new2mazda

iTrader: (1)

by the numbers they are supposed to get close to 33 mpg in third. good handling.... nice response though they like high rpm ranges... 200,000 miles lifespan typically if kept up.

new2mazda

iTrader: (1)

oh... but they have a tendancy to overheat in high pressure, usage w/e

nathan_s

So true. One of the top handling cars on the market. +1 on that

ericgrau

iTrader: (1)

There are a lot of myths. Fact is:

Cons

• They are sensitive to overheating and oil starvation. And knocking too, but that's only an issue if you mod a turbo without proper tuning. Mazda did a great job of making sure that knocking is nigh impossible on a stock vehicle. Some people think Mazda was too conservative. Be sure to maintain your cooling and oil systems, and pull over immediately if it ever does start to overheat or if the oil pressure goes to zero. Most 2nd generation NA engines fail from an overheat at an average of 175k miles. Most of the bad rotary rumors come from the 3rd generation RX-7, where the cooling, oil and knock protection systems aren't as reliable.
  
• The cars are 20 years old. Even a 20 year old Civic can have major problems if you buy a lemon. It always pays to have the car checked out first.
• Engine parts are expensive, b/c they are made in low volume.
• Gas mileage is a little lower. But not much.
• The RX-8 has unreliable doodads. I blame Ford :P. But there was also a recall on the oil system parts, which caused some issues (all fully covered, even up to engine replacement if necessary). Mechanically it's fairly sound, as demonstrated at the 24 hours Le Mans. OTOH the doodads/oiling/etc. together make the RX-8 the most unreliable new Mazda available.

Pros

• The engine is much lighter. A rotor produces power once per rotation, rather than once per 2 rotations like a piston. A 1.3L rotary is roughly equal to a 2.6L piston. This means lower vehicle weight, much more balanced handling and less rotational inertia. That means it's easier to control. Swing a hammer the normal way. Now hold on to the head and swing the handle. Easier without so much weight at the end, isn't it? Even the newest, most refined piston engines tend to be a little heavier than an old rotary. And the RX-8's rotary is quite a bit lighter. The RX-8 is extremely forgiving even after you lose traction.
• Much lower wear. Internally the rotors spin at 1/3 the output shaft (tach) speed. That means the engine last practically forever unless you overheat it or drive it without any oil in the engine. On the race track, rotaries last far longer than piston engines. Some rotaries that aren't overheated or oil starved last to 350k+ miles.
• The engine is simple, and easy to rebuild. But again the parts are expensive and you need to find a mechanic that understands rotaries.
• Fast & Agile. The RX-7 has won more International Motorsport Association sanctioned races than any other car.
• Wide support network. The RX-7 is a very successful racer and popular sports car so there are a lot of aftermarket products available and many large support communities like this one.

nathan_s

Thats true, they do.

Xcentric

So true, also 2jz motors are not bullet proof. A local guy blew 2 engines running
16 psi and had high dollar pistons etc. He would **** if he knew I was running
22psi on a $1200 engine.

TheAbsence

iTrader: (19)

And to top it all off, rotary owners on forums are much more willing to help, even 3 years after you asked the question

chiefman

[to me it seems that most of the people who bad mouth the rotary have never owned one and go off hear say

peejay

Too bad most of them are either arrogant douches or merely ignorant douches.

Which is the #1 problem with rotary engines.

Sukai94

This is my new favorite quote.

TypeFD

iTrader: (1)

I'm going to chime in on this one... Here is a thing - FDs (and I'll only say FDs as I don't have experience with any other kind of rx7s) are high-performance vehicles. All high-performance vehicles require certain level of maintenance. It becomes high-maintenance when you neglect your FD for so long. It runs a very different configuration from an N/A rotary.

Believe me, unless you have money to spend AND knowledgeable/reputable tuner, prepare to follow this like a religion. You will need to do your research, you will need to dig through the archives, you will need to learn everything there is about your car, maintenance, and modifications you do to it. Not everyone on here knows what they're talking about - sifting through rubbish would be a challenge. FDs are not for everyone, because not everyone either can or able to keep it running. But if you're one of those people that can, try driving down the street and look around you. Do you see another FD around?

IMHO, FDs are extremely unique (even more than their American counterparts) and interesting, and will require your attention. 15 years later, most dealers still don't know how to work on these, and same goes for most mechanics. You want it done right - you will have to learn this yourself. If something breaks or not right, address it right away. Periodic fluid changes, flushes, part repairs/replacements... yes, those are not as forgiving as Honda Accord so you have to pay closer attention to it. You start upgrading, do it smart. Don't just slap a friggin' CAI, CB and DP and think everything is alright. Absolutely anything you do to this car will have cause and effect relationship. Always look at the outcome from both sides. Remember this: where there is a cause, there is an effect.

Bottom Line: FDs are not for everyone, it takes a certain type of owner to understand, maintain, and love it. These cars have their personalities and temper, they will present you with challenges. But at the end of the day, only you will be able to understand the relationship you will have with this car. The Pit Bull analogy was perfect because it WILL take that much of your time, blood and sweat (blood I mean literally), and only you will truly understand how much you'll love this car. No one else. And the money doesn't really matter either. A car is like a man's soul - look inside yourself and ask, are you ready for this?

