Rx-7

[marchGTR]

Thanks a lot for everyones input. I think I may take the plunge and jump into something other than a nissan for a little while (untill i can afford a 34gtr!).

sounds like the RX7 is a decent car...now time to shop

[Kin]

i own a series 8 rx7

the car sure looks good, drives good.. when it drives

wat most ppl dont figure out b4 they buy one:

the reliability mods which MUST go on the car straight up

mazda just didnt build a mazda to last and used shit plastic crap in it

plastic AST (breather tank) will need to be switched to an aluminium one (if it leaks.. can kiss ur motor goodbye)

radiator is totally inadequate in stock form

exhaust is extremely restricitive, compliance will switch ur cat to one which is even worse than stock cat

solenoids tend to fail easily(break or crack in heat).. the twin turbo system is extremely complicated

ud need to do a compression test on ur motor b4 u buy it, anything less than above average/excellent.. ur motor wouldnt last too long .budget $5000 just for a rebuild minimum and about $1500 for upgraded apex seals.

to run any mods.. ud need an aftermarket ecu, PFC's are used quite alot.. dont use anything else.. they are junk..cept maybe motec. microteck, haltech, wolf watever are all junk

replacing IC is a fair job.. front mounts dont really work well on FD's.. they just look good. the best bet is a upgraded SMIC or a vmount..vmount will require u to get a vented bonnet

maintaning a fd is ALOT of $$$

my clutch line popped all of a sudden one time going across the harbor bridge..

my motor gave way after 1 month of ownership

security - fd's are getting stolen alot now.. make sure you have the best of alarms and full comp INSURANCE.. i learnt the hard way

ive owned my fd for 1 year exactly now.. its been off the road for 7months

if ur worried about fuel.. dont buy a fd

a stock fd would typically get u around 400km/450 max if u dont step on it per tank of 76L 98 octane.. if u are running aftermarket seals. ud most probably neeed to run pre-mix which is $35 for 1L...

[Kin]

all the stories uve read are of a functioning fd... or rotary..

why not ask them the sob stories too? every rotor.. and i mean every rotor has sob stories

[JDSracing]

Sorry but ours doesn't have one, we've nearly had it for a year now as well.

Shop around, find one in good nick, maintain it well and it will be as reliable as any other performance car.

[nismo_GTST]

They are awesome. As soon as my car sells, i'll be buying a series 8 Type RS

As has been mentionened before, definatly look at the Type RS. More power, 17" wheels, Bilstein suspension, larger brakes, foglamps, 4.3 diff.

Get onto AusRotary and FD Owners forums and find out as much as you can about them. Also, check out this website Click here. When I started looking into them, I found this site to be a great source of info.

Good luck!

[DaiOni]

http://fdowners.com/index.php

the best FD specific forum in the world

[TTT]

series 8 Type RS?

how much are one of these.

the is saying he wants an RX7 until he can afford an R34 GTR. which seems to be under $50K these days via import.

he post by KIN seems to be what I've heard from my mates with rotaries.

One has a series 6.

the radiator issue was his cause for rebuild.

thw twin turbo's and their well known problem of cracking the rear housings caused him to get a bigger single.

the bigger turbo need for FMIC caused him to spend ALOT of money on cooling upgrades.

They are sweet looking cars.

no doubt about it.

and they go like shit off a shovel.

well balanced etc etc.

but man.. if you are going to buy one, spend extra and buy one already rebuilt with all the problems that KIN has posted, already fixed with receipts to prove it.

It's very much like buying an 89 GTR for $15K... you gotta have another $15K to sort it out once it pops.

and they all pop. unless you granny it. but who buys skylines or rx7's to granny?

Edited April 17, 2008 by GTST

[DaiOni]

You're better off with a good low mileage original engine or one that has had a new OEM block. Other than that, look for one that has been rebuilt by someone respected - ask around (see link above).

In 100% stock form, they are great. With a series 8, the only thing you really should do is replace the air sep tank (AST) with an alloy version (you can buy one from JustJap for under $100, or spend a few extra on something 'JDM' brand name).

But who can leave a car like this stock?

Once you start adding things, then you have to consider the car as a whole - not piecemeal modding. Add an exhaust, add a PFC (for series 8 280ps version - not such an issue with lower power versions). Add an aftermarket IC, add an upgraded radiator.

They're not that difficult. Unfortunately, the average citizen of the world is a moron, so they are not for everyone. If you are willing to do a little research and do things patiently and properly (i.e. your first mod should not be an ebc), you will be hugely rewarded. Otherwise... buy a toyota.

[Scottydoo]

"budget $5000 just for a rebuild minimum and about $1500 for upgraded apex seals."

Thats not really too true, unless your talking about a rebuild with new turbo manifold/turbo/wastgate etc. My brother had his rebuilt and with aviation spec seals and it was less than $4,000 drive in drive out. My rebuild at SCR was 6-7k with heaps of upgrades.

"if u are running aftermarket seals. ud most probably neeed to run pre-mix which is $35 for 1L..."

Not true either...I had SCR steel race seals in my FC and it ran perfect on 98ron fuel, also my brothers FC with Aviation seals was the same. No need for crazy high octane fuels unless your running huge boost(18psi+), and you just dont need to do that to make big horsepower in a rotary anyway because they can handle bigger turbo's running lower boost whilst remaining responsive. My FC had a GT35R with 1.06 rear housing and it had less lag and was more responsive than the stock turbo....

