Driving 48 States in Two Mazda FD RX7s – Gears and Gasoline
01-30-21, 11:58 PM
#26
I like that he didn't accept it was a blown motor even though all the evidence in front of him led to that conclusion. More of a reason why I always delete the entirety of the extraneous coolant lines. You only need 3: upper and lower radiator and overflow. Of course if you have a heater or a turbo(s) that require coolant then there's an exception. I'm happy for him to have faced some adversity.
02-01-21, 12:07 AM
#27
Rotary Enthusiast
Thread Starter
If it bleeds, it leads... 
02-01-21, 04:50 AM
#29
Eats, Sleeps, Dreams Rotary
iTrader: (4)
I didn’t bother watching the 2nd vid...
02-01-21, 06:10 AM
#30
Buddy of mine spotted the rotary FD's air fuel was like 13's in one shot, most likely that's the whole issue, cruising AFR's not tuned.
Can't imagine going down the interstate for hours, looking at those AFR's, and just going "oh well". Come on dude.
I can understand the **** use of premix - I've known guys that are SUPER picky about doing it, just the right amount, etc. Also for a new owner that doesn't have a lot of experience he's thinking he's helping things out. Yeah, premix can help, but damn
.
Dale
Can't imagine going down the interstate for hours, looking at those AFR's, and just going "oh well". Come on dude.
I can understand the **** use of premix - I've known guys that are SUPER picky about doing it, just the right amount, etc. Also for a new owner that doesn't have a lot of experience he's thinking he's helping things out. Yeah, premix can help, but damn
.Dale
02-01-21, 01:57 PM
#31
RX-7 Bad Ass
iTrader: (55)
Did he not have a Commander? You can fix that in 30 seconds with a Commander.
Haven't watched Part 2 yet.
Dale
Haven't watched Part 2 yet.
Dale
02-01-21, 03:53 PM
#32
I was in contact with Ben prior to the trip. He was looking to get the tune fixed and his only real concern was the rich cruising AFR's. He was well aware of the issue and wanted to get that corrected. Unfortunately due to their tight filming schedule, that is one thing he was never able to get that taken care of. He didn't have a datalogit and could not take care of it remotely.
I'm not sure what to think of them now. The first Ben with his misleading engine weight comparison and now this.
Last edited by Montego; 02-01-21 at 03:55 PM.
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Sgtblue (02-10-21)
02-02-21, 06:37 AM
#33
However, I did enjoy watching the videos. They have great camera and editing skills.
02-03-21, 05:58 PM
#34
It's on YouTube for one reason. Making money. They make plenty of videos, so they obviously make enough to pay someone to K swap their car.
Little over-produced, IMO, and sometimes just a commercial for Advance. I watched, but cringed with misinformation, also. If they really want a challenge, they should send the support truck and crew home. I guess the videos would be much shorter, though, and much slower in frequency.
I find David Tracy's (Jalopnik) wrenching adventures much more informative, genuine, and entertaining. About the only thing worth visiting Jalopnik for these days, really.
Little over-produced, IMO, and sometimes just a commercial for Advance. I watched, but cringed with misinformation, also. If they really want a challenge, they should send the support truck and crew home. I guess the videos would be much shorter, though, and much slower in frequency.
I find David Tracy's (Jalopnik) wrenching adventures much more informative, genuine, and entertaining. About the only thing worth visiting Jalopnik for these days, really.
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Neo (02-04-21)
02-04-21, 07:14 AM
#35
Eats, Sleeps, Dreams Rotary
iTrader: (4)
It's on YouTube for one reason. Making money. They make plenty of videos, so they obviously make enough to pay someone to K swap their car.
Little over-produced, IMO, and sometimes just a commercial for Advance. I watched, but cringed with misinformation, also. If they really want a challenge, they should send the support truck and crew home. I guess the videos would be much shorter, though, and much slower in frequency.
I find David Tracy's (Jalopnik) wrenching adventures much more informative, genuine, and entertaining. About the only thing worth visiting Jalopnik for these days, really.
