Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 12:18, 21 May 2006

Mazda RX-8
Overview
Manufacturer	Mazda
Production	2003–present
Body and chassis
Class	Sports car
Body style	FM 2+2 coupe
Powertrain
Engine	Renesis
Dimensions
Curb weight	3053 lb MT 3029 lb AT
Chronology
Predecessor	Mazda RX-7 Mazda Cosmo

The Mazda RX-8 is a car manufactured by Mazda Motor Corporation which first appeared in North America at the North American International Auto Show in 2001. The vehicle features a 250 PS JIS (184 kW, 247 hp) @8500rpm (238 SAE net hp for North America) RENESIS Wankel rotary engine, which won International Engine of the Year and Best New Engine awards in 2003 and holds the "2.5 to 3 liter" size award for 2003 and 2004. The engine redlines at 9000 rpm, and cuts off fuel at 9500 rpm. As of March 31, 2005, 114,444 RX-8 models had been sold worldwide since introduction.

The RX-8 was also Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for 2003 and was on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 2004, 2005, and 2006. It was nominated for the North American Car of the Year award for 2004 as well. In 2006 it won What Car? Magazine's 'Car of the Year - Best Coupe' award for the 3rd year running in the UK.

One major change in design between the RX-8 and the RX-7 is the addition of a pair of rear-hinged ('suicide') half-doors (similar to the 3rd door in the Saturn coupe), which allow easier access to the two back seats. The RX-8 has no center pillar between the front and rear doors, with the leading edge of the rear door acting as a 'virtual pillar' to maintain structural rigidity. The front doors are hinged at the front, and aluminum back doors are hinged at the rear. Because of the overlapped design, the rear doors can only be opened when the front doors are open.

Weight distribution in the RX-8 is a balanced 50/50 in the front and rear. Mazda achieved this by pushing the engine back past the front axle, achieving a Front-midships engine layout.

Mazda’s new Renesis rotary engine is smaller and lighter than prior rotaries, primarily due to the lack of a turbocharger and associated parts. New to its design are a side-intake and side-exhaust. The engine produces 197 PS (155 kW) in the automatic transmission form, and 232 PS (184 kW) in the manual transmission form. Mazda does, however, plan on eventually releasing a Mazdaspeed variant of the RX-8 with a different front facia, upgraded handling, and perhaps a supercharger.

Mazda aggressively trimmed mass from the RX-8 concept by using aluminium and plastic for body panels and installing a carbon composite driveshaft. The dimensions of the RX-8 are virtually identical to those of the Porsche 911 Carrera.

According to Mazda, the RX-8's RENESIS engine was originally developed to potentially use either gasoline or hydrogen as fuel. In February 2006, Mazda revealed that it would start leasing a dual-fuel RX-8 to commercial customers in Japan , and in March 2006 announced its first two customers, claiming the first fleet deliveries of a dual hydrogen/gasoline production car. The first two RX-8 Hydrogen REs went to Iwatani International Corporation of Osaka, Japan and Idemitsu Kosan Co Ltd. of Tokyo, and will take part in the Japan Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Demonstration Project (JHFC).

The car is used in the Formula Woman racing series which started in 2004. A slightly modified RX-8 was also featured in the 2003 film X2: X-Men United.

US version power output

Mazda had originally claimed 247 hp (184 kW, 250 PS), but had to restate the car's power as 238 hp (177 kW) after its introduction in the United States market. During the initial sales period, independent testing on chassis dynos measured between 165 and 180 wheel horsepower (123 and 134 kW, respectively). Although the automotive standard is to measure power at the flywheel and most vehicles are thought to lose at least 15% to 20% of power when measured at the wheel, this was considered quite low for the initial 247 hp claim. The current specs are 212 horsepower (158 kW) in the automatic transmission form, and 232 horsepower (173 kW) in manual transmission form.

Mazda seems to be aware of this issue and may be tinkering with the engine's software management behind the scenes. Mazda has released several PCM flash upgrades since the initial release of the model. Currently, some US owners have dynoed at over 190 and 200 wheel horsepower (140 and 150 kW), an improvement over the initial figures.

In Japan, the peak power figure for the manual version remains at 250 PS (184 kW), due to the availability of higher octane fuel. The Australian version of the manual RX-8 outputs 173 kW (the same power output as the US version).

Shinka

Mazda introduced a special Shinka ("evolution") edition of RX-8 in 2005. Although engine output remains the same as regular RX-8 models, the Shinka includes several exterior and interior material upgrades, and other technical modifications. New features include Shinka badges on the B-pillar, Black Cherry Mica paint, parchment leather-trimmed seats, updated component materials, and enhanced chassis and suspension tuning.

The Shinka special edition continues into the 2006 model year as a trim option for the RX-8, with the exclusive color being "Copper Red Mica" from the 2006 MX-5 and Mazda3 and an Alcantara leather interior. The suspension has been retuned for better road-holding and many structural components have been filled with urethane foam to create a quieter ride.

Senku

The Senku is a prototype of the next rotary powered Mazda vehicle. Designed as a practical sports car for adults, it has a 2-piece hatchback, a single large sliding door on both sides, and a highly advanced direct-injected rotary engine with electric hybrid technology.

RX-8 Evolve

In 2006 Mazda released the RX-8 Evolve in the United Kingdom as a limited edition in two new colors (Copper Red and Phantom Blue) and a light leather with Alcantara® trim interior. It also features restyled mirrors and other sporty trim.

Pricing

US (2005)

UK (May 2006)

(source Mazda UK)

See also

• Mazda
• Mazda engines

References

• http://www.ozmazda.com Australian Online Mazda Community
• "Generations: Mazda RX-7 and RX-8". Edmunds.com. Retrieved November 28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
• "Mazda shows sporty small car, hydrogen RX-8". CanadianDriver Communications, Inc. Retrieved January 11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
• http://www.nctd.com/sneakpreview.cfm?ReviewID=7
• http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayPage.action?pageParameter=modelsMain&vehicleCode=RX8
• http://modelreports.cars.com/modeldata/model_report.jsp?makeid=30&year=2004&modelid=6388
• http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=19&article_id=2470
• AutoGuideWiki.com
• Mazda RX-8 Owners Club UK, and their forums
• RotaryEngineIllustrated.com
• RX-8 Evolve (UK)
• newcarnet.co.uk Detailed review of the Mazda RX-8 231PS

Online Forums

• http://www.ozmazda.com/ Australian Mazda Forums
• http://www.rx8club.com/ Mazda RX-8 online forums

• Mazda vehicles
• Sports cars
• Rear wheel drive vehicles