[R338OY]

Is it possible to convert the sequential TT setup on the RX7 to parallel, as can be done to a Supra? That would be interesting

[DaiOni]

Is it possible to convert the sequential TT setup on the RX7 to parallel, as can be done to a Supra? That would be interesting

Common (most often suggested by workshops who can't troubleshoot the sequential - i.e. nearly all of them).

No real performance benefits on the street (a smidgen more kph over 400m), and a big negative - loss of power at the bottom end. And that's only when it's done properly, more often than not it's a 'poor man's' hatchet job - which has even worse response.

Sequential twins are far and away the best choice for a daily driver/street car.

[R338OY]

Common (most often suggested by workshops who can't troubleshoot the sequential - i.e. nearly all of them).

No real performance benefits on the street (a smidgen more kph over 400m), and a big negative - loss of power at the bottom end. And that's only when it's done properly, more often than not it's a 'poor man's' hatchet job - which has even worse response.

Sequential twins are far and away the best choice for a daily driver/street car.

Thanks for the post. I thought parallel (never having owned one) would be better??? I'm a TT noob, could you explain why the parallel setup on an RX7 would reduce response? I know with sequential the smaller turbo gives quick boost, followed by the larger turbo for top end- but it they run together what real-world effect does it have?

Edited April 18, 2008 by R338OY

[DaiOni]

Thanks for the post. I thought parallel (never having owned one) would be better??? I'm a TT noob, could you explain why the parallel setup on an RX7 would reduce response? I know with sequential the smaller turbo gives quick boost, followed by the larger turbo for top end- but it they run together what real-world effect does it have?

It's not the same as the supra set-up.

When you remove the sequential system you don't get the low-down spool that the primary provides. Instead, you get boost later (somewhere around 3500 or 4000) - i.e. lag. It's like having a shit single (so you might as well get a good single). You don't really want to be taking low-end response away from a car that doesn't have much capacity (and therefore torque) on the menu.

[Kin]

"budget $5000 just for a rebuild minimum and about $1500 for upgraded apex seals."

Thats not really too true, unless your talking about a rebuild with new turbo manifold/turbo/wastgate etc. My brother had his rebuilt and with aviation spec seals and it was less than $4,000 drive in drive out. My rebuild at SCR was 6-7k with heaps of upgrades.

"if u are running aftermarket seals. ud most probably neeed to run pre-mix which is $35 for 1L..."

Not true either...I had SCR steel race seals in my FC and it ran perfect on 98ron fuel, also my brothers FC with Aviation seals was the same. No need for crazy high octane fuels unless your running huge boost(18psi+), and you just dont need to do that to make big horsepower in a rotary anyway because they can handle bigger turbo's running lower boost whilst remaining responsive. My FC had a GT35R with 1.06 rear housing and it had less lag and was more responsive than the stock turbo....

dude dont take it word for word.. someone could rebuild for 3k.. some could do it for 10k.. depends wat else u do, porting, studkits, which seals, how may housings need replace, how many rotors need replace. i could have my block rebuilt for 3k if it was just replacing seals.. and my housings etc were fine. its just like comparing a 2500 paintjob with 10k job.. exactly the same shit.. just different work and different quality

seals will depend on which type again.. i said MOST PROBABLY.. i use PTS seals and its a must to run premix... and premix has nothing to do with octane levels.. its just lubrication for ur seals.

lol!! read it again.. premix - 2 stroke oil... not octane booster man..

so read more carefully b4 u try take some1 apart thanks

Edited April 18, 2008 by Kin

[mines]

Rx7 S8 is very good car!!

i has owned few GTRs.

i think Rx7 S8 is better than R32/R33GTR,

but if you compare R34GTR and Rx7 S8.then its become a bit harder to say which one is better

* Try to get Rx7 RZ or Spirit-R,much better car than most of normall Rx7 FD3s S8

cheers

[Bumblebee]

i ran pts seals and i didnt run a premix.. wtf for. every rotor engine has oil squiters for this reason.

Its just a myth.. premix belongs on 2 stroke motors and despite what most people believe rotarys are 4 stroke motors.

as for rebuilds.. i got the engine with the lot.stud kits, pts seals, bridgeported (exhaust included) had rotors balanced and 1 housing replace and some race bearings. 5k later...

[Kin]

i ran pts seals and i didnt run a premix.. wtf for. every rotor engine has oil squiters for this reason.

Its just a myth.. premix belongs on 2 stroke motors and despite what most people believe rotarys are 4 stroke motors.

as for rebuilds.. i got the engine with the lot.stud kits, pts seals, bridgeported (exhaust included) had rotors balanced and 1 housing replace and some race bearings. 5k later...

lol.. mate... its up to u wat u do. ur seals are just going to wear out without premixing

maybe speak to the makers of PTS seals.. ask them why you need to premix

[[200]]

Jump on ausrotary and search / ask them about fd's. You will get honest answers by people that OWN them.

[eMsta]

interior is small

... REALLY small

back seat not enough for secks - unless u like secksing chickens.....

[Kin]

Jump on ausrotary and search / ask them about fd's. You will get honest answers by people that OWN them.

jump onto fdowners.com

all teh fd guys have moved on from ausrotary to fdowners.com