I've always read about how NA's are reliable, NA's last longer than T2's, and I can definitely believe that it's true if they're driven easily. However, what if they're driven hard? As in, driven hard often? Not as in every time it's on the road it's past 6k, but suppose they're driven very easy in commuter traffic, then at night it's constantly in the upper powerband.

I'm looking for an FR with an aftermarket, easily obtainable replacement parts, and most importantly, a low price. NA's have that. I go to my local winding back roads (Which are quite limited in FL, so I'm glad I have a few) around 5-7 nights per week (insert lame Initial D joke here), and this car would also see autocross around two times per month. I need to know if the car would be able to take the abuse without turning into a financial disaster. The general upkeep and inspections would of course be taken care of, and I drive painfully sensibly during the day.

Thanks in advance for helping out with any input or experiences.

 

Assuming you don't overheat or throw an apex seal, I'd say an NA RX-7 would be more reliable when driven to death than a piston-engined car with the same HP.

Of course, it still probably wouldn't last long if you beat it like a red-headed step child... but probably at least as long as a 240SX.

 

i donno why i think this but i keep thinking that the 13b is a fragile antique motor and is gonna blow the next time i push it, can someone reasure me thats probably not gonna happen?

 

It's not going to happen.

 

If you beat on any motor you will decrease engine life and increase the chances of engine failure.

 

Well obviously, but some are more ill-effected than others.

 

Maintain it properly, make fluids, filters, plugs, and wires your religion and you can beat on it for many long years.

 

^exactly that's what I do.

 

I can say from personal experience that the motors/cars ive aquired that were babied actually had lower compression than ones that were driven by 18-21 year old idiots. I can also attest to the fact that i drive my car like a savage and often find myself redlining low gears just for the buzzer and have yet to encounter a motor related problem.

Now mods and maintenence are a whole other issue...

 

Half the joy of 7 ownership is being able to beat it to hell then rebuild it better and do it all over again! DRIVE THE ROTORS OUT OF IT!!!!!

 

+1

 

My car started out n/a, and did I ever pound the hell out of it. I changed all fluids and maintained the thing religously though. As of right now the engine has around 130,000 on it and has been swapped into another rex because it has 100-105 psi on each rotor. I later swapped in a TII engine, thing ran great for 6 months (and it was babied) but it ended up overheating and killing a coolant seal. Now the real mods start.

 

im at 196k on my NA and i still drive it hard everyday. This car runs like a champ, i keep up on it and everything works just fine.

 

yea me and my buddy beat out motors but i change the oil every month (or more) and am **** about plugs, wires, etc...i go over my engine every weekend and look for broken/worn out stuff

 

And to answer the title question: They are a lot more reliable than if they're not pushed hard. Be wary of a rotary engine that has never seen above 3500 RPM. That's a time bomb....

 

how you gonna clean the carbon out if you dont redline it once in a while?
sure you can do the water treatment! but which one is more fun?

 

I agree with 88N/A (even though his name makes him a liar ).

They're fine IMHO, but without some maintence, you're looking at an possible issue.

 

Dread Previous Owner toasted the original motor in my car in only 123K miles. I swapped in a motor with 200K and have since beat the hell out of it for nearly 30k. I'm also on my 3rd AutoX season with this car and just switched to R-comp tires. So far the only thing I've broken is my diff, but it was nearly dead from the DPO when I got it and I wasn't exactly kind to it.
I say it should last a long time as long as you keep up with basic maintenance and go easy on the outright abuse. (5000-6000RPM drag launches, clutch kicks, etc)

 

many race teams have used A motor for multiple seasons. see how many piston guys can claim that.

 

wow, male stripper, that's an interesting um.. thing..

 

I drive the **** out of my N/A (40k motor) and it loves it. I need to go true CAI though, the engine bay heat soak is insane.

 

They will die! Dont tell anyone!

 

Everytime I drive it, I always push it to redline (Which is twice every week or so, not a DD), and drive it like I stole it. Keep up with your maintinance, and keep an eye on oil pressure/temp gauges etc etc, and ensure proper warm up before driving and you'll be just fine.
Mine still runs perfect, pulls strong all the way to redline, idles smooth at 750 rpms, etc etc.

 

i baby the **** out of my N/A and my cuzin drives his like dale earnhart all the time and his car runs 1000000x better than mines.. its like 20x faster with the same mods.. and plus my car has been giving me a couple of problems lately and his runs perfect.. i think im gonna crash my car into a tree =/

 

lol, that is true...