RX8 engine alternativey

RX8 engine alternativey

Author
Discussion

J4CKO

41,287 posts

199 months

Monday 10th January 2011
quotequote all
I reckon there is a market here for a company to provide a cost effective and well developed conversion for these, I would consider one with a nice reliable 300 bhp, I am sure then handling can cope with a few extra kilos, I would rather sacrifice ultimate handling for reliability, some torque and being able to sell it again.

It was done for the Stag and the NSU RO80 so its very possible, just down to cost and at least mainatainign some integration with the cars existing electronics.

mikliska

138 posts

160 months

Monday 10th January 2011
quotequote all
Sacrificing balance just isn't worth it to me. Put a 2nd gen turbo II in there and boost the hell out of it! Actually, I think the engine mounts on the 3rd gen are the same as the renesis (not the mounts themselves but where they attach to the engine... every generation is reconfigured). So, if you can find an FD engine with ECU cheap enough...

redgriff500

26,766 posts

262 months

Monday 10th January 2011
quotequote all
mikliska said:
redgriff500 said:
mikliska said:
not to mention, you can find a running renesis near same price as any other engine (within reason) you're considering.
Lexus V8's (1UZ 4.0) are available from £100 with loads around at £300.

A decent Rotary goes for way more than that.

Possibly because the Lexus unit doesn't break hence not many owners need them whilst the rotary does break hence is in more demand.

wink
Does that include: ECU, trans/trans adapter, drive shaft, engine mounts,etc.(Lexus V8-RX8 conversion kit)?
£400 buys you a complete car the scrap is probably worth £200 or sell a few bits and the engine etc is free.

DanGPR

988 posts

170 months

Monday 10th January 2011
quotequote all
JB! said:
if weight is an issue, what about a hayabusa engine?

compact, tunable...
Although they are easy to get peak HP at very high revs, driving something with 200bhp and 100 ft/lbs of torque would get very tiresome!

Also, I'm not sure how a front bike engined car would work, as they usually are mid-rear mounted and use a short chain drive to a diff.

In a 400kg , it can work well, in a 1400kg car, it won't.

mikliska

138 posts

160 months

Tuesday 11th January 2011
quotequote all
redgriff500 said:
mikliska said:
not to mention, you can find a running renesis near same price as any other engine (within reason) you're considering.
Lexus V8's (1UZ 4.0) are available from £100 with loads around at £300.

A decent Rotary goes for way more than that.

Possibly because the Lexus unit doesn't break hence not many owners need them whilst the rotary does break hence is in more demand.

wink
I appologize for suggesting something without proper knowledge as I'm in the states and not all of the engines you speak of are so cheap as compared to the renesis.

carl0s

526 posts

227 months

Tuesday 11th January 2011
quotequote all
jbi said:
redgriff500 said:
jbi said:
redgriff500 said:
mikliska said:
not to mention, you can find a running renesis near same price as any other engine (within reason) you're considering.
Lexus V8's (1UZ 4.0) are available from £100 with loads around at £300.

A decent Rotary goes for way more than that.

Possibly because the Lexus unit doesn't break hence not many owners need them whilst the rotary does break hence is in more demand.

wink
As much as I love the lexus V8, it's a very large engine physically compared to the GM pushrod V8's

The DOHC assembly on the top of the engine makes it big and top heavy and will be a very tight squeeze in the engine bay without some significant modification I should imagine.
I think its the next smallest after the LS.

They squeeze them in RX7's and MX5's so it'll fit - no doubt a google would show its already been done.
I have dug up a bit of info on the dimensions

1UZ-FE

Size: (28"x28"x28")
Weight: 462 or 470lbs


LS1

Size: 25.3"x25"x20.5"
Weight: 459lbs
Right but the 1UZ requires a pair of turbos and an intercooler to get decent power. That's both massive cost and massive size.
An LS2 gives 400hp out of the box, and 500hp with a $300 cam.

