OneRotor

iTrader: (3)

Hey all
I'm looking at purchasing a 3rd gen. within the next 18 months, and i've been trying to figure out what to upgrade on my car. I'd like some help with what brands to buy, and anything that you've had problems with on your cars. Here is a list of what i've thought of for initial upgrades. If you could give me any suggestions on any of them it'd be greatly apprieciated. The upgrades that i'm looking for are not for performance, but for engine longevity.

Radiator: should I go with a multiple-row aluminum, or brass radiator, and what brand?

Air Exchanger: I’ve heard that the stock plastic air exchanger is extremely prone to bursting and venting the cooling system all over the engine bay. I want to keep an air exchanger on my car, because as liquids heat up their ability to keep air goes down, and that could cause an air bubble in the system. Should I eliminate the air exchanger because it’s not needed, or should I go with an aluminum one?

Intercooler: I would like to go with a front-mount right away, but is there enough of an opening with the stock front bumper to make it efficient, or would it be better to go with a large, stock-mount intercooler?

Downpipe: I would like to get a downpipe without the pre-cat installed in it, and I’m thinking about either stainless steel or titanium. I’d prefer titanium, but I haven’t been able to find anyone that makes one.

Catalytic Converter: This is going to be my street car, so I need it to be street legal. Are there any companies that offer a stainless-steel bodied, rotary-specific catalytic converter? I know that the rotary exhaust temperatures are much too high for a normal catalytic converter, and a normal core would crumble after about 20,000 miles.

Exhaust: Here I’m looking for either Stainless or Titanium, preferably titanium for the weight savings. Which company should I go with for optimal performance and quality of construction? I was thinking between 3” and 3.5” for the pipe diameter, is a 3.5” pipe too big? I’m looking to eventually run a little over 500 wheel hp, and I don’t want to replace my exhaust system when I go for the big numbers.

Intake: For the time being, I’m going to stick with the stock twin turbo setup because of having such a tight budget. I would like a system that uses two cotton-gauze re-useable filters, with a water eliminator attachment (like AEM offers with their intakes). Looks don’t really matter to me, as I am planning on adding an insulator/heat reflecting covering so the intake air is as cool as possible. I would like the air pickup to be situated behind the front bumper, and possibly have a carbon-fiber or aluminum box to keep all excess heat away from the filters.

ECU: I’m well aware of the stock computer’s reliance on the exhaust backpressure to keep boost spikes in check, and how a downpipe, high-flow catalytic converter and cat-back exhaust will cause massive boost spikes and detonation, which equals the end of a rotary engine. I think that I am going to need to flash re-program my computer with a chip, but I’m open for suggestions. I don’t have any tuning shops near me as far as I know, so as of right now dyno tuning with a stand-alone unit is out of the question (unless you can suggest a shop within reasonable proximity to Ann Arbor, MI, by reasonable I mean Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and possibly Pennsylvania).

Electronics: Right now I’m looking at a boost controller and a turbo timer. How difficult are they to install, and can I install them in a place where they would be out of sight, so my car looks as close to stock as possible? I was thinking in the glove box or under the driver or passenger seat as possible mounting locations, are those good places or would there be too much danger under the seats from the elements (like spilt beverages, water, or dirt)? I’ve heard that Viper Alarm’s newest system has a circuit that will cause the car to idle for any amount of time up to around 15 minutes after the key is removed from the ignition, and that some people are using that as a turbo timer. The system is between $400 and $600, do you think that would be a good investment and use the extra circuit as my turbo timer, or would that be too risky and I should go with a stand-alone unit?

Fluids: What have you had the most success with for fluids? I know Mazda specifically states that you should not, under any circumstance, use synthetic oil in the engine. What’s your take on synthetics, and what brand have you had the most success with? Also, what kind of transmission fluid and differential oil should I use? I’ve heard a lot of good things about Red Line and Royal Purple. As the cooling system goes, what is best to use in the RX-7, the traditional Green coolant, or the new extended life red coolant? I don’t want my coolant to eat the seals of the engine, and I’ve heard that the red coolant eats head gaskets in a piston engine. Will it do the same thing to the o-rings that seal up the rotary block? Also, should I consider an additive, like Red Line’s Water Wetter?

Vacuum lines: I’d like to replace the stock rubber vacuum lines with high temperature silicone lines and zip tie them in place so they don’t pop off and destroy my engine. Is this something that I could pull off in my driveway, or would I be better off paying someone to do this for me? I don’t have any performance shops near me, and I don’t want to drop off a car that I’m going to be dropping this kind of money into at the local shop to have them hack at it.

