Happy holidays! Would you own an RX-8? Why or why not? Comment below! Also, have you checked out our new Vaporwave V2 gear!? Take a peak! bit.ly/37a98t1
Fitment Industries. I daily drive my 2006 rx8. Very fun car. If you know what you’re doing it’s a great daily driver and will give you smiles per miles. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll think it’s a bad car. Btw I need some wheels for mine got any recommends? 😂
I have, and had to leave it. Moved out of state, I had all the usual issues but I can’t wait to get another one to rev to moon and slide it around with
If you do want an Rx8 I recommend going to someone who can edit the ecu settings to; 1. Dump more oil into the OMP. S1 engines have 2 oil squirters compared to the s2s 3. Mazda also kept the amount of oil put in low to meet emissions. This way you won’t need to spend money on premix 2. Get them to turn the high speed cooling fans on early. This helps with cooling which helps reliability in the long run. 3. Raise idle to 900-1000rpm to help reduce bearing failure if using 5w-30 oil. This should help keep your Rx8 engine healthy and last a bit longer.
I premix, bought the Re-Medy lower-temp thermostat from MazMart to kick the fans on earlier, and my ECU is tuned to idle at 1,100RPM. But all of that reliability is probably totally cancelled out by the Pettit supercharger haha -_- See my channel :)
Just recently got my 2011 RX-8 GT thinking the same thing long-term. "Ehh, fun but finicky car with a bad rep on the internet. I've done my research, poured a bit of sweat helping my dad ok his cars. I'm down to break some more on an RX! Just...My wallet from all the high-octane refuels After revving the ever loving shit out of it on the freeway is a bit much. Maybe I should time down the downshifting...
@@anthonybaker1965 pretty good. Its really fun, just had to fix an overheating issue. Im in Arizona so it gets pretty hot. All aluminum radiator fixed the problem
I have a 2010 RX-8 Sport for daily driving. It's nowhere hear as troublesome as Alex says. First, it's a Series II (2009-2011) which fixed almost all of the problems with the Series I (2004-2008). It DOES have a 50/50 weight distribution with tight handling that's comparable with $250K and up high-end sports cars. It has plenty of room for four people and large items (I put a new, boxed 55" TV in it before). The fit and finish on this car is excellent, typical of better Japanese cars. And, yes, you can get them super cheap - even the Series II's. But there are a few caveats to consider: - get the car compression tested before you buy it as poor maintenance will show up with hard hot-starting - replace the wimpy OEM ignition coils with strong D585's (plenty of easy-to-install kits out there) - remember that oil is king in this car - it burns a quart every 1000 miles and needs regular oil changes (be sure to use the OEM high-pressure filter), plus more-frequent coolant changes - the manual trans on this car is excellent; you give up reliability and power with the auto - this car need to be redlined often: 'A redline a day keeps the mechanic away!' - for best performance, longevity, and power get an ECU tuner (I use Versatuner) BTW, although not really necessary for the Series II, I premix at 250:1 with Idemitsu 2-stoke oil.
Every time I see anything mentioning an rx8 the owners are always in the comments saying; “Oh the rx8 is actually reliable, you just have to replace these 3 parts, do this twice a day, oh and you can’t do these 4 things…”
If your parents don't buy a rx8 for you, just say *"It has 4 doors and you can drive it too, 4 doors means insurance shouldn't be expensive as 2 doors"*
@@paulc7400 I think it depends where you live and what insurance you're on, for me it says it's a 4 door and has a small ass engine. Even though it's a more modern car it cost just a bit for than my 1997 civic
Had mine for 2 years. Drove it every day (for work). Never missed a beat. Made sure it was properly serviced and looked after. It was even more practical than our small family hatchback once we had a kid.
Its 100% a car you own because it is the car you want. If you want a car in its segment then the RX8 is probably not the one. Its why i have found myself owning a 2010 RX8 r3, I wanted a rotary and at its price its the only option seen as how RX7s in the UK at least are near extinction.
