Raptorchef

I have to do something soon that I really dont want to but its for the best...urgh sell my Rex, it will be hard but it must be done...I figure its not worth keeping at this point because I have to invest too much into a paintjob or a nice new engine....my question...is it worth it just to sell mine and buy a Turbo II or will i just get a slew of new problems?

Whats are the Pros and Cons of a Turbo II?

What are the pro and Cons of having an N/A?

(My cons are I need a paint job...I dont NEED a rebuild...thats probably a year or so down the road)

The paint on my car is faded and the has chips in it, I bought it from a guy who lived in Utah with, where the hot desert sun did a nice job of fading the paint.....

Any advice or opinions? Help me!

ZachSpazz

Pros of the TII - They're fast, and can go ridiculously faster with minimal mods.

Cons of the TII - Their engines like to spontaneously explode around 100-140K.

Evil Aviator

It depends. If you can't afford the non-turbo, then you certainly won't be able to afford the TII which has a slightly higher initial cost and operating cost. A TII is normally going to cost about $500-1000 more than a similar non-turbo, so if you sell yours, the TII you buy with the money will also have some issues that need to be fixed, and you will be back in the same boat. However, if you just don't want to fix up your non-turbo because you would rather have a TII, then that is understandable.

In my experience, both cars will last just as long as each other, the gas mileage at cruise is a negligible 1 mpg difference, and the insurance is the same. The engine rebuilding cost is the same at around $2,000 each, but the TII also has a turbo which needs rebuilding at a cost of around $500. A good used TII transmission is about $450, while a good used non-turbo transmission is about $150, but the other components are similarly priced. There are many more go-fast modifications available for the TII because of the turbo, so it is more expensive to hotrod.

In my opinion, the TII doesn't handle all that well compared to the lighter non-turbo, and the boost is going to make the engine feel mushy compared to the non-turbo, but it is certainly faster in a straight line. When I decided to sell off one of my cars, the TII is the one that went because it just wasn't as fun as the others. Everybody has their own opinions, though.

Raptorchef

I see thanks for your help, I never knew they felt different of mushy compaired to the N/A, I have no problem with how fast my NA is, I would like to own a Turbo car, I go crazy thinking these things....if i buy one Ill just find a better deal on one thats lower miles/ nicer body....dont it always go that way though?

Evil Aviator

Try driving one. You may or may not like it, but at least you will know what you are or aren't missing.

BTW, the 89-92 cars have an especially dull suspension feel (for an RX-7), but once again, some people could care less.

RylAssassin

Wow Evil you must really hate turbos.I believe the mushyness you speak of is simply the lag of the turbo when accelerating, and this is easily overcome in higher rpm's, and of corse thats where all the magic happens Personally ive owned both and the truth is that the n/a is a really fun car. Its really great to have an n/a with an open exuast maybe some fuel upgrades and **** it makes it so much better. The TII though is so diffrent its just not even comparable. A TII is so much more of a serious car, like you cant really **** around it seems as easily with a TII. They are so much faster, and have so much more torque its really hard for me to say which one is funner or better. The truth is now if i had the choice i would never get rid of my TII i really love it, but ultimitly id like to have both one for daily driving and the TII for the weekend. TII's are good for drag racing, cornering, drifting, having fun etc. I dunno this is my own opinion of corse just think about weather or not you need somthin relaible (which the n/a is) or fun for the weekends(which the TII is).

Drifter101

n/a - Reliability, even power, good gas mileage

Tii - the undeniable feeling of boost

blind

how come everyone says the TII is heaver

i even heard some guy say it was 750 pounds heaver, dont listen to that guy

yea its heaver becuase it has a turbo, intecooler and what not but its not dead weight put into the car.

Fingers

blind, it IS heavier. Like it or not. bigger brakes, more hardware (turbo, manifolds, intercooler, piping, electronics), LSD, wheels, everything. But not by alot ... 100-200 pounds in most cases

Dan H

The TII is in fact heavier. Depending which models over NA, it has larger brakes and the tranny is about 50lbs heavier than an NA tranny or so I've been told. Then there is other stuff like power windows, rear wiper, power side view mirrors, etc.

Edit: And yeah, the other stuff Fingers mentioned.

Icemark

I have to completely agree with Evil, The N/As are generally better handling than the Turbos, even most of the car mags back in the day picked the N/A 88 GTU over the 88 T2/10th AE, with one mag even calling the 88 GTU the real 10th aniversary model instead of the 10th AE.

The weight is only about 150-200 lbs more in a T2, but its enough to change the dynamics of the car slightly.

The N/A cars are just better balanced between the weight, the engine and the suspension.

