My RX8 still doesn't make 200whp

[@Rynopb]

I can explain your dilemma and why your hp numbers make no sense. Bridgeport rx8 isn't possible unless you change your rotor housings to rx7 housings. Maybe you did and i missed that part of the video...due to the location of the exhaust ports, you wont get any overlap from intake and exhaust. Its very minimal / unchanged from stock. Overlap is what gives it the brap brap brap.. without btap it means your engine isn't creating overlap. Overlap creates low pressure areas in the exhaust pulse that forces the intake to pull in more air. This is how race engines make more power. Piston engines do it eith camshaft overlap rotaries do it by opening the window of overlap via differently placed ports. Because renesis has the exhaust on the side housing, you cant gain overlap from another port in the sidehousing. You need it to be in the rotor housing itself...ie semi peripheral/full peripheral port. A street port can help with increasing intake capacity, but in renesis wont really do the same job as a street port in an older 13B. Whoever told you you can Bridgeport a renesis doesn't understand how the engine overlaps because the exhaust port is on the side housing. You will never get brap brap brap....just same hp and corner seals that need to be replaced more often. You probably just gained hp from what is effectively a weird street port and the tune, but it is extremely suboptimal. Most rx8 SCCA road race cars make 190+ wheel all day stock boltons and tune. Your issue is that by "bridgeporting" your engine, you are messing with the intake air velocity and effectively ruining the pulses. It's like trying to drink from a straw with a hole in it. Street Port or semi peripheral Port are the only options that will give you great wheel on the renesis..albeit needing engine hours and not miles to count your rebuild timers. You can get 200+ on a street port and 260+ on a peripheral port (with brap) all day. You will also need different gear ratios to take advantage of the high end since all the power will be 8k~10k on a semi if designed for road racing. Thestock renesis engine already makes decent power. But even racing beat as Mazda share holders protested the design of the renesis engine because of high exhaust temperatures it would make causing frequent seal replacement. It's a terrible engine for reliability. Worst engine Mazda has ever made. My recommendation is to swap it to an older 13B (good luck finding parts). And focusing more on the design of the exhaust merge collector to perfectly match the waves of the engine ...and finding a very very talented person that can port beautifully and shave side seals well. This combo can easily get you 260+ wheels. But be unfun on the streets to drive. ...or slap a turbo on it to take advantage of the unnecessary Bridgeport. (I'm retired from racing now, but I know a thing or two about building race engines)

[@paradigm649]

This needs more attention

[@brandonw.2066]

Someone from the channel should read this comment.

[@Trillogical]

Holy shit dude. You literally stated down the gospel of the do’s and dont’s when it comes to porting a renny. This channel or heck, every person who runs a renny needs to read this. Either be pleased with its power (with or without street/semi p-port), or swap it out. I on the other hand, am pleased with my r3 motor with semi P port, running flawless the past 4.5 years

[@andrewlee88]

Legend response. Missing major exhaust scavenging.... this video is just proving how you can take a dyno and convince yourself of any number you want it to make...

[@justacomment1657]

up voted

[@thenon-vapingsubie]

The rx8 was so nice before the exhaust change 😢 seems more like a highschool kids dream now.

[@collinwiedel]

If you ever decide to go turbo, PLEASE don’t buy an old greddy turbo kit. I will help you personally get a BrettSpeed manifold from NZ and set up this car to his 350 reliably on a stock motor.

[@joannaatkins822]

@@collinwiedel hopefully they see this. Ben and Ben deserve good stuff considering the punishment of owning this car and the "DSM" rotbox

[@andreibalinth4292]

Hate to kill your enthusiams, but the stock Renesis cannot do more than 300hp reliably. The front iron will crack if the power is taken beyond that. I saw this happening on one of my friend's RX-8

[@collinwiedel]

@ as someone who daily drives this setup, and knows of multiple others doing the same, I disagree.

[@jkr19888]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@collinwiedelas someone who has daily driven and had friends daily boosted rx7’s/rx8’s, they are horribly unreliable. I say Honda K all the way, 450whp reliably for years now 🙏🏼

[@andreibalinth4292]

@@collinwiedel I did not say it will crack instantly. It will take a few tens of thousands of miles of street driving to get the front iron to crack on a renesis that makes more than 300whp. My friend saw the iron crack after about 20000km with 350 hp. He did do a few track days with it during that time. This information is also present in the latest video about the yellow RX-8 on the Rad Potantial channel. This being said, it would be great if you prove this idea wrong. Maybe Ben will help you with that

[@brettspeed]

So painful watching people ignore what has been learned over the past 23 years with these cars.

[@Pavl9k]

that tunning session was like hit or miss....don't do it if you don't know how to do it....since Ben overheated his honda I have serious doubts about their knowledge....oh and it was Ben's STi where they found metal in the oil pan and were like...oh it's fine let's see how it runs anyway....then they pretended to be surprised it blew up

[@inazupra]

It’s incredible how there can be so much information about developed cars on forums and these guys just seem to ignore all of it lol. I get that content is content, but this ain’t it.

[@longsleevethong1457]

Finally some people that are aware of how lame this “content” is…

[@TexasVexes]

We need TeamRx8 to come in here and set them straight lolol

[@brettspeed]

@@TexasVexes No kidding ... probably upset a few people on the way though.

