Loren Thomas is either trolling or just Really values speed. A lot of car enthusiast like the *feelings* they get from a unique vehicle. The RX8 is unique partly because of its rotary engine. It's small and light and smoothly revs to 9k rpm. Because the engine is so small, it sits deep and low into the engine bay, which helps the car achieve great balance with a low center of gravity. In case anyone is interested generally how rotary engines work and what their advantages and disadvantages are, here is a link. ua-cam.com/video/pAOtFaMqrRw/v-deo.html
I wouldn't knock someone for doing an LS swap as you can buy these cars for dirt with blown motors and for the price you are getting a lot of car. The RX-8 chassis is pretty good and I think it can handle some of the more powerful engine swaps. I am a big Rotary enthusiast and this mill has not given me any issues so far with just a few reliability mods. I do wish Mazda offered the car with a 20b version of the Renesis. I think that would have been the golden ticket for this chassis.
Yes, this channel is quietly one of the best and most genuine auto enthusiast channels on UA-cam! He wrenches on his own cars, then drives them! Production quality is very good too!
Got my 2011 mazda rx8 a month ago, 43 years old , I owned tons of cars.....this one is far my favorite!!! I don't think I could ever sell it, or would want or desire another car...it's amazing! Buy one!
Wow, you just made me fall in love with the RX-8 again! Looks stunning and you can tell by the way you're driving it how it's such a driver's car. Loved it!
Very nice light tuning and I love the Enkei Kojin wheels. It is the perfect choice for this car! Your RX-8 looks stunning with those alloys.. I saw all your previous videos about the tunning stages of your RX-8, you have a great car and kudos for the smart and careful tunning. I have the 2006 model, 231hp, Galaxy grey in stock. I bought it brand new and since then I installed 4 OEM accesories. Outside, the fender strakes and the front polished rotary crest and inside, the illuminated gear knob and the glossy black ashtray that extends the glossy console. I am very careful with its maintenance, I know all the rotary dos and don'ts and all those years I had no problem with it. Still the original engine and everything is working 100% nice and smooth. Its such a beautiful car, I enjoy it very much and I intend to keep it. Enjoy your RX-8, greetings from Greece!
@@TheSlipAngleI have done 67.400+ km which is about 40.200m. I do not use it every day to go to work, because of the heavy traffic + in this case subway is very convenient for me. But I always drive it in my daily leisure time and on weekend trips.
There is only oil and fuel. It is not like an rx7 turbo where a rebuild was a given if you look after them you can save for a rebuild or mods. You can do a rebuild yourself. Get the one you want to buy compression tested ,its about an hours work ,mazda in the uk charge around £100 . If its ok buy it and have fun. We are here but once !!
Honestly, I think if you just buy a clean, low mileage S2 (09-11) car and change the ignition coils to something decent, you'd have a great ownership experience with just basic maintenance.
@@TheSlipAngle I did that a few years ago and love my RX8. Bought my 2010 R3 with around 45k miles 3.5 years ago and it has 82k now. Everyone complains about the maintenance and issues, but it's really just ignorance and owner error that gave the RX8 such a bad rep. I had to upgrade my ignition coils to the BHR ignition system, but other than that I've had no issues and runs better than most other cars. I also drive my car very hard drifting and racing around. It's very simple to keep them running. Just properly maintain it like you should any other car and it will last. The only difference is they aren't very forgiving when it comes to neglect.
I got a new RX8 on 2006. Since then the car has 175k km (~105k miles) with its first engine. Low power 192ps. Maintenance is done following Mazda's specifications and I've never did any mods to the car, it's 100% under factory settings. I really do love this car. Compression is up to 7,2 on both rotors. Some quality problems with the interior plastics came up the last years, but there is no way to change my mind and be dissapointed. Here in Greece we expose our vehicles to really high temperatures and the plastics may break or fade or both. Overall it's a perfectly balanced car, with perfect brakes, driver's seat and feeling, engine that really rocks and all you feel just fun while you drive it. And the big question for RX8 owners's is: What you would get if you decide to change this car? This is a very very difficult question. So, thumbs up for now! Cheers from Athens, Greece
Awesome! I ask myself that question all the time. I have a 2016 370z Nismo I am storing for the winter and that car would be on my list of exploring more as a replacement daily.
@@TheSlipAngle 370z is a great car. But here in Greece, if you want to have a car with such big engine displacement you have to pay an annual tax almost 3.500 $ (three thousand five hundred $). For RX8 is just 150 $ (one hundred fifty $) :)
Similarily, here in US, car insurance companies saw 4 doors and 1.3l engine and charged very little to insure it. We both know the chassis is very safe - the car just responds to inputs so well, rarely scares you, and to little TQ to get you in trouble if you panic. The smooth powerband really makes up for any driver errors, like shifting in a corner.
@@TheSlipAngle Insurance cost in Greece has to do with displacement. For an RX8, full insurance package is almost 400 euros per year. In addition you have to pay 150 euros to a government tax. If you have a car more than 2.000 cc the tax scale comes with more than 1.500 euros. Market price for used rx8's is between 4.000 and 9.000 euros depends on mileage and year model.
Your rx8 is awesome! I've somewhat have followed your build with my own rx8.. it's a real fun car and the balance and playfulness at the limit is amazing.. I've been working on making my rx8 an autox car and even with stickier 200tw tires the amount of control once it breaks free is almost mind blowing..
So far I don't have a whole bunch done to mine yet, but for starters running the same coilovers and ignition coil system as you are thanks to your videos haha. I'm running stock wheels with 245/40/18 Federal RS-RR's, it's corner balanced and aligned, a manifold back catless exhaust from rx7store.com, hotchkis front and rear sway bars (although I may go back to the stock rear), bride Artis iii bucket seat, axial flow short throw, and polyurethane motor mounts. When I bought it had 5k miles on a new Mazda reman engine and someone at some point put an aluminum radiator in it.. I have many more things I'd like to do tho, many of which you have already done and made videos for lol
Excellent video guys. Its amazing how you can demonstrate that RX-8s can be reliable to the point that they are capable to be daily driven Quinn! I always preferred the pre-facelift look of the RX-8 over the ones that were produced after 2008. I have a softspot for these cars because of their rigid chassis/suspension design and it makes it an awfully tempting proposition as in the UK, you can get a 60k miles one for well under $3000. The only drawback for me would be the Renesis engine - I don't know how badly the previous owners have treated these rotary engines, so they could be ticking timebombs. And if i'm not mistaken, even the older 13Bs in the FD RX-7 tend to be slightly more reliable than the renesis in the RX-8? I wish Mazda made a permanent hard-top fastback-design coupe for the ND MX-5 and I also wish they would bring back the RX-7 by using the design of the RX-Vision concept - its one of the best concept cars ever made in my opinion!
Honestly, most of the issues stem down to the ignition coils failing. If you find one, check the compression with a Rotary compression tester and if it is good, just change the ignition coil, stay on top of the normal maintenance and I bet you'd be good to go.
Excellent video! Great content and great formatting, especially when the host mentions the final best lap time and all the cars are then shown in a grid with their respective lap times! haha
Man i watched ur vids a few years ago, then got me an nb1 miata. Now i found your newer videos and its been a blessing. Awesome content. This is what i watch while i study haha.
What a great video!! 😆 Thank you so much for putting this together, this is a awesome to watch. Love your 8, your mods, descriptions, as well as your honesty. Keep it up please! (also, quick Q, which bilstein struts do we Shinkas get for stock replacements- there's a few to choose from? mine be a tad worn)
I daily an RX-8 and drive it very hard. I got hooked on the rotary as my first car and this is my 5th throughout my life. The control is more important for me than the lack of low end torque. The speeds at which i can comfortably corner make my heart pound. You may leave me on the line often but you will have trouble controlling those corners at the speeds the RX-8 loves. I really only brake as a courtesy to others, because you can control the car so well with the accelerator/shift alone.
@@TheSlipAngle The dealership in Brighton, Mi obviously dislikes the RX-8, but does not come out and say it, to my face anyway. The recalls of the airbags, gas tank mod, and lower controller arms were painfull for them. My 2004 has no modifications and has 140K miles. I have done little other than constant oil changes, and radiator flushes, along with plugs. The starter and coils have not been replaced by me, and may possibly be the originals? I purchased it with 75K mi, maybe 3+ years ago for about 6K.
Hey mate I’ve been following your great daily project and love the wheels you chose I want to get something similar for mine. How did you go fitting the +30 offset on the Shinka? Did you have to roll the guards or was there no issues? Cheers
I've been keeping up with Quinn's RX-8 vids for a while... I really want one of these for a daily! It's just so hard to find one that I'm comfortable with from a care and maintained standpoint though...
Do it up buddy! If you get a clean example and take care of the couple minor weak points like the ignition coils, you'd probably just fine with standard maintenance and upkeep.
Mine's really grown on me since I got it and I have to keep looking out my lounge window at it parked out side begging me to take it for a spin. It certainly looks different to every other car out there and there are lots of interesting styling features to look at inside and out. It bugs me though that most of that big front grille which looks really great (if you remove the number plate normally there) is mostly fake and just ornimental. I prefer functional design and think maybe cooling would be better if it was a proper mesh grill.
I think the RX-8 is aging really well. They were kind of porky in 2004 when they were released. Now you park next to a new Prius and they look tiny. It's crazy how big cars have gotten. I wouldn't say the RX-8 is a thing of pure beauty but I certainly wouldn't say it is ugly. I have a soft spot for the FD. I owned an FC for a while and do miss it sometimes.
