Will it BRAP? Mazda RX-8 Nürburgring Brap Brap Review

[@mgcharoudin]

Alright I need to do round 2 with all the new knowledge about the redline.

[@AlumarsX]

Pin this comment lol

[@tiagoferreira522]

Drive it like a Honda S2000

[@SeanPensive]

Good tyres, faith in the brakes, and keep it beeping in every gear!! On very twisty uk roads, they can suprise faster cars. Very controllable with the traction control off. On track / big roads they can seem slow

[@GSzgaming]

100%9000 rpm all day 😊😊

[@simonname7530]

The RX8 has a staged intake, the high airflow valves only open up from 7250-9200 rpm and under that it feels quite anemic.

[@squeakers27]

That beep is Mazda's audible way of saying you've reached the redline, shift up. It's in all their RX-7s and RX-8s. Should have revved her out fully and been hearing that everytime because that's where all the power actually is in these 😆

[@volvo09]

Yeah I got to drive one back in 05... Pretty much ALL the power is in the last 2k RPM! It's like a 2 stroke motorcycle...

[@fabrb26]

He should try a AE86 with the speed ding never getting away on circuit

[@yct6956]

@@fabrb26 yes, i want to say that then Misha will search around, where is ding ding sound

[@caszzxs4104]

Facts! 💯

[@o3nisoaso3]

What power lol

[@---fk1ct]

Great chassis. Small correction, The NC MX-5 is a shortened version of the RX-8. The subframes are carried over. The RX-8 came before the NC by a few years.

[@papapetad]

I thought it was the other way around too. I heard the link between the 2 cars mentioned a few times but never thought about the production release dates. I better edit my comment accordingly xD

[@Crisheight]

Cool!

[@JeanPochard]

Was looking for this comment.

[@spatulaman2753]

The rear shocks and springs are shorter on the NC Miata. It also has smaller brakes all around.

[@filippodifortunato8211]

Thank you so much for this incredible experience, it was a blast!! Hope I'll be back in the future for that second round! - Filippo

[@dibeerwolf1645]

hello @filippo do you have a direct contact to Misha for me please? or send me an link where I can contact Misha , because I like to go with him also. thanks... Dirk

[@dylanrlf81]

Ciao Filippo, anche io di R3...Com'è andata? Divertito?

[@Sparkling.Fresca]

Good tires is the best upgrade.

[@kaedeschulz5422]

Maybe with a ported engine and better tires?

[@converge8008]

I have an RX8 R3 and have Michelin pilot sport 4S's all over and the difference it made was monumental, the prices in the UK must be really cheap because I'm pretty sure mine is only worth 10-11k euros when converted from GBP and I'm confident when I say mine is probably one of the best examples in the UK (7.5bar each face both rotors, original engine, no rebuilds, and only 40k miles). Definitely get Pilot sport 5's or Pilot Sport 4S's it made the car handle so much better and stop better. Jack your car up and check all 4 wheels for stuck calipers happened to me and I just felt the car handled like a dog. Get better pads and discs and high boiling point brake fluid. Change the diff and gearbox oil for redline that makes a massive difference. Best of luck in your ownership and remember a redline a day keeps the engine rebuild away...

[@Deetroiter]

A cool fact about these Rx8 vehicles is they have a huge following in the disabled and handicapped community. The rear suicide doors allow many of them to travel on their own without needing help from other people since, for example, they can sit in the front seat and put their own wheel chair into the back behind the seat and then close the rear door and then close their own front drivers door. Pretty cool to see how this sports grand tourer has been adopted for other uses outside of the sports car community

[@caylumhenderson9396]

Very neat to hear honestly

[@crts1683]

That's so cool, thank you for the information

[@charisma7268]

Quite fitting cuz the car is pretty much handicap

[@ThunderCat19D]

Red line is an honest 9500 10k with light weight flywheel. Beeping is shift light warning 500 rpm before shft. And a LOT of the performance is ledt on the table if you dont go to redline. Actually id bet this car is underpowered due to carbon deposits because it seems the owner doesnt know about the beep and seemed surprised tbe first time he heard it. In the manual it instructs you to hit red line at load at lest once every time the engine is running to clear deposits

[@wolfyhalfmoon819]

💯% that guy needs to do that. The car needs it. And mine lasted for over 100k miles just following the stuff needed. Poor car probably never sees redline.

[@DaysOfFunder]

Yes. Needs to clear that carbon out at the buzzer.

[@ras4782]

Right these cars need to get hot hear and there they love it up top

[@cicadaaaaaa]

With proper redline braps, the RX8 lasts for quite a while. The owner definitely needed to do some research on the needs of a rotary, it's a beautiful RX8 regardless for an R3. Had the driver dipped another gear or so to gain more torque he may have had more speed gain and more fun.

[@joshcalvert4118]

mineral oil as opposed to synthetics to help with less carbon build up when burnt off too

[@rideepicdriveepic]

I remember very well in 2005, when I first saw an RX-8 personally, a dude from a car forum had it. We met to go on a night drift on the local mountain, and it was my first time with someone who can drift in a car, and a first time in a rotary. Not only did my jaw drop from the drifting and connecting corners, but seeing that car rev to 9000rpm, I couldn't believe it. My then e30 320i had a redline of 6500rpm and I heard about some hondas reaching nearly 8000rpm. But to witness a 9000rpm RX-8 from the passenger seat, going sideways down the mountain? Those are the times I'll never forget. Also, that's one of the reasons why today I do the same driving in my Z. Thanks for another great video, Misha!

[@eledgy]

I had a similar ride in 2005, but from the back seat. It was surprisingly good! At 165cm with a wide frame it was pleasantly snug with plenty of head room and felt very secure during “maneuvers”.