[@NathanaelNaused]

Puts what's basically a straight pipe with the tiniest resonators ever on one of the loudest and buzziest engines ever and is surprised. Never change Ben 😂

[@supermoop]

After 20+ years of owning an RX-8, I've accepted that chasing power isn't the point of ownership. It's enjoying the car with whatever power it has and appreciating how well it handles versus other cars in its class.

[@Lockwood360]

Bro a honda civic has better numbers and handling lmao

[@N911GT2]

You sound like a guy with the “it’s not about the size, it’s what you do with it…” excuses. But she still goes for the big guys…😅

[@DucatiPaso750]

Funny you said 20+ years. For about 20 years, I've wanted to buy an RX-8. I'm just scared of the apex seals. And I say this after having owned a Ducati Paso for 15 years. It required a lot of expensive desmodromic valve adjustments. So, I would be living the meticulous preventative maintenance life all over again. But I'd probably be loving it.

[@CarlosGonzalez-vi9qv]

@@Lockwood360 I love both Honda and Mazdas but the RX8 handles better than a FWD Civic, that's like saying a Civic out handles an S2k.

[@Lockwood360]

@@CarlosGonzalez-vi9qv lol s2k handles like shit as well, notoriously. Rx8 does not handle better. Rwd does good with power to release the rear end, your not doing that in an rx8. its not keeping up around corners to a fwd honda. Try to run an rx8 in the snow, Fwd is leaving it behind every time.

[@chase276]

Can’t believe you guys made us go 3 whole weeks without Mark

[@StuckOnAFireHydrant]

He was using that saved up PTO XD

[@N911GT2]

I would rather see the whole channel without Mark.

[@snfriedm]

@@N911GT2you’re evil

[@UnknownUser_0000]

This is the real travesty..

[@turtledovew2150]

Mark is really the mechanically inclined adopted ben brother fr

[@wma6019]

Yes, that is what happens when your Bridgeport a Renesis. All of the 220whp+ NA Renesis engines out there run stock ports for a reason.

[@BigSlickRick75]

A rotor shaped exhaust tip out that stock center hole would have been sick

[@NameLess-y3d]

missed opportunity, I saw it too, I'm assuming it would need reinforcement of some sort, because PLASTIC, doesn't like heat, and there aren't off the shelf options for that kind of shaped tip, that would fit .

[@TheBuntajames]

Been there and done that with my Motokhana car back in 2014.. tilted up a bit too for maximum flame and racket.. loved it. Cop did too..

[@ntando_nje]

Dual exit looked better imo, suited the car. Unless theres a bumper out there designed with single center exit

[@friendlysnoworb6091]

only mid exit I think could look good would be one with a tip fitting the rotor motifs present in the rest of the car, leaving a fat circle in the middle of the rear bumper just looks ridiculously ricey

[@garage79r]

Actual exhaust professional commenting here. I will lead off with, I have only done a few rx8 exhausts, so I cannot comment on what is best for them. I will comment on what I do know. First of all, the Magnaflow mufflers that were in your system are straight thru. I have never seen Magnaflow use their "turbo xl" chambered muffler in any of their bolt on systems. Also, easy button to spot the difference of the straight thru Magnaflow and their chambered muffler is the name/logo embossed in the side of the case, the chambered unit was never embossed and the lack of the inner baffle spot welds is another giveaway. A used one, especially with the heat from a N/A rotary you'd see it clear as day if it was a chambered unit due to the coloring thru the chambers. Also they never offered a polished version of the chambered muffler to begin with & chambered muffler was also never offered in a short case like that of which is part of the RX8 system. Now onto the spiral, auger style mid muffler, that was not part of the original Magnaflow system, and was likely added at some point to help tone it down. They are usually quite restrictive in traditional piston engine exhausts, often costing double digit power numbers. You referred to the new mid muffler you had installed as baffled, yet it was a straight thru style muffler, or as most people mistakenly call them, resonators. The last thing, the Summit Freedom ST (aka Gibson MWA) muffler you had installed on the end...would be the LAST muffler I would ever put onto a N/A rotary. Let me clarify, the muffler is great for v8 guys that love high volume sound, as all it is a straight thru muffler with no packing, but some ports to vent into the muffler cavity to act as a Helmholtz resonator so its usually not too droney in traditional applications. It takes an exhaust that may be 10/10 and makes it 9.75/10. So in terms of volume control, it was the wrong choice. I personally would of used ceramic or steel packed mufflers for this exhaust so they can tolerate the heat much better and for longer. That front muffler will likely burn out most of its packing within a few months. You'd be able to tell from the color, it will turn purple and if you flick your knuckles onto the case it it will ring due the lack of internal packing. Keep up the good content, I look forward to it every Saturday morning.

[@sophiatheodores7985]

at least they didn't screw up the exhaust in terms of power, right?

[@josephmatuszak3855]

Yeah. That's nutshell. If he wanted power, most was gonna come from a different intake and TB. More air out is most helpful with more air in.

