It’s not often we come across a heavily modified Mazda RX-8. While Mazda’s last rotary sports car wasn’t terrible, it had a tough act to follow – the iconic twin-turbo FD RX-7. To make this RX-8 stand out, it has been given some RX-7 DNA in the form of a 13B REW engine under the hood.

This Mazda is a work in progress, and the YouTube channel Mechanical Warriors takes us through the important tuning process. While specific details about the engine upgrades are not mentioned, the goal of the day-long dyno session is to optimize air-fuel ratios and fine-tune parameters for water-methanol injection. This is a popular setup for tuned turbocharged engines as it helps lower intake temperatures and safely increase boost pressure. However, this tuning session proves to be a bit frustrating.