[@mqddin]

9000rpm? Honda s2000!?!?

[@piotrmalewski8178]

Fiat engine code 115c and subsequent derivateves could rev to 8000 rpms despite being pushrods. Originally they were carburettor engines so they gave them really stron valve springs and cranks so they could not be overreved. In motorsports specifications however, they did rev that high routinely to produce power.

[@Carlos.Rivera]

​@@mqddinnsx

[@fabbri4497]

Rotors revs 1/3 speed output shaft. So 9000rpm is for marketing, reality is 3000rpm. And 3.9L displacement. No miracle ! Two stroke like cycle engine. Poor efficiency, poor reliability.

[@ExMachinaEngineering]

Great lap but as many have said here and on other videos: When a Japanese car has a 9500rpm redline, it is meant and geared to use that.

[@volvo09]

It's like shifting a Honda right after you hit VTEC, you'll fall out of the gearing sweet spot.

[@neversettle7666]

So glad to see an RX8 on the Chanel Misha, and great example of an R3, props to the owner

[@Toxofox]

Finally! An RX8! They're way more reliable than people give them credit for. I've taken mine from the UK to Belgium and back two summers in a row, usually accruing over 1000 miles in 5 days. Seriously considering taking it all the way to the French Alps next summer. Great chassis, fantastic handling, addictive soundtrack and pretty comfortable for a sports car. Actually a good GT if you can live with 27 (UK) MPG /10.5l/100km as the very best this car can get! Oh, and don't change gear too early, keep going till it beeps at you! All the power and torque are concentrated at the top of the rev range!

[@oktayozs]

Yes it is very reliable (compared to European brands). It is a Japanese car after all. Except the engine wear, you don't get any unexpected brake downs. And engine is good for 150-200k kms if you take care of it, even more if you are lucky. The thing with rotaries is that, you should consider apex and side seals as wear items. If you change them before a complete failure, you are good to go for another 150-200k.

[@DaysOfFunder]

I got one recently too. Love it. What a driver they are! Red line, twisty stuff, chassis is a dream. I've owned rx7s, skylines, lancers, celicas, legacies, v6s also

[@christophersaa]

​@oktayozs true. people judge these engine and forget that Some bmw S engines require to change rod bearings every 60.000 kms 🤷‍♂️ haha

[@fliggopolis]

Not in my experience lol but it was fun! Everything but the engine worked great

[@ensuu808]

Mine is 2008, 150,000km and still a blast to drive. No major issues

[@genghiskahn5360]

Despite all the controversy the RX8 was sports car of the year in both US and UK in 2004

[@CossieGT3]

Exactly, people need to read contemporary reviews, it was generally lauded by automotive journalists (those focused on driving). If I had money to maintain it, I'd happily buy it over the (in my eyes) slightly overhyped MX-5.

[@RealGreyGhost]

The only issue the RX-8 had over its contemporaries, was that it lacked power. At its best, it put down 180whp on the 6-port engine (only on Manual equipped cars). It was still the best chassis because its lap times were actually competitive. The 350Z being directly compared against it because for for $26k MSRP, it was cheaper than the $28K RX-8 with 50more horsepower and nearly 120ft-lb more torque at the same weight. The VQ engine actually got better fuel economy too. And because even less people know how to maintain a car and the 13B-MSP/Renesis design had inherent flaws, meant that more people than ever in Mazda's history of rotary cars had blown engines where Mazda had to issue a retroctive extended warranty on the engine for every RX-8 sold, guaranteed a brand new engine if the chassis had less than 100k miles even if the car was already out of its original warranty. The Series 2, R3 trim of the RX-8 was the best version of the car. Made even better with the 13B-REW swap from the old FD RX-7.

[@ScottZ370]

@@RealGreyGhostAudi TT at the time can’t be forgotten with a wonderful smooth 3.2 V6 on offer or a torquey TSI engine

[@RealGreyGhost]

@@ScottZ370 LMFAO nobody cared about that overpriced FWD car.

[@azazazaza1231]

It was made buy a go carter

[@Buck3366]

I know it’s not really possible because of time and totally impractical but I’d LOVE to see an insert exterior shot of the cars on one of the high speed sections. Just to see it pass and hear how they sound at full throttle from that perspective.

[@Tazuskii]

Yes

[@Tazuskii]

I’ve always thought of this but thought the track would have a problem with it

[@Timmayytoo]

I appreciate the concept of Mazda's rotaries although I've never quite owned one. That beeping was the redline warning - I think Mazda added that in the 2nd gen RX7 because they rev so quickly.

[@ThunderCat19D]

It's in every modle except the first year automatic.

[@roadrunner9840]

Yep, limiter is at 9200 and the beep was on all 231 models, don't shift until well into the beep!

[@Toxofox]

You need that audible beep: The rotary engine is very smooth and there are no vibrations or hesitations across the rev range. If you focus on the road, it's very possible you would not realise you've reached the Redline!

[@asianmanfromasia]

It’s like one of their signatures

[@julianturberfield7101]

1st gen has them too, it's one of the only electronics that still works on mine XD

[@takis550]

As an RX8 owner I was waiting a long time for this video. Now I know what my car can do on the ring. Thank you Misha

[@12345678939218]

It's actually pretty good, for a 215 hp stock car, it's pretty good. And the chassis is great. but Misha, camon, it's a rotary, keep it above 6k, other than that excellent driving as always 👍🙂

[@spg993]

He was skeptical about the* brakes dude.

[@piotrmalewski8178]

It's great if you consider engine capacity and lack of turbos. This means in many competitions it falls in the same class as fwd with engines reaching just 130 hp, most often much less than that.

