I have two. Always let the engine warm up for at least a minute before driving (5 mins cold weather), and don’t rev past 4K rpm until car reaches operating temperature (temp gauge near middle). Replace or upgrade the stock radiator (I recommend upgrade to a 2 row all aluminum radiator). That stock junk radiator will cause you nothing but problems.
Only advice - make sure you have oil in it - then drive it like you stole it !! Do an oil change every 3000 miles, upgrade coils and leads . And your good to go !! The rest I really don’t matter - had one for 4 years with NO problems what so ever and still drives like the day I bought... currently 45,000 miles and climbing !
My only tip for new owners and potential owners is to read Street Rotary HP1549 and RX-8 service highlight series 1 and series 2. The reason to read both service highlight of both series is to understand how mazda solved some issues of series 1.
Great videos as usual! Guys the Rx8 is a labour of love, I've had mine for 3 years and in that time I've changed alot of parts as a precaution not because they have failed which can be a very expensive way of going about things but I just love the supercar-like looks and great predictable handling.. nothing like it for the money But not a car for everyone.
I own an RX8 R3 and it’s a hell of a job to maintain (and expensive) but it puts a smile on my face every time I step on the gas on a highway with no traffic.
MrMexyMatt have you driven an RX8 R3???? It’s has an sport/race suspension that it’s so unforgiving with the smallest bump on the road, doesn’t make sense
you clearly have no idea what you are talking about lmao, the suspension has nothing to do with being reliable, im talking about electronics, engine etc. All the flaws the 04's-08's had they mostly fixed with the R3
MrMexyMatt well, they didn’t update the engine that much, it’s still a rotary, it’s unreliable, misbehaves, and it doesn’t get enough cooling. It might had some major issues fixed but still comes with issues of its own
yea it comes with issues but way less than the s1's. the egine isnt unreliable, just retarded owners that say that becuase they dont stay upto date on maintence
Man you are the best RX8 youtuber, I am working to have a Rx8 in January 2019, a series II here in Chile are extremly rare, and import one cost a lot (dollar is so expensive), and the series I theres is a lot, but another problem here in Chile is the absence of car culture, theres is 0 info about Rx8 AND the majority are flood. And they broke because here doesn't care about cars. So when I get my Rx8 I will use all your videos. Greetings from Chile. Sigue así
Hey man, if you want any more info in the RX-8, check Japanda Tuning's channel, where he also goes in depth into RX-8 stuff like maintenance, upgrades, etc. Saludos desde México
Rotaries must be kept cool, well maintained and beaten often....drive it like you stole it but love it well. Then put a spare engine together and set it to the side for later ( like a 13B REW with CNC porting, balancing and the best seals on the market. Add a ball bearing turbo to match your intended use and look out! )
4:50 - I have considered it and even put my Rx8 up on Craigslist. Got a few callers and a lot of people wanting to pay $10k USD for it, which is crazy for an Rx8. My reason being is because I wanted an Rx7 FD that came up for a reasonable price - but the lister for that disappeared. He never replied. And I realized after people started calling that I couldn't sell it. My Rx8 is MY car. No one can have it it. It's MINE and it won't ever be anyone elses. It's my first car that I bought on my own as well, and I love it. I'll just have to do things the long hard way to get an FD and save longer. For now I am thinking of making a 3000GT a project car though, stripping it all the way down and making it exactly what I want since it's cheap and kind of looks FD-ish. Big plan: RWD 3000GT. Small plan: Successfully learn how to fab and boost.
I’m about to buy my first one and want to start auto cross with it. I defiantly think it’s a underrated car . It has a 50/50 weight distribution can rev to 9000 rpm . And basically pound for pound in performance puts out 220/230 hp and the motor only weight is 220 pounds. You can pick one up for about 25 hundred in good condition rebuild or swap the engine and at the end of the day you’ll have a nice track or drift Car for under 6k . I much rather spend 6k and have fun with it . than finance a new one for 30 to 40 and end up wrecking that one at the track .
Fortunately for me, most of my driving is all highway/interstate where the speed limits are consistent between 65 and 75mph (104-120km/h) and low speeds around 25mph (40km/h) through town. It would probably suck fuel down doing 75mph, but it would be at or near a constant RPM range for about 50 or so miles in one direction.