Mr Dave

3,233 posts

194 months

Tuesday 11th January 2011
quotequote all
DanGPR said:
JB! said:
if weight is an issue, what about a hayabusa engine?

compact, tunable...
Although they are easy to get peak HP at very high revs, driving something with 200bhp and 100 ft/lbs of torque would get very tiresome!

Also, I'm not sure how a front bike engined car would work, as they usually are mid-rear mounted and use a short chain drive to a diff.

In a 400kg , it can work well, in a 1400kg car, it won't.
Are you sure you arent talking about a stock RX-8?!

230bhp and 160lbft as standard. With 250bhp + being quick and easy. .

The best thing about the RX-8 is the noise (especially with intake and exhaust) and how smooth and un-engine like it is. Not many cheap engines will fit in and give well over 250 bhp without a lot of work.

redgriff500

26,766 posts

262 months

Tuesday 11th January 2011
quotequote all
carl0s said:
jbi said:
redgriff500 said:
jbi said:
redgriff500 said:
mikliska said:
not to mention, you can find a running renesis near same price as any other engine (within reason) you're considering.
Lexus V8's (1UZ 4.0) are available from £100 with loads around at £300.

A decent Rotary goes for way more than that.

Possibly because the Lexus unit doesn't break hence not many owners need them whilst the rotary does break hence is in more demand.

wink
As much as I love the lexus V8, it's a very large engine physically compared to the GM pushrod V8's

The DOHC assembly on the top of the engine makes it big and top heavy and will be a very tight squeeze in the engine bay without some significant modification I should imagine.
I think its the next smallest after the LS.

They squeeze them in RX7's and MX5's so it'll fit - no doubt a google would show its already been done.
I have dug up a bit of info on the dimensions

1UZ-FE

Size: (28"x28"x28")
Weight: 462 or 470lbs


LS1

Size: 25.3"x25"x20.5"
Weight: 459lbs
Right but the 1UZ requires a pair of turbos and an intercooler to get decent power. That's both massive cost and massive size.
An LS2 gives 400hp out of the box, and 500hp with a $300 cam.
Some of us manage to be fast with 250bhp wink
(closer to 300 with an intake and exhaust)

I'd rather have 300 owing me less than £2000 (inc clutch and manual box) than 400 owing me £7000 yet still with an agricultural shift.

papercup

2,490 posts

218 months

Tuesday 11th January 2011
quotequote all
redgriff500 said:
carl0s said:
jbi said:
redgriff500 said:
jbi said:
redgriff500 said:
mikliska said:
not to mention, you can find a running renesis near same price as any other engine (within reason) you're considering.
Lexus V8's (1UZ 4.0) are available from £100 with loads around at £300.

A decent Rotary goes for way more than that.

Possibly because the Lexus unit doesn't break hence not many owners need them whilst the rotary does break hence is in more demand.

wink
As much as I love the lexus V8, it's a very large engine physically compared to the GM pushrod V8's

The DOHC assembly on the top of the engine makes it big and top heavy and will be a very tight squeeze in the engine bay without some significant modification I should imagine.
I think its the next smallest after the LS.

They squeeze them in RX7's and MX5's so it'll fit - no doubt a google would show its already been done.
I have dug up a bit of info on the dimensions

1UZ-FE

Size: (28"x28"x28")
Weight: 462 or 470lbs


LS1

Size: 25.3"x25"x20.5"
Weight: 459lbs
Right but the 1UZ requires a pair of turbos and an intercooler to get decent power. That's both massive cost and massive size.
An LS2 gives 400hp out of the box, and 500hp with a $300 cam.
Some of us manage to be fast with 250bhp wink
(closer to 300 with an intake and exhaust)

I'd rather have 300 owing me less than £2000 (inc clutch and manual box) than 400 owing me £7000 yet still with an agricultural shift.
Then you should earn more money wink

Turning down close to 500 horse (you forgot the cheap cam) to drive something with 300 makes little sense in the world of the petrolhead. My RX-7 had over 400 horse for the last three years, I certainly wasn't going to go backwards. Its not the horsepower though, its the equal torque thats the shocker. The driving experience is so utterly different I find it hard to compare the two, if I am honest.

