tdawg88

Ok so im finally amongst the opportunity to afford/buy an FD. I have found one amongst the very few that are around. However it has been modified quite a lot and well I know nothing about rotary so maybe some light can shun on my dillemma as to weather its a good idea to buy or not or fit my application.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Im looking to buying a particular 93+ RX7 FD with the following mods:

Greddy T88 turbo
Tial Waste gate (48 i think)
Sard Fuel rail with
2 x 1000cc injectors
2 x 1600cc injectors
Fuel regulator
walbro 255l fuel pump
Microtech LT10 with ignition amplifier
Rebulit engine with racing apexseal (approx 10k km ago)
Race ported
Works 3pcs deep dish rims with
front 265/35/18
rear 295/30/18
Tien Fully adjustable (hi/lo hrd/sft)
OS Giken racing clutch
Mazda speed brake calipers
apexi exhaust system with 3.5 in stainless steel piping
apeci Avcr
RE boost meter
Custom made V-mounted intercooler
Seats re upholstered
KAZZ LSD

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So basically I want the car because price wise, it will cost me nearly what I can pay for an s13 (mind you im not in the US I know how cheap s13's/14's are/can be.) This car has several mods and for a decent price literally what a stock FD sells for in states right now and so it pisses me off that an s13/14/15 are nearly the same price but without the mods.

So my plans are to track the car and drift. However, it will be my only car and so I wonder how long will it last me if I were to also use it occassionally to drive around town? Heat is a major issue here since its hot as hell so how would I take care of this car? I would prefer an s13/14/ or even a 15 but none of the ones being sold have a rebuilt (or new-like) motor. They have all been beat up by previous/current owners who try to drift or want to etc. Also none have any of the mods available on this FD so when you consider price i.e. if a cheese burger costs 3 bucks, but so does a whopper, and so does a double whopper, depending on how hungry you are, which one will you buy if they are roughly the same price?

So please help me decide. The car looks great but im weary because I know nothing about rotary motors. Thanks for reading and I am open to all opinions.

-Thanks

thewird

iTrader: (8)

Those are some huge injectors, thats gonna burn a lot of gas o.O . First thing that came to mind. Probably not what you wanna know though.

thewird

silverflash2

iTrader: (2)

It hard to tell how long they will last, the more they are modified, the life of the motor usually doesn't last that long. From what i seen and experienced that a slightly modified motors tend to start showing some wear around 30,000 miles. The vacuum seems to start dropping on it around that time, which means the compression is getting lower on the motor.

tdawg88

hmmm that is interesting. I too thought the injectors were WAY big or atleast the ratio didnt seem right. I thought I read somewhere that 720's are just about right no?

Well, I dont know why this guy is selling this car for such a cheap price. His excuse was that he has too many toys. "I" got no problem with the fact that he wanna sell it for what stock cars sell around here for. Thing is Im weary of it. Its certainly a Hot car but to fork out that money I need it to last me a good while.

The owner told me that the turbo kicks in around 4k+ rpms which he dont mind because it saves him gas or something and that once the turbo kicks in well forget all the rest. Supposed to be set up for nearly 500 hp however he has not raised the boost.

What worries me kind of is the "race porting" not that it should be much of an issue but for street use I would think its not efficient?

Not so sure though.

thewird

iTrader: (8)

Race port is just a bigger street port. Which pushes the power band even higher in the RPM's. Having 1000cc primaries + "race port" is not going to be efficient on gas even if your not boosting. Then again we are talking about rotaries which aren't efficient to begin with . As long as you don't take the boost up too high at the track it won't be any less reliable then another FD at the track but it will guzzle gas like a ****

thewird

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

The fact that FDs have rebuilt motors isn't necessarily a sign that this one is strong, really it reflects the fact that the engines aren't terribly durable. Read the FAQ and get to know more about it: https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68640

Honestly, the FD is not a good alternative car. The FD is the kind of car with characteristics that become a major turnoff for many sportscar enthusiasts. FDs can be driven daily, can have reasonable reliability, but compared to a piston engine of similar performance it will always be less. Often much less.

The Driver

iTrader: (4)

I wouldn't recommend that setup as a DD LOL. A T88 with those injectors... You WILL watch the need go down on moderate boost lmao.

