wow wish i was close to ya, i have an 87 n/a sitting in my carport right now that needs a new lsd pinion and gear, just bought the car like 3 weeks again and that was the first thing to go wrong, everywhere i looked for these parts is like 600+$ and i haven't found any RX's in boneyards anywhere near here

 

wow wish i was close to ya, i have an 87 n/a sitting in my carport right now that needs a new lsd pinion and gear, just bought the car like 3 weeks again and that was the first thing to go wrong, everywhere i looked for these parts is like 600+$ and i haven't found any RX's in boneyards anywhere near here

 

The rotary is such a nice engine, with amazing possibilities and characteristics. I'm amazed anyone swaps them out with piston engines. Keep it, be different. You bought an RX7, keep it an RX7. Swapping piston engines into rx7's is like making your girlfriend get a sex change. Doesn't make sense to do does it?

 

I do love the distinctness of the rotary in our cars, but it was the styling and handling that most first attracted me to the RX.

It would be less expensive initially to mod the 13bt than go ls1, but thinking long term the lsl is:
1) More abundant ( yes less unique ) which translates into a much greater availability and lower cost of parts.
2) More fuel efficient.
3) Easier/simpler to maintain.
4) Is not significantly heavier than a turboed 13bt assuming ls1 aluminum block.
5) Is more reliable with great torque and power out of the box.

Again, I love my rotary but I can understand why people are considering/doing the ls1 swap.

 

See... Reliability is one that I am always able to disagree with. Most people are either misinformed on upkeep or just treat the rotary as a piston engine. It takes great responsibility to maintain your rotary engine. This engine requires one with more passion than that of your typical piston owner. Take pride.

 

if i see the term more reliable one more time i just might puke. how reliable are original 25 year old V8 engines with 100K+ miles? that is an accurate comparison. if we're comparing a newer V8 then the rotary would have to be rebuilt and upgraded to be an accurate comparison.

dropping in a used 25+ year old rotary versus dropping in a 50k mile 5 year old V8... hmmm, yeah. does anyone else see the flaw in logic comparing the 2 engines with reliability as a determining factor used for used?

 

Not disagreeing hugely with karack or dwb87... like I said I love my rotary and it definitely requires more attention and tlc from its owner... I was comparing a modern V8 with a rebuilt/turboed 13bt (fresh motor)... I do think the ls1 will take more abuse which is why I treat my rotary like a high strung race horse instead of a draft horse.

As I said before I merely understand why someone would consider that swap.

Happy motoring!

 

abuse is relative, in my opinion the rotary lives more happily in the upper RPM/power range. a V8 grunts like a pig with instantaneous throttle response, but it won't survive nearly as long if you keep it in that 6k+ RPM range.

apples and oranges. some people like apples, some people like oranges. there really is no argument as to which is better because they are totally different designs and serve different aspects.

i love 2 stroke dirt bikes, but they need to be rebuilt more often. i still love them over the slower more torquey 4 stroke bikes because they live more freely in the upper RPM range. a rotary is exactly the same way, but the wear factor isn't the detriment it is weak seals which can be upgraded. so why not spend the few hundred extra for a more reliable rotary? but it's still apples and oranges.

out of all the engines i have built in 10 years i can count how many have died in that timespan on one hand. out of probably 200 rotary motors, almost all of them daily driven, i don't consider that to be that unreliable. if i were to guess, i'd say that even V8 remanufacturers lose more than that attempting to start them the first time.

 

I love these, completely agree but my friends dont seem to think the same haha.

 

sell the FC, buy a FD, and get a LS1 with a Samberg kit, /thread

 

rotary's rule!

 

a turbo upgrade to a Garrett gt42 or Borg warn s366 standalone mcirotech is best, fuel mods an a good tune with some other mods an u you will be in the 400hp or more. if u decide to put the ls1 block in, it will be a front heavy car, Mazda made it power to wight ratio with the 13b motor there is so much u can do to the 13b motor an make ls1s look like there tied to a tree but thats my opinion

 

NOT, if u wanna keep that v8 @ 6k + rpm's for any decent amount of time!!

v8's barely lasted the 12hrs of Bathurst, LMFAO!!