The gearchange isn't that bad, i just wanted better, and the quickshift makes it much better than standard was. With all that torque I only need 3 gears anyway biggrin Joking aside, I could honestly have a special gearbox made with only 4 and I'd be quite content. I dont use 1st at all.

I havent noticed the extra weight on the road, which ended up being around 70kgs (and i wanted the aircon, so it would have been less without all that gubbins). I corner-weighted before and after, so go look at my thread if you want more detail. It really does drive the same on the road; as far as you can get the feel of the car by swooping into a roundabout on the brakes, round, and power out (which is a nice mix of steering, brake and power forces to get an idea for the way something handles). This year we'll have forays onto track and I will tell you for sure if it handles as well or worse or just differently. My gut feeling has always been that with a bit more weight a little more forward it would lose a little of its precision (and I've done enough track work and have enough trophies from sprinting to know) but I thought that before I started and it didnt feel that way at the 'ring last year. The weirdest thing was the massive engine braking locking the rear wheels into corners; the rotary never did that! I have always wanted to heel-and-toe and I think its now a necessity. It also has enormous thrust coming out of a corner, you really feel the diff working and the car hunkers down and just rockets away; none of that 'am I in the right gear, come on turbo where are you' - it just goes. Its a huge learning curve but I'd had three years of it as a rotary and I wanted something different. I surely got that.

More detail on my thread, which I really must update, as its horribly out-of-date. I managed to get my vented bonnet back on, for instance, so she is running a lot cooler now.

Anyway; out of all the suggestions on this thread for a replacement motor for an RX-8 I'd plump for that LS but it would change the car utterly, as it has mine. Not bad, just different. But those that say that whatever you change the rotary for you change the heart and feel of the car are right; it will be different whatever you put in it.

Andy

redgriff500

26,766 posts

262 months

Tuesday 11th January 2011
quotequote all
papercup said:
redgriff500 said:
carl0s said:
jbi said:
redgriff500 said:
jbi said:
redgriff500 said:
mikliska said:
not to mention, you can find a running renesis near same price as any other engine (within reason) you're considering.
Lexus V8's (1UZ 4.0) are available from £100 with loads around at £300.

A decent Rotary goes for way more than that.

Possibly because the Lexus unit doesn't break hence not many owners need them whilst the rotary does break hence is in more demand.

wink
As much as I love the lexus V8, it's a very large engine physically compared to the GM pushrod V8's

The DOHC assembly on the top of the engine makes it big and top heavy and will be a very tight squeeze in the engine bay without some significant modification I should imagine.
I think its the next smallest after the LS.

They squeeze them in RX7's and MX5's so it'll fit - no doubt a google would show its already been done.
I have dug up a bit of info on the dimensions

1UZ-FE

Size: (28"x28"x28")
Weight: 462 or 470lbs


LS1

Size: 25.3"x25"x20.5"
Weight: 459lbs
Right but the 1UZ requires a pair of turbos and an intercooler to get decent power. That's both massive cost and massive size.
An LS2 gives 400hp out of the box, and 500hp with a $300 cam.
Some of us manage to be fast with 250bhp wink
(closer to 300 with an intake and exhaust)

I'd rather have 300 owing me less than £2000 (inc clutch and manual box) than 400 owing me £7000 yet still with an agricultural shift.
Then you should earn more money wink

Turning down close to 500 horse (you forgot the cheap cam) to drive something with 300 makes little sense in the world of the petrolhead.
TBH I can afford whatever I want but I cannot justify it as I drive on UK roads with a 70 limit and I find it very hard to stay the right side of ban / prison speeds with approx 200bhp/ton.

I have read your thread and very informative it is too (thanks) but it has convinced me I am right (for me) in thinking that 400+ bhp is too much because as you say 1st is useless and it pulls in any gear so little point in changing down etc

That to me isn't "driving" it's "steering" the same reason I don't like Autos - I want to be involved !

I actually spoke to Craig about a conversion and was about to do it but reading your thread has convinced me that (for me) its not the right thing.