I've owned 2 FDs. First one I got in 98. Second I got last year from an owner that babied it but even then it needed work. Hope my point of view helps you make a decision.

Cheers,
Dion.

P.S. To answer your question - rotaries are extremely easy to work with. Much easier than piston engines, but they will require understanding before anything else so get a workshop manual and visit this place often. Are they reliable? Like anything else that depends on what you put it through.

Sukai94

I like your .02

Saying that rotaries are easy to work with may be misleading to some. The engine itself is easy as pie. It is so simple! All the stuff surrounding the engine isn't so much, at least to me. An N/A rotary is so much less of a pain in the *** but the FD is so worth it

Gorilla RE

iTrader: (1)

The number one bad thing is that any ignorant kid can buy them and f%&# 'em up

-J

Xcentric

wicked boat. too bad a jerk owns it

TheAbsence

iTrader: (19)

Haha. You calling me the "jerk" orrrr?

Either way,

silverslider

one of the good things about rotaries is that they can take this kind of punishment and still get you across the finish line.....


its hard to read on camera but 7.74 @174. it came out of Dee Karagiannis's car about two seasons ago......slight detonation

TypeFD

iTrader: (1)

Exactly. The motor itself is brilliant... the rats nest and all the vacuum routing and turbo systems are way over-engineered. Notice - I said over-engineered, not over-designed. Over-design would mean they took future vehicle serviceability into consideration. It almost feels like they gave bunch of engineers a project and they designed it with their own agenda in mind, almost with total disregard for maintenance and serviceability that would otherwise not only save time but also money to the consumer and dealers alike. I attribute this flaw to be one of the main factors responsible for most dealers' incompetence to service these cars. May be they thought that we pull the motor out for an oil change or spark plug replacement - then it would make sense!

And then there are some things that make me go "wtf" - case in point, the rats nest. Why the frak would you put this on top of the motor, covering volatile fuel systems, sandwiched with Upper Intake Manifold, so that all this friggin' rubber and plastic can just sit and 'cook' there - it's beyond belief, really.

Switching to a single turbo makes the car /much/ more serviceable... but then that opens a whole new can of worms... then again, what doesn't?

philiptompkins

iTrader: (4)

hard to tune, poor gad effecantcy, burns oil, makes a terrible noise, no low end tourque, low tourque in general, hot EGT's.

Skidtron

iTrader: (1)

The best answer is:

If you have to ask then your not ready for a RX-7.

Buy a Supra so I can beat you at an autocross with my FB like all the rest of the guys that show up. I wish I could afford a FD. I also have a daily driver FC the worse thing to happen so far is the battery died. It could use some new struts since there's 90,XXX miles on the car. The engine in my FB (12A) finally died at 240,XXX miles not bad for a motor I abused daily.

RoTaRyBoYz

For me the only bad thing about a rotary is that it was unlucky enough to be given to guys that don't know what they are doing and eventually blow them up several times then blame it on the engine's design, but thats not all... These same nuckle heads toss out the beloved, reliable, ok on gas rotary and put in a piston motor because they lack simple rotary knowlege or was mislead by a uneducated tuner/builder about this brillian design Felix Wankle came up with..

So in short, the only bad thing about a rotary is NOTHING....the only thing bad are the few lost soles that owned them and gave them a bad rep!!








** throws on flame suit, duck from flying pistons**

Cavi Mike

I agree whole-heartedly. I've been knocking the rotary bashers for a long time and trying to convince current owners to give them an educated look but some people just don't believe in fact, they just believe in their own stupidity.

I'm so happy to finally own a rotary(just the engine, not the car lol) so I can prove them all wrong.

Go Big Or GO Home!

So how about my delima? I finally found an RX-7 in my area that I'd love to get my hands on: however, it's been near the beach most of it life, so there is some body damage that I can fix, but unfortunitally the owner hasn't been driving her or nothing for what has to be more than 6 months now. In addition, the ups of the car is that it's a twin turbo, 5-speed, with 35,000 original miles on her. I know the general things about these rotory engines but talk about bad seals causing detination scares me a little. Do you guys/ladies think it would be a wise idea to purchase it? Thanks for the help!

rotaryforlife

All you to need do is find a good rotary mechanic to check engine compression and he will know if you need a rebuild and about the apex seals there are several aftermarket seals(super seals) that take plenty of abuse and won't break that easly. I use them on daily driven rotaries running over 20lbs of boost on pump gas.

Go Big Or GO Home!

Hey thanks, the compression check cleared, but the seals and such I'll have to take somewhere to get checked (since I'm not quite sure if I want to even attempt it myself). I've been having a little trouble finding some in my area that I trust, so the search continues!

TehMonkay

iTrader: (-1)

morons and cheap asses blow them up and complain about how terrible they are and spread misconceptions.

Thats about it considering it's a sports car engine.