Little over-produced, IMO, and sometimes just a commercial for Advance. I watched, but cringed with misinformation, also. If they really want a challenge, they should send the support truck and crew home. I guess the videos would be much shorter, though, and much slower in frequency.
I find David Tracy's (Jalopnik) wrenching adventures much more informative, genuine, and entertaining. About the only thing worth visiting Jalopnik for these days, really.
Ever since Jalopnik redesigned their site to basically include more advertisement, I stopped going there. That site will hopefully soon disappear. A shame really because they had some interesting articles and what not before. Now however, it's a total gongshow. I hope that the last few original people leave that place before it becomes the death of them.
02-04-21, 09:26 AM
#36
Jalopnik is quite the ad-filled, hyper-political playground these days. I've been spending more time on The Drive lately.
As for car YouTube (especially FD-centric content), I'd confirm that it is brimming with misinformation and knuckleheads vs. the other end of 4 rotor money-no-object videos. One thing they have in common, along with this G&G channel, is that they all suck.
Rob Dahm is entertaining, but (as an engineer) I question many of his decisions and designs. I will commend Rob on his mission statement of learning all he can and taking his viewers with him.
These G&G dudes, while nice guys with earnest intent, mostly just make clickbait for their Advance Auto commercials with hoky fluff in between.
At least they're all driving, FDs.
As for car YouTube (especially FD-centric content), I'd confirm that it is brimming with misinformation and knuckleheads vs. the other end of 4 rotor money-no-object videos. One thing they have in common, along with this G&G channel, is that they all suck.
Rob Dahm is entertaining, but (as an engineer) I question many of his decisions and designs. I will commend Rob on his mission statement of learning all he can and taking his viewers with him.
These G&G dudes, while nice guys with earnest intent, mostly just make clickbait for their Advance Auto commercials with hoky fluff in between.
At least they're all driving, FDs.
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Neo (02-04-21)
02-04-21, 10:26 AM
#37
Eats, Sleeps, Dreams Rotary
iTrader: (4)
Jalopnik is quite the ad-filled, hyper-political playground these days. I've been spending more time on The Drive lately.
As for car YouTube (especially FD-centric content), I'd confirm that it is brimming with misinformation and knuckleheads vs. the other end of 4 rotor money-no-object videos. One thing they have in common, along with this G&G channel, is that they all suck.
Rob Dahm is entertaining, but (as an engineer) I question many of his decisions and designs. I will commend Rob on his mission statement of learning all he can and taking his viewers with him.
These G&G dudes, while nice guys with earnest intent, mostly just make clickbait for their Advance Auto commercials with hoky fluff in between.
At least they're all driving, FDs.
As for car YouTube (especially FD-centric content), I'd confirm that it is brimming with misinformation and knuckleheads vs. the other end of 4 rotor money-no-object videos. One thing they have in common, along with this G&G channel, is that they all suck.
Rob Dahm is entertaining, but (as an engineer) I question many of his decisions and designs. I will commend Rob on his mission statement of learning all he can and taking his viewers with him.
These G&G dudes, while nice guys with earnest intent, mostly just make clickbait for their Advance Auto commercials with hoky fluff in between.
At least they're all driving, FDs.
Youtube is full of "automotive experts" nowadays as well. Very few channels are worth a shot. It's all about the viewership, and the demo graph, correct? Till this day I have no idea how anyone views Supercar blondie or that other shumuck Shmee something or other. They're all trying to recreate Top Gear on some level and all of them fail. Even Top Gear stopped becoming good while the trio were still at the BBC. I forget what season it was they stumbled onto a winning formula. It seemed genuine and unexpected. Which made the season fantastic. Then they started to outdo themselves with alot more scripted parts and the specialness it had fell away. Ever since then they've been desperately trying to recreate that season. Unfortunately it'll never happen.
I even gave the small vid series "Sorted" a shot. Even though I can't stand that Rob Ferrat (last name??). Matt I can kinda tolerate and of course Emilia is there mainly for obvious reasons (yes, she might know a few things here and there, but honestly, who are we kidding?? lol ;-) )
As for Rob.. well.. he does have his moments.. I can view alot of his episodes but mainly fast forwarding or skipping alot of the unnecessary stuff...