Sometimes less is more.



cptsideways

13,535 posts

251 months

Tuesday 11th January 2011
quotequote all
Nice to drive as they are stock, they are pretty gutless lets be honest & yes they make a nice noise at full revs. Personally I'd much rather have torque than lots washing machine noises any day.

I've driven a few variants & if anything I thought they improved the handling especially on or near the limits, certainly they were less to prone to spinning out & everything happened a lot more progressively.

I bet you an LS1 engined car would far more economical too hehe

papercup

2,490 posts

218 months

Tuesday 11th January 2011
quotequote all
redgriff500 said:
papercup said:
redgriff500 said:
carl0s said:
jbi said:
redgriff500 said:
jbi said:
redgriff500 said:
mikliska said:
not to mention, you can find a running renesis near same price as any other engine (within reason) you're considering.
Lexus V8's (1UZ 4.0) are available from £100 with loads around at £300.

A decent Rotary goes for way more than that.

Possibly because the Lexus unit doesn't break hence not many owners need them whilst the rotary does break hence is in more demand.

wink
As much as I love the lexus V8, it's a very large engine physically compared to the GM pushrod V8's

The DOHC assembly on the top of the engine makes it big and top heavy and will be a very tight squeeze in the engine bay without some significant modification I should imagine.
I think its the next smallest after the LS.

They squeeze them in RX7's and MX5's so it'll fit - no doubt a google would show its already been done.
I have dug up a bit of info on the dimensions

1UZ-FE

Size: (28"x28"x28")
Weight: 462 or 470lbs


LS1

Size: 25.3"x25"x20.5"
Weight: 459lbs
Right but the 1UZ requires a pair of turbos and an intercooler to get decent power. That's both massive cost and massive size.
An LS2 gives 400hp out of the box, and 500hp with a $300 cam.
Some of us manage to be fast with 250bhp wink
(closer to 300 with an intake and exhaust)

I'd rather have 300 owing me less than £2000 (inc clutch and manual box) than 400 owing me £7000 yet still with an agricultural shift.
Then you should earn more money wink

Turning down close to 500 horse (you forgot the cheap cam) to drive something with 300 makes little sense in the world of the petrolhead.
TBH I can afford whatever I want but I cannot justify it as I drive on UK roads with a 70 limit and I find it very hard to stay the right side of ban / prison speeds with approx 200bhp/ton.

I have read your thread and very informative it is too (thanks) but it has convinced me I am right (for me) in thinking that 400+ bhp is too much because as you say 1st is useless and it pulls in any gear so little point in changing down etc

That to me isn't "driving" it's "steering" the same reason I don't like Autos - I want to be involved !

I actually spoke to Craig about a conversion and was about to do it but reading your thread has convinced me that (for me) its not the right thing.

Sometimes less is more.
laugh Yes, my car is exactly like an automatic laugh

I dont use 1st as its too low as my diff ratio is lower than the american car it came out of, not because its 'useless'. 2nd is my 1st. In effect, I have a 5-speed gearbox with a dog-leg 1st.

You've spectacularly missed the point, and if you drove a car like this you'd understand why. Until then, stick with 200bhp/ton. You are simply trying to justify your own self-imposed limitation. I'm not sure what car you are talking about anyway, as you are not the OP. But using your reasoning I suggest you never tune any cars excessively or buy a motorbike, as you might pass 70mph if you aren't careful wink

redgriff500

26,766 posts

262 months

Tuesday 11th January 2011
quotequote all
papercup said:
laugh Yes, my car is exactly like an automatic laugh

I dont use 1st as its too low as my diff ratio is lower than the american car it came out of, not because its 'useless'. 2nd is my 1st. In effect, I have a 5-speed gearbox with a dog-leg 1st.

You've spectacularly missed the point, and if you drove a car like this you'd understand why. Until then, stick with 200bhp/ton. You are simply trying to justify your own self-imposed limitation. I'm not sure what car you are talking about anyway, as you are not the OP. But using your reasoning I suggest you never tune any cars excessively or buy a motorbike, as you might pass 70mph if you aren't careful wink
No you are missing my point and getting defensive (needlessly)

Is 1st useless (as its too low / you have too much power for it) answer. Yes

Therefore would a car with lesser power and better ratios be better - Yes.