I used to love the FD, still love the front angles especially with a 99+ front; but the back, something about the way they designed the roof/window back transition bothers me now. It looks like a bubble sticking up or something and it takes away from the car; FCs ... autotrader has been almost all convertibles for a long time now. I can't afford the 26k mile one for 28k or whatever but if I could, I'd snatch it up in a heartbeat (87 TII I think, all black); had 3 FCs, and on my 2nd 8. None of them had engine problems, it is knowledge about the cars plus proper maintenance, and most of the failures come down to the lack of those two things from what I conclude from all the research off and on the past 25 years. I like the series 2 front better than the series one; so that is something I might do to my 06 Shinka at some point. 28k miles on it; just starting to have a slight random 'cough' at cold start idle; so ignition system in the near future, going to do 30 & 35k maintenance with it. Mine isn't down on power yet, for all the trash people talk about no torque, I have no problem pulling just fine at even sub 2k rpm for daily driving; a steep hill in 6th below 50 mph you can feel it asking for a downshift, but outside of an extreme like that, its fine in passive driving and a blast in spirited driving. Had a nice long drive yesterday to pick up someone from the airport. It not only made me happy, but the passenger was comfortable and impressed; they remarked the ride felt better than the merc they were riding in where they were for the past few weeks was. That feels good when you hear people understanding the value of the car, and compared to something that costs a lot more in purchase price and upkeep. There are definitely a few angles that throw me off; the front arches stick out for me in a bad way at the wrong angle and the series one nose looks a little derpy/goofy smile straight on at a low angle especially :p
That's awesome Kuro! I would tackle those ignition coils now. Mine were doing that and started causing my cat to clog a little because of the unburnt fuel. I agree with what you said. Mazda did a great job with the gearing on these cars, so it really makes them usable, especially getting up and going in traffic. As far as front ends go, I think it depends on what bumper. My personal favorite are the S1 with Mazdaspeed front bumper following by a JDM S2 (all clear headlights) with the R3 front end. No matter what they are all nice in their own right. I'd like to get an S2 car for the Mrs. eventually. Also, I agree, it's great to see successful ownership and I also think a little background knowledge and maintenance goes a long way :)
@@TheSlipAngle That mazdaspeed bumper is hard to find and I need to take the time to stare at many pictures to be sure which one I prefer the most tbh. Right now S2 one wins out for me, but before a purchase, I'm going to annoy myself a lot to be certain. ;) The gearing is great, but I hate how pretty much all manufacturers are not giving us a proper 6th/overdrive. 4k at 80 mph is pretty high. It seems so silly to me, and dropping down 1-2k on highway cruise speeds would've made a well running engine hit 30+ depending on the driver and conditions. My first 8 was getting 27+ highway, this one 24. 2k @ 70 or 80 mph would help quite a bit on this. The BHR ignition kit is currently not available from his work on internationalizing it. Might try out the kit on amazon for around $300 plus plugs it doesn't come with; or wait for BHR to get stuff back in stock. They stopped inspections on my car where I live and where I will be moving to sometime next year the county doesn't require it; so I might be going catless. I search a lot at exhaust sounds, but not being in person, the recording devices, their gain, other factors really limit you ability to compare and my exhaust is pretty much at the sound I want it, quiet and a nice deep note at idle. That desire is influenced from the cars I had as a teenager; from a 76 Nova fastback with a 350 to my 75 Pontiac with a 400 and quite a few other cars in the family. So having a note that is deep at idle and lower rpms makes me smile, while the sound of the engine at WOT at high rpms is unique and sweet as well; best of both worlds :p So many exhausts just seem LOUD, some tinny and/or raspy. I drove an FC vert minus catback and will never appreciate a loud car again after that, the drone was horrid, when I sold it to a friend, found out the passenger seat was many decibels lower though :p So considering BHR header, resonated downpipe, and RacingBeat Rev3 catback; but much research ahead still. Lots of plans. Would love to find/figure out a positive displacement supercharger solution to add low to mid power range as for my use case, I'm happy with the top end and overall feel, I'm not chasing a specific number nor do I track the car at all, so turbo/centrifugal sc really wouldn't improve the experience for me a ton and would increase the feel comparison to a VTECH, where so much of the power ends up being in this very narrow band that isn't very usable on the street unless you are street racing which I don't agree with (mainly safety issues for other people, have had friends flip/wreck their cars, and a group of kids killed themselves by splitting a BMW in half near my home town off of John Travolta's private runway). From Sohn adapters, upgraded cooling, ignition, other mechanical work, to styling (personal taste) improvements inside and out and a project people would look down upon, I have plans. And the thing is, it works out cheaper in the long run anyway, this car is paid off. The money I'd waste buying another car, not including interest rates etc can all go into this car and make it something even more special than just being a under 30k 06 Shinka. I have been tempted by the hyperblue BRZ; one up right now that has an edelbrock supercharger as well as other mods that I would buy in a heartbeat if I had that kind of money, but that 26k price tag ... the 8 would be pristine and I'd have quite a bit extra to buy another one of those 75 Pontiacs I had and miss (floorboard rusted through, was worried a backseat passenger would have a mangled foot or lose it if they forgot and put their foot down through it at any speed; it needed a lot of work, pretty much a frame off resto needed, was a sad time to give it up). Seeing your enjoyment is an inspiration as well. Instead of just hearing the same lies repeated over and over for a car that won tons of accolades when it was released. It is a fun, well built car, that just needs to be taken care of well, like any finicky car that needs a bit more tlc to keep it up to speed. My love for rotaries started from a car choice of my teenage girlfriend and a family friend that owned a little used car lot. She got an 86 base auto FC. The family friend got an 88 GXL 5-speed on the lot and sold it to me for around $3k with I think around 80k miles on it back then. She was jealous at how much faster it was :p But to show how reliable the engines actually are, while I was pretty good at taking care of, researching, etc. Hers ... her dad checked her oil at one point when I was visiting ... there was a black drop on the tip. She hadn't changed to oil or added any for the entire time she had owned it, so a couple years iirc. I think I just assumed that she took care of normal maintenance because it was second nature to me to be on top of that and she never asked for any help (car was a car attitude? idk) and I look back and think maybe if I wasn't so assuming, I could've helped a bit more >_> lol young and dumbish. Well, too long of a reply, end it there; take care and will keep an eye out for the videos. You have a nice thing going and happy to see someone doing videos like this and showing the truth of it. Not all rainbows, but the sky isn't falling if you know what to look for at purchase, and what to do once you own it. My 5th rotary over 20+ years, not one blown motor. Quinn Motors dream garage imo :p
i have an 06 shinka in the copper red. i bought it with low compression not running but im in process of rebuilding it now. i love your videos because they pump me up for when i get it running.
@@TheSlipAngle Its funny because what your doing to yours is exactly what i want to do to mine. That's what really drew me too your videos. The thing is .. i never drove one so i don't know what to expect in regards to power and handling.(had a tuned 06 Subaru STI before) i was looking at turbo kits but at the same time i just want it to daily and take it for fun rides in the mountains. That is where your videos came in huge because it looks like it rips and drives great without the turbo, the added stress to the engine, and all that money to invest to still have no more than 300WHP id say. The only other thing i want to do is (because the engine is apart) im going to streetport it. I figure with that, intake, exhaust and Mazda edit i'd actually be very happy with it and it still be a good daily. Once I found your videos i literally watched everyone of them pretaining to the rx8. I have my engine apart right now and im happy to report it's looking great inside. I'm really thankful for your videos, they pump me up to get this thing up and running ASAP!!!!!
Ive seen your videos pop up on my Rx8 search recently. You have great videos. Im so glad you made the videos. Ive had 3 Rx8s. I would hope to get another someday. I wonder how it does in a straight line with the mods you did. Maybe post a video with some drag time slips. The turning part is forsure handled.
Quinn the type of guy that slides into the dentists office at 8am on a monday in his RX8 :D really pretty impressive it's within half a second of the itb miata considering the weight
A lot of that is just because the car is so easy to drive fast. Also it laughs at the bumpy sections that would upset the Miata and FD's suspension's more.
Awesome video, I almost bought an rx8 as my first car but between the paying for school I couldn't keep up with the maintenance which wouldn't be fair to a rotary. I'm a huge rotary fan. And I intend to own a rotary in the coming years, for now I'm a happy owner of a gen 1 mazdaspeed3
Thank you Adam! Honestly man I haven't done much more than basic maintenance to this thing and it's been great to me. I think these can have positive ownership experiences.
@@TheSlipAngle I bough my Rx8 back on 06 brand new. I have only put a little over 10K, so it is mint. I have done the dual exhaust by mazdaspeed and the cold air intake also by MazdaSpeed. I put a nice set of wheels by PIAA racing rims, size 19 and also did a bit of coil EIBACH® 5544.140 - 1.2" x 0.8" Pro-Kit Coil Spring Lowering and BILSTEIN® 24-110075 - B8 Series Sport front and Rear Shock.
You put a smile to my face during all the video, thank you. I agree 100% with everything you said about the rx8, it's a piece of art. I use it also for a daily drive. I am owner of rx8 series 2, the last four years and I continually develop it, it worth it. Congratulation one more time for your driving, I really enjoy every minute of it.
@@TheSlipAngle No major issues and red line it every time I drive it. Change oils every 5000km or 3106 miles (idemitsu), premix it (idemitsu or protek-r from petit racing), warm it before I drive it (to 40-50C or 104-122F and at least to 71C or 160F before I red line it). Additional during summer I am careful with the temp and I do not let it overheat. After really long search, reading, personal experience I do believe the temp it's a really critical point to make the wankel last, at least for rx8. I have no experience on rx7. I do like and the rx7, beautiful and more powerful car but in my personal opinion rx8 is much more practical car for a daily driving it.
I think it's difficult to drive a rotary and for it to not get under your skin. I've had a FC in the past and i've driven RX8's a lot but i'm hoping to actually go and buy one tomorrow. Nice video!!
Wow great driving! it makes me really makes me want to take my own RX8 onto the track. My white 2008 RX8 has similar mods to yours, Rebuilt engine which is street ported, AEM cold air filter, upgraded discs and pads, upgraded coils, and starter motor and a custom decat exhaust and a remap which makes it pop, bang and shoot flames even more :-) God I love than rotary noise, it's just so addictive going to 9000rpm. I've got a staggered set up though with 265s on the back and 245s on the front so mine's a bit less sideways than yours. I'm currently on tein street coilovers which although are great for ride comfort on our bumpy UK roads I find them a bit too soft for my tastes so I'm going to swap them when I can. I don't daily mine as she drinks fuel which is somewhat more expensive here in Europe so I daily my MR-S instead and keep the RX8 and another more sportily set up MR2 for the weekend. RX8s are a bargain in the UK because of the reputation for unreliability but in reality they have no more issues than a lot of other cars and if you upgrade a few parts (coils, starter motor) and maintain it properly you've got a great car for not a lot of money. I find the RX8 is very practical and one of the few coupes where you can sit adults comfortably in the back for long distances and those suicide door are just great, I don't understand why more cars don't have them. The only big downside is fuel economy but you really don't care when it puts such a big smile on your face :-) Having got the rotary bug though and watching your lovely RX7 I think I'll have to start saving hard for one of those too.
@@TheSlipAngle Mine's currently got 73k miles on it. The previous owner had the motor professionally rebuilt at 60k and really looked after it since as continue do I. I only do about 10/12k miles year in total and I currently have three cars to split that between so I'm unlikely to do more than 5k a year in the RX8 so it should last me a while and not totally break the bank with petrol costs. Only problem I've had so far is was a leaky oil cooler to oil cooler hose which is a common issue as one of the joints is a bit exposed to the elements and not well made in the first place. Running multiple cars makes petrol head sense long term as your cars all last longer. My only real issue I have though is that it takes me a lot longer to leave the house as I have to spend some time pondering which car to take out. Really like the channel btw, keep it up :-)
@@TheSlipAngle Mine is an 06 European model Cosmo. That is the name for the 6 port renesis model with 231 hp engine and the 6 speed. I am currently having bilstein b6 suspension with H&R springs, which is not adjustable. 18'' SSR wheels with Kormoran Tires . My tires are pretty shity but buy them like that because i like to play around the easy way like you. I have been faithful to the 225/45/18 wheel size on 8'' rims. My exhaust is a Sebring final muffler with 76 mm decat but no aftermarket headers. It fits the car perfectly. I have the classic Varis carbon hood and the mazdaspeed rear bumper and side skirts. The front bumper is stock with a plastic minimal lip . Loos like it was factory made. I also have the illuminated shift knob . A very cool feature for the RX8 and a pricy one too. I have also upgraded my coils with aftermarket AEM and RE Amemiya spark plugs. In the future i hope i can fit a custom made screen in place of navi with all the digital indications a renesis needs. I change oil every 3000 kilometers , i use 4100 top tec from liqui moly and indemitsu oil for my transmition and LSD. The car is located in greece , Athens and i can assure you the rotary community here is not that big compared to your region but rotarys are still head turners and gain respect from all the petrolheads. I'm super happy . I love the car. I can't even describe how happy of an owner i am. Sorry for the possible grammar mistakes i'm Greek and i haven't practiced my english enough. Keep up the great work. I really enjoy your content. Bill 26
@@turbokompressored That's awesome buddy. How many miles do you have on it and how long have you owned it for? It sounds like you've covered all of the reliability stuff. I think it would be good to show the world success stories for ownership with these cars. No problem on the grammer, I understood everything you wrote :) Thank you for subscribing!
