I dont get why RX-7s especially TII weigh so much. Our engines are so light but the whole car weighs as much as 240sx, with their huge *** KA24 and Eclipses. It kinda pisses me off. Maybe the numbers Im getting are from diffrent models. ie... comparing a TII to a base 240 or eclipse. Or do our cars have more reinforcing? Can someone explain this.

 

Rotary engines are light for their power output, but they are not light! Ever tried picking one up?

 

What do you consider ways to much? The 87-88 weighs in around 2800 lbs. It is a little heavier or about the same as a 3rd gen.

late

 

They aren't heavy at all. I can pick up a short block by myself. 2 people can install an engine by hand without using an engine hoist.

 

****, I cant pick one up by myself.

I wish I could. Id like to be able to install it by hand.

 

actually I rebuilt my first on the ground. Used a cherry picker and then rolled it all over to dissamble and reassemble. I also reinstalled it with my friends dad, no cherry picker. Any other ideas on why the TII weighs the same as a 240sx?

 

Same size car, same era design.

 

A rotary engine wheighs about 160 lbs. how many automotive engines are lighter than that?
I have never picked one up by myself but I've moved several of them around with someone else helping. I think if I had to I could pick one up.

I never realised the T2 is heavy. It's not light but surely isn't heavy. If you're so up set about the wheight then put your car on a diet. You don't need things like sound deadening, Heat sheilds, spare tire, get a smaller battery, put manual window regulators in, get race seats, take out all of your carpet, take out your passenger seat, ect. You could probably take over 200lbs out with theses things.

If you think a T2 is heavy you should drive a sports car that wheighs over 3klbs. There is a noticable difference.

MIke

 

Keep in mind, guys, that a completely-stock, wet S5 TII weighs in at over 3,000 lbs (3,080 is the published number, IIRC). That's no lightweight, especially when compared to the 92-95 Civic Hatchback (~2600 lbs) and the Celica GT-S (~2500 lbs).

I think he's talking more about as compared to the N/A RX-7s. The S4 base weighs about 2600 lbs. Where does the extra weight come from? The tranny, turbo, driveshaft, differential, halfshafts, bigger brakes, bigger rotors, intake manifolding, extra oil, extra coolant, more interior options/padding, power steering, A/C, power windows, power locks, sunroof, bigger exhaust system, and a few other things I'm forgetting. edit: add springs, shocks, swaybars, and ABS (optional) (that shiz is heavy)

Don't delude yourselves, folks The TIIs aren't light. They're not heavy (my buddy's 86 SDL300 weights over 4,000 lbs), but they're not karts, either...

Brandon

P.S. If you want an example of a car that should be light, but that isn't, check out the MkI MR-2. Those bad boys weigh about 2700 lbs!

 

I'm looking in the "Sports Car Color History Mazda RX-7" and they publish a curb weight of 2,845lbs for an 88 model and 3,003lbs for an 89 model.

Glad mine is an 88

 

An 88 TII should wieght in at 2850 with A/C, Leather, and ABS.

I figure my bone stock 88 TII wieghts in at 2800 lbs even, mine didnt have the Leather or the ABS...

My plan is to get a clean Base S4 rolling chassis and move all my TII parts over (after stripping the chassis to a shell). Without the A/C, P/S, Sun-Roof, Power Windows, and Power Windows it should be possiable to get the car down to around 2600 lbs wet.

Seth's Yellow S5 weighted in at like 2700lbs, and he still has the power accesories. (no P/S or A/C though). His car started out about 200lbs heavier than a S4 too, so it should be reasonable to get a modded S4 TII down to 2600lbs.

 

mine weighed 2997 with 3/4 tank and 100lbs of stereo crap

only about 25lbs of stuff removed from mine. airpump, ACV, and air box.

 

i have a 91 s5 na and it weighed in at 2844 with some stuff in the storage bins.. all the power accersories including a/c and p/s and the spare and jack.. thats not that heavy if u ask me.. i mean its not a 3400 pound supra or skyline... its a lightweighet nimble handler

 

My friend's 95 protege wieghs ~ 2400lbs. STOCK.

He always makes fun of how "heavy" my car is....

 

uhm, make fun of how "slow" his car is...

 

umm Suzuki G16A 16V motor weighs about 90lbs as a long block assembly, i often lug them around by myself at work.

 

The T2 engine weighs a tad more than a small block Ford. Rotaries are heavier than they look because, while physically small, they are VERY densely packed and mostly iron, whereas a boinger has a lot of wasted space inside where there is nothing but air. In other words, rotaries are very packaging-efficient which is a sugarcoated candy way of high weight to volume. Then add an intercooler, big heavy intake manifold setup, turbo, necessarily large cooling system and heavy-duty exhaust system complete with catalytic converters that could withstand a direct nuclear strike...

Keep in mind that Mazda put the intercooler on top of the engine for weight distribution reasons! Also, IIRC T2s have fullsize spares to weight down the rear because Mazda was obsessed with the allegedly perfect 50/50 weight distribution. (If it was that much of an issue they could've just slid the front axle centerline forward, or the rear axle centerline forward, or both...)

Basically they weigh a lot because they're FC's (I won't make my Fat Chassis joke... oh wait I just did )

- PJ (Don't worry... I think my 2500lb FB is a tank too... want something under 1500lb preferably under 1000lb)

 

Does a 13bt really weigh as much as a v8? I cant even move a v6, well kinda . I especially dont think it weighs more. Either way I guess there isnt a way to get my 90TII down to 2500lbs. I already gutted it, interior. Replaced the ABS with an 86s brake system, except calipers. No ac, I want to make a fiberglass sunroof and strap it down from the inside or bolt it down. I want the power steering though. Maybe 2650 would be ok. Im a lightweight too, 140lbs. Maybe I can shed a few pounds too. =>

 

hehe.... I do (BTW it's protege menace's)

Damn, the S4 N/A's wieghed 2640....

 

A lot of the weight jump in the TII is the ABS.

ABS is notorious for adding weight.

If the TII used a conventional motor, it would weight as much as a Corvette. Ridic.

Less is more.

 

I think it was more of a throttle response/packaging issue. But that helps too.

 

Nope - they did that to reduce turbo lag. If anything, it hurts weight distribution to have the extra weight up top, instead of down low.

Oops! There went your credibility! The FC has NEVER had a full size spare. The TIIs also have aluminum spares and jacks versus the steel ones that come with the base models, so there goes your whole "weight in the back for balance" argument. Add in the very light aluminum hood (that only came on the GTUs, TII and vert in 89+), and it becomes apparent that Mazda kept their weight distribution even by removing weight, not adding it.

And the FC has very close to 50/50 weight distribution - approx 50.2F/49.8R in all models. Fact is that all the extra weight of a TII is way down low (either in the drivetrain or the turbo itself) or spread out over the car (leather, extra sound deadening, rear wiper, etc).

Wow, that was a lame "joke". I can name numerous real sports cars that weigh more than an FC. Light weight does not a sports car make. Oh, and good luck finding a reasonably fun-to-drive car that weighs under 1500 lbs in the States. The Elise weighs over 2k.

Brandon

 

Been there, done that. My friend and I carried one about a hundred yards to put in on a counter....very fun, ummm....no.

 

The only "true" sports cars i can think of weigh a LOT less than an FC/FD. Once you drive something light, you'll never be satisfied with a heavy car again!

I don't buy into 50/50 weight distrubution either... a rear bias is best for those of us who accelerate with the rear wheels and brake with all four wheels. Unless of course your idea of performance driving is circling a skidpad all day!

 

Not even close My friend has one, it weigh's 2000lb's on the scales fully loaded.