Does your car slow considerably if you choose the wrong gear - No

Hence does it reward you for the right gear - No

Just like an Auto

I have driven many fast cars including a 400+bhp C type replica for 3yrs.

Its not exceeding 70 but exceeding 140 in a 70 that I worry about.

And yes that is precisely why I don't ride a Sportsbike (despite having a bike licence)

Edited by redgriff500 on Tuesday 11th January 10:36

papercup

2,490 posts

218 months

Tuesday 11th January 2011
quotequote all
redgriff500 said:
papercup said:
laugh Yes, my car is exactly like an automatic laugh

I dont use 1st as its too low as my diff ratio is lower than the american car it came out of, not because its 'useless'. 2nd is my 1st. In effect, I have a 5-speed gearbox with a dog-leg 1st.

You've spectacularly missed the point, and if you drove a car like this you'd understand why. Until then, stick with 200bhp/ton. You are simply trying to justify your own self-imposed limitation. I'm not sure what car you are talking about anyway, as you are not the OP. But using your reasoning I suggest you never tune any cars excessively or buy a motorbike, as you might pass 70mph if you aren't careful wink
No you are missing my point and getting defensive (needlessly)

Is 1st useless (as its too low / you have too much power for it) answer. Yes

Therefore would a car with lesser power and better ratios be better - Yes.

Does your car slow considerably if you choose the wrong gear - No

Hence does it reward you for the right gear - No

Just like an Auto

I have driven many fast cars including a 400+bhp C type replica for 3yrs.

Its not exceeding 70 but exceeding 140 in a 70 that I worry about.

And yes that is precisely why I don't ride a Sportsbike (despite having a bike licence)

Edited by redgriff500 on Tuesday 11th January 10:36
No you are missing my point and getting defensive (needlessly)
- I'm actually not. I'm just talking from actual experience. You are talking from 'I dont want a fast car or bike as I'm afraid of being nicked' and I have no idea how that is related to how my car drives. Which you have also got very wrong. I've split the next two points as putting them together like you did was misleading.

Is 1st useless as its too low?
- yes

Is 1st useless as you have too much power for it?
- no. It will put down power in 1st, better than it did as a rotary, even with the lower 1st gear (no huge surge from the turbo; smooth torque and lots of it). Its just too low, and not worth using. I have one of the versions of this gearbox (as they do several versions as the car is sold all over the world in a variety of cars) with quite a low 1st, and that is compounded by my RX-7 differential which lowers it further. They do another version of this gearbox with a higher 1st which is almost the same as my 2nd. If I had that gearbox I'd use 1st.

Therefore would a car with lesser power and better ratios be better?
- No. Better ratios would be nice but the car is fine. I could have more power and I could put it on the tarmac; several people do with this engine. Getting yet more power is not hard smile

Does your car slow considerably if you choose the wrong gear?
- yes. Engine braking is huge, I mentioned this above.

Hence does it reward you for the right gear?
- Of course. It accelerates even faster smile

Just like an Auto.
- What are you on about?

Seriously, its just a car with a low 1st gear and lots of power. The driver of a V12 Vantage (for instance) doesnt need to change gear constantly but its still rewarding to do so.

I do think you are missing the point of a fast car; if you don't want one, fine, but to call them uninvolving because they have lots of power is.....well, silly. Anything with ~470 foot pounds of torque and weighing 1250kgs is going to be fast and not need to change gear all the time when not in a hurry. But when you do, they are involving and terrifying in equal measure.

philoldsmobile

524 posts

206 months

Tuesday 11th January 2011
quotequote all
Mr Dave said:
DanGPR said:
JB! said:
if weight is an issue, what about a hayabusa engine?

compact, tunable...
Although they are easy to get peak HP at very high revs, driving something with 200bhp and 100 ft/lbs of torque would get very tiresome!

