Rsx-s or rx8

Hello ppl im new so if I do anything wrong laet me know asap. My question is waht new car to buy a rsx-s or rx8? I know of the power potential of the rsx-s but I dont know of the potential of rx8.I have a friend who has a rx8 and it's great,but what about future power gains? Plus I hear about probs with the i-vtec engine is this true?

I've never heard problems about the RSX engine.

It depends, in a straight line, they're equal, but because of the LSD the torque-lacking RX-8 will beat an RSX in the corners. The RX-8 also looks more agressive and has 4 doors. However, its a Ford and they're reliabilty is pretty crappy as with their dealer service.

Here's a slight comparo of the two: http://forums.clubrsx.com/showthread.php?t=158864

Cool man, thanks for the info..

No prob - I might trade in my RSX and what i'm considering is: RX-8, TSX, Scion tC (when it comes), redesigned RSX (2005 model?)....

Well ill tell ya all I want is something to beat 0-60 time of a evo or wrx sti *small wish huh* I thought about a 350z base model. I know it has good potential with the greddy turbo kit but waht I wonder is if I put 4k in a rsx-s (which would be turbo forced induction etc) what my trac and 0-60 times would be? Rsx 05 im unsure of I wonder what they will change?

One guy put 8K in performance mods for his RSX (Stage 2 turbo plus other mods) and ran a 11.9 in the quarter mile.

If you can afford it, why not just buy the EVO or WRX Sti. They're already modded and you don't have to go through the trouble of putting A LOT of aftermarket parts into an RSX/350z. You could probably get a STi/EVO for about $3k more than a base 350z and probably add a few more mods to them to get them faster than a base STi/EVO.

It will probably take a little more than $4k to get an RSX to be faster than an EVO/Sti. You'd be able to keep up with them, but not be faster.

Just my 2cents.

:iagree:

If you can afford it, why not just buy the EVO or WRX Sti. They're already modded and you don't have to go through the trouble of putting A LOT of aftermarket parts into an RSX/350z. You could probably get a STi/EVO for about $3k more than a base 350z and probably add a few more mods to them to get them faster than a base STi/EVO.

It will probably take a little more than $4k to get an RSX to be faster than an EVO/Sti. You'd be able to keep up with them, but not be faster.

Just my 2cents.

I agree as well. But you gotta admit, it is fun modding out your motor. That is probably the funnest thing about owning a honda motor is the huge aftermarket support.

its a Ford and they're reliabilty is pretty crappy as with their dealer service.

WTH... an rx8 is a mazda = japanese = good reliability.... the rx8 also has the new renisis engine that was at the top ten best engine lists on a magazine (i forget which one).... so the reliabuility is there... its also n/a with 250 hp and its rwd... as for mods... u have the option of a 3rd rotary conversion... they have already produced a 800hp rx8...

the rsx is fwd... which is bad for dragging right there, and its hard to turbo because of the v-tec.... im not saying that the rsx is bad and it does have its potential, but so does the rx8... plus i would take the rx8 just for its rwd alone... if ur looking for a lot of power, then a fwd isnt the best way to go... for traction reasons... especially in dragging

WTH... an rx8 is a mazda = japanese = good reliability.... the rx8 also has the new renisis engine that was at the top ten best engine lists on a magazine (i forget which one).... so the reliabuility is there... its also n/a with 250 hp and its rwd... as for mods... u have the option of a 3rd rotary conversion... they have already produced a 800hp rx8...

the rsx is fwd... which is bad for dragging right there, and its hard to turbo because of the v-tec.... im not saying that the rsx is bad and it does have its potential, but so does the rx8... plus i would take the rx8 just for its rwd alone... if ur looking for a lot of power, then a fwd isnt the best way to go... for traction reasons... especially in dragging
Dude, didn't you know that MAZDA was bought out by FORD? So in essence, it is a FORD vehicle with MAZDA components. It still is japanese mostly.

With everything else I agree with the following exceptions:
1. The RX8 is a little more expensive then the RSX, so this might be a factor.
2. The RSX has no problems being turbo'ed. Just take a look at all the kits out there. There's even a supercharger if you want to go that way. VTEC just changes the camshaft you're using after a certain RPM.
3. The best way to go for traction is not RWD, or FWD, but AWD. So I would recommend a WRX in this case.

"However, its a Ford and they're reliabilty is pretty crappy as with their dealer service. "

That is a very immature comment, Ford is a great company. Although I have never owned a Ford, my dad owns many, and has had nothing but praise with them.

If your gonna directly compare brands of Ford, then why not mention, Jaguar, Austin Martin, Lincoln?

Are thoese not reliable, and have "crappy dealer service". Plus dealer services depend on the dealer, not nesccarily the company. Dealers can vary greatly!