Water Pump: Have you ever had problems with the stock water pump not being able to deliver enough coolant at high rpm’s, thus causing the engine to overheat and self-destruct? I was thinking about the RX-8 water pump as a direct replacement for the RX-7 pump. Would this work, and would it provide adequate flow for a turbo motor?

Fuel Filter: With my final goal being over 500 horsepower at the wheels, I want a
good fuel filter. I’m looking for one that will support between 800 and 1000 wheel horsepower so I never have to worry about my filter being the cause of fuel system backup. I would also like it to be made of stainless steel, and have a window so I can see at a glance if the filter has to be cleaned.

Body Work: As of right now I’m just looking at a vented Carbon Fiber hood to get rid of the hot air from the radiator and intercooler. What brand makes the best hoods for flow? I don’t care if it comes finished, because I’m planning on having it painted to match my car so it doesn’t look riced out.

pstnh8r

Do a search!!! It works wonders

Mr rx-7 tt

iTrader: (5)

Do a search. Jimlab wrote a fantastic post on this just recently.
Mods you should make it a sticky then this would stop.

OneRotor

iTrader: (3)

thanks for the suggestion, i'm new to the site

scotty305

iTrader: (2)

1. Before reading anything I've got to say, read this thread entirely, it contains some very good advice from jimlab , one of the senior members here.

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...hreadid=286201

OK, back with us here? I'll try to touch on a few things jim might not have mentioned, since your question isn't exactly the same as the other guy's.


I'm not an expert yet, but it sounds like you've got some good ideas.

There have been a few discussions re: FMIC vs. stock mount, the issue is which is going be more of a critical; engine temps or intake temps? Obviously both are important, but personally I would choose to keep engine coolant & oil temps low at the expense of intake air temperature, so no FMIC for me, not until I know the rest of my cooling systems are bulletproof. Another thing to look into would be the "v-mount" setup, it places the radiator and the IC at different angles, with neither obstructing airflow to the other.




For your fuel filter, I think I've seen some good ones at www.canton.com , www.pegasusautoracing.com , and maybe even www.summitracing.com , there's lots of parts on their sites, check canton first, as they make the fuel filters, if I remember correctly.



re: titanium DP, that would have to be a custom order, or maybe you might be able to find one from some obscure company in Japan. I've never even heard of a Ti turbo downpipe, but I haven't looked too much either. Look for Kakimoto (not sure about that spelling), they have a very good reputation, supposedly the best exhaust you can buy for the Subaru WRX. Very pricey though. Any Stainless downpipe will shed a LOT of weight vs. the stock precat.



ECU: if you're looking for a bazillion HP, you should go standalone before you do any other mods. Learn to tune the standalone ECU, then start adding mods. It might take longer, but you'll be very glad you did vs. trying to tune a car that's already been frankensteined. Many on these boards use the Apexi Power FC, but I'm not sure if that's the best money can buy, or just the most popular. I haven't researched that far into ECU's yet.


-s-

clayne

Some comments.

Forget about all the titanium. It costs much more than the actual returns you gain from it.

As far as the ECU goes, without question, for beginniner/intermediate modifications and better than stock reliability: Apex'I PowerFC

Vented hood is really more so for aerodynamic/pressure-zone influencing more than it is for cooling. The goal is to create a higher pressure zone above the car than the pressure that exists below, inside the bay, or under it. Cooling is secondary.

scotty305

iTrader: (2)

Clayne, are you sure about that? Almost every serious (factory-backed) racecar I've seen has had ducted IC / radiators, with hot air exiting through vents in the hood. Same concept as cooling fans, but higher air speeds...

-s-

OneRotor

iTrader: (3)

wow, thanks for the information, you guys are a huge help. I read the post by Jimlab, and it was very very informative. i apprieciate all the help you guys have given me

OneRotor

iTrader: (3)

by the way, does anyone know if there are courses on how to tune an ECU? I'd like to learn how to do it from someone who has expierence with it. Also, does the PowerFC have a connector so i can hook it into my laptop?

