Akagi_Red_Sun

PJ RX-7:
Its true many sports cars come with luxury features such as leather, power windows, etc...

I was just trying to clear up the fact that the rx-7 and the cosmo are two different cars. The cosmo (which had the 20B) was actually a luxury coupe sold only in japan.

Icemark

You need to read up on your automotive history a little to understand.

The rotary engine was going to be in almost every single manufactures product, and would be today it was not for the development of the catalytic converter.

But given emissions regulations aside, Cost is the only reason that piston engines are prevalent... it is the same reason that GM still makes inefficient OHV engines when OHC or DOHC is more efficient. If your main tooling and engine factories are paid for (and with companies like GM the V8 tooling and factories for the block were paid for in the 50's) then it takes very little money to continue to develop a motor.

But a new technology motor would cost hundreds of millions more than the equivalent "update" to develop.

So if you are in a company trying to make a profit would you spend your next 10 years R&D on a new motor design, or spend this years R&D money on a new valve train or intake???

PJ RX-7

I figured this would be the argument used.

GM is the second wealthiest company in the ENTIRE WORLD. Cost doesn't mean jack to them, they sell 1,000's of vehicles daily worldwide.

True you have to spend more money on new technology, but it doesn't just apply to cars. That applies to everything. Not very many other products have been canned because they cost too much to produce. Pres. Bush's "missle defense" system is a prime example of that. Should we let this nation be more susceptible to attack or should we spend billions of dollars to protect it? The same for medical research. Should we just let HIV and Cancer run rampant and wipe out everybody unfortunate enough to contact it? Of course not, we spend millions of dollars in research to find a cure.

We wanted to land on the moon many years ago, we knew an airplane wouldn't get us there, so we spend money on a spaceshipl. You see my point.

And if what you're saying is true, (the part about every manufacturer worldwide using it) then why is it that ONLY ONE of them was willing to spend the money to develope it?

Surely if it was so much more superior (and it is) then GM, Ford, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Dodge, etc. would have realized it and been willing to spend the extra dough.

Have they refused to build the electric,hydrogen, hybrid, and water-powered engines? No. But they are all too expensive to sell and mass produce right? (despite the fact that they will be used in the future (some 5 years from now, others 10+)

This simply isn't the case or cars like Ferrari and Lamborghini would never be made, because the connecting rods in these engines cost more than the whole rotary does from Mazda. They don't have a problem spending the money there, so why would they spend over $2000 to make connecting rods when they could stuff a whole rotary engine into the car?

You commented on the inferiority of GM as a company, although according to J.D. Power, the initial quality of GM cars surpassed that of Nissan, a Japanese manufacturer. This was a survey given to consumers.

Emissions aren't that big a problem here if someone can import a Nissan SKyline now is it? There are plenty of cars that would never make it stateside had it been for emissions, they stuff more cats, pre-cats, etc. on there to make it emissions friendly.

I had a friend with a Cobra that works on mustangs and he said Ford uses 4 catalytic converters on there, 4. Surely emissions can't be the problem.

Akagi_Red_Sun

RV26DETT FC




Notice how all these cars have the coolest hoods after dropping those engines in

Icemark

Again it sounds like you need to read up more on the practices and history of the automotive world.

I used to work for a company that is a curent supplier of electrical systems for GM, so lets fill you in a little.

While I agree with you that GM is a wealthy company (although not as stable or as in the black as Toyota) there is a fine line between being able to sell a product for an affordable price and new engineering.

GM today probably builds the most enginnered product in the world. To make a car that is comfortable, has great performace, and safety without cost as an issue is easy- Benz and Volvo and Porsche have done it for years, but if cost is an issue and you must add ABS and fuel injection to every car and then make it affordable takes all kinds of extra enginnering... If you use cheaper metals (such as stamped steel control arms, instead of forged aluminum) you have to do a lot more enginnering work to make them as strong. So the more cars you make that are having to make a price point, the more you must be concerned of R&D costs. If price points are not a concern or sales volumn, then yes R&D is easier to pass on to the consumer.

GM only played with the rotary for a few short years before the cat was born. I am completely sure however that if the Cat converter was not developed then GM would be the largest manufacture of Rotaries on the world.

Perhaps with the Hydrogen requirements in the next decade, GM as well as others will go the rotary direction, since the rotary engine is much easier converted to Hydrogen fuel and hybrid fuel cell technology, than piston engines.

95blacks14

it's a REX so i ask people who own REX... nm though i found what i'm looking for... bye ladies

banzaitoyota

All your questions have been answered before. MANY, MANY, MANY times.

You want a turbo, buy a turboII
You want less maintenance, buy an NA
You want a 13B REW, buy a 93-95 model FD

You want to turbo a NA? SEARCH AND READ
You want a 13B REW in a Second Gen: SEARCH AND READ
You want a cosmo motor?: Search and read.

The answers to your questions are there. They took a lot of hard work by talented ambitious people. The answers are not simple and concise. We tend to get tired of regurgitating the answers to a new forum member only to have them disappear after a few posts and contributions. Do the people who did the work the courtesy of reading THEIR posts. Let them know you appreciate their work in Blazing a trail for you to follow. Read and learn what they did right and WRONG!. read the second gen archive forum. LOTS OF GOOD CRAP IN THERE!!!

And hey!! WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!

'Vert in Vegas

Nice FLAME JOB, Suds!
If you read this site you figure out real quickly that a lot of people have trouble with the rotary.
If that means 'they don't know how to take care of it', then there sure are a lot of 'em out there.
Maybe you should admit that the engine does have its share of problems.
I still don't understand why you have decided it is ok to change wheels, seats, hoods, spoilers, dashes, lights, etc. and many engine parts, but not the engine itself.
I have a hot 20B car I built AND a real hot piston powered Vert.
There is a place for a piston powered RX-7 whether you like it or not.
Be a little more tolerant of other people.

95blacks14

haha i dont intend to just post a few and leave.., like i said we have a REX now .., but anyways why dont you guys learn how to quit flaming and just tell them to search the forums? havent you parents taught you that " if cant say anything nice, dont say anything at all"?? just my .02 cent.., the reason why i ask instead of searching was.., i guess i must be blind or something but it was pretty hard to find the search button in this forum.., but i found it and all my answers have been answered.., whoever was flaming needs to get a life.., whoever helped me out thanks a lot appreciate your time..

Quik 93 FD

the automotive industry never picked up the rotary motor because they had to be manufactured outside the US because John Deere owns the rights to the rotary motor in the US. So for every rotary built in the us, they would have to pay that much more to have them built. The late 60's (i think) corvette almost had a rotary in it, but that was one of the reasons it didnt.

rx7sam

HEY VISIT www.mariahmotorsports.com A local shop where I live. Theyre really good. Oh yeah, they do 3 rotor conversions.