[@jknevarez9565]

Im surprised you didn't call out the fact that they tried to bridgeport an engine that has both ports in the side housing and doesnt actually create additional overlap...no overlap = no exhaust reversion...no reversion = no brap. In fact they just slowed down the intake velocity and ruined the volumetric efficiency of the engine while also hurting the pulsations of the exhaust gases to suboptimal. They effectively detuned their car mechanically. They just needed to listen to your advice and have not touched the engine and they could have (with some effort) made over 198 wheel....but at this point they should just go turbo. The bridgeport is there.

[@MitchFromSyd]

Tldr plz

[@kirbizle]

That was a huge red flag upon starting the video Lol, anyone who know's anything about exhausts knows that Magnaflow was a straight-through and not a baffled/chambered design! Plus as a side-note; No i'm quite confident that Magnaflow made the system and tips fit awful, every single pre-made system i've personally installed from them at our shop has god awful fitment and requires extensive modification to the hangers to fit, or just straight up doesn't fit without cutting and sectioning parts. They're one of the worst brands we've installed in terms of fitment. Quality materials and work generally, just awful fitment.

[@cib2413]

FYI, the bridge port creates overlap which for the Renesis is not ideal because it was designed and optimised to be a zero overlap engine. This means that a bridge 9/10 times will make less power and torque except perhaps absolute peak around 8500 rpm. The Renesis struggles to make power regardless, but if trying to get to 200whp the best solution is a fresh stock port engine with a 2.5”-3.0” exhaust, factory intake and tune, and hope for the best.

[@capnthepeafarmer]

Yes! Exactly! The renesis engine was designed around higher thermal efficiency so that meant no overlap, and allowing higher expansion ratio. That's why most ports or "hybrid" motor builds with traditional P-port designs will make less power. They're using P-port thinking in a side port application. Just doesn't work.

[@DuBstep115]

@@capnthepeafarmer yeah you know that the engine is bad when even google wont find renesis a supercharger kit. There is littlerally one for opel astra

[@tougewagon]

​@DuBstep115 a supercharger would be such an incredible waste as opposed to a turbo

[@DuBstep115]

@@tougewagon ease of installation and TUV approval makes it a great choice for stock engines. Can double the HP in M54 engine

[@AjackLee4]

​@@tougewagonThe Renesis doesn't hold boost well because of the seal design. The best buy is just an original 13B swap for these cars.

[@Zackparagon]

Flex that Valvoline Goldpass and get Rob Dahm to sprinkle a little something on it

[@Damicske]

TUUUUURRRRRRRRRBOOOOOOOOOO

[@darkwatcher01]

rob dahm hates the renesis engine though

[@M-PASTA]

⁠@@darkwatcher01the renesis can’t be helped but can easily be swapped for a REW

[@alwynbrown2808]

bringing in Rob is a good idea

[@Damanien]

Rob dont like em but Oseiah ( how we type is name already??) loves em. Worth a shot

[@blackhatch46]

The RX-8's chassis is where the car shines. Concentrate on handling more. Lighter wheels and tires, etc.

[@DuBstep115]

yeah you know that the engine is bad when even google wont find renesis a supercharger kit. There is littlerally one for opel astra

[@Xpclips4k]

How you gonna center exit a rotary and not give it a triangle tip

[@baconrolled9741]

You ruined my morning lol

[@zipone_1726]

I was saying this. Before he cut out the plastic there was a nice triangle. Shoukd have put a triangle tip in the factory cut out

[@Soravia]

Bridgeport is for boosted inake. Renesis loses overall power with INTAKE porting, top end only power makes it slower everywhere else in powerband. It needs exhaust porting. Renesis 6 port already has plenty of intake port. Best way is to polish the intake for smoother airflow, but not increase the diameter of the intake opening. Larger diameter slows down air flow speed. On exhaust porting, it needs to be larger without opening exhaust sooner, but need to stay open as late as possible. Also smooth down the shelf like end of exhaust port to prevent carbon build up that will later break off and destroy exhaust side seal. Also polish the rotor itself to reduce carbon build up on rotors. Carbon soaks up fuel droplets, create hot spots, and reduce burn efficiency.

[@HumanFriend1]

Careful, Ben doesn’t like “keyboard warriors” brining up facts and useful info. That stuff has no place here apparently. LoL

[@TurboSleeper95]

@@HumanFriend1 You figured after they both have had a few underpowered and underperforming builds they would listen to the people who have had a lot more experience with far less resources and help. The people that build K series and rotaries in the yard make these guys look ridiculous. I like the channel and the content, but you got all this help and money but still can't make stock power with a built K series. It's really baffling.

[@jknevarez9565]

THANK YOU! Someone here knows. If the ports are both in the side housing there is no overlap. You have to move one of the ports to the rotor housing for there to be braps. Unfortunately these mongoloids will just call you a "keyboard warrior" even though were the only ones that actually understand what is going on...they got scammed.

[@jknevarez9565]

@@HumanFriend1 I just said the same thing. The few that actually know what is going on are being ignored and called trolls...they got scammed.... and the guy that ported their engines needs to go to engineering school and learn how the dynamics of exhaust scavenging works. Gotta say, im laughing inside because all their shit talk and they still cant make more than a stock renesis with boltons and a tune. Bridgeport NA RX8 is almost an oxymoron. They dropped 3.5k on a worthless bridgeport, but the porter didn't ask about the RPM they wanted to run at, didnt mention what length their exhaust headers should be, or even give them the timing the intake port will open and close (not that it matters). The worst comment in the porting video was "the RX8 computers don't let it brap brap brap"... I nearly smashed my head into the wall hearing that.