[@mindspinn311]

I think 215 was the automatic models. Manuals were I believe 238?

[@jeanpaulb.5078]

​@@mindspinn311those are Dyno numbers and the numbers you mention are what the factory tells you and are flywheel horsepower. The rotary also loses power over time from loss of compression from normal driving. Some driving habits and negligence will shorten the lifespan of these motors. They are also not all built and rebuilt the same.

[@fabbri4497]

@@piotrmalewski8178 3.9L displacement engine...

[@deaks25]

The thing that made me subscribe is the way Misha always looks for the positives, he always looks for the good things he can say about whatever car he's in. I'm sure he's driven plenty that are not to his taste, but fast or slow, there's always something positive he finds to talk about. To me, that is the mark of a true car enthusiast; enjoying any and all cars for the things that make people love them. In the UK, the RX-8 was a very common sight in its day so its look became 'normal', but whenever I see them now, I realise how pretty they are. Such a lovely car.

[@juanpabloflores8179]

Lucky you!! In my country, I've never seen one, not even our celebrities had one.

[@stoneeh]

Cool. I was shopping around for these back in the day. The rotary, the doors, the light weight and RWD, all at a somewhat affordable price, made this interesting. Plus, afair Top Gear did a very positive review of it. Very cool to see many years later how a stock one performs on the Ring 👌

[@neversettle7666]

There is a guy from Poland I believe who has uploaded his lap/s with a better track prepped (tyres, fluid, suspension) R3 on KZbin if you're craving more RX8 content.

[@Chaln123]

I owned a 2004 one a couple of years ago. It is an amazing car, great chassis and engine, but the fuel economy is awful. I used to draft behind lorries at 50mph on the motorway and I would still get less than 30mpg...

[@stoneeh]

@@Chaln123 appx. what my 2,9l VR6 12V gets in that situation 😄

[@jamesowen418]

​@@Chaln123yeah, it was sold as an everyday driver, but really it's best suited as a weekend car. Best mpg I get is 25mpg on the motorway, but then it IS a "performance", you don't buy one based on it's fuel economy, rather on it's performance & handling.

[@Chaln123]

@@jamesowen418 I was a stupid kid lol. Bought it for a grand with my first ever monthly payslip 🤣 cost me thousands in petrol and insurance for the 6 months I drove it. But the popping and noises from it's (decat) exhaust made every penny worth it 😁

[@jjchockey]

FYI it is the other way around. RX8 came first and they modified the RX8 platform for the NC Miata.

[@artiep7721]

and all the power is 6k to 9k....Shifting to early at 8k. I had a full Bridgeport rx8 so take my word for it.

[@volvo09]

I had the chance of driving one hard many years ago, you are correct.... It drives like a 2 stroke bike.

[@bearrett50kal17]

​@@volvo09 and well built rotaries ditch oil injection so you premix like a 2 stroke as well

[@souldrummer818]

This was my track car years ago in Australia 🇦🇺 all they need is good tyres lowered springs good brake fluid and you can thrash them all day and put Porsches to shame on the twisty bits. Even the pro drivers on the track days use to rave bout the handling and fun aspects of the car.

[@souldrummer818]

Also if you don’t redline these a lot they will carbon up and play up, so drive them like you stole it.

[@TheGamingPulse]

I love this car!! The R3 is my first car and there's nothing like it, complete blast to drive- two years strong & zero issues- people that know nothing about them give the rotary engine a bad rep.

[@Mazhura_13B]

05' rx8 owner here. I used to own 2 fcs and im surprised how well it handles. ITs easy to oversteer the thing but it doesnt snap out it gradually oversteers which is nice when im pushing it. Very fun car. For now im doing OEM+ mods then ill go for the performance stuff later

[@xxtrengt8871]

The owner seemed like a really cool dude, great car, really clean, i love that he only added an exhaust.

[@oktayozs]

The chassis was bespoke actually. It was designed for Rx-8 in the first place. Shortened and slightly modified for NC mx-5. You can watch detailed Savagegeese NC MX-5 short documentary about it. Rx-8 becomes very capable in the corners with good coilover and good tires. It has its own flaws: bad fuel economy, frequent need for oil top off, frequent oil changes,spark plug changes etc. Despite all of these, every drive, it makes you smile and reminds you why you bear with all the hustle of maintaining it. 9000 Rpm redline, 50:50 weight distribution, very very good suspension geometry... If it had some kind of a 'modern' version of 13b-rew around 350 hp under the hood, instead of renesis, it would have been perfect.

[@CrimsonEclipse5]

Also a very stiff chassis with a torsional rigidity of 30kNm/deg. Not bad for a car with no B pillar!

[@oktayozs]

@@CrimsonEclipse5 Yes, for its time, it is very remarkable. 997 911 Carrera was around that torsional rigidity at the time.

[@RDSAlphard]

It drives rather nicely! And as everyone else has already pointed out, the beep is just a warning that you're about to hit rev limiter.

[@millenniumzeek]

As Randy Pobst said it’s like the wings of Icarus bolted to you, pure handling bliss. Very low polar moment of inertia even better than flat engines which are very wide. Plus double wishbones

[@productdesign9626]

Maxda took pains to reduce polar moment of inertia in the RX8 (and all MX5s), even mounting the rear brake calipers forward of the disc and the front calipers rearward to keep the mass centralised

[@dAbaPEsTA123]

@@productdesign9626that means it’ll spin more easy though?

