Highway pulls would not be difficult, neither would city driving. You'd just have to rev it out once a drive if it's a city car. 3. No, the transmission doesn't cook you, which is a big factor as to why I said it feels more like a car than my rx7. 4. The rear seats aren't amazing, but they ARE usable. I don't have kids so driving more than one other person is rare as it is, so in my current daily driver I barley use the back seats anyway. Getting in and out wasn't graceful, but no coupe is 5. Yes the seat was in my position, I'm about 5'11". Yes the seats are sporty seats that work, the rotor shape is kind of a novelty, but the seat as a whole works. I've seen them swapped into Rx-7s 6. I could sit in them for a while, a road trip would be very easy in them 7. This car was stock besides a rebuild, shiftknob, and wheels. Thank you for your feedback!
There is some heat from the tunnel, but not much, just put something in the cup holders like a rubber cover so it doesn't heat up your drinks and that's it
I'm 6 ft tall and with my driver seat in position I can still sit in the back seat comfortably. Depending how ummm large a person is they might have trouble getting in and out but the front seats move easy to allow an enormous opening to the back seat. I love my rx8 and I love being able to have people in the back. The back seat is completely practical to me.
I've got a 06 rx8 and I love it. When it comes to pre mixing, should I remove the cat first and is there a way to make the check engine light go away after?
A. Check out rx8 club for that they can tell you how better than me B. Yes, remove the cat C. Sadly I don't know, there's definitely way but it could be complicated
I'm buying one in 2023 and I'm straight up budgeting for unfuccin the oil system from the get go and also budgeting for an engine refresh and a cooling system upgrade. I am however also working on a way to rework it's engine to a Direct Injection rather than port injection which is what pretty much every rotary is.
@@Dominik189 Good Luck! My 18 year old bought one without knowing what she was getting into and I have no idea what to do with it. Looks beautiful sitting in my driveway. :(
@@clbush6 well if it has engine issues you can always just engine swap it. It'll cost a bit, but it'll give you a beautiful car with a relatively reliable engine. Although, the Rotary engine isn't that hard to work on and can be a fun little permanent project
If you don't mind putting some money into it. If you do get a compression test before you do. If it's good I'd go for it, but I'd replace all coil packs and spark plugs after.
1. Airbag covers are not $1000 you didn’t not buy the airbag that’s attached 2. Not a storage space in the rear seat it’s a port for long items through the boot/ trunk 3. 213,000 on mine never premixed ever. 4. Never redline it in neutral only under load. 4. As usual Americans have no clue
@@joshhaddock6772 The automatic is such a neutered driving experience, especially the 4 port. Its down ~30HP, and a sloppy torque converted automatic doesn't fit the personality of a precision, high revving sports car at all.
The auto isn’t bad. It still keeps up with my 6 speed and you can still rev to 7500 RPM. It’s easier to live with if you want one for a daily driver. The manual is definitely a lot more fun though.
False but ok. The US also got the auto. The auto is rated at a lower power but only because it doesnt rev anywhere near as high, but the motor is the same.
@@fastec5 I was talking about the 6 port renesis, as seen in the video. The auto renesis is a 4 port. I believe the 4 port renesis is around 180 or 190hp, not sure. I own a 6port renesis
@@Tiltymilk yea, up until 06 all of them were 4 port. They all make the same power, only thing is that the Auto was rated at a lower power because it only revved into the 7k's while peak power was in the 8k's. But the motors themselves are identical outside of some different counterweights and such. Actually planning on putting a 6 port into my FB. Because 210+whp NA in an FB with factory idle and reliability sounds amazing lol.
@@fastec5 I'm glad you understand 4 port and 6 port I was almost worried you didn't lol a renesis fb would be sick! Just make sure it's a 6port as you know the 4port will not bolt up to a 6speed trans
maxZ 301142 i have coil overs clutch and exhaust. Just haven’t done it yet. Might buy a rebuild first. Or honestly just put everything on then wait for engine to die then rebuild it
I had same issue but found that my battery cable was loose because J hooks were not reinstalled so that solved AC fluctuation. Check loose battery posts for clean secure grip. Also check alternator output & battery CCA strength.
