Mazda RX8 PZ

[Calum]

If anyone has checked my Super S thread lately (which you probably wont have done as its been pretty boring) you will know that the K11 has gone off the road for some much needed tlc.

In it's place me and girlfriend picked up this

It's the PZ model, so it's been tuned by ProDrive with uprated shocks and springs, lightweight OZ wheels, sports exhaust system, and some styling mods (spoiler / wing mirrors etc.)

Its also got the 231PS engine and 6 speed gearbox plus all the mod cons like heated leather interior, electric power steering, Bose sound system etc.

Acceleration from a standstill is pretty appalling if I am totally honest (which was to be expected as it is a rotary after all - so it has very little torque), once the revs get past 5k however, it's a different ball game, as it revs all the way to nearly 10k and just keeps on pulling - the power delivery is very linear, so it feels quite weird as it doesn't punch you back in your seat.

Launching is made better by fully disabling the DSC / TCS - however pulling away from a 7k launch eats the rear tyres pretty quickly, although it is rather fun

If the car has any bad points it's that it drinks fuel (15mpg average so far) and that the oil level needs constant monitoring.

It's had one owner with regular and documented Mazda servicing and has done just slightly under 50k. I'm guessing that the previous owner was an enthusiast as the bodywork is perfect and the paint is flawless - not a swirl mark in sight.

Next weekend I'm changing the transmission oil (RedLine MT-90), Diff oil (RedLine 75w90), Engine oil and coolant. I've also got a full Milltek decat exhaust on order from Pettit Racing

Bring on the flames

I'll get some pics up if anyone's interested - the price these go for nowadays makes them a perfect upgrade to a K11 if you are mechanically minded and have an appreciation for their maintenance - and don't do too many miles

 

[skymera]

Nice. I've always liked these and was looking at one myself late 2013.
My insurance (most?) class these as double displacement and wouldn't insure me on a 2.6L.

Plus the ones in my price range at the time were all in need of an engine rebuild and shat most of their oil out the exhaust.

This looks tidy indeed! Lets hope there's no underlying issues
Would like to see more progress indeed

 

[Calum]

Nice. I've always liked these and was looking at one myself late 2013.
My insurance (most?) class these as double displacement and wouldn't insure me on a 2.6L.

Plus the ones in my price range at the time were all in need of an engine rebuild and shat most of their oil out the exhaust.

This looks tidy indeed! Lets hope there's no underlying issues
Would like to see more progress indeed

Thanks

To be honest, I saw some right dodgy ones before this. I ended up going on a bit of a drive to visit a specialist called Hextable Rotaries that stock about 50 of them, all with compression tests and sixth month warranties covering the apex seals; they break the dodgy ones

One alternative I considered was spending sub £1k buying a non starter with a good shell and getting a full engine rebuild for around £2k with a two year warranty - that way you know the engine is solid.

Funnily enough, the insurance on this with a modified policy was only slightly more expensive than the Micra with Adrian Flux for me; the insurance is a lot cheaper than other simarly performing / equipped cars.

Road tax was £500 per year though as its a post 06 model, this could be solved by going for an earlier one I guess, but once I drove the PZ it seemed worth it, especially now that we can pay for road tax per month.

 

[Calum]

Just thought I'd post a quick update here as I've just come back from a 1500 mile round trip from the Isles of Harris and Lewis - the car has run flawlessly

Fuel economy was poor as expected; I got between 14mpg and 26mpg (depending on twisty vs motorway driving).

Prior to making the trip I changed the diff oil (RedLine 75w90) gearbox oil (RedLine MT90) and engine oil (Shell Helix HX5) - this was really easy and everything was nice and accessible. It also gave me a chance to assess the condition of the undercarriage - looks nice and tidy.

So far I'm a very happy owner, few things planned over the next couple of months the following will be fitted:

- Full Milltek Decat exhaust
- Black Halo Racing performance ignition upgrade
- AEM induction kit

After those are done I'll be looking at:

- Ajustable coilovers (possibly Tien)
- Wider 9.5" or 10" wheels (probably Work Emotion) and sticky Bridgestone Potenza or Michelin Cup tyres
- 356mm big brake upgrade

And I'm considering going turbocharged - seen a nice Esmeril Turbo kit with a 62mm Precision Turbo which should see around 414whp (maybe more with meth injection and supporting mods)

The kit can be seen here

http://www.esmerilracing.com/RX-8_Turbo_Kit.html

I really really wanted an R32 / R33 GTR as there are some brilliant examples around at the moment - but I've promised myself I won't get one till I can afford the house / garage to keep it in safely. Unfortunately, living in London and with property prices the way they are, that might not be for a while.

The RX8 should be enough to keep me occupied in the meantime

 

[Calum]

Hi all,

I don't really post much on here anymore, but thought some of you might be interested in seeing what I've done to my RX8. There's too much to post up on here so I'll just put a link up to my page on the RX8OC.

Mine's not given me any issues so far and I've modified the oil system so that it doesn't burn the sump oil anymore (it uses a separate tank of rotary friendly two stroke oil).

Made quite a few other mods as well - now I get 3-4 ft flames when the exhaust is nice and hot.

If you aren't shy of a bit of DIY and considering the low price these cars sell for (even in good condition) combined with relatively cheap insurance compared to other sports cars - its definitely worth considering one of these as an upgrade to your K11 / K10.

http://www.rx8ownersclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=104&t=69777