In reply to Storz:
yeah but they were different from 2009-12 than the earlier ones. they were 'slightly' different in almost every single way, to the point where almost nothing made for the series 1 will work for the series 2. Nobody has a cheap and easy way to tune the 09-12 so forced induction isn't easily available yet, though a couple places are working on it. supposedly they fixed a lot of the issues, but it doesn't have any extra power.
For the height problem, i'm 5'11" and I have plenty of headroom with a helmet. Mine is an R3 though, so the seat sits a little lower than the normal one and there is no sunroof. I drove one with the normal seats and a sunroof and I felt borderline claustrophobic the whole time. Then again, I like the feeling of a small car.
Replacing a miata, eh? My brother has a miata and the RX8 has lots more space. The trunk isn't much bigger, but the back seats help. I can fit 2 people and a set of wheels/tires in mine. The miata felt (to me anyway) noticably down on power compared to the RX8, too, so you'll probably like that.
And do whomever said they were getting 15mpg city, that's what I get so you were right on.
I really wanted to love the RX-8. I just...couldn't.
I picked up a friend's '04 RX-8 August of 2012. I liked it, but didn't love it. Every time I drove it, I thought, "It's just not a Miata." or "Man, wish the Miata had this much power."
I sold it six months later and shipped my red '91 Miata back from NC (where I had left it after a cross-country road trip, thinking it'd be nice to have a car on the east coast since I'm there for a month once a year). Eventually, I'll finish putting a rotary in my silver '91 Miata and will finally have the right car. :D
13 days ago I put 215/55 r 17 General Altimax Arctics on mine. It is a great 4 place snowmobile.
In the meantime, i'm trying to get rid of my turbo Miata in favor of an RX8.
As someone who has an RX-8 and an NA miata and races both, the RX-8 is a WAY more practical car and a much better daily driver. I do have a little more fun on track with the miata, and it's way cheaper to race it, but the RX-8 is just as capable and almost as much fun on track.
What's the major difference in the cost of tracking/racing the RX8? I expect fuel costs to be a big one, but is there anything else?
Tires are probably more expensive, though not by a wide margin if you move to say... a 17x9 setup wearing a common size.
I'd guess that brakes would cost more. No matter how you slice it, it's a bigger heavier car, it's going to be harder on consumables.
That's pretty much what I figured.
Swank Force One wrote:
In the meantime, i'm trying to get rid of my turbo Miata in favor of an RX8.
I offered to trade you a busted RX-8 shell for your Miata and you didn't want it! Oh, hah, I'm funny.
As for track or autocross work:
The jump in tire price from 17 to 18 seemed pretty steep. I picked up the 17x9 wheels for autocross work, myself. If you go to tire rack, put in a 2006 Miata STR SCAA class, those wheels should work on the RX-8
I went with TR Motorsport C3s.
Trust me... i want your RX8 shell, but the idea isn't to get rid of a complete and sorted car in favor of a huge project. 
Swank Force One wrote:
Tires are probably more expensive, though not by a wide margin if you move to say... a 17x9 setup wearing a common size.
I'd guess that brakes would cost more. No matter how you slice it, it's a bigger heavier car, it's going to be harder on consumables.
I want to start autocrossing mine, but if I want it to stay in the stock class I need to keep the same wheel size, right? Meaning I have to stick with 19" tires (R3) which seems to cost a bloody fortune... The brakes are the same and I know 17" wheels fit, though.
I think the new rules are +/- 1".
5.125 ring and pinion mod = $1600+
Rufledt wrote:
Tires are probably more expensive, though not by a wide margin if you move to say... a 17x9 setup wearing a common size.
I'd guess that brakes would cost more. No matter how you slice it, it's a bigger heavier car, it's going to be harder on consumables.
You could go into STX and run any size rim you want and not have to worry about Rcomps.
BoxheadTim wrote:
What's the major difference in the cost of tracking/racing the RX8? I expect fuel costs to be a big one, but is there anything else?
Yeah, fuel, tires/wheels, brakes, any modifications.
I run 15" wheels on the miata on track and can get any kind of tire super cheap (there are plentiful used tires in that size from spec miata). The RX-8 needs 18's or specifically-sized 17's to clear the front rotors so tires are pricey! (though you can get used R-comps for reasonable prices during the race season). My NA weighs just under 2000 lbs the RX-8 weighs just under 3000, so it also eats tires, brakes, and fuel faster. The brakes (and any other performance part) are WAY cheaper for the miata (just due to their prevalence). Fuel is a big thing too, as you mentioned. I get over 20 mpg running track days in the miata. I've never calculated the numbers on the RX-8, but I'd guess it's right around 10 MPG - thing gets thirsty at WOT.
Rufledt wrote:
Swank Force One wrote:
Tires are probably more expensive, though not by a wide margin if you move to say... a 17x9 setup wearing a common size.
I'd guess that brakes would cost more. No matter how you slice it, it's a bigger heavier car, it's going to be harder on consumables.
I want to start autocrossing mine, but if I want it to stay in the stock class I need to keep the same wheel size, right? Meaning I have to stick with 19" tires (R3) which seems to cost a bloody fortune... The brakes are the same and I know 17" wheels fit, though.
This is exactly why the old stock class rules allowing R-comps was so nice - you could buy used Hoosier A6's in great shape form the road racers (who use them in qualifying) for $100-$200 a set. And they'd have one heat cycle and say 4-5 laps on them. It was such a great deal and the only way I could afford to be really competitive in the RX-8 in autocross. Oh well, I'm on to endurance racing now anyway...
In reply to JohnyHachi6:
I get about 6-8 mpg on track days with my 8. I usually bring an extra 5 gal with me. I also can't run below 3/8 tank on track or I'll get fuel starve. The gauge is slow to respond to actual fuel level on track I've found.
In reply to CGLockRacer:
Yeah, I've had some fuel starvation issues when near 1/4 tank as well.
Well, this one fell through - owner pulled it off the market, but was at least kind enough to tell me before I drove a few hundred miles.
Wait till after the holidays. Not much inventory on the market right now.
You could also call Rick's Rotary and Paul at Rotorsports in SFBay to see if they know of any for sale.
Yeah, I'm not in a hurry. This one looked like a good combination of spec, miles and price, but there'll be other ones.
Thanks for the recommendations, I'll reach out to those two companies. Often a better way to get a decent deal.
