It may not be a "factory" S4 thing but it's definitely only for S4's.
The S5 console top flips to the side (instead of up from the rear) and with that extra padding, would be too tall to open.

 

This is from a S5 brochure, clearly a black armrest in the picture

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-non-technical-pictures-198/pic-request-optional-cargo-covers-please-852495/

 

Yeah, you're right but I don't see how that could work unless the lid mount is changed somehow.

I am casually looking for an S4 center console anyway, the S5 unit has a laughably small storage area (compared to the overall console size) because of the mousetrack retractor reels mounted underneath.
Since I've swapped to manual belts that space just sits unused.
Not a real priority as I've (lightly) siliconed a foam pad to that cover where my shifting arm lays on it.
Mazda didn't really pad that cover, or the door armrest, very well- I find both to be uncomfortably hard.

We Americans are softies, I guess.

 

At the end of January I flew to Cincinnati (yes in the winter) and bought a '90 GXL having only seen pictures. Drove it all the way back to Houston! That was the week of the ice storms in Kentucky and I came down through it. You're not nuts. Your trip is easy. A friend went with me and we turned it into a weekend vacation. I did it because the car was bone stock and that is worth alot to me.

Just for the record, it's a '90 GXL (S5), and it has a limited slip and a 16.5 gallon fuel tank. I keep seeing info on this forum that suggests the S5 gas tank is larger and that it doesn't have limited slip.

 

From the factory, all S5s had an 18.5 gallon tank, and the GXL did not have LSD. If you have a smaller tank, maybe the original one was replaced with one from an S4. If you have LSD, it was added by a previous owner. Aside from the GTUs, no S5 NA model officially came with LSD, though I believe some 1991 Coupes with option Package B (leather interior) were rumored to have had it as an option.

The rumors about Mazda making weird assembly line substitutions are mainly associated with the '91 model year when supplies of parts supposedly began to run short. That's when you saw the occasional Turbo with a steel hood or an otherwise base Coupe (i.e., neither option Packages A or B) with 4-piston brakes. I've never heard of a fuel tank substitution, definitely not on a '90.

We used to have the original Mazda brochures in the FAQ to confirm this sort of thing, but they disappeared after Icemark's death because they were hosted on his site. Work is underway to restore them though. Depending on your monitor, these may be too small to read. If you PM me your email address, I'll send them to you as a .jpg attachment.

 

...and the taller armrest was a dealer-installed option from the Mazda Finish Line catalog even on the S4s. I like the height of the standard thinner one myself. I think the taller one would be in the way of my elbow when shifting, but I'll admit I'd like to get one to try it out.

 

also to further add to this armrest debate, i had an 88 TII with the optional armrest and it was a $53 option. notice how its coded on the window sticker: "MMAC" mazda motor accessory? not sure where they print the window stickers or when the accessories get added but i would THINK that they are specified by the dealer to the manufacturer and not installed at the dealership. how would the factory know how to print the window sticker? then one asks, where is the window sticker printed. this further adds flies to the honey jar:

 

Well, I guess just because something was available through Finish Line doesn't mean it couldn't also have been installed at the factory. For example, the Finish Line catalog shows cruise control and AC, both of which came standard on many models.

 

The window sticker is prob put on at the port after a final inspection. I don't how they did things back then but now accessories are added at the port(i.e spoiler, radio, etc. IF it's on the window sticker it came from the port/factory.

Some acc are put on at the dealership by the customer when sold or another label is added next to the factory sticker showing what dealership has installed/price.

 

I'm fiendin for that armrest!! I didn't even know about those things

 

Thats weird, every s4 I've had (about 5 or 6 as well) all had them.

 

You mean all S4s you've owned have had the thicker armrest? You know there's also a thinner one that looks similar but is about 2" shorter, right? Of all the hundreds of FCs I've seen over the years, I've probably only seen the thicker arm rest on two or three.

 

I just drove the car home, 400 miles almost round trip, and I'm dead tired. Damn that engine ran smooth! Charged up the air and she was ice cold.

