Hey all. I'm wondering a few things about the RX-7. First, what type of difference is one looking at between an automatic and a manual? Let's use a 1993 as an example. I hear they do 0-60 in 4.9 seconds.. How much slower is an automatic? I have no idea what these cars do in the quarter mile.. Can anyone mention those numbers and how they may differ from auto to manual?

Also.. How does the RX-7 handle compared to a C4 or C5 Corvette? I've always been very curious about these cars but never got around to asking anyone - or maybe I just never knew anyone who owned one. I think I've found the place to ask...

Thanks in advance...

 

Sal, you brute! Those your arms in your sig pic?

You are going to get pounced for not searching for this info. Briefly, the auto is actually not that much slower in straightline acceleration, but less responsive to throttle modulation. In fact, in may even be a bit faster. Not as much fun though...

Handling WAS the best for nearly any car you want to compare it to when it was made. It still eats nearly anything on the road. The C5's have it in raw skidpad, I think (more I thinks and all that rather than specific numbers), but the feel of the RX may be more precise. Not sure...

Do a little looking about in this site. If you want a ride to just jump in and have fun with, look elsewhere. These things mmay as well be Ferraris for as often as they are NOT on the road unless you pay a LOT of attention. And time. And money.

Get the Vette.

 

Hey Spurvo (I really feel funny calling you that, heh),

Yeah, that's me in the picture. :p And, I should have known better than to ask such a silly question without doing a search first.. It's 3am so I guess I was just looking for the easy way out. I'll take a good look around tomorrow, though..

Otherwise.. I so rarely ever see one of these 3rd Gen RX-7's on the road. I do hear they're difficult to maintain - but then again, so was the ZR-1... It's very impressive how fast these things are.. I've never been in one. I don't even think I've ever seen one parked anywhere! :o

Thanks for the quick reply!

 

they are amazing
the car has a hint of an exotic all over it.

Fast is not the word it's unbelievable and you will never feel as good or have as much control in any other drivers seat. The car blows my mind every time I look at it. I'm part of the car

I try to stand back and look at it from other perspectives. Sometimes I think it really cant be that georgous and it's just because I own it that I see it like that and I keep telling myslf maybe it's really not as fast as I think I just haven't raced the right car yet. I don't know man this is my dreamcar and I can't believe more people haven't noticed them. There should be a fight every time one of these goes for sale to outbid the other buyer.

 

lots of work and maintenance is just part of the thrill (yes i actually said thrill) of owning an FD though! granted, right now, mine has had no major problems (knocks on faux wooden desk), but still, it takes the regualar old car/owner relationship to that next leve... its like going from a girlfriend (minimal maintenance and time required to enjoy all the benefits of having it) to being married (lots of maintenance but the enjoyment is SO much more than you could ever imagine with a g/f) it gives you a chance to thoroughly enjoy the car, to get to know its little thises and thats.

 

Pugg57 hit the nail on the head with the maintenance part. Oil needs to be changed every 2500 miles (some go 3k) or so, fuel filter every 3rd oil change (I do anyhow), etc etc etc. The upkeep is meticulous on these cars, but the payoff is definately worth the troubles. I think the best payoff is when your taking an exit off the highway, and speed up, just to see your passenger search and search for that "oh ****" handle.

Everytime I have a bad day, I just sit in the car, I don't even have to drive it, to feel all better. Sorta like a highpriced hooker, the more you put into her, the more you'll enjoy it.

 

Amen to that...

i wake up in the morning on my way off to work, always a little groggy and grumpy, but it just takes the openning the door, stepping outside, and seeing what i get to drive to wake me up and make me feel SOOOO GOOD

enough of my stuff though... vs. a C5/6, i would get an FD, but then, you already knew that

 

I don't know if you will FIT,lol.

 

Something to remember.

Most 3rd gens in the USA are 92 models. This means they are at least 12+ years old & showing there age with some cars having high milage.

If you get one, then try for the latest version with the lowest KM on the clock.

 

Check this out, including the links in it. https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=354426

The answers to some of the questions in the thread are undergoing revision, (a couple minor errors), but I think you'll find much of what you need in there. If you dig hard enough, you can find links to old articles (Car & Driver, etc) that reviewed the FD when it was new. It was the best or near the top when compared to the TT 300ZX, Corvette, Toyota Supra, Acura NSX. Modified, it's a downright scary car.

What killed the FD was reliability - 1) it's hard to make a turbocharged rotary engine last forever, 2) when they were new nobody knew how to fix them, dealers especially. Even though Mazda footed most of the huge bills, owners weren't happy to have their turbos and engines replaced by dealer. You'll need a tolerance for maintenance and you'll need to learn the do's and don'ts of the car. But it's very, very rewarding.

Dave

 

You could always have the best of both worlds......A FD with a LS1 in it Believe me its like opening a whole different can of worms ...mine does 0-60 in 3.75 with a stock LS1 not to mention reliability

 

You just fucked up a good car......

 

Thanks for all the responses.. So what's the quarter mile like in these things?

 

stock its high 13s but then if you get an intake and exhaust 12s are easy
then if you get a small single youll hit 11s every time and with a big single 10s are no problem
the car is fast as **** and very cheap to mod considering the power gains.

 

If you want a drag car, there are plenty of other cars better suited.

 

I take it you didn't read any of the link I provided. Not a good start for you here.

Dave

 

Thank you.. What's a small and big "single"?

 

Sorry, Dave.. Not yet.. I don't have a whole lot of time.. Very busy schedule.. I do most of my online reading during down-time - which I haven't had any of yet...

 

Whatever Just made a good car better thats all. The Positives far outweigh the negatives. BTW do you kiss your mother with that mouth?

 

I'm not gonna crap on the ls1 and lt1 conversions, because everyone has there own needs. I myself admit that I wouldn't mind having one just to drive around without worries, and still have the looks and power. I'm also sure that if one really wanted to it probably wouldn't be much work to convert back. I'm sure a lot of people would have easily went with another mazda engine had there been a good selection besides the rotary, but lets face it there isn't a cost effective one.

Sal-
the singles refer to a single turbo, replacing the stock twin turbos. The stock 93-95 rx-7 came with two small twin hitachi ht-12 turbos identical in appearance, but one had a bigger turbine blade inside, both working in a sequence of 1 then 2. The reason most replace the twins is because they are limited in horsepower range, and these twin-turbos came with an extensive, and complex solenoid and vacuum set up, that resulted in a lot of headache when it came to diagnosing a problem. Welcome to the board, do a lot of searching on here and you'll find everything you need to know about the rx-7 aka FD, theres a lot of cool guys here.

 

if you decide to get the rx7 get it looked over by a good rx7mechanic. and keep it stock a while. these cars are amazing stock and im pretty sure its better than the C5(save the Z06) in the skidpad

and im pretty sure the turbo impellars are exactly the same size, perhaps you refer to the turbos on the 20b? or perhaps i have been sorely mislead.

 

Small single and big single are common names for single turbo units. Stock the FD3S has uber small twins-

 

How about a C5 with Z06 tires?

 

i dont know, but i bet you do! care to share?

 

Sure.

1) Skid pad numbers are not really an indicator of how well a car handles, as many suppose. They merely represent tire grip, and therefore tires play a huge role in generating higher numbers. Weight is the other primary factor.

2) A C5 with Z06 tires will nearly equal a Z06's skid pad performance. Their suspensions are identical, with the exception of the shocks. The only real difference is that the Z06 is lighter.

3) Unless you're talking about a difference of 0.1 g or higher, there's no significant difference in grip. In other words, 0.98 g and 1.01 g are, for all intents and purposes, basically the same.