[@productdesign9626]

@@dAbaPEsTA123 Well that's the trade-off for having a more manoeuvrable car. Then it's up to the driver's skill (if you turn off traction and stability control, that is....). If you want something more stable get a heavy, long wheelbase sedan - but it won't turn for sh!t

[@papapetad]

The RX-8 was featured in the first modern X-men that came out in the early/mid 2000's. I can't remember the exact title of that movie but I remember the car was a blue example with rear wing and all. This white one looks great. These latest models have some real nice touches, including the wheels which look decent for stock pieces. As mentioned by a few people here, the RX-8 was the donor for the NC Mx-5 suspension as it was produced before, so double wishbone all around with positive reviews about the handling/chassis back in the day.

[@laynedingman9707]

They’re actually a fantastic chassis overall. Despite the large opening for the doors, their torsional rigidity is around 30,000nm/deg which is still great today, and was ridiculous in the early 2000s, and I think it was over twice as stiff as an FD, and stiffer than a contemporary 996, and just behind the 997. They have yards of suspension travel with great geometry, as well. Since they share so many parts with NCs, they’ve also benefited from the ongoing development of the Miata, wirh great, modern suspension systems available, like the SuperMiata/949 Xidas. So if someone is looking for the absolute best chassis for your dollar… it’s hard to beat a stiffer Miata with better high speed stability, just saying.

[@Bronyfur05]

Been wanting you to review one for a long time, nice to see one in the channel and props to the owner for such a good example of an R3!

[@KozyOnCars]

Nice to see an rx8 going round. Interesting car given the polarised views. Certainly looked playful and seemed "good enough". Interestingly the UK you can get an R3 rx8 with similar mileage for as little as £6-7000. As always a great lunch time view. Much love from UK.

[@Xmvw2X]

One of my favorite cars, I've bought one twice so far and have done so over many other popular sports cars. I've driven the S2000, FT86, Miata NA through ND, Solstice/Sky GXP/Redline, and have even romped around in a little larger stuff like the Mustang, Corvette, and Viper. But yeah, the RX8 feels kind of special. On paper it's kind of all wrong, too much of a GT car. It's 600 lbs heavier than it's NC roots. Oh, and the RX8 was basically the prototype car for the NC, in a sense. The NC was released a year after the RX8, and they share a lot of components (many bolt directly on). The RX8 has some beefier versions of some of the suspension parts, so sometimes NC guys swap on RX8 parts for a more durable build. It has silly tall gearing for an engine that winds to 10k and makes no torque. It's got super soft suspension with a lot of travel and roll. But it's got sound deadening and actually usable back seats with both leg room and head room, plus a reasonable trunk. It's a nice cruiser stock. But what's more interesting is the chassis is really stiff, like modern era car stiff, and the suspension is double wishbone all the way around (better than what's on a Miata). It's a car that scales super well to mods, well suspension ones at least. It's a chassis that changes a LOT with mods. I think a lot of the heft of the car went to stiffness. torsional rigidity of the RX8 is 30,000 NM/degree. The NB Miata was 6,000, the S2000 7,000, Solstice 7,500. The original Porsche Cayman was 31,500, ND Miata peaks at 17,500 with a closed roof. Lot of convertibles in that list, yes, but those are often the competitor sports cars in this range. New sports cars are in the 30,000 to 40,000 range (Corvette, Supra, M3, etc.) The FT86 and GR86 have been assumed (guessed) to be around 20,000 and 30,000 respectively, but I've never found official numbers. For such an old car, the RX8 was kind of wild in this regard matching that of a Cayman or even old supercars like the LFA. The benefit is you don't really get creaks and rattles inside, and when you make suspension changes and go stiffer, the chassis resists flex and lets the suspension work better. As you scale up suspension stiffness for stickier tires, the chassis remains stiff and precise and does so more linearly than a twistier car. The engine you can't do anything will. Intake and exhaust are just for sound. You don't make more power out of the Renesis unless you pull the engine and port it. Do that and it can make a good bit more, especially up top, and the thing will rev north of 10k. I think it's balanced well enough to go to like 14k or something before vibration issues are big enough to become a concern. There's just normally no power up there. You can tune the ECU very slightly to very slightly tweak the multi length intake runner points, but stock is really good, and it's easy to just make it worse. And you can make a hair more power with timing and high octane fuel. Even if you do tuning and all the bolt-ons, it's like 5-10hp difference. Stock is so close to the limit of what the engine can do without porting. Even a mild street port will bump power 15% or more. The big gain is all top end breathing, torque drops later, and the hp peaks 1000 rpm later near 9k and adding 40whp. Good stuff if you don't mind yanking an engine and getting it done. It's the only thing that makes actual power on these cars. A FD RX7 is still making more power everywhere with the same hp 2000 rpm sooner because boost, but it's a lot closer with peak whp remarkably close. Of course, that's just a bone stock FD, and then you can mod the car and double it. lol. The Renesis isn't for boost, so there's not much you can do against turbo RX7s. It's not going to win races. Instead, it's best to think of it like a smoother AP1 S2000 engine, very similar hp, torque, and redline. The Renesis just feels smoother and more rev happy, plus a hair more meat in the low and midrange than the S2000. (drove them back to back) Interestingly, the closest car that feels similar to the RX8 to me is the new GR86. I got to autocross my lightly modded RX8 and another fellow's new GR86 on RE71Rs back to back. They feel similar even more so than the FT86 or any other car I've driven, and they feel really similar in general performance. Yes, they behave differently, certainly, but it's probably the closest thing I've been in and a closest comparator for chassis competency on more similar suspension and tires. A fun note is the RX8 and the FT86/GR86 cars have nearly the same CG. It's been a while, but I think it's within like 0.1" or something tiny.

[@jdmimportlogistics]

Damn passing on some real world knowledge! Toss up on how to spend $1K right- now broken down 944 or RX8😂

[@btownballer27]

You nailed it. The RX8 chassis is something slept on.

