Discussion
Hello RX8 owners,
I'm thinking of ditching the rather sensible 2008 1.4D yaris I use for local duties and getting an rx8 instead as I do very few miles and would like a more fun car when I do get time to remember I used to enjoy driving.
The sort of journeys are to the nearest big supermarket (3miles each way) and dropping off my child to nursary a couple of times a week (again about 3 miles each way)
I've heard that the rx8 does not appreciate being turned off if it is not fully warm.
What sort of distances are required?
Edit to add, mostly 30mph roads with a little bit of 50mph.
It'll be used for a longer blast once a week too.
Thanks
I'm thinking of ditching the rather sensible 2008 1.4D yaris I use for local duties and getting an rx8 instead as I do very few miles and would like a more fun car when I do get time to remember I used to enjoy driving.
The sort of journeys are to the nearest big supermarket (3miles each way) and dropping off my child to nursary a couple of times a week (again about 3 miles each way)
I've heard that the rx8 does not appreciate being turned off if it is not fully warm.
What sort of distances are required?
Edit to add, mostly 30mph roads with a little bit of 50mph.
It'll be used for a longer blast once a week too.
Thanks
Edited by AndyDRZ on Tuesday 18th December 09:42
Hi Andy,
We had our RX8 for best part of 8 years. It flooded a couple of times when moving from house to garage but always ok if I took it to the station, around 6 miles, or wife took it to work, around 5 miles. However we did have a couple of 60 stretches to get it warm
You may be pushing it a little on a slowish 3 mile trip, and you really do not want to have to go through the de-flood procedure at either the supermarket or nursery!
Check out the owners forum for loads of great information and some real world experiences - https://www.rx8ownersclub.co.uk/forum/
Cheers Jeff
We had our RX8 for best part of 8 years. It flooded a couple of times when moving from house to garage but always ok if I took it to the station, around 6 miles, or wife took it to work, around 5 miles. However we did have a couple of 60 stretches to get it warm
You may be pushing it a little on a slowish 3 mile trip, and you really do not want to have to go through the de-flood procedure at either the supermarket or nursery!Check out the owners forum for loads of great information and some real world experiences - https://www.rx8ownersclub.co.uk/forum/
Cheers Jeff
Hi Andy,
There's several problems with short journeys in an RX8, and these often get confused and mixed up when it comes to advice.
The most important is flooding. This is where you switch off the car while stone cold and fuel remains in the chambers, flooding the engine when you try and start it again. This is only really an issue when moving the car on the driveway, going to the end of the road for a pint of milk, that sort of thing. Anything over a couple of hundred yards is enough to stop flooding issues on restart. If having to switch off the car sooner than that (and there's no opportunity to allow it to idle for a couple of mins to come up to temp) then holding the engine at 4k revs for 10 seconds before switching off will ensure any excess fuel is removed from the chambers and you shouldn't flood.
The next most important is carbon deposits.These build up on engines used exclusively at low revs and can cause low compression and loss of power. The maxim "A redline a day keeps the rebuild away" is a good one ... but in practice, a once weekly thrash should be fine.
Then we get into accelerated engine wear. These engines need to be warmed up properly before giving them the full beans. 3 miles isn't really enough for that, so you'll have to be restrained in using the upper end of the rev range. So, linked to the point above, make sure the engine is fully up to temp before hitting the redline. I wait about 5 mins after the temp gauge hits 1/2 way, but once up to temp will quite happily run it up to the 9k limiter whenever circumstances allow.
Then we get into the practical side of things ... fun and costs. An RX8 isn't particularly 'special' at low revs. It's not quick, or powerful, and other than revving quite smoothly, at low revs you could be behind the wheel of any mundane, small capacity petrol engine. The fun (to me) comes from having a sweet handling car that revs to 9k at the drop of a hat. You may well not find it any more fun or special than any other car on your 3 mile trundle. You will find it fearsomely expensive on fuel though! When warmed up and at a constant motorway cruise, you should get 300ish miles to a 70 quid tank of fuel. On stop-start journeys when cold (the car dumps in LOTS of extra fuel when cold starting) the fuel economy will be even more laughable. Burning loads of money on petrol while driving the car well outside of it's 'fun' zone may well leave you wondering what on earth people see in these cars.
