I have seen stock RX7's pull 1.01 G's on a skid pad and also they had some high slalom numbers. I know there braking was kind of weak but i blame that on the brakes. Can any newer model car compare with the G's the FD can pull along with the slalom? People say the technology is old but i have yet to see a car below 40k compare, even higher dollar cars dont compare.

 

I actually think it is the poor quality of the interior plastics that inhibits its braking.

 

Oh, sure. Cars improve all the time. Handling is measured in a number of ways, some of them subjective. In the same price range (adjusted for inflation) the Lotus Elise handles better than the FD.

You've cited a freakishly high .g reading. The highest reading I ever saw for an R model was .99 g, and that was an outlying statistic. Most lateral g readings when the cars were new showed them pulling in the .94 to .97 range.

Slalom speed is another good indicator and you'll see a number of cars exceeding the FD's stock figures these days.

 

I've seen it in print where motor trend pulled 1.0 g's with an R1.

Also, the car set magazine braking records from 60 to 0 when it first came out, so I hardly consider the brakes weak.

 

There are a few cars that can compare, but the coolest thing is that FD's are still 17 year old technology. Things like lotus's Elise and I believe the new Z06 can compare now. There are quite a few, but you still can't beat the body lines, I think I'll always be in love with FD's looks over 99% of cars.

 

IIRC, the Supra was the only car in it's category to stop quicker than the FD.

 

The test numbers were achieved with 10 years old tire technology. I wonder how well a new condition FD would do with today's tires if given the same battery of testing?

 

I still believe my FD handles better than the Lotus Elise.I had the opportunity to rent one in Las Vegas and put it through it's paces.It didn't feel as balanced as the FD, the back end swung out on me around corners while I could have taken the same ones just fine in my car.Maybe it is just me but I really prefer my car.Just my opinion.

 

the -7- can never lose!!!!!!!!1111one

 

The 2zz in the Elise is pretty weak also. Granted the car doesn't weigh much, so it's not like it's slow or anything, but you'd be hard pressed to get good numbers out that engine. We had a lot of trouble with that when I had the last gen celica with the same engine in it, but things might've changed with renewed interest, so who knows.

 

Yea, its pretty weak:
https://www.rx7club.com/rx-7-audio-visual-lounge-143/pro-driver-elise-track-494171/



Granted, its no Z06 but its not slouch either.

 

Haha, that's a great vid. I never said it was slow, but the engine really is not a huge performer. You don't have to take my word for it, browse a few elise or celica forums, the engine doesn't respond well to bolt-ons. Even the TRD supercharger only got 50 more horsepower out of it, and you have to have a REALLY well built engine in good condition for that.

 

It does well enough with the ForcedFed turbo kit:

http://www.forcedfed.com/elise.html

Their 400hp kit puts it just about on par with the power/weight ratio of a McLaren F1.

 

The 400hp kit cost as much as the car and doesn't keep any of the orignal engine pieces. Might as well throw an LS7, 20B, or 4 rotor in an FD and call it a day and save some money.

 

Handling is a broad term. We could go back and forth all day long with opinions. I suppose to settle the matter you'd have to run the two cars through an agreed upon handling course and see which one has the fastest time. Even then, someone could always claim that some sort of engine advantage tilted the test.
But I will throw in one fact of enormous importance. The Elise / Exige weighs 800 pounds less than the 3rd generation RX-7, and as we all know, weight is the enemy of handling.

I too have driven an Elise. In one way for sure I prefer the FD. It has better straight line stability because it has more weight on the front wheels. For much of the driving I do that matters. But it also means there's that much more weight you have to move when you want to change direction. And it means that the car responds that fraction of second slower when you want to change direction.

 

the stock R model S6 may have pulled 1.0 gs on the skidpad in the mid 90s...but imagine what a stock S6 R model would pull with todays rubbers. no suspension mods, just new tires.

 

Modding any car is expensive. However, when you look at the price of the McLaren verses what it cost to do the 400hp kit on the Elise, its not a bad deal. That 400hp Elise compares to about a 580'ish FD in the power/weight ratio.

 

I Think the FD R1 suppension is quite remarkable. On the track, I am still able to out corner / break new C5 Vetts and 1st gen vipers - and thats with the nearly 14-year-old, stock suppension. To be able to out handel a new car with a suppension that has +100k miles on it and is more than a decade old ......says a lot.

 

i have never drove or rode in another car that even comes close to comparing to how well the rx7 responds to the driver. i would really like to see a test where they put new tires on the 7 and compared it to the new vette and the lotus and see how it stacks up then...

 

Get real guys. I like the FD too, and I think it's a great handling car. But this "nothing can beat my FD" attitude is just silly. There are plenty of slaloms and solo races and I'm afraid you can't say an FD is never beaten. It happens plenty of times.

 

I took an elise owner out in my FD when i was down at the nurburgring. He is selling his elise and buying an FD - said many of the things i did in the FD would have span the elise.

 

The stock FD brakes are not "weak". The only time you need better brakes is if you track the car consistently, and have requisite driving skills and tires to make use of them there. Otherwise, the stock brakes (well-maintained, with whatever pad you prefer) will be more than adequate.

 

lol

 

"best handling" is a subjective term in the first place.

What we do know is that the RX7 is still competitive at the national level in autocross, and is/was a many year champion, it's test "numbers" compare favorably with virtually anything on the market (yet was done with a set of circa '92 225/50/16's, which BTW also affects stopping distances) and will still run around the track with most anything.

"Best" will be tough to quantify, but it's still world class.

 

To think that these cars should be driven in the same manner is a bit naive.