The tires are SHOT! I think my suspension is ok actually. Car is plenty responsive for me; no performance mods just yet. I forgot what fun 3rd gear (and 2nd, really) in those cars.

So get this - I see an oil change sticker on the car - next oil change is due in 2004, October! So the car has been sitting for 5 years now; periodically every season started up and run for a while (the owner did tell me that's it's really been sitting in a garage for years). But 5 years? Talk about out of balance dead spot tires! At about 55 and above it shook like the car was going to fall apart, and smoothed out a bit at 80, which was all the faster I wanted to go.

So my first mod is going to be new rims/tires. I was going to keep this turkey 100% stock, but who cares? I decided on the way I home I bought this car FOR ME AND NOT for the next owner...

But that motor ran like a top. Temp gauge never moved from 20% from the bottom! All the other RX-7's I've been driving were way above that. Oil pressure was great. My favorite part - clutch feels perfect and the gearbox does NOT grind at all! All my old ones did that so did the POS vert Monday.

The AAS suspension works just fine! You have two modes - bouncy, or no suspension! What a marketing gimmick. But at least I don't think I'll have to replace that stuff right away. 23 years and 63k miles haven't hurt it so far.

So without reading further, what's the overall consensus for best wheel/tire size? I'll do some more reading but if I'm going to put new tires on might as well go up to 17"s. I like chrome wheels too on a red car.

To the original person I replied to - I leaned my fat self all over that big cozy armest all the way home! So comfortable! (My Lex has one twice that size in very soft supple leather too!)

Oh, before I forget. The car had Michigan plates on it, with a sticker from 2004!!!!!!!!!!! So since my wife and 9 day old daughter were following me back, I freaked out every time I saw a Michigan cop! Some real explaining to do there.

I stopped at Tire Discounters as the tires felt so bad I thought it wouldn't make it back. In the meantime my wife is breast-feeding our daughter in the back of the Lex. My daughter's umbilical cord, or what was left of it, fell off. Some blood. Jinxed once again by Rx-7's!

Then there was the little part about driving home (still in Mich) and near where a road sign said "Do NOT pick up Hitchhikers - Prison Area" (dead serious) something broke at the bottom of my RX-7 and started scraping the ground. Wife called and said "Hey something fell off your car and is making sparks all over the road". ****, I thought, can't pull over HERE to look! Prison area, plus 5 year old stickers on the plates that are registered to the guy I bought the car from.....

Ended up being the heat shield from the exhaust manifold. Dude at Firestone pulled it the rest of the way off and we pitched it. I hope I never really need that thing!

So the baby's fine, wife's fine, son's fine, and I'm going to bed.


A 1986 Mazda Rx-7 with loud rattles and beat to hell tires is MORE FUN to drive that our other cars. Damn why did I wait 13 years in between these cars!


If you've read though this rambling, thank you. Now tell me what rims and tires I should get! P.S. I'm cheap, keep that in mind.

Shawn

 

I'm looking through the photo galleries. I like this guy's wheels a lot, but not too sure if they're too "1990 300ZX-ish" though...


https://www.rx7club.com/members/rotaryrocket88-113374-albums-88-turbo-vert-118/

 

my favorite on the FC are the MS01s. I don't know about the fit on coupes, but they are sexy.
They are usually gold spokes, but can be powder coated any color.







Also, PanaSport made a nice 3 piece mesh rims, hard to find tho.

 

for the money you really cant beat sportmax wheels, you can get a set of brand new wheels very reasonable.

I have some 17" mesh enkeis I would sell very reasonable

 

This could very well be the greatest forum ever in the history of car forums......

 

O'Rly?

 

o'rly

https://www.rx7club.com/ne-sale-wanted-classifieds-196/17-enkei-rpom2-polished-lip-w-tires-837543/

 

Man, that was a great read. Glad everything worked out fine on the trip. Can't write much, have a 5 year old and a 16 mos. old pulling me away. I like the factory wheels myself, and you can spend a bit more on tires. But if you want more bling, aftermarket wheels are the way to go. My fav. factory wheels btw are the 15" forged bbs conv. wheels, I think mentioned previously.

