Hi, i'm kinda new here, i need some help. I want more power and i want it to come from a turbo. I'm HEAVILY considering a 12A turbo, simply case i'm in school and don't want to spend alot of money on a 13b turbo 2 swap. Is it possible to get signifigant power out of a 12A Turbo? Does anyone either have one or know someone with one and if so, how much hp are they running? What would be the best way to get the power up from 165 hp? Thanx for any help you can give.

 

Go to mazdaracing.com . click on our cars. I can get you a header and piping if you can give me some information on the car ect.... I am into making custom stuff for anything just need to know what you want.

 

How much were you planning on spending for the turbo?
Not sure if you researched porting or not, but I'm fairly certain you can reach 165+ with a nice exhaust, modified nikki, and street port, while still maintaining streetability.

I would guess for the turbo you would be looking at over 2 grand for carb, manifold, turbo, fuel pump, etc.

Where-as if you went with a port you could get a nice rebuild out of it, good exhaust, and probably end up with more money left over.

P.S. I don't want too sound like a port **** or anything, and I would love too see some more turbo 12a's done, just trying too offer a suggestion you might find usefull. Hell, you could always do both =]

 

Well, i was actully thinking of buying a J-Spec 12A turbo, and then porting the engine from there. The only thing i'm worried about is i don't think the torque dosn't kick in stong untill late.

 

I have been pondering this for quite a while. Im in the same boat as you but I want somewhere around 300+ hp The problem with getting a 12AT J-spec is, 1) most of them are already wore out, 2) They are going for a LOT of $$$ (yen) 3) finding parts for them to rebuild is kinda a lost art, if you need a low compression 12A rotor etc

For a more than 165 horses, you could streetport a regualr 12A, with a good exhaust and a modified carb and get about 200 well after ignition mods and a better fuel pump. Doing all this would be somewhere in the $2500 range if your thrifity and find some good deals.

 

Surely we are talking limited budget if my school memories are correct. Most likely the car was cheap to buy,so lets provide advice on how to soup up an RX7 which will realistically stop in one piece for 2-3 years Then it can be parted out at little cost after much fun in the mean time.

First porting is out, you have got to take the motor out and have it rebuilt, as Mike says you are talking $2500 unless you do all the work yourself when you may get away with around $1200.

Real 12ats were Japenese only with EFI, an imported ons is only on if your are looking at building a collectors item.

Numerous 12as added an aftermarket turbo kit, but they were thrashed otherwise why get one in the first place.

The best solution is if your present engine has got good compression buy a manifold, a second hand turbo, a secondhand header, and a modified carb. Depending on local prices you may get the whole package for $500-750. You will not be into fragile expensive EFI which can cost you as much as you paid for the car to fix. How many times do you see 'RX7 waiting in the garage to be fixed'. If you get fuel starvation add a good secondhand fuel pump or better get a new one. What is great at your level is the number of RX7 owners perpetually improving their pride and joy so second performance parts are usually cheap,

You will be hotting up a 15+ year car so only reckon on a 2-3 year life and you will loose little cash and be ready to move on to bigger and faster things,

On the other hand you may like a Gen 1 and gradually improve it for the rest of your life. Many of the cars I drove at school, 40 years later I can hardly afford. I had an AC Ace, the Cobra starting point. and sold it for 200 UK pounds as a down payment om a Mini Cooper- its just been actioned for 72,000!

You can get 165 relatively cheaply but after that the tune shops laugh all the way to the bank.

 

I'm in school and i have no money too!! Also, like you, i want a fast car!! Plus, i dont know how im gonna do it either!! Wow!! Lots in common already! lol j/k but i really do want a fast car for no money (doesnt everybody), and i really dont know what im gonna do about it. I was thinking exhaust and intake (bigger carb?) for now...then when i get money some porting and maybe a turbo...or two

~T.J.

 

Sorry to break your bubble guys but more speed = more money. More money more speed. Not much on a limited budget that we can do. Start with exhaust and a K&N. Be happy with that, and save save save, because more speed = more money..................

 

on the money note......DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF.....or use the pay a buddy a six-pack method. Mechanics cost an arm and a leg. Do everything free you can. And learn to weld or get a buddy that does. (A pal with a machine shop would be perfect.) Oh yeah, and you can't afford to do what you want, so do what you can afford.

