Let's talk FD RX-7's
Discussion
been contemplating one for a number of years. understand and accept the rotary concerns, so don't want to bog down too much on that. there are few cars that really stick in mind as memorable though, and mugging a 996TT on the highway whist spitting flames cemented the FD as legend for me. that was a friends car, "mildly" tuned. i had a supra at the time and no matter how much i enjoyed my brute i couldn't shake the thought that i would be having a much better time in the lighter, sharper FD.
the steering was chatty unlike my feather light, mute helm, the brakes phenomenal, and the lack of weight made transitory response razor sharp. the car i drove was only around 380hp but felt much more capable, power delivery was fairly linear and simply brutal. the vibrationless rotary gave such a smooth shove, a stark contrast to the cacophony emitting from the tailpipe. the real surprise was the chassis. utterly unflappable. the rear was a bit mobile with your foot in the carpet, but nothing untoward. it really handled benignly, didn't bite and was very progessive at the limit. the impression it left was of a deeply sorted package, one you could fully exploit without much worry but one that would continue to satisfy for years to come. put simply, it flattered and allowed me to revel in it's competence.
in short, it was brilliant and i would love to make a project out of one. would be keen to do a built NA 20B or a GT35R 13B with ALS seals or some such. don't need much power in these because of the lightness so reliability would be key. removing the rat's nest of vacuum hoses by going single helps alleviate many heat related issues as well. focus on the footwork though, some quantum dampers would be choice, and off you go spitting flames into the night.
what are your thoughts on this fabulous curiosity?
the steering was chatty unlike my feather light, mute helm, the brakes phenomenal, and the lack of weight made transitory response razor sharp. the car i drove was only around 380hp but felt much more capable, power delivery was fairly linear and simply brutal. the vibrationless rotary gave such a smooth shove, a stark contrast to the cacophony emitting from the tailpipe. the real surprise was the chassis. utterly unflappable. the rear was a bit mobile with your foot in the carpet, but nothing untoward. it really handled benignly, didn't bite and was very progessive at the limit. the impression it left was of a deeply sorted package, one you could fully exploit without much worry but one that would continue to satisfy for years to come. put simply, it flattered and allowed me to revel in it's competence.
in short, it was brilliant and i would love to make a project out of one. would be keen to do a built NA 20B or a GT35R 13B with ALS seals or some such. don't need much power in these because of the lightness so reliability would be key. removing the rat's nest of vacuum hoses by going single helps alleviate many heat related issues as well. focus on the footwork though, some quantum dampers would be choice, and off you go spitting flames into the night.
what are your thoughts on this fabulous curiosity?
Owned one for about a week now, after a couple of turbo Jap cars.
Utterly, fabulously insane. I get palpitations about half an hour before I know I'll be driving it. Not sure if that's cos I'm scared it'll crap the engine out or because of the sheer lunacy of the thing. Children stop and point, boy racers avoid eye contact, enthusiasts enthuse. Quite simply the greatest car I will ever have the pleasure of owning.
Do it!
Utterly, fabulously insane. I get palpitations about half an hour before I know I'll be driving it. Not sure if that's cos I'm scared it'll crap the engine out or because of the sheer lunacy of the thing. Children stop and point, boy racers avoid eye contact, enthusiasts enthuse. Quite simply the greatest car I will ever have the pleasure of owning.
Do it!
The Flying Ox said:
I get palpitations about half an hour before I know I'll be driving it.
Blimey, that's some excitement you're experiencing there! Pics/info on said FD?
I look at these on and off all the time but I'm not sure I could stomach single figures/early teens MPG all the time...
Single turbo, currently about 350bhp, but the map is a little rich at the top end. It's a big turbo though, so new injectors and a proper map should see somewhere in the region of 450-500 bhp.
I'm averaging 22 mpg pottering around town, and managed 27 mpg on a run from London to Edinburgh, so I'm quite chuffed. I'm pretty sure if I spent more time on boost, those figures would be halved.
I'm averaging 22 mpg pottering around town, and managed 27 mpg on a run from London to Edinburgh, so I'm quite chuffed. I'm pretty sure if I spent more time on boost, those figures would be halved.
currently in the states so mpg isn't an issue. i've been around them for years and realize the propensity to lunch themselves if not properly cared for. R1 or R2 with a precautionary build is the idea.
cost of entry is quite low here, some of the fastest guys run '99 efini turbos but i feel a single GT35R would be nigh on perfect and will help simplify under hood.
these cars have so much character, and the intimate, cosseting cabin was a joy to be in. straight line speed is not the goal, been there done that. it's balance that's key with this car imo. the bones, the basic recipe, is so good out of the box that improving it just turns everything up to 11. just ticks all the boxes for me, if you sort it a bit it reminds me of a jap GT3 with loads more personality.
cost of entry is quite low here, some of the fastest guys run '99 efini turbos but i feel a single GT35R would be nigh on perfect and will help simplify under hood.
these cars have so much character, and the intimate, cosseting cabin was a joy to be in. straight line speed is not the goal, been there done that. it's balance that's key with this car imo. the bones, the basic recipe, is so good out of the box that improving it just turns everything up to 11. just ticks all the boxes for me, if you sort it a bit it reminds me of a jap GT3 with loads more personality.