 

I've looked at the pic a number of times and I dont see a difference than any one I had. Maybe looks are deceiving

 

Here is a tire size calculator that will tell you whether you are going to mess up your speedo too bad: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

if it were in my moderation powers to sticky that to the head of the board i would!

glad you made it home safe and i'm glad you are happy with the purchase. it looks like a really great car! if i were adding different wheels, i would snag a set of the BBS vert wheels. they looks very nice on the coupe and you kinda keep it all oem at that point. cant wait to see new pics. also wanted to add that i puchased a set of kuhmo ecsta spt's last year for my 88 10AE and i'm really pleased with them.

 

My two cents... If you're going to stay NA and not go overboard with performance mods (sounds good to me), you want to keep the wheels on the lighter side. You definitely don't want to sap the nimble feel of the car by putting some cheap boat-anchor wheels on there. You don't have to spring for $1000 apiece wheels either. Just be mindful of weight when you buy. One superb option is the S5 (89-91) Turbo/GTUs style 16" wheel. These weigh only 18.1 pounds if I remember correctly and look great. As mentioned by some others above, the 15" forged BBS wheels from the 'Verts are also a great choice because they're super-light. Only drawback is that 15" tire selection is getting a little more limited these days, but there's still enough, especially for a daily driver-type car.

Your absolute top priority is addressing all the deferred maintenance on this car. Start with the obvious fluid changes: oil, coolant/thermostat, transmission, LSD, brake and clutch. You'll also want new spark plugs and probably spark plug wires. Next you want to check the condition of all the major coolant hoses, especially the heater hoses (there are three; the one from the firewall to the engine on the driver's side is especially prone to unexpected failure). Take a look at the oil cooler lines; if oil is seeping out especially at the fittings on the ends, might want to replace those (see threads discussing the pros and cons of braided stainless replacements). Probably should replace the pulsation damper unless you know the previous owner did this recently.

There are threads on all this stuff...

Congratulations. Looks like a very nice car.

 

my other cars all have 35 or 40 series tires that are 255s or wider.

so i gave some thought to 'upgrading' the bbs rims with those skinny 205/60 balloon tires...

but then after driving a bit, remembered just how nice and nimble the oem setup remains.

tire choices are very limited, especially in a V rated 205/60-15, perhaps only 5 or 6 choices remain.

-tried the bfgoodrich g force for one day but didn't like them at all.

considered the dunlop direzza, which is very similar to the original rubber, but is a tiny bit smaller as a 55 series and looks like a DRY road only tire.

bridgestone has 2 options and after tossing a coin i went with the re960, which is an all season tire. i loath a/s tires and this is a first ever purchase.

while only H rated, they are working well at 2k miles, not quite as firm at the 14yo re71s they replace but much much quieter.

it's not a muscle car so a light wheel/light tire combo is good advice.

my 7 had been in hybernation for 6 years WITHOUT being started once, and after installing a new battery she started on the first tick.

all the fluids were 6 years old, including the gas, which was so old, it happened to NOT have any ethanol in it.

so i've been running though the exact list of items you mention here, plus a few others.

just finished all the fluids/filters (did the oil x2 with filters) including the tranny and diff, but not the clutch or power steering.

and have done the belts and upper/lower rad. hoses, repacked the front wheel bearings and have new brake pads on order.

BUT i had forgotten about the PD, which is now 21 years old.

so THANKS for reminding me of this,

i'll stop by the dealer parts tomorrow and if they don't have it, order one, along with the rubber fuel line and clamps that feeds it.

i'll also be doing the fuel filter soon and the short rubber line that feed it too.
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the archives HERE are very very good.

the info in many of the threads on these issues has been incredibly useful and better than i've seen on ANY forums that cover my rides.
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looks like you found a nice car that should be fun to drive and relatively easy to maintain.

congrats
henry