Help me defend the rotary!

[RaiderMS3]

Here is an RX7 that showed at Mazdapalooza with an LS1 in it. Sounded mean, preetty good engineering on the install, as well.

 

[Metal MP5]

i wouldnt take out a 13B to put in an LT1/LS1 but if it blew, i'd definitely consider it hehe

and then you twin turbo it !

 

[CorkSport]

Seems a little more common than some people realize. Here is another LS1 swap.

 

[evilmonkeyMSP]

travis...dont come in here with that debauchery!!!!

 

[CorkSport]

(peep) hey, hey, I just call it like I see it.

No worse than Toyota trucks with 350's in them. Old Z cars with 350's and 302's etc.. etc..

 

[Metal MP5]

http://www.v8miata.com/
and i can't find that pic of the Miata with an LS1 ... mazdas seem to be popuplar cars for v8 swaps

 

[KYLiquid]

an FD with an LS7, cam/header/exhaust/intake and a motec.........

550whp, mid 20's on the highway, daily driver reliability and buckets of TQ.....it would be super hot and fast (about 300lbs lighter than the C6Z06) but to me it just isnt an FD anymore.....

 

[Signal 2]

Please do no DISHONOR your FD!Keep the 13B,is capable of 700hp+.I bought a JDM 13bTT a couple of months ago to swap out the 12A in my 1st gen 7.Its a badass motor besides who cares about a 8cylinder making 350hp stock, it has 8 cylinders + the look on that V8 guy's face when u whoop him with your lil 1.3L PRICELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!(shocked)

(yawn)
VERY few people have made anywhere near 700 WHP with a 13BREW. And when they do, the car is NOT streetable. And you tune it like walking on a razor blade. Yeah, it's capable, but then an LS1-LS7 is capable of WAY more. So what.
Done right, you'll have as much in your 13bREW swap into the FB as anyone would with a V8 swap. The only difference is, your car still won't be worth as much. Like putting a $500 saddle on a $50 horse.
And putting in a V8 is no more "dishonor" to an FD than many other 'mods', like a silly body kit, park-bench wing or any number of other performance mods. At least with a V8, it still looks like an FD.
Obviously I'm a fan of the rotary, especially the 13bREW, but I haven't lost touch with reality.

 

[rotten42]

Check out the September '06 issue of Sport Compact Car

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They compare a LS1 powered FD versus a Single Turbo Rotary FD on dyno, scales, quatermile and road circuit.I don't have the issue so I don't klnow the results.

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/toc/thismonth/

 

[Familia323]

I guy I used to work with recently put an LS1 in his second gen for under 5 grand. From what I remember the LS1 weighs just about 100 lbs more since its all aluminum, and is mounted 6 inches back from where the rotary sits. And after riding in it I wouldn't hesitate to put an LS1 in after the stock motor pops. The only downside I would see is if you redo all the wiring harness/electrical stuff yourself.

 

[Roywhitep5]

its practically perfect in every way

 

[Signal 2]

Personally I know that paying 10k to swap in a LS1 would be pointless beings so much could be done to the 13B instead and be much much faster. So guys give me some good come backs and tech knowledge to hit em with lol.

I love how the rotary makes power. It's smooth, high rev'ing and powerful. When things are working correctly....and most of the time they are.....there's just nothing like it. LOL, I know it sounds stupid, but with my current exhaust set-up, from inside, my car sounds a bit like an old Ferrari at WOT. For it's day, I think it was so ahead of it's time. There was just nothing else like it then, and there are relatively few cars that can keep up with it 12 years later.
IMHO, the biggest argument for an LS1 swap (in an FD) is NOT the power. My sequential-twin set up makes all the power I need, and more than alot of guys are capable of handling. The BIGGEST argument is the simplification. The sequential system on the FD is a *****'s nightmare of vac lines, check valves and solenoids. With heat and age they're prone to failure and it's hard to diagnose problems. Yeah, you can go single and simplify it ALOT. And the right single will make huge power. But despite alot of progress in turbos over the last few years, you would still lose alot of the low RPM torque that the twins gave. And to properly switch to a good single system, you'll still have to spend some significant cash.

 

[Rotary_Powered]

Nitrous to spool the single turbo FTW

 

[xelderx]

You'll also lose out reliabilty over the LS1.

 

[Signal 2]

Nitrous to spool the single turbo FTW

Yeah, sure it does. And to tune a rotary with nitrous is like dancing on the head of needle too. Even if you do, how practical is it to run around town daily packing nitrous to avoid lag from every stop light.

 

[PGTBrow]

Check out the September '06 issue of Sport Compact Car

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They compare a LS1 powered FD versus a Single Turbo Rotary FD on dyno, scales, quatermile and road circuit.I don't have the issue so I don't klnow the results.

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/toc/thismonth/

Thats what the argument was about. And just for the record... the 13BREW FD won... but they say "only if the LS1 FD had better tires" and some other lame excuses.

 

[Signal 2]

You'll also lose out reliabilty over the LS1.

And low-end torque
And simplification
And horsepower
And reduced underhood heat
And torque
And being able to find parts ANYWHERE
And horsepower
And availablity of a tech younger than 50 that has even seen the engine
And low-end torque
And horsepower

 

[neit_jnf]

what about it? a vette gets at least high 20s on the highway. the only way an RX-7 or RX-8 is doing that is if it's being towed.

Interesting, my FD have gotten as high as 27 mpg on the highway and as low as 8 mpg on the track

I regularly average 19-22 mpg mixed city/hwy driving

other thing people don't mention is that putting down over 400whp out of a rotary is easy but in itself a great acomplishment compared to putting the same numbers out of a 5.7-6.0 L V8 (yawn)

 

[PGTBrow]

Yea all that HP doesn't really mean much.... V8s can have massive numbers but it doesnt really matter when a Honda hatch with 1/3 the hp can pull faster 1/4 times. Same goes with the 13B.

 

[VR RX7 R1]

And simplification

How much simpler can 3 main moving parts get?


There is so much bias getting thrown around here it's stupid.

Put in whatever you want. 500hp isn't that unreliable in a rotary. If it's a daily driver that doesn't automatically warrant some V8. If you care about gas milage, then do it. If it's not, then it's probably not worth the hassle, though it all depends on your application.

Everyone's complaining about low end torque. Yeah, I have to concede to that, but if your road racing, and I do, then it really doesn't matter that much since you're keeping it in your powerband all the time anyway.

Parts are easy to find. The motor's not as mass produced as an LS1, so you have to know where to look.

I HATE the unreliable comments. That misinformation is spat around by those who don't know what the hell they're doing and prematurely kill it. ANY high HP motor will have it's life significantly reduced due to stress. Simple fact. How much? Again, depends on your application.

There are plenty of rotary specialists out there. And with the 8 out there, Mazda is going to be damned sure that the mechanics know about it this time as opposed to last time. That's for those who stay with the dealer anyway.

It all comes down to preference. There's ALWAYS someone faster out there. If you want to be the fastest, why do an LS1? Why not a 2JZ-GTE? Some have done those. We all know the power potential of those motors too. How about a GNX motor? Hell...if I had the $ I'd do a 26B.