[@Xmvw2X]

@@btownballer27 The main problem is likely, well, two things. One, people aren't happy about the Renesis. They are either scared of it or are unhappy it's not turbo. Two, the competency of the car is well hidden behind a kind of understated GT car. It's set up a lot less sporty than it probably should be. It's a car that doesn't wow you when you drive it. The low torque and tall gearing doesn't throw you back in your seat. The suspension is really soft, well damped, but has a lot of roll. In turn, the steering doesn't seem all that sharp. Grip is ok on normal tires all seasons but you're not going holy crap around a corner. But then you use the car for a while, hop back into other cars, then back into the RX8 and start seeing things. You start modding the car a little and chip away at its understated beginnings. The car instantly responds to those mods and becomes different. All cars do, sure, but the chassis responds exceptionally well and the soft GT curves sharpen into more of a knife edge.

[@btownballer27]

I own one and threw some coilovers and good tires on it and instantly fell in love.

[@IStratz]

The suspension at least on my 2004 touring model RX8 is actually double wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear suspension. But other than that yeah I can agree with a lot of this. Really glad I get to own one. Not sure what else I would trade for it unless it was like a brand new GT86. And those are like 30K lol

[@AlexPortRacing]

I had 3 ending with an R3 in blue. Loved them but I traded up to an M5 E39 whose V8 fuel economy was better. That's the problem with this gen of rotary very thirsty if driven hard . Great to see Misha put one through it's paces.

[@PartiBuoy]

I had a blue R3. The deal with rx8 haters is they never been on a race team and just ignore the chassis to complain about the engine.

[@Gobbbbb]

I prefer this to most of the modified, undrivable sh*tboxes that people bring for Misha to drive. I love this car and the owner, "I kept it stock because I LIKE IT how it is" - Not many people are like that nowadays. Beautiful car dude. This old "unreliable" RX-8 managed a full lap, while some kid in a brand new golf can't make it 3 turns without overheating. I only said "unreliable" because everybody goes on about the RX-8 being famous for that, yet it's more reliable than most cars that end up here lol.

[@seanyo9122]

My 1st car was a 2003 Mazda RX-8 wait hold up, I still own it 10 years later. Great car and don't listen to all the hate. Just keep the maintenance up and drive a rotary how it's meant to be driven. A redline a day keeps the carbon away but wait till the car has warmed up before doing that of course.

[@Roginator007]

Got to be honest im a bit gutted you didn't rev her out each gear 😢 Thats where these come alive ❤

[@feelgoodhorizon4084]

rx8 is such a well balanced car. Fix the coil and heating issues and its a GREAT track car for stock classes.

[@JasonB72481]

Mazda knows hot to make cars that handle well. I miss my RX-8. Loved that car.

[@benjaminfrohns]

My mom had one, when they were new. I drove it a few times and I really enjoyed it. Nice to see you give it a chance.

[@simonname7530]

Wanted one after playing NFS and Forza. For the time it was quite quick, went round the Top Gear track with the same lap time as the BMW E46 M3

[@malmsey1541]

Rx8 being unreliable is the biggest myth, the engines are very reliable but only have a limited lifespan, also driving an rx8 right at redline like your supposed to it's way faster than a gt86.

[@cutdepiefails6596]

What's the usual lifespan?

[@knick11695]

@@cutdepiefails659680-90k miles on the gen 1, maybe a little longer on gen 2

[@alexander1055]

​@@knick11695and then? You throw the whole car away?

[@knick11695]

@@alexander1055at that point the symptoms usually are a long cranking time or engine flooding easily if you drive it for 30 seconds and turn it off in the cold. All this means low compression so it needs an engine rebuild for new apex seals.

[@alexander1055]

@@knick11695 thanks, I would like to own one but if I ever get the chance to buy one it would have to be my daily driver. I don't see myself owning a weekend car. I'm not sure it's worth the maintenance cost though, to me it's like a bigger, more practical, 4 seat MX-5. As of now the value/cost proposition is not very good. A GT86 is probably a more reasonable choice.

[@velocgee2874]

Great car the RX8. When I had one (1st GEN) took it to an alignment shop headed-up by a MX5 geo expert, the late Tony Bones. His guy, Pete spent 2.5hrs setting my car to fast road spec (every suspension parameter adjusted.) Handling went from very good to utterly sublime. 90min drive home got immediately superseded by 3hrs (and entire fuel tank emptying) blast around Hertfordshire. Also fitted Hawk HP+ pads which gave big improvement in braking performance. Original Bridgestones RE40s were great in the dry but scary in the wet and/ or cold. Found the later RE50s far better in wet and cold, however, less decisive feeling, softer in the sidewalls and not nearly as good on track (particularly as they overheated far quicker that the 40s)

[@TheDrago1882]

Still have my Rx8, purchased back in 2005

[@ezcoreg759]

How many miles do you have on it, and how has it held up over the years dood? Really looking for a used one, I see them going for $10k USD for around 50k miles.

[@jethrox827]

Super clean example of what's becoming a classic 👍

[@thatyellow8]

Now we need a track prepped rx8 for you to drive! I’d let you drive mine but I’m all the way in the US:(

[@raduiancu2159]

I remember my small town, when I was a kid, somebody had this car and I was looking at it like it was a Ferrari. It's good that I am not a kid anymore 😅. Good lap Misha

[@giorx5]

RX8's chassis was modified to be into the later introduced NC Miata. And that RX8 chassis is one of the most rigid ever in a production car not costing an arm and a leg.