Lmao people always look at cars and say it clean it should be nice anyone can clean a car a clean car doesn't mean that everything is mechanically well
I've had a series two for twelve months, 5000kms now@ 138k total. Never a single issue. But I look after my cars. My math is... Even an engine rebuild by my local rotary mechanic won't make it that expensive overall. Cheap to enter, $$$ to stay. I love mine. This guy is totally spot on!
I've got a buddy that pulled his grandma's 1981 rx-7 from a barn that's been sitting there for 16 years. $3000 later at a dealership, it's now his daily. It's the car we both learned manual on. What's extraordinary is the dealership never rebuilt the engine, its apex seals are somehow still great after sitting in a barn, the expense was in new tires, rubber lines, everything needed for it to safely drive. He's getting it repainted this week. It's a really fun car, he's been driving it since this past summer and his plan is to 13b swap it whenever the 12a dies. It's amazing how much that car vibrates when that engine is buzzing, feels like you're going really fast when you're going 45 mph lol
Driving a stock RX-8 for the last 10 years (40th Anniversary Edition) as a daily driver, in thick snow and other better weather here in Montreal, and haven't had any serious issues except the coils (and the usual battery replacements). Pretty lucky maybe, but it still feels rather solid with just regular maintenance. Some can stay hopeful. It still brings a smile to my face about every time I take it out (although you must love dancing in the snow for winter driving).
@@L4RENXO changed batteries, spark plugs and cables (although I didn’t see any difference, so may have been too preventative in that case). I stopped rust treatment years ahead of it’s 10th birthday as I didn’t expect it to last that long. I regret it now as it’s otherwise going strong at 14 years old, but the rust has started around the rear fenders and at the kickers. No special pre-mix, just always added oil at every 2 fill ups. And using 89 octane grade gas, as recommended by Mazda.
Absolutely love my 8. Going on 6 years of ownership, 5 of which it was my daily. I have upgraded the ignition and run a catless midpipe which definitely helps! Oh and 2 stroke oil through a SOHN adapter 😁
@@chrislg4519 For the ignition I'm running a Bennett built kit which consists of D585 coils, MSD wires and OEM plugs. I don't premix but I did switch to a 10w30 full synthetic since it's no longer injecting crankcase oil into the motor.
ZephýrSire yeah under rated and misunderstood, people love to talk down reliability of any platform they don’t have knowledge on reliability upgrades like metering pump delete and obvious egr and secondary air pumps etc
I bought an 06 at 30k miles. Kept it for 3 years in college. Nothing broke. Nothing needed replacement. And I used it daily. The only three things I maintained were - 1. premium fuel always. 2. never switch it off cold, even if it means sitting in the car waiting for it to warm up after concluding a short commute. 3. I always topped up the oil at the end of the month.
Generally its not the apex seals that blow. Its carbon getting stuck in the seals and stopping the spring from moving it out and keeping compression. The carbon only gets stuck if its owned by someone who didnt know the maintenance.
@@chrislg4519 contrary to popular belief. A redline a day is not necessary. Its all about how far the pedal is pushed. If its half way and you redline it does diddly squat. You need to push it to the metal. When you turn it off rev it to 3000 and hold it then turn it off. This causes the rotars to spin for longer and will push out any exaust gasses that are left within the housing. Good fuel. 95 aint gonna cut it, use 98. I use bp ultimate, Chevron fuel injector cleaner before every oil change. Probably a few other things im missing. But thats the main ones i keep up with.
I love the RX-8 I have one, they’re super fun and as long as you understand the car and treat it well they can perform great, however some modifications to the factory engine like a sohn adapter and upgraded plugs, coils and a car delete if you can manage will erase all the problems.
The Rx8 is the car that got me into cars and mostly the import scene. I grew up as a Mopar kid because my dad loved dodge and Plymouth, but I never cared for cars at the time. I moved away then started looking at cars and fell in love with the Rx8, but the motor is hard to commit to.
