Ice, you are the man!

Ren

 

What's up Jeff? How's the engine rebuild coming along? I hope to see you at the next meeting.

Later man,
Isaac

P.S. The V8 flamewar is still raging!

 

You are right about the RX-7 Sport being a model, but here in the states they were classified as an option package. So, I think refering to them as an option package, at least here in the states, is not completely inaccurate.

Just a thought,
Isaac

 

Hey TurboJeff!

I met you at the Eugene rotary meeting. Anyway, I just wanted to know if the Sport you sold is still around town? If so, what color is it? I may have seen it around. Maybe you should invite the owner to the next meeting!

Later,
Isaac

 

HEy cheap shot there
What the heck is so wrong with the 88GTU? It scored lower than the 86-87 sport, which is mearly teh same car. . . Mine had 5 lug, t2 suspension, 4 piston calipers, no ac, LSD, and all the other goodies. . .

88 GTU
13b(C)

 

IMO, the BEST NA out there is either

A) The one with a turbo on it. . . or

B) The one that has my Pineapple streetported motor in it (which just happens to be for sale so I can work on my TURBO)

Zipping up Nomex flame suit, and climbing into a chest deep vat of water.

 

Hey Isaac,

My friend owned that Sport and sold it to his father in law in 1997. The old guy commutes in that car in the Bay Area. It was an Artic Silver (the blueish silver color).

Jeff

 

Beautiful post Ice. That clears up all the BS about the Sport having a LSD or not. Of course it should be really easy to find a GXL diff and toss it in any NA.

Funny thing, I guess that Mazda considers the "SE" as a Base. I swear I've seen 87 SE models with PS, and if I read that 87 chart right it wasn't an option.

Jeff

 

actually no the SE designation didn't come out until 88 as a renamed Luxury coupe model. Much like the Sport being renamed the GTU in 88. The true base (with steel wheels and almost no options) was discontinuted at the end of the 87 model year.

 

Yo,



GTUs still winning by a landslide! Woooo!

*grin*

Kevin
1989 GTUs "Gloatin' bastard!"

 

My 91 N/A coupe has a lot of turbo goodies on it - sport suspension, 4 piston calipers up front, vented rear discs, and oh, wait that's it. About the only thing it's missing is an LSD, an aluminum hood, and a turbo. I;'m sure there are some things I'm missing. But my point is, a lot of the S5 N/As were already loaded.

I agree the GTUs is a cool model, but it is way overrated.

 

Hands down... S5 GTUs

If you think otherwise you deserve this , or possibly some of this . Either way, you need to get your priorities straight.

Exclusivity, options, appearance, it's all the best of the FC, less a turbo. That's where the Efini comes in, and we never got it, so that's that.

 

Yo,




Kevin
1989 GTUs "Never has a smiley said so much..."

 

Hey Isaac, the engine is on the work bench and I will crack it open when the Mazdatrix flywheel nut wrench shows up. I am going to try my hand at porting it and maybe get a light steel flywheel if I can find one.

It turns out that the engine was not carbon locked. It looks like I dropped a nut in the front exhaust port when installing my header. There is a chip in the center of one apex seal on the front rotor, but the rotor and housing don't show any damage that I can see w/o opening it up. I wish Judge Ito would make some porting templates!

Jeff

 

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree, because my priorities are straight.

Exclusivity - yes it was a pretty rare car.

Options? I thought what Mazda gave you was what you got. They were all the same unless a dealer installed an AC. Am I wrong? Unless you're talking about all the "turbo goodies", which I've already said, a lot of S5 N/As had minus the big wheels, aluminum hood, and LSD.

Appearance? Looks like any other S5 N/A but with Turbo wheels.

 

my 91 has 4 piston brakes w/ rear vented, no leather, power evrything, no aas, does have lsd, but no aluminum hood...mazda guys in japan must of slapped what cool parts they had left on my car. it was made in the final month of production for 2nd gens so who knows

 

Don't get me wrong, that was just a rant, not a personal attack on anyone. Opinion is what allows progress right.

Anyways,
By options, I meant what was standard on the car, ie. all the things you do want, nothing you don't (heavy elec. switchgear or AAS etc.)

Appearance, the point is, all GTUs' came with aero bits, only some mut base models managed to get so lucky with a mish mash of parts. Like mine , an SE with slotted mirrors and rear spoiler. All I need now is the 4 pots and I'm set. Never cared much for an LSD anyhow, it's a back end arrester, that's no fun.