For most people, if they move from a cheap car such as things with 140 hp or less, the RX-8 will feel fast down low and extremely fast up high. It is faster than a BRZ, on of the only real sports car options at its price point and below. Have the itch to get my third one. Thinking S2 GT or R3. Maybe one day the FD dream will come true, but hard to drop 25-30k on a quarter century old car that might need a complete chassis refresh and possible engine build. I hope to have a garage with a 8, FD, and FC in it, among some other gems I'd like to fill in some niche desires ... W12 Phaeton, 75 Pontiac Grand Ville, MkI MR2, and other oddities I have some odd passion for. Happy for you man, maybe a bit of envy, but you are living the dream and I can't imagine people being anything but happy for you.
Nice video! The RX8 is the most fun car I drive. I had a 350hp R33 Skyline and a Mk 4 Supra, both amazing, but not as fun as the RX8. If you have an RX8, I think hodl them, its likely the last rotary car as we know them after seeing mazda reveal that the future of the rotary is going to be a range extender rather than a 2020 RX7 3 Rotor EV hybrid 800hp beast. The RX8 chassis will probably become rare as most of them are getting wrecked for parts and generally really taken for granted. (esp S1s which I think are sexier) Who knows, might become as sought after as an RX3 coupe today. (none under $50k usd for sale here in Aus) Its also quite crazy, that you can get a chassis that has the stopping power of a Ferrari Enzo and the torsional stiffness of a 911 and is probably just as good if not a better platform than the legendary RX7 FD (outside of weight) for about $3-5k, actually bonkers.
It really is crazy how much car you are getting for the money. I feel like the RX-8 is going to become highly sought after eventually when it how awesome the chassis and suspension are catches on. Kind of like the way the FD became really popular after it was discontinued here. The only thing that may prevent the RX-8 from reaching the FD's level of desirability are it's looks. Who knows though, I do think they are aging quite well. Also, I'd be curious to hear how your MK4 behaves vs the RX-8 aside from the obvious differences in power. The Mk4 is a car that is still on my wants list but I haven't driven one in 14 years, so my perception of what I remember is probably not very accurate.
@@TheSlipAngle Yep agreed on the FD, the RX8 can look sexy (Mazdaspeed kit), but the 7 is sexier than some Ferraris IMO, The 7 was designed to race Porsches while the 8 was designed for the street / practicality, so in that regard the 7 will be more sought after by people who like sportier cars. I see the 8 and 7 as different classes rather than the 8 being a successor to the 7, like how the BMW 3, 5, 7 series are for different people. But in short, compared to the 8, the Supra feels and is heavy (the turbo MK4 does have 200-300 pounds on the 8 and almost 400 on the FD which is nuts, I don't think they used the 2JZGTE in SuperGT because it was so heavy), the front midship of the 8 feels like there's nothing in the under the hood when turning in compared to the Supra which feels front heavy sometimes, the Supra doesn't feel as agile, but it is really stable when you floor it and put the torque to the ground, it just hauls ass out of the corner. Having said that the Supra is really capable in the corners and actually has amazing handling that takes advantage of its high torque output (compared to rotaries anyway) to blast out of corners, doing so in a stable manner, a different sort than the 8 or the 7 which are more about taking advantage of the light rotary engines and being more agile. I would rather a 7 or 8 in small tight courses like the video and a Supra in a track with long straights, low speed corners and uphill sections if that makes sense.
Was that track done completely in second gear! Love the RX8. Agree a well balanced chassis and love that rotary engine. I love it regardless of its shortcomings and the fact it’s a NA rotor which loves to rev .
Another great vid. I love the rx8 my brother in law owns one and he sometimes lets me thrash it around a little. Low on power but damn she does everything i tell her too and never fights me back. The rx8 makes me look like a pro driver. I thought it would have done a better lap time considering the transmission looked to be suited for that track. I guess the wieght and lack of power held it back. I know it was not the handling and brakes. Either way thank you Slip Angle. P.S i dont understand how this channel does not have more views. This is good real car content. I guess there are more car possers then i thought.
The Slip Angle I had make the mistake of purchasing it with high mileage and sadly could not find a decent motor for it, been kicking myself in the ass for letting it go, been looking for it ever since
Quinn, great channel great car. I've got a 2005 rx8 that's blown a shock. Do i change the lot for teins street basis or repair the one shock? Its a weekend car just for the street. How do your teins compare to stock? Your opinion would be appreciated.
I wouldn't recommend Teins for RX-8. The rates are too soft for the weight of the car. I'd look for Bilstein PSS9s or Ohlins. I have the full set of stock shocks/springs from my car that I pulled at 28k miles if you are interested in them. 300.00 for the whole set.
Hey man, how satisfied are you with your Tein Flex Z’s? I’m trying to upgrade my suspension but can’t decide between Tein’s, BC Racing’s and Bilstein’s B14 Keep it up
Hello... Can you tell me the exact capacity of coolant in the RX8, 2006 (As per the Manual). I filled it with 5 litre and later saw the reservoir empty once it cooled down... there are no leaks...
Good and fun daily driver. Practical and very nice design. I own 04 6MT gem and I love it. Motor got recently rebuilt and now I'm looking forward to happy future and hope fuel prices stay normal.. :D
@@TheSlipAngle Extra fuel and oil for that power, sound and smiles are worth it :D Can't stop watching your video ;) There are some LPG conversions but are they worth it?
Hey guys, fantastic video. Please keep them up. Your enjoyment really came through with this video. P.S. Please buy a second RX8 and get some more power in it. Would love to see what one of these could do with 400 so horsepower.
Okay, so it looks like you finally down-shifted into 3rd at 10:34... so you just kept it wound in 4th and used it's momentum for the entire circuit correct? Looked like lots of fun... wish I had a track nearby where I could sort the suspension mods on my 85 FB 13B :(
I shifted into neutral there. I was using 2nd gear on the track. Some of the faster cars we need to shift into 3rd quick on the straight, but the slower or longer geared cars we can keep in 2nd.
The 8 has really tall gears. I used to redline 1st and barely get into 2nd on the on-ramps up to 60-70mph. Wish I'd have tracked mine before it's untimely demise. Was pure joy to drive, still get a bit of whiplash when I see one in the wild.
@@TheSlipAngle my Rx8 R3 has 63, 544 miles and the MIATA 611 MILES. IM not gonna lie though, I miss my other rx8 and always wonder hows she doing. We had a lot of memories. They are awesome cars to dip through traffic on the highway...FUN
@@jayespi37 At least you still have the R3! That's good to hear. Whenever I talk to other enthusiasts who understand some of the car's quirks, they seem to have a positive ownership experience with the RX-8. The ND is cool too. I did a review of the Rev9 Autosport ND RF demo car a while back.
Is your car lowered at all? Mines lowered and got staggered axis rims with 265s on rear with aem intake. When its lowered I find it hardly needs any bolt ons. Though i will be doing a full exhaust next summer anyways
Yes it is lowered. These cars are pretty good out of the box, but I do think there is a little more to be had engine wise, not to mention the weight you save with some of the bolt-ons.
Rx8 is a rotary car in a price range im looking at. Im very interested in rotary engines. So different, unique and misunderstood. Im also looking at a 4 banger 180sx. Got a couple years till my 2 current vehicles are paid off but all i do is read read read to learn as much as possible
Good run and nice choices of mods. Hope you don’t mind me asking, with everything you put/added in your RX8 (and I mean everything that wasn’t in the car when you bought it)...how much was your total expenses? And was it worth it (as far as the added performance is concern)? looking forward for more RX8 videos.
I'm probably around 3k in mods? Yes, worth every penny. The car was transformed this time around on track vs the first time when it was bone stock. The only thing I wouldn't recommend are the Teins. The rates are too soft for the weight of the car and they removed a lot of travel from the rear. I am probably going to be replacing them soon.
@ The Slip Angle...my wife & I bought our son the rx8. It’s not mine but it feels like I’m the owner (with all maintenance and upgrade upkeeps). I’m teaching him how to take care of it. I told him he needs to learn how to keep it running smoothly if he wants it to last. It was a long time wish of mine to own one but it never materialize. I guess it wasn’t on the top of the priority list. Anyways, his has Enkei RPF1s and maybe we will get some Kojins once he gets tired of it. I wish you were closer to where we at.
I noticed the Connecticut plate. I didn't know there was any other rotary enthusiasts near me. If your ever in downtown Hartford you might see my RX8 cuz I also daily mine to work. It does well for me but I also own a truck to drive whenever the car is broken lol.
Have an 2009 R3, absolutely agree with the suspension being absolutely amazing and comfortable interior. I kept mine stock, just because I think it's perfect for what it is stock. The R3 wheels are awesome, have 101k miles on it with zero issues. I probably wouldn't buy a Series 1 though. Whats with the gloves?
That's awesome Mike! I love seeing positive ownership experiences with these showing that with some basic maintenance and reliability mods, these can be great cars. I wear the gloves because my hands sweat a lot when I am monkeying behind the wheel and it ruins the suede or gets slippery if it's leather/vinyl.
I agree 100% with you with the suspension. Even stock its unmatched for street driving. Very compliant and as you said, the imperfections or the bumps in the road do not bother the suspension. There have been many times where I purposely floored it where there was uneveness in the road and it would never slide due to the bump. My only gripe with the car is that the transmission is a bit weak. Be weary of hard 1st to 2nd gear shifts, they are easy to miss and 2nd gear is the weakest gear in the transmission. Trust me I have blown through 2 of them during a hard 1st to 2nd shift.lool
I've heard people say they've had transmission issues. I'm pretty mechanically sympathetic on gear boxes and only ask more of them if I really need it.
@@TheSlipAngle btw if you did not know already I would strongly recommend N upgraded ignition pack. car gained power consistently, it has never flooded on cold starts and overall makes the engine way more reliable! It is the best gain and would be my first modification to do on this car. I had BHR Ignition kit, BHR flywheel, gutted cat, Racing Beat V2 Tune (rev limiter 9600rpm), poly engine mounts, exedy stg 2 clutch(stage 1 does not work) opened the stock intake box. 1/4 mile 14.5@97mph with a bad 60ft of 2.4 sec. Believe I had just under 200whp. Stock was 163whp. Man do I miss the rx8. just wish they didn't rust so badly up here in Quebec, Canada. 😔
Thanks Shazy. The first mod I did was a set of Bennett Built D585 coils and wires when my factory coils started to crap out. 14.5 is impressive with that 60 ft. I have an ExoticSpeed header, RB resonated Mid-Pipe, AEM style intake, 5 lb battery, SOHN OMP Adapter, Mazdaedit and with street tuning the car definitely feels peppier over stock. I still have to settle on a catback and install a set of lightweight pulleys I have before I bring it to the dyno and see what is left on the table with timing adjustments. Given the weight, these cars feel like they are at least 200 whp (Dynojet) with bolt-ons and tuning. I am excited to see what it makes.
