I'm new to the scene. Whats the real world difference speed wise between and 88 and 89 TII. How much of a difference is the 19 bhp? I'm about to get an 87 and is it worth getting an 89? Thanks

Derrick"fabulas"

 

the 89 is also a bit heavier so it's only a bit faster. a few equal mods, exhuast intake etc and they'd be even. the 89 has a bunch of differences though too, better wheels, body kit etc. but the 89-91 will cost alot more then an 87-88, much rarer and harder to find.

 

i think maybe in the long run the 88 motor might be better if you are planning on modding it to hell. if you are just hoping to put some basic mods on it, the 89 might be better suited. but good luck finding one..................

 

Why would the 88 motor be better for heavy modding? I spoke w/ Rotary Power and they told me that the 89+ would be better suited for heavy modding. The reason I'm asking is because I want about 400 hp from my Turbo II.

 

the 89 motor is stronger and lighter, that is what you want. the only difference in heavy modding is you can't use the oil metering pump if you get a stand alone computer so you have to run premix. premix is better anyways, just a pain in the ***. the 88 one is mech. so the ecu doesn't matter.

 

The 89+ TIIs look much more modern...and yes, they are HARD to find.

 

You can't go wrong ether way. Find the best one you can, they are both good values for true sports cars! But as has been mentioned, the 89 + are much harder to find and will cost more. I have LOVED both my 87 & 88 T2's! They were both easy to mod and took it very well!

 

as for looks you can always get the 89+ fenders,bumpers,steering wheel,taillights,mirrors,wheels and leather seats. don't think you would want the power seatbelts because they always act up in time. when i bought my 87tII it had most of the 89+ stuff already on it,i recently bought 2 sets of the round taillights and i only need the mirrors,wheels and seats to finish the car. if the new j-spec engine i bought doesn't pan out i'm going to get the 89+ engine and mod it heavily! later

93fd 13.5@101mph bone stock

87tII soon to be racing

 

If the 87-88 has lower compression rotors... would that make the car more reliable for running higher boost?

 

yeah it would,but that doesn't matter if the car is tuned properly.

 

have you ever flipped a coin? Well, it lands on it's side. thats right. I bet they tie!

 

Just get a good body, blown motor, and rebuild it from there. You can go either way and get the 89 kit from a yard if you want that. Buy a 87 or 88 for 1000.00, put three into motor and stuff or get Jspec, put 1000 into turbo and figure out the ecu situation; piggy back or what not. Soon I hope we'll have a haltech plug and play.

I thought it was just a rule of thumb that the lower compression motors can handle more boost, even if both were tuned correctly. I don't know though, just know of 89 owners using the 87-88 rotors for high boost levels.

Good luck, Rishie

 

the boost levels your talking about would make your car a track queen!

 

89-91 engine has the same compression as an FD! so ask pluto how much boost his car and the rx7.com car are pushing to run 10's in the street class! later

 

Lower compression engines respond better to turbocharging.
The problem lies with the rear housing in the series 4 engines. It's not as strong as the series 5.
The ideal engine would have the series 4 rotors with the series 5 housings and series 6 intake.