The Bottom Line
There are very few naturally-aspirated vehicles that will show the level of power gains we extracted from the RX-8. In the case of our RX-8, we gained 15.71 horsepower and 5.71 lb-ft of torque to the wheels with three simple bolt-on upgrades. The rotary engine definitely seems livelier with any throttle input and now easily screams to its 9,000 RPM redline. The rotary produces an addictive sound. With each blip of the throttle, the engine quickly roars to life. The Racing Beat components have definitely put a much needed “Zoom, Zoom” back into the RX-8. Stay tuned, Part II we will test Racing Beat’s PCM reflash and a grounding solution.
| HP Level | HP Increase | % Increase | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BASELINE | 180.8 | – | – | – |
| TEST 1 Race Muffler |
183.0 | +2.2 | 1.2% | +2.2 |
| TEST 2 REVi Intake System |
190.0 | +7.0 | 3.8% | +9.2 |
| TEST 3 Test Pipe |
196.5 | +6.5 | 3.4% | +15.7 |
| * * * * * | ||||
| FINAL POWER | 196.5 | +15.7 | 8.6% | +15.7 |
–
Parts List
| Racing Beat Race Muffler |
$525.00 | |||
| Racing Beat REVi Intake System | $336.00 | |||
| Racing Beat Cat Replacement | $295.00 | |||
| MSRP Total | $1,156.00 | |||
| DSPORT Street Price: | $948-$1,040 | |||
–