I'm thinking a good 15w40 HDEO would be a good choice for the RX8 in the Vegas heat. Am I out in left field here?
Mazda RX8 and proper oil question
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I'm with wavinwayne. 15w40 or a shortened oci.
I just googled rx8 blown engine and came up with a few links. Maybe off topic, maybe not but just to muddy the waters -- check out this TSB http://www.finishlineperformance.com/rx8/docs/pdf/01-009-05-1450.pdf
hmmm, moisture doesn't affect the oil. I don't know if I agree with that -- rotary engine or not. Sounds like the engine design is not good for severe service and dino oil.
hmmm, moisture doesn't affect the oil. I don't know if I agree with that -- rotary engine or not. Sounds like the engine design is not good for severe service and dino oil.
How about Redline 5W-20 ?
The Redline Oil basestock should handle the heat better, and Redline 5W-30 has worked well in RX-7's.
I spoke to Dave at Redline tech and he mentioned that EGR issues and long drain intervals typically lead to sludge.
Perhaps, a shortened drain interval may be needed in that withering Vegas heat. Or more oil cooler.
The Redline Oil basestock should handle the heat better, and Redline 5W-30 has worked well in RX-7's.
I spoke to Dave at Redline tech and he mentioned that EGR issues and long drain intervals typically lead to sludge.
Perhaps, a shortened drain interval may be needed in that withering Vegas heat. Or more oil cooler.
The solution appears to be not to drive in the day. Why anyone would buy an RX8 in Las Vegas and not do any highway driving is incomprehensible to me!
Based on that, and the fact that Mazda has no brains, i'd use synthetic. Mazda would have alot less problems if they just used syn.
Use a synthetic xW-30, it can't void your warranty because they don't know what you put in it if you are changing it yourself. Should lower your oil temp by atleast 10-15 degrees. Just change it out every 3-5k or so, it might be expensive, but not having a car for a week, two, or more is worse. I do agree that the oil itself really isn't the main problem, but rather the cooling--inadequate cooling for such conditions.
Hi, second post here =p .. but anyways.
Rotaries will always have cooling problems when you consider their base design. Sure, the outer walls of the engine are fed coolant by the water pump while the gears are fed oil constantly... However, oil is the only way that the rotor faces (and their seals) are ever cooled.
Despite oil injection, a synthetic oil would greatly reduce the oil temperatures and may even lower emissions.
I'm nowhere near as smart as alot of these fellas are as far as SAE weights go.. but stick with their reccomendations of a heavier oil and definitely consider using a synthetic.
Rotaries will always have cooling problems when you consider their base design. Sure, the outer walls of the engine are fed coolant by the water pump while the gears are fed oil constantly... However, oil is the only way that the rotor faces (and their seals) are ever cooled.
Despite oil injection, a synthetic oil would greatly reduce the oil temperatures and may even lower emissions.
I'm nowhere near as smart as alot of these fellas are as far as SAE weights go.. but stick with their reccomendations of a heavier oil and definitely consider using a synthetic.
To improve cooling, since oil weight or type will not help control damaging oil temps, Shaneracing, PWR, and Koyo have upgraded radiators.
Greddy sells a finned oil pan with more capacity.
Those two products together should easily solve any overheating problem.
I'd also avoid using aftermarket A/C condensor and oil cooler 'protective screens' which might reduce airflow through the radiators.
Greddy sells a finned oil pan with more capacity.
Those two products together should easily solve any overheating problem.
I'd also avoid using aftermarket A/C condensor and oil cooler 'protective screens' which might reduce airflow through the radiators.
I use M1 5w20 in my Mazda6 V6,which i know is a totally different engine than the rotary,but Mazda also states no syn.in my car because of insufficent testing on it. They also recommend 5w20 on my car which i also feel weird using because of the high temps were i live in FL. I use syn. M1 for the added temp protection.
There was a guy around here that had a sports racer with a Mazda rotary. He had an idiot light that was set to go on at an oil temp of 220F. When the light went on, he stopped. Said it would destroy the engine to continue. This racer had a hugh oil cooler and he ran RL 10w-40. He also added RL 2-stroke oil to the gas tank. He did this to his street RX7 as well, whild also ran RL 10w-40. He said that in the racer he use 2 oz per 10 gallons, on the street 1 oz per 10 gallons of gas. This guy had more than a dozen engines in his garage, said they were cheap and easy to rebuild. And as for synthetic, he believed that it was the only way to treat a rotary. I'm trying to find him so he can post his own comments.
