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08-23-2011, 06:13 PM | #26 |
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Location: (IA) flyover cornfield country
Vehicle:1992 SVX LS-L |
I saw a nice blue elise the other day, again. fantastic car being cruised at walking speed around a parking lot several times. I almost felt sorry for the car being under-utilized.
That is the sort of car where the Rotary could shine. The same near-zero-concern for practicality, all-in for compactness and engineering purposefulness is apparent in the Elise, as well as rotary engines as performance engines. Nobody buys an elise with the primary concern being stop-and-go traffic while sitting in a barcalounger. The rotary engine hates that stuff, and isn't good at it. It is good at putting out screaming amounts of high-RPM power, from a compact little package that is no more complicated or bigger than it necessarily needs to be, and screw practicality concerns.
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Last edited by HipToBeSquare; 08-23-2011 at 06:22 PM. |
08-23-2011, 07:42 PM | #27 | |
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Chapter/Region:
TXIC
Location: Houston texas
Vehicle:2007 tiny car striped |
Quote:
RX 8 engineers: lets make a relatively practical sports car with some concessions for civility, then lets throw out all the practicallity by making it get 12 mpg and be wierd about starting and what not. If those same engineers worked at honda the s2000 would be diesel |
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08-23-2011, 07:45 PM | #28 |
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TXIC
Location: Houston texas
Vehicle:2007 tiny car striped |
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08-23-2011, 08:31 PM | #29 |
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Chapter/Region:
SCIC
Location: Los Angeles, CA.
Vehicle:'02 WRX; '08 OBXT; '08 G37 (S/C'd); '09 XF |
didn't Hennesey do that?
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08-23-2011, 08:44 PM | #30 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 30733
Join Date: Dec 2002
Chapter/Region:
TXIC
Location: Houston texas
Vehicle:2007 tiny car striped |
Kinda, google venom. They threw in twin turbos for good measure, but not all that much lotus left of the car.
Bugatti price tag too |
08-23-2011, 09:55 PM | #31 | |
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Member#: 92634
Join Date: Aug 2005
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
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Quote:
That said, I did stall it after moving it when it was cold despite following the recommended procedure, and having the car suddenly out like that and requiring a tow as well as a (free to me) starter, battery, plugs, and ECU remap was a behavior that was hard to swallow. |
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08-23-2011, 10:10 PM | #32 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 30733
Join Date: Dec 2002
Chapter/Region:
TXIC
Location: Houston texas
Vehicle:2007 tiny car striped |
Quote:
The starting thing is really unacceptable in a modern car. I know a couple non enthusiests who baught rx8 because in the dealership it seems like a perfectly normal fun and practical car. Both have ended up with replacement engines and a myriad of other small to medium sized issues. A coworker bought one when they first came out. He looked pretty pissed when I called him a rotard. I was just messing around. He proceeded to explain to me how it had a different kind of engine than a normal car though he wasnt sure how it difered. He averaged right around 20 mpg and I dont think that thing ever went past 4k. Anyways I am sure everybody in this thread is pretty aware of the compromises with the an RX8. Weather or not they are acceptable in a modern car is subject to opinion. lastly RX8 looks fabulous in white |
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08-23-2011, 10:40 PM | #33 |
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People focus on the shortcomings but forget about the very good aspects of the car:
- 50:50 weight distribution - RWD with a mechanical LSD - Slick 6 speed - Properly low H/hip point and cowl height - Real Japanese/non-fat sized seat bolsters - Predictable power without the guessing game of turbo lag and peakiness, and that addictive shift beep--wait for it, wait for it! - Ability to fit 245 section V710s under the fenders for B Stock fun - Relatively compliant ride yet with good mechanical grip thanks to proper suspension design (double wishbones, anyone?) Last edited by shikataganai; 08-23-2011 at 11:01 PM. |
08-23-2011, 10:41 PM | #34 |
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I myself am a firm believer of the rotary engine, worked on them from the age of 15 and lots of people in the states have no idea of how it works or the capability's of it. Hell you mention a 20B to somebody and they have no idea what it is
I've owned more than 10 Rotary powered vehicles and pretty soon will be starting my next Rotary track car. |
08-23-2011, 10:53 PM | #35 | |
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Quote:
Its not that I dont think the rotary is cool as hell. It is. I think the car is great for those aware of the idosyncracies. Mazda more or less sold it as a normal car, which left many buyers |