Had mine for 6 years and I love it!! Sure I had to do some maintenance but that was just to improve her upgrades. She’s running beautiful. Sure there are some flaws but I don’t regret it
I absolutely love the intros to these videos. also the "so you want" Lineup of videos truly has a place in my heart. keep putting out great content y'all.
Been dailying an 07 Rx8 since August of 2014. Bought it with a brand new engine in it and am currently trying to see how many miles i can get b4 needing a rebuild. The maintenance is my second religion. In August of 2020 i will be doing a compression test. So far the car has been an absolute blast. Rotary engines are definitely dated by todays standards, but i view it as a different way to have fun.
yelling turtles no but my brother did and when you have to carry a bottle of oil around so that your engine won’t blow up it might be a little excessive
@@Jragustin90 then he didnt do his changes on time did mine every5k and did road trips and daily drove it and was fine checked mine every 2k and was fine
Bought one at the age of 15, restored it, repainted it after damage, rebuilt motor, and currently awaiting the delivery of pieces necessary to turbo this mean machine... long and expensive 2 years i’ve put into it, but it’s pays off, as there’s nothing more rewarding then 1, finishing your build, and 2 owning a rotary WITH GOOD APEX SEALS. Good first parts would be 1. Eyelids 2.Exuast/Muffler delete (spits flames stock) 3.Cold air intake 4. Oil change... 5. Oil change... 6. Oil change with 2 stroke oil in gas tank... 7. Apex seals 8. Rebuild 9. External mods. (Body kit etc.) 10. TURBO. ultimate sleeper status... 13bs LOVE HIGH RPMS, and handle boost very well. after you blow your seals in the 13b, get a tri rotor kit/motor. and improve from there based of personal preference.
I have wanted a rotary for so long. The rx7 is so expensive now so the next option is an rx8. I've done so much research and reading on these. The uniqueness is so attractive. I love that you guys made this. I want one so bad.
People usually don’t agree, but I actually love the design of the post 2000 celicas. If they were just FWD it would be a bigger hit with other enthusiasts.
Tbh it was pretty on point. Coming from an owner, honestly reliability isn’t the biggest issue with them. You just have to know how to take care of an engine that’s different. Different engine=different care. Great vid tho!
@@DialoX they released a video a couple of weeks ago celebrating their rotary cars through the years, and ended the video with a few minutes of shots of the RX9 prototype
Nice, i wasn't too sure but I remember about 3-4 months ago Mazda was taking a test RX-8 (you know with the prototype/test vinyl) Around the nordschleife a few days. So yeah kinda got hopes up they're busy with an Rx9 that may actually be a wankel (perhaps a wankel hybrid)
The rx8 is a good purchase, just make sure to test the compression and get help from someone who knows rotaries (or even better rx8's in specific) before you buy one. Also be resourceful with parts, for obvious reasons lots of rx8's are in the junkyard and I got lots of parts for mine for cheap that way. However if you want more power you better have money or luck from a godsend lol
Eff'in hilarious video guys! You spoke the truth about this one, because I currently own 6 of them. One of them actually does have wheels tires AND suspension from FI . Enjoy the hell out of the channel and love the products. Keep up the great work fitment crew and merry Christmas from the south
Stephen Maxwell Fuks i do need one bro. I am about to buy an 05, 106k miles white rx8 from a dealership. What do i need to look out for and how to maintain it?
From what I've seen, If you are intending to get an rx8 I suggest learning how to work on the Rotary engine because it'll definitely pay off. The engine is easy to work on with very few parts and if done right, with proper maintenance, will last you a long time.
Have owned my RX-8 for four years now. Literally my second car, I knew basics of rotary engines atleast when I bought it. Immediately found out rotor 2 was making low compression lol. Last owner put a new starter to mask the hot start symptom.
In 2013, I picked up a 2009 with only 17,000 miles on it. Now it has 115,000 miles on the original engine. It's never stranded me and is still going strong. Since I've moved to Michigan, I garage it for the winters to avoid salt, but spring through fall it's my daily driver.