See most rx8 videos ive seen are guys showing why one should get an rx8.. guy drives the car for 10 minutes straight... thank you. Ive been considering getting one. Id live to work on rotary engines. Beautiful works of art really. 😌 one day, soon hopefully...
I'm a new owner. I bought a 2005 RX 8 with 111k miles. The previous owner knew nothing about a rotary. He overheated the motor which caused it to throw a lot of gray smoke. The codes are saying it's misfiring like the spark plugs are bad. I ordered new Apex seals with a new gasket kit and oil rings. I plan to do a rebuild even if it's a simple fix. Thanks for the vid's!
Hello everyone 😊💪💪💪 I just buy a Mazda rx8 2004 and i am really happy with that exhaust sound lol😎🤣 To be honest some friends of mine just says bad comment about my RX-8 😃 But me i ignore them how long i drive it and i feel like a Schumacher on the race 💪💪💪🤣😎 I know i make them a bit jealousy but never mind i love my Mazda 🤗😍
1:31 Euobeat intensifies =D, nice tips for New owners :) can you do one full POV-Video, maybe of a nice road, you have some nice in slovenia i think =D
Ed Musick hopefully not often. If your engine isn’t performing right or shoots out a code for it then yes. Typically 30k miles is about average but some go longer.
@@nazarrakhmanov9357 crowded commutes, stop and go southern California traffic, low rpms kill these rotary engines. The RX8 was meant to be driven on open roads at high speeds and rpms. I'm thinking about retiring it to occasional weekend driving or selling it.
@@Drivenbymadness yes, it's actually a very incredible vehicle, misunderstood by many, drives like it's on rails, cruises at 90 mph, traffic just kills it.
Can you please do a video about replacing the glove box damper? replacing suspension and Also perhaps about replacing the credit car key shell? thanks!!! your videos are dope!
Replacing suspension is already in the making, installing a new key module is a future video and i'll look into the glove box damper. Thanks for the feedback bro :D
every time i drive my rx-8 it will hit redline :) my watertemps (under mid-heavy driving) are between 92° and 101°C but mostly it stays at 98° on an upgraded radiator -> my car is just 4 fun and not a daily :)
you can use it, but if by any chance the car starts behaving strange, switch to 100 ron. Otherwise 97 or 95 should be fine, 95 ron is the minimum the rx8 takes
I got my rx8 a year ago and am now looking at getting a secondary vehicle as the rx8 is too expensive to drive daily lol plus I'm going to start doing drift events soon so if I break the rx8 I still need to get to work 😂
Haha yeah I'm going to probably go for a Honda civic very common and cheap and great fuel economy. My brother in law bought a 92 vtech and he wants to make a vid comparing it to my rx8 but I'm not so sure, that thing pulls hard lol might make a fool of me 🤣
@@adamjames2068 I had a civic back in the day. It was a 1.5 lsi coupe. Great car n quick too. Shame the rx8 drinks so much oil n fuel cos there really nice to drive but just cost too much to run. Mines for sale £800 but no one wants it. Like how the guy in this vid recommends buying a scooter instead of driving the rx8 every day, says it all really lol.
Absolutely, every rule has it's exceptions. But Idemitsu can be pretty expensive, and difficult to find, especially outside of Japan or the US. (here in the UK it would cost about £220 to import enough for a single oil change!)
Really?! That's good news, I'll look it up. I always try to drain the coolers when I do an oil change by lifting the front of the car, so I usually use about 7.5l, which is why the import cost was so high.
@@Drivenbymadness grande 😁 ho visto tutti i tuoi video, complimenti per la tua passione. Vorrei farti una domanda sulla rx8, visto che l'anno prossimo me la compro. Ma la strumentazione ha doppia illuminazione di serie? In alcuni video ho visto che passa da rossa a bianca.
@@Carboniotecable Grazie mille! Sono contentissimo :) Credo che le nostre versioni europee hanno solo l'opzione bianca. Quella rossa credo che si deve sbloccare facendo un mod, pero' non mi sono mai approfondito in merito...
No rx8 has a good fuel consumption to be considered a good daily car, cause as far as fuel goes it's not. 12-14 L/100km is the average 19-16 mpg. Fuel aside, it's a great daily :)
Don't try to turbo it, I've spent 8 years (countless hours) and $250,000 AUD doing it. It's great now but not worth a life of debt. I have videos on some of it.