Plus every car company has its bad apples and success'. Saying Ford sucks or Fords break down alot is a comment I should only hear from a 12-year old un-educated kid.

WTH... an rx8 is a mazda = japanese = good reliability.... the rx8 also has the new renisis engine that was at the top ten best engine lists on a magazine (i forget which one).... so the reliabuility is there... its also n/a with 250 hp and its rwd... as for mods... u have the option of a 3rd rotary conversion... they have already produced a 800hp rx8...

the rsx is fwd... which is bad for dragging right there, and its hard to turbo because of the v-tec.... im not saying that the rsx is bad and it does have its potential, but so does the rx8... plus i would take the rx8 just for its rwd alone... if ur looking for a lot of power, then a fwd isnt the best way to go... for traction reasons... especially in dragging
Mazda is owned by Ford and having owned a Mazda for a few years I can back up the fact they had crappy service, and could been a lot better.

And yes, they have a 1400hp RX-8, however, are they streetable, no. I'm 99% sure the 800hp one isn't streetable, and they say that the RSX has the potential to reach 1100hp (according to Cybernations Motorsports who've made the most RSX turbo kits and they worked on the fastest street RSX).

And the RSX has been turbo'd MANY times.

About Ford, yes they are a good company, but with Mazda itself (not just one dealer but more than half) its been bad. They tried to scam me, forgot to put the oil cap on after an oil change, were really assholes about service, etc.

Not to say the RX-8 is bad (i'm considering it as a next car) but in terms of reliability Toyota and Honda are the leaders. Every Acura dealer but one were great for me.

The RX8 IMO, is one of the nicest looking cars out there. However, I felt the interior seemed cheaply made. I drove two differnent RX8's and both of them had at least one thing that was broken or didn't work right. The interior would smell of exhaust fumes when you were driving. These were new cars! My wife wanted a new car. Here's what we test drove. Volvo S40, Lexus IS300 (sweet car), Infinity G35, Nissan 350Z, Mazda RX8, Mazda 6 and the Acura TSX. I convinced her to buy the TSX. Price, quality, ride, and Acura dependabilty. If you put the optional equipment on most of these cars that the TSX had stock, everything else was $4,000 to $7,000 higher.

The TSX is underpowered but it completely destroys the comptetition with its standard options.

And one of the main reasons i'm considering the RX is because of the looks, theres a blue one in the area, wow.

Crazy C:

Did you drive the TSX? For the weight and size of the car, it moves pretty well. The RX8 rides like a friggn tank. I thought my RSX was bumpy! I agree, the RX8 is an awsome looking car. They need to get rid of the EL Cheapo interior and dash. Out of all cars I have driven lately, my fav is still the 350Z. Smooth ride, comfortable seats. You can add options to the Z, but the engine remains the same. I think the base model is right around $28K. If you haven't driven one, have a go. One bad thing about the Z, nearly impossible to see out the back, not so with the G35, but more money for the G.

Yeah, i've driven the TSX, my complaints where speed/response, the seats hurt, and the steering wheel is gigantic. Everything else is great.

I haven't driven the Z yet.

the rsx is fwd... which is bad for dragging right there, and its hard to turbo because of the v-tec....

Since when does a vtec make it hard to turbo? You need to do some research before making claims like that! The stock cams are no where neer extreme enough to cause problems with turboing, unless you are running a serously high amount of boost!

Most mags put the RX-8 about .7 seconds faster than the RSX Type-S in the quarter mile. And while both vehicles have great handling, the RX-8 handles better. However, the RX-8 costs 3 or 4 thousand more than the RSX-S, and with all the aftermarket support for the neo-Integra, you could make it just as fast as a stock RX-8. So, it's really up to you on which car you like better.

Mazda is owned by Ford and having owned a Mazda for a few years I can back up the fact they had crappy service, and could been a lot better.

And yes, they have a 1400hp RX-8, however, are they streetable, no. I'm 99% sure the 800hp one isn't streetable, and they say that the RSX has the potential to reach 1100hp (according to Cybernations Motorsports who've made the most RSX turbo kits and they worked on the fastest street RSX).

And the RSX has been turbo'd MANY times.

About Ford, yes they are a good company, but with Mazda itself (not just one dealer but more than half) its been bad. They tried to scam me, forgot to put the oil cap on after an oil change, were really assholes about service, etc.

