RE: Mazda RX-7 | Spotted
Discussion
Noyzboy said:
The "dolphin" shape rear spoiler was standard for 1995 to 1999. Fitted more widely than Bathurst X model.
The RS has one
Thanks for clearing that up, I always thought the car was in an original state with the Bathurst X in gold writing behind the side windows and the ox blood red leather.The RS has one
BrotherMouzone said:
Beautiful car. I like the early model with its cleaner shape, but I think my favourite is a later one like yours.
Can they be ‘spanked’ on track day like a Honda engine then? My Honda’s B18 engine feels very robust and happy to live at the VTEC zone all day (just add oil). Are the RX-7s similarity robust when being used on track? (i.e. happy to sit at near top of the rev range all day)
Yes, they can be smacked to hell and back on a track day. RX-8s are the best out of the box in terms of spanking them as temps remain under control due to no turbocharger to deal with. Can they be ‘spanked’ on track day like a Honda engine then? My Honda’s B18 engine feels very robust and happy to live at the VTEC zone all day (just add oil). Are the RX-7s similarity robust when being used on track? (i.e. happy to sit at near top of the rev range all day)
The rotary prefers to be driven hard anyway and is recommended in the Mazda owner's manual to burn off excess carbon in the combustion chamber.
In the FD it's critical to keep water, oil and air temps in check and if you are running above factory power then you need to consider an uprated radiator, a second oil cooler if your car does not come from the factory with twin oil coolers (Type R, RS, RZ, Spirit R all have them), an uprated intercooler (the twin turbos above factory boost levels generate a lot of heat), and uprated brake pads and fluid.
I run quite a bit higher than stock boost levels, i.e. 1.0 bar compared to 0.65 bar, so I have added water injection to my intake tract to cool the intake charge and keep the car happy.
I redline it to 8,000 RPM continuously on track and the first thing to go after 20 minutes or so are my stock brakes which then start to feel soft. All of my other temps are fine.
The car only weighs 1,280kg so it is very light on consumables. Tyres last me about 12,000 miles and 5-6 track days (at their peak performance for the first 3 or 4 track days), and brake pads last me about 5 track days. If it's a street car just run PS4 tyres and get over 20,000 miles out of a set.
Fully adjustable camber, caster and toe front/rear with aluminium double wish ones make it a great car out of the box to dial-in.
A mate of mine had one of these back in the day. Took me for a spin, and I must admit, I was surprised how quick it was. Really great car.
To those asking if they can handle track work, the answer seems to be yes. They performed strongly in Australian racing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathurst_12_Hour ), winning the race 4 times in a row against some decent competition.
I would love one of these due to the light weight alone, but sadly the family compromises put paid to that as a daily driver.
Great toy though.
To those asking if they can handle track work, the answer seems to be yes. They performed strongly in Australian racing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathurst_12_Hour ), winning the race 4 times in a row against some decent competition.
I would love one of these due to the light weight alone, but sadly the family compromises put paid to that as a daily driver.
Great toy though.
Was waiting for the spotlight, as they are affordable versus the other Gran Turismo specials!
As an avid JDM fan, I used to watch these go under the radar on the BMI videos where the more extreme versions were sometimes outright fastest in the Tsukuba battles.
They are commendably light weight, and also double wishbones all round, so perhaps no surprise that they are quicker than people realise.
Who are the go to engine specialists in the UK? I have dreamed of doing an N/A quad rotor conversion on a clean, de-spoilered late model. What kind of costs are you looking at, and more importantly, how difficult are they to look after? I was hoping removing the turbo would make things less complicated in the long run...
As an avid JDM fan, I used to watch these go under the radar on the BMI videos where the more extreme versions were sometimes outright fastest in the Tsukuba battles.
They are commendably light weight, and also double wishbones all round, so perhaps no surprise that they are quicker than people realise.
Who are the go to engine specialists in the UK? I have dreamed of doing an N/A quad rotor conversion on a clean, de-spoilered late model. What kind of costs are you looking at, and more importantly, how difficult are they to look after? I was hoping removing the turbo would make things less complicated in the long run...
GarageOfLuke said:
Don't get yourselves too excited - it's got a blown second turbo, hence why it's under the going rate for age and mileage.
Hmm...well, with labour to remove and refit the twins as well as get them rebuilt it will cost about £800-1,000 all-in. Of course, I would bet solenoid or two as well as some vacuum piping is past its best so that should be considered which will need fixing. Granted the rest of the red car in the advert looks pretty sound. You would still want an up-to-date compression test and drive of the car to ensure its all okay.
And don't believe the mileage. A high percentage of all 90s Japanese cars including the RX-7, GTRs, Supras, Evos, Honda's, etc. are all clocked. Most of the cars will have true mileages double or triple what they claim. Every car seems to say it has 30,000-60,000 miles and it's well known the Japanese clock them before putting them up for auction.
You must buy on condition, and condition alone when it comes to something like the RX-7.
Edited by cib24 on Monday 2nd December 11:54
thelostboy said:
Was waiting for the spotlight, as they are affordable versus the other Gran Turismo specials!
As an avid JDM fan, I used to watch these go under the radar on the BMI videos where the more extreme versions were sometimes outright fastest in the Tsukuba battles.
They are commendably light weight, and also double wishbones all round, so perhaps no surprise that they are quicker than people realise.