Finally someone who knows what their talking about and actually did their research when it comes to the RX8. I have owned one for my first car and I dont have any real complaints. An incredible car if you keep maintenance up
Had a 2009 rx8 r3 as my first car, drove that for around 2 years (had about 80k miles total) and never had a problem. I got pretty lucky with that, although the car was so amazing. It handled SO well, and I put a midpipe on it and it sounded heavenly. I recently sold it because I upgraded to an FD. Even though the FD is undeniably better, I still really miss the 8.
Premixing, daily redline (redline a day keeps the carbon away. Don’t let your car build up carbon in your engine.) check spark plugs regularly, oil change regularly, and have fun. It’s like Any other car pretty much. If you check on forums like In Facebook or twitter it can help you out as well if you have any other questions.
As an RX-8 owner, lemme tell ya somethin kid. You just can’t own an RX-8 for less than 10k. That’s just how much these cars cost. A really good one will cost up to 20k. If you have this money, good for you, go for it. It’s worth it. If not, then don’t buy it. Just view all of these 3k offers as lies. That’s just not the price of these cars.
S tier track weapon, perhaps partly to the fact that it's low power level matches it up with older/lower class chassis, but if you want a first place trophy and don't care how you do it here you go
The rx8 isn't bad the owner's are , my uncle have one since 2007 and never , never broke the engine he's low speed is 40mph he doesn't run slower than that 🤣🤣🤣 if you make the right maintenance you should dont have that much problem
Everyones point is, "I can neglect my *insert motor* and it runs fine, why do I have to take care of this one? " the Renesis is underpowered for sport, and poorly fuel efficient for a daily, but it's not unreliable. If you're ready to commit to rotory, it'll last with care or mods to make it even better
@@snowsaysahhh3037 I dont, but I've done a lot of research on it and rotory because I wanted one. These are the common things I hear from owners. And rotory mechanics.
@@darquille So imma have to tell you a lil bit about the car. First you have 2 Rotors each 654cm3 in displacement those make around 230 and 220nm crank horsepower/torque approx 190/200 to the wheels, a redline of 9000rpm...(can be raised on Stock to 9300rpm) for a 2004 car with a 1.3 Liter engine thats plenty enough for Sports activity and it is a "sportscar" It was never meant to be fuel efficient The enginedesign doesnt allow that sadly. It was meant to be fun and it is fun if you keep the revs above 5000rpm and you can even tune the Motor and lighten/balance it so it can Rev to 10k+ rpm reliably for the next 60-80k Miles after the rebuild (Mine will cost 5800€) Reliability wise Just add 2 stroke and delete the Cat and check the oil+ Change it reguarly and you'll be fine... Also fuck the world with their emission standards Nobody pays for my new motor exept for myself so i will decide how much dangerous exhaustgas it spits out the back. I'll give a damn about my surroundings because the whole world gives a damn about my car if it breaks.
I love the RX8's , 7's anything rotary is just what dreams are made of. I think instead of power mods, I'm just going to swap a rotary into my car instead
@@Johnbovii good joke, not true btw they last approx 50k Miles up to 90k Miles without Problems if and here is the "if" important *you take care of it and maintain it properly* Mine is at 35k atm still has 110psi+ compression on all 3 rotorfaces front and rear rotor.
@@Johnbovii I'm assuming worst case scenario for the condition of the innards of the motor. might as well build it properly before putting it in a car right?
Paul Rdgers yeah I’m of course exaggerating. I believe they live up to 130k at the most with great treatment. I love rx8’s and rotaries but it’s a lot of work haha
RX-7/RX-'8s has a uniqueness today's vehicles don't have. To me that is the appeal of these vehicles. If I were to own one myself I would need to find a reputable builder and tuner to keep the engine alive or learn to do it myself. As with older Japanese vehicles you need to join a support group to learn the "tricks of the trade" to keep them running reliably. If you are not a mechanically inclined, don't buy them, don't even think about it. There is so much misinformation out there odds are you will be led down a path to failure. Daily driving these are not recommended. The driver also needs to be trained on how to quickly detect problems/issues. I can't stress how important this is. Don't expect to just "drive" these cars with your guard down. If any of this scares you, or you're not willing to learn then Doritos are not for you.
