RX-7
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,877
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From: Murrieta
I used to have a 93 and my brother has one currently.
Both use the stock twin turbo system (his is being ditched soon though) but do not run sequencially. I ran both setups in parallel. It takes away 95% of the headaches with the stock turbo setup.
Mine had an upgraded intercooler, cold air intake, exhaust, DP, and ECU... I can easily say it ran at least a mid 12. Z06s had nothin on me.
If you have an RX7, its not an issue of IF you will blow the motor, its actually WHEN you will blow it. You could have a perfectly tuned motor, it will blow anyways... its just a matter of time.
If you get one, get one that has some miles in a rebuild, but not too many... say like 2-5k... that way you know that issues were taken care of but a motor with too many miles is a ticking time bomb.
A FD with original motor and more than 50k is also a ticking time bomb. Yes, some go as high as 80k on a motor, but if its in its original motor still... either lowball the owner or find something else.
As far as handling, this car can be great. Its got amazing cornering potential. The issues though are that the car doesn't have suspension bushings, its got ball joints. This is great for handling but these cars are old and stiff and so these joints get VERY noisy. Unfortunetly, they are also quite expensive to replace.
Which brings up another point about this car. Minute details..are ALL expensive to replace. The door handles on the inside door panels are prone to break. These are 250 A POP!
So, its a cool car. My brother has about 14k invested in his and its a near mint example with low miles on a rebuilt with a few bolt ons... it easily runs a mid 12. We are currently working on a single turbo setup and the goal is for around 330-350whp, which is a nice high 11 for this car.
Oh yeah, one more thing. The steering wheel is HUGE and NOT adjustable... makes getting in and out of the car a PITA.
Both use the stock twin turbo system (his is being ditched soon though) but do not run sequencially. I ran both setups in parallel. It takes away 95% of the headaches with the stock turbo setup.
Mine had an upgraded intercooler, cold air intake, exhaust, DP, and ECU... I can easily say it ran at least a mid 12. Z06s had nothin on me.
If you have an RX7, its not an issue of IF you will blow the motor, its actually WHEN you will blow it. You could have a perfectly tuned motor, it will blow anyways... its just a matter of time.
If you get one, get one that has some miles in a rebuild, but not too many... say like 2-5k... that way you know that issues were taken care of but a motor with too many miles is a ticking time bomb.
A FD with original motor and more than 50k is also a ticking time bomb. Yes, some go as high as 80k on a motor, but if its in its original motor still... either lowball the owner or find something else.
As far as handling, this car can be great. Its got amazing cornering potential. The issues though are that the car doesn't have suspension bushings, its got ball joints. This is great for handling but these cars are old and stiff and so these joints get VERY noisy. Unfortunetly, they are also quite expensive to replace.
Which brings up another point about this car. Minute details..are ALL expensive to replace. The door handles on the inside door panels are prone to break. These are 250 A POP!
So, its a cool car. My brother has about 14k invested in his and its a near mint example with low miles on a rebuilt with a few bolt ons... it easily runs a mid 12. We are currently working on a single turbo setup and the goal is for around 330-350whp, which is a nice high 11 for this car.
Oh yeah, one more thing. The steering wheel is HUGE and NOT adjustable... makes getting in and out of the car a PITA.
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,885
Likes: 66
From: Cary, NC
with a single turbo you should be getting more than 350rwhp, i think closer to 400. Eddies above is running stock turbos non sequential with a slightly built motor and i think he mentioned he was pushing 322rwhp at 12psi. I tell you what, i drove it once, its like a rocket ship when it spools
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,962
Likes: 1
From: Glendale
I go to the RX club meetings out here. They are really nice car, and have a cult following. In a way they are a lot like the S2K's. Light, handle great, good (that is powerful not a reliability statement) motors. The RX7's were very easy to fix up, but like everybody said it blows up. Even with minor mods, it is a "fragile" engine. My friend blew 3 engines as well, and he finally gave up. He drives an M3 now, so let's say those engines blowing up on the M3 brought him back. In talking with some of the RX7 guys they did say the RX8 brakes were better. Maybe because they had so much hp in their cars but they said the 7 brakes were not big enough. That they could overpower the RX8's farly easily, but the RX8 would come back in the corners.
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,877
Likes: 0
From: Murrieta
Originally Posted by ZSAK,Sep 3 2004, 01:53 PM
with a single turbo you should be getting more than 350rwhp, i think closer to 400. Eddies above is running stock turbos non sequential with a slightly built motor and i think he mentioned he was pushing 322rwhp at 12psi. I tell you what, i drove it once, its like a rocket ship when it spools
but he just wants something nice.. not crazy... I mean... dude.. 350whp is already an 11sec 1/4
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,535
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From: Phoenix
It's such a shame that a car like the FD RX-7 has a mortal flaw like that. It is my absolute favorite Japanese GT car from the 90s, and it looks badass even today. It's a treat to see one every now and then because nice running examples are so rare.
Are there any reliable conventional engines out there that can be swapped into an empty FD bay? Of course...doing so would probably screw with the driving dynamics a bit...
Are there any reliable conventional engines out there that can be swapped into an empty FD bay? Of course...doing so would probably screw with the driving dynamics a bit...