Hello All,
I am a new member to this forum and RX-7 cars. Last summer I was introduced to road racing and loved it. I have been thinking of a car that my son and I could have fun racing ever since, and we have settled on an 86-91 RX-7 running in the ITS class.

This forum looks like the place to be if you own an RX-7! We are looking for a car, preferably an existing race car, and any advise you guy's can give us on where and what we should be looking for in a car.
Thanks for checking out my post and I am looking forward to being a contributing member of this forum in the future.
Daryl

 

For cars for sale try eBay and http://itforum.improvedtouring.com/forums/

I think there's a couple for sale right now in the IT forum.

 

Sportscar Magazine and Grassroots Motorsports Magazine always seem to have IT RX-7s for sale in their classifieds

 

hey man i have an ITS race ready Rx-7 for sale....send me an email adress and ill send you some pics
need to sell asap

 

I can vouch for ITS_RX-7's car. Very well prepped, and very well built, competitive and sorted out ITS car. I would argue that our region is one of the most competitive ITS rx7 areas in the country (both speedsource and ISC are local), and this car is more than up to par.

Hehe, I was considering buying it myself untill I realized the punishment I would bring upon myself for buying another racecar.

 

I'm also new to racing so can't give any advice on where to find a car, however, I would definately advise that you buy a car that is already built to ITS specs and sorted by someone who knows what they're doing. I'm in the second year of building my car out of a street car and with the amount that I've spent of parts, I could have bought a car that was already ready to go and had a logbook.

Don't get me wrong, I don't regret starting the project...I've been doing schools in the car without it being completely prepped and had alot of fun, however, working on your skills as a driver and developing the car at the same time is basically impossible.

Okay, one more small piece of advice...your very first purchase, other than the car itself(or maybe even before the car) should be a GCR. Even after buying and reading the GCR, I made the mistake of removing the OMP, thinking that it was allowed. After reading through it again, I realized that it didn't SPECIFICALLY say that OMP removal was legal...put the system back on the next day.

 

The GCR is available as a download from the SCCA's website, for free.

 

LOL..I agree 100% with you man,.. Im just now finnishing my car after almost 2 and a half years of building it. Im well over 20something grand into it, considering that I could have bought a comperable car for way less.

still the experience is great, and the car is EXACTLLY how I want it, wich is worth alot to me.

 

Thanks all for your input. I am certainly in agreement that buying a finished car would be the best way to go for me. Thanks also for the links to cars for sale and the offer to sell from ITS RX-7!

Now that I am closing in on a car everyone around me are offering their advice on what car I should be buying. What's your take on BMW 325 E36 verses RX-7 in the ITS class? Another wants me to race Formula 2000 but just not into open wheel cars just yet. My son likes the BMW but it sounds expensive to buy and race. Is it worth the extra money in terms of “race fun”? What do you guy’s think?

 

The 325 will not be any more or less fun to race at all. Since the restrictors were thrown on them last year their HP advantage seems to have been shackled. I have a feeling 99% of the BMW owners who haven't been completely run off by the SCCA will move to ITR where they can run unrestricted.

The BMW will be more expensive to campaign. Other than doing very well in the ITS class the big selling point of the RX-7 is it's reliability. Several seasons on an engine and the chassis just doesn't break. You will need to stay on top of the transmission with frequent overhauls. Other than that keep fresh fluids in it, good brakes on it, don't overheat it, and drive it like you stole it.

 

The BMWs are fast, and they look amazing, but based on things ive heard by people who have run them the cost is astronomical for IT.

 

Rx-7 is the best bang for the buck in ITS...at least i think so

 

Rx-7's are about the best bang for the buck in racing, period. Short of buying a Formula Vee, there are very few ways to race that are cheaper than a rotary powered car. ITS e36 BMW's were brought in as a pretty large overdog in ITS (the debate rages still on many racing forums!) but has been neutered with a restrictor that will be expensive to tune. I've driven many BMW's on the track and they are great cars, but if you go that direction be prepared to pay multiples of the money you would with an Rx-7.

 

What you are saying makes a lot of sense to me. Many of the points brought forward are the reasons I zeroed in on the RX-7.
Are there any issues regarding the exhaust noise level? Some people have commented on this. If that is an issue can it be controlled with out killing performance? From what I have read the rotary engine is sensitive to back pressure.

 

unless you have to worry about a DB level than noise shouldnt be an issue unless you run open header......(just Plain dumb) I on the other hand have the racing beat header with the ISC mid pipe and magnaflow muffler full 3in....and the car sounds great..

 

The short primary systems I've seen use two mufflers. These are the quietest and shouldn't give you problems with the SCCA's 103dB limit. My long primary used a single muffler and it usually registered 101-103dB. Using a turndown that can be rotated away from the noise check station is a common practice and a good idea for any car.

 

I switched my car from the stock exhaust system over to the ISC 3 inch setup this year, one muffler plus the presilencer. Its not as loud as I thought it would be...certainly not the "make your ears bleed" loud that some people have claimed (although I've heard that this can be true if you run without the presilencer). The only downside(other than the occasional dirty look from my neighbors) is that it's difficult to talk to the passenger while on the track. Obviously not an issue for races, but greatly reduces the benefit of having an instructor ride in the car with you.

 

I thought the E36 BMW was moving to ITR now that the rules have castrated it?

RX7s and rotaries in general are very nice cars to race due to the reliability and cost.

 

I don't think I would call the BMW's castrated. The ones down south are still plenty fast. Garcia's car was still a rocket with the restrictor. They can currently run in ITR without the restrictor, or ITS with the SIR(restrictor). These front running BMW's have tons of $$$ thrown at them.

That said, no matter what you decide to race, going to the front is expensive. Choose a car that you enjoy driving, and is classed well. The second Gen RX7 is a good choice in IT. As others have stated, it is pretty reliable, and fun to drive.

Another choice I don't believe anyone has mentioned is the ..ssshhhh..Miata... There is a vast wealth of data out there on these. tons of them at the track, so someone has a spare anything you might need. Several different classes/prep levels to choose from...Spec Miata, ITA, ITS, FP, etc. some region even have more.

On your exhaust question, my car is probably the quietest ITS car out there. IT ran from 89-91 db for the first two years I raced it. With the ISC exhaust, I usually see anywhere from 94-99 db, depending on track and weather conditions.(two different exhausts.)

good luck

 

hey jim its rene...how the hell are ya man longtime no see.....btw im selling my Rx-7 if you havent heard yet so if you know anyone looking for a car please refer them to me...i need to sell asap....you have driven it so you know wht i have in the car.....thanks man talk to you soon

Rene

 

Yeah, exhaust shouldnt be an issue at all. I too have the ISC setup and I even find it downrite quiet compated to some of the rice rockets I see driving around on the streets of Miami

we ran an ex motorola cup miata for years before the rx7 and even though it was spanking the other miatas we were running mid pack (in a general IT heat)..where all of the nasty bumping was happening. The miata is an amazing car, but unless you go with spec miata or a prod miata you will most likelly be banging doors. In a pack of it-a to It-s cars the rx7 will get you to the front where things are a bit more mellow.

 

dude in cfr there is no mellow form off getting to the front
so i wouldnt expect to go out in a IT race and not have ur doors banged in at the end...been there seen it

 

yeah, but still you dont want to be midpack going at it alongside IT-As best, and IT-Ss worst normally thats where the highest concentration of cars wind up, and the most beating up.

Heh...either way Im staying in NASA for the time being