You will love it. Just... make sure you know EVERY maintenance rule for a rotary engine and make sure you FOLLOW it no matter what. If you’re late to work DO NOT SAY “I think it’s warm enough”. No warm that mofo up fully.
Jimmy Tran I’ve spent the last 3 years preparing myself for this to happen. It’s a 2006 RX8 Shinka in copper mica red. Will post a video of a full before and after paint correction when I find the time.
I was pleasantly surprised that you reviewed the Rx8 and yknow what...it was, in my opinion, a fair assessment of the Rx8. Still wont deter me from getting one soon 😂. Thanks Alex!
A RX8 is like that crazy girlfriend you had during high school, you only remember the best thing about her in your life and use it as the standard to gauge every single girls you will ever meet. Do you you remember that time you were passed drunk with your friends, and did something so fuck top, that it became the story that everyone knows about you, that same story you will tell to your kids when they fuck top and thought they were bad-ass? Owning a RX-8 is that story. After owning one, you will missing every single tunnel you could pass at +10000rpm, every single little curved, and you will take time to actually be really careful about mapping your whole town for every curb you can pass and not pass. You will hate it when it breakdown, and be madly in love the moment it run again. it's a car that you should keep and restore to show future generation what it is to be actually different, to be original, to just have fun and not care about economy or reliability. I owned 11 Rx-8 from 2004 to now. there are really great cars. perfect handling, literally can be drift with on fingers at every corner, extremely comfortable, and fun to drive and easy to work on. but the are gas guzzler. Like you have no idea. in Canada there so cheap to buy but yeah most of them need a full rebuild.
tacin soulweed yeah like everything from dismantling the engine to streetporting them... Im asking because I would love my own workshop if I could build one on a "budget"
Just to chime in for anyone looking at rx8s, from someone who has had multiple rx8s and rebuilt 2 engines personally and 2 for friends. 1. the main issue isn't exploding apex seals, this notion is generally from people turboing the car early on. Due to the side exhaust design, high compression, short apex seal, and no intake/exhaust overlap, when there is a knock event a seal would blow. (builders overcame this issue by moving to the taller apex seals, but the exhaust design creates a hard 450hp barrier) 2. Most engines die a slow non dramatic death at around 80-120k miles depending on maintenance just due to low compression from general wear. This is the fabled hot start issue, where when hot the engine has expanded enough that the seals can't make enough compression at starting rpm. 3. The oem cats tended to fail prematurely due to poor oem ignition coils failing at 30kmiles, which lead to the cat increasing egts and cooking the exhaust side of the engine. (most rx8s end up ditching the cat and going to aem or d858 coils) 4. the series 1 transmissions go through synchros rather easily if they are horsed around, and just about anyone who owns an rx8 drives the car rather hard. S2 trans were stronger, or there are also jdm 5 speeds that use the bulletproof rx7 FD internals. All in all, plan on a rebuild from a reputable builder for a fresh start and there are plenty of common mods listed on the forums for general reliability. Also don't fall into the trap of porting the renesis engine, anyone who does any porting intake wise (streetport/bridgeport) is just shooting themselves in the foot. You'll just lose all low end power and driveability for little gains up top. This is again due to the exhaust design being a limiting factor. Increasing the exhaust port shape would lead to losing low end for minor top end gains.
Owned an Rx-8 for about 3 years... Your video felt like me looking back at the time I had with it like a flashback... then I sold it, miraculously started saving whole lot of money...:-)
I lived in Alaska with 1 for 3 yrs, the 04' model and the only problems I had were gas consumption and the burning of oil on a reliable schedule, it had me adding oil every 2-3weeks. Bcus I had snow tires it drove nice with alot of none effort drifts when u rev it up on turns. Mazda needs to take the profits its been adding up from those suv's and bless us with another.... 😉✌️
RX8's are like that super hot, needy, high maintenance model. You really wanna but it may drive you insane and into the poor house. I am ready to go broke again 😂😂😭😭😭
Omg these intros are lit. That rx8... Yall gonna make me go buy one of these i swear. Intro was just sick. Very awesome fitment industries... Very awesome.
