first

 

86 is lightest 2nd gen

 

SA is the lightest as far as I know.

In terms of 2nd generation cars, the 86 sport model would be your best bet.

 

3rd gen fully equip is the Lightest.

Spec.

 

first gen is the lightest...

 

86 base is actually lighter.

 

1st 2300-2500
2nd 2700-2800
3rd 2800

 

aren't GTUs light?

 

since your posting this in the 2nd gen forum.....

the 86/87 sport model with out the sun roof (if the sport even came with one)is the lightest 2nd gen. The TII wheels of that gen are the same weight as the 15" sport and lighter than the 15" BBS wheels (could be wrong about the BBS but I think I read that in the suspension section) The aluminum hood is tons lighter than the steel one (you can really tell when opening the hood). Unfortunately no one makes a replacement Lexan hatch for the 2nd gen.

 

Not quite accurate. The S4 TII wheels (21 lb.) weigh almost twice what the 15" BBS 'Vert wheels (11 lb.) weigh. Although the FAQ doesn't have the weights on the S4 15" GXL/GTU wheels, I'm pretty sure they're somewhere between these two but not close to the S4 TII wheels. Now the S5 TII wheels (17 lb.) are a good bit lighter than those of the S4. All this info came from the FAQ:

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/frequently-asked-questions-2nd-generation-rx-7-faq-fc-494667/

The GTUs is probably the lightest S5 car, but S5s are generally about 100-150 pounds heavier than their S4 counterparts.

 

FB is lighter than SA.

 

From Sports Car Color History by John Matras:

(curb weights in lbs.)

1979 2,420
1981 2,345
1984 (GSL-SE) 2,590
1986 2,625
1987 TII 2,845
1988 vert 3,003
1989 2,800
1991 TII 3,003
1993 (base) 2,789
(touring) 2,923

These numbers vary with options like air conditioning, of course. Generally however, the lightest car from the factory was the first gen car because it was the simplest by far. Surprisingly, the FB is lighter than the older SA because Mazda ditched the heavy-*** thermal reactor and heat exchanger for modern catalytic converters in 1981.

 

First gen.

Read the FAQs.

And it's ironic that you decided to post this in the 2nd gen thread, which were effectively the heaviest RX7s (n/as were heavier than the FBs which were n/a, TurboIIs were heavier than FD turbos.)

 

86 base is lighter than 86 sport. 86 sport is lighter than 87 sport.

 

What makes the 86 base lighter than the 87 base, and 88 SE? I thought they were all the same (assuming similar options).

 

The base model is technically the lightest, but that because it is 4-lug with lesser brake components, and maybe some other stuff I'm not aware of. The lightest of the 5-lugs is the 86 (and maybe 87) sport models, it is the most desirable in terms of weight.

 

79 is the lightest 1st gen
86 base model is the lightest 2nd gen
on the third gens not really sure !!!!

 

Well the 3rd gens are the lightest of the turbo cars that we got in North America, but they're not the lightest overall. That might be what others meant by that.

 

any reason for this question? i wouldnt let that be a deciding factor in purchasing an FC.. S4 base would be lacking what you might desire in a turbo S5 or gxl etc, single piston brakes, 5lug and lsd etc.

 

The ideal way to go about it is to get an 86 sport and swap on the s5 intake, then you get the best of both worlds.

Or you could be difficult and get an base and do a full 5-lug swap like the previous owner of my car did....

 

Almost, you're still missing all the good S5 internal engine bits.