I still love viewing the Best Motoring stuff. I'm always entertained by those episodes (just wish I could understand Japanese better.. )
02-04-21, 03:52 PM
#38
RX-7 Bad Ass
iTrader: (55)
I finally watched the second episode, been too damn busy .
If you hook a coolant funnel up and let the car come up to temp you will get localized boiling and it will start barfing out the top. The system isn't under pressure. No idea why they had so much of a problem filling the system, but that V-mount setup may have contributed, some of those can be a bitch to get the air out of if you have a trapped high point.
Also that radiator was SUPER bobo looking. No wonder it cracked. Not sure what "kit" or setup that is.
Oh, one of the first things with showing the coolant leak was coolant leaking between the hose and the thermostat housing. And then you see the worm-drive clamp - that's the problem in that case. You need a constant tension clamp. Worm drive from the parts store won't work. I've used Mazda OEM hoses and Mazda spring clamps and I have NEVER had a leak.
Dale
.If you hook a coolant funnel up and let the car come up to temp you will get localized boiling and it will start barfing out the top. The system isn't under pressure. No idea why they had so much of a problem filling the system, but that V-mount setup may have contributed, some of those can be a bitch to get the air out of if you have a trapped high point.
Also that radiator was SUPER bobo looking. No wonder it cracked. Not sure what "kit" or setup that is.
Oh, one of the first things with showing the coolant leak was coolant leaking between the hose and the thermostat housing. And then you see the worm-drive clamp - that's the problem in that case. You need a constant tension clamp. Worm drive from the parts store won't work. I've used Mazda OEM hoses and Mazda spring clamps and I have NEVER had a leak.
Dale
02-06-21, 08:25 AM
#39
Rotary Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Part 3:
02-06-21, 11:36 AM
#40
I would have like to have seen more with some of the local rotary people they glazed right over. Probably would have made for a little more interesting / genuine content. Basically, "we just barely drove these cars through the contiguous U.S., not stopping for much other than emergencies, a few tourist attractions, and some stops at Advance for a plug." Production quality was great, but content gets an overall "meh" from me.
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jsesq (02-07-21)
02-06-21, 12:51 PM
#41
Rotary Enthusiast
Thread Starter
I would like to see an after-drive post-mortem and plans to fix the cars. If you're going to spend so much time and effort on a trip/production, learn from your mistakes.
Here's a few things I would consider:
1. This would have been a great trip to test something like the TEIN EDFC suspension system we've been discussing in the other thread, or an adjustable suspension setup, different bushing durometers, etc.
2. You could bring a few sets of wheels and tires to do a comparison test. It's enough miles to get an idea of street and highway feel, from sound/vibration to fuel economy. Few people have the opportunity to drive the tires through such a wide range of weather conditions and climates in such a short amount of time, and you could test the difference between wheel weights (cast vs. forged) on the road.
3. Gas analysis.
4. AFR, etc. logging analysis. Check and record the telemetry to account for changes in altitude, temperature, etc. Bonus points if you can adjust tuning to improve performance/mileage as you go.
5. Seat swaps. Bring an extra set of aftermarket seats in the support vehicle and test their long-term comfort.
6. Gearing is an issue, as seen in the first part. Compare the stock FD gearing with a Tremec 6-speed, etc.
7. Street port vs. stock port, compare different engine management computers.
Extra credit: test a rotary using the stock OMP vs. premix (or using both) and analyze numbers/open the engine and inspect wear.
That's a lot of factors, but covering even a few of these would provide a deeper, more rewarding outcome from a very long drive.
Here's a few things I would consider:
1. This would have been a great trip to test something like the TEIN EDFC suspension system we've been discussing in the other thread, or an adjustable suspension setup, different bushing durometers, etc.
2. You could bring a few sets of wheels and tires to do a comparison test. It's enough miles to get an idea of street and highway feel, from sound/vibration to fuel economy. Few people have the opportunity to drive the tires through such a wide range of weather conditions and climates in such a short amount of time, and you could test the difference between wheel weights (cast vs. forged) on the road.