To give an idea of fuel costs ...
On track - approx 75 miles to a tank.
My regular usage - 5 miles gentle drive to warm up, 15 miles of driving like a loon, 2 miles to cool down - approx 175-200 miles to a tank.
TL:DR:
Flooding isn't an issue by the time you get a few hundred yards down the road.
Rev to redline regularly (when warmed up) to prevent buildup of carbon deposits.
Do not rev until properly warmed up to avoid accelerated engine wear.
Think about how you'd use the car. Would you be getting the most out of it often enough to make the costs worthwhile?
There's several problems with short journeys in an RX8, and these often get confused and mixed up when it comes to advice.
The most important is flooding. This is where you switch off the car while stone cold and fuel remains in the chambers, flooding the engine when you try and start it again. This is only really an issue when moving the car on the driveway, going to the end of the road for a pint of milk, that sort of thing. Anything over a couple of hundred yards is enough to stop flooding issues on restart. If having to switch off the car sooner than that (and there's no opportunity to allow it to idle for a couple of mins to come up to temp) then holding the engine at 4k revs for 10 seconds before switching off will ensure any excess fuel is removed from the chambers and you shouldn't flood.
The next most important is carbon deposits.These build up on engines used exclusively at low revs and can cause low compression and loss of power. The maxim "A redline a day keeps the rebuild away" is a good one ... but in practice, a once weekly thrash should be fine.
Then we get into accelerated engine wear. These engines need to be warmed up properly before giving them the full beans. 3 miles isn't really enough for that, so you'll have to be restrained in using the upper end of the rev range. So, linked to the point above, make sure the engine is fully up to temp before hitting the redline. I wait about 5 mins after the temp gauge hits 1/2 way, but once up to temp will quite happily run it up to the 9k limiter whenever circumstances allow.
Then we get into the practical side of things ... fun and costs. An RX8 isn't particularly 'special' at low revs. It's not quick, or powerful, and other than revving quite smoothly, at low revs you could be behind the wheel of any mundane, small capacity petrol engine. The fun (to me) comes from having a sweet handling car that revs to 9k at the drop of a hat. You may well not find it any more fun or special than any other car on your 3 mile trundle. You will find it fearsomely expensive on fuel though! When warmed up and at a constant motorway cruise, you should get 300ish miles to a 70 quid tank of fuel. On stop-start journeys when cold (the car dumps in LOTS of extra fuel when cold starting) the fuel economy will be even more laughable. Burning loads of money on petrol while driving the car well outside of it's 'fun' zone may well leave you wondering what on earth people see in these cars.
To give an idea of fuel costs ...
On track - approx 75 miles to a tank.
My regular usage - 5 miles gentle drive to warm up, 15 miles of driving like a loon, 2 miles to cool down - approx 175-200 miles to a tank.
TL:DR:
Flooding isn't an issue by the time you get a few hundred yards down the road.
Rev to redline regularly (when warmed up) to prevent buildup of carbon deposits.
Do not rev until properly warmed up to avoid accelerated engine wear.
Think about how you'd use the car. Would you be getting the most out of it often enough to make the costs worthwhile?
Edited by Rotary Potato on Tuesday 18th December 15:23
I frequently drive mine on 1-2 mile journeys, 3-4 times a week. Then I will do a fun drive on a weekend for at least 10 miles, not every weekend. Then much longer drives every quarter and Le Mans once a year.
Once the temperature needle has lifted you can turn the engine off. I have an R3 which has lights that tell me when the engine is ok to turn off and when it up to temperature to use to its full. In the summer the first light is off within 30s which means it is safe to turn off. In the winter it is up to 2 mins.
Treat it like a fun car and it will be very rewarding!
Once the temperature needle has lifted you can turn the engine off. I have an R3 which has lights that tell me when the engine is ok to turn off and when it up to temperature to use to its full. In the summer the first light is off within 30s which means it is safe to turn off. In the winter it is up to 2 mins.
Treat it like a fun car and it will be very rewarding!
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