The primary concerns regarding the Rx8 that contribute to engine failures and their underlying causes:

Ignition, grounds, oil injection, front under-tray and driving it the way it was meant to be driven. Know the little things that make owning a rotary engined sports car worth the effort.

Notice the picture above, this car came in with the under-tray missing. Owner stated he didn't pay much attention to this. Because the radiator is at an angle, the air now just flows underneath, making the system work very hard. Add in our hot, dry climate and you have a motor running hot all the time.

• let's talk about the ignition: First the ignition coils and subsequent components deliver spark many more times than a normal piston engined car. That in itself is going to wear out lessor coils, so use the right ones.
• Grounds, every engine needs a positive and negative properly connected to the battery and the chassis. We have seen Rx8's with blown motors, at this point the internals have given up, what stands out is the poor quality of grounding wires from being loose to frayed, etc.  This encourages poor conductivity and poor performance with high engine wear.
• Oil injection: the Rx8 needs oil injection to function properly. Everyone has an opinion on this, the main point is to have a solid understanding and plan to keep the apex seals lubricated. The Rx8 has an electronic OMP, this overall is a good thing. The series 1 Rx8 has issues as the oil pump is on the front of the motor and the lines are prone to coking up and blocking the flow. This is due to the temperature differential along the flow path. The series 2 engine has a much improved system that keeps temperatures more consistent with shorter oil lines that are primarily on the top of the engine. That newer system works a lot better.
• Front under-tray: This is the one thing that will make the most difference in how your motor runs, if yours is damaged.
• A properly working under-tray gives the radiator the cooling air it needs, damage it / remove it and the motor is forced to run hot. Add into that the temperature gauge for coolant is not going to reflect actual temperature fluctuations and tell you that the motor is running hot.

The level of wear on a motor running hot and/or any of these components not working properly is high. The goal is to have them tested and repaired before it causes expensive damage.

Picure: Having the new one installed, it is still hard to see, yet it is critical for proper cooling.

Does this mean the Rx8 is flawed? All vehicles have issues, be aware and keep these components working properly and your Rx8 will last a lot longer.