Long story, I tried three different workshops and they couldn't get it to run right. Blew up lots of motors, tried four different turbo setups. In the end I started over, re-designed and made my own system and now it's running great. Stock it made 110kW atw and now it makes 266kW atw :)
Drink like a fish and bloody hard work to keep the rotor tips from wearing, but more exotic than you'd think, and cheap enough to keep for a weekend fun car these days. Hilarious feel to the engine.
How can people say you can't be a petrol head till you've had a alfa this is better then 95% of all alfas and even more unreliable but on its day will make you feel special and you have to pay a hell of a lot of money for a alfa to do the same.
After the ignition upgrade the lowest mpg i saw was also 16mpg in city. On the hioghway i somehow manged to get 26mpg, which was a bliss :D IT all depends on the health of the ignition system. The older the spark plug wires and coils are the worse the fuel consumption is going to be.
Up until yesterday I was saving up for an RX-8, now I'm saving up for an engine rebuild.
Same
I eas thinking buy one but i am always considering the engine problems after 100k .Those cars one day will be limited.
Tip number one ignore the haters !!
There are rx8 haters?
@@fattyisgodly5848 those who say "LS swapp"... sure, give me the money and i will do whatever you say bro
For some of us, selling isn't an option anymore lol... too much money pumped into this project car, selling it at this point just means weakness
Snoopy25 we get too emotional attached too T_T
I have two. Always let the engine warm up for at least a minute before driving (5 mins cold weather), and don’t rev past 4K rpm until car reaches operating temperature (temp gauge near middle). Replace or upgrade the stock radiator (I recommend upgrade to a 2 row all aluminum radiator). That stock junk radiator will cause you nothing but problems.
I heard never to let it idle
@@Benjigarage that's if ur idling for like 20+ mins
Haha, fuel consumption tips for the rx8; don't use it, use a scooter instead xD
I bet it works. Haha
@@tkangwei it works perfectly 👌 it should have come as a package with the rx8 😂
@@Drivenbymadness I would do that but my school is too far away :(
@@thedailydrifter873 get a small hatchback like the Volkswagen up!, 70mpg on one of those
Newbie here. I know this is common for owner to say but; according to the charts, even in red 11mpg is still higher than my current daily ford. 7-8mpg
Only advice - make sure you have oil in it - then drive it like you stole it !!
Do an oil change every 3000 miles, upgrade coils and leads .
And your good to go !!
The rest I really don’t matter - had one for 4 years with NO problems what so ever and still drives like the day I bought... currently 45,000 miles and climbing !
update?
update?
update?
update?
It's better to lose an engine than to regret never having one. ❤️
My only tip for new owners and potential owners is to read Street Rotary HP1549 and RX-8 service highlight series 1 and series 2.
The reason to read both service highlight of both series is to understand how mazda solved some issues of series 1.
Great videos as usual! Guys the Rx8 is a labour of love, I've had mine for 3 years and in that time I've changed alot of parts as a precaution not because they have failed which can be a very expensive way of going about things but I just love the supercar-like looks and great predictable handling.. nothing like it for the money But not a car for everyone.
I own an RX8 R3 and it’s a hell of a job to maintain (and expensive) but it puts a smile on my face every time I step on the gas on a highway with no traffic.
