Would you rather drive an RX-8 or an FRS?

Not in the market currently but have cross shopped both of these cars multiple times and both seems to always not make the cut. Interesting conversation for sure!

Sidebar to this conversation, how is the NC Miata, room wise? I don't fit very well in an na/nb. Rx8 was ok. Values being what they are the NC seems like an underrated two seater that could be fun. 

Depends why you don't fit. I have very long legs (34 inseam) and broad shoulders (48 coat size) and I find the best fit was NA with the door handles off, NC, NB, then ND with the ND like painful to drive.

My NC was great with thin soled shoes on. Like barefoot sneakers. Regular sneakers was just an inch in the wrong direction and made things uncomfortable. So when I drove Betty, I wore Merrell Barefoot trail shoes. Also the early NCs had cup holders that took up knee space. 2009 was the change there. 

NC is much easier to fit in than the NA or NB 

Jeremy is the tallest (but not widest) person at FM and his favorite Miata is the NC mostly because he fits in it best.

I had a 2004 RX-8 and when it worked it was amazing. I'd own another with an engine swap, but I'd take a hard top FC Miata over one now for sure- especially one with a 2.5 swap.


 

Neither. I love how the RX8 drives. Do not want to own. I don't like the FA20, but I like the rest of the car. The frisbee twins size, ergonomics, and chassis character gave me really strong FC RX7 vibes. 

I'm very tempted by the new BRZ as it sounds like they have a much better suited engine.

When I was asking this question back when the FRS was newer, I chose it over the RX-8 for a fun daily driver with occasional motorsports use. For me many other categories seemed pretty comparable, but the FR-S stood head and shoulders above the RX-8 on fuel economy and styling, both of which I value highly for a daily...YMMV.

In reply to clutchsmoke :

So the correct answer is FC RX-7?

Keith Tanner said:

I enjoy the fact that we're discussing the relative reliability of a rotary and a Subaru flat four.

That was my first thought....would I want to deal with apex seals or head gaskets?

The other thing that hurt the NC was that for a long time it was hard to get a decent aftermarket roll bar for it because Mazda changed the way the soft top folds.  (solved now).

Maybe the question should be " Which would you rather drive, an RX-8 or an FRS if they were both K-swapped?" 

obsolete said:

Javelin said:

RX-8 all day every day. Best chassis I've ever experienced that didn't have a Porsche emblem on it. 

I read stuff like this, but everyone like to trash the NC Miata, and aren't they basically the same underneath? Is the NC's only offense that it's heavier than other Miatas? Sorry for muddying the waters by bringing a third car into the discussion, but having no experience with either car, this always confused me.

NC1 is lighter than an NB Mazdaspeed.

OP, the 1st gen FRS is more like 250 lbs lighter than an RX8. And it's VERY easy to pull another 80-100lbs out of it without impacting daily driving/NVH.

Keith Tanner said:

I enjoy the fact that we're discussing the relative reliability of a rotary and a Subaru flat four.

LOL.  It does seem counterintuitive.  The pancake-4 hasn't been without fault w/the valve spring recall on early models.  I haven't heard much about them suffering head gasket issues like other subarus, but it's fairly common to see the frisbee twins for sale w/a blown engine.  @Captainawesome has a K-swap thread on here...that seems like the answer.

Personally, a K-swapped RX-8 is what I'd want.  Great chassis and an actual back seat.  I've flogged them for dozens of laps at the Mazda ZoomZoom events back in the mid-2000s.  Also, the owners I talked to while waiting for my turn was eye-opening...even for a VW owner (at the time).  I though the NC was a little softer, but less likely to understeer.   Abysmal fuel economy of the dorito has been a dealbreaker due to the long commute I've had until fairly recently.  The potential for an expensive engine replacement is a big factor as well.  I guess you could always just budget for a JDM replacement for $1k & roll the dice.

BR-Z, it's smaller than the RX-8 and isn't a Scion.

Keith Tanner said:

I enjoy the fact that we're discussing the relative reliability of a rotary and a Subaru flat four.

Rotaries definitely won't have valvetrain problems like the FA20 had.  The largest problem rotaries have is the people who buy them and drive them gently. 

And then Mazda made an engine where driving at WOT would hurt the side seals.

DeadSkunk (Warren) said:

Keith Tanner said:

I enjoy the fact that we're discussing the relative reliability of a rotary and a Subaru flat four.

That was my first thought....would I want to deal with apex seals or head gaskets?

Stock FA20s tend to fail because the oil gets too hot or too full of air (as in cavitation and/or starvation), with an oil pickup + baffle + cooler it should be reliable in stock form. Head gaskets are safe until you add boost...

For me, this comparison is a little weird because locally a good FR-S costs a good 4k-5k$ more than an equivalent late RX-8.

I personally voted for RX-8.

After looking for years, I bought a 45k miles, 2006 RX-8 GS (no sunroof) in May 2021 for 5400 CAD. It has the original engine (with perfect compression), is absolutely rust-free and straight. The hard part was finding a car without a sunroof. It was a must because I cannot fit with my helmet on if there is a sunroof. The fact that the RX-8 is a real 4-seater is also a big plus for me (divorced dad with 3 kids). I often have at least two of my teenagers in the car with me.

I've driven both on track and on an autocross course and the RX-8 is really a nicer drive stock. The chassis is better, the brakes are better and the engine actually benefits from hard use. There are 3 guys in the local clubs with +100k miles on their Renesis. They trash them on track, change the plugs on time, run synthetic 5w20 without any premix and obviously let it warm up completely before shutting it off. They can be reliable and long(ish) lasting. If you think the RX-8 is gutless in a straight line, you will be even less satisfied with the FR-S.

With that said, I've driven a well prepared STX FR-S that had a chassis as good as a RX-8.

GameboyRMH said:

DeadSkunk (Warren) said:

Keith Tanner said:

I enjoy the fact that we're discussing the relative reliability of a rotary and a Subaru flat four.

That was my first thought....would I want to deal with apex seals or head gaskets?

Stock FA20s tend to fail because the oil gets too hot or too full of air (as in cavitation and/or starvation), with an oil pickup + baffle + cooler it should be reliable in stock form. Head gaskets are safe until you add boost...

And the apex seals are generally not an issue with the RX-8, or any other nonturbo rotary made since 1973.

Drive and enjoy? Rx-8. Own? Lfx swapped rx-8. The form factor is unmatched: rwd sports car chassis, Useable 4-seater, double wishbone front , not a convertible. 

It means I don't have to worry about rollbar shenanigans on the street and can have the whole family in it. 

Now that I've typed this all out, is there a guide to improving the ergonomics and making the g35 more of a driver's car instead of a gt car? 

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

I assume most rotary reliability myths stemmed from people who put a downpipe on an FD without tuning for it.. I've had an n/a fb for almost 16 years and it has survived my formative high school driving years and many years of hard use on track, I always just abided the rules of don't overheat it and make sure it has oil, IMO an n/a rotary is hard to kill ..

My vote...  with my money, garage space, and time...  gm v6 powered rx8.

Not done yet, so I can't fully answer, but for less than 4k, 240 hp and 240 tq in an rx8 chassis seems like a win win to me.  Plus, stock bottom ends like boooooost!

We will find out next winter about the boost part...

You've picked the two sportscars with perhaps THE worst sounding engines ever made!

LanEvo said:

You've picked the two sportscars with perhaps THE worst sounding engines ever made!

I have to admit, even though it's not the engine it's the exhaust, I'm fond of the weird off beat sound an unequal-length header on a 4-banger. 

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

BR-Z, it's smaller than the RX-8 and isn't a Scion.

Uh..?