Ok I have a friend that is thinking about getting an rx8, I rode in one and it felt very slow due to the lack of torque, but I know they are quick. My question is do we have a chance aginst an rx8? Is their anyone out there that has actually raced an rx8? I have seen the numbers but the only way to tell is a real race. Has anyone ever raced one?

 

Have a few friends with them. other then the fact that they are put together poorly and the lights leak in water, they are alright. I have never been beat by one though. they cant jump of the line or take turns...

 

I would imagine they can handle fairly well given their weight, size of wheel, and being rear wheel drive

 

OK but what about in a line? My best timed 0-60 is right at 6 seconds in 50 degree weather. They have been timed at 5.8 but must be launched at around 8,000 rpm. What about from a roll? Or if it wasnt launched so high?

 

"normal": is 7 sec 0-60 15.4 in the quarter

 

My friend has an 06 6 speed RX8 and my 04 6 speed coupe eliminates it no problem. Off the line they are nothing, plus they weigh like 1000 pounds more.

 

I thought they weighed about 100 pounds less than the crossfire limited and they have more horsepower. They just have no torque.

 

Shouldn't lose VS an RX-8 unless you really mess up shifts. The auto should be easy kill but if it is the manual with sport package the stats are fairly similar. Torque isn't really "bad" compared to our numbers but the rotary delivers it across a fairly flat line so there isn't much "pull" anywhere. One thing they have that we don't is LSD and 50/50 weight distro but that really doesn't come into play in a straight line at stock output.

Multiple EDIT:: Quick Stats

 

Given those stats, on the street it is definitely going to come down to driver.

 

I've autocrossed against quite a few, and let me tell you, the SCCA doesn't even put these cars in the same class. Numbers only mean half of the equation. The way the car is setup is everything, besides the driver. The NA crossfire, MT or AT, is in D stock. The latest generations of the RX8 are in B stock. If you can count and know your alphabet, I'll let you figure out how many classes higher they are. In an actual course, RX8's give a crossfire a run for it's money.

 

According to the sticker on the door and the state weigh an RX8 weighs 3800 pounds.

 

A bit off topic since I think TS was only curious about the straight-line performance comparison, but I was curious and so looked up the classes. For 2006 at least this is what I found (which shows the classes shapeshifter listed): SCCA Solo II Car Classifications: Stock by Class

 

Thats gross weight

 

It says on our cars 3000 pounds. Then that's gross weight too. I don't see the difference between gross weight and the cars actual weight.

 

There is a Crossfire in the A stock too.......

 

So really what your saying is the rx8 is a much better car?

 

On the track an RX-8 is much more capable then a pure numbers game in the street. The flat torque curve and the 50/50 weight distro help a lot in the turns and make the car a lot more predictable. As far as overall quality goes the xfire wins hands down (IMO) Put them both on a tight track though and you will have your hands full performance wise.

 

Just go SRT and forget about it.

 

Well I don't have the money for an srt right now. But I am thinking of getting the tvt 265 for my limited

 

On the street and in a straight line, 9 times out of 10, I would pick the crossfire in a stoplight-stoplight race. I find it hard to believe that most owners will really wring their cars out enough to keep up with or beat our cars. It's the same story with the s2k, which is also a high strung car. To get the most out of them, you really need to go deep into the rev range with most people are not willing to do. (off topic: why buy the car in that case?)

On a track, I think it would be a totally different ballgame. The first time I took my car to the track I was absolutely shocked how different it felt compared with the street. The RX-8 would likely have the edge specifically because the handling is so much more precise, therefore making it easier to maintain speed through a turn. The crossfire isn't really designed to be a fantastic handler in the way that the rx-8, s2k, or boxster are. It would be an interesting matchup though. Once I pay off my car, I'd like to take it to a track day or two just to see how it does.