Pretty sick car though.

tdawg88

Well I agree with the fact that a rubuild dont mean it is durable however that is a whole lot closer to new than a s13/14 and even the late s15's thats been around since the days of columbus (sarcasm) lol and been driven around by its owners and then they wanna sell em for the same price they bought it for or higher now that everyone wants a drift car so to speak. So considering those ideas, I went with the FD because the outward appearence is awesome with good paint and awesome wheels, and then the engine has so many mods to account for what im spending I mean just the turbo alone is like 6 or 7k US dollars here. Not to mention the rest of the stuff he put on.

I agree that the injectors are a bit TOO big, and am familiar with the motors not lasting long however if I cant get atleast another 60k Kilometers out of it, then its money I should spend else where.

I appreciate you guys' imput so far. I do want the car but since the money aint mine I dont want to have to rebuild this sometime soon. Im afraid to be told: "See, I told you to just buy a new fairlady." Freaking gay man. I used to work at nissan and hated that damm car. They look tight but just dont like em. Anyways thats my story since im no longer in the US Im trying to be frugal (sorta) but smart in my purchase.

thewird

iTrader: (8)

That engine should last you more the 60k unless theres something wrong with it. Also, depends on how much boost your run with it and if your always pushing it.

thewird

Davin

iTrader: (14)

sounds like your deathwish man...

that is too much car, even for me :-/

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

Well read up on the general maintenance requirements of FDs. With a single turbo, this car won't be as bad as the stocker, but you'll still want to learn the special things that a turbo rotary needs.

60k (40k miles) is reasonable, but we don't know what boost/hp this car is set up for. We also don't know how well tuned it is. With medium/low boost this car could last 60k more, but judging by the current mods it won't last that long on average if run at full boost.

Dave

tdawg88

Ok!!... thats considerable. I dont know who tuned it either and I also know that the # of rotary mechanics here can literally be counted with 1 hand. Owner claims it was done by a pro. rotary mechanic, I wouldnt doubt it since he willing to spend the rest on the other mods but still. Owner claims that boost levels are set low however if one wanted to run higher its certainly possible and can achieve 500 hp something like that.

My plan is to drive the car occasionally around town which would be no more than 30 to 50 KM here and there. However go to the track on sundays for drifting. Boost wise im not looking to hit high as Im not too familiar with the FD's but lest say 12 to 15 psi as how im used to with Silvias.

If possible that it will last me a good amount of time, then this will be considered an awesome purchase for me. Otherwise im starting to lean towards an old *** 180sx. Which really sucks because its price is like 4500 dollars cheaper than the FD and the mods on it are basically just for looks.

grimple1

iTrader: (1)

I'll say that you need to look into an FC or the s13/14 if you want to drift. No offense to you or your driving skills but this is not a car that we want to see wrecked. FCs and the 240/180s are in much higher production numbers and more readily replaced. IMO, they are more suitable drift cars.

Body and engine work on the FD is very expensive if you can't do it yourself.

sip

You say you're not in the US, but your profile says cali?? Were are you?

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

Do you have a smog hookup? There is no way that will ever pass visual or the sniffer.

Disregard if you are outside the US unless wherever you are has other emissions testing that needs to be performed.

96fd3s

FD = faster then a sylvia with the same boost

RiceFx306

iTrader: (7)

I can't even imagine trying to drift with a T88 with a race port. You know how high the power range would be? It's kind of a ***** out kind of thing.

Rotary4tw

iTrader: (3)

No... freaking... way. 60k?

A car that is that modified, even if you get it in excellent running condition... (he's likely selling it for another reason) is going to cost you a TON to maintain. With all due respect, you don't seem to have a large working knowledge of these cars, which is okay, but going to be expensive. I would have at least 3-4k on hand at ALL times if you need this to be a means to and from work.

I fully understand that it's very hard to say no to a new FD. I know I didn't have the willpower or the knowledge to say no when I first purchased mine. If you are going to purchase one, you have to be willing to accept the costs.

This comment makes me uncomfortable...

If you want to do it right... take two weeks and network with some trusted FD vets in the area of the car's seller. Have them inspect the car for you/with you. Have them do a compression test on the car. Have them discuss with the owner the setup of the car, and his reasoning for his choices.