A 380bhp car melting off a 460bhp 996? Hmmm...
Anyway, I absolutely love the FD RX-7s, definitely one of my dream cars. Not something I'd ever own though, I think I'd have a Skyline R33 GT-R if I was going to own a Japanese car that could throw up some big bills
Excellent car though, truly excellent. The rotary is the true double-edged sword, high revving, sounds incredible, excellent power delivery, brilliant chassis, fairly low weight, but coupled with the inevitability that it simply is not as long lasting as a piston engine makes them a car you have to love to own one.
Anyway, I absolutely love the FD RX-7s, definitely one of my dream cars. Not something I'd ever own though, I think I'd have a Skyline R33 GT-R if I was going to own a Japanese car that could throw up some big bills
Excellent car though, truly excellent. The rotary is the true double-edged sword, high revving, sounds incredible, excellent power delivery, brilliant chassis, fairly low weight, but coupled with the inevitability that it simply is not as long lasting as a piston engine makes them a car you have to love to own one.
Had my 2000RS for ~5 years, nice and reliable daily driver. Annual service £250, 18mpg on short runs, 21mpg on long runs. Later (99+) cars have better cooling. Keep changing the oil.
12 years old but dyno'd at 265rwhp (300bhp engine?) at the last service. (no mods)
An electric window contact needed cleaning at the last service but otherwise, nothing other than standard wear items been replaced since new.
Ridiculously good car for the money but rubbish in the snow.
12 years old but dyno'd at 265rwhp (300bhp engine?) at the last service. (no mods)
An electric window contact needed cleaning at the last service but otherwise, nothing other than standard wear items been replaced since new.
Ridiculously good car for the money but rubbish in the snow.
First post, but long time unregistered lurker...
I can't recommend the FD enough, providing you go into it with your eyes open. I've had mine over 4 years now - it was a childhood dream. 'Never meet your heroes' has bitten me several times in the past, so I was nervous to try one.
It's every bit as good as I hoped.
However, the trials and tribulations have also been as expected.
I've had quite a few Japanese cars, and had thought the FD may be a slightly more focussed version of my old 200SX, but that was a gross underestimation.
The steering feel is wonderful, feedback is just sublime, noise is incredible, brakes are very impressive for a stock car of the price, and when it works, the constant shove through the revs is just incredible.
I'm on my second rebuild (first was a precautionary one, second one was entirely my fault) but they're pretty easy to DIY. I've gone from '99 spec twins to a single turbo GT35r equipped ported car, however, life progress has prevented that elusive final map, so I can't really report on the power with the current setup. I'm hoping for mid 400's To be honest, at the 360 it was on twins, it was devestatingly effective anyways.
They are an addiction though - if I'd left mine standard-ish it still would have been wonderful, but I'm constantly trying to refine it to be exactly what I want, so she's contantly draining my money. That combined with my slightly OCD obsession with the engine bay is a recipe for ruin if I don't control it.
It never fails to put a smile on my face, even when I'm rewiring the ignition harness at 8am in January, and it's minus 7.
The fuel is every bit as rubbish as everyone says - on twins, I tended to average mid teens - track days easily took it singles. Unmapped on the single it's about the same, but that's moot.
Even without power available to me, it often genuinely makes me shake when I get out of it. It's the most wonderful thing. Everything is just a barrage on your senses. The sound and the smell are just part of the experience (IMO they sound best through a reasonably well silenced exhuast, perhaps I'm old?)
However, they are pretty marmite, so you need to try one first (and try a good one - preferably polybushes, it makes a huge difference) and I wouldn't like to use one as an everyday car. Not because I fear the reliability, but because I fear it would take the 'specialness' away from owning one.
Oh, and my mind, they're also one of the most beautiful shapes in the motoring world(excluding a lot of the horrible, horrible body accoutrements available for them...). I can happily just stare at mine parked in my garage for rather silly lengths of time. Washing them is even a pleasure!
Do I sound gushy? A little, maybe, but It's one of the only cars I've had that I genuinely never want to sell.
I can't recommend the FD enough, providing you go into it with your eyes open. I've had mine over 4 years now - it was a childhood dream. 'Never meet your heroes' has bitten me several times in the past, so I was nervous to try one.
It's every bit as good as I hoped.
However, the trials and tribulations have also been as expected.
I've had quite a few Japanese cars, and had thought the FD may be a slightly more focussed version of my old 200SX, but that was a gross underestimation.
The steering feel is wonderful, feedback is just sublime, noise is incredible, brakes are very impressive for a stock car of the price, and when it works, the constant shove through the revs is just incredible.
I'm on my second rebuild (first was a precautionary one, second one was entirely my fault) but they're pretty easy to DIY. I've gone from '99 spec twins to a single turbo GT35r equipped ported car, however, life progress has prevented that elusive final map, so I can't really report on the power with the current setup. I'm hoping for mid 400's To be honest, at the 360 it was on twins, it was devestatingly effective anyways.
