Transmission Variants

Production Variants

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Engines
Series Differences

There were 6 different transmissions offered with the RX-8 worldwide that I am aware of, 3 automatics and 3 manuals.

Manual Transmissions
The manual transmission variants were:

• 2004-2008 6-speed
  • This is the most common of all the transmissions, being paired with the Series1 6-port engine. 
  • Reverse is located to the right of 6th gear, and requires pushing down on the shift knob to enable the shifter to enter the reverse gate.
  • Gear Ratios
    • 1st - 3.760
    • 2nd - 2.269
    • 3rd - 1.645
    • 4th - 1.187
    • 5th - 1.000
    • 6th - 0.843
  • This transmission has a known weak point in 4th gear in racing applications. It is sufficient for street use, however on the track 4th gear failures become much more likely. 
• 2004-2008 5-speed
  • ​This is the R15M transmission used in the 1993+ RX-8. It was only available with the RX-8 outside of North America, and was usually paired with a 4-port engine.
  • Gear Ratios
    • 1st - 3.483
    • 2nd - 2.015
    • 3rd - 1.391
    • 4th - 1.000
    • 5th - 0.719
• 2009-2011 6-speed
  • ​4th gear was reinforced to be stronger than the S1 6MT.
  • Reverse is located to the left of 1st gear, and requires pushing down on the shift knob to enable the shifter to enter the reverse gate.
  • Gear Ratios
    • 1st - 3.815
    • 2nd - 2.260
    • 3rd - 1.536
    • 4th - 1.177
    • 5th - 1.000
    • 6th - 0.787

All manual transmissions are directly swappable with the other manual transmissions. The neutral/reverse wiring orientation is swapped between the two 6 speeds, but this is easily solved by plugging them in "backwards" or simply rewiring the connectors.

Automatic Transmissions
The automatic transmission variants were:

• 2004-2005 4-speed
  • ​This transmission was only available when paired with the Series1 4-port engine.
  • Gear Ratios
    • ​1st - 2.79
    • 2nd - 1.55
    • 3rd - 1.00
    • 4th - 0.69
• 2006-2008 6-speed
  • This transmission replaced the 4-speed AT above, and was paired with the 6-port engine
  • Gear Ratios
    • ​1st - 3.538
    • 2nd - 2.060
    • 3rd - 1.404
    • 4th - 1.000
    • 5th - 0.713
    • 6th - 0.582
• 2009-2011 6-speed
  • ​I am not currently aware of the difference between this transmission and the 2006-2008 6-speed AT, however this transmission has a list price that is approximately half of the other 6-speed AT, so it stands to reason that there is something significantly different about them.
  • Gear Ratios
    • ​1st - 3.538
    • 2nd - 2.060
    • 3rd - 1.404
    • 4th - 1.000
    • 5th - 0.713
    • 6th - 0.582

The Automatic Transmissions for all years had steering column mounted paddle shifters that function identically to manually telling the transmission what gear to be in when the automatic shifter is located within the "M" gate. These shifters are not indicative of a double clutch or fast shifting mechanism, it shifts just as slow as when you don't use the paddle shifters. This is similar to but not the same as Porsche's Tiptronic, which is a brand specific name that is used by some other manufacturers under license. Mazda calls it "ActiveShift". They do the same thing as far as most drivers are concerned, but there are significant differences under the skin, so calling it a "Tiptronic" is not correct.

The automatic transmissions also have a slight peak torque advantage vs the manual transmissions, but cripple the peak power because of it's inability to reliably handle the heat and fluid management of the 9,000rpm redline of the manual transmission equipped engines. This is why the automatic transmission equipped engines have a lower redline of 7,500rpm.