RX8s Are So Fucking Cheap Right Now I Want One In My Life

[Tomas]

I had a plan to get a MK2 NA MR2 for Chump car racing at some point in my life. Then I thought a V6 Camaro or Pontiac might do the trick. Then I looked into Pontiac Fieros and almost immediately dismissed them. Then I thought a Gen2 RX7 could be rad. Now I've been trolling Craigslist and RX8s appear to be so incredibly fucking cheap, cheaper than gen2 RX7s, that I think that's the route I want to go. The RX8 is a 500 point car on the Chump car list but I still think it might be better than all the other options out there. The last thing I would ever get is a BMW E30. I have been psychologically marred by German cars and avoid them like the pest.

So. Before I head over and troll the rotary forums I know there are one or two or twenty fuckers around here who have owned RX8s. I know about the common S1 tranny problems, the useless coils, and potential lubrication issues on the Apex seals. What else is there? And more importantly, what else is there that has a high potential for failure during road racing use? Any overheating issues? Oil starvation issues? Is the S2 transmission robust enough for continued road racing? Anything that would make an RX8 a no go for road racing? Or at least something that is so expensive to modify that it's not worth it?

I am not scared of buying something with a blown engine and overhauling it myself. In fact, building a triangle is something I've been wanting to do for a long time. Question is how much money would I have to dump into it to make endurance racing reliable?

[zenit]

Plz add me to Doritos chump team roster

[WetzMS3]

Doritos and dirty oil wrestling with @Tomas; and @zenit;?

I want in.

[Wholegrain]

I've had a 2007 rx-8 for about 6 years now. I've only ever daily driven it, so my comments are limited on endurance racing. Worthless stock suspension, overheating was an issue until I swapped the entire cooling system from radiator, fans, plumbing, and controller kit. Oil cooling would be the next issue, and the stock rx-8 oil cooler is notorious for rusting out and going bad, might want to be something you check on. Lastly, I am on my second rotary engine after my first (second rotary) failed on me. I can field the more basic question of operation, perhaps that isn't what you need though. Good luck though! Funnest car i've owned.

[zenit]

Originally Posted by Wholegrain Lastly, I am on my second rotary engine after my first (second rotary) failed on me.

Do you know why it failed?

[Wholegrain]

Originally Posted by zenit Do you know why it failed?

Yea, took the typical way out. Apex seal failure/catalytic converter clogging, likely because the weight of the oil used and incomplete combustion. It began as what I thought was a starting issue, so replaced coils/plugs/battery/starter, till I decided that a sluggish warm start wasn't normal. I compression tested obsessively over the next few months to monitor and just watched it steadily decrease, till one day I had a one rotor monster. Everything is up and running now, perfectly.

[Tomas]

Yeah I've already read up on the clogged cat induced failures. I am in Florida so cat delete is no problem.
The overheating issues are a concern however. Thanks for the comments.
When you say stock suspension is crap do you mean unreliable or just soft? I was of the impression RX-8s handled great.

[Wholegrain]

Originally Posted by Tomas Yeah I've already read up on the clogged cat induced failures. I am in Florida so cat delete is no problem. The overheating issues are a concern however. Thanks for the comments. When you say stock suspension is crap do you mean unreliable or just soft? I was of the impression RX-8s handled great.

I should probably revisit that. It isn't crap. The car handled perfectly fine before the suspension overhaul. However, after putting a set of coilovers, front and rear sway bars, end links, and other suspension odds and ends, the suspension feels sturdier. So my correction is that it can only get better from where it currently stands, and where it currently stands is perfectly fine. As for overheating, I'm up in NJ so winters are freezing and summers are scorching. Summer becomes a very dangerous time for this car, especially when you're caught up in traffic on a highway. Even with all the upgrades cooling wise i'd see my temp gauge get scary close to red zone numbers (circa 220*).

[Natey]

SOOO much less hassle working on a 13B out of an FC then trying to deal with a RENESIS. If you look at pretty much any RX-8 racecar, you'll see a 13b in it.
There's a reason for that. Simplicity.

[Tomas]

Shit I've had 240 temps on both the 6 and the 3 at the track and in traffic.
What fails from overheating? The Apex seals?

Originally Posted by Natey SOOO much less hassle working on a 13B out of an FC then trying to deal with a RENESIS. If you look at pretty much any RX-8 racecar, you'll see a 13b in it. There's a reason for that. Simplicity.

That doesen't really work for chump car racing. First the money. Second the points.

[Natey]

My point exactly. Find a decent FC and save yourself the headaches and money of trying to work on the 8 engine.

[Wholegrain]

In the process of rebuilding my 3 as we speak, so working through all the "head stud" debates, "piston alloy" conversations as I try to figure out which way is up or down, your name pops up a lot. So you have more knowledge of all this than I do. So perhaps 240* on the speeds isn't as detrimental as it is for the 8? I am not quite sure. I don't know for certain so I won't lead you astray, ill just go ahead and assume that it aids is the disintegration of the apex seals over time. Also, water pump was upgraded due to the OEM one being prone to cavitation at high temps. Just another heads up I guess.

[Fstrnyou]

I used to race a '79 RX7 (12A) in SCCA IT7/ITA. Competitively ran against plenty of FC's. Several seasons of revving the absolute piss out of that engine without having to rebuild. I know it's not accurate to make such a blanket statement, but it seems pre-renesis non-turbo rotaries are solid. My daily driver '88 RX7 Turbo II didn't fare so well. Rebuilt 3 times in about 5 years before I called it quits, but that was mostly my own fault...lol (see sig)