rotorhouse

Performance oriented in mind, any real noticalbe difference between the three (r1 vs base vs touring)?

How much does the R1 benefit from having a hardtop rather than a sun-roof?

Is the reduction of 62lbs in the r1 over the touring (manual) evident?

Has anyone driven all three in stock form? Feedback appreciated.

RX7Wishing

r1 will handle better.

stock vs stock there is no overly large difference

amp

iTrader: (50)

speaking in stock form.. preference is the r1
extra oil cooler and suspension differences.

2FAST7S

I cant agree with you cause i have a touring. Then again, stock vs stock i have to.

Alcoholic

I wonder what any miscellaneous minor things might be different around the cars? I mean is it literally just suspension, seats, sunroof, oil coolers?

Like I think I heard somewhere that base models doesn't come with a cupholder even, but the touring does...and I doubt the r1 would in that case.

Just little ****, I'm curious.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

http://rx7.voodoobox.net/infofaq/bguide3g/bguide3g.html

NuTbAgSaN

whoa i didnt lknow they had a cupholder in any! wow who the hell would freakin be drinking...ah nevermind. when i first looked at my car i didnt know you could get a base with leather either! i thought i read only the touring had it...always learning new things

NCMontegott

iTrader: (5)

yeah when did they make a cup holder???
the pep models you could add any option to the car couldn't you?

WaLieN

The FD has never had a cup holder option. Period.

PDX RX-7

lol You had me all excited...I have a cupholder!?!??!? lol

Sled Driver

iTrader: (9)

A couple of months ago either Motor Trend, Car & Driver or Road & Track did a track shoot out between the 3 models of Mitsubishi EVO's.

All have the same power, but one was 50-60 lbs lighter, had stiffer suspension & bigger brakes. The difference at Willow springs racetrack was less than 0.2 sec. The price difference was $10K.

Honestly, people are so fixated on weight........As if they think they really can feel & measure the difference in 50-60 lbs.

When you can do laps consistently within 0.5 sec or run the 1/4 within 0.05 EVERY TIME, then maybe your almost good enough to notice.

Until then your wasting your time worrying about it...........

People that argue this point have never really spent any time on the track.

They just read crap on the internet & think because they took off their rear wiper motor their car will be twice as fast.

RX7Wishing

****! Guess ill put my wiper motor back in. Thanks for the tip!

evalutionr

doesn't matter, you can add an aftermarket oil cooler and suspension

AcuteDyspnea

No one really talked about the Touring model, because thats what I have. I just got my FD recently so is there anything you can tell me about my Touring FD thats better then stock.

Alcoholic

AcuteDyspnea, ^^^

JConn2299

I'm probably one of the few people still posting on this forum who has test driven two new '94's back to back, one an R2, the other a Touring. Both were 5 speeds. I did this in early '95 when there were still a lot of unsold '94's on dealer's lots. (I subsequently bought a '95 with the Popular Equipment Package.)

The difference between the cars was a matter of degree....subtle, but certainly noticeable. The R2 was perhaps the sharpest handling car I have ever driven. (and I've driven Lotus' and some others.) The steering response was super-sharp. Making a quick lane change was like flying a jet fighter. It was all in the feel. It felt sharper. Road tests show the measurable difference between the two was just a couple of hundreths of a G, so we're not talking about a big difference in real world driving. But the ride of the R2 was noticeably harsher, and the standard suspension was already plenty firm. (Road testers who drove Touring models often complained about the hard ride.)

I get sinus headaches from time to time, and when I thought of driving an R model with one of those on a bad day I thought I might end up hating the car. The standard suspension is all you need unless you're a serious autocrosser, and the standard suspension FD is already one of the great handling cars of all time. In my opinion, the more tolerable suspension makes it a nicer car to drive day to day, or on a long trip.

A lot of this is academic anyway. So many of the cars have been modified, or are worn, that you may find it difficult to duplicate the ride and handling of the original models.

JConn2299

Oh, I forgot...you asked about the sunroof. If you look at p.107 of the Yamaguchi book you can see the substructure of the unibody. The way the roof structure looks, I doubt there's very much difference between the sunroof and non-sunroof cars. The sunroof was probably deleted from the R models for reasons of weight. Also you get slightly more headroom without the sunroof which can be crucial when wearing a helmet.

rotorhouse

sleddriver, i agree with you, just thought with a car that is realitvely light to begin with (2800 lbs), might benefit from any weight reduction (r1 10.98 lbs/hp vs. touring 11.22 lbs/hp), whereas an EVO, which is rather heavy when compared to an r1 (3280 lbs, I beleive) would not benefit as much, dunno just a thought. funny how lotus reduced weight in the elise (500lbs) over a already light celica gts (2500lbs?) and performance is between night and day, even though they share the same dirvetrain.

sleddriver, have you driven an evo? how does it compare to the characteristics of an fd?

jconn, excellent point about the helmet . . . is the "double bubble" roof on just the non-sunroof models, or is it on both?

JConn2299

[QUOTE
jconn, excellent point about the helmet . . . is the "double bubble" roof on just the non-sunroof models, or is it on both?[/QUOTE]


It's on both, you can see a dip in the middle of the sunroof, but it's more visible on the non-sunroof cars.

IMO, the sunroof is the worst I've ever had. When you open it up the wind just blows down on your head. And the opening isn't that big. The tilt up feature works well though in helping to ventilate the car. How do I use the sunroof mostly? I open it slightly when I get in the car to help close the door because the thing is so damn airtight.

technonovice

If you are shopping for an FD do not get converned about each model. Just find one in the best shape you can afford. If the car still has its original suspension then you should refurbish it anyway. The stock oil cooler is too small and most have the fins bent to the point that they are useless. Focus on condition and budget upgrades.

Retserof

iTrader: (1)

Before I bought my 94 base model in August, 1994, I also test drove a new R2 and touring model. I passed on the touring right away because my head hit the sunroof on bumps. The R2 handled more crisply than the base, and was harsh on rough roads, but was not as quick as the base, since it was a little heavier, but that may just have been subjective. The base model had cruise control, and the seat fabric was more comfortable for long trips than the sticky R2 fabric. I also got a better offer from the dealer with the base than the dealer with the R2.

HDP

iTrader: (2)

David Beale

So where are the spilled drink stains. I can spill drinks in my Pathfinder when cornering - it'd be almost fatal in the RX-7!

JConn2299

The base model is greatly overlooked. When i bought my '95 I wanted a base but was told by the dealer they weren't producing any. I knew they were lying, but that dealer was giving me such a damn good price...it was virtually at cost....that I made the deal for the Popular Equipment package. I knew if I got the base it wouldn't be long before I'd start longing for the leather seats. (They were a stand alone option in '93, but not in 94 and 95. ) But the leather in the FD is some of the cheapest around....mine still look great, but it hasn't been easy. And the fabric seats just wear so well. You can keep them looking new almost forever. I walked by a mid-90's Miata today and its seats still look great.
The lack of a sunroof, IMO, counts as a plus in the FD, so congratulations on your base model. I'm satisfied with the way mine turned out, but I also think you made a good choice.

As for speed in terms of acceleration, I couldn't tell a difference between the two models. How much the driver weighs and how quick he shifts probably makes more of a difference than the model being driven.

HDP

iTrader: (2)

It's only used while crusing. Common sense would tell you not to have a drink in the holder when cornering or during spirited driving.