@@TheSlipAngle Nice man! Was wondering why your car wasnt that loud, love the rb midpipe, gives the necessary power without a big increase in sound. if you can, rb cat back would be my Choice if it is not out of your price budget. it will be a slightly deeper tone with no drone. best of luck my good sir. :)
I think I remember Ricer Miata putting his Miata through the paces on this same track. Where is this track and what is it named? My 2006 RX8GT is due for some upgraded modifications. Unfortunately I am very low on cash after a recent hospitalization. I may have to put my mint condition red 1991 FC convertible that only has 78K miles back on the road while working on the RX8. I wish I never sold my 1993 twin turbo FD. Thanks for the incentives.
Hi Edward, this is at Lime Rock Park. We shared the track a few times with Chris when we were filming. I am sorry to hear about your FC. I hope everything works out for you.
They are pretty damn good for 300.00 a set in 255/35/18 lol. Not so good in the rain, but I love how loosey goosey this car is in the rain. So much fun!
ROTARY HEAD💪🏽❤️💯 yup im subscribing, oh look at that. I hit the bell too lmao ( in the future I’d like for you to overlap, port it, ls1 coil packs and 1000cc injectors and tune the engine. Of course with some tricks like putting wholes so oil can be let thru and you won’t need to premix it. Mishimoto radiator low temp thermostat and everything else needed to keep it cool and you should have yourself a VERY fun car. Like you’ll see what 2,500 put into it can make a huge difference without turbo
I'd recommend going with an S2 09-11 car as they were much more sorted from the factory. Get one that is clean with low miles. Make sure it has good compression before buying. Change the ignition coils to either the latest Mazda revision of them or go with one of the LS D-585 kits and stay on top of the maintenance. Keep the oil level topped off and I'd think you'd have a great ownership experience.
What about a ND2 Miata 2.0 engine swap? Honestly a 13B from a FD also makes sense Even a k series engine I think all complement the car Have you ever heard of a MOTUS engine? It’s a chopped down LS V8 into a V4
you running 255 wide tires under stock fenders?!!! any rubbing or did you pull your fenders or something? and btw I love your rx8 wayyy cleaner than mine :)
Yessir! The 35 sidewall is the ticket for them though. I didn't want 255s and would have preferred narrower, but the 35 sidewall gives these a smaller overall diameter than any 225, 235, 245 wide 18" tire out there. I also run a conservative height and some camber to make it all work, but no fender modifications required. If the wheels had less offset I'd be able to go lower on the height. And thank you! At least you own an RX-8 though :)
@@luisgarcia288 Mine's got 19in 265/35's on the rear 245/35 on the front with rolled "fenders" (we call then wheel arches in the UK) I don't run the rear coilovers too low as it would rub if I loaded up the car with passenger's, luggage and bike rack (hey the RX8 is a practical car to go on holiday with). Although my Teins give a great ride I'd like to get firmer springs then maybe I could run it a bit lower.
@@joldisyri8936 It's hard to say. I can only speak from my own experience with the car and it's that it is super easy to balance in a slide and recover. Do you know what your alignment is at?
I just installed some underdrive pulleys, but there is not much left from here out for me to do without porting or adding forced induction. Part of me is tempted to make a better intake manifold, but all the butterfly stuff and sensors may make that a challenge to run with the stock ECU, even with Mazdaedit.
The Slip Angle Yes sir, I agree with you on these sensors and valves and actuators and…and… they are so refined, Mazda engineered 13B-MSP to the extreme-the ultimate factory NA rotary engine(13B P port is a different story, while others may still think 13B MSP sucks). I’ve been also searching around about 13B-MSP with GSL SE housing for P port exhaust-the hybrid build+MSP intake ports. But again, stand-alone ECU is a must. Another option would be 20B NA ITB swap. After spending hours searching about rotary race car spec for Mazda factory team, Re-Amemiya Super GT GT300 RX7, as well as endurance race like Rolex 24 RX8 GT, I’m 99% positive that they are all NA setup, that have been very reliable, and smooth torque curves, unlike turbo setup, once the turbo kicks in, the rear end becomes very “loose”. Now I’m in day dreaming mode 24/7 and hoping for bump in pay soon! All the best and keep in touch!🤪
I personally favor the renesis engine over the REW because it was much easier to take care of (as long as you weren't boosting it) and I can totally see my exact same enjoyment when i watch you drive. I was driving the car with bald tires not too long ago - and getting it to kick the tail out in 2-lane roads, at straight 90 degree powerslides, were so easy and predictable... it was a joy to do when drivers wouldn't let me take my turn in an intersection.
Would you know anything about a sluggish throttle response? I barely blop the trottle and it feels unresponsive and laggy and like I said sluggish. Any ideas?
I had an rx8; no mods and I thought it had great balance, right upto and on the limit of grip. This could be prolly be due to the cheap tyres I was on, but in a corner with a lot of weight transition, like if you arrived at a large clockwise roundabout and chucked it in, the front would grip and settle and the tail would come around. I don't know if it down to improper weight transfer, but catching it felt a bit scary, as a stock rx8 feels slightly wafty imo anyways! What are your thoughts on this?
Awesome Toby! What is your alignment at? Stock calls for less camber in the front than rear meaning the rear. This will impact how the car rotates and make it a little more snappy. I run a half a degree less camber in the rear than the front and that really transformed the way this car behaves.
@@TheSlipAngle Well its like two different worlds, the cappuccino is more go kart than car to be honest. Non-abs brakes, no power steering, you can really push it on the brakes. It has no traction control, Straight-3 sounds like a mini toyota supra. Very torquey with the turbo, strong low and mid range, you can rev it out to 9.5k but theres not much going on at the top end, which is a bit of an anti climax as its pretty strong mid range, i guess its why people up the boost on these things.Ungraceful to get into, but once you're in its actually pretty comfy for my 5'11" stocky frame. Feels energetic and like its raring to go, like a race car. A proper momentum type lap time car, feels very much like one of those rental go karts. Just enough power to be fun!
finally a new rx8 video. It’s been too long. I think the car would be perfect with 300whp and about 280tq. Small turbo it Quinn be the pioneer and hero the rx8s need and deserve
What do you guys think about the RX-8? Let us know in the comments!
Needs a L33 Aluminum V8. No too much hp but enough... probably 300hp to the wheels.
Loren Thomas is either trolling or just Really values speed. A lot of car enthusiast like the *feelings* they get from a unique vehicle. The RX8 is unique partly because of its rotary engine. It's small and light and smoothly revs to 9k rpm. Because the engine is so small, it sits deep and low into the engine bay, which helps the car achieve great balance with a low center of gravity. In case anyone is interested generally how rotary engines work and what their advantages and disadvantages are, here is a link. ua-cam.com/video/pAOtFaMqrRw/v-deo.html
I wouldn't knock someone for doing an LS swap as you can buy these cars for dirt with blown motors and for the price you are getting a lot of car. The RX-8 chassis is pretty good and I think it can handle some of the more powerful engine swaps. I am a big Rotary enthusiast and this mill has not given me any issues so far with just a few reliability mods. I do wish Mazda offered the car with a 20b version of the Renesis. I think that would have been the golden ticket for this chassis.
@Leon Jones Thanks bud!
It handles well but it needs about 60 more horsepower
Such an underrated channel. Keep up the good work!
Thank you Vincent!
Yes, this channel is quietly one of the best and most genuine auto enthusiast channels on UA-cam! He wrenches on his own cars, then drives them! Production quality is very good too!
@@travr1131 Thank you!
Got my 2011 mazda rx8 a month ago, 43 years old , I owned tons of cars.....this one is far my favorite!!! I don't think I could ever sell it, or would want or desire another car...it's amazing! Buy one!
Congrats Jerry!
@@TheSlipAngle thanks man!
Wow, you just made me fall in love with the RX-8 again! Looks stunning and you can tell by the way you're driving it how it's such a driver's car. Loved it!
Very nice light tuning and I love the Enkei Kojin wheels. It is the perfect choice for this car! Your RX-8 looks stunning with those alloys.. I saw all your previous videos about the tunning stages of your RX-8, you have a great car and kudos for the smart and careful tunning. I have the 2006 model, 231hp, Galaxy grey in stock. I bought it brand new and since then I installed 4 OEM accesories. Outside, the fender strakes and the front polished rotary crest and inside, the illuminated gear knob and the glossy black ashtray that extends the glossy console. I am very careful with its maintenance, I know all the rotary dos and don'ts and all those years I had no problem with it. Still the original engine and everything is working 100% nice and smooth. Its such a beautiful car, I enjoy it very much and I intend to keep it. Enjoy your RX-8, greetings from Greece!
Why thank you! That is really great to hear that you have been having a positive ownership experience. How many miles do you have now on your RX-8?
@@TheSlipAngleI have done 67.400+ km which is about 40.200m. I do not use it every day to go to work, because of the heavy traffic + in this case subway is very convenient for me. But I always drive it in my daily leisure time and on weekend trips.
HA! 232hp/ "some tq". Love that. Keep it up. Hopefully I can finish my own rx8 soon. #winterproject
LOL :)
I love this car! If I could afford the maintenance I'd get one yesterday
Im in the same boat, I cant believe how cheap these are. The maintenance on the Renesis is no joke though
There is only oil and fuel.
It is not like an rx7 turbo where a rebuild was a given if you look after them you can save for a rebuild or mods.
You can do a rebuild yourself.
Get the one you want to buy compression tested ,its about an hours work ,mazda in the uk charge around £100 .
If its ok buy it and have fun.
We are here but once !!
Honestly, I think if you just buy a clean, low mileage S2 (09-11) car and change the ignition coils to something decent, you'd have a great ownership experience with just basic maintenance.
What do you mean “if”? These cars are VERY cheap and easy to maintain
@@TheSlipAngle I did that a few years ago and love my RX8. Bought my 2010 R3 with around 45k miles 3.5 years ago and it has 82k now. Everyone complains about the maintenance and issues, but it's really just ignorance and owner error that gave the RX8 such a bad rep. I had to upgrade my ignition coils to the BHR ignition system, but other than that I've had no issues and runs better than most other cars. I also drive my car very hard drifting and racing around. It's very simple to keep them running. Just properly maintain it like you should any other car and it will last. The only difference is they aren't very forgiving when it comes to neglect.
I got a new RX8 on 2006. Since then the car has 175k km (~105k miles) with its first engine. Low power 192ps.
Maintenance is done following Mazda's specifications and I've never did any mods to the car, it's 100% under factory settings.
I really do love this car. Compression is up to 7,2 on both rotors.
Some quality problems with the interior plastics came up the last years, but there is no way to change my mind and be dissapointed. Here in Greece we expose our vehicles to really high temperatures and the plastics may break or fade or both.
Overall it's a perfectly balanced car, with perfect brakes, driver's seat and feeling, engine that really rocks and all you feel just fun while you drive it.
And the big question for RX8 owners's is:
What you would get if you decide to change this car? This is a very very difficult question.
So, thumbs up for now!
Cheers from Athens, Greece
Awesome! I ask myself that question all the time. I have a 2016 370z Nismo I am storing for the winter and that car would be on my list of exploring more as a replacement daily.