3. Gas analysis.
4. AFR, etc. logging analysis. Check and record the telemetry to account for changes in altitude, temperature, etc. Bonus points if you can adjust tuning to improve performance/mileage as you go.
5. Seat swaps. Bring an extra set of aftermarket seats in the support vehicle and test their long-term comfort.
6. Gearing is an issue, as seen in the first part. Compare the stock FD gearing with a Tremec 6-speed, etc.
7. Street port vs. stock port, compare different engine management computers.
Extra credit: test a rotary using the stock OMP vs. premix (or using both) and analyze numbers/open the engine and inspect wear.
That's a lot of factors, but covering even a few of these would provide a deeper, more rewarding outcome from a very long drive.
Last edited by HiWire; 02-06-21 at 05:33 PM.
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cloud9 (02-09-21)
02-06-21, 05:00 PM
#42
Eats, Sleeps, Dreams Rotary
iTrader: (4)
I would like to see an after-drive post-mortem and plans to fix the cars. If you're going to spend so much time and effort on a trip/production, learn from your mistakes.
Here's a few things I would consider:
1. This would have been a great trip to test something like the TEIN EDFC suspension system we've been discussing in the other thread, or an adjustable suspension setup, different bushing durometers, etc.
2. You could bring a few sets of wheels and tires to do a comparison test. It's enough miles to get an idea of street and highway feel, from sound/vibration to fuel economy. Few people have the opportunity to drive the tires through such a wide range of weather conditions and climates in such a short amount of time, and you could test the difference between wheel weights (cast vs. forged) on the road.
3. Gas analysis.
4. AFR, etc. logging analysis. Check and record the telemetry to account for changes in altitude, temperature, etc. Bonus points if you can adjust tuning to improve performance/mileage as you go.
5. Seat swaps. Bring an extra set of aftermarket seats in the support vehicle and test their long-term comfort.
6. Gearing is an issue, as seen in the first part. Compare the stock FD gearing with a Tremec 6-speed, etc.
7. Street port vs. stock port, compare different engine management computers.
Extra credit: test a rotary using the stock OMP vs. premix (or using both) and analyze numbers/open the engine and inspect wear
That's a lot of factors, but covering even a few of these would provide a deeper, more rewarding outcome from a very long drive.
Here's a few things I would consider:
1. This would have been a great trip to test something like the TEIN EDFC suspension system we've been discussing in the other thread, or an adjustable suspension setup, different bushing durometers, etc.
2. You could bring a few sets of wheels and tires to do a comparison test. It's enough miles to get an idea of street and highway feel, from sound/vibration to fuel economy. Few people have the opportunity to drive the tires through such a wide range of weather conditions and climates in such a short amount of time, and you could test the difference between wheel weights (cast vs. forged) on the road.
3. Gas analysis.
4. AFR, etc. logging analysis. Check and record the telemetry to account for changes in altitude, temperature, etc. Bonus points if you can adjust tuning to improve performance/mileage as you go.
5. Seat swaps. Bring an extra set of aftermarket seats in the support vehicle and test their long-term comfort.
6. Gearing is an issue, as seen in the first part. Compare the stock FD gearing with a Tremec 6-speed, etc.
7. Street port vs. stock port, compare different engine management computers.
Extra credit: test a rotary using the stock OMP vs. premix (or using both) and analyze numbers/open the engine and inspect wear
That's a lot of factors, but covering even a few of these would provide a deeper, more rewarding outcome from a very long drive.
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gracer7-rx7 (11-12-21)
02-06-21, 05:31 PM
#43
Rotary Enthusiast
Thread Starter
True, but they certainly aren't the first to attempt this sort of project.
You could organize similar video blogs for things like the One Lap of America, if a team was dedicated to interview participants in depth, or a new project highlighting North America's great driving roads, and add the technical analyses as sidebars.
There are enough interest groups and sponsorship opportunities for people with those kind of connections to make it happen, it just needs a bit of planning.
You could organize similar video blogs for things like the One Lap of America, if a team was dedicated to interview participants in depth, or a new project highlighting North America's great driving roads, and add the technical analyses as sidebars.
There are enough interest groups and sponsorship opportunities for people with those kind of connections to make it happen, it just needs a bit of planning.