The Check engine light is on in the video due to a cat-delete. This Renesis was rebuilt by Cali Style Rotary in Wisconsin!
Are they still open and still working on rotaries?
@@them26pershing59 Yup💪🏽
RX8 is seriously underrated, it's the probably most daily driveable rotary. It's also of the cheapest. It handles amazing too. I have an 04 six speed which I daily and plan to make my track car. I love it, I love it, I love it. Though I should mention if you don't like working on your car, and can't pay to have a shop fix it sometime, then this is not the car for you.
Center analog tachometer with inset digital speedometer is the perfect set up. It's that way in my Porsche Boxster, and it's one of the reasons that I bought a 2004 RX-8 yesterday.
The insulation on those centre cupholders does leave a lot to be desired, must say. Perfect for transporting hot coffee-to-go, though.
That’s true about Maintenance. It’s annoying when ppl say a Car is Unreliable because a lot of people who’ve owned that particular Car didn’t keep their Car Maintained!
Dude, the rx8 has minimal oil injection for emissions reasons. Delete the cat and with an intact oil injection system add 1/2 oz 2 stroke oil for each gallon of premium fuel.
actually it's only low oil injection up to 5K for emissions testing, once over 5K a lot more is injected. Ive seen this first hand with Mazda Edit.
Bought my 2008 40th Anniversary edition two months ago. I love it. It's got 41k km on it and is pretty much in mint condition. And I plan to keep it that way with premixing and regular maintenance.
Love my 2006 RX8 - the handbrake guard is just another triangle - you can get the engine ported, helps with hot & cold starting, & gives more BHP, I also only run it on 99 octane fuel & use K&N filters - every little bit helps - it goes like a rocket.
99 octane does nothing, k/n maybe less restrictive but that allows debris inside engine, porting only shifts the powerband with no extra hp, and does nothing for cold/hot starts.
Nice review, great daily, very cheap these days. Upgrade to more powerful coils (like D585), upgrade to the Series 2 starter motor (if you have an S1) + high CCA battery, de-cat and perhaps cooling like a full alloy radiator and all you really need to do is change oil and spark plugs to maintain them. (outside of brakes, tyres etc. of course)
Almost all (even well taken care ones) start to lose compression 180,000-200,000kms or so, but rebuild (cheaper to rebuild that a lot of engines if you have the right workshop) and enjoy for another 100,000+.
I gotta say, these motors are the most fuel efficient rotary. When built right, just like any other motor, they are bulletproof.
Crutchfield makes a kit to change the radio to a double DIN.
hey, your channel deserves more attention
I am driving a 2004 RX8. It works good. Need maintain from time to time. Its over 85000 km.
150K miles on my original engine. A 2004. I have owned 4 RX-7's in my life so i knew what the rotary wanted and i simply give it just that. Only one of the RX-7's had engine failure and it was a mistake with a downshift on the highway into second. That was all it could take. It was an 87. The other three lasted years until poor drivers ran into my vehicles in bad weather. All head on collisions ended their journey's... actually one was my fault as i entered an on ramp and hit a slick spot spun around and ended up facing the wrong way on the freeway. Yes, that was my fault.
Did u premix 1Oz per gallon or ever decat ?
If you premixed from the get go on one of these and took very good care, following Zach's recommendations of care, how many miles would you expect before any engine work?
I still have my Red RX-8, shown in Rotary Around the world #4, although poor girl needs a rebuild... Faulty sparkplug has caused engine failure, but, i still admire my 8. :)
In the old days we called this a 2+2 seating arrangement, not a four seater.
