Rotary Newbie Needs Help!
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Rotary Newbie Needs Help!
Hello Everybody,
I have only begun to read all the posts in the rx7 forum and it inspired me to but a rotary of my own, it happened here in miami for me, i went to the illegal street races down here and saw a 2nd gen rx7 decimate the likes of a supercharged mustang, since then I was in love, but I don't know much about the rotary itself,. I know the basics of the engine, but I need some tips on how to prepare a worthy honda assassin, , I see all of you are very knowledgeable with the rex so i hope you have some suggestions, I bought an 86' GXL NA, which just seemed to be calling out to me from the dealer, so i went in, took it for a drive and before the day was over, I was driving a rotary, the engine runs smoother then i thought it would, idles a little below 1000. I need some tips on the accesories, performance upgrades, and overall advice on how to make a fast rx7 street race car. Thanks. -Tito
I have only begun to read all the posts in the rx7 forum and it inspired me to but a rotary of my own, it happened here in miami for me, i went to the illegal street races down here and saw a 2nd gen rx7 decimate the likes of a supercharged mustang, since then I was in love, but I don't know much about the rotary itself,. I know the basics of the engine, but I need some tips on how to prepare a worthy honda assassin, , I see all of you are very knowledgeable with the rex so i hope you have some suggestions, I bought an 86' GXL NA, which just seemed to be calling out to me from the dealer, so i went in, took it for a drive and before the day was over, I was driving a rotary, the engine runs smoother then i thought it would, idles a little below 1000. I need some tips on the accesories, performance upgrades, and overall advice on how to make a fast rx7 street race car. Thanks. -Tito
#2
Alcohol Fueled!
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The 86 N/A is going to be a little harder to squeeze HPs out of, but I love my N/As. If you arent in an emissions area, you may as well rip all that stuff out. Pump, ACV (you will need a blockoff plate), get a good exhaust system and get a header. I would convert to an electric fan also. There are so many other mods, it would take days to list them...There are ECU mods, intake mods, injector mods, NO2 if you are feeling daring, 6-port mods..The list is endless.
All you need to decide is where you want to start.
Rat
P.S. Welcome to rotaries!
All you need to decide is where you want to start.
Rat
P.S. Welcome to rotaries!
#3
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hey welcome to the forum and congrats Well first go with the obviouse intake. Much cheaper since you only have to buy the filter exhuast, header, then you can just go from there. But just the filter will allow you to eat up most honda's but if you wanna kill um all then go with what was listed
#5
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i would go with the intake, then take out the stuff you dont need that takes power off the car. sience we live in fl take out the ac if you can live without it. i would get an eletric fan. and when you get the $ get a header and exhaust. is it a stick or auto? what color was the fc? cause i have meet some of the people down there. if it was black it could be TurboIIrudeboy i know his car eats hondas easy. welcome to the rotary family
Jeremy
Ft myers Fl
Jeremy
Ft myers Fl
#7
Hello Everybody,
I have only begun to read all the posts in the rx7 forum and it inspired me to but a rotary of my own, it happened here in miami for me, i went to the illegal street races down here and saw a 2nd gen rx7 decimate the likes of a supercharged mustang, since then I was in love, but I don't know much about the rotary itself,. I know the basics of the engine, but I need some tips on how to prepare a worthy honda assassin, , I see all of you are very knowledgeable with the rex so i hope you have some suggestions, I bought an 86' GXL NA, which just seemed to be calling out to me from the dealer, so i went in, took it for a drive and before the day was over, I was driving a rotary, the engine runs smoother then i thought it would, idles a little below 1000. I need some tips on the accesories, performance upgrades, and overall advice on how to make a fast rx7 street race car. Thanks. -Tito
One longass sentence. Your old English teacher would be ashamed!
I have only begun to read all the posts in the rx7 forum and it inspired me to but a rotary of my own, it happened here in miami for me, i went to the illegal street races down here and saw a 2nd gen rx7 decimate the likes of a supercharged mustang, since then I was in love, but I don't know much about the rotary itself,. I know the basics of the engine, but I need some tips on how to prepare a worthy honda assassin, , I see all of you are very knowledgeable with the rex so i hope you have some suggestions, I bought an 86' GXL NA, which just seemed to be calling out to me from the dealer, so i went in, took it for a drive and before the day was over, I was driving a rotary, the engine runs smoother then i thought it would, idles a little below 1000. I need some tips on the accesories, performance upgrades, and overall advice on how to make a fast rx7 street race car. Thanks. -Tito
One longass sentence. Your old English teacher would be ashamed!
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#8
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The TII swap will bring on a *** kickin cause I asked the same question no more than 4 months ago. Learned that if you want to get some good hp then supercharge it. You'll probably need a good clutch as well. There's actually a thread that started called," n/a parts" or something like that. The company is thinking of a complete supercharger kit so pay attention and maybe something will come up.
]
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#9
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I beleive there is a thread called "how to make a beefy n/a" or something like that, just do a search for all threads in the 2nd gen section with "beefy" in the title.
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Thanks everyone, wow, i didn't think the replies would be so fast, its stick, and the rotary that whooped a mustang supercharged was an 85 13b (gsl-se i think). It had a big shot of nos, and a huge turbo. Im not sure what brand. Thanbks for the sentence advice too, notice the periods? Anyways, i was thinking since theres no real big deal on emissions here in florida, and i see people with straight pipes, do you think straight pipes would be a good way to go. Like straight from the header to the y pipe and the two muffler, maybe with a thicker width in the pipes. as for the ecu mods, i heard something about a chip that feeds more fuel into the engine or something, and no2, where can i get one with power increase, but not sooooo much danger. It's good to be part of rotaries now, the only ittle defects my car has are on the interior, like the center console, (which if anyone is selling a black one, ill buy) and the sunroof is stuck, so any ideas there, all suggestiojns are welcome. -Tito
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Straight pipe is fine, if you don't mind backfiring and flames? But then again who would mind those?
I'm not sure about speicifc chips, but there are piggy back computers like the Apex'i S-AFC and otheres that allow you to program in how much fuel you want based on a % at certain RPM's.
If your going to go with N20, I would stick with a WET system because they are inherently WAY les dangerous, you should probably learn abit more about N20 before you go about buying/strapping one on, with anything up to a 70 shot, I would start lower at a 50 shot personaly. Try searching for "nitrous" or "NOS" in the 2nd gen area and you should get loads of information