 

Don't listen to ppl talkin about "in the long run," a good port job, sufficient turbo & ecu will give you 400whp easy

 

The reason the rotary was banned from le mans was because it was too reliable and too efficient. All you jackbags that say they are not reliable is because your ignorant. If you want a piston engine than go buy a mustang or camaro or vette!

 

Ive NEVER blown an apex seal and I've hit 175mph on the stock twins on a 13b on pump gas in the middle of july in 100 plus degree weather with stock 225 tires with just intake and exhaust. In the end all that matters is that you enjoy it. I like the v8 setup but its big power potential is not very useful on the the street unless you run true slicks everywhere and 3/4 chassis it and run a solid rear like hinson did. these cars are hard to get traction with anything above 600whp on the street. the v8 will get better mileage and uses more available parts and shops. But to me this is not a car I plan to use for a daily driver so fuel economy and a common motor is not that important. That why I drive a camry. I like the rotary. its unique I love the sound and the way it drives. but in the end what matters is that your happy with it. v8, rotary or some other motor is a personal choice. This car is designed for fun. Do what you like in the end if you don't enjoy it, its not worth it no matter the motor

 

13b all the way!

 

do both and see which one you like better....

 

5.3 for $400 with trans and harness eliminates the cheaper argument for the 13bt. You could use the difference in price (~$800) for cam upgrade and you are quite a bit in front of the 13bt as far as power also. The 13b is the clear winner as far as cool factor but the limited availability of decent mechanics and parts is a big problem in my opinion.

 

camaro or RX7 ?

the answer is DUH!

 

This is what I am doing-- I bought a Superformance S1 that came with a 13b and weber (was not my engine of choice even though having owned several FCs all NA) Want more power and reliability too, 300rwp is plenty for me. the first consideration was that a T2 would go right in with a Na flywheel using the same drive line. so I started shopping and came to the conclusion that it could be done with a rotary quite easily. Fell into a s4 T2 completely fresh keg with a street port by a very reputable builder and elsewhere got most of the rest. So now it is T2 street port, Haltech e6x, ls coils, a mild hybred s5 turbo, stock s5 IC . There is about 3k pissed away and all that is left is maybe an injector up grade and fabricating a front mount so that I don't have to change to the 85 front cover and pan. Most important it will go in overnight and run fine to break in on the tune now in the ECU. Couldn't get the ls in for that and certainly not with buying a new or near new engine and tranny. But the real kicker is that my weight dist. and center of gravity will be the same. Have put 10k on the existing 13b the first 1500 with out mixing oil till when looking for the slight oil leak noticed that the injectors were removed ( no telling how many miles it went with out oil cuz the previous owner didn't have a clue) I run the crap out of it and it sees 9k regular in 1st (with 1400lbs and 4.10 & 34" tires it gets there Quick) Reliability of the engine is the least of my concerns. the turbo will be a new game but with a wideband self tuneing is not out of the question.

 

13BT! In my opinion, if you want to put an LS1 i something, chose a different car. Rotary is the way to go for any originally rotary powered car

pdotsodt Can I have the turbo set up if you don't take my advice????

 

WOW, that's a lot of input on your engine swap, bottom line, have you seen some of the engine bays with a tricked out rotary, there is nothing on the street like it! When you open your hood jaws will drop, mine did and I will never forget it, make your choice, it will define you.

 

And one last thought from me-- any of the current "trick" engines of today wil be out dated soon perhaps next year and all the alternates of yester year have fell behind the current state of tune that you can get with a rotary and it is not going to get any more out dated. Used to run a turbo Corvair instead of vw engine and today it still would be viable except for parts being scarce. The LS series engines will be "old school" before too long.

 

Put a 4G63T in it. /thread