I'm on my second rx8 now and haven't had any more issues wjth them than any other car. Lots and lots of years as my daily and only car, on roadtrips and through harsh Canadian winters. I've went snowboarding and had 3 guys and 3 snowboards stuffed into it lol. Rx8 is a good car, for me anyway.
I concur after 13 years of ownership, about 50k, and 4 engines :) Anytime someone asks about getting an Rx-8 I tell them to run away as fast as they can. It's takes a special kind of stubborn to own and defend RX-8's, lol. But man when they work (especially with another 80-100WHP), you realize what the hype was about.
actually bought someone elses project RX8 2004 141kw, dude only straightpiped it and gave it a chasi upgrade. Rest was up to me, when i first looked at OBD there was faults as missifire, crankshaft position and bad fuel to air ratio. :D Manage to get all working only by changing MAF, cleaning all electric conectors and reseting ECU. now last thing to get is some cool wheels and new paint. Best risk it for a biskit i have ever done.
My rx8 is running like a champ! It's my daily and my first car. I've owned it for about 3 years now. The only big job I've had to do on it was a clutch change due to the throwout bearing going out. I know the motor will go one day it's just a matter of when. But until then, wheeeee!!
I have a 2004 Rx8 blue for sale Austin Texas area. 2nd motor put in at 46k currently has 104k. Runs good as of now. I have 2 teen drivers in my house now and they wont drive it like I want them to because you need to get the rpms up to burn the carbon in the engine so your apex dosnt wear out. Anyway I dont want the car to go to shit because they dont care about learning how you operate a rotary. If your interested hit me up.
I have owned the Shinka since it came out and have completed everything I wanted to do to it. It doesn't have even have 85,000 miles on it and I only take it out a few times a month for a good time. Every time I have guests over they see it in my garage and either want to buy it from me or ask why haven't I sold it yet. I will never sell my rx8 because of all the stuff we have been through. It is coming to the grave with me
As a guy who daily drives RX8’s and has owned 4 and still has 2; do it! You just won’t find a better handling drivers car under $10k. It doesn’t exist. People are so scared of the Wankel values have plummeted. But, between all 4 I’ve owned, all of them are still on the road working as daily drivers. Always compression and block test before purchasing and you would be amazed at how good this car is. It’s basically as good as a Porsche and turns heads like a Ferrari but costs as much as a used Mazda should.
My 2008 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 is my seventh rotary Mazda I have owned since 1973. I have raced them, modified them and loved all of them from stock to up to 400 HP. I am keeping my modifed RX8 in pristine condition, but still enjoy driving the heck out of it as often as I can. I will keep the rotary love going as long as I can, with easily over a million rotary miles driven on street and track. Cheers
Owned an rx8 for a while and still love it. Here's my research spark notes. There's basically no aftermarket support. Like literally none. Most people have moved on from the engine and what's left is just used stuff. Body mods are even harder as a lot of what's left is junk fitment unless you buy out of Japan. Save at least 5k in the bank or have a second daily car. If you buy one install a sohn adapter and feed the engine straight 2 stroke oil which burns and lubes extremely better than regular oil. Rebuilding at most would cost 3-4k for the block but usually is around 2-3k. Ya ain't gonna get power out of it unless you turbo or supercharge but those kits are used and there's really no new makers that's are reputable enough for me to suggest A rew self swap would cost around ~3k for a new block, 3-4k for a full swap kit, 2-3k to get the electronics going. You don't really need a new trans because there's not that much torque going through it but the 5speed rx8 trans is basically a rx7 trans. A ls swap would be around 10k depending on how much work you can do yourself. If you want to ball out I honestly think the v6 from the ctsv is the perfect engine for the car as the block sits right on the front suspension. You'll need a new trans and rear diff.
