JUst as the title says i am getting it this week. Copper red and of course the shinka goodies. I dont care what anyone says about the 8's there ****** awesome cars man. So if your gomnna hate please do so elsewhere.

Everyone give a shout out to Erik rxn407 he needs alot of love right now. Just thought i would throw that at you too. Anyways i will have pix as soon as she is in my diriveway. Peace
Blake

 

Sweet! One of the couples up here owns one. The color is really nice.

 

its the only color i like! think its burnt cherry or something! hope you have a blast in it! good find

 

the shinka is definitely the nicest of the RX-8's. It's just that RX-8's aren't as fast as they should be.

 

Have you driven one? Yes, powerwise compared to a Gen 3 they lack the "grunt" down low, but I can tell you from experience that on a twisty stretch of road with them up in their power band they handle as well if not better than a "stock" Gen 3 and will hang on your rear bumper (with stock R1 suspension). Since adding my Tein Flex I'm now able to do a little better, but they are still extremely capable cars! Certainly not worth the "Power Rap" that everyone seems to want lay on them. As soon as USED prices come down a little I fully intend to get one as my daily driver.

 

so what is a 8shinka?

 

Yes, I have and that's exactly it. They lack torque. And it's a serious deficit. Even the FD has been criticized for a lack of torque, but it has significantly more than an RX-8.

And when guys start talking handling you know they're trying to make up for a lack of power. BTW, look at the .g's an FD will pull and you'll see it's ahead of the RX-8.

I think the RX-8 is a nice car. I considered buying one at one time. Test drove several. But no car is perfect, and this 'don't nobody say anything critical of MY car' attitude just doesn't wash.

 

The Black Cherry was the 05 if im not mistaken and 06 was the burnt orange. Gotta be my 2 favorite colors for the 8 ive seen. Nice choice IMO.

 

Agreed. Yes, they lack torque, but they more than make up for the defecit (IMO) in overall power delivery and handling. There's got to be a reason why they've won the SCCA Solo II championship the last 2 years running in B stock against other cars that are much torquier. I guess it just comes down to power-to-weight and the type of "package" you're looking for. The last generation Supra was much torquier than the FD, yet get them on the track, and stock for stock the FD will win nearly every time with comparable drivers.

But anyway... my apologies to 91verty!

Congrats on your new Shinka. Can't wait to see pics.

 

I have a 2005 Rx-7 Touring and a 1993 Rx-7 AND a 2005 Mitsubishi Evolution. All are different and unique and they each have their strengths and weaknesses.

I bought the 8 to replace my long gone 1993 Rx-7 (before I bought another 7). Its a fun car but it doesn't have any grunt. There ARE some really good turbo kits out there (not Greddy) that can get 350+ hp at the wheels). The kits are expensive...figure 5-10k + installation and voided warranty. But stock they are lacking. They will out handle a 3rd gen 7 though. Trust me, they STICK. Its now my wife's car.

The 7 is pure sex....fast, fun and it will kill you if you're not careful......just like an Italian woman I love my 7. Wouldn't trade it for anything. It has issues but don't they all?

As for the Evo, its my dd. Turbo 276hp, 4 wheel drive, active center diff, front IC, brembo 4-piston front brakes/2-piston rear, etc, etc. Can't be touched in the twisties either. Can be made as fast (maybe faster ?) than a 7. But its a different animal.

Good luck with the 8. Its a fun car.....its just no 3rd gen (which might not be such a bad thing).

Ah decisions, decisions

 

Oh, please. Competent road test results put the 0-60 acceleration around the 6 sec. mark. That's slow in today's market. A Toyota Camry can easily out accelerate it.
True the car is a nice handler, but it's operating with a signifcant power disadvantage. And let's remember, one of its claims to fame is that it's a full 4 seater with 4 doors. So you load 4 people into it and what have you got? What's your handling and acceleration like now?

 

Oh, please. Let's get real, shall we?

Let's start with the wheelbase. The shorter a car's wheelbase the more nimble the handling. This is one of the reasons a Miata has a shorter turning circle than a Lincoln limo. A shorter wheelbase means a quicker response to inputs. Compare the RX-7 and RX-8 wheelbases and then let that one sink in for a few minutes.

Then look at stock test results for the two cars (and remember that the FD results with early 90's tires). The cornering force measured for the FD is anywhere from .04 to .08 higher. And that's not to mention the FD is 200 lbs lighter, and as we all know weight is the enemy of performance.

I will concede one advantage to the RX-8 - steering feel. The FD's power steering is overboosted. The RX-8 is much better weighted. Same goes for the Mazdaspeed Miata turbo. I just drove one this weekend. The Mazdaspeed Miata has the same nicely weighted steering you experience on the RX-8. The chassis rigidity was very good too, especially considering it's an open car. But man, I felt a distinct lack of low end grunt in the Miata. It's appreciably slower than an RX-8 and no comparison to the FD. But it's still a nice car. I like all 3 of them that have been mentioned. Like any car, they all have their strengths and weaknesses.

And like many cars, they have their partisans. On these forums you often run into the "nobody can dis my car" and "my car is the BEST" attitudes. It just looks silly when viewed from a wider perspective.