Also, I'm not sure how a front bike engined car would work, as they usually are mid-rear mounted and use a short chain drive to a diff.

In a 400kg , it can work well, in a 1400kg car, it won't.
Are you sure you arent talking about a stock RX-8?!

230bhp and 160lbft as standard. With 250bhp + being quick and easy. .

The best thing about the RX-8 is the noise (especially with intake and exhaust) and how smooth and un-engine like it is. Not many cheap engines will fit in and give well over 250 bhp without a lot of work.
absolutely, bike engines will make less power, considerably less torque and be a nightmare to build when you factor in getting the drive to the back, making it work with the Mazda diff, and factoring in a reverse system (the 7 type cars that run bike engines often use electric reverse, this wont work with the RX8 - its far too heavy, and mechanical reverse may not be strong enough as they are designed for 500kg cars) not to mention the bike gearbox wont cope with a 1300 kg car.

it would take a lot of work to fit a bike engine in an RX8, and any piston engine is going to ruin the handling of the car. Its just a completely pointless exercise.



Edited by philoldsmobile on Tuesday 11th January 18:00

carl0s

526 posts

227 months

Tuesday 11th January 2011
quotequote all
redgriff500 said:
carl0s said:
jbi said:
redgriff500 said:
jbi said:
redgriff500 said:
mikliska said:
not to mention, you can find a running renesis near same price as any other engine (within reason) you're considering.
Lexus V8's (1UZ 4.0) are available from £100 with loads around at £300.

A decent Rotary goes for way more than that.

Possibly because the Lexus unit doesn't break hence not many owners need them whilst the rotary does break hence is in more demand.

wink
As much as I love the lexus V8, it's a very large engine physically compared to the GM pushrod V8's

The DOHC assembly on the top of the engine makes it big and top heavy and will be a very tight squeeze in the engine bay without some significant modification I should imagine.
I think its the next smallest after the LS.

They squeeze them in RX7's and MX5's so it'll fit - no doubt a google would show its already been done.
I have dug up a bit of info on the dimensions

1UZ-FE

Size: (28"x28"x28")
Weight: 462 or 470lbs


LS1

Size: 25.3"x25"x20.5"
Weight: 459lbs
Right but the 1UZ requires a pair of turbos and an intercooler to get decent power. That's both massive cost and massive size.
An LS2 gives 400hp out of the box, and 500hp with a $300 cam.
Some of us manage to be fast with 250bhp wink
(closer to 300 with an intake and exhaust)

I'd rather have 300 owing me less than £2000 (inc clutch and manual box) than 400 owing me £7000 yet still with an agricultural shift.
I hear ya.. I've had hell with my Tremec T56 and it's still horrible for the first 15 minutes of driving frown

carl0s

526 posts

227 months

Tuesday 11th January 2011
quotequote all
papercup said:
redgriff500 said:
carl0s said:
jbi said:
redgriff500 said:
jbi said:
redgriff500 said:
mikliska said:
not to mention, you can find a running renesis near same price as any other engine (within reason) you're considering.
Lexus V8's (1UZ 4.0) are available from £100 with loads around at £300.

A decent Rotary goes for way more than that.

Possibly because the Lexus unit doesn't break hence not many owners need them whilst the rotary does break hence is in more demand.

wink
As much as I love the lexus V8, it's a very large engine physically compared to the GM pushrod V8's

The DOHC assembly on the top of the engine makes it big and top heavy and will be a very tight squeeze in the engine bay without some significant modification I should imagine.
I think its the next smallest after the LS.

