New info on the next RX from Mazda!!!
- Thread starter Old Rotor
- Start date
wow so with the longer stroke you should get more torque, unfortunatly the redline will probably suffer. The engine should lose alot of weight with those aluminum side housings, and fuel economy should increase by a bit with the direct injection and other improvments. Hopefully HP should be in the 300hp range and actually make rotary worth it as a daily driver
Here is some more info from Mazda...what do you think?
http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2009/0912_mazda_rx_7_dilemma/index.html
http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2009/0912_mazda_rx_7_dilemma/index.html
What was conspicuously absent from the stand however, was a planned sports car concept fitted with an updated version of Mazda's next-generation, gas-powered rotary, codenamed the 16X. Of course, we are talking about the next generation RX-7 here. The current four-door RX-8 rotary is well-known for its less than satisfactory mileage, heavy oil consumption and flat mid-range torque, issues that engineers have been working to solve with the 16X for the next RX-7 (possibly called RX-9). The sketch you see here, which is one artist's impression of how the car could look, incorporates styling hints from the RX-8 and a grille design from recent swooping concept cars like the Kiyora. If built, the car is expected to lose around 220 lbs in weight over the RX-8 and gain the fuel-sipping i-stop system in addition to an electric assisted turbo.
The Hiroshima-based company first revealed the 16X rotary prototype engine at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, and at the time hinted that we could look forward to a special surprise at Tokyo in 2009. That didn't happen. In its "Sustainable Zoom-Zoom" announcement back in early 2007, we remember company bosses saying that a car powered by the next generation rotary engine would land in showrooms in late 2010. That won't happen, either. The economic downturn saw to that.
Mazda has been hit particularly hard by the worldwide recession. With global sales falling by nearly 19% this year, compared to the first 10 months of last year, and sales of the multiple award-winning MX-5 plummeting by over 26%, the company is not only losing profits and having to lay off workers, but is registering measurable dips in its brand identity. Fitted with the only current production rotary engine in the lineup, RX-8 figures have also dramatically dropped, causing concern not only amongst top management but hundreds of engineers -- many of whom joined the company wanting to work on the rotary.
Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2009/0912_mazda_rx_7_dilemma/index.html#ixzz0ZVt0BBT9
Last edited:
RenesisKing
That thing got a hemi??
- :
- 2004 Mazda RX-8 GT
I'm hearing rumors, and I think I read it on MotorTrend that it could run on diesel also. That would be insane. I just hope they keep the high 9000RPM redline. It would be insane to see how much stiffer that chassis is compared to the RX-8!
i think for the us, the rotary needs a hybrid drive train. sandwich a small electric motor between the engine and flywheel, keep the batteries small and light to help on the added weight required, and program the controls to only use the electric motor for take-off and start-up when cold. i think that would help with fuel consumption AND performance, and make the rotary live on.
RenesisKing
That thing got a hemi??
- :
- 2004 Mazda RX-8 GT
The problem with that is, it goes against what the rotary car was supposed to be. A light weight, excellent handling, dynamic sports car. An electric motor, batteries and whatever else is required will be counter whatever the car would be like without all that junk added into it. The rotary is a niche car and will remain a niche car, and I think Mazda realizes this and doesn't expect this to sell in volumes, and is mainly concentrating on the 3, 6, and the CUVs. I was talking to a Mazda rep at the NYIAS recently and he went to Japan and took a tour of the factory and talked to some of the guys there. According to him, they do want to keep double wishbone setup up front and the multi-link rear and don't plan on going back to a MacPherson strut set up anytime soon for the RX. They haven't ruled out a hybrid but don't want to go there. I can't blame them for that either. The next MX-5 I hear is supposed to be smaller and lighter, get a Sky-G motor 1.4L or 1.6L and get an optional DCT, and go to MacPherson Strut.
i think if mazda did it right, it wouldn't add too much weight to the car. i'm not talking full hybrid like the Prius, just something added to help with cold starting possibly. rotaries like to run extra rich when cold, and i think an electric motor could really help that.
Wagonbacker9
Member
- :
- 2004 'Hoe
what possible effect could an electric motor have on the air fuel ratio of an engine?
when the electric motor is running and the engine isn't.... you dont use any fuel!
Wagonbacker9
Member
- :
- 2004 'Hoe
yeah, but... you have to burn fuel to warm the engine up. the safe way to warm an engine up is to run it rich while doing so.... so, your reasoning just doesn't hold water.
RenesisKing
That thing got a hemi??
- :
- 2004 Mazda RX-8 GT
rotaries don't like to be repeatedly started and stopped. They flood that way. Could you imagine the problem you'd have in stop and go traffic.
RenesisKing
That thing got a hemi??
- :
- 2004 Mazda RX-8 GT
you just gotta remember its not your typical engine. We don't have to worry about back pressure much either, at least with the Renesis.
i know. i understand the concept of the rotary, maybe just not the specifics. i was piecing things together in my head, and from i understood, it made sense to me to make it a hybrid. maybe i didnt have full enough of an understanding.
i like that mazda can use a dual hydrogen power with them. diesel would be cool too.
Wagonbacker9
Member
- :
- 2004 'Hoe
a full hybrid rotary (where the engine stops and starts as needed) is basically not feasible (reasons listed above). and eliminating cold emissions isn't feasible either (just doesn't work like that).
Back in the day acura prototyped a car that was mid engine V-6 powered with an electric motor at each wheel. THAT application might actually make some sense. It was designed as a super low emissions sporty car...
Back in the day acura prototyped a car that was mid engine V-6 powered with an electric motor at each wheel. THAT application might actually make some sense. It was designed as a super low emissions sporty car...
Curtiss-Wright had Wankel engines that ran on jet fuel in the 1970s - direct injection at that - so it is quite possible.
Oh to have something that could bring me back to the mix of fun and practicality my 1972 Rx-2 sedan was. *sigh*
New Threads and Articles
-
-
2026 Q1 25Q3 (March 2026) latest gen Mazda Connect navigation map update- By hsdejong
- Replies: 0
-