Not to say the RX-8 is bad (i'm considering it as a next car) but in terms of reliability Toyota and Honda are the leaders. Every Acura dealer but one were great for me.


yes i know that mazda is owned by ford and that their service is crapy, but technology wise, their engine for instance, is still japanese

it may not be harder to turbo a v-tec car but u cant put as much boost on a v-tec car because of the high c/r... ive never seen an s2000 with 20psi with v-tec ... if there is show me, i can handle learning something new

yes i know that mazda is owned by ford and that their service is crapy, but technology wise, their engine for instance, is still japanese

it may not be harder to turbo a v-tec car but u cant put as much boost on a v-tec car because of the high c/r... ive never seen an s2000 with 20psi with v-tec ... if there is show me, i can handle learning something new

That is a pretty lame comment. I have seen gsr's booted with over 30psi, and if they can do it so can the s2000, they are just built to handle it. besides most cars can't handle 20psi on stock internals anyways. Even non-vtec motors like the ls can only handle around 12psi. And you can run alot of boost on a hight compression motor, most full race vtec cars run pretty hight c/r. And if you did want to run 20 psi on a vtec, you would need to replace the pistons and rods with forged ones anyways, so you could get low compression pistons. problem solved!

yes i know that mazda is owned by ford and that their service is crapy, but technology wise, their engine for instance, is still japanese

it may not be harder to turbo a v-tec car but u cant put as much boost on a v-tec car because of the high c/r... ive never seen an s2000 with 20psi with v-tec ... if there is show me, i can handle learning something new
Dude, any car that you put that much boost on it, requires major modifications from stock. VTEC or no VTEC! Unless, of course, it is built like that already - as in the case of the SRT4 which only requires very minor mods for Stage 1.

you would need to replace the pistons and rods with forged ones anyways, so you could get low compression pistons. problem solved!

and therefor it is harder to get more psi, which i was saying in my first post but miss worded it.... something like an mr2 can handle about 16 - 18 psi safely with an upgraded turbo, intercooler and, mbc... thats a lot easier and cheeper than replacing the pistons and rods, then getting the turbo, and the intercooler and a b/c... am i correct? sorry for the confusion

and therefor it is harder to get more psi, which i was saying in my first post but miss worded it.... something like an mr2 can handle about 16 - 18 psi safely with an upgraded turbo, intercooler and, mbc... thats a lot easier and cheeper than replacing the pistons and rods, then getting the turbo, and the intercooler and a b/c... am i correct? sorry for the confusion
Actually the RSX turbos/intercoolers exist where, I believe, you don't have to replace anything in the stock engine. Just inserting the turbo/supercharger and changing the ECU program is all that is required. Of course, I haven't done this yet so I might be incorrect.

Anyone? RSX-777? Crazy-canuck?

BTW, Crazy, you better not get the RX8 before you return all my CD's! :grinno:

but cant u only set ~8psi without engine modifications... when i responded to scallywag i was refering to if u wanted 20psi...

Totally off subject, but to break the turbo monotony a bit, a girl at my high school got a brand spankin' new RX-8 for a graduation present and I saw her on the road the other day by my house with a crunched in front end and a Budwiser van with a crunched in back end. She was pretty devastated to say the least.

What a waste. :banghead: High school kids shouldn't be riding in such nice vehicles! Especially when they can't drive! :grinno:

Her parents should have started her out with a civic or something cheap like that. Then it wouldn't be such a big deal! :iceslolan

but cant u only set ~8psi without engine modifications... when i responded to scallywag i was refering to if u wanted 20psi...
Well, I didn't know that the MR2 could handle such an amount of boost with stock internals. Do you have a website or something that shows this? I would think you'd need major rework on the MR2 as well to handle the added psi's. I doubt that a stock 1.8L engine with 138hp and 125 ft-lbs can handle that much boost. :nono:

Actually the RSX turbos/intercoolers exist where, I believe, you don't have to replace anything in the stock engine. Just inserting the turbo/supercharger and changing the ECU program is all that is required. Of course, I haven't done this yet so I might be incorrect.

Anyone? RSX-777? Crazy-canuck?

BTW, Crazy, you better not get the RX8 before you return all my CD's! :grinno:

Yeah- I think you'd be set doing that with the base RSX. For the Type S you might think about internals and other adjustments if you want it to last any substantial length of time.

BTW, I heard the dealer tacked another 150 bucks onto Canuck's trade-in value due to the box set in the changer. :biggrin:

BTW, I heard the dealer tacked another 150 bucks onto Canuck's trade-in value due to the box set in the changer. :biggrin:


I keep telling him to return those to me! And now he's getting an extra $150 for them! Man!

Hope he still hangs around here after he gets his RX8. :smokin:

Well, I didn't know that the MR2 could handle such an amount of boost with stock internals. Do you have a website or something that shows this? I would think you'd need major rework on the MR2 as well to handle the added psi's. I doubt that a stock 1.8L engine with 138hp and 125 ft-lbs can handle that much boost. :nono:

i guess i forgot to specify that it was the 2nd gen mr2... i thought u would figure that out... the second gen mr2 with 2nd gen 3sgte can be set to 15psi with nothing more than a boost controller, stock turbo and all... then if u have a jdm mr2 1994 +, it comes with a ct20b turbo, that u can run arround 16 - 18psi... with the stock turbo... in the mr2 section jekylandhyde, has stock internals and runs 22.5psi, on a 200,000+mi engine lol

also the mr2 is 2.0L 200hp in america, 225hp in japan 1991 - 1994, 245hp in japan 1994 - 1999

I'm keeping the CD's! :p

And i'm not getting the RX-8 :D



And about the RSX, yeah, there is the GReddy kit and the Cybernations Stage 1 which use stock internals.

