[HiWire]

I'd prefer to keep the rotary engine. The LS7 can stay in the Z06, in my opinion. I think the main motivation for swapping to the V8 is torque - it's immediate and plentiful in the small-block.

 

[HiWire]

Hedgehog, what kind of springs and struts are you using? Also, did you swap for a single turbo?

 

[HedgeHog]

HiWire,

I'm using Penske 8100 double adjustable with Eibach ERS springs. Turbo was swapped for a Garrett GT40R ball-bearing (big power but laggy for autox).

Here's the rest of the specs: http://www.encompass-tech.com/photog...D3S%20Spec.pdf

Cheers.

 

[kelim]

My 7.

 

[HiWire]

Thanks, Hedgehog. I'm still trying to figure out how I want to set up my future RX-7. She will be mine, oh yes.

 

[Dachink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oicdn /img/forum/go_quote.gif Here's some pics of one that I recently owned: Mods were a fully built motor and a custom turbo built by Danstoy. That car actually made Danstoy what it is today...

O M G :O

 

[hanhan12]

I fell in love with RX-7 after I saw it in Initial D anime

Damn good car and it looks cool...

 

[dspargo]

Great car!

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joeywhat /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd take an FD RX-7 with an LS1 swap any day. That would be a BADASS car right there. I doubt I'd keep the rotary in it...sure, they can make OK power, but at the end of the day a V8 with mild performance upgrades will take a beating for 200,000+ miles. As for 400 hp being streetable...of course it is. Will you get good mileage? Depends...you can certainly pull it off with a GM LS family engine, and I imagine the Ford 4.6 could pull decent numbers. Remember that gearing plays a good roll as well. I could build a 1000 hp engine and get 50 mpg with it with the right gearing...doesn't mean it's going to be very fast, though. My dad has a 1968 Camaro with a 502 BBC in it. 450hp/550ft.lb, so it goes. It's certainly very streetable. No traction issues with it, and the you can give it a good amount of gas without it really letting loose. I'd say once you get into the 600+hp range you're going to start seeing issues with traction, reliability and throttle response.

I don't know about that. If you really want a horsepower monster, do it in a Camaro, Nova, Mustang, etc.

An engine swap for an RX-7 is missing the point. The rotary is what makes the car special and yanking it out ruins that. My backup car is a 1988 NA FC3S. Except for the stereo, it is completely stock. Sure, the 0-60 and 1/4 aren't anything special, but it's the best driving car I've ever had. Its road manners are impeccable and it would not have the neutral ride and lack of vibration if it were powered by anything else. I've wound it up and down PCH and through the local mountains. There's nothing else like it.

To drop in a V8 would kill the experience you can only have in an RX-7. If you want to go fast, tinker with a Camaro or Corvette or something. If you want supercar handling and finesse, reliability and a reasonable price, get the RX-7.

And the 13B has been dead reliable. 20 years and almost 150k miles and it's still going. Everyone I've run into who's blown a seal usually starts the story with "I was at the track," "I just ported it," "I was racing this guy" and similar. Keep it stock, change the fluids religiously, top up the fluids every week, and don't drive it like an idiot.

 

[DLeeWebb]

I had a 1980 RX-7 (Anaconda Gold). It was my first new car. I kept it for 6 years (123,000 miles). I sold it after the rotor-seals gave out. I was told that I needed a new engine. I loved that car on so many levels. I put an awesome Alpine sound system in it. Great Car!

 

[EYEdROP]

Alot of people claim rotary engines are unreliable. To them I say: Read the manual! They have different (not necessarily shorter) maintainince intervals. If you dont maintain it correctly, of course it will break down soon. Maintain it correctly and it will run just as long, if not longer than a regular engine.

 

[courierdriver]

They were a sweet ride, and had that killer Wankel Rotery Engine! A great sports-car. My mom worked at a Mazda dealership in the early '80's, and they couldn't keep them in the showroom or on the lot long enough. Guys were trading in their 'Vetts on this car. At a bit under $10,000 to start, they were a huge bargain, too. At the age of about 12, I lusted after one of these, and even imagined myself driving one when I turned 18.

Those adolecent dreams never came true, but I still marvel at how well that car performed. A true classic, and the beginning of "Zoom-zoom", for this smaller Japanese car manufacturer. If I could get an '82-84 in great shape, I'd buy one, and use it for my summer car. I can still remember they didn't like winter much, though. One quirk, was that the pop-up headlamps didn't both always come up in the cold weather, so when someone was driving one in the daytime, it looked like the car was winking

. I especially liked the Targa model, with it's dual removable roof glass.

 

[EYEdROP]

I personally cant decide what to get for college. A 2nd gen RX7, an mk3 supra, or a sportbike. It drives me insane. I have always loved motorcycles and have been riding all of my life. But I mean, a car is a car. The main thing that Im hesitant about buying a car is insurance costs.

 

[oicdn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EYEdROP /img/forum/go_quote.gif I personally cant decide what to get for college. A 2nd gen RX7, an mk3 supra, or a sportbike. It drives me insane. I have always loved motorcycles and have been riding all of my life. But I mean, a car is a car. The main thing that Im hesitant about buying a car is insurance costs.

Sportbike. Like you just said, a car is a car. Use a car for what it is, driving around and errands. Get the bike for your fun and messing about. IMO, a high end sports car is for somebody not man enough to REALLY push the limits of performance(generally speaking).

Look at it this way, sports cars are safe(r), and most ANYBODY with money can/will buy one and flog the crap out of it. Hardly ANY of those very same people will do the same on a motorcycle for 1/3 the cost(for a high end motorcycle), 5 times the MPG(which is important these days), with double the performance. Riding a motorcycle smartly, will also make you worlds of a better driver whether on 4 or 2 wheels.

Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate sportscars, and I lust for some of them...but IMO, it's just stupid to buy one. From insurance costs, to depreciation, to maintenance, to just straight up cost of owning one...it's just not a smart buy.

Anybody who has done a track day on a motorcycle will tell you, there's nothing like taking a turn at 60mph with your knee on the ground....makes doing car trackdays and SCCA days a yawn away from sleeping.

 

[Tgun5]

I had a 1987 Turbo 2 and I still pine for it. The intercooler went ballistic and the car burned to a crisp. Mazda had a recall on the intercooler for overheating just 2 months after the car burnt.