They are an addiction though - if I'd left mine standard-ish it still would have been wonderful, but I'm constantly trying to refine it to be exactly what I want, so she's contantly draining my money. That combined with my slightly OCD obsession with the engine bay is a recipe for ruin if I don't control it.
It never fails to put a smile on my face, even when I'm rewiring the ignition harness at 8am in January, and it's minus 7.
The fuel is every bit as rubbish as everyone says - on twins, I tended to average mid teens - track days easily took it singles. Unmapped on the single it's about the same, but that's moot.
Even without power available to me, it often genuinely makes me shake when I get out of it. It's the most wonderful thing. Everything is just a barrage on your senses. The sound and the smell are just part of the experience (IMO they sound best through a reasonably well silenced exhuast, perhaps I'm old?)
However, they are pretty marmite, so you need to try one first (and try a good one - preferably polybushes, it makes a huge difference) and I wouldn't like to use one as an everyday car. Not because I fear the reliability, but because I fear it would take the 'specialness' away from owning one.
Oh, and my mind, they're also one of the most beautiful shapes in the motoring world(excluding a lot of the horrible, horrible body accoutrements available for them...). I can happily just stare at mine parked in my garage for rather silly lengths of time. Washing them is even a pleasure!
Do I sound gushy? A little, maybe, but It's one of the only cars I've had that I genuinely never want to sell.
It really is a car which seems like an excellent package out of the box with only the reported rotary issues and mpg being the only sticking points to an otherwise perfect car.
Great looking, pin sharp RWD handling, very decent standard brakes and lightweight. In fact I'd say it's an almost a perfect PH car which is why I considered one as a track toy a few years back. Unfortunately life got in the way but it's an idea I keep coming back to time and again so it will probably happen one day.
Get a late spec one and with a few choice mods, I reckon it would be brilliant fun. I know popular consensus seems to be to convert to a single setup but I like the idea of retaining the responsiveness of the twins. Is the single setup noticeable laggier or alternatively can the twins setup be upgraded to be more reliable?
Great looking, pin sharp RWD handling, very decent standard brakes and lightweight. In fact I'd say it's an almost a perfect PH car which is why I considered one as a track toy a few years back. Unfortunately life got in the way but it's an idea I keep coming back to time and again so it will probably happen one day.
Get a late spec one and with a few choice mods, I reckon it would be brilliant fun. I know popular consensus seems to be to convert to a single setup but I like the idea of retaining the responsiveness of the twins. Is the single setup noticeable laggier or alternatively can the twins setup be upgraded to be more reliable?
Guvernator said:
I know popular consensus seems to be to convert to a single setup but I like the idea of retaining the responsiveness of the twins. Is the single setup noticeable laggier or alternatively can the twins setup be upgraded to be more reliable?
if you would like to retain twins i would suggest '99 efini turbos if its a pre-'99 car. otherwise, if its a post '99 car i would retain the stockers as they appear to have the best response. there are upgraded twins such as the BNR units http://www.rx7store.net/product_p/bnr%20stage%203%... but considering the cost and lagginess you might as well go single at that point. not being an FD expert, from what i've gathered a GT35R setup strikes a good balance between lag and power. it is laggier than the stock setup but seems to be well matched to this application. also, removing the nest of vacuum lines associated with the sequential setup will lower temps underhood and eliminate a common failure point. if you go with the twins though invest in silicone vacuum lines, will save you lots of potential headache in the future. an NA 20B would be an interesting alternative. built, it would be reliable and powerful but would no doubt cost a pretty penny. would make a hell of a racket too!
look here
-> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2Oliq1znfk99 Spec twins are great, but their longeivity seems to be a slight sticking point (well, it definitely was in my experience, at just under a bar of boost they lasted 6 months. Made 360ish atf though)
I went for a 35r as it was the closest match - from above about 3.5k it should generate equal to more power than mine used to, with reasonably close response thresholds. The joy of removing stuff from the bay is just one of the attractions.
Mazda's sequential system really is a work of art, and it's just so tractable. The main reason I went single was due to my 99's crapping out, and the cost of replacing them with brand new units was more than a 35r setup. Or so I thought. Until I got carried away.
20b would be lovely, but the cost to do it properly is way out of my league.
I went for a 35r as it was the closest match - from above about 3.5k it should generate equal to more power than mine used to, with reasonably close response thresholds. The joy of removing stuff from the bay is just one of the attractions.
Mazda's sequential system really is a work of art, and it's just so tractable. The main reason I went single was due to my 99's crapping out, and the cost of replacing them with brand new units was more than a 35r setup. Or so I thought. Until I got carried away.
20b would be lovely, but the cost to do it properly is way out of my league.
The guys at DM Motorsport are developing a different set of twins based on the GT28 which should be interesting, thread is here for those on fd:uk http://www.fduk.org/forum/showthread.php?t=28148
They're aiming for 450 atw with a large street port. Should be pretty nuts
They're aiming for 450 atw with a large street port. Should be pretty nuts
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