[@jknevarez9565]

@@TurboSleeper95 Preach it!!!!

[@TerminusVox]

130 decibels!? Start choosing your hearing aids.

[@NickTaylorRickPowers]

Whhhhhaattttt?

[@Toxofox]

People who think the Rx8 is short in power do not understand what this car is about.... It's a momentum car, a fun car to drive at the edge on a track or a twisty country road just like the Mx5. It was never designed for straight line speed. It's all about the engine/chassis/ gearbox combo. Chasing power in an Rx8 is a fool's errand. You can spend a fortune for very little returns. And you will lose reliability very quickly chasing those small returns.

[@colejohnson5447]

No hate but that center exit looks hacky and doesn’t suit the car

[@bb_bb_]

yeah i don't agree with some design choices with this guys cars either but it 's his project he can do whatever.

[@B__L]

@@bb_bb_ Sometimes people should be told they're making the wrong choices

[@BaldHeadedManc]

​@@B__LNot really when it has no actual effect on anyone. Literally zero.

[@B__L]

​@@BaldHeadedManc "rEspEcT alL bUilDS" take

[@bb_bb_]

@@B__L well is it a wrong choice if he likes it and it's his car?

[@alpha2gproject783]

Rx8- fuel economy of a pickup, power of a civic and the maintenance of a lawnmower.

[@magicwaffl3z]

😂

[@paburrito]

Not gonna lie, low key i was hoping for the muffler tip to end up in a triangular shape like the bumper had when taking the cover off and pointing a little down so it doesn't burn the bumper, since Mazda in the RX-8 were pretty big on triangular shapes to reference their doritos, would've fit the rotary motif nicely Edit: yeah put a little muffler on it, that really gives the VQ peeps a run for their money

[@Maccaroney]

I'm a drifter with a VQ. I have spent a lot of time around VQs that sound bad. lol While VQs are loud and annoying i assure you this is so much worse. This car will do hearing damage.

[@paburrito]

@@Maccaroney oh for sure, anything over 80db is where it starts causing hearing damage... that RX-8 is blasting 130db, there's NO way they're keeping that car piped like that, we're talking big f***ing rock concert or jet taking off levels of loud

[@bryce_grier]

As a RX-8 owner, we don't get enough love/content for our car - so I'm thankful you're making these high-quality videos around this chassis!

[@N911GT2]

Maybe because it sucks?

[@bryce_grier]

@ yet here you are 😁

[@TFG_Thefabguy]

That center exit exhaust is terrible.

[@carsandclimbing]

Yeah, I’m not too sure why they did that. The factory dual exhaust looks pretty good.

[@Singleturbo-sk9qp]

He a Honda boy the rice in him couldn’t help it but hey it’s his car lol

[@DucatiPaso750]

At least it provided a video. I was curious and entertained.

[@djtongi]

jeah, hmmm better should go like japan style: one big muffler on one side, slightly angled...

[@malcolmn.5222]

Damn they should have consulted you

[@dham99]

seeing under that chassis.... makes me thankful Im in Texas.. i see all these nice cars on forums and YT and then i see the carnage of wetter climates! Maybe do a whole episode of rust proofing/refinishing all the corroded bits. My 2016 Focus ST has 110k miles (built engine, big turbo about 10k miles ago) but it still looks nearly new bumper to bumper. Side note..i like that theres no big hurry here to make big power.. trying to squeeze whp/wtq here and there and tweak the cars handling (cornering/braking/acceleration/etc) is always a fun path to take too, something very familiar with platforms like the Miata's and older Civics where 200whp is plenty

[@notsostaticezequiel4054]

11:57 “I’m legit putting the straight pipe VQ’s to shame” oof🤣🤣

[@brandonw.2066]

That poor rotary. This car is being made worse without anyone even being aware.

[@Thicc_Boi913]

For real, that exhaust is hideous

[@terrellrhodes4256]

Oh some of us are aware

[@snakerb]

11:25 The VA cops are gonna love that exhaust 😂

[@ntsindisomajezi7596]

Can I just say. Ben, Ben. We love you, we support you, we appreciate you!! Thank you guys so much for the last road trip series, I loved every moment of it 🙌! I know it was a lot of hard work for you guys and your team. You guys are amazing and I swear I look forward to Saturdays every week, because I get to watch Gears and Gasoline. Thank you guys very much ❤❤🙌🙌🙌!!!

[@colejohnson5447]

I know you’re Honda Boys and we’re here for that, but we can handle a non k swap series.

[@GiannisZax]

Ok, I don't feel like this was worth the trade-off. This both doesn't look or sound as good. And yeah, deafening exhaust for 5 hp is not worth it. Please get a good dual exit and make a center section with at least two resonators.

[@gavinhogberg]

My suggestion was Racing Beat

[@zmarko]

AKA - Ben succumbs to peer pressure.