@@TheSlipAngle 370z is a great car. But here in Greece, if you want to have a car with such big engine displacement you have to pay an annual tax almost 3.500 $ (three thousand five hundred $). For RX8 is just 150 $ (one hundred fifty $) :)
Similarily, here in US, car insurance companies saw 4 doors and 1.3l engine and charged very little to insure it. We both know the chassis is very safe - the car just responds to inputs so well, rarely scares you, and to little TQ to get you in trouble if you panic. The smooth powerband really makes up for any driver errors, like shifting in a corner.
@@gerkav1008 LOL. My friend imported an RX-8 into Russia also because it was much cheaper due to the 1.3L displacement :)
@@TheSlipAngle Insurance cost in Greece has to do with displacement. For an RX8, full insurance package is almost 400 euros per year. In addition you have to pay 150 euros to a government tax. If you have a car more than 2.000 cc the tax scale comes with more than 1.500 euros.
Market price for used rx8's is between 4.000 and 9.000 euros depends on mileage and year model.
Your rx8 is awesome! I've somewhat have followed your build with my own rx8.. it's a real fun car and the balance and playfulness at the limit is amazing.. I've been working on making my rx8 an autox car and even with stickier 200tw tires the amount of control once it breaks free is almost mind blowing..
Thank you Brad! What do you have done to your 8?
So far I don't have a whole bunch done to mine yet, but for starters running the same coilovers and ignition coil system as you are thanks to your videos haha. I'm running stock wheels with 245/40/18 Federal RS-RR's, it's corner balanced and aligned, a manifold back catless exhaust from rx7store.com, hotchkis front and rear sway bars (although I may go back to the stock rear), bride Artis iii bucket seat, axial flow short throw, and polyurethane motor mounts. When I bought it had 5k miles on a new Mazda reman engine and someone at some point put an aluminum radiator in it.. I have many more things I'd like to do tho, many of which you have already done and made videos for lol
Excellent video guys. Its amazing how you can demonstrate that RX-8s can be reliable to the point that they are capable to be daily driven Quinn! I always preferred the pre-facelift look of the RX-8 over the ones that were produced after 2008. I have a softspot for these cars because of their rigid chassis/suspension design and it makes it an awfully tempting proposition as in the UK, you can get a 60k miles one for well under $3000. The only drawback for me would be the Renesis engine - I don't know how badly the previous owners have treated these rotary engines, so they could be ticking timebombs. And if i'm not mistaken, even the older 13Bs in the FD RX-7 tend to be slightly more reliable than the renesis in the RX-8? I wish Mazda made a permanent hard-top fastback-design coupe for the ND MX-5 and I also wish they would bring back the RX-7 by using the design of the RX-Vision concept - its one of the best concept cars ever made in my opinion!
Honestly, most of the issues stem down to the ignition coils failing. If you find one, check the compression with a Rotary compression tester and if it is good, just change the ignition coil, stay on top of the normal maintenance and I bet you'd be good to go.
@@TheSlipAngle Thanks very much for the heads up! I'll keep that in mind. Looking forward to your future videos 👍
Anytime! Thank you!
More rx8 projects pls. Love ur channel mx5 /miata are awesome and would love to see what u guys can do with the rx8
Excellent video! Great content and great formatting, especially when the host mentions the final best lap time and all the cars are then shown in a grid with their respective lap times! haha
Thank you Sarah!
Most drifters have terrible steering wheel control. You sir are one of the best I've seen, drifter or not.
Thank you Jacob! I learned from Mr. Keiichi Tsuchiya himself :)
Smooth and graceful chassis
Man i watched ur vids a few years ago, then got me an nb1 miata. Now i found your newer videos and its been a blessing. Awesome content. This is what i watch while i study haha.
Thank you buddy!
Insane car, love the sound of these rotaries. Great content
Thank you Jason!
What a great video!! 😆
Thank you so much for putting this together, this is a awesome to watch. Love your 8, your mods, descriptions, as well as your honesty. Keep it up please!
(also, quick Q, which bilstein struts do we Shinkas get for stock replacements- there's a few to choose from? mine be a tad worn)
I daily an RX-8 and drive it very hard. I got hooked on the rotary as my first car and this is my 5th throughout my life. The control is more important for me than the lack of low end torque. The speeds at which i can comfortably corner make my heart pound. You may leave me on the line often but you will have trouble controlling those corners at the speeds the RX-8 loves. I really only brake as a courtesy to others, because you can control the car so well with the accelerator/shift alone.
Awesome buddy! How has your ownership been with it and how many miles are on it?
@@TheSlipAngle The dealership in Brighton, Mi obviously dislikes the RX-8, but does not come out and say it, to my face anyway. The recalls of the airbags, gas tank mod, and lower controller arms were painfull for them. My 2004 has no modifications and has 140K miles. I have done little other than constant oil changes, and radiator flushes, along with plugs. The starter and coils have not been replaced by me, and may possibly be the originals? I purchased it with 75K mi, maybe 3+ years ago for about 6K.
@@thehound2161 That's great to hear buddy! If they are OEM coils, you probably want to change them. OEMs typically last about 35k miles.
An awesome video - with some really fantastic driving. Subscribed!
Thank you Sir!
Great driving! It's great to see someone say how good these cars are iv'e got a 2007 kuro and every time i drive it i'm impressed.
Thank you Philip!
Hey mate I’ve been following your great daily project and love the wheels you chose I want to get something similar for mine. How did you go fitting the +30 offset on the Shinka? Did you have to roll the guards or was there no issues? Cheers
I've been keeping up with Quinn's RX-8 vids for a while... I really want one of these for a daily! It's just so hard to find one that I'm comfortable with from a care and maintained standpoint though...
Do it up buddy! If you get a clean example and take care of the couple minor weak points like the ignition coils, you'd probably just fine with standard maintenance and upkeep.
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I honestly like the RX-8's design better than the FD, aesthetically, but nothing will ever touch the FC for me.
Mine's really grown on me since I got it and I have to keep looking out my lounge window at it parked out side begging me to take it for a spin. It certainly looks different to every other car out there and there are lots of interesting styling features to look at inside and out. It bugs me though that most of that big front grille which looks really great (if you remove the number plate normally there) is mostly fake and just ornimental. I prefer functional design and think maybe cooling would be better if it was a proper mesh grill.
I think the RX-8 is aging really well. They were kind of porky in 2004 when they were released. Now you park next to a new Prius and they look tiny. It's crazy how big cars have gotten. I wouldn't say the RX-8 is a thing of pure beauty but I certainly wouldn't say it is ugly. I have a soft spot for the FD. I owned an FC for a while and do miss it sometimes.
I used to love the FD, still love the front angles especially with a 99+ front; but the back, something about the way they designed the roof/window back transition bothers me now. It looks like a bubble sticking up or something and it takes away from the car;
FCs ... autotrader has been almost all convertibles for a long time now. I can't afford the 26k mile one for 28k or whatever but if I could, I'd snatch it up in a heartbeat (87 TII I think, all black); had 3 FCs, and on my 2nd 8. None of them had engine problems, it is knowledge about the cars plus proper maintenance, and most of the failures come down to the lack of those two things from what I conclude from all the research off and on the past 25 years.
I like the series 2 front better than the series one; so that is something I might do to my 06 Shinka at some point. 28k miles on it; just starting to have a slight random 'cough' at cold start idle; so ignition system in the near future, going to do 30 & 35k maintenance with it. Mine isn't down on power yet, for all the trash people talk about no torque, I have no problem pulling just fine at even sub 2k rpm for daily driving; a steep hill in 6th below 50 mph you can feel it asking for a downshift, but outside of an extreme like that, its fine in passive driving and a blast in spirited driving. Had a nice long drive yesterday to pick up someone from the airport. It not only made me happy, but the passenger was comfortable and impressed; they remarked the ride felt better than the merc they were riding in where they were for the past few weeks was. That feels good when you hear people understanding the value of the car, and compared to something that costs a lot more in purchase price and upkeep.
There are definitely a few angles that throw me off; the front arches stick out for me in a bad way at the wrong angle and the series one nose looks a little derpy/goofy smile straight on at a low angle especially :p
That's awesome Kuro! I would tackle those ignition coils now. Mine were doing that and started causing my cat to clog a little because of the unburnt fuel. I agree with what you said. Mazda did a great job with the gearing on these cars, so it really makes them usable, especially getting up and going in traffic. As far as front ends go, I think it depends on what bumper. My personal favorite are the S1 with Mazdaspeed front bumper following by a JDM S2 (all clear headlights) with the R3 front end. No matter what they are all nice in their own right. I'd like to get an S2 car for the Mrs. eventually. Also, I agree, it's great to see successful ownership and I also think a little background knowledge and maintenance goes a long way :)
@@TheSlipAngle That mazdaspeed bumper is hard to find and I need to take the time to stare at many pictures to be sure which one I prefer the most tbh. Right now S2 one wins out for me, but before a purchase, I'm going to annoy myself a lot to be certain. ;)
The gearing is great, but I hate how pretty much all manufacturers are not giving us a proper 6th/overdrive. 4k at 80 mph is pretty high. It seems so silly to me, and dropping down 1-2k on highway cruise speeds would've made a well running engine hit 30+ depending on the driver and conditions. My first 8 was getting 27+ highway, this one 24. 2k @ 70 or 80 mph would help quite a bit on this.
The BHR ignition kit is currently not available from his work on internationalizing it. Might try out the kit on amazon for around $300 plus plugs it doesn't come with; or wait for BHR to get stuff back in stock. They stopped inspections on my car where I live and where I will be moving to sometime next year the county doesn't require it; so I might be going catless. I search a lot at exhaust sounds, but not being in person, the recording devices, their gain, other factors really limit you ability to compare and my exhaust is pretty much at the sound I want it, quiet and a nice deep note at idle. That desire is influenced from the cars I had as a teenager; from a 76 Nova fastback with a 350 to my 75 Pontiac with a 400 and quite a few other cars in the family. So having a note that is deep at idle and lower rpms makes me smile, while the sound of the engine at WOT at high rpms is unique and sweet as well; best of both worlds :p So many exhausts just seem LOUD, some tinny and/or raspy. I drove an FC vert minus catback and will never appreciate a loud car again after that, the drone was horrid, when I sold it to a friend, found out the passenger seat was many decibels lower though :p So considering BHR header, resonated downpipe, and RacingBeat Rev3 catback; but much research ahead still.
Lots of plans. Would love to find/figure out a positive displacement supercharger solution to add low to mid power range as for my use case, I'm happy with the top end and overall feel, I'm not chasing a specific number nor do I track the car at all, so turbo/centrifugal sc really wouldn't improve the experience for me a ton and would increase the feel comparison to a VTECH, where so much of the power ends up being in this very narrow band that isn't very usable on the street unless you are street racing which I don't agree with (mainly safety issues for other people, have had friends flip/wreck their cars, and a group of kids killed themselves by splitting a BMW in half near my home town off of John Travolta's private runway).
From Sohn adapters, upgraded cooling, ignition, other mechanical work, to styling (personal taste) improvements inside and out and a project people would look down upon, I have plans. And the thing is, it works out cheaper in the long run anyway, this car is paid off. The money I'd waste buying another car, not including interest rates etc can all go into this car and make it something even more special than just being a under 30k 06 Shinka. I have been tempted by the hyperblue BRZ; one up right now that has an edelbrock supercharger as well as other mods that I would buy in a heartbeat if I had that kind of money, but that 26k price tag ... the 8 would be pristine and I'd have quite a bit extra to buy another one of those 75 Pontiacs I had and miss (floorboard rusted through, was worried a backseat passenger would have a mangled foot or lose it if they forgot and put their foot down through it at any speed; it needed a lot of work, pretty much a frame off resto needed, was a sad time to give it up).
