strong rear end for road racing ?
 

would a rear end swap like ford 8.8" with coilovers improve handling ?

From how I understand it, and I could be wrong, the strength of a rear end affects handling only in that a weak rear end may break as you progress to stickier tyres. People generally upgrade differentials to get LSD and to handle greater power levels rather than handling.

Coilovers will improve handling because they are much more tunable than leafs. However you have to consider how far you want to go because the costs may outweigh the benefits. Tower braces and sway bars will likely give you more benefit than coilovers and will certainly be a lot less work. A good set of tyres will do the same.

Where does your car stand now as far as power, upgrades, and modifications?
What are your goals for the car?
Whats your budget?
What led you to think about Ford 8.8's and coilovers?
What have you read up on around here about others upgrades?

Ford 8.8 weighs more than factory 7" rear so I'd say more unsprung weight = worse handeling.

If you're over 300 flywheel HP or 300 flywheel torque then start looking at the ford.

There are so many other things you can do to make the 1st gen handle better. Good starting point is here:
http://www.gforceengineering.net/products.htm

Leafs? 7s use coils, SE Diff has the bigger Axels thats about all that brakes any how
Most GT cars run Quick change solid rear ends. Mi Tue Sents Good Luck

If you start with a low milage rearend or run through an old one and get it tight,the stock RX-7 axle is a pretty good performer.Most rotaries dont make enough torque to break them,and high hp turbo rotaries tend to break traction in the lower gears,which reduces load.My 100K old SE rearend has held up to almost 4 years of 300hp driving with no complaints at all.
Im not sure how you would run coilovers.The shock towers in the back are setup just to mount the shocks,not support the weight of the car.The spring pads are above the axle,tieing into the "frame rail" portion of the unibody,too short for coilovers.

there actually are coil over kits for first gen rear ends.
Ive heard of a few people with them. Never had the extra money or want to do it though. It would make changing rear spring rates a pain compared to stock.


like steve says. stock rear end is fine. 84-85 rear ends have bigger axels and are a little sturdier. Many many hardcore first gen racer guys use them with little problem.

the worst ive heard of is acutal twisting of the axel it self. NO housing problems.

I'm happy with my 8.8" Ford setup:

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...3&page=1&pp=15

Then again, I haven't raced it yet, so I can't comment on how it handles compared to the RX7 unit. All I know is that I'm happy I don't have to swap out axles every weekend.

im just doing some homework , a friend told me 1st gen rear ends where crap after 240hp,

i whant to build a 2000lb. solo 1 car prob run a street ported 13 4-port with webbers

an '84-'85 GSL-SE rear end will cope perfectly fine with that engine.

Build your motor and run it till the rearend breaks. When it goes, then you've found out how much power and tyre it'll take.

I ripped the rearend apart on my '85 SE. Tore the bearings housing apart and put three holes through the rearend housing the size of quarters. I'm only about 200hp at the flywheel. Of course it probably wouldn't have happened if I would have slipped the clutch a bit off the line at the strip. Track was in great shape and I realy hooked up that night.

Pics?

No, at the time I had no digital camera and just wanted to get a rearend back uder it. Wound up with an 84 GSL rearend. When I called mazdatrix he couldn't believe it but since I reved to 4k and didn't slip the clutch coming off the line that had to have done it.

What type/size of front swaybar does Susko recommend in his book? I just put on a Racing Beat front and don't really want to change it but I do plan on buying his book.

1 1/8" is common front bar on 1st gen and what I use. Suspension Technics.

sweet, thanks for that info, I should be good with the RB bar. It's the same size as the st bar.