[@the_alexbrock]

That snap of your fingers for the sound timing was so smooth haha

[@clumsygarage1578]

When I drove an RX-8, the biggest surprise was how smooth the engine was. Nobody talks about how smooth they are, and they sound so buzzy. Also, no power until 7000 rpm, it's hilarious.

[@btownballer27]

I love my RX8, mine however is in rough shape. The R3 is the best example of the RX. They have a great amount of mods available aside from engine components that will increase performance. You can turbo them, but you shouldn't, and if you want to, you might as well drop an FD13b in it, which is a lot of work. I would suggest upgrading to a lower engaging thermostat and a fan relay switch kit to get the fan on earlier and an LS coil pack kit to preserve ignition consistency. Bennett buil makes great kits for USmarket (shipping wise), but black halo racing is what the euro guys use.

[@Kanjozokusan]

Easily my favorite drivers car. Miss mine so much. Fix them before they blow. You’ll love it.

[@taktojonotvl]

One of the scariest passenger rides of my life are in RX-8 with 300+hp turbokit. Going around 200-250 over horizonts on Czechia backroads between Neratovce - Libeznice (for locals). Grip is so good, the driver is able stay in the his lane. He is also pubic bus driver. 😂 This vehicle is real budget supercar.

[@IStratz]

It's definitely a great car. Even though the fuel economy is about the same as a dodge hellcat with 1/4th the power, the sound and driving experience make up for it. Sadly, there aren't really any power modifications you can do other than headers, catless, catback, and coils. There have been turbos developed, but the engine just isn't designed for boost like the RX7's was. In a track setting, it just wouldn't last turbocharged. The heat buildup would destroy the engine. Even despite that, it would be a blast still on a small track that doesn't make it lack power as much. Weight reduction, full exhaust, suspension, brakes, tires, cooling mods, and you would have a top-tier track day toy. Hopefully someone comes forward to give misha a drive in something like that someday 🤞

[@stagger87]

Absolutely adore the RX8 whilst yeah it's a bit of the bastard child of the RX family, it's perfectly capable in it's own right, plus if you put a bit more love & $ into it you can get something insanely impressive

[@osenmosen]

Yeah it was too bad Mazda couldn't keep the turbo due to stricter emission restrictions. The chassis is really capable and while I respect the effort to keep the wankel alive the NA Renesis really let the car down. You could argue the power is enough but then there's the lack of torque, horrible fuel economy and reliability issues. I always felt it would've had a much bigger following if it had a normal piston engine, like the 2.3L turbo from the Mazda 3 MPS or similar. Then it would've truly been the bigger brother of the MX-5.

[@piotrmalewski8178]

I'm planning to use it to troll 'up to 1400cc class in amateur rallying. No turbo means no 1.7 multiplier so this car can absuletely destroy everything in it's own class.

[@osenmosen]

@@piotrmalewski8178 Isn't there usually special rules for wankels? IIRC in swedish motorsport there's usually between a 1.5 to 2 multiplier. Feels like a massive oversight if they're classified the same as normal piston engines, don't they have double the amount of combustion cycles per revolution?

[@Weather_Nerd]

Been waiting for an RX-8 video! Definitely wish you revved it out (can tell power hardly even hits until after 7k rpm) and it had better tires and no brake issues but was amazing to see and hear no matter! Nearly got one years ago but decided on a WRX being that it would be my daily. Traded that car for an AP1 S2000, never left the rwd platforms since lol thanks to my buddy giving me a ride in his 1986 Corolla SR5 4AGE, think destroyed my Subaru in corners)

[@mahrez3704]

Hi Misha, just to correct your Info the Rx8 was introduced in a game called Juiced for the Playstation 2,Green Colored,it was a legendary game and so nostalgic and it was really far away from its time,the physics the handling the tunning everything...yeah Good luck and you have a great memory and wish you the best

[@Mr_maggot]

Hell yeah, finally a rx8 on the channel!

[@danogh2227]

A few corrections that were mentioned here: Beep is the signal to switch the gears, you can let it beep for a second or two and change the gear, redline is around 9.5k on high power model and can be tuned/modded to be even higher. Chasis is more capable than an RX-7, even with lower power on technical tracks they set better times than RX-7s. They are quite reliable, you can open up the ports, get the power a bit up, but nothing major, you'd need to throw a turbo at it, which can work, but can be a bit explodey, proceed at your own risk. From a stock engine with porting, decat, tuning etc you can maybe squeeze the factory 230 hp, maybe. Safe power with turbo is around 330-350 hp, but they get a bit expensive. Prices, my guy was talking about R3s, regular ones you can get as cheap as $1k for the UK version and around $3-4k for a used LHD version that has a bit of life left. Good ones are around $6-8k for Gen 1/2 ; RHD R3s are around $25k+; prices are for general europe market.

[@Wolffhardtt]

One of my personal faves from NFSU2 haha, always loved the look of these and a rotary mazda will never not be fascinating!! They really pulled off what people said couldn't be done.

[@yeesenchai]

Had a first gen for 7 years, cost me zero dollars in maintenance, dealership covered all oil change. Sold it and bought a GR sti, should have bought an R3 instead with the revised gear ratio. Aftermarket performance upgrades has matured since then.

[@ronniecason9807]

misha's assessment of the rx8 is correct the chassis of the rx8 is amazing but the engine is very under powered ive owned a turbo fc and an rx8 the best way to correct the rx8 being under powered is to swap a turbo rotary into it. The beeping is the standard mazda upshift buzzer my fc had one as well

[@inblanco213]

I would like run my rx8 on Nürburgring, this is one of my dreams :)

[@MrTchou]

I remember the RX8 was in the X-men movie, that contribued to make it known to the public.