lmao try owning an 04, R3 have alot of the problems fixed
MrMexyMatt have you driven an RX8 R3???? It’s has an sport/race suspension that it’s so unforgiving with the smallest bump on the road, doesn’t make sense
you clearly have no idea what you are talking about lmao, the suspension has nothing to do with being reliable, im talking about electronics, engine etc. All the flaws the 04's-08's had they mostly fixed with the R3
MrMexyMatt well, they didn’t update the engine that much, it’s still a rotary, it’s unreliable, misbehaves, and it doesn’t get enough cooling. It might had some major issues fixed but still comes with issues of its own
yea it comes with issues but way less than the s1's. the egine isnt unreliable, just retarded owners that say that becuase they dont stay upto date on maintence
Man you are the best RX8 youtuber, I am working to have a Rx8 in January 2019, a series II here in Chile are extremly rare, and import one cost a lot (dollar is so expensive), and the series I theres is a lot, but another problem here in Chile is the absence of car culture, theres is 0 info about Rx8 AND the majority are flood. And they broke because here doesn't care about cars. So when I get my Rx8 I will use all your videos. Greetings from Chile. Sigue así
Hey man, if you want any more info in the RX-8, check Japanda Tuning's channel, where he also goes in depth into RX-8 stuff like maintenance, upgrades, etc. Saludos desde México
Acá les deben dar como caja jaja
I can understand you... from Turkey
Rotaries must be kept cool, well maintained and beaten often....drive it like you stole it but love it well. Then put a spare engine together and set it to the side for later ( like a 13B REW with CNC porting, balancing and the best seals on the market. Add a ball bearing turbo to match your intended use and look out! )
And about 10 to a gal on a good day
4:50 - I have considered it and even put my Rx8 up on Craigslist. Got a few callers and a lot of people wanting to pay $10k USD for it, which is crazy for an Rx8. My reason being is because I wanted an Rx7 FD that came up for a reasonable price - but the lister for that disappeared. He never replied. And I realized after people started calling that I couldn't sell it. My Rx8 is MY car. No one can have it it. It's MINE and it won't ever be anyone elses. It's my first car that I bought on my own as well, and I love it. I'll just have to do things the long hard way to get an FD and save longer.
For now I am thinking of making a 3000GT a project car though, stripping it all the way down and making it exactly what I want since it's cheap and kind of looks FD-ish. Big plan: RWD 3000GT. Small plan: Successfully learn how to fab and boost.
I’m about to buy my first one and want to start auto cross with it. I defiantly think it’s a underrated car . It has a 50/50 weight distribution can rev to 9000 rpm . And basically pound for pound in performance puts out 220/230 hp and the motor only weight is 220 pounds. You can pick one up for about 25 hundred in good condition rebuild or swap the engine and at the end of the day you’ll have a nice track or drift Car for under 6k . I much rather spend 6k and have fun with it . than finance a new one for 30 to 40 and end up wrecking that one at the track .
Fortunately for me, most of my driving is all highway/interstate where the speed limits are consistent between 65 and 75mph (104-120km/h) and low speeds around 25mph (40km/h) through town. It would probably suck fuel down doing 75mph, but it would be at or near a constant RPM range for about 50 or so miles in one direction.
See most rx8 videos ive seen are guys showing why one should get an rx8.. guy drives the car for 10 minutes straight... thank you. Ive been considering getting one. Id live to work on rotary engines. Beautiful works of art really. 😌 one day, soon hopefully...
Your videos always give me pride in my rx8! My friends give me crap for me owning one! :) keep up the awesome videos! :)
I'm a new owner. I bought a 2005 RX 8 with 111k miles. The previous owner knew nothing about a rotary. He overheated the motor which caused it to throw a lot of gray smoke. The codes are saying it's misfiring like the spark plugs are bad. I ordered new Apex seals with a new gasket kit and oil rings. I plan to do a rebuild even if it's a simple fix. Thanks for the vid's!
Good luck man! After the rebuild you'll have the opportunity to really feel what the car is about :)
Loved the video. Your demeanor is infectious!
Had my 04 for 2 yrs and have enjoyed every ride! @ mazda dealership now for the steering control arm n ball joints replacement recall. zoom zoom!
I have an 05 same about 2 yrs. Just got a recall for the airbags. Haven't gone to change them.
@@spiderdragon10 that was the first one they done on mine. And also the fuel tank issue @ the same time bout a yr ago..
So far i have only received the one for the Airbags. We will see if they send me another one.
For a 2nd generation RX 8 do we still need to premixing?
You should be fine the 2nd gen models inject more oil onto the rotor
Fantastic video Fantastic advice. Thanks man.
Super Happy you got that AutoDoc sponsorship!
Autofocus is where it's at 👌
i wish there was a Lancer EX channel like your RX-8’s!
Thanks :)
Hello everyone 😊💪💪💪 I just buy a Mazda rx8 2004 and i am really happy with that exhaust sound lol😎🤣 To be honest some friends of mine just says bad comment about my RX-8 😃 But me i ignore them how long i drive it and i feel like a Schumacher on the race 💪💪💪🤣😎 I know i make them a bit jealousy but never mind i love my Mazda 🤗😍
Very honest review
Thanks :)
Purely RX8 woot woot!!
