First Gens - Faster than you think!!!
07-30-01, 11:50 PM
#26
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Thanks for the many compliments. Someone did misquote me though. I haven't validated the top end yet but the speculation by various mechanics - RX7 Specialities and such is that it should get to at least 170 mph with the proper enhancements. Enhancements such as taking out the 3000 watts of DVD,CD,Navigation stereo with surround sound and amps, and subwoofers etc. out. That may get me another couple of hundred pounds lighter. And perhaps lightened rotors. The car was already altered from the original 2300 lbs to about 2050 lbs but you can't go too light since the weight to hp ratio will reach a point where physics won't allow anymore traction. My understanding is the downforce along with the total mass will make for a better top end - of course along with all the previous enhancements.
I've been learning more and more about the physics behind generating more top end, not necessarily more hp although they are closely related. I think we get too tied up in trying to make more hp without the realization that you just can't ignore the mass in the overall equation.
I'm working a building a website and will hopefully get it up and running soon with pics and a full story line behind my 'toy'. It's been a passion and labour of love since I first saw the Mazda commercial as a boy in Trinidad. When I got a look at the gorgeous 1st gen in that Shopping mall I said to myself and my wife that it's destiny. And sure enough in October of 1981 I hustled over to the only dealership in town and purchased the 1982 GX.
I'm presently pursuing the idea of a Supercharger. I want to add one to my 13B 6 Street ported and see what kind of increase in efficiency I can get. The HP won't be substantial at all. In fact from all of the research the overall gain is shadowed by the $$$ one has to spend to just get a supercharger. But I know that my RX7 is wasting energy and with all that heat generated and bhp that we loose I really think that there's got to be many ways to harness the wasted energy and send it to the rear wheels.
Just rambling and spilling things out for discussion. I'm certainly no mechanic so someone can certainly jump right in and give me some insight.
I've been learning more and more about the physics behind generating more top end, not necessarily more hp although they are closely related. I think we get too tied up in trying to make more hp without the realization that you just can't ignore the mass in the overall equation.
I'm working a building a website and will hopefully get it up and running soon with pics and a full story line behind my 'toy'. It's been a passion and labour of love since I first saw the Mazda commercial as a boy in Trinidad. When I got a look at the gorgeous 1st gen in that Shopping mall I said to myself and my wife that it's destiny. And sure enough in October of 1981 I hustled over to the only dealership in town and purchased the 1982 GX.
I'm presently pursuing the idea of a Supercharger. I want to add one to my 13B 6 Street ported and see what kind of increase in efficiency I can get. The HP won't be substantial at all. In fact from all of the research the overall gain is shadowed by the $$$ one has to spend to just get a supercharger. But I know that my RX7 is wasting energy and with all that heat generated and bhp that we loose I really think that there's got to be many ways to harness the wasted energy and send it to the rear wheels.
Just rambling and spilling things out for discussion. I'm certainly no mechanic so someone can certainly jump right in and give me some insight.
07-31-01, 12:00 PM
#27
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With a little weight reduction here and there (like i've done) - wouldn't it be a bit better? I dropped about 250lbs of crap out of the car 
Originally posted by SilverRocket
Yeah, I think our 12A's are more solid, maybe due in part to their simplicity? I mean, with the 13B's fuel injection and all the associated electronic junk, there is so much more that can go wrong. And half of them have clogged cats or so I've heard. It makes a difference too that ours are so easy to work on, you gotta love that you can mess with every part on our cars with not much more than a metric socket set.
The FC's are way heavier too, especially the GXLs with all the luxury crap. They have no chance of keeping up to a strong base model 12A with a few effective mods.
Yeah, I think our 12A's are more solid, maybe due in part to their simplicity? I mean, with the 13B's fuel injection and all the associated electronic junk, there is so much more that can go wrong. And half of them have clogged cats or so I've heard. It makes a difference too that ours are so easy to work on, you gotta love that you can mess with every part on our cars with not much more than a metric socket set.