[@MrMeoow91]

that’s what you get when you just chopped out all the engineering they put into that exhaust 😂

[@gavinhogberg]

Now that I'm rewatching this, please find a way to undo the center exit exhaust and get a nice Racing Beat exhaust. It makes more power than stock and actually sounds really nice

[@datuklofi]

My god this guy just keeps ruining this car

[@DeezNutsLiterally1984]

agreed. It looks ridiculous, sounds worse, and in the B-Roll before he tracks it it seems like his rotors are cooked. This poor car 🙃

[@qx4n9e1xp]

You can take the Civic owner out of the Civic, but you can't take the Civic out of the Civic owner.

[@im2realxx]

Good thing its his car

[@jemje2007]

Clown channel. They do videos to make money.

[@terrellrhodes4256]

​@@im2realxx yea it's his until it's in the scrap yard because his dumb ass keeps screwing it up then it's just a waste of what could of been a great car

[@meowmeow2759]

Hate when non rotary ppl get into rotaries... glad a lot of thr experts are finallt chiming in. Felt like i was the knly one critisizing thr build last video

[@natalyakeane]

you guys need to be wearing hearing protection. every time you do a run you are doing permanent damage

[@O5rx8Mazda]

They obviously don't understand the harmonics of the renesis exhaust pulses. They're completely different in the renesis.

[@Umar-gw6fy]

Put a 3 rotor in its more unique than an LS or a k swap

[@kleemanjad]

Agreed

[@darkwatcher01]

true

[@JAKWEES]

This would be great

[@RicouNiet]

But also a lot more expensive if I'm not mistaken.

[@Ranor]

the 20b is NOT cheap

[@BoHorror]

Ignore the LS Swap or engine swap. Put a neat small turbo at 7-8PSI and make it nice and comfy to drive. Nothing too hectic. Cheap EBay turbo kit and get a proper branded waste gate and you’re set.

[@danielhaynes1642]

A small turbo set up. Something super responsive but keep it around 250 wheel. Would be a absolute blast without up setting the overall balance of the car

[@RicouNiet]

A small turbo that wouldn't be making power at high rpm would be a shame with such an engine. I'd say medium turbo to keep use of at least some of the high revs.

[@Giuliana-w1f]

Centrifugal supercharger maybe

[@danielhaynes1642]

@RicouNiet why does everyone just assume when someone says a small turbo it's not going to flow at the higher end. What im talking about is a proper sized turbo for the goal. It will spool perfect and still make it out the back. I'm not saying put a gt28 on it. Aomething like a 3076 or a g25-550 spools perfect at 3k and will last out the back at 10k

[@armaggedon4christ]

​@danielhaynes1642 I'm mostly from the modified bike world and the turbo Busa's (1.3L so about the same displacement and RPM) use 3076s ALOT and they spool almost instantly and they keep being efficient up to their 13k limit, and they make around 400-500whp, and they survive pretty well.

[@danielhaynes1642]

@armaggedon4christ my old busa ran the 3076 as well. My b and k run one as well up to the both rev to 9500.

[@nlxsteve]

Look ma, I’m famous @21:57 white blur 😂. Enjoyed seeing you guys out there.

[@R7Adam]

The fact that you made it in is kinda sick 😂

[@ivanjovanovic362]

Bro really knows how to ruin a car. Wtf is that exhaust in the middle like who told you that even remotely looks good??

[@spideybuildscars]

Could ask Honda the same thing🤷

[@emersoncaicedo3146]

Agreed man. I know he does it for views but still makes me frustrated

[@ll.7927]

@@spideybuildscarsnah stop it. The Honda looks good lol

[@vincentradziecki7470]

The Rx-8 is a fantastic track car. Keep these videos coming. Enjoyable and informative for the rotary community!

[@terrellrhodes4256]

No tf they ain't this is a out right shame to all rotaries

[@thought_farm]

why is ben telling me the temperature in Kelvin like I'm a scientist

[@lukeny9197]

imagine me that im from Europe and we use celsius

[@matthewcheeseman6453]

The majority of the planet uses Celsius, who the hell is Kelvin?

[@ihavealife002]

@@matthewcheeseman6453 He's the guy that keeps telling us folks in the States to keep using these weird ass units of measurements.

[@garagecedric]

At least easier than Farenheit:)

[@Giuliana-w1f]

​​@@matthewcheeseman6453some kid keeping his house safe from robbers by setting traps all over it.

[@ImBarryScottCSS]

As old Chuck would say; that looks TURRIBLE.

[@jammyhorizon1771]

Thorn really wants his RX8 to be as loud as Lin's Eclipse was for revenge from the Utah trip

[@GardyJuland]

Every other KZbin car channel:" here's my 3476whp dual viper motor swapped geo metro" Gears and gasoline:" this rx8 Is fucking slow but I love it" Never change lol

[@GardyJuland]

Also the rx8 needs a rotary shaped exhaust tip

[@IronicTonic8]

You can definitely make 200whp with a stock motor as long as you have the right intake and exhaust setup, plus a good tune. Lastly, you need a bit of luck with your rebuild and a proper break in. If it's not broken in property you can end up with a motor that will never make 200 in NA form no matter what you do. Good ignition system is also key, fresh spark plugs.

[@IronicTonic8]

For reference, take a look at The Slip Angle. He broke 200whp with a stock motor.