"However, its a Ford and they're reliabilty is pretty crappy as with their dealer service. "

That is a very immature comment, Ford is a great company. Although I have never owned a Ford, my dad owns many, and has had nothing but praise with them.

Plus every car company has its bad apples and success'. Saying Ford sucks or Fords break down alot is a comment I should only hear from a 12-year old un-educated kid.

Well here's an educated comment for you. I own a Ford. It does "suck" in comparison. The quality is, overall, very poor and so is the dealer service. Ford is a lumbering dinosaur of a company that does things cheaply and quickly- and it shows. The difference between my Mustang and my RSX is night and day IN EVERY RESPECT. Usually (and I don't mean to assume) when people praise a Ford, it's because they have never owned a quality foreign car.

I'd go with the RX-8. And I don't even like RX-8s.

It's usually easier to improve power than to improve the handling...both of which the RX-8 has the advantage in.

Well, I didn't know that the MR2 could handle such an amount of boost with stock internals. Do you have a website or something that shows this?
http://www.jekylhyderacing.com/

It's usually easier to improve power than to improve the handling...both of which the RX-8 has the advantage in.


its true handling its a very fine art, but lets not forget that power mods are usually much more expensive than handling components, plus it will void your entire powertrain warranty as oposed to some sway bars and some struts. And a blown engine will cost a whole lot more to fix outside a warranty than a blown strut.

Well there is so much to deside on ppl. :banghead: it hurt's soo much. Third rotary? would that be added or just a new 3 rotary configured engine be bought and put in? and would it be renisis or something else?..i will say this the rx-8 is a great car*gas mileage is really bad* But who cares right, we need POWER!!!

hey alucard, i suggest you also check up on the rx8/rsx forums, because i've read/posted on both forums, and i can tell you, that the rx8, does have its problems, much more than the rsx, the rsx is really refined, maybe cost a lil much for what you get, and the rx8 has good handling, not good enough to actually replace the rx7 but its a good car for the $ u pay, i would suggest the rsx, because i own a mazda and a honda, i can tell you that the mazda breaks down alot.. the honda (my accord) rarely breaks down, and u gotta know how to take care of a rotary engine, people that buy those cars usually get all into rotaries

Cool thanks man,ill check the threads out.I did hear something interesting though the japanese rx-8 ecu is really different than the american version.Supposedly the ecu on the us version cuts the power down greatly *the japanese rx-8 has 380? hp* and for this reason thats why the spark plugs on the us rx-8 must be replaced every 3k because the engine is being restrained and runs rich. Im sure this is bull and :screwy: but that would be kind of cool though a simple reprograming and bam! more hp....too easy

lol maybe not 380, but it should have more power than the usdm version

isnt Mazda only 1/4 owned by ford? isnt it still predominately still a jap company?

Yes Mazda is still predominantly Japanese and many of their vehicles are made in Japan. However, there are some ford parts in Mazda cars (eg the Mazda3 the engine and chassis are mazda, but body components ect are ford). Also ford is bringing Mazda cars in as fords (Mazda6)

As for the car compare taking the rsx is a safe bet and taking the rx8 is a lil riskier for quality and your taste for performance. They both look great, both are very refined, and both have excellent performnce but the rx8 is said to be faster.

i dont no. the aftermarket of the rx8 is lacking. dollar for dollar, the rx8 is and always will be slower, but it'll out-handle the hell out of just about any car, even some exotics.

Dude, didn't you know that MAZDA was bought out by FORD? So in essence, it is a FORD vehicle with MAZDA components. It still is japanese mostly.

With everything else I agree with the following exceptions:
1. The RX8 is a little more expensive then the RSX, so this might be a factor.
2. The RSX has no problems being turbo'ed. Just take a look at all the kits out there. There's even a supercharger if you want to go that way. VTEC just changes the camshaft you're using after a certain RPM.
3. The best way to go for traction is not RWD, or FWD, but AWD. So I would recommend a WRX in this case.

This is not a true statement. Ford does not interfere with the products Mazda produces at all. They may share the same platforms at times, but Mazda is Mazda, Ford is Ford. Ford would just get the check (30%) worth of Mazda's total profits...

This is not a true statement. Ford does not interfere with the products Mazda produces at all. They may share the same platforms at times, but Mazda is Mazda, Ford is Ford. Ford would just get the check (30%) worth of Mazda's total profits...


This thread is 2.5 years old ... :headshake