1:31 Euobeat intensifies =D, nice tips for New owners :) can you do one full POV-Video, maybe of a nice road, you have some nice in slovenia i think =D
Odličan video! 👌
Honestly, how often should we change spark plugs? And how about coils and wires?
Ed Musick hopefully not often. If your engine isn’t performing right or shoots out a code for it then yes. Typically 30k miles is about average but some go longer.
Once every 2 years if casual daily driver but if you're putting on thousands of miles a month then that'll be on you
@@nazarrakhmanov9357 crowded commutes, stop and go southern California traffic, low rpms kill these rotary engines. The RX8 was meant to be driven on open roads at high speeds and rpms. I'm thinking about retiring it to occasional weekend driving or selling it.
@@edmusick7794 That's right. Its like keeping a racing horse inside a small ranch 👌
@@Drivenbymadness yes, it's actually a very incredible vehicle, misunderstood by many, drives like it's on rails, cruises at 90 mph, traffic just kills it.
Dude i just want the rx-8 looks and interiors with none of the issues of the engine. Can i just change it?
for 6K ish you could swap it
I clicked 2 of your videos now every week I have a suggestion on 10 new tips on how to maintain a 5k car.
Can you please do a video about replacing the glove box damper? replacing suspension and Also perhaps about replacing the credit car key shell? thanks!!! your videos are dope!
Replacing suspension is already in the making, installing a new key module is a future video and i'll look into the glove box damper. Thanks for the feedback bro :D
Awesome thanks!!!! you're the best!!!
Love your videos
hi guys please tell me how maintenance rx8(2004)? and please show me recommendation oil and coolant for our mazda rx8
you just have to search it on youtube and you'll find my video about all of that
How is it going in 2021, still own the car? engine still working? or rebuilt?
so i just got a 2005 rx8 it’s a auto sadly, but should i just rev her up to 6k rpm? she normally stays really low rpm like avg at 3k rpm
Man should get a pop filter, those Ps are really popping.
I felt Number 9 right in the feels
I had you in mind when i though of it
every time i drive my rx-8 it will hit redline :) my watertemps (under mid-heavy driving) are between 92° and 101°C but mostly it stays at 98° on an upgraded radiator -> my car is just 4 fun and not a daily :)
Real question tho. Where is the switch to open the fuel filler lid
Helo bro..just want to ask..it is ok to use ron95 and 97 alternately??or have to stick to higher octane fuel only
you can use it, but if by any chance the car starts behaving strange, switch to 100 ron. Otherwise 97 or 95 should be fine, 95 ron is the minimum the rx8 takes
I got my rx8 a year ago and am now looking at getting a secondary vehicle as the rx8 is too expensive to drive daily lol plus I'm going to start doing drift events soon so if I break the rx8 I still need to get to work 😂
I had the same problem. I bought a tt tdi quatro. Not as fast as an RX8 but uses 2/3 less fuel.
Haha yeah I'm going to probably go for a Honda civic very common and cheap and great fuel economy. My brother in law bought a 92 vtech and he wants to make a vid comparing it to my rx8 but I'm not so sure, that thing pulls hard lol might make a fool of me 🤣
@@adamjames2068 I had a civic back in the day. It was a 1.5 lsi coupe. Great car n quick too. Shame the rx8 drinks so much oil n fuel cos there really nice to drive but just cost too much to run. Mines for sale £800 but no one wants it. Like how the guy in this vid recommends buying a scooter instead of driving the rx8 every day, says it all really lol.
@@kurtd8263 an audi probably wouldn't be my choice for a reliable backup car but you so you haha
No USA website?
how to own a mazda RX8 .
just buy a scooter xD
You've figured it out :D
Well said! I've always like your videos about RX8 and it's really helpful. Thank you so much!
My first tip for a new Rx8 owner would be to Never use synthetic oil!
Stick with multigrade mineral oil from a reputable brand.
Cakeskull Idemitsu is okay
Absolutely, every rule has it's exceptions.
But Idemitsu can be pretty expensive, and difficult to find, especially outside of Japan or the US.
(here in the UK it would cost about £220 to import enough for a single oil change!)
@@LordCakeskull essex rotary sells 1l idemitsu 10W30 for around 15£. A full oil change would be around 60£
Really?!
