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roadtriping my single turbo FD 2500 miles ?'s

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Old 03-05-09, 09:32 PM
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roadtriping my single turbo FD 2500 miles ?'s

so im planning on driving my 93 rx7 with gt4082 single turbo with all supporting mods from Minneapolis MN to cocoa beach FL and back again.

i run 20-50 oil in the summer and in the winter it has 10-30 (just to sit in garadge) i just took my turbo out and had it rebuilt.

need advise on what oil to run on the way down there.

and any other precaution's i should take.

any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Old 03-05-09, 09:49 PM
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Not sure what you're looking for here......make sure all maintenance is up to date and that nothing on the car is ghetto-rigged (for lack of a better term). Oil is your choice, thinner 10w30 might be better for gas mileage. Pump your tires up to 40ish psi if you want better gas mileage.

One thing I would double check on a single turbo setup is all your coolant hoses----turbo feed and return (if it's a BB cartridge) and the heater hoses near the turbo.

n/a rotaries are very reliable and can run forever. When you're making a long trip your FD is effectively n/a if you're just cruising.
Old 03-05-09, 09:52 PM
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route you're gonna take? I'm not single turbo, but I'll give you my experience from when I went from Lincoln, to Colorado Springs and back.

Fill up at every gas station you can, you have no idea how much of a drain the extra weight of luggage is on your mileage.

Valentine one radar detector, I used one, saved my *** a couple of times, did 140 at a mile elevation, kinda surprised, but luckily didn't get caught.

tape up the front bumper if you care about your paint and don't have a clear bra or regular bra, I didn't and I regret it.

Run a tad richer fuel map if you're gonna be in higher elevations, just to be safe.

Try and have planned stops, and post up in the sections where you will be stopping and see if you can meet some people on the way.

Air your tires up a bit
Old 03-05-09, 10:01 PM
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ninja post about the tires
Old 03-05-09, 10:12 PM
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It doesn't hurt to bring a toolkit, some 2-stroke, and some fix-a-flat... I did notice one thing on my last road trip, after about a hour that exhaust housing is GLOWING! My recommendation, unless you've got a rich tune... Don't stomp on it after driving for a while... my $.02


Tony
Old 03-05-09, 10:31 PM
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Originally Posted by KKMpunkrock2011
route you're gonna take? I'm not single turbo, but I'll give you my experience from when I went from Lincoln, to Colorado Springs and back.

Fill up at every gas station you can, you have no idea how much of a drain the extra weight of luggage is on your mileage.

Valentine one radar detector, I used one, saved my *** a couple of times, did 140 at a mile elevation, kinda surprised, but luckily didn't get caught.

tape up the front bumper if you care about your paint and don't have a clear bra or regular bra, I didn't and I regret it.

Run a tad richer fuel map if you're gonna be in higher elevations, just to be safe.

Try and have planned stops, and post up in the sections where you will be stopping and see if you can meet some people on the way.

Air your tires up a bit
You actually want to run a leaner fuel map in higher altitude due to the lower oxygen levels which results in a richer afr (to keep from fouling your plugs). You would think it to be the other way around but its not true.

My map in texas idles at 13.5 on my wideband but in Boulder Colorado it idles at 12.5
Old 03-05-09, 10:53 PM
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Originally Posted by spoolage
You actually want to run a leaner fuel map in higher altitude due to the lower oxygen levels which results in a richer afr (to keep from fouling your plugs). You would think it to be the other way around but its not true.

My map in texas idles at 13.5 on my wideband but in Boulder Colorado it idles at 12.5
hmm... good to know, makes sense too with the lower oxygen levels, I figured with cooler temps you would wanna run a tad rich, especially at this time of year, especially since we're still seeing some radical temp swings here, I can't imagine what north of here and the mountains are like.
Old 03-06-09, 06:53 PM
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so id be straight with like a mobile clean 5000 10w-30?
Old 03-06-09, 08:54 PM
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+1 for Cocoa Beach
Old 03-06-09, 09:17 PM
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i would refrain from sustained high load boost pulls in 4th & 5th gear. Oil temps can get extremely hot by doing so. Its also important to remember that fueling up at many different stations increase the chances of getting some bad fuel.