Seems like a good candidate for water injection. I used a kit from Edelbrock years ago on a high compression buick motor. I surfed around and found this for mazda's. Seems it is built for eliminating pre-ignition, but I am curious if it could also be helpful in cooling the apexes
http://www.rotorsportsracing.com/performancetuning/water_injection.htm
I wouldn't worry about using water injection on a non-turbo rotary....the oil injection and cooling system is adequate-- its the oil specifications that is not. Use the synthetic! A rotary on synthetic runs cooler (oil and coolant temp) and DOES burn cleaner. There are no negatives to running synthetic in a modern (post-1985) fuel injected Mazda Rotary, I will personally attest to it as a multiple-rotary-engine-car owner and operations manager for the company that created the original SCCA and NASA SpecRX7 class.
Use it, screw what Mazda tells its regular customers (you'll hear quite the opposite as a Mazdaspeed Motorsports member!!). I would not worry about pre-mixing, as the requirements are very very low (600:1 to 250:1), although with the VERY LOW oil injection rate in the new Renesis engine, it may prove to be benefitial in the long run.
If still in doubt I would do this-- go ahead and use your dealer-prescribed oil, fully documented, and then run a mild pre-mix with each fill up. Dealer will never know, and it definitely will help lubrication in your new Rotary that a dino 5w-20 cannot. ProTek R comes to mind, but any good motorcycle shop can recommend a premix that leaves little deposits (bad luck with castor bean oil in rotaries, choose something good from Motul or Maximum?).
-JW
Use it, screw what Mazda tells its regular customers (you'll hear quite the opposite as a Mazdaspeed Motorsports member!!). I would not worry about pre-mixing, as the requirements are very very low (600:1 to 250:1), although with the VERY LOW oil injection rate in the new Renesis engine, it may prove to be benefitial in the long run.
If still in doubt I would do this-- go ahead and use your dealer-prescribed oil, fully documented, and then run a mild pre-mix with each fill up. Dealer will never know, and it definitely will help lubrication in your new Rotary that a dino 5w-20 cannot. ProTek R comes to mind, but any good motorcycle shop can recommend a premix that leaves little deposits (bad luck with castor bean oil in rotaries, choose something good from Motul or Maximum?).
-JW
Please let me see if I understand this correctly. Mazda says that you must (not recommend, but must) use an oil that causes the engine in the RX-8 to explode. And if you use an oil that prevents this, your warranty will not be honored. This has to be one of the most fouled up pieces of corporate thinking that I've ever heard. Mazda would rather replace engines than recommend another oil?!? Please listen carefully: there is no modern engine made for street use that should blow up between 10,000 and 20,000 miles (assuming that it has not been severely abused, neglected, etc.) no matter where you live in the U.S. All the suggestions about oil are good, however, if I were you, I would get an attorney and look into the Lemon Laws in Nevada.
How's Mazda gonna know you use a synthetic unless you tell them? Oh yeah, they'll know because you won't need to have the engine replaced like everyone else running mineral oils
And, there is no motor oil proven to cause a rotary engine to explode.
We haven't gathered any statistics on the engines that have blown in Vegas. Heat related? oil 2-quarts low all the time? 7.5k or worse OCI's? bad fuel? IMO, that about sums it up!
Every time I meet an RX-8 owner, it amazes me how ignorant they are concerning the care of the car. Many wait for the idiot light to tell them when to top it off.
I also love amazing the Mazda technicians and shop mechanics. They always ask me who rebuilt my rotary engine 'cause it runs better then their new RX8s. All I say is "never rebuilt and running synthetics". Not bad for a 15 year old rotary powered car
The RX-8 was NOT built for the typical consumer. Its too bad that many "typical consumers" own one.
Lemon laws are usually for cars that can't be fixed. Having a new engine tossed in under warranty is a fix, and helps with unemployment since Mazda will need more builders/rebuilders on the rotary engine line
And, there is no motor oil proven to cause a rotary engine to explode.
We haven't gathered any statistics on the engines that have blown in Vegas. Heat related? oil 2-quarts low all the time? 7.5k or worse OCI's? bad fuel? IMO, that about sums it up!
Every time I meet an RX-8 owner, it amazes me how ignorant they are concerning the care of the car. Many wait for the idiot light to tell them when to top it off.
I also love amazing the Mazda technicians and shop mechanics. They always ask me who rebuilt my rotary engine 'cause it runs better then their new RX8s. All I say is "never rebuilt and running synthetics". Not bad for a 15 year old rotary powered car
The RX-8 was NOT built for the typical consumer. Its too bad that many "typical consumers" own one.
Lemon laws are usually for cars that can't be fixed. Having a new engine tossed in under warranty is a fix, and helps with unemployment since Mazda will need more builders/rebuilders on the rotary engine line
"and how does a synthetic engine oil reduce COOLANT temps in a rotary exactly?"
My aftermarket oil temp and coolant temp gauges always showed lower temp readings with the RP over the regular Mobil DC, even if it was only 5-20 degrees.
-JW
My aftermarket oil temp and coolant temp gauges always showed lower temp readings with the RP over the regular Mobil DC, even if it was only 5-20 degrees.
-JW
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