DaveW

A Titanium DP won't stand the heat. There was a post on this a few months back.

my-sons rx7

I suggest at first you have a rotary specialist do all the tuning on your car. There are sooo many things to take into account when tuning rotarys. One little mistake and you need a new motor, and probably turbos to, do to the apex seal going through the compressor. If you want to learn later on how to tune the car after you have had all the knowledge you think you need, go right ahead. Another thing i would suggest is to do mods in groups, because everytime you do a mod, you need to tune your car, no matter how small. If you do the mods in groups, you can cut down on the cost of tuning.

fastcarfreak

oops, under the wrong name. PM me if you have any other questions.

jspecracer7

You would need the FC Datalogit to tune with a laptop.

alberto_mg

Actually, vented hood works wonders at decreasing underhood temps. I have one. Its incredible just how much heat you see emanating from those vents when sitting at a light.

Check out the newbie stickers as most of the info you are looking for is already out there. Then come back if you have any specific questions. Good luck.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

First thing, there are many brands and options. Since the car won't fail the day you bring it home (knock on wood), you can have parts in mind and watch the classifieds here and ebay. Check about 4 times a day and within a couple months you'll have most of what you need for much less $$.

My car has similar goals - I have stock power and I just want reliability. It's got 58k and 10k since rebuild.

Multi-row aluminum, PWR, Fluidyne, Koyo, Mazdaspeed are all good. The Ebay all-aluminum stock replacements and no-names are not good.

I don't think eliminating it is a bad idea, but I went with the aluminum replacement. Eliminating it frees space, so maybe I should have gone the other way. Good classified item.

IMO, the stock intercooler works fine at stock boost levels and street driving. If you're going to track it, a bigger IC would be better. Not sure if changing the intake geometry has much effect - usually improving the sealing around the radiator/IC intakes is a good mod tho.

Titanium is a waste, just go with a stainless downpipe. Get a good brand-name dp, secondhand is a good way to buy. I'm not sure about the jet-coating or wrapping - mine is bare and I'm not worried about it.

The rx7.com store sells an RX-7-specific Bonez High-flow cat that I've heard good about. I will be running my stock cat until it starts giving problems, then I would replace with this.

I say skip Titanium, too many cheaper ways to save the same weight for less. 3.5" is overkill, IMO. Just a good 3". You're tens of thousands of $$ away from outgrowing a 3" SS exhaust.

If you're staying stock with boost setup and will have a stock or hi-flow cat, I wouldn't bother with the BC. I have a turbo timer, and don't use it. (Will sell cheap, including harness!). They say light driving is a better cooldown than idling, so unless your driving habits don't allow it I think you can skip the timer.

I put in Redline in the diff and tranny and noticed no difference. However, the extra durability of the synthetic is what I was going for anyway. I use Mobil1 for engine oil - it's a good value in synthetics, which Royal Purple and Amsoil aren't. Mazda initially discouraged synthetics, but the oils have changed and are better tested and supposedly Mazda has retracted that point.

IMO, go with the stock green stuff and change it annually. Clean coolant mixed with distilled water is very important. I've never tried water wetter.

I'm doing this job right now, replacing a combination of stock hardened rubber and silicone lines with a full set of viton. You can pull off this job in your driveway, but it takes patience, good hand tools, and you can't be all thumbs. Follow the techniques about it in the archive here. Viton was hard to find and insanely expensive until HighTempSilicone on this forum did a custom run of it. PM him and he may have a set or two left. (Viton = $275, Si = $120). The viton is quite firm and grippy, so I may skip the zip-ties. If color other than black is important, you're stuck with Silicone.

No, stock is fine. Don't know if an RX-8 pump would fit or not. It's the fuel pumps that people upgrade in these cars.

Not a big factor. I don't think you should worry about that kind of ceiling until you're at 500hp. 500hp is a lot of work and money.

Kudos on painting the hood. But it's expensive, so unless the vents are part of your desired look, just see how the upgraded radiator, ducted intake, and downpiped exhaust get you.

Dave

OneRotor

iTrader: (3)

about the fuel filter, i've heard that the stock filter is the same one as a miata filter, and that it clogs relatively easily, causing lack of fuel flow, a lean condition, and a blown engine. this is one thing that's first on my list for upgrading, probably not one to support massive power, but something that is re-useable and i can see when it needs to be cleaned. it's just a fail-safe that's worth the extra 20, 30, or even 50 dollars. better to be safe than sorry

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

This is handled by changing it regularly instead of upgrading. The problems occur if you wait longer than 20 or 30k. Most of us here change every 15k or so.

Dave

OneRotor

iTrader: (3)

Thanks Dave, i'll keep that one in mind

Kaotic Dan

For the fuel filter, definatly go with SX Engineering's. IMO its the best out there. This company started out making fuel systems for military jets! http://www.essexind.com/