Hi, Im jay. Just aquired a fairly used 88' rx7 gxl, non turbo. need info and support on this beast. I'm familar to the layout being previous owner of Datsun Z cars. The rotary is the stubling and need the scoop on its behaivor....:p motor has 113k on it, pretty much well maintained, second paint job, cancer in some places, original exhaust.. and the usual querks and queers of an aged rice burner sports car:p . Q, what is the normal temp range when up to temp? book is vauge and a wide area to consider norm temp op range.... shocks/ struts feel shot or on the verge of, any suggestions? snow tire recomendations? this will be my winter beater while my dakota R/T hybornates, then on planning to restore the RX a lil....:p So, any leads to info and help would be kewl! Thanx!

 

im a turbo guy, but all i can say is the best bang for the buck shocks are kyb agx's.

 

I think you should be hybernating your RX7 and use your dakota R/T for beating on in the winter. Im a newb too. So when the temperature pointy thing is in the middle of the gauge. thats a good thing. if the shocks feel shot, get some good used ones or upgrade to some high performance ones. I would definitly recommend getting some racing exhaust and some shiny mufflers, and a K&N air filter right away.

-Daryl

 

I have an 88 GXL and my temp guage runs normally at 1/4 or below. Runs real cool. And there alot of performance products for the car. I am not sure if you know of any sites but heres some:


www.racingbeat.com
www.mazdatrix.com
www.rx7.com
www.rx7store.net
www.atkinsrotory.com
www.summitracing.com
www.mariahmotorsports.com
www.corksport.com


Hope it helps.

 

thaanx for all your help and info, Q', my GXL has those on the fly adjustable shocks with that infamous console switch from standard to "sport" selection, is this pure gimick? switching out to another shock/ strut, i am assuming that will no longer be an option unless i went with mazda oem.... opinions? share! thanx.

 

Ya, well I have the auto-adjust suspension on mine as well. Mine just doesn't work. It would be a gimick if they advertised that it would last more than 10 years, lol. And I don't think their is any easy way to get any aftermarket suspension system to work with the auto-adjust properly.

 

Is it an automatic?

 

manual 5 speed! kinda pointless with automatic aint it? hee hee:p

 

Twin Cities eh..

I hope you mean mpls/st paul

Welcome. The Yokohoma AVS dB makes a good all-season high-performance tire.

I have the Auto-Suspension and YES it is real.... It actually makes the suspension stiffer and you can really feel it if you drive over potholes in both modes..

My temp guage ALWAYS runs just a hair below 1/2 way. The highest i've ever seen it go was dead center...

 

The reason I asked is some cars (not any of mine ) have a switch that controls the shifting of the auto tranny, and its normally described as standard->sport...

 

True, but still gimmicky By this I mean they were a novelty and the system never caught on enough for aftermarket companies to develop inexpensive replacement parts (i.e. AAS strut replacements). The stock struts are pretty much all worn out by now and your only replacement option that retains the adjustment functionality is Mazda OE parts. Have you priced these lately??? It's something like $250 per corner! Even then, you're limited to two settings, which are not very useful (no way to stiffen just the front, or vice versa, to balance the car's handling, or whatever). The system is simply a comfort item, as it allows you to cruise around like a wet noodle, then get "sporty" on a back road. Most people (okay, perhaps just me) would prefer to pay less money to have a "sporty" ride all the time Or, spend a little more (still less than AAS OE parts) for externally adjustable shocks that can be used to balance the car in real sporty conditions (autocross, road racing, that tricky off-camber corner in the Walmart parking lot...). Anyway, AAS is a neat gimmik but not economical for replacement nor an alternative to true adjustable performance shocks. I'd replace them with some nice konis and use the switch for something more useful...like a passenger 'EJECT' button or an oil-slick-on-demand feature. Nothing helps you get "sporty" like losing about 110 lbs of complaining g/f, or avoiding a ticket. Just my $0.02.

 

Welcome to the forum... I agree on using the dakota for winter, but... My temp gauge tends to run 1/2 or alittle above... I kinda think thats a little high, so to be on the same side, im putting in a new thermostat today. Just to let you know, rx's are not the best winter cars, at least if youre doing any snow driving.. To put it one way, I prefer driving my rear wheel drive minivan in the winter than my rex.. Since you just picked up your car, you might consider getting some new parts for it like spark plugs, spark plug wires, an oil change, and anything else you can think of. This forum is a great resource for 7 owners, if you scroll to the top of the screen, all the way on the right, you will see a search function. If you have a problem or questions, that is often the quickest and easiest way to get answers, as we typically all have similar problems. You might do a search on "ATF trick" or "ATF treatment", as this is a good thing to do to increase compression in your motor and to make sure all moving parts are moving to their fullest.

~Jesse