Seeing your enjoyment is an inspiration as well. Instead of just hearing the same lies repeated over and over for a car that won tons of accolades when it was released. It is a fun, well built car, that just needs to be taken care of well, like any finicky car that needs a bit more tlc to keep it up to speed.
My love for rotaries started from a car choice of my teenage girlfriend and a family friend that owned a little used car lot. She got an 86 base auto FC. The family friend got an 88 GXL 5-speed on the lot and sold it to me for around $3k with I think around 80k miles on it back then. She was jealous at how much faster it was :p But to show how reliable the engines actually are, while I was pretty good at taking care of, researching, etc. Hers ... her dad checked her oil at one point when I was visiting ... there was a black drop on the tip. She hadn't changed to oil or added any for the entire time she had owned it, so a couple years iirc. I think I just assumed that she took care of normal maintenance because it was second nature to me to be on top of that and she never asked for any help (car was a car attitude? idk) and I look back and think maybe if I wasn't so assuming, I could've helped a bit more >_> lol young and dumbish.
Well, too long of a reply, end it there; take care and will keep an eye out for the videos. You have a nice thing going and happy to see someone doing videos like this and showing the truth of it. Not all rainbows, but the sky isn't falling if you know what to look for at purchase, and what to do once you own it. My 5th rotary over 20+ years, not one blown motor. Quinn Motors dream garage imo :p
i have an 06 shinka in the copper red. i bought it with low compression not running but im in process of rebuilding it now. i love your videos because they pump me up for when i get it running.
Awesome Eric! Copper Red is such a sweet color too! What are your plans for the car?
@@TheSlipAngle Its funny because what your doing to yours is exactly what i want to do to mine. That's what really drew me too your videos. The thing is .. i never drove one so i don't know what to expect in regards to power and handling.(had a tuned 06 Subaru STI before) i was looking at turbo kits but at the same time i just want it to daily and take it for fun rides in the mountains. That is where your videos came in huge because it looks like it rips and drives great without the turbo, the added stress to the engine, and all that money to invest to still have no more than 300WHP id say. The only other thing i want to do is (because the engine is apart) im going to streetport it. I figure with that, intake, exhaust and Mazda edit i'd actually be very happy with it and it still be a good daily. Once I found your videos i literally watched everyone of them pretaining to the rx8. I have my engine apart right now and im happy to report it's looking great inside. I'm really thankful for your videos, they pump me up to get this thing up and running ASAP!!!!!
Hell yea been waiting 4 my Rx8 :) as I’m a owner
Yay RX-8 content!
Pretty awesome little car, very well balanced. Underpowered but still allot of fun, the sound alone is worth the admission
Agreed!
Ive seen your videos pop up on my Rx8 search recently. You have great videos. Im so glad you made the videos. Ive had 3 Rx8s. I would hope to get another someday. I wonder how it does in a straight line with the mods you did. Maybe post a video with some drag time slips. The turning part is forsure handled.
Thank you. There is a video on our channel of my car racing my friend's slightly milder tuned RX-8 that will give you a decent idea.
Quinn the type of guy that slides into the dentists office at 8am on a monday in his RX8 :D
really pretty impressive it's within half a second of the itb miata considering the weight
Charles-Dylan Mactutus and the rx7 while going considerably slower .
A lot of that is just because the car is so easy to drive fast. Also it laughs at the bumpy sections that would upset the Miata and FD's suspension's more.
Awesome video, I almost bought an rx8 as my first car but between the paying for school I couldn't keep up with the maintenance which wouldn't be fair to a rotary. I'm a huge rotary fan. And I intend to own a rotary in the coming years, for now I'm a happy owner of a gen 1 mazdaspeed3
Thank you Adam! Honestly man I haven't done much more than basic maintenance to this thing and it's been great to me. I think these can have positive ownership experiences.
The Rx8 is such a special car! I love my 06 Rx8
Yes! How many miles do you have on yours and what have you done to it?
I have an 06 also. I only have about 80k on mine :)
Xtd stage 2 6 puck clutch and turbo xs race pipe
@@TheSlipAngle I bough my Rx8 back on 06 brand new. I have only put a little over 10K, so it is mint.
I have done the dual exhaust by mazdaspeed and the cold air intake also by MazdaSpeed. I put a nice set of wheels by PIAA racing rims, size 19 and also did a bit of coil EIBACH® 5544.140 - 1.2" x 0.8" Pro-Kit Coil Spring Lowering and BILSTEIN® 24-110075 - B8 Series Sport front and Rear Shock.
Wow that is awesome! Certainly a special thing for sure.
You put a smile to my face during all the video, thank you. I agree 100% with everything you said about the rx8, it's a piece of art. I use it also for a daily drive. I am owner of rx8 series 2, the last four years and I continually develop it, it worth it. Congratulation one more time for your driving, I really enjoy every minute of it.
Thank you buddy! Awesome! How many miles do you have on yours?
@@TheSlipAngle Welcome my friend. I have about 97500KM, which is about 60583miles.
Nice! No major issues thus far? I've put 22k on mine since owning, now at 43k and it hasn't given me any crap with regular spirited driving.
@@TheSlipAngle No major issues and red line it every time I drive it. Change oils every 5000km or 3106 miles (idemitsu), premix it (idemitsu or protek-r from petit racing), warm it before I drive it (to 40-50C or 104-122F and at least to 71C or 160F before I red line it). Additional during summer I am careful with the temp and I do not let it overheat. After really long search, reading, personal experience I do believe the temp it's a really critical point to make the wankel last, at least for rx8. I have no experience on rx7. I do like and the rx7, beautiful and more powerful car but in my personal opinion rx8 is much more practical car for a daily driving it.
My dad bought a Mazda RX-8 when I was a kid and it’s my dream car. I’ll have one soon sheesh.
Rock on!
Great video, cannot wait to get my own RX-8.
Thank you! They are great buys right now!
I think it's difficult to drive a rotary and for it to not get under your skin.
I've had a FC in the past and i've driven RX8's a lot but i'm hoping to actually go and buy one tomorrow.
Nice video!!
Thanks bud! Good luck! Let us know how you make out ;)
Wow great driving! it makes me really makes me want to take my own RX8 onto the track. My white 2008 RX8 has similar mods to yours, Rebuilt engine which is street ported, AEM cold air filter, upgraded discs and pads, upgraded coils, and starter motor and a custom decat exhaust and a remap which makes it pop, bang and shoot flames even more :-) God I love than rotary noise, it's just so addictive going to 9000rpm. I've got a staggered set up though with 265s on the back and 245s on the front so mine's a bit less sideways than yours. I'm currently on tein street coilovers which although are great for ride comfort on our bumpy UK roads I find them a bit too soft for my tastes so I'm going to swap them when I can. I don't daily mine as she drinks fuel which is somewhat more expensive here in Europe so I daily my MR-S instead and keep the RX8 and another more sportily set up MR2 for the weekend. RX8s are a bargain in the UK because of the reputation for unreliability but in reality they have no more issues than a lot of other cars and if you upgrade a few parts (coils, starter motor) and maintain it properly you've got a great car for not a lot of money. I find the RX8 is very practical and one of the few coupes where you can sit adults comfortably in the back for long distances and those suicide door are just great, I don't understand why more cars don't have them. The only big downside is fuel economy but you really don't care when it puts such a big smile on your face :-) Having got the rotary bug though and watching your lovely RX7 I think I'll have to start saving hard for one of those too.
Hell yeah Tim! Thank you! How many miles do you have on your RX-8?
@@TheSlipAngle Mine's currently got 73k miles on it. The previous owner had the motor professionally rebuilt at 60k and really looked after it since as continue do I. I only do about 10/12k miles year in total and I currently have three cars to split that between so I'm unlikely to do more than 5k a year in the RX8 so it should last me a while and not totally break the bank with petrol costs. Only problem I've had so far is was a leaky oil cooler to oil cooler hose which is a common issue as one of the joints is a bit exposed to the elements and not well made in the first place. Running multiple cars makes petrol head sense long term as your cars all last longer. My only real issue I have though is that it takes me a lot longer to leave the house as I have to spend some time pondering which car to take out. Really like the channel btw, keep it up :-)
@@somecallmetim42 That's awesome Tim! Thank you very much!
The rx8 is starting to grow on me can’t lie
Me too, I think ;)
I miss my RX8. What a great drivers car!
Loved the video.
I own a black one too. So graceful , so fun , so balanced! Good job man.
Thank you! And awesome, they are such great cars. Tell us a little about yours!
@@TheSlipAngle Mine is an 06 European model Cosmo. That is the name for the 6 port renesis model with 231 hp engine and the 6 speed.
I am currently having bilstein b6 suspension with H&R springs, which is not adjustable.
18'' SSR wheels with Kormoran Tires . My tires are pretty shity but buy them like that because i like to play around the easy way like you. I have been faithful to the 225/45/18 wheel size on 8'' rims. My exhaust is a Sebring final muffler with 76 mm decat but no aftermarket headers. It fits the car perfectly.
I have the classic Varis carbon hood and the mazdaspeed rear bumper and side skirts. The front bumper is stock with a plastic minimal lip . Loos like it was factory made.
I also have the illuminated shift knob . A very cool feature for the RX8 and a pricy one too.
I have also upgraded my coils with aftermarket AEM and RE Amemiya spark plugs.
In the future i hope i can fit a custom made screen in place of navi with all the digital indications a renesis needs.
I change oil every 3000 kilometers , i use 4100 top tec from liqui moly and indemitsu oil for my transmition and LSD.
The car is located in greece , Athens and i can assure you the rotary community here is not that big compared to your region but rotarys are still head turners and gain respect from all the petrolheads. I'm super happy . I love the car. I can't even describe how happy of an owner i am.
Sorry for the possible grammar mistakes i'm Greek and i haven't practiced my english enough.
Keep up the great work. I really enjoy your content.
Bill 26
@@turbokompressored That's awesome buddy. How many miles do you have on it and how long have you owned it for? It sounds like you've covered all of the reliability stuff. I think it would be good to show the world success stories for ownership with these cars. No problem on the grammer, I understood everything you wrote :) Thank you for subscribing!
I have a 2006 Rx8 Shinka also, same color,but I have the 6 speed automatic,my daily , and still loving it..!!
For most people, if they move from a cheap car such as things with 140 hp or less, the RX-8 will feel fast down low and extremely fast up high. It is faster than a BRZ, on of the only real sports car options at its price point and below.
Have the itch to get my third one. Thinking S2 GT or R3. Maybe one day the FD dream will come true, but hard to drop 25-30k on a quarter century old car that might need a complete chassis refresh and possible engine build. I hope to have a garage with a 8, FD, and FC in it, among some other gems I'd like to fill in some niche desires ... W12 Phaeton, 75 Pontiac Grand Ville, MkI MR2, and other oddities I have some odd passion for.
Happy for you man, maybe a bit of envy, but you are living the dream and I can't imagine people being anything but happy for you.