The FC's are way heavier too, especially the GXLs with all the luxury crap. They have no chance of keeping up to a strong base model 12A with a few effective mods.
07-31-01, 12:35 PM
#28
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250lbs?? That's fantastic... How were you able to dump all that fat - did you scrape out all the tar sound deadening and junk? I assume you have a lighter battery too?
What kind of performance difference did you notice after dumping all that?
My stereo junk alone probably puts my FB at the same or heavier than yours...
With your mods I'm sure your ride is hella quick, what's your time through the quarter?
What kind of performance difference did you notice after dumping all that?
My stereo junk alone probably puts my FB at the same or heavier than yours...
With your mods I'm sure your ride is hella quick, what's your time through the quarter?
08-01-01, 11:18 PM
#29
mad scientist
Apremdas, your car is badass. I want to see some more pics of that beast.
I have my 90 GTU down to about 2600 lbs, and still have the sound dampening in my car. Here are my mods, but I did a bit more weight reduction since then. Anybody wanna race?
I have my 90 GTU down to about 2600 lbs, and still have the sound dampening in my car. Here are my mods, but I did a bit more weight reduction since then. Anybody wanna race?
08-02-01, 09:36 PM
#30
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Stock vs Modified.
Stock, the 1gen is average. A good driver will really show here.
If you do some mods to get 200rwhp and possibly lower your cars weight down to 2000lbs flat. Ya, tear up the V8s and whatnot without much problem. If it's not the driver, its the whole physics thing. 1hp/10lbs is a good goal. I've been on the freeway doin 65mph in 4th and had VW GTIs pull away from me. That's plenty of RPMs to show off the RX7, what gives? Only HP mod I have on my 85 se is an intake and bonez cat system with catback exhaust as well.
If you do some mods to get 200rwhp and possibly lower your cars weight down to 2000lbs flat. Ya, tear up the V8s and whatnot without much problem. If it's not the driver, its the whole physics thing. 1hp/10lbs is a good goal. I've been on the freeway doin 65mph in 4th and had VW GTIs pull away from me. That's plenty of RPMs to show off the RX7, what gives? Only HP mod I have on my 85 se is an intake and bonez cat system with catback exhaust as well.
08-03-01, 06:51 PM
#32
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Toss that AC, your interior, various sound barrier items. Swiss cheese non-supportive metal with your favorite drill. I'm not really sure what it would take in the 1st Gen to get to 2000lbs flat. Luckily, we get a great start with the enginge, but our car is well built like old cars and not like the tin thin types today. Perhaps something could be done to the doors and hood and things like that.
08-03-01, 07:56 PM
#33
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Originally posted by Jason Guthrie
our car is well built like old cars and not like the tin thin types today.
our car is well built like old cars and not like the tin thin types today.
08-03-01, 10:32 PM
#34
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Fare enough, then shoot for ~250hp with a ~2500 car
Same difference
I got a Fat 85 SE so I know I could drop some weight, but people with earlier GS models for example already weigh quite a bit less I'd imagine.
Same difference
I got a Fat 85 SE so I know I could drop some weight, but people with earlier GS models for example already weigh quite a bit less I'd imagine.
08-03-01, 10:39 PM
#35
8krpm is not enough
I guess it stands to mention that my bone stock, with all the trimmings my 85 -SE weighs 2500 dry, and ~2750 - 2850 wet w/ driver.
That's definatly not bad when you concider that 99% of today's cars might weigh 2900 dry. So achieving 2500 wet w/ driver wouldn't be too hard, much MUCH easier than in today's cars.
If I get 200HP to the wheels, in a 2750lb car, I have a feeling I'll be quite happy.
--matt
That's definatly not bad when you concider that 99% of today's cars might weigh 2900 dry. So achieving 2500 wet w/ driver wouldn't be too hard, much MUCH easier than in today's cars.
