Ok so I really want an RX7 (FD to be exact) and I have enough skills/tools/space to build a motor, strip a car and repaint it ect...

My concern is that i am hearing people talk about a 60K shelf life for a turbo 13B (Looking for a reliable 400whp) that's not a very long life span for a motor you are willing to invest in. I have looked at Cermet and have concluded that is not the way to go (Milling the steel out of the housing and replacing it with 1/8" preformed ceramic maybe but not Cermet coating) and Ceramic seals don't break as easily but chew up housings (Chatter ect...) I would think it easy to lay down 400 whp and get 100K+ before rebuilds. This is ridiculous, I mean I love a project car but dayam!

I really don't want to have another thread like "what do i need to get X, Y, Z and LMNOP with cherries on top?!" so instead I want hard data, who has run 400whp or close and gotten 100K or close an what was done to get there.

Thanks

 

Tuning is the biggest factor in your motor's life span.

 

You have to remember that 400hp is a huge amount of horsepower to come out of a little engine. This means there is added wear and tear on the motor and drivetrain. It's just like asking a v8 to have 1000hp and drive for 100k. The more power you make the less reliable the car is going to be and the more parts that will wear out faster. Why do you think you don't see import cars coming off the production line with 400+ horspower? You have to compromise.

 

realistically, it will last less than that. many rebuilds fail due to some freak accident like overrheating, overboosting, tuning mistakes etc. But who drives a 15 year old high hp sports car 60k anyway? even if it does last 60k, that's 5-6 years if something random doesn't go wrong, and you'll probably sell it by then.

400whp for 100,000 miles? How many piston motors make around twice their rated output for 100k miles? how about almost none? in fact, how many people actually try to drive a motor with that level of modification that many miles? What kind of a condition would an LS1 be in after 100,000 miles of spraying a 300 shot? the longest lasting motor on most cars is the brand new one installed on the factory floor.

 

There are LS motors making over 1000whp that have gone for more than 100000

In fact, if you want to drop $50K on a 1000 HP V8 you can get one from Nelson Engineering with 100000 mile/1 year warranty probably cause it would cost you $300000 in gas but hey the warranty is there :P

Some People like to drive their cars more than others, I could easily put 100K on a car in one year. I do allot of driving for work, already put 15K on a new toyota and its been less than three months.

 

Putting 100,000 miles on a 400whp engine on the street? Maybe.

Putting 100,000 miles on a 400whp engine at Road Atlanta? No.

There's lots of ways to make the engine last a little longer, and be less stressed while making those 400 horses, but chances are that there will be a failure of something or other along the way and it'll pop. Just the way of the road.

FWIW, thats complete and utter bullshit Ceramics are easier on everything they touch then ANY steel seal could ever be, its the nature of the material. They will outlast any seal out there pound for pound; barring any unrelated failure of course

An engine you're willing to invest in is just an engine. And its just a car. There is no investment, its a ******* money pit. Its not a savings account that grows when you pour more money in it, on it, or under it. Its a toy. Especially when its making decent power.

You must do alot of driving for work because thats nearly 300 miles per day, 7 days a week! Or you're a trucker

Answer - buy a daily driver. Drive it to work. Put your 100,000 miles on every year. Take the 400whp FD out for icecream, to the track, to meets. Its what the people who realize that a 400whp, 100,000mile/year FD is ridiculous do after the learning curve smacks them in the face once

But in all seriousness, to put that kind of distance on a car like you're dreaming about building would not only cost a mint in fuel, but would be a bitch the day it acts up on you. Get DD and be smart and realize that this car is a toy/love/passion more then an A to B machine with stupid horsepower.

 

A 400 HP rotary is not your car then, a Honda Fit is a good choice if you're putting that kind of mileage down. Your gas mileage in RX = 15mpg+/- if that, versus Honda = 40mpg+/-

you won't get 100K outta your rotary if in the boost all the time. You can regulate the boost and computer for different driving circumstances, spirited or commute, with the flip of a switch and push of a button.

 

Seriously, a Fit?
Actually looking at an 03-04 svt cobra, probably to and put it on a diet. 3600LBS