Thanks brother!
Mazda Did a really good job on the suspension. Rips out suspension and puts in coilovers.
I am talking about the control arms, knuckles, geometry and how it all articulates bud.
Basically this car drives so well everyone turns into a fanboy trying to describe it 🤣🤣🤣 it is SO good lmao
That's because it is the best mechanical suspension car ever built!
Nice video! The RX8 is the most fun car I drive. I had a 350hp R33 Skyline and a Mk 4 Supra, both amazing, but not as fun as the RX8.
If you have an RX8, I think hodl them, its likely the last rotary car as we know them after seeing mazda reveal that the future of the rotary is going to be a range extender rather than a 2020 RX7 3 Rotor EV hybrid 800hp beast. The RX8 chassis will probably become rare as most of them are getting wrecked for parts and generally really taken for granted. (esp S1s which I think are sexier) Who knows, might become as sought after as an RX3 coupe today. (none under $50k usd for sale here in Aus)
Its also quite crazy, that you can get a chassis that has the stopping power of a Ferrari Enzo and the torsional stiffness of a 911 and is probably just as good if not a better platform than the legendary RX7 FD (outside of weight) for about $3-5k, actually bonkers.
It really is crazy how much car you are getting for the money. I feel like the RX-8 is going to become highly sought after eventually when it how awesome the chassis and suspension are catches on. Kind of like the way the FD became really popular after it was discontinued here. The only thing that may prevent the RX-8 from reaching the FD's level of desirability are it's looks. Who knows though, I do think they are aging quite well. Also, I'd be curious to hear how your MK4 behaves vs the RX-8 aside from the obvious differences in power. The Mk4 is a car that is still on my wants list but I haven't driven one in 14 years, so my perception of what I remember is probably not very accurate.
@@TheSlipAngle Yep agreed on the FD, the RX8 can look sexy (Mazdaspeed kit), but the 7 is sexier than some Ferraris IMO, The 7 was designed to race Porsches while the 8 was designed for the street / practicality, so in that regard the 7 will be more sought after by people who like sportier cars. I see the 8 and 7 as different classes rather than the 8 being a successor to the 7, like how the BMW 3, 5, 7 series are for different people.
But in short, compared to the 8, the Supra feels and is heavy (the turbo MK4 does have 200-300 pounds on the 8 and almost 400 on the FD which is nuts, I don't think they used the 2JZGTE in SuperGT because it was so heavy), the front midship of the 8 feels like there's nothing in the under the hood when turning in compared to the Supra which feels front heavy sometimes, the Supra doesn't feel as agile, but it is really stable when you floor it and put the torque to the ground, it just hauls ass out of the corner.
Having said that the Supra is really capable in the corners and actually has amazing handling that takes advantage of its high torque output (compared to rotaries anyway) to blast out of corners, doing so in a stable manner, a different sort than the 8 or the 7 which are more about taking advantage of the light rotary engines and being more agile. I would rather a 7 or 8 in small tight courses like the video and a Supra in a track with long straights, low speed corners and uphill sections if that makes sense.
Finally someone who thinks the renesis is good. Sure it might have it's cons but 230hp N/A is decent.
Was that track done completely in second gear!
Love the RX8. Agree a well balanced chassis and love that rotary engine. I love it regardless of its shortcomings and the fact it’s a NA rotor which loves to rev .
Going to Limerock next month!
Another great vid. I love the rx8 my brother in law owns one and he sometimes lets me thrash it around a little. Low on power but damn she does everything i tell her too and never fights me back. The rx8 makes me look like a pro driver. I thought it would have done a better lap time considering the transmission looked to be suited for that track. I guess the wieght and lack of power held it back. I know it was not the handling and brakes. Either way thank you Slip Angle. P.S i dont understand how this channel does not have more views. This is good real car content. I guess there are more car possers then i thought.
Thanks man! We also wonder the same lol. Either way we are just going to keep on doing what we are doing and hope that it eventually picks up :)
Keep it coming this has to catch on
Hells yes :)
a good daily makes the day - good
Agreed!
I think think with stickier tires it would be in the mid 37s. Great content!
Better intro, I like it
Great video really enjoyed that!
Thank you!
I miss my rx8, had an 05 shinka. Black cherry mica such an unbelievably nice car to drive
Oh man, Black Cherry is such a sweet color! Why'd you let it go?
The Slip Angle
I had make the mistake of purchasing it with high mileage and sadly could not find a decent motor for it, been kicking myself in the ass for letting it go, been looking for it ever since
At least these are really cheap to get into now!
Quinn, great channel great car. I've got a 2005 rx8 that's blown a shock. Do i change the lot for teins street basis or repair the one shock? Its a weekend car just for the street. How do your teins compare to stock? Your opinion would be appreciated.
I wouldn't recommend Teins for RX-8. The rates are too soft for the weight of the car. I'd look for Bilstein PSS9s or Ohlins. I have the full set of stock shocks/springs from my car that I pulled at 28k miles if you are interested in them. 300.00 for the whole set.
@@TheSlipAngle I'm in the uk so delivery cost would be too high, thanks anyway. You look to be doing alright on the teins.
Not a huge jdm fan but,this is GOOD. 🙆🏾♂️
Hey man, how satisfied are you with your Tein Flex Z’s? I’m trying to upgrade my suspension but can’t decide between Tein’s, BC Racing’s and Bilstein’s B14
Keep it up
The rates are too soft and the rear coils bind/bottom out under hard bumps. I wouldn't recommend them
@@TheSlipAngle any recommendations for coil-overs? I mostly daily my rx8 but do some track in the summer
Nice car
Hello... Can you tell me the exact capacity of coolant in the RX8, 2006 (As per the Manual). I filled it with 5 litre and later saw the reservoir empty once it cooled down... there are no leaks...
Good and fun daily driver. Practical and very nice design.
I own 04 6MT gem and I love it. Motor got recently rebuilt and now I'm looking forward to happy future and hope fuel prices stay normal.. :D
Isn't the little extra running costs in fuel worth it though? ;)
@@TheSlipAngle Extra fuel and oil for that power, sound and smiles are worth it :D
Can't stop watching your video ;)
There are some LPG conversions but are they worth it?
Oh yus. I have no experience with the LPG stuff, sorry buddy.
@@TheSlipAngle No worries man! I was just exploring alternative fuel options but I'm not sure that engineering and installation are worth it :D
Hey guys, fantastic video. Please keep them up. Your enjoyment really came through with this video.
P.S. Please buy a second RX8 and get some more power in it. Would love to see what one of these could do with 400 so horsepower.
Thanks buddy! Hmm, that doesn't sound like a bad idea at all actually ;)
Love your videos! Keep it up!
Thank you!
Pretty neat, you should come up with temp sensors for tires? I used to own two Rx7's
232 whp! Did this get a street port?
Okay, so it looks like you finally down-shifted into 3rd at 10:34... so you just kept it wound in 4th and used it's momentum for the entire circuit correct? Looked like lots of fun... wish I had a track nearby where I could sort the suspension mods on my 85 FB 13B :(
I shifted into neutral there. I was using 2nd gear on the track. Some of the faster cars we need to shift into 3rd quick on the straight, but the slower or longer geared cars we can keep in 2nd.
The 8 has really tall gears. I used to redline 1st and barely get into 2nd on the on-ramps up to 60-70mph. Wish I'd have tracked mine before it's untimely demise. Was pure joy to drive, still get a bit of whiplash when I see one in the wild.
I love my rx8! I had 2, 09 GT and an R3. Sold my GT to get a Miata RF to have the best of both worlds 😁
Awesome! How has your ownership been with them and how many miles do they have?
@@TheSlipAngle my Rx8 R3 has 63, 544 miles and the MIATA 611 MILES. IM not gonna lie though, I miss my other rx8 and always wonder hows she doing. We had a lot of memories. They are awesome cars to dip through traffic on the highway...FUN
@@jayespi37 At least you still have the R3! That's good to hear. Whenever I talk to other enthusiasts who understand some of the car's quirks, they seem to have a positive ownership experience with the RX-8. The ND is cool too. I did a review of the Rev9 Autosport ND RF demo car a while back.
Is your car lowered at all? Mines lowered and got staggered axis rims with 265s on rear with aem intake. When its lowered I find it hardly needs any bolt ons. Though i will be doing a full exhaust next summer anyways
Yes it is lowered. These cars are pretty good out of the box, but I do think there is a little more to be had engine wise, not to mention the weight you save with some of the bolt-ons.
Rx8 is a rotary car in a price range im looking at. Im very interested in rotary engines. So different, unique and misunderstood. Im also looking at a 4 banger 180sx. Got a couple years till my 2 current vehicles are paid off but all i do is read read read to learn as much as possible
Good run and nice choices of mods. Hope you don’t mind me asking, with everything you put/added in your RX8 (and I mean everything that wasn’t in the car when you bought it)...how much was your total expenses? And was it worth it (as far as the added performance is concern)? looking forward for more RX8 videos.
I'm probably around 3k in mods? Yes, worth every penny. The car was transformed this time around on track vs the first time when it was bone stock. The only thing I wouldn't recommend are the Teins. The rates are too soft for the weight of the car and they removed a lot of travel from the rear. I am probably going to be replacing them soon.
The Slip Angle thanks for the info Quinn. Loving the kojins on these RX8.
@@saulgoodman3227 Anytime buddy! Do you rock a set of them on yours?
@ The Slip Angle...my wife & I bought our son the rx8. It’s not mine but it feels like I’m the owner (with all maintenance and upgrade upkeeps). I’m teaching him how to take care of it. I told him he needs to learn how to keep it running smoothly if he wants it to last. It was a long time wish of mine to own one but it never materialize. I guess it wasn’t on the top of the priority list. Anyways, his has Enkei RPF1s and maybe we will get some Kojins once he gets tired of it. I wish you were closer to where we at.
Nice Saul! That's one hell of a gift! You should get yourself one too ;)
I noticed the Connecticut plate. I didn't know there was any other rotary enthusiasts near me. If your ever in downtown Hartford you might see my RX8 cuz I also daily mine to work. It does well for me but I also own a truck to drive whenever the car is broken lol.
Awesome man! How many miles are on your car and have you had good ownership with it?
Have an 2009 R3, absolutely agree with the suspension being absolutely amazing and comfortable interior. I kept mine stock, just because I think it's perfect for what it is stock. The R3 wheels are awesome, have 101k miles on it with zero issues. I probably wouldn't buy a Series 1 though. Whats with the gloves?
That's awesome Mike! I love seeing positive ownership experiences with these showing that with some basic maintenance and reliability mods, these can be great cars. I wear the gloves because my hands sweat a lot when I am monkeying behind the wheel and it ruins the suede or gets slippery if it's leather/vinyl.
I agree 100% with you with the suspension. Even stock its unmatched for street driving. Very compliant and as you said, the imperfections or the bumps in the road do not bother the suspension. There have been many times where I purposely floored it where there was uneveness in the road and it would never slide due to the bump. My only gripe with the car is that the transmission is a bit weak. Be weary of hard 1st to 2nd gear shifts, they are easy to miss and 2nd gear is the weakest gear in the transmission. Trust me I have blown through 2 of them during a hard 1st to 2nd shift.lool
I've heard people say they've had transmission issues. I'm pretty mechanically sympathetic on gear boxes and only ask more of them if I really need it.