I had my ST FD on a long road trip last summer and lost my motor doing a sustained 4th gear pull at 130mph. Ambient temps were excessively hot and i was pushing my luck with my oil temps (insufficient oil coolers) all other temps were in check. I didnt see any lean conditions on my wideband but the car detonated and flatened some of the springs. I was told that the excessive sustained heat will increase the chance of detonation, which was probably due to a bad tank of fuel.
Old 03-06-09, 09:23 PM
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Originally Posted by spoolage
You actually want to run a leaner fuel map in higher altitude due to the lower oxygen levels which results in a richer afr (to keep from fouling your plugs). You would think it to be the other way around but its not true.

My map in texas idles at 13.5 on my wideband but in Boulder Colorado it idles at 12.5
The MAP sensor is suppose to automatically adjust afrs for different altitudes isnt it?
Old 03-07-09, 07:27 PM
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Do you guys only up the air pressure for better gas mileage?

What tire pressures are you guys running normally?
Old 03-19-09, 04:51 PM
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made it, and got about 25 mpg.
Old 03-19-09, 05:13 PM
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Originally Posted by vr6t3t4
made it, and got about 25 mpg.
congrats. Post pictures of the drive down and you bombing around florida.
Old 03-19-09, 05:29 PM
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Damn nice!

I did 2500 miles in a little over 3 years on my car LOLOL

YOu did it in about a week lol
Old 03-19-09, 05:35 PM
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Originally Posted by 1QWIK7
Do you guys only up the air pressure for better gas mileage?

What tire pressures are you guys running normally?
I run 30-32 psi normally and 40 psi on the trips down to Deal's Gap and back.

Last year through the Dragon I forgot to air down the tires and the car felt like poo through all the turns......everyone behind me had no trouble keeping up.

Got to the rest spot at the end, aired the tires down from 40 psi to 30 psi and she was like a different car. I lost everyone on the way back through
Old 03-19-09, 07:29 PM
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*Belts are pretty cheap. If the ones on your car are old or questionable at all, change them out... and double check for proper tensioning.
*Change out your coolant before the trip. This time of year, you can probably run a little higher water ratio than you have for Minnesota winters and can always 'up' the coolant ratio when you get back.

Funny you should mention your trip, I recently posted this in the Mountain section. https://www.rx7club.com/mountain-rx-7-forum-144/looking-suggestions-fun-mountain-drive-824189/ Nothing as long your route, but probably 15-1800 miles total.
Enjoy your trip!
Old 03-19-09, 08:53 PM
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+2 for Cocoa Beach. I'm down there every spring, by way of Wisconsin. Where are you staying? Ron Jon's and the Wakulla Hotel all the way...
Old 03-19-09, 10:13 PM
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i might be gearing up to drive my FD 1,300 miles from FL up to NY...good luck to the both of us
Old 03-19-09, 10:54 PM
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only fd owners will spend all that money on our car and still worry about if it will make it crusing on a highway.
Old 03-19-09, 10:56 PM
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If I went on a roadtrip I would bring along some coolant and some water, as well as some oil, because youll never know what you might run into. Sometimes if your long distance both ways between towns (and small towns at that) its hard to find a flatbed so you might just need a bit to keep you going to the next service station.
Old 03-19-09, 10:58 PM
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Originally Posted by chinoflyer
only fd owners will spend all that money on our car and still worry about if it will make it crusing on a highway.
So true!
Old 03-19-09, 11:13 PM
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I have done the drive from Boulder Colorado to Houston Texas three times in this FD now. It is about 2,300 miles round trip. My dog is the co-pilot for the drive.

I always just flush the coolant, change the oil & filter and then I have a road trip tool kit that I bring with me that I could basically do just about anything to the car with besides pull the engine, an aluminum floor jack, oil and coolant.

For some reason, the FD is one of the most comfortable cruising cars IMO - I used to do the drive back to Houston in my Saab 9-2x which was a great car to drive but the 7 was more comfortable. In terms of ride quality, my coil overs certainly make it a bit rough but oh well - add another 2300 + whatever miles I do while home to the odometer
Old 03-20-09, 11:47 AM
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ill have a tun of picks up tuesday as well as my encounter with a viper down here. (video)

so far i have put the 1700 miles from MN to FL on it + another 1000 just driving around FL

i changed my oil over to 20-50 VR1 when i got here but it didnt loose any oil or coolent the whole way down .
Old 03-20-09, 12:02 PM
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I don't geit why people think that they can't drive their for FD's 1000+ miles.

Just change the oil, make sure your coolant hoses aren't old, cracked, whatever and go on your way. Just like any car. Now if you haven't kept up with regular maintenace then you have something to worry about. But that applies to just about any car.


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