If you do those things, you will quickly find out if you are about to purchase a 15k rotary that is well set up and will cost you 3-4k in the next 24 months to maintain... or a 15k rotary that is going to cost you 8k in the next 12 months to maintain.

I would not finance a highly modded Rx-7 unless you could survive the economic hit of it needing loads of your time and cash in the next 12 months.

We all have to start somewhere with the FD, just make sure you understand your price point if you enter with a questionable highly modded car.

Good luck, and use these forums, incredible wealth of information.

-R4tw

thewird

iTrader: (8)

A properly taken care of FD with a fresh motor (that was well built) just needs oil changes and spark plugs. People think the rotary is an unreliable car but it really all depends on the maintenance and what I mean by that is fix extremely small problems before they become big expensive problems.

I daily drive my car and take it to the track almost every weekend (no i'm not joking). The only maintenance it receives is oil changes every 5,000 km and new spark plugs every 10,000 km. The only other expense I've had in the past year is new shocks cause I still had the 15 year old stock one's which were basically dead from my tracking. That and new pads every so often. 30,000 km on a rebuilt street ported motor and counting without a single problem.

thewird

Rotary4tw

iTrader: (3)

Really? REALLY?

Is this really the message you want to send to first time FD buyers who:

1) Are likely financing the car.
2) Using it as a daily driver.
3) Do not have a background with how to keep a rotary reliable.

Spark plugs and oil, good to go?

Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful that you have done such a great job with your FD, but you obviously have a strong working knowledge of your car, it's subsystems, and what it takes to maintain an FD. It takes most owners YEARS to figure everything out.

Unless you are surrounded by mentors that keep a close eye on your car, odds are you are going to miss something, and it's going to cost you. A wastegate system failure, not watching the temps... boom, rebuild. These cars are not forgiving.

Make no mistake about it... for the majority of FD owners, this car is likely the most expensive car they have, or will ever have to maintain.

One of your reasons for buying seemed to be the price. Take the price and be able to afford an additional 20-40%. Trust me.

If I just look locally in my area at the highly modified FD's, even the really well set up ones are money pits. These cars are owned by some seriously talented members/minds in the rotary community.

If you are serious about getting into this car, try to talk with some local FD guys that you can trust and ask them about their opinions and experiences.

Good luck sir!

-R4tw

thewird

iTrader: (8)

I guess I just don't have one of those death cars. But I agree it all depends on who takes care of the car.

thewird

tdawg88

Hey guys sorry for the late reply. Im in Malaysia so its freaking morning for me now and I was trying to get as much asked last night. Anywho, thanks for the wonderful information about the car.

First off, FD's can literally be counted here and are rare as hell. Since the rx8 came out, the price of the FD dropped a lot and now sells for what they normally sell for in the US range maybe 12 - 18k. Otherwise since malaysia imposes a 300% duty tax a car here is costing you 10 to 15k US dollars, and YES!!! that includes such cars as the s13 and s14. Now!! I dont wanna bash Malaysians for being lazy or not knowing how to tune their cars but I know lots who dont and have seen cars that just were not taken care of that well and yet still sale for a ridiculous price.

So considering the price range and the fact that I have to finance it just puts me at a dillemma between which car to get. FC's are hard to find here and if you do find it, It ALMOST costs the same as an FD (CRAZY NO!?)

Its a drag that I would have to spend so much more just into support maintenance in order to keep the car alive. It is 1 sexy car and well it really would be killer at the track considering all you see here are OLD cars.

Well Im thankful for what is being said and I will consider it. Thank You very much.

thewird

iTrader: (8)

If you want to drift the car, you could get a nice 240. Not sure if they are inexpensive in Malaysia or not.

thewird

tdawg88

Well, 240's are not any cheaper than the FD in fact some sell higher than this FD im looking to buy. That and they are owned by people who dont care for them (which is why I was so set on this FD.)

Honestly though I guess I can't go with this FD because I could not afford to fix it every so often. Unless I was certain that it would not go out on me withing atleast 12 months with just minimmal in town driving and sunday afternoon drift practice.

Well thanks a lot for your help. I think I will go back to the drawing board and find me an adequate car.

SLOASFK

iTrader: (5)

If 240SXs are selling for more than the FD you're looking at, you might want to reconsider that car. A GOOD FD will run you around $15-19k You can find a nice 03 or 04 350Z for the same or less than a nice FD.