If I get 200HP to the wheels, in a 2750lb car, I have a feeling I'll be quite happy.
--matt
08-04-01, 01:12 AM
#36
Super Newbie
Originally posted by speckamp
If I get 200HP to the wheels, in a 2750lb car, I have a feeling I'll be quite happy.
--matt
If I get 200HP to the wheels, in a 2750lb car, I have a feeling I'll be quite happy.
--matt
08-04-01, 03:50 AM
#37
8krpm is not enough
see, I'm just gonna drop a TII motor in there, eventually a bigger IC, and turn up the boost.
So 200-250 shouldn't be TOO hard. Then I can just make the car look pretty, keep in in the garage and drive it during the summer when the weather's nice and end up keeping it for-ever :p
but that's me,
and if I buy a later GSL and put a bridgeported 12a, big turbo, and all kinds of other toys in it, that's ok too
--matt
So 200-250 shouldn't be TOO hard. Then I can just make the car look pretty, keep in in the garage and drive it during the summer when the weather's nice and end up keeping it for-ever :p
but that's me,
and if I buy a later GSL and put a bridgeported 12a, big turbo, and all kinds of other toys in it, that's ok too
--matt
09-04-02, 05:14 PM
#39
Old [Sch|F]ool
what's with all the "BACK FROM THE DEAD!!!" posts lately?
btw - I don't care about how fast, just how QUICK. Speed is boring. Acceleration is where it's at!
btw - I don't care about how fast, just how QUICK. Speed is boring. Acceleration is where it's at!
09-04-02, 07:56 PM
#43
Banned. I got OWNED!!!
Dude I dunno, I got totally creamed by a brand new automatic trans-am.
But I have no mods at all, and my engine needs a tune-up.
For me 1st and 2nd gear seem to get me going faster than most other people. Most of the time I notice it is when I'm behind someone. I finish 1st gear and then have to put it in nuetral 'cause the person in front of me is going so damn slow. And then I put it in second and then nuetral again to wait for them to speed up. Riding their bumpers most of the time.
That's only on certain occasions, I'm not a total ***** when I drive. `,=o)
I was following these 2 biker dudes out on this windy country road. It had some almost 90 degree turns, and the night before I had been out there taking them pretty fast. They were going really slow around the turns, but they'd speed up on the straight parts... It was kinda boring for me 'cause I could've totally smoked them through there.
I'm pretty sure I could take just about anyone on that road `,=o)...
But I have no mods at all, and my engine needs a tune-up.
For me 1st and 2nd gear seem to get me going faster than most other people. Most of the time I notice it is when I'm behind someone. I finish 1st gear and then have to put it in nuetral 'cause the person in front of me is going so damn slow. And then I put it in second and then nuetral again to wait for them to speed up. Riding their bumpers most of the time.
That's only on certain occasions, I'm not a total ***** when I drive. `,=o)
I was following these 2 biker dudes out on this windy country road. It had some almost 90 degree turns, and the night before I had been out there taking them pretty fast. They were going really slow around the turns, but they'd speed up on the straight parts... It was kinda boring for me 'cause I could've totally smoked them through there.
I'm pretty sure I could take just about anyone on that road `,=o)...
09-05-02, 01:52 PM
#44
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Yea my favorite is racing the ricer hondas, they just work so hard and cant to it. the only one that has taken me was a stock lookingt 97 civic. Pulled up to the light reved it up to 3500 dumped the clutch, smoked him in 1st and halfway through 2 when he blew past me like a bolt of lightining, talked to him later, had a spoon engine, 75horse shot of nitrous and a turbo.
to much fun racing racing people in my little unassuming rex.
to much fun racing racing people in my little unassuming rex.
09-05-02, 06:14 PM
#50
Old [Sch|F]ool
Uh, no. I got over my fascination with speed a while before I stopped driving American cars, I'm more interested in acceleration. (forward, lateral, and reverse acceleration )
)