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08-23-2011, 11:28 PM | #36 | |
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Member#: 86093
Join Date: Apr 2005
Vehicle:2016 Sig MPX SBR Flat Black |
Quote:
If auto journalists were never educated that oil consumption is intentional via the Oil Metering Pump/seal lubrication, you can imagine how well the new RX7/RX8 owner was educated. But naw, the rotary is a sloppily built oil burner like a '70s Harley, as far as the general public knows or cares. Having said that, this is Mazda's fault, plain and simple. For the record, my FD 'consumes' about a quart/3000 miles, about what my WRX 'burnt' in the same amount of miles. |
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08-23-2011, 11:46 PM | #37 |
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NESIC
Location: Connecticut
Vehicle:02 WRX PSM with rust accents |
Tough times. 911, impreza wrx sti, evolution, now rx8. It does seem like affordable sporty cars will move more towards saving weight and taking a hit in power. Fiat abarths for everyone
I may be being dramatic.. but those are four good cars were losing over a few years. I really hope the 991 is just a 911 with a name change as to be sensitive about Sept 11 |
08-23-2011, 11:54 PM | #38 | |
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Quote:
Maybe I'm out of the loop but since when is the STi going away? |
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08-24-2011, 12:05 AM | #39 |
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Vehicle:02 WRX PSM with rust accents |
I meant the wrx/ impreza split not sti. I must have misread road and track, I thought they were replacing the 911
Yeah the new sti should be very promising. i was just referring to the toyobaru Last edited by wrx surfwagon; 08-24-2011 at 12:15 AM. |
08-24-2011, 01:08 AM | #40 |
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: (IA) flyover cornfield country
Vehicle:1992 SVX LS-L |
991 is the next generation of "911". All of them are called 911, whether their engineering number is 991, 997, 996, 993, 964, 930, or the *original* 911.
They are all called 911, as a lineage. 991 is gaining power, gaining increased size, and interior quality. It is going more toward a Grand Touring car, rather than a focused, lightweight sports car. Hopefully that will allow the next Boxster/Cayman, engineering number 981, replacing the existing 987, to get a bit more limelight as the main-line sports car, with 2 seats only, and a mid-engined layout. |
08-24-2011, 02:43 AM | #41 |
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Ok so that's kind of what I thought, I just thought the name was changing. That nomenclature is just another reason to buy a Ferrari instead
Thanks for breaking it down. It would be nice to see the Cayman pushed a little further, but it really is not a very pretty car imo |
08-24-2011, 02:53 AM | #42 | |
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08-24-2011, 08:15 AM | #43 |
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Vehicle:06 CRV 04 STi |
if mazda truly believed in the rotary's benefits, why didn't they put their money where their mouth was and put it in the best selling sports car of all time, the miata? everyone says the problem was lack of volume, that would have made a big difference over many years.
seriously, with the goodwill they had going in the rx line, and all of the benefits that you are all lauding here, the fact that they didn't consider it for the miata is pretty telling, to me. |
08-24-2011, 09:07 AM | #44 |
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The only benefit of this IMO is the relatively low cost to get into an R3 down the road. I will own one...and people will bash me for it, but once I hit the mountains it'll all be worth it.
-Mike. |
08-24-2011, 10:11 AM | #45 | |
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08-24-2011, 10:22 AM | #46 |
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Join Date: Apr 2006
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If Mazda did put the 16x in a 2,300lb Miata I'd buy another rotary. 270ish horsepower(this is the expected hp for the successor to the 13b) in a vehicle that light would be beastly.
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08-24-2011, 10:46 AM | #47 | |
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Vehicle:2016 SS, 02 s2k 06 Cayman S, 80cc shifter |
Quote:
I own a 400whp STi and a basically stock 04 Rx8 GT and guess which one I enjoy driving more? Some people just don't understand just how good the Rx8 is in the corners. The balance is just superb. |
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08-24-2011, 11:46 AM | #48 |
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Vehicle:06 CRV 04 STi |
how much less fun would that GT be to drive with the mazdaspeed turbo 4 in it?
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08-24-2011, 12:42 PM | #49 |
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just cuz they're keeping the name doesn't mean they're not making it worse. Didnt porsche just make a 500 bhp panamera gt car? Everyone that likes 911's wants them to be bigger and bulkier, right?
90% of what I said was right. wrx/impreza split, no evo as of 2013, changing the 911 (just released the last version of the current gt3/rs/gt2), no rx8. |
08-24-2011, 01:00 PM | #50 |
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