The Maxda RX8 holds a special place in my heart. It was my first love. Even now whenever I see one my eyes will follow it across the street. The greatness of this car is often overshadowed by most people’s misunderstanding of this magnificent legend.
The RX8 was introduced by Mazda in 2002 and it is a work of art. It’s fricking amazing with a 50:50 weight ratio that results in amazing handling. The 1.3L Wankel rotary engine may look tiny but because it’s a rotary, It puts out an astonishing 238 horsepower and a zero to 60 in just over 6 seconds. It is one of the few cars in the world to have earned Jeremy clarkson’s respect and rightfully so; Mazda spared no expense in making it an amazing car. You can actually fit 4 adults in the car (Though with some diffuculty) none of the two plus two crap. It’s a rear wheel drive car with a limited slip differential which in my opinion is the best setup. It has a beautiful 6 speed manual transmission and an exhaust that makes you want to listen to it all day long. The interior is amazing and it’s full of features that you would not expect from a early 2000’s car. The RX-8 is a forgiving car,you can throw it around corners and it doesn’t punish you but just goes with the flow. The shape with all of those curves looks amazing. Despite being a coupe it still manages to feel roomy inside.
Now coming to present day, it’s been nearly ten years since the last Mazda RX8 rolled off the production line. You can snatch one up for a few thousand bucks. $2800 should get you a drivable one. Just don’t get influenced by the abundant people on the web who warn you against doing so, this is where the misunderstood part of this car comes in. The RX8 is no normal car, it’s a bloody sports coupe, you can’t expect it to survive on the same maintenance you give your Civic type R or your Volkswagen Golf. People treat it harshly and are surprised when the engine blows up. This is not a daily driver car, so don’t buy this if you’re looking for a reliable car to take you from point A to point B. But if you are looking for a fun project car to take out on the weekends and race around with you makes, go for it. But here’s what you expect from one.
Fuel average isn’t going to win you any awards and this car is definitely a gas guzzler which is a big problem with today’s fuel prices. Plus this thing also drinks engine oil due to a design fault with the engine. To counter this, RX-8 owners have resorted to mixing dual stroke engine oil when filling up their tank. The engine also dosnot respond kindly to harsh weather and the air conditionings not gonna win you any awards. But despite everything I love the RX-8.
What a lot of people have resorted to doing is swapping in 1JZ’s, which I think is the worst thing you can do to the car. I am not a supporter of engine swaps in the first place and 1JZ swaps in the RX8 just make me mad. It’s bulkier than the stock engine and ruins that precious 50:50 ratio that makes the RX-8’s handling special, They also require extensive modifications to the engine bay. Most of the swaps I have seen are not that practical, something always manages to go wrong. Good luck finding some obscure pickup truck’s clutch plates to fit your ride. My recomendation stick with the stock powerblock.
So once you have considered all that, What’s it like ? It’s a pure joy to drive, The 8 may not be as fast or quick as some of the other cars but it’s a fun car to drive arround. The car isn’t too picky and is forgiving.
As a conclusion here are somethings that I would recomend to all to do to their 8s as soon as they get one:
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Get the engine rebuilt, using OEM Apex seals
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Get the radiator checked over and don’t cheap out on it.
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Install a cold air intake
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Install a Big Spoiler
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Get it Wrapped in some eye catching color
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Get a straightpipe exhaust
So thats all for today, hope you Guys liked my first Real post here.