I think many people that say he T2 is better, are more speed or boost addicts, that beating someone or the raw HP is all that matters. To me, its the whole package. Its how the suspension works with the car. Its how the power is linear to the tossability. I'd much rather have fun driving a well balanced car, than be in some stop light race with someone with a built big block. Again IMHO people that knock N/As haven't really driven N/As.

And fingers, the brakes are the same for the T2 and most of the other versions. Only the strippy base models didn't get the better brakes.

RylAssassin

so basically n/a's suck.

1987RX7guy

iTrader: (3)

Icemark

I think you have that the other way around...

N/As are great. Turbos are great. Each one is good for a particular person and his or her driving preferences...

Center of The Universe

I just wish my NA had some goddam LSD. That's all it really needs, I think. Thank god for aftermarket products.

Evil Aviator

LOL, no, I don't hate turbos, and if I did I certainly wouldn't have payed $10K to slap a T66 on my 20B. I just agree with Icemark that the non-turbo cars are much better balanced, especially the Series 4. A stock TII has hardly any noticeable lag. The mushiness I speak of is just the turbo taking up the load. For those who are accustomed to a non-turbo, it feels mushy because the gas pedal no longer controls rpm as much as it controls power, so the car accelerates with very little increase in rpm. I am used to this because of my experience flying turbine-engine aircraft, but IMO it's simply not as fun as a non-turbo cranking up the rpm's as the gas pedal is pressed.

The TII will be faster for drag racing (not necessarily better), it will absolutely drift better, IMO the cornering goes slightly to the NA just because of weight, and the haveing fun factor depends on the individual. As for being a "serious" car, there are as many, if not more, Mazda racing benchmarks held by non-turbo rotary-powered vehicles.

Yes, as long as they are under vacuum, but they will top out at atmospheric. (Physics/Automotive Geek Inside Joke)

Center of The Universe

*ba-dum crash* *audiance laughter*

vectorminds

It all depends on what you want out of your car, here are the pros and cons i can think of for both:

Turbo:

Pros: Faster for racing, more mods for engine

Cons: Heavier (except for the vert), more expensive, nonlinear power, very little power untill boost comes, not the best car to cruse around in, engines die sooner

N/A:

Pros: Ligher (except the vert), better handling, smooth linear power, quieter engine (no boost sound, which is good if you have a high quality stereo installed), engines last longer, supercharging is an option for more speed which will keep the linearity of the engine, and last but not least they come in convertible

Cons: Without making them totaly unstreetable they wont ever be nearly as fast as a modded TII, weaker drivetrain


So basicaly it all comes down to what is the most important thing for you, do you want all out speed, or do you want more of a ballenced package.

I picked the latter, and bought a vert, i love my vert, its lots of fun, i drive around with the top down all year round , and I live where it snows... and personaly I don't really mind that the engine isnt a turbo, and that the car will never ever by the longest shot run tens, but i really like being able to both drive fast and slow smoothly, be able to listen to my music without a turbo whine coming from the engine, and thats whats important to me

It all depends on what you want out of a car.... just because a lot of the turbo people on this forum are always saying that the way to make an N/A better is to get a TII that isn't nessasarily true.

Dan H

We're just lucky that we have so many choices.

A nice weekend drive under the sun, the 'Vert suits well.

Want reliability and still have the great RX7 handling? NA is your choice.

For nearly just as good handling but scary fast speeds, we have the TII.

3 different versions to satisfy every different person. Try that with a MKIII Supra, older 300ZX, 240SX, etc.

ZachSpazz

I own a 90 TII, and I love the way that it drives, even though it hasn't moved under its own power in 1.5 years. The acceleration is explosive, the handling is great and it brought a smile to my face everytime I launched it into a corner, or floored the gas in 3rd gear.

However, I used to own a 88 GXL that was killed by a semi-truck last year. I loved the way that the car felt like an extension of my body, unlike the TII that was a bit more "soft" (I attribute that mostly to a blown shock, 96K miles on the chassis and the 89-91 sway-bar mounts. All of which are easily remedied.)

I'm also not really concerned with brute acceleration either. If you're looking to get into races with 'Stangs or Hondas in addition to sopping up the corners, buy a TII. If you like the purest form of the driving experience, get a N/A.

600HP CLUB

this thread makes me want a NA now.. but then again i'm a damn boost addict.

buying a turboII will result in changing a person!

turboII's - turnning an everyday car owner into mechanics since 1987!

jacobcartmill

iTrader: (6)

you can say that again man.

ZachSpazz

Well, in your case it would be, "TII's: Turning every day mechanics into firemen."

xfeastonarsex

iTrader: (5)

What about converting an N/a to turbo, what are you goign to loose/gain on that deal?

MaTT_FoULk

If I were ever to buy a N/A again it would be a first gen.