You mentioned how you'd like to daily the RX-8, but you hardly made any mention on how daily driveable it is. I think one of the biggest marks against the RX-8 is that they have the fuel consumption of a 5 litre V8, and has only about 200HP. The NA RENESIS Rotary is also notorious for it's peaky engine, so does it make city driving and highway pulls difficult? Does the transmission tunnel cook you alive like the FD does? etc..
I'm personally really curious as to how practical the rear seats of the RX-8 are, and they're so increasingly rare where I live. When you got in the back seats, was ingress and egress a challenge or a hassle? Were the front seats in your driving position? How tall are you, if you don't mind me asking? Are these seats really seats, or just a novelty thing? Can you feasibly sit in them for long journeys?
I think it might be helpful in each review to go over the mods the owner has made to each car for us to better understand what we have on our hands. I'm sorry for the ramble, but I'm subscribed to this channel for Rotary content, and I genuinely want to know more. Thanks for making this video!
I'm gonna try my best to answer the most I can.
1. Yes, MPGs are bad, that's just a fact.
2. Highway pulls would not be difficult, neither would city driving. You'd just have to rev it out once a drive if it's a city car.
3. No, the transmission doesn't cook you, which is a big factor as to why I said it feels more like a car than my rx7.
4. The rear seats aren't amazing, but they ARE usable. I don't have kids so driving more than one other person is rare as it is, so in my current daily driver I barley use the back seats anyway. Getting in and out wasn't graceful, but no coupe is
5. Yes the seat was in my position, I'm about 5'11". Yes the seats are sporty seats that work, the rotor shape is kind of a novelty, but the seat as a whole works. I've seen them swapped into Rx-7s
6. I could sit in them for a while, a road trip would be very easy in them
7. This car was stock besides a rebuild, shiftknob, and wheels.
Thank you for your feedback!
There is some heat from the tunnel, but not much, just put something in the cup holders like a rubber cover so it doesn't heat up your drinks and that's it
I'm 6 ft tall and with my driver seat in position I can still sit in the back seat comfortably. Depending how ummm large a person is they might have trouble getting in and out but the front seats move easy to allow an enormous opening to the back seat. I love my rx8 and I love being able to have people in the back. The back seat is completely practical to me.
I have an 04 I liked the seats so much I put a set in my foxbody mustang convertible, painted the plastic on the back black to match the car
I've got a 06 rx8 and I love it. When it comes to pre mixing, should I remove the cat first and is there a way to make the check engine light go away after?
A. Check out rx8 club for that they can tell you how better than me B. Yes, remove the cat C. Sadly I don't know, there's definitely way but it could be complicated
@@stephenmaxwellfuks3484 Aight I'll take a look thanks
Dig the sock-less in shoes long hike metaphor. Good one!
Hit that like on the video boys Shooting Cars is a dope channel!
My 2006 Rx8 6 speed has no cracks, and still drives strong I got it for $4,000
Should've done a POV with it as well...to show off that amazing handling
I'm buying one in 2023 and I'm straight up budgeting for unfuccin the oil system from the get go and also budgeting for an engine refresh and a cooling system upgrade. I am however also working on a way to rework it's engine to a Direct Injection rather than port injection which is what pretty much every rotary is.
I have a 2005 Shinka edition that needs work if your still looking!
@@clbush6 actually got my 2006 yesterday. It's already torn apart in the garage xD.
@@Dominik189 Good Luck! My 18 year old bought one without knowing what she was getting into and I have no idea what to do with it. Looks beautiful sitting in my driveway. :(
@@clbush6 well if it has engine issues you can always just engine swap it. It'll cost a bit, but it'll give you a beautiful car with a relatively reliable engine. Although, the Rotary engine isn't that hard to work on and can be a fun little permanent project
What about having the oil kit called SHON I think instead of the premix?
Are those the armed street 38 cal rims??!!?? I got the same exact ones
My 06 Lexus IS250 has one Sunroof Switch but, it a knob so you turn it to where you want the sunroof. Kinda like a VW Sunroof Switch.
hey i have a 2004 rx8 and it doesnt have heated seats and sun roof is yours a certain model?