 

it's really not a fair comparison. the RX7 was built as a sports car, while the RX8 is more of a sports touring car. It is more comfortable, delivers decent power(depending on your point of view), and handles competently. stock for stock an FD would win. now back to the point of this thread:

the shinka is a nice edition. congrats on the buy 91verty

 

GTUAGAIN : 89 GTU - 30K Miles: Black/Black
I drove one 2x before selecting an 05 G35 Coupe. I was not overly impressed with the handling of the 8 - were it a bit better (stock) I may have been sold. Transmission was nice and the engine while lacking torque was still reasonably fun to play with. Interior was below the level of the G at approx. the same cost.

My G with the suspension option handles well but is numb. Just drove home from work it makes me want to drive the 89. My 89 GTU with RB bars is much more engaging to drive. Transmission is not nearly as slick, radio (factory) is junk, seats are not overly supportive or of great quality and the car by todays standard is a bit of a slug. Much more fun to drive then either the 8 or the G IMO. The market is full of cars for each buyer's needs and budget. When Mazda builds another true 7 - I will be first in line. Drop the weight, fix the bugs and make it a purist machine. Until then I will enjoy the old 7 - GTU in the garage and the G stays in the cold where it belongs. Enjoy your machine!! - we will enjoy ours.

 

didnt they stop making FDs in 2002? in japan so how would u have a 2005?

 

He meant 2005 rx8. Two sentances later he says

 

congrats. hurry up and get it so you can post the pics.

 

I could not agree more...It's funny to me that certain people try to justify how the 7 is better than the 8 or vice versa the 8 is better than the 7 without any proof other than speculation.

The track tells all...if the 8 is better then prove it...if the 7 is better then prove it. So far I've only seen Rx8's winning SCCA Solo II championships. I would really like to see Rx7's competing in the same events against Rx8's. Maybe there are some I just have not seen any.

As far as power is concerned yes it is underpowered but how many N/A stock rotories do you know that can make "close" to stock Turbo HP numbers?

Personally I believe the chasis is better on the 8 but thats it. Stock v stock however the 7 is more equpied than the 8. Stiffer suspension and more power. The 8 was setup with a softer suspension...I believe I read that somewhere...Even so its a very competant handling car. I've even read about an rx8 with about $3 g's in suspension upgrades pulling 1.1g's (rims. tires, shocks, springs, etc).

Curious...How man of you all that posted actually race your Rx7's on a road course (not a drag strip)? I wish more would but I honestly don't see many...I could be wrong ofcourse.

Anyways, back on topic...Great buy on the new Rx8!

 

Not true necessarily. You're making an apple vs oranges comparison. A track car is just that: one that has been prepared for the track. We're talking stock street cars here. Racing results are full of fairly mediocre street cars that have been prepared for the track and win in their class. It doesn't mean necessarily that car's showroom version is superior to another stock version of a car it may race against in some class.

 

The fact of the matter is that i have owned many rx-7's and believe it or not the funnest and most powerful one i ever owned was a 87 T2 that had thousands of dollars worth of mods. The rx-8 would not touch it when it came to accleration standards.

We all know a fd is much quicker, boosted equals HP. But when it comes to me wanting a rotery powered fun and stylish car that wont depress me financially, i had to chose the 8.

The car is capapble for my needs, i am 35 now and i have had my licence suspended twice in 2 states because i was addicted to spped and boosting.

I love the rx-7. But i was really surprised with the 8 too, and thats all that matters.

 

I think the 8 can be driven more confidently at the track due to a couple of things - less torque so it doesn't "feel" like your going to lose it when the boost comes on in the FD. The 8 also has all the bell's and whistles for traction and stability control where as the 7 doesn't. I've been to the track in my modified FD, which includes brakes and suspension, and wasn't really surprised to find the other Ga RX-8 guys staying with me in the curves at Road Atlanta - on street tires at the track, even though I'm making over 300 to the wheels, I can't put that down in the esses, so they are right there with me.
It was brought up about comparing the auto x championship, etc. Are they in the same category? No - the stock RX-7 is still in a faster category than a stock 8. Then what are the times between the 2? I'd have to look in my grassroots motorsports magazine to compare the times at the national level. Anyone know for sure which categories the 7 and 8 run in when stock?

Just looked it up on the scca website - a stock FD runs in the SS - superstock category - the RX-8 runs in the B stock category. Now it would be interesting to see how the times compare for cars in each at the same AutoX, but the 7 is in a higher, faster category stock.

My wife has a 2005 touring RX-8 and I love it even though it's an automatic. Unless I want to uncover my FD and have fun, we take the 8 for most trips.

Tim

 

Which is another way of saying the FD is in a whole different league than the RX-8.


Don't get me wrong. I think the RX-8 is a great handling car. But facts are facts.
The FD weighs less by 200+ lbs, has a significantly shorter wheelbase, and pulls higher .g's on the skid pad (and that's according to test results done on early 90's tires.)

I don't think there's anybody who knows anything who doesn't think the RX-8 could use an extra 40 foot pounds of torque to give it the grunt to match its chassis. When you look at the acceleration figures for something as pedestrian as the latest Toyota Camry it gets downright embarrassing.

 

Then, PLEASE go buy a Camry and quit trolling this thread.

 

Differences of opinions are what forums are all about. If you can't tolerate an opinion with which you don't agree, then too bad for you.

 

i have the 05 shinka and its a great car, honestly it could use more grunt but some days its pretty impressive and its completely stock. its almost 2 years and i havent had one problem from it and it has 20k so cant complain their either. it does handle great just sucks to buy tires for @ 250 a tire.