[@thomass8118]

​@@IronicTonic8 I have been thinking about that car the whole time.

[@captainobvious9188]

I've never had an RX-8, but had lots of friends who have. I don't think any of them have had a problem reaching 200whp with the standard assortment of intake/exhaust/tune.

[@jundeleon9566]

Howdy, Ben. Your fans already seen a K-swapped Mazda RX. A LS3 swap would be cool but I concur with Umar, put a 3rd rotor in the original powertrain. I think the rotary engine is a rad design regardless of its fuel inefficiency, but I think the fans would like to see more zoom-zoom on the track with the RX-8 vs the Civics. A 3-rotor or a 4-rotor would be the coolest project for the RX-8, in my opinion. Cheers, G&G! By the way, VIR is one of my favorite racetracks.

[@jundeleon9566]

I meant to say that the fans would enjoy racing sessions at VIR between the RX-8 and Civics after the rotary engine upgrade.

[@armaggedon4christ]

Im an LS guy through and through, but where I live, LS swapped rotories are a dime a dozen, ide go 3 or 4 rotor, far more unique and they absolutally make power!

[@IStratz]

In theory a 3-rotor or 4-rotor would be the correct choice. Unfortunately, the cost to obtain any of those engines just for the shortblock is 10's of thousands of dollars. And that's not including all the engine management solutions and everything else involved. You would be probably 40-50k invested into an RX8 and there is pretty much no way they are getting enough monetary return from their YT channel to do something like that. I would love that of course, but it just isn't financially responsible.

[@lanceward540]

Your car your choice but i think sticking with the dual exit would've been a much better choice

[@redeclipzegsx]

Dear Ben’s, thanks for shooting your content in such insane quality. I recently got a Sony OLED tv for Christmas, and your videos look absolutely mind blowingly incredible.

[@norevlimitr1602]

Magnaflow mufflers aren't chambered, they are straight through perforated core. Should have just swapped that resonator and left the rest alone.

[@sofakingdom3076]

Amazing shoutout for Radpotential. I have been following him for years and he is very knowledgeable. This video was interesting to watch.

[@Renesis_]

As Lotus used to say, don't put on power, take off the weight, I think the car would benefit from a little less weight given that 195 is already giving results.

[@MishraArtificer]

Speaking of Lotus: imagine this engine in a replica Lotus 7...you'd have to put mufflers back on it, but that would be *hilarious* to drive.

[@dillo2916]

Not gonna lie, I think I prefer the car being stock or OEM+ but I respect that it’s your car.

[@TheCompyshop]

I think if you’re gonna do a swap you should do something unique. Grab a 5 cylinder Volkswagen engine from the junkyard. They are dirt cheap. Like $200-$300 for an engine. Certain models came with a forged crank. You can leave it stock and slap a turbo on it for 400-500hp easily, or put rods/pistons/valvesprings in it and rev it to the moon with insane horsepower results. And the best part is, they sound amaaazziinnggggg. And with valve springs you can rev them to 10k!

[@colejohnson5447]

This ☝️or a Volvo T5

[@zacha8641]

@@colejohnson5447VOLVO!!!!! I have a B5234t3!!!!!

[@ozzypawsborneprinceofbarkness]

⁠I was going to suggest Volvo T5. They're very cheap and sound awesome. I don't know of any cheap 5 cylinder VW engines in the US

[@ozzypawsborneprinceofbarkness]

Which VWs came with a 5 cylinder in the US?

[@TheCompyshop]

@ 06-12 on most models like Golf/Rabbit, Jetta, and Passat

[@williamtang2170]

My first s1 was able to make right around 200rwhp with stock ports exhaust, test pipe and tune. I’m almost certain that Bridgeport is interfering. Rx8club is a huge resource if you guys are serious about optimizing performance on this chassis! Love seeing it on the channel regardless! Good luck!

[@tfs2388]

Just put the escort back on track for old times sake I love it

[@k_the_v]

One word: Supercharger! Turbo lag on a rotary engine never made any sense to me, seems criminal to nerf the smoothness. So ya, supercharger it! Id love to see a modern centrifugal one tbh

[@masonchristensen5115]

​@@SkylineLofeSwap in a cd009 and continue

[@collinwiedel]

There is no supercharger that works on the s2 rx8

[@collinwiedel]

@@SkylineLofe the s2 transmission is not as weak as people think. The weak transmission is the ASIN 6 speed transmission that comes factory on the early models (04-08) or s1 models.

[@Derkenblosh2]

​@@collinwiedelthere's no kit. You don't need a kit when you got a bad ass fabricator on the team.

[@collinwiedel]

@ I don’t think you understand, there is no proper way to create a supercharged s2. I’ve seen at least 10 people swear it can be done, buy parts and team up with some outstanding fabricators, then throw in the towel months later because it can’t be done. You don’t need a supercharger when a good turbo (g30-660) on a brettspeed manifold can have you in full boost from less than 3000 rpm to redline. Virtually no lag on a PROPERLY sized turbo, major reliability (yes I said it, because I literally daily this setup) and loads of fun. I’m kindof tired of people not taking these car seriously, and just doing stupid things because it’s a cheap underpowered car. People are still making progress and putting in time to make Renesis motors have power they desperately need and doing it right.