Can i travel with my parents in rear seat comfortably
Brilliant car very hard for other people to understand and have a pain in the ass if they lost against it
A check engine light and below quarter tank of gas, checks out
3:55 why do you have air recirculation on? That'll make ya real dizzy on long drives.
pls dont make me buy an rx8 i cant take care of it pls dont make me do it cuz i wanna
2:45 and a check engine light.
For no cat.
I can't fit anyone behind me comfortably as I'm 6'3"
Thanks bro
I thought that the manual rx8s had 232hp or something like that and the auto has 210
That's the claim but it's less than that and depends on the compression
Even if your rx8 have great compression max bhp on dyno will be 190 bhp
@@brutal13b89 you mean whp
Coil packs too!
Oil pressure on the right not temp
I found a 2004 rx8 with 100k miles for 2500$ Is that worth it??
If you don't mind putting some money into it. If you do get a compression test before you do. If it's good I'd go for it, but I'd replace all coil packs and spark plugs after.
1. Airbag covers are not $1000 you didn’t not buy the airbag that’s attached
2. Not a storage space in the rear seat it’s a port for long items through the boot/ trunk
3. 213,000 on mine never premixed ever.
4. Never redline it in neutral only under load.
4. As usual Americans have no clue
I assume the CEL is from a cat delete
Yes it is
can be deleted with Mazda edit.
10:59 If you buy an automatic Rx-8 you should get your brain examined. There might be something seriously wrong.
Gehtdi anschasau lmao why
@@joshhaddock6772 The automatic is such a neutered driving experience, especially the 4 port. Its down ~30HP, and a sloppy torque converted automatic doesn't fit the personality of a precision, high revving sports car at all.
The auto isn’t bad. It still keeps up with my 6 speed and you can still rev to 7500 RPM. It’s easier to live with if you want one for a daily driver. The manual is definitely a lot more fun though.
I think I saw you on route 59 I drive a rx-8 too
I hate it when my rx8 gets blisters
The us model rx8 only came with a 6 speed manual with 231hp ;)
False but ok. The US also got the auto. The auto is rated at a lower power but only because it doesnt rev anywhere near as high, but the motor is the same.
@@fastec5 I was talking about the 6 port renesis, as seen in the video. The auto renesis is a 4 port. I believe the 4 port renesis is around 180 or 190hp, not sure. I own a 6port renesis
@@Tiltymilk yea, up until 06 all of them were 4 port. They all make the same power, only thing is that the Auto was rated at a lower power because it only revved into the 7k's while peak power was in the 8k's. But the motors themselves are identical outside of some different counterweights and such. Actually planning on putting a 6 port into my FB. Because 210+whp NA in an FB with factory idle and reliability sounds amazing lol.
@@fastec5 I'm glad you understand 4 port and 6 port I was almost worried you didn't lol a renesis fb would be sick! Just make sure it's a 6port as you know the 4port will not bolt up to a 6speed trans
@@Tiltymilk oh I plan to use the 6 speed as well lol. Gonna be a tight squeeze
You’d think this be’d a great daily driver. Until it starts wanting to stall when you try to turn on ac....
You need to have money in reserve in case it has issues...:/
maxZ 301142 i have coil overs clutch and exhaust. Just haven’t done it yet. Might buy a rebuild first. Or honestly just put everything on then wait for engine to die then rebuild it
@@benstevenz Yeah, I have a bunch of stuff to install too, luckily I don't need a rebuild soon
I had same issue but found that my battery cable was loose because J hooks were not reinstalled so that solved AC fluctuation. Check loose battery posts for clean secure grip. Also check alternator output & battery CCA strength.
Everyone knows what a rotary is...
lookin absolutely plastered LMFAOOO
3:55 why do you have air recirculation on? That'll make ya real dizzy on long drives.