They squeeze them in RX7's and MX5's so it'll fit - no doubt a google would show its already been done.
I have dug up a bit of info on the dimensions

1UZ-FE

Size: (28"x28"x28")
Weight: 462 or 470lbs


LS1

Size: 25.3"x25"x20.5"
Weight: 459lbs
Right but the 1UZ requires a pair of turbos and an intercooler to get decent power. That's both massive cost and massive size.
An LS2 gives 400hp out of the box, and 500hp with a $300 cam.
Some of us manage to be fast with 250bhp wink
(closer to 300 with an intake and exhaust)

I'd rather have 300 owing me less than £2000 (inc clutch and manual box) than 400 owing me £7000 yet still with an agricultural shift.
I havent noticed the extra weight on the road, which ended up being around 70kgs (and i wanted the aircon, so it would have been less without all that gubbins).
Is your aircon hooked up? I have the compressor fitted, and condensor, but I have no pipework. Who did the pipework?
Mine's an LS2 so unfortunately there's no AC REQ/AC-ON wire anywhere. It's in the BCM, which sends the AC-ON request over GM-LAN/CAN to the PCM. I've got some Canbus diagnostics gear, and a full dropout of a wiring harness including the body side and another PCM & BCM, but I've not had time to mess about trying to decode the AC REQ frame. Most people with LS2s just use an RPM window switch, but I'm keen to figure out how to emulate a BCM. You could do traction control too then ..

Edited by carl0s on Tuesday 11th January 18:36

ManOpener

12,467 posts

168 months

Wednesday 12th January 2011
quotequote all
jbi said:
I have dug up a bit of info on the dimensions

1UZ-FE

Size: (28"x28"x28")
Weight: 462 or 470lbs


LS1

Size: 25.3"x25"x20.5"
Weight: 459lbs


Edited by jbi on Monday 10th January 18:33
Audi ABZ

Size: 19"x29"x26" (inc. exhaust manifolds)
Weight: 192KGs or 423lbs

Fastdruid

8,623 posts

151 months

Monday 23rd January 2012
quotequote all
bigfatnick said:
As far as i know (and this goes for the new mx5 as well) its almost impossible to get the dials etc to work with the new engine, so you really cant be expecting an OEM style driving experience with an engine swap. Though i guess it'd be an awesome excuse for a posh stack dash!
Not true, I can do it. Could probably do it with the MX-5 too although I've not tried.


ManOpener said:
jbi said:
I have dug up a bit of info on the dimensions

1UZ-FE

Size: (28"x28"x28")
Weight: 462 or 470lbs


LS1

Size: 25.3"x25"x20.5"
Weight: 459lbs


Edited by jbi on Monday 10th January 18:33
Audi ABZ

Size: 19"x29"x26" (inc. exhaust manifolds)
Weight: 192KGs or 423lbs
RX-8: 123Kg 'dressed', 95Kg 'undressed'

So that's at least 70Kg extra not 20-30. Or to put it another way that's an extra passenger sat in the engine bay.

There are many reasons for not liking the wankel but you cannot deny that it gives a very impressive power to weight.


cptsideways

13,535 posts

251 months

Tuesday 24th January 2012
quotequote all
I've been looking into this a little further, having completed many an engine swap or turbo uprade over the years shoehorning something that should'nt be under a bonnet is usually not a problem for me. I'd definately be interested in offering a complete engine swap service on a commercial basis.

There are a few obvious candidate engines & some less obvious ones too. Personally having driven many an RX8 in anger on track & also driven several with various engine conversions I'd say adding some weight up front is'nt always detrimental.

Interestingly the six speed Aisin gearbox is the same as found in many Jap cars, AZ6 — 6-speed Honda S2000, Mazda Miata/MX-5/Roadster, Mazda RX-8, Toyota Altezza/Lexus IS200. The 2.0 MX5 engine is a Ford lump too!

From this you can work out the easy options, might require a bellhousing swap or gearbox swap.

Lexus 1G-FE 2.0 straight six - bit lame to say the least, 1G-GTE (rare engine) 210 bhp twin turbo

Mazda 2.0L 4 pot (Ford Duratech) plenty of options on this one, maybe even the V6 variant might fit?? plus turbo options too. Then there is the MZR engine range (MPS)

S2000 4 pot lump

Auto options open up a whole new range too.

Then there is the mix & match system, usually involving a gearbox swap/bellhosuing adaptor etc. From a cost point of view fitting something that is a standard set is always less costly.


Either way I'd be interested in opinions, personally I'd go Toyota JZ engines or 1UZ but those are not as simple.