im just interested in any input people can give so here it goes....

ive always liked the fb/sa since i can remember seeing this really clean white one when i was 11, but is there any real benefits compared to fc or fd? is the chassis better for certain things? what about the weight? does its lightness prove to be more succesful in certain types of racing(i.e.-auto x, road, drift, drag...)? also does the power to weigh ratio prove to be better than the other models? is the chassis stiffer or did technology just leave people with a retro eye behind? could a fb/sa be considered a good car for beginers or people trying to do some racing while on a budget cuz they actually have to work for their fun?

thanx for reading,
~k!m~

 

Yeah the fb's are great racing vehicles because of their perfect front-rear weight ratio. Tune into some dirt racing sometime on speed vision...

I think they're lighter than 2nd gen (ust under 2400 lbs curb weight) and they look much better than a 2nd gen IMO. Compared to the 3rd gen for me, cost is the main consideration here. If you could pick up 3rd gens for < 3K I'd be all over them.

 

ok... see i didnt realize that the weight bias was 50/50 from the begining... i thought it was something that the 2nd gens got then the 3rd gens. yeah i definately agree with the ridiculous cost of the 3rd gen campared to the week end warrior price of the 1st gen! yeah first gens got some retro charisma!!!

 

2nd gens IIRC don't have 50/50.. I could be wrong.

In fact, I don't think any of them have perfect 50/50... just so much closer to it than any other cars that people say it's 50/50. The Rx8 comes damn close though.. they call it "near perfect"

Someone correct me if I'm wrong on all that.. but I think 1st gens are closer to 50/50 than 2nd, but not as close as the Rx8... and god knows what 3rd gens are.. those big boats

Jon

 

I think you're right.

 

IIRC correctly, 2nd gens are 49.5 back, and 50.5 front....that's pretty damn near 50/50

 

Why do you call FD "boats"? They are lighter than the rx8, maybe 100lbs between the base model. The 2nd gen is close to 50/50, and the FD is also extremely close to 50/50 as well.
The FD is the best model rx7 or 8 to have, IMO.

 

isn't the fd lighter than the FB? i'm pretty sure it is....

 

yea maybe with me and 3 of my friends in my FB. FB<FC<FD not sure about rx8's but the rx7s got progressively heavy....stock mind you

 

No, the heaviest FB was the GSL-SE, around 2600lbs if I'm not mistaken. FD's are roughly 2800lbs or more depending on options. S5 TII's were the heaviest of RX7's at around 3000lbs.

 

Either FB or FD chassis is good but being 10 or 20 years old, both will need upgrades to be competitive. You need to consider the type of racing and any restrictions for the particular class you want to be in. Certain upgrades may be allowed for one RX-7 model but not for the other. The engine is effectively the same (potentially) so the lighter weight of the FB chassis gives a better power to weight ratio. In stock f0rm, the FD has a suspension and handling advantage over the FB, but with enough upgrades the difference could be insignificant. Ultimately the sanctioning body's rules will determine whether either model would be competitive.

 

Also SCCA doesn't allow boost in their club racing. Something to consider.

Sorry about the bad info earlier i thought they did get heavier with the newer gens....ya learn something everyday.

 

I'd say one of the benefits is their simplicity. Okay, it's not as sophisticated as the FD, but the suspension is light, cheap and easy to work on and that's definately a benefit to me.

 

I like the fact that the only computerized part of my car that is still working is the clock. These cars are as simple as I would like to get, any more and you will be into kart racing.

 

I thought I was kart racing in my FB?

 

I destroy the kiddies on the go-kart track with my FB.

 

FC's do have an almost perfect 50/50 weight ratio w/ the driver in the car. if not perfect. i have the old school FC book for this..

 

no wonder I cant find it. bring my book back..

 

Nobody's ever gonna get a PERFECT, dead on 50/50 weight distro... You can't engineer the car around variables...

What if the driver's a fat ***, or bean pole? What if they like to keep the tank topped up, or drive it around on empty all the time...

Gasoline is just over 6 pounds per gallon... Full tank is 15 gallons or so in a FB... Between nothing and 90 pounds hanging off your ***, and a 120-210 (I can't imagine anyone larger or smaller in the 7) pound driver in the middle to the left (Or right for you JDM, Aussie, or UK drivers.)

 

ha my fatass is 225 but im only like 5'9 just fat,

one of my freinds has a 85gs and is 6'4 and prolly 240 and he fits fine with the stock seats

 

fb has an advantage because you can put fc motors in it and have an equally powerfull car with much less weight.

i just sold my stock 87 TII and a comparison between it and my stock FB is fairly easy...
the FC has very refined steering feel compared to the fb
the FC feels much heavier than the FB
the FC has a better power to braking ratio compared to a stock FB
the FC has tons of power compared to a stock FB

Now my modded FB will walk all over just about any FC im likly to find on the street and most FD's. I little money goes a long way in a FB

a turbo FC is a great package for the price you can get em for nowdays.
I picked mine up for 2650 and got a parts car with it. Fixes its few problems, about 100 bucks worth of little parts and it was a good solid car.

putting 2500 bucks in a FB wont get you up to turbo FC performance.
putting about 5000 bucks in an FB will get you something that is an awsome performance machine.

 

the FB chassis has amazing tortional rigidity, and as one who rolled an FB in a rocky canyon I can tell you the body holds up very well in case of accident - though it's so narrow that if one were to get T-boned in the driver door you'd probably buy the farm...

 

Maybe I should get pics of my Fat *** in the 83 then.

I'm a good bit heavier then 210... Lets just say I couldn't drive one with factory electric windows, my leg wouldn't fit between the door handle and the steering wheel. Manual windows on the other hand

 

Bwahaha! I'm MUCH bigger than 210. 6'8" and after several months of losing weight down to 270. When I got my car I weighed 315.

Thats one of the reasons I got a first gen, its lighter to make up for me.

 

Hmmm... I guess I could fit more gut between the seat and the steering wheel if I wanted to... I'm 6'1" and have the seat almost all the way back to the storage bin aso so my knees don't hit the steering wheel.