Last edited by HiWire; 02-07-21 at 08:34 AM.
02-06-21, 11:24 PM
#44
Agree. I spend most of the time checking out Autoblog and drivetribe nowadays.
Youtube is full of "automotive experts" nowadays as well. Very few channels are worth a shot. It's all about the viewership, and the demo graph, correct? Till this day I have no idea how anyone views Supercar blondie or that other shumuck Shmee something or other. They're all trying to recreate Top Gear on some level and all of them fail. Even Top Gear stopped becoming good while the trio were still at the BBC. I forget what season it was they stumbled onto a winning formula. It seemed genuine and unexpected. Which made the season fantastic. Then they started to outdo themselves with alot more scripted parts and the specialness it had fell away. Ever since then they've been desperately trying to recreate that season. Unfortunately it'll never happen.
I even gave the small vid series "Sorted" a shot. Even though I can't stand that Rob Ferrat (last name??). Matt I can kinda tolerate and of course Emilia is there mainly for obvious reasons (yes, she might know a few things here and there, but honestly, who are we kidding?? lol ;-) )
As for Rob.. well.. he does have his moments.. I can view alot of his episodes but mainly fast forwarding or skipping alot of the unnecessary stuff...
I still love viewing the Best Motoring stuff. I'm always entertained by those episodes (just wish I could understand Japanese better.. )
Youtube is full of "automotive experts" nowadays as well. Very few channels are worth a shot. It's all about the viewership, and the demo graph, correct? Till this day I have no idea how anyone views Supercar blondie or that other shumuck Shmee something or other. They're all trying to recreate Top Gear on some level and all of them fail. Even Top Gear stopped becoming good while the trio were still at the BBC. I forget what season it was they stumbled onto a winning formula. It seemed genuine and unexpected. Which made the season fantastic. Then they started to outdo themselves with alot more scripted parts and the specialness it had fell away. Ever since then they've been desperately trying to recreate that season. Unfortunately it'll never happen.
I even gave the small vid series "Sorted" a shot. Even though I can't stand that Rob Ferrat (last name??). Matt I can kinda tolerate and of course Emilia is there mainly for obvious reasons (yes, she might know a few things here and there, but honestly, who are we kidding?? lol ;-) )
As for Rob.. well.. he does have his moments.. I can view alot of his episodes but mainly fast forwarding or skipping alot of the unnecessary stuff...
I still love viewing the Best Motoring stuff. I'm always entertained by those episodes (just wish I could understand Japanese better.. )
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Neo (02-07-21)
02-06-21, 11:41 PM
#45
Make an assessment...
iTrader: (3)
I've always wanted to drive the FD around the country and stop to meet all the different local groups in each state. Or at least the bigger groups in the cities. It's cool to go to events like SevenStock and you get to meet a lot of people at once, but it might be like information overload and not everyone makes it to those big events either.
Plus it would be another way to prove that rotaries can be reliable lol. I've driven it cross country several times already, just not more than about 1500 miles in one trip. So it would certainly be a test.
Plus it would be another way to prove that rotaries can be reliable lol. I've driven it cross country several times already, just not more than about 1500 miles in one trip. So it would certainly be a test.
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Neo (02-08-21)
02-09-21, 10:16 PM
#47
Junior Member
Also the K-engine guy in his swap videos keeps preaching that his K engine weighs in at ~275lbs (I forget the exact figure) while the rotary weighs 400lbs. Except we know the FD rotary engine (13B) actually weighs 250lbs but it has 150lbs of turbo accessories that make it to be 400lbs. Yes that is all fine and dandy, except that he only reports the weight of his K engine WITHOUT the turbo accessories that his car ALSO has. Quite convenient..
The k gets better mileage, and makes more power.
02-09-21, 11:46 PM
#48
With that said, nothing like spending ~$20,000 on a K swap, get an extra 7 miles per gallon and act like it's the economical choice. So how many gas tanks will it take to break even?
Last edited by Montego; 02-10-21 at 06:51 PM.
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02-13-21, 08:45 AM
#49
Rotary Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Fixing the Cooling System on the Rotary RX-7:
