o wow... I've just be told that 7s are Mid-engine or FMR while i always thought it was FR out of MR, FF and RR (stupid Gran Turismo)... and though it's all technicalities, does this community perceive it to be FMR or simply the good ol' FR way?

 

i think it is considered mid becuase the motor mounts are behind the shock towers.

 

RX7 MRs? i play GT4, and 7s are NOT MRs. the engine's in the front of course, with rear wheel drive.

it's freakin FR. whoever told you that is a weird one.

 

Some people call it a front midship. But it's still an FR. Front engine, Rear wheel drive.

 

Yes, its "technically" mid engine because the engine is somewhere between the front and rear axles. Basically any car with the engine between the front and rear axles (instead of over them) is technically mid engine...regardless of whether the driver is in front of or behind it.

However, 98% of the world automatically thinks of a car with the engine behind the driver if you say "mid engine" so it is a hell of alot less confusing to just say it is a front engine car.....or FMR

HAHAHA....you play GT4 so you really know everything dont you...haha....stupid video game racers....

 

as the engine IS behind the front axles... its still in front of the most important component. The driver. So its still a FR, though if you wanna be all technical and ****, then yeah, in some weird world its an MR

 

But by that thinking, most "mid engine" cars ought to be labelled "rear engine" because the engine is behind the drive, right?

Here is my question: if the engine is behind the driver and over the rear axle it is "rear engine." If it is behind the driver and in front of the rear axle it is "mid engine"....thats accepted

But if a car has the engine in front of the driver, why is thought of as "front engine" whether it is behind the axle or not?

 

eh, good point. even still, i know that its a mid engine, but to me its just easier to call it FR, traditionaly MR's are behind the driver, so I like sticking with the traditional answer, though we know better. average joe will still call it an FR, so why argue

 

Yeah, i agree with that....its just easier to call it FR

 

its still in the front of the car, so why not. if itsi n the back of the car but forward of the rear axles its MR, and overhang its rear engine. thats just the way i look at it. though its not the technical version

 

Well, depends on how you define mid engine. I've heard the term Front-Midship Engine before, but can't find a source.



I really wanted to post a link to something from Mazda's website or a RX7 brochure and say "See!", but had no joy.

But yes, as mentioned, the engine is mounted behind the front axle. (If our cars had a front axle.)

 

True, so go by the crossmember then

 

The driver is of no importance.

If the engine is located between the axles it is technically a mid-engined car. The C5/C6 vettes are mid-engined. The ferrari F430 is mid-engined. If the engine overhangs the rear axle (porsche 911) then its a rear-engine. If it overhangs the front axles its front engined. (Buick Skylark )


that being said you can call our car, or the vette, or the F430 a front engined car because thats where the engine is. No one will call you out for being stupid.


BC

 

it's 1" behind the fron't strut towers.... it's a freaking FR, why the big debate?!

 

its an argument over technicalities. Not even an argument, more a discussion so rarely seen around here.

 

lmao

+eleventyseven

 

That is exactly correct.

Mazda did market the SA/FB and the FC as mid engined cars because the engine does sit behind the front axle line.

well... unless you quote a video game as your source for learning about cars.

Next thing you know people will be say they learned something about cars from a Japanese Anime cartoon.

 

isn't that how everybody else learns?

 

intial D is pretty dumb, hence the "D" for the show. xP
it's cool and all, but i just think it casued a fad for drifting.
it sucks to see people buy cars just cause of that.

anyhow, i do admit my false knowledge from playing GT4.
it was the closest car knowledge i had before i joined the club.
glad such a thing like this place provides alot info.

 

Heeeyyy, are you insinuating that you doubt the existence of the Mach 5???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALzDcMDhf2o

 

haha aww damn. crazy stuff man.
i know it's not anime, but there's batman's batmobile too!
isn't it at six flags or something?
btw, great opening video.

 

Nope, not at all... You do know that the Brothers that created the Matrix Trilogy current project is bringing a live action version of Speed Racer to the big screen near you?

 

Right so when everybody thought the earth was flat, those who knew better should have just went along with it and not argued?

Whether its 1" or 4 feet behind the front wheels, it is still behind them. This is one of many attributes that make our cars unique. So if someone say RX-7s are FR, I will correct them and say, actually its FMR, explaining that its an MR with the engine in front of the driver. (though as a couple other people said, the relative position of the driver to the engine is really of minor importance when talking about the physics of a car.)

 

Didn't Mazda use the term front-midship? It makes sense by denoting it's a mid-engine design that's located in the front of the car...

 

Wow, I can't decide if I want to be excited or disgusted. I think I'll go with the former, but no gaurantees.
Also, I have always heard it called a "front-mid" engine. While it may not be a technical term, I think it describes it well.