Ive got a stock 05 rx8. Im looking to tune it. Ive never really tuned anything before but Ive always wanted to. What should be my first step that will give me the most bang for my buck?

 

On those things... a turbo.

 

honestly, leave it stock.

its a rotary, theres no such thing as best bang for the buck.

if you still want to mod it, then throw a 13b-rew in it.

ibtrouxsaysputav8init. wait its an rx-8 so im okay with that.

 

I'd do an exhaust, but that's about it

 

Yep, exhaust, and a racing seat, and then go do some real driving, you'd be surprised how much fun you'll have.

and if you must have more power, swap in a 20b....google "speedsource"

 

what direction do you want to go with your car? do you want to auto x it, track it, etc? from there i can help you out a bit. you can also check out www.rotary4life.com

 

first join www.rx8club.com and do some reading up
then find and contact MazdaManiac on the site, he has the best deal on
Cobb's Access Port tuning device - plugs right in to your OBD port also comes with several maps to use right off the bat

then depending on your finances I'd go for;
better wheels and tires
suspension upgrade
chassis bracing
Agency Power exhaust
Racing Beat intake or AutoExe's intake
and lots of autocross to improve the nut behind the wheel

 

Instead of Joining RX8club, join Rotary Car Club - Forums - Mazda Rotary Community

I'm sure its a joke, but I'll take it serious and comment...

SpeedSource 3 rotor swap will not work and would cost you more than the car itself. Their 8 set up is pretty much tube chassis with carbon shell that looks like RX8. It shares almost nothing that your 8 will have.. I know this as I've interviewed the guys that built it.

There have been decently powered 8s in USA. Most are turbo'd renesis (which still not quite refined) and cost of doing one, I would rather buy an used FD and build a more HP car.

Jeff from Mazdamaniac is probably the best one and best solution to "Tuning" your ECU. Get his Cobb access port and you'll gave some power and monitor what's going on with your car. I was going to do this, but I mainly use my car as daily and when I track, I rather refine my driving skill than try to set a track record

 

He should join both the Rx-8club and RCC and any other rotary related site he can find.
The RX8 club does have a much larger knowledge base, as it's just about RX-8's and has over 50,000 more members than the RCC.

 

Im bias as I own Rotary Car Club (RCC).

FYI: RX7 and RX8 club is owned by a corporation that doesn't give a damn about the community. A lot of vendors, especially small mom and pop shops got kick off because they initially wanted to charge 800 a month to advertise. It wasn't until RCC came about when they started to lower the ad fees. Even then, a lot of them can't pay for it..

Also, owners of RCC (me and one other) are Rotorheads and we actually organize meets and try to help as many people as possible.