 

Why is the 88 GTU almost totally ignored?

Yes, it weighed a little more than the 86/87 Sports, but if you got a GTU without a sunroof, then you got the clutch type LSD of the GXL and the aluminum hood was available. The wheel deflector aero pieces were there as well.

1988 GTU

4 piston brakes
Polished 15" wheels
Hard suspension (same as TII)
clutch type LSD with no sunroof
available aluminum hood
aero kit with unique 88 rear spoiler
no rear wiper
no ABS
TII mirrors
TII seats
Vehicle speed sensitive power steering

And Road & Track called it the "true 10th Anniversary RX-7"


That said, dont the S5 cars without the foglights have better air flow to the front brakes with dedicated ducts?

 

Having owned both a 87 Sport (the best year for the Sport) and a 88 GTU (still sitting in my dads garage in San Diego) as well as driven a 89 GTUs in AutoX and a few miles on the street, I can say the 88 GTU is the best all around car for the light weights, but the 86-87 Sport the best over all sports car of the 4 choices.

The Sport was the most tossible and the fastest (by Car & Driver testing) and almost the lightest.

While the 88 GTU is great, it would have been better, without the extra sound insulation and carpet package and power mirrors (and that the 89-90 GTUs suffers with as well). The optional (but on 80% of the production) sunroof could have been dropped as well as a normal sized person needs the extra headroom with a helmet on, well alone the extra weight of the roof. Either way, I agree with Road and Track in that the 88 GTU should have been the 10th AE version of the RX-7.

The 89-90 GTUs, despite its extra HP (but lack of any real extra torque), 4.3 rear end and revised suspension suffers the problem of all the series 5 cars, the mushy disconnected feel and the lame mouse belts. I am sorry but I can't consider any car with mouse belts as the ultimate.

And why the base was even brought into the poll is beyond me.

 

GTUs, no contest!! that extra weight is worth the S5 lights, S5 bumpers and colored mouldings...for most of us who do the simple intake, full exhaust, springs/struts and wheels mods, this is the best NA platform to choose (if you can find one). I LOVE the GTUs but couldn't find one so I got an 88 SE (at least the color is very rare, claret mica) and got the S5 nose and tails...if you're tearing into every part of the car to make it mostly un-mazda, get the S4; they are plentiful. The GTUs is the one to buy and keep stock or improve with the most basic bolt on package...i can't see ripping apart a real GTUs, thats just me though. Good tires are all that is need for any NA FC to become more fun to drive than nearly anything I've driven (those 14s have to go though).

 

I'm just curious, but why was '87 the best year for the Sport? What made it differ from the previous year?

The S4 base model was put into the poll because it is a strong contender for the lightest model; many could be had without a sunroof.

Isaac

 

hey guys the S5 vert has everything you need including that illuminated door lock. i think that adds me about 5hp more. heehee. question for my "vert" brothers: some of you have a streetported engine, i was told that you couldnt really get anything out of it cuz it was a 6port. Im thinking of getting it done when i do my rebuild but i want some facts first. Oh yeah and i need a guy to rebuild it for me too. Tripoint is down the street from me and they are EXPENSIVE! anyone out there who can help. let me know.

 

HEY! How come there isn't a GXL option on the pole?

 

I know my 88 SE has PS, Alarm, Storage bins, and the aluminum alloy wheels for what its worth.

 

A vert has a roof that folds away so you can look at the stars. You know that VW commercial when those kids go to the party and leave to go for a drive? Well that is a very good example of the joy a drop top gives you. I would go as far to say that 99% of the time you are out driving on "public" roads, you are just cruising along. Cruising along in a vert is an experience you must have first hand to truly understand. I own a vert and have friends that own coupes. I vote for the vert of any year, color, or tranny type, based on the fun to drive factor.

The vert also has the best available suspension package which also includes the biggest available anti-roll bars. It was also the only FC that came with an airbag, which to some, might be a good thing or bad thing. The vert also had speed sensitive steering. The vert had leather. The vert had tape and CD along with an ample stereo for the time. An innovative wind blocker was also introduced on the vert. The vert had by far the best wheels.

There are lighter models than the vert ...
There are faster models than the vert ...
There are less expensive models than the vert ... <--- a point no one so far has mentioned; $$$$$$
There is no model more fun to just take out for a drive than the vert ...