[@raveracer02]

fellow rotary enthusiast here, i love the idea of the center exit, and if your up for more idea's, i'd suggest using/making a diffuser that taking from mcclaren utilize the temp differences to create downforce with out getting a ton of drag, another option is the aussie special where you shave weight out of your rotors to get faster revs, aaaannnd if your cool woth spending a bit of coin, theres a pro charger out there specifically made for rotaries love the channel

[@assassin72]

Ok it's time to see papi dahm when it comes to rotary stuff

[@ozzypawsborneprinceofbarkness]

I don't think they have 10 years for a Dahm build

[@MishraArtificer]

Rob Dahm hates the Renesis in the RX-8, though...

[@jiangbang1007]

1:00 Doing Bernoulli’s equation was crazy😂

[@williambergstedt4039]

Look up the lfx v6 swaps for the rx8 from keisler automation. Probably one of the most turn key swap kits and has glowing reviews from the forums. I’d love to see an inline 6 dropped in an rx8 aswell

[@saladbar21]

I was going to recommend the LFX swap as well. Two people local to me have done it. It’s a great swap for the chassis!

[@robkeehner2204]

I came here to throw shade on rotary garbage and suggest a V6 swap too. Or even a juiced up 2.5 4 cylinder Mazda. These cars would still be iconic and loved had they had a reasonable engine. You rarely see them anymore.

[@MishraArtificer]

@@robkeehner2204 Best part about *that* swap is that you can get the same 2.5L Mazda engine in a Ford Escape and base model Fusions, so sourcing one should be pretty cheap...and, if I remember correctly, it's the same block (with a longer stroke) as the 2.0 and 2.3 that they put in the Focus, too, so there's a surprising amount of aftermarket support for it.

[@brianskotch2922]

This car, along with other dyno sheets I’ve seen from half Bridgeport Rx8’s, has power fall off at 7200 rpm. Right when the vdi opens because the vdi cannot do it’s job with the added porting. The “supercharging” effect no longer works because the earlier opening intake port upsets the flow. All half Bridgeport Rx8’s using the stock intake manifold have this problem. Streetport rx8 will make more power all the way to redline as the port timing does not open earlier. Only stays open later.

[@bluestripes1]

wym "this car", you can clearly see in the video the peak power is at 8600. if it fell off at 7200 peak power number would be at 7200.

[@N3rdburgring]

It was one thing on the old motors but bridgeporting the renesis has always been more about cool factor than results. I’m always a fan of low horsepower momentum cars though so I’m happy with it

[@Rynopb]

I'm surprised nobody has commented on the fact that you can't actually Bridgeport a renesis engine. It's effectively a suboptimal street port because the exhaust port doesn't have any overlap based on its location. You need to semi peripheral port or full peripheral to get overlap on a renesis... This is why it won't brap... Brap=Overlap if they paid for this Bridgeport...they effectively got scammed.

[@noname-sd5dt]

​@@Rynopb thats because you can bridgeport one. A bridgeport is a port with a bridge...

[@jcola9234]

Great video, you should get the Sohn adapter for the oil metering pump that's using 4 stroke oil and install a separate reservoir for the metering pump to pull 2 stroke oil to inject in the engine. 4 stroke oil is not meant to be burned. 2 stroke oil burns quick and cleanly. May gain an additional power just by converting to 2 stroke oil. Also I noticed your engine is still using the factory coil packs. You should look into the D2 LS1 coil pack conversion kit. Stronger spark and less misfires. I built my own kit for my rx8 and loved it!

[@robinjobidon]

You don't need hp to have fun. I have 2 completely different car. My dayli is a bmw 340i 6mt 2016 with a tune. about 430hp ( 380whp). My "race" car is a 2002 honda civic with the hated d17 that i modified a bit. 156whp. I can't tell wich car I prefer to drive. the civic is a blast to go flat out

[@claudedottin1312]

That’s how it is with my evo and civic lol

[@allencharles14]

It doesn't even make enough power to get out it's own way.

[@robinjobidon]

@@allencharles14 yes, barely so I'm flat out all the time. Before the upgrade, it was a 115hp non vtech engine. I was faster on my local track than a gen8 civic si. About 85hp dif but still slower.

[@ithem0nst3r]

I have 92k on my rotary engine and still running strong. I thought i had experienced my first hot start issue but it turned out that the winter cold killed my battery. I replaced it and zero issues since. Im keeping it stock just to see how many miles i can get on it b4 a rebuild is necessary. Ive been premixing since i bought it.

[@chase276]

Small Ben heard the Eclipse on the road trip said yeah I can do that too

[@DrivingLine]

11:35 Imagine your laps with this installed at Driver Battles!

[@danieloide787b]

Keep it rotary!! The people who want to swap it doesn't understand all the concept!! And it sound like god!!

[@allencharles14]

Rotaries are trash. They make no power and no torque, are very unreliable, expensive to mod and just maintain, but they sound good. Grow up.

[@danieloide787b]

@allencharles14 It's not all about HP and TQ. It's about feelings, weight distribution and charisma. Rotaries are trash for people that do trash maintenence. Even in regular Otto engines can happen.