[@adrenalinepace]

Misha you can drive mine next time! :) It is more prepared to tracks and I have done few tracks days here in the UK. The Brazilian community would love to see this. :) I have also a MR2 that is about to make his debut on UK 's track. Anyway, nice to see a RX8 here.

[@SeanPensive]

Great video. You've done 4 of my cars now ❤

[@nicotrial]

Another rx8 fan/owner here!! get some more on the channel!!

[@bombardierrecreationalprod1023]

Hi Misha, Quick tip ! If you ever drive an RX8 again use the whole rpm range! You were shifting way too soon ! When you hear a beep it is time to shift! Love watching your vids! Thanks!

[@randomguyontheinterweb]

The Rx8 chassis is amazing. The Renesis burns oil and gas like no other and lacks power for how thirsty it is.

[@_red_scorpion_]

I love the rx8, i hope to own one someday. They handle so well, the suicide doors are cool and i loooove how high it revs

[@FellnerB]

Footwork is rlly good :) This downshift rev matching on point.

[@Elinbe313]

4:38 actually the NC MX5 has a shortened RX-8 chassis

[@benlecluyse]

#Facts

[@Litevaar]

I was looking for this comment lol.

[@noelsonkwa]

Nice! We still want you to do a properly tuned FD RX-7 lap! Really, you should contact FEED and have them bring their car.

[@fedzalicious]

As an RX8 owner, I'm obviously fond of them, but... many models like mine, even though it's a 6 speed, came with a single oil cooler. I wouldn't track one without a second cooler installed. And the oil pressure gauge is fake. It's either on or off. It's an oil pressure light dressed up as a gauge. But everything else seems legit. Some of the panels are aluminum, the chassis is extremely stiff, it's got cast alloy double wishbone control arms with a trick multilink setup in the rear that gives it a high roll center, carbon fibre driveshaft, torsion LSD, awesome weight distribution, massive brakes - it's a proper sports car. But it would've been better if they lost the rear doors and seats and made it 100kg lighter. It would've been a weapon.

[@swift9417]

Love the looks of the faclift Rx8. Super rare car in Europe.

[@TheTheoblad]

Not sure where he's shopping! A handful of R3 RX8s for sale in the UK between 6-8k

[@Diontb]

if you listened to the video youd understand, hes driving a rhd car and hes from italy that should tell you all you need to know. R3s are very rare in mainland europe and if you can find one in LHD its rather expensive and importing one is also expensive and just dull to do where you drive on the other side

[@Shredder884]

I love rotarys. Great video as always Misha. Also I think the RX8 was on the cover of Underground 1 and it was the Poster car in the prerole of Juced

[@vp5536]

RX-8's are underated cars

[@mpa324]

I work at a Mazda dealer, I wouldn't mind having one of these, even though there's problems you hear about, it's fun to drive, plus there's this certain smell it puts out that I'm used to lol. It's like a badass smell at the same time bad.

[@kx8744]

J'avais une 231 performance, quel châssis, boîte, moteur, génial !

[@ks1622]

Previous owner of a 2007 RX8 here, the one driven by you Misha in the video may have low compression figures as it should accelerate quite a bit faster as shown in the video with a healthy engine. Maybe some time in the future you should have another go in an RX8 that has a healthy engine to experience how a healthy RX8 feels like!

[@cadetkonki2687]

For anyone who doesn't know, the beep was not the radar detector, Mazda RX7's and RX8's have a beep sound when entering RPM redline, for the duration you are redlining!

[@spg993]

Owned 1, one of the most fun cars ever.

[@1981_Reacts]

My buddy had the 2004 RX8. It was a fun ride. Although surpisingly gas thirsty.

[@GrzegorzPałka-c6u]

As RX-8 owner, I'm so pissed about all the incorrect information the owner gave you. Honestly, if you don't know, then please don't confabulate. - Mazda didn't "cheat" with power - there were 2 power options - low power (called LP) with around 194 HP crank 5-speed manual and high power (called HP) with 238 HP crank 6-speed manual (slightly more more power in the lift R3 version with revised engine); the internals of the engine were the same, but the HP had more intricate intake (5 phases), so it could breathe up to 9000 RPM limit unlike LP 7500 RPM; the 212 HP version was only for 4-speed automatic transmission, but who cares about that - the engine before the lift had worse apex seal lubrication, but I wouldn't call it "oil starvation" - it would be like lack of oil on cylinder walls in piston engine, while crank and cams are lubricated - is it an oil starvation? - more important changes in the lift car (2009-2014) are: gearbox (the same as in Miata NC), shorter ratio of the differential, stiffer chassis and multiple changes to the engine - RX-8 was developed at the same time as MX-5 NC, but RX-8 was released in 2004, and MX-5 in 2005, so it's not like the owner suggests, that it is the chassis "from" Miata; yes, they share a lot of suspension parts, but it was rather a co-development in order to cut costs; it made MX-5 NC the heaviest Miata ever - unlike GT86, 911, etc. the rear seats are actually usable - people measuring 190 cm can fit there comfortably - it's actually a 4-seater The owner not identifying the "beep" informing you that the rev limit is close tells a lot xD Especially, because in the owners manual, Mazda wrote that the engine "needs" to be revved to the "beep" every drive cycle (of course after warming up the oil) in order do burn the carbon deposits. If you don't rev the tits of this engine often enough, you will have carbon buildup on the housing and apex seal failure. Unfortunately RX-8 this is not a car for average Joe - you need to know a lot, maintain the car (oil every 5-8 kkm on street, spark plugs every 20 kkm, premix 2-stroke oil for track) and drive it in a specific way in order to keep it healthy. If you use it to drive short distances around town on low revs, then your engine will last 20-40 kkm. It's a weekend toy, that shines on twisty roads and revved, then the engine will last 100-120 kkm and the revision would be just changing the seals, not a full rebuild :-) P.S. Buy a good set of tires (I use PS4), change wheel geometry (stock has toe in on the front), change spark plugs and brake fluid - then start thinking about coilovers xD