@@TheSlipAngle btw if you did not know already I would strongly recommend N upgraded ignition pack. car gained power consistently, it has never flooded on cold starts and overall makes the engine way more reliable! It is the best gain and would be my first modification to do on this car.
I had BHR Ignition kit, BHR flywheel, gutted cat, Racing Beat V2 Tune (rev limiter 9600rpm), poly engine mounts, exedy stg 2 clutch(stage 1 does not work) opened the stock intake box. 1/4 mile 14.5@97mph with a bad 60ft of 2.4 sec. Believe I had just under 200whp. Stock was 163whp.
Man do I miss the rx8. just wish they didn't rust so badly up here in Quebec, Canada. 😔
Thanks Shazy. The first mod I did was a set of Bennett Built D585 coils and wires when my factory coils started to crap out. 14.5 is impressive with that 60 ft. I have an ExoticSpeed header, RB resonated Mid-Pipe, AEM style intake, 5 lb battery, SOHN OMP Adapter, Mazdaedit and with street tuning the car definitely feels peppier over stock. I still have to settle on a catback and install a set of lightweight pulleys I have before I bring it to the dyno and see what is left on the table with timing adjustments. Given the weight, these cars feel like they are at least 200 whp (Dynojet) with bolt-ons and tuning. I am excited to see what it makes.
@@TheSlipAngle Nice man! Was wondering why your car wasnt that loud, love the rb midpipe, gives the necessary power without a big increase in sound. if you can, rb cat back would be my Choice if it is not out of your price budget. it will be a slightly deeper tone with no drone. best of luck my good sir. :)
I think I remember Ricer Miata putting his Miata through the paces on this same track. Where is this track and what is it named? My 2006 RX8GT is due for some upgraded modifications. Unfortunately I am very low on cash after a recent hospitalization. I may have to put my mint condition red 1991 FC convertible that only has 78K miles back on the road while working on the RX8. I wish I never sold my 1993 twin turbo FD. Thanks for the incentives.
Hi Edward, this is at Lime Rock Park. We shared the track a few times with Chris when we were filming. I am sorry to hear about your FC. I hope everything works out for you.
Finally seeing your viewer count go up. Hopefully you guys will be driving my build one day.
Thank you! Send us an email with your rundown: slipanglemedia@gmail.com
@@TheSlipAngle I will when it's in one piece, I don't want to make any false promises haha
What kind of car is it and what are you doing?
@@TheSlipAngle as of now an NA build on an mr2 spyder
Oh nice! What powerplant?
So clean!
Thank you!
Good rims
$/abuse ratio you can't beat Achilles tires honestly. They don't mind being roasted
They are pretty damn good for 300.00 a set in 255/35/18 lol. Not so good in the rain, but I love how loosey goosey this car is in the rain. So much fun!
@Leon Jones I mean if they were perfect all around tires for that money it would put all of the big names to shame lol
Oh agreed, 100 P :)
ROTARY HEAD💪🏽❤️💯 yup im subscribing, oh look at that. I hit the bell too lmao ( in the future I’d like for you to overlap, port it, ls1 coil packs and 1000cc injectors and tune the engine. Of course with some tricks like putting wholes so oil can be let thru and you won’t need to premix it. Mishimoto radiator low temp thermostat and everything else needed to keep it cool and you should have yourself a VERY fun car. Like you’ll see what 2,500 put into it can make a huge difference without turbo
Thank you! I have a set of D585 coils on it and tuning is with Mazdaedit. There are videos out for all the mods on this car ;)
Im considering buying an RX8. I have no garage experience but some driving experience. How should I go about it? Would a miata be better in my case?
I'd recommend going with an S2 09-11 car as they were much more sorted from the factory. Get one that is clean with low miles. Make sure it has good compression before buying. Change the ignition coils to either the latest Mazda revision of them or go with one of the LS D-585 kits and stay on top of the maintenance. Keep the oil level topped off and I'd think you'd have a great ownership experience.
How many engines have you been through?
Imagine the performance of your RX8 if you had the power train in it that is in your FD RX7!!
Did you run these laps in 3rd gear with rpms between 3 and 6 k or were you in second gear near redline?
They were run in 2nd gear.
@@TheSlipAngle Running that high of an RPM for sustained periods generally causes my RX8 to begin to overheat. Do you have an upgraded cooling system?
Are the internal of the engine stock,do you fix the issues with the exhaust ports.
Stock, unopened engine.
What about a ND2 Miata 2.0 engine swap?
Honestly a 13B from a FD also makes sense
Even a k series engine
I think all complement the car
Have you ever heard of a MOTUS engine?
It’s a chopped down LS V8 into a V4
20b
you running 255 wide tires under stock fenders?!!! any rubbing or did you pull your fenders or something? and btw I love your rx8 wayyy cleaner than mine :)
Yessir! The 35 sidewall is the ticket for them though. I didn't want 255s and would have preferred narrower, but the 35 sidewall gives these a smaller overall diameter than any 225, 235, 245 wide 18" tire out there. I also run a conservative height and some camber to make it all work, but no fender modifications required. If the wheels had less offset I'd be able to go lower on the height. And thank you! At least you own an RX-8 though :)
i have 265 squared on 19's you need to remove fender liners and roll the fenders but they fit stock fenders fine
@@luisgarcia288 Mine's got 19in 265/35's on the rear 245/35 on the front with rolled "fenders" (we call then wheel arches in the UK) I don't run the rear coilovers too low as it would rub if I loaded up the car with passenger's, luggage and bike rack (hey the RX8 is a practical car to go on holiday with). Although my Teins give a great ride I'd like to get firmer springs then maybe I could run it a bit lower.
@@somecallmetim42 @Nick Ruales keep in mind that wheel width and offset will also have bearing on what you can fit as well.
Thanks for the info. So I have a question. If I have a 18x9 +30 wheel what tires do you recommend I can run
A rotrex would pair so well with this car. I’ve only seen one kit available from knight performance in japan, it seems like a missed opportunity.
I've considered a Rotrex, but like you said the options are limited and last time I checked pricey as well.
Hi Quinn can you share the suspension settings what are your camber settings your toe etc? Thanks
Hey Alex, check out this video and you can see where I aligned to at the end : ua-cam.com/video/8cleNTAsVY0/v-deo.html
This video made me buy another RX-8 after almost a decade of not owning one....I'm not keeping the Renesis though
Awesome!
Dude that suspension is kick ass! Super stiff. Is your diff lsd or did you weld it?
Hell yes! I am running the stock torsen LSD.
@@TheSlipAngle really? I spin out alot when I drift. My rear struts are pretty much done for though. Could it be a suspension and driver issue?
@@joldisyri8936 It's hard to say. I can only speak from my own experience with the car and it's that it is super easy to balance in a slide and recover. Do you know what your alignment is at?
@@TheSlipAngle no idea. I've yet to get an alignment done so it might be out of whack.
I'd start there and make sure you have a good baseline,
I'm seriously considering a mild NA 20B swap in one for my retirement
Better grab one sooner than later. 20Bs are beyond what I think is reasonable now for one.
Hello Quinn, wats your future plan for the RX8 13B MSP to gain more power?
I just installed some underdrive pulleys, but there is not much left from here out for me to do without porting or adding forced induction. Part of me is tempted to make a better intake manifold, but all the butterfly stuff and sensors may make that a challenge to run with the stock ECU, even with Mazdaedit.
The Slip Angle Yes sir, I agree with you on these sensors and valves and actuators and…and… they are so refined, Mazda engineered 13B-MSP to the extreme-the ultimate factory NA rotary engine(13B P port is a different story, while others may still think 13B MSP sucks).
I’ve been also searching around about 13B-MSP with GSL SE housing for P port exhaust-the hybrid build+MSP intake ports. But again, stand-alone ECU is a must.
Another option would be 20B NA ITB swap. After spending hours searching about rotary race car spec for Mazda factory team, Re-Amemiya Super GT GT300 RX7, as well as endurance race like Rolex 24 RX8 GT, I’m 99% positive that they are all NA setup, that have been very reliable, and smooth torque curves, unlike turbo setup, once the turbo kicks in, the rear end becomes very “loose”.
Now I’m in day dreaming mode 24/7 and hoping for bump in pay soon!
All the best and keep in touch!🤪
I personally favor the renesis engine over the REW because it was much easier to take care of (as long as you weren't boosting it) and I can totally see my exact same enjoyment when i watch you drive. I was driving the car with bald tires not too long ago - and getting it to kick the tail out in 2-lane roads, at straight 90 degree powerslides, were so easy and predictable... it was a joy to do when drivers wouldn't let me take my turn in an intersection.
I agree. I think the Renesis requires less sorting than the REW for sure! Gotta love the balance these cars have. It really is legendary :)
Would you know anything about a sluggish throttle response? I barely blop the trottle and it feels unresponsive and laggy and like I said sluggish. Any ideas?
How old are your ignition coils and have you tried cleaning the MAF?
About how many acres does that track take up?
I'll ask Matchew to measure next time we are there
I had an rx8; no mods and I thought it had great balance, right upto and on the limit of grip. This could be prolly be due to the cheap tyres I was on, but in a corner with a lot of weight transition, like if you arrived at a large clockwise roundabout and chucked it in, the front would grip and settle and the tail would come around. I don't know if it down to improper weight transfer, but catching it felt a bit scary, as a stock rx8 feels slightly wafty imo anyways! What are your thoughts on this?
Awesome Toby! What is your alignment at? Stock calls for less camber in the front than rear meaning the rear. This will impact how the car rotates and make it a little more snappy. I run a half a degree less camber in the rear than the front and that really transformed the way this car behaves.
@@TheSlipAngle I have no idea about the alignment, thats prolly it! I've sold mine since, just got a suzuki cappuccino actually,lol
That's quite the transition. How do you like it?
@@TheSlipAngle Well its like two different worlds, the cappuccino is more go kart than car to be honest. Non-abs brakes, no power steering, you can really push it on the brakes. It has no traction control, Straight-3 sounds like a mini toyota supra. Very torquey with the turbo, strong low and mid range, you can rev it out to 9.5k but theres not much going on at the top end, which is a bit of an anti climax as its pretty strong mid range, i guess its why people up the boost on these things.Ungraceful to get into, but once you're in its actually pretty comfy for my 5'11" stocky frame. Feels energetic and like its raring to go, like a race car. A proper momentum type lap time car, feels very much like one of those rental go karts. Just enough power to be fun!
What is the size of your wheel? Brand? Size of tyre? Thanks
These were 18x9.5+30 Enkei Kojin but I now have 18x9.5 +38 Advan TC4s that fit perfect under stock bodywork.
People tend to forget that its not a turbo that makes rotarys awsome its how lightweight and high revving they are
Front mid-ship baby!
Do you rub at all with that tire and wheel set up ??
I do not
finally a new rx8 video. It’s been too long. I think the car would be perfect with 300whp and about 280tq. Small turbo it Quinn be the pioneer and hero the rx8s need and deserve
I agree, 300 whp and this would almost be a perfect car. I wish Mazda did a 3 rotor version of the Renesis!
Have you done the peripheral in the engine already? Show video!
Working on it!
I saw an rx8 at a local dealership a few years ago, and recently saw that same car all smashed up. :(