Who are the go to engine specialists in the UK? I have dreamed of doing an N/A quad rotor conversion on a clean, de-spoilered late model. What kind of costs are you looking at, and more importantly, how difficult are they to look after? I was hoping removing the turbo would make things less complicated in the long run...
A 4 rotor is a completely custom project. Custom plates, irons, eccentric shaft, etc. The cost of the engine alone done properly with high quality parts would be about £15-25k. Then to make it fit in the engine bay, wiring, exhaust and intake pipework, tuning, etc. The total cost at a minimum would be more than £40k with the average build coming in at well over £60k.As an avid JDM fan, I used to watch these go under the radar on the BMI videos where the more extreme versions were sometimes outright fastest in the Tsukuba battles.
They are commendably light weight, and also double wishbones all round, so perhaps no surprise that they are quicker than people realise.
Who are the go to engine specialists in the UK? I have dreamed of doing an N/A quad rotor conversion on a clean, de-spoilered late model. What kind of costs are you looking at, and more importantly, how difficult are they to look after? I was hoping removing the turbo would make things less complicated in the long run...
Granted, it's super exclusive and rare so there is that if you want Instagram points.
I absolutely love these. Great cars from a great era.
One of those cars that I actually think needs some modifications too. The factory wheels don't do much for me, so wheels and a little suspension tweak would be essential for me. I don't even mind the odd body kit, provided it's done in the right way. While some of the cars to come out of the US tuning scene are a bit much, some of the Japanese stuff from this era was mega. The likes of Top Secret, Veilside etc are still the stuff of legend to me. Must be an age thing though.
One of those cars that I actually think needs some modifications too. The factory wheels don't do much for me, so wheels and a little suspension tweak would be essential for me. I don't even mind the odd body kit, provided it's done in the right way. While some of the cars to come out of the US tuning scene are a bit much, some of the Japanese stuff from this era was mega. The likes of Top Secret, Veilside etc are still the stuff of legend to me. Must be an age thing though.
FWDRacer said:
I'm going to get mullered for saying this, but.... LS3 conversion?
Sure, you can but in general that will cost the average person at least £10k to complete that conversion.You can buy a new 13B-REW from Mazda for £4,500 or rebuild your current motor if it needs attention for £1,500 (do it entirely yourself) to £4,000 (labour included plus any porting and other work you'd like done).
cib24 said:
A 4 rotor is a completely custom project. Custom plates, irons, eccentric shaft, etc. The cost of the engine alone done properly with high quality parts would be about £15-25k. Then to make it fit in the engine bay, wiring, exhaust and intake pipework, tuning, etc. The total cost at a minimum would be more than £40k with the average build coming in at well over £60k.
Granted, it's super exclusive and rare so there is that if you want Instagram points.
I know it's expensive, but for me it's also perhaps the best sounding engine on earth this side of transplanting a V10 era F1 engine into your road car...Granted, it's super exclusive and rare so there is that if you want Instagram points.
I was sure there was a guy in the UK who built them, but can't recall who they are.
Would love to do it - have an NSX on ITBs and I imagine a multi-rotor RX7 would be the perfect garage pairing.
FWDRacer said:
Niffty951 said:
The shape weakens my knees but the running costs bring me to them.
I'm going to get mullered for saying this, but.... LS3 conversion?thelostboy said:
I know it's expensive, but for me it's also perhaps the best sounding engine on earth this side of transplanting a V10 era F1 engine into your road car...
I was sure there was a guy in the UK who built them, but can't recall who they are.
Would love to do it - have an NSX on ITBs and I imagine a multi-rotor RX7 would be the perfect garage pairing.
Sure. I mean, if you have the funds and desire to do it as an ultimate passion project then by all means go for it. There is one 4 rotor in the UK at the moment which is N/A and it runs relatively well, although it's still a ways away from being run flat out as the owner and shop are being very cautious tuning the car given the potential cost of having to rebuild the 4 rotor if they get it wrong. I was sure there was a guy in the UK who built them, but can't recall who they are.
Would love to do it - have an NSX on ITBs and I imagine a multi-rotor RX7 would be the perfect garage pairing.
thelostboy said:
I know it's expensive, but for me it's also perhaps the best sounding engine on earth this side of transplanting a V10 era F1 engine into your road car...
I was sure there was a guy in the UK who built them, but can't recall who they are.
Would love to do it - have an NSX on ITBs and I imagine a multi-rotor RX7 would be the perfect garage pairing.
There was a guy Dave who used the username of Sicknote on the Mazda forum who had either a 3 rotor or 4 RX7 and ran it for a while, as I saw him a couple of times at Japfest. Chris at RE-Worx in Portsmouth may know as I know he re-builds and runs in rotary engines might be worth giving him a call.I was sure there was a guy in the UK who built them, but can't recall who they are.
Would love to do it - have an NSX on ITBs and I imagine a multi-rotor RX7 would be the perfect garage pairing.
big_rob_sydney said:
A mate of mine had one of these back in the day. Took me for a spin, and I must admit, I was surprised how quick it was. Really great car.
I was surprised when I was passing E46 M3s and level-pegging 996 GT3s with just mild mods on mine, maybe 320hp. I think it's a bit of everything - a bit lighter, a really good power curve so you're accelerating early, good traction in the dry because it squats back on its short wheelbase, and then a small cross section helping aero at higher speeds.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff