OK, Wiseass, So You Need Some Space To Vent. Here It Is. Direct Letters To The Editor To Sccnews@Sourceinterlink.Com And We'll Do Our Best To Come Up With A Snide Response. Or Completely Ignore You. But Hey, At Least You've Got A Voice.
Letter Of The Month
The price of originalityAfter toiling away with hours of overtime and saving all my pennies, I finally made the move from a busted 1989 Camry to a used 2004 Mazda RX-8. But something is bothering me. It's not that I'm complaining about leaving behind a leaking, smoking hunk of scrap steel for my new car, but I'm having trouble with my Mazda.
The problem? I can't seem to find any easy way to make serious power. The RX-8 is good for now, but I want to be able to really lay it down when I need to. At the track event I did last year, I was getting smoked left and right down the front straight. I've seen the GReddy turbo, heard about some JDM superchargers and even heard of some people doing an RX-7 engine swap, but the Renesis is really killing me. I have a friend with a 2005 WRX-he just slapped on a turboback exhaust and gained way more power than I could ever hope to get. Are there any secrets I'm not thinking of?
Brandon Mansieta
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Ah, sorry friend, but you've fallen victim to the concept of supply and demand. Believe me, the RX-8 is a far more popular modification platform than, say, the first-generation Prelude or any Hyundai Accent. But the customer base behind it determines its place in the aftermarket industry. Companies are reluctant to develop parts for Accents because they simply won't sell many and will lose the cash they sink into development. The Mazda RX-8 is a great seller, but the Renesis engine requires significant development time to be able to nail a perfectly driveable aftermarket turbo setup.
The Mazda RX-8 isn't designed to be a drag car; there simply aren't enough power-mad RX-8 owners to make it worth too many companies' time. WRX and Evo owners are lucky because they can just slap on a jury-rigged exhaust and gain at least 20 wheel-hp. Plus, everyone and their mom seems to enjoy drag racing all-wheel-drive turbos, for some reason. The Blitz and Power Enterprise RX-8 supercharger kits never made it Stateside and the RX-7 engine swap is not as simple as it sounds. Just ask JIC USA-we have. What you should do is focus on your car's inherent strengths. In the case of the RX-8, that would be handling. The chassis design is still one of the finest on the market and you can easily stuff 275-width Hoosiers under the stock fenders. Focus on your cornering power and increase your corner exit speeds. That should help you take out a WRX or two. -JL
Project Car Graveyard
I've had a subscription for over 10 years and I love it. Keep up the good work. I've been a Subie fanatic for the past seven years. I started by owning a 2000 2.5RS, then got into a 2001 2.5RS with a 2002 EJ20 engine. The best of both worlds-so why not? I now have a 2002 WRX wagon and I love the extra room. What happens with project cars you have no further use for? Do they go to auction or what? You probably get asked this every day, but I would like some information on if there's a way to purchase one of your project cars. I'm really interested in the Subarus or Project 240.
Matthew Shreve
Knoxville, TN
Actually, we do get asked this question quite a bit. The answer is always: it depends. Some cars, like Project SRT-4, will never truly leave our project fleet. We may consider them done at some point, but they're so close to the heart of SCC, they'll always stay around. Others, like Project Silvia or past Subaru projects, come and go as they're finished. Some stay with their respective owners, others are sold via used car listings or other means. Almost none are represented as an SCC project when they're sold. Although you could always make us an offer we can't refuse... -JL