i am possibly getting a '89 rx7 GTU. My question is what is a GTU? I don't know much about rx7's and want to learn. Cus i found this care on craigslist and it sounds like a good deal. i wanted to find more out about the car before i went and looked at it.

 

read the stickies

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/specifications-what-did-2nd-generation-rx-7-come-w-options-standard-features-249616/

 

Well, first off, it's an 89 which means it's an s5 (or series 5). It goes by year. 86-88 is an s4 and 89-92 is an s5. That's easy to remember. The GTU packeage means this: your drivetrain is different than other naturally aspirated s5 rx7s. The GTU is gear lower. Your 1st and 2nd gear will be much quicker than other rx7s. Now, the s4 GTU came with an LSD (limited Slip Differential) Since you have an s5, you will not have one. The s5 GTU-S had one. Mazda cheated us on that deal. I too have a GTU. I have a 90. The GTU was the track car package. We have stiffer springs stock, stiffer sway bars stock, and other various things. On my GTU all I have is a custom built exhaust and a cheap cone filter and I came very close to beating a s5 T2 that it ported and has exhaust and the whole deal. He beat me by about a car. I work at an RX7 shop and before i started there, they built the motor that was in that T2. Very fast motor, bad driver. Anyway, the GTU is faster and handles better stock, than the rest of the rx7s.

 

Really? All this time I thought the S5 GTU was just a base model. If it were the track car package why would they come with single piston calipers and non-vented rotors in the rear? Never knew about the beefier sway bars, springs, and different gear ratios than the other S5 NAs.
Sure it's lighter than the GXL and Vert *both NA FCs* so it would be better around the track, but really according to the brochure it's only 81 lbs lighter.

 

That would be wrong. The GTU model used the same exact drive train and gearing as any other 88 and later non turbo RX-7 (with the only exception being the GTUs model - note the small "S"- don't confuse the GTU with the GTUs- two different cars)

again wrong. Only the 88 GTU had the heavy duty springs/shocks/stabilizer bars- in other words only the 88 GTU had the heavy duty suspension and was the Sporty package.

In 89 the GTU became the base model. It was really just the same as the 88 SE, that got renamed the GTU and changed to 5 lug wheels (but still stuck with the single piston front brakes and solid rear rotor rear brakes. In fact the 89 GTU even had the same small front brake rotor as the 86-87 Base model, the 86-87 Luxury and the 87.5-88 SE. Too bad the 89-90 didn't even get the 4 piston brakes from the 88 GTU (and 86-87 Sport, and Turbo, and Convertibles, and GXL models).

The 89-90 GTU was the entry level car, that had the same exact suspension as any other 89-91 coupe. It was not any sort of upgrade, and was a considerable down grade over the 88 GTU that started the name.

Gonna call BS on that. There is no way that a 89-90 GTU is even within the same ballpark, unless the other driver didn't know how to drive his car. The 89-90 GTU was almost 2 seconds slower than the stock S5 Turbo just in the 0-60 time.

The 89-90 GTU handles no different than any other S5 non turbo coupe. It was less than 100 lbs lighter than a fully loaded GXL (which did have the better brakes), it used the same 15' wheels, it didn't have a LSD, or any suspension or drive line upgrades. It even had the less accurate and more numb engine speed sensing power steering instead of the vehicle speed sensing power steering found on the S4 models and S5 Turbos.

For someone that works at a RX-7 shop, you have a lot to learn, as you made up, or just don't know the majority of your response to the thread starters question. Perhaps you are confusing the 89-90 GTU with the 89-90 GTUs model (which did have slightly different gearing and bigger wheels)

But, either way, as a formal warning , we do provide Bans for posting clearly mis-information here in the 2nd gen RX-7 technical section. Consider this your first warning because you did post a huge amount of mis-information in your response in this thread.

Perhaps this will help you on the 89 GTU (found in the Standard features and Options sticky thread at the top of this, the 2nd gen RX-7 technical section):





Base model... nothing spectacular.

 

+1 That (bama's post) was some of the smelliest bullshit I've read yet.

 

well this guy wants $2800 and it looks clean as hell. so good idea to check it out...yes...no?

 

Your choice, that is the average price of a non turbo S5 in good condition if thats what you're asking. Just depends on the mechanical condition of it.

 

The GTU name was inspired by the GTU racing series of the mid 80's. Stands for Gran Tourismo Under 3000cc.

 

Really, I thought it stood for "Gran Touring eUphoria."

 

dam get that freakin gtu man . i wish i had bigger brakes on my s5 n/a