[@sophiatheodores7985]

@@danieloide787b yeah It's about feelings, because you're hurt! lol

[@VuBeClan]

@@sophiatheodores7985 Nobody is hurt, coming from someone who has a 600+hp EA888GEN3 i do miss my Rotary and a swap is diabolical.

[@allencharles14]

@danieloide787b you can maintain them all day, they are still trash. $4k-$5k to do a Bridgeport and make less than 190hp, that's diabolical.

[@Luckyblooms]

If engine swaps are on the table, the LFX swap kits seem to be gaining popularity and allegedly suit the car real well!

[@_Paxton]

Used to build exhaust back in my shop days, always a delight to hear your completed work.

[@RachelWolfe]

"more dB less Hp" Ben I love ya

[@JD-rq7il]

Inline 5 swap it!!!! I know most will think this is a terrible idea, but the VW 2.5L I5 can make some steam on a stock bottom end with a decent turbo on there!

[@svgPhoenix]

3 rotor!! Please please please don't put a boring piston engine in it again. That chassis is nothing without its spinning doritos.

[@jimiyu828]

Love to see Driver Motorsport get some love! Bought an FD seat from them and they gave me a tour of their whole shop!

[@LMFAO5001]

if you had light weight wheel and tire you’d be putting more horsepower to the ground. its not like you need excessive grip with that whopping 190 hp.

[@nolo2484]

The chassis of the RX8 is great, nobody ever really disputes that. Just that darned renesis is the problem

[@yellowmon88]

Add 1 to 2 motor rotors and keep it N/A

[@craigsawyer6453]

So, those of us that don't have a KZbin channel are the lucky ones because we don't have to make are cars undrivable, chasing numbers? In the music world they say "If its too loud, your too old". Happy New Year!

[@Snookers_]

19:52 I appreciate you giving the units in kelvin, but next time can you also give them in Rankine too? Crappy jokes aside, one of the other big benefits of flex joints aside from vibrational control is accounting for thermal expansion. On larger pipelines (especially cryogenic), you'll have pretty severe thermal expansion throwing everything off. It might not appear that significant on the scale of a car, but it's definitely enough to add some stress and eventually start forming cracks where you don't want them

[@klaspeppar5619]

As a Swed 270°K isn’t that cold, 260°K is perfectly normal here in southern Sweden, with occasional dips on cold nights towards 253°K. But right now we have summer temperatures, with 277.25°K (4°C). Lovely to see real temperatures measurements along side completely unusable Fahrenheit.

[@mrdr89]

Gears and gasoline, making cars worse since 2016

[@terrellrhodes4256]

I like the other Ben but this guy can't stand him gives me casual car guy with money vibes 😂

[@mihaildikov5150]

Rx8 has a read bumper version with triangle LED 3rd stop light in the middle of the bumper, the middle pars is removable as this one. You can have one of those and it will look a lot more like OEM.

[@IdrisAfonina-u7w]

Love your style, this is so good. Keep it up!

[@AthenaAutocross]

Still crazy this is time is slower than a stock turbo/stock suspension Fiesta ST with all of this work done.

[@seanborda4683]

would it have been so big a challenge to make the exhaust tip a triangle :(

[@liamflynn6929]

Racing beat makes a rotor shaped muffler

[@brunako78]

Every time Ben doubts that RX8's can make 200+ hp, I think about Carthrottle's RX-8 series, they just did it right (regarding the engine ofc). Surprised to see ready G&G are not aware of that series.

[@vehicularMCS]

Renesis's didn't have enough exhaust port area to support the Bridgeport. Get with KYLE MOHAN, KYLEMOHANRACING, K.. M... R about a hybrid peripheral exhaust port build! The people need it!

[@Ventuha]

It sounds amazing! Hope you dont get rid of the rotary

[@Hiney]

There is a special thing people do with rotaries.. it's called a turbo and a good tune. Also keep dual exhaust. (It's less restrictive)

[@chanchanadissanayake2391]

Ben's RX8 outside my window at 3am...

[@OfficialistDave]

It's nice to have a video to send to people who ask why we put a K24 in our RX8.

[@K0ne300]

While you guys may have not gotten to the 200 hp, you did get to 200dcb

[@Lockwood360]

Even worse to be loud AND slow

[@mrmidnight32]

These were my favorite cars that came out in this era. And they fell so short and were so unreliable. I wanted these cars to be so good so badly. I wanted them to be the new Supra, new EG hatch. Sadly it never happened. But it’s nice to see some still prosper as good track cars these days. I’m starting to see them finally get some of the love they were always supposed to

[@the_rush_to_nothing]

I wonder if that new lack of back pressure is a cause for the lack of power.

[@hairconditioner976]

You need turbo hybrid renesis engine, it needs to be done, people need to see it work. You can do it with rad potential and Kyle Mohan

[@justinp2993]

I'm showing my age here but that sounds horrible, looks worse, all for 5 horses. Building cars in the 90's onward I always thought a car should only be as loud as it needs to be. For that dB level it should have 1500 hp. The center exit would look good but not all hacked up like that. Whatever it's you car but you are down a bad path with it that's for sure.

[@Swermie]

Something feels a bit different about this video, and it's really good. Good stuff, Ben. Feels lighter, I got the vibe you're having more fun.