Just my $02

 

I have been looking into several diferent things, and have priced out several different paths. Do as Paul recommends it will have the most bang for the buck. I beleive my 13bt or 13btre swap is gonna be around 5000-6000 with me doing all the work. And who said speed costs money is RIGHT. It does, and I suffer from an old school of thought BUY the best the first time 'round and be done with it. But im 30 years old and have a house and a good job, so I can afford to do this in parts...On my school budget I would have problems doing anything but a header..

By the way I might have quite a few of spare parts if I go this 13b route. Headers, new breather with K&N and such for a 12A...

Good Luck!

 

yeah real power cost LOTS of cash this is undisputeable

early rx7's have many crappy parts to keep the cost down
the radiator, fuel pump, suspension, ignition(coils), gearbox, breaks, carburetter(god i hate emmisions control) and most of the stock 12a motor all suck if ur gonna make big power

the good news is that mazda continued to improve the rotary motor

the bad news is they charge out the **** 4 the latest and greatest

but if u can afford a little at a time then u do still have options the only thing u need is a good motor with big ports to build on and a little cash

mandrell bent headders into properly made extractors with a good flowing mufler are very cheap these days and can be found prefabricated without a problem this is one area u could take matters into your own hands to save a few bucks

a good carburetter new will cost as much as your exhaust but you will need a new manifold also. this should still be less than $1000

fuel pumps are cheap but this is also nesacary because the origonal pump sux

turbo is not an option on a budget if u expect the motor to stay on one piece seriosly u cant just slap a t28 on a carburetter so ur gonna need some efi (Electronic Funding Injections) if ur gonna boost ur car... rebuild, new housings, rotors and shaft, expensive seals, new turbo and pipeing, aluminium radiator with new fans, when u wanna make serious power the list dosent end if the car is going to be driven for more than a week

 

Hate to say it but mine is for sale. Using the track numbers to calculate HP it was around 180 to the wheels at 8lbs. Since then I have installed a boost controller and she is running nicely at 10lbs. There is an adverticement in the 1st gen for sale section if you car to look.

Cheapest way is to buy one already built

 

I am still wondering why so few original 12a turbos has been imported to you guys! They are dirt cheap over in Japan, heck, i got mine for a measly 3500 dollars and that included the freight from Japan to Norway!

But seriously, here is the truth about the 12a turbo. You can get about 210-220 RWHP out of it without opening it. This means a new manifold, S4 or S5 turbo, a new intake and last but not least, a good 2,5 inch exhaust and of course a intercooler. If you want more than that, you will have to start thinking about porting, and engine managment such as Haltech. This is where its starting to get expencive...

A better alternative could be getting a complete 2nd gen engine, and moving that over to the 1st gen, using the 12a front plate and the GLS-SE oil pan (plus various other parts) This is not cheap either, but it will get you a better starting point for, as 13B turbos are more common than 12A turbos are..

Anyways, i love my 12AT, and i would love to see more of them around, but the truth is that its probably easier to convert to 13B. On another note, you wont have to ruin a JDM 12AT either!

 

hey, good game on bringing back a thread from over 3 years ago. nice 1st post.. we'll let that one slip but i would like to give you some advice. . . you obviously have not seen what alot of people have done on a "budget". alot of power can be made, that is why this forum is here. doing things yourself saves sooo much money and getting most parts used from later models is a great way to get power with *gasp* tuuurbooooos. and YES, you could take a T28 (why so small tho?) and run it thru a carb... that's kind of, well, almost exactly what i did. imagine that. NOW as for the creator of the thread.... BOOST YOUR CURRENT 12A!!!!!! well over 200rwhp can easily be attained!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHGGGG its not that expensive! AHHHHHHHHHHHG AGAIN! sorry

 

[QUOTE=mortenf]I am still wondering why so few original 12a turbos has been imported to you guys! They are dirt cheap over in Japan, heck, i got mine for a measly 3500 dollars and that included the freight from Japan to Norway!

Because in the US you can get reman or new 13B Engines from Mazda for only a few hundred Dollars more. You can get 280-400+ rwhp, and they are stronger Engines.