[@IStratz]

Couple things. 1: The owner is probably pretty new to the RX8 platform which is very understandable to get a few things wrong. 2: English is probably not his first language and might have just said "oil starvation" because he couldn't find the correct words to describe it. 3: The HP numbers have been notoriously overzealous considering 10-15% drivetrain loss. 15% is around 200whp which is basically unreachable unless you decat, catback, headers, coils, and every upgrade you can do. It usually makes around 150-170whp stock. Just relax a bit. There's no reason to say you are "pissed" by someone being a little inexperience with the platform. They will probably read the comments on this video and its just a bit aggressive for no reason.

[@GrzegorzPałka-c6u]

@@IStratz You are probably right - my tone was unnecessarily aggressive. But I got actually pissed about accusing Mazda of "cheating" on power figures and "repurposing" MX-5 NC chassis, when in reality they took a great gamble and put great amount of effort to give us - enthusiast, a few more years of enjoying the rotary before it was killed by emission regulations. This engine does not make any sense for "transportation". By creating this car, they bet that there will be enough petrolheads, that do not care that much about power, fuel economy, maintenance cost, luxury, trackability, etc. and just want a weekend toy that handles like a dream on B roads while giving you this almost unbelievably linear power delivery across extreme rev range. To be honest, I would probably not write a comment at all, if I was not pissed about the accusations thrown at Mazda. I can live with people spreading misinformation not on purpose , but insinuating such things about people that took a great risk not for profit itself, but the faith in car enthusiast community, tipped me off.

[@caszzxs4104]

125k Original Motor R3 here! Track, daily, all! Best kept secret! Misha taking it too easy!

[@iamatlantis1]

Still one of my fav racing experiences with NFS: U2. You were correct about the cover car being that green 350z.

[@wolffgetsuschoonewolff]

bro its confirmed is the era of the rx8 ,now since i got my rx8 ive seen rx8 videos from known car youtubers omgg yess

[@aaronroberts1037]

The beeping noise is Mazda’s way of notifying you to shift at redline. It’s part of all the cool noises us Rotorheads are use to lol

[@ItsManamus]

if you are ever interested in driving a RX8 1st gen 2004 192 HP 5 gear. I would love to let you in the future!

[@svendees1978]

It is not an mx5 based chassis/ suspension. The later mx5 was based on de rx8 suspension. Suspensionparts of the rx8 are interchangeable with later mx5 to lower cost on development mx5. The rx8 is actually a 'race' setup suspension between mazda usa and mazda japan developers if not mistaken.

[@Unknowndrakard]

The game were the RX-8 was the actual cd cover, was Juiced, it was a green RX-8 made by TK

[@IStratz]

Wow I completely forgot about that game. Pretty sure Juiced was the first PC racing game I played as a kid. Now I own an RX8 at 25 haha. I wonder if that was the reason I liked them so much hmm

[@Unknowndrakard]

@@IStratz it required a good driver to handle it around the corners, cause i remember it spinning the wheels lost so many pinkslip races 😂 it was an awesome game tho'

[@sulfurtuft9207]

rx8 are cool, they are underrated

[@pkxia1255]

Owned two of those back in the days in the U.S. great deal because of the bad reputation of the S1 RX8. Mazda really improved the reliability in S2 RX8. The suicide doors are actually quite usable, and the doors are made out of the aluminum, so does the hood and trunk. Mazda tried to balance sports car feel and usability on these back in the day, which is where the sports car have been in recent years. The downsides of these cars are stock power and shocks, de-cat plus good coilovers will make them great track car.

[@user-tn1vc1xz5d]

Lovely car, i did drive one once (PZ version). Needs minor change to driving style, as no torque at low rpms but such a nice car and handles well. Unusual noise but still lovely 😊😊😊

[@maxmouse3]

I think this car is very quirky and I'm a RX7 enjoyer but DAMN THIS SOUNDS GOOOOD Great video!

[@toniozz2126]

It's not the fastest sport car but it gives the impression of going fast, nice sound helping probably! Nice lap!

[@sahilm483]

Top tier passenger/owner, I like the interaction

[@RathOX]

We have the PZ version, love them.

[@DullBoyJack]

For as cool as a rotary is, one of the best things you can do to this chassis is a motor swap. The LFX V6 out of a camaro fits perfectly in there and makes around 320hp. Some day I'll do this...

[@bencevarga6304]

The whole point of the car is it's great handling. It has something like a 52-48 weight distribution. With a safe 0.6bar of boost it makes around 310-350whp.

[@RealGreyGhost]

Or keep it rotary and do the FD REW swap and make the same 320-350whp

[@DullBoyJack]

@@bencevarga6304 The LFX weighs within 50 lbs of the rotary. It does not significantly change the weight balance of the car at all, and if you relocate the battery you're back where you started. There's a strong reason RX8's are so cheap, and it's not the chassis... Numbers for reference: RX8 motor dressed weight: 297lbs LFX dressed weight: 345lbs

[@rx4mandude]

Nice r3 and nice driving 🙌 I love my rx8 A good cold air ram intake will get her singing over 100kmh ! Yes max power closer to 9000rpm 😅

[@DxCBuG]

I loved these in NFS Most Wanted with a crazy livery and subtle body kit. If money was no object a turbo one with some nice seats would be an amazing weekend / track car