if theres one thing i learned about rotaries, its that theyre not reliable. i really want to get a FD, but i need a car that i can use more than just a weekend driver. is there a way to make them more reliable to a point where i can use them as a daily driver other than dropping in a piston? thanks

 

That's incorrect, rotaries by themselves are *very* reliable, and can last hundreds of thousands of miles.

It is the turbocharging which can lead to detonation that makes them unreliable.

If you want an FD as a daily driver, keep it mostly stock as far as power mods go. My dad is making 290 rwhp out of his R1 with intake, downpipe and catback and the car has run great for 40,000 miles now.

 

plenty of fd owners use it as a daily. get the reliability mods put into the fd and its good to go.

 

cant do the downpipe *legally* in california. wouldn't intake + downpipe + catback mods require some type of fuel computer or boost controller? or only when midpipe replaces the cat?

 

you are crazy not to add a downpipe and get rid of your precat, which has been known to cause engine failure when it clogs. The chances of getting busted are slim to none as long as your main cat is in place.

my dad has a profec b to keep boost around 12 psi or so and also has a pfs piggyback 'purple box.'

 

wow, well i learned something new today.

so i need are mods like downpipe, mid, radiator, better wiring, some electronics, etc and it wont die for a while as long as i baby it?

 

aproaching 90k miles... Still running strong with mods in sig... 16-18 lbs of vac


Daily driven for 2 years now

 

Might want to leave the mid pipe out of your list. Either stock cat or high flow cat, or else you might end up with out of control boost. I've daily driven my rx7 for over 9 years. Most of it depends on how well you take care of your car.

 

Yup, leave the main cat in place. no midpipe, no highflow cat. The stock main car serves as a bottleneck to aid in stable boost on the stock seq twin turbo setup. You can still make ~350 motor hp (300 rwhp) with the stock main cat.

 

^Agreed.
It's hard to imagine there are still some FDs out there with a pre-cat, but maybe so.
Wrap or heat coat the downpipe, keep it at stock boost levels, and do all the reliability mods (found in the FAQs under 'R'), maintain it and don't drive it like you stole it. If it was a sound car to begin with, based on what I've read here, it should be good to 100k or more. I've got 79k on mine now, with no issues.

 

I haven't heard of anyone getting hassled for having a downpipe, even at emissions inspections. I've had my FD for two years, and put ~30k miles on it in with no major problems. However, it started consuming coolant about a week ago, I'm afraid it's the coolant seals. The car has 72k miles on it now.


Be sure to change the oil, coolant, and spark plugs often. Neglect will get you in trouble with these beasts.


-s-

 

I am going on 1 yr of ownership with my fd 19,600 miles now and ZERO problems.It my dd and i take roadtrips to fla once a month with no problems,i also get 27 mpg too!

 

What are you Crazy!!!!if they are not so reliable as you say then how come in Ausrualia the Mazda has won several Bathurst 24 Hour races..

These cars are very reliable, if you do the proper Preventive Maintence. Which is to actually look at all parts of the car and check for problems, Then should never break down.

 

I'm pretty sure he was kidding

 

I was thinking about getting full exhaust maybe i will just get the dp and rb duals, isn't the stock main cat 2" though, or is it 3"?

 

Wow, no flaming yet in this thread. Is this a new day in the 3rd gen section? lol

 

stock piping is 3". downpipe and rb dual will fit no problem. You are better off keeping the stock main cat---improved boost control and longer engine longevity.

Of course, if you are like me and must have 500 motor hp, a midpipe is a must

 

well 500hp might be to much, i'm thinking of around 350-400whp

 

Well, i was talking motor hp of course.....with my setup i am not making 500 at the wheels.

I think perhaps 350 rwhp can be done with a cat and the right single turbo. 400 would be much harder, and at that level i dont think you'll really have 'daily driver' type reliability anyway.