That's good news, I'll look it up. I always try to drain the coolers when I do an oil change by lifting the front of the car, so I usually use about 7.5l, which is why the import cost was so high.
Why?
One tip , just enjoy the car for what it is !
I asked around the Mazda dealerships, they aren't giving away the scooter anymore. So you are on your own.
Tough days :/
Top advice from a former rx8 owner ; Don't buy one.
I love how one of the tips is, hey a moped 😂🤣
Ciao, ho visto che sei iscritto sul sito rx8tribe e scrivi in perfetto italiano. Ma sei inglese o italiano?
Ciao, sono mezzo Italiano e mezzo Sloveno, però per la maggior parte Italiano 😊
@@Drivenbymadness grande 😁 ho visto tutti i tuoi video, complimenti per la tua passione. Vorrei farti una domanda sulla rx8, visto che l'anno prossimo me la compro. Ma la strumentazione ha doppia illuminazione di serie? In alcuni video ho visto che passa da rossa a bianca.
@@Carboniotecable Grazie mille! Sono contentissimo :) Credo che le nostre versioni europee hanno solo l'opzione bianca. Quella rossa credo che si deve sbloccare facendo un mod, pero' non mi sono mai approfondito in merito...
@@Drivenbymadness Grazie mille per la info 👍
@@Carboniotecable Figurati 👌
Before buying rx8 get a compression test done. 100-150$ is nothing if itll save you thousands for having to get new engine
Can you tell me the fuel consumption ow rx8 with automatic transmission ? And is it good for daily use?
No rx8 has a good fuel consumption to be considered a good daily car, cause as far as fuel goes it's not. 12-14 L/100km is the average 19-16 mpg. Fuel aside, it's a great daily :)
Driven by madness thank you 👍🏻
do kolk kilometrov pa kej zdržijo mašine? da je še varno za nakup :) namreč tud mene mika mal wankla sprobat
I get 20mpg in my fc on the highway going 80 and 3200rpms
Don't try to turbo it, I've spent 8 years (countless hours) and $250,000 AUD doing it.
It's great now but not worth a life of debt.
I have videos on some of it.
Long story, I tried three different workshops and they couldn't get it to run right.
Blew up lots of motors, tried four different turbo setups.
In the end I started over, re-designed and made my own system and now it's running great.
Stock it made 110kW atw and now it makes 266kW atw :)
Where are u from?
One tip id give is don’t sell it keep the rotary community alive
"Just drive the Rx8 when you feel like it"
so...24/7?
I love that not driving the car is a tip,
Amooo a el rx8
A valve? 🤔
Drink like a fish and bloody hard work to keep the rotor tips from wearing, but more exotic than you'd think, and cheap enough to keep for a weekend fun car these days. Hilarious feel to the engine.
I thought he was going say don't buy one 10 time. Haha.
How can people say you can't be a petrol head till you've had a alfa this is better then 95% of all alfas and even more unreliable but on its day will make you feel special and you have to pay a hell of a lot of money for a alfa to do the same.
That's true
Oh hello there
sooo if you have an rx8 by a scooter
Tip #2 : 03:53 push it off the cliff?
So this little 2 seater uses as much gas as a truck? I’m puzzled on why people buy these
4 seater (unironically, honest) but yeah nah they're really fun and for the price there's next to no competition in that regard
You have amazing knowleadge about RX8 ! Ill call You MASTER ! :D Teahc me Buy My ONe Yesturday :D ! Hi Familly of RX8!
Tip #1: Don't buy 1 unless you're going to do a engine swap with a 3rd Gen set up or a 20B!! & have budget ready of at least $10,000-$25,000 ready.
Not to hate, but please get a pop filter! :(
Ordered it after filming this video, used it in the next one, so no worries from now on :)
@@Drivenbymadness
So like... Fuck the rx8 and get a scooter?
😂😂😂❤❤❤
First
Fastest clicker in the world 👌😀
Fuel economy and reliability doesnt belong in the same title as "RX8"
what does your RX-8 get MPG wise? I read on forums that 14-18 city is normal. i get about 16.
After the ignition upgrade the lowest mpg i saw was also 16mpg in city. On the hioghway i somehow manged to get 26mpg, which was a bliss :D IT all depends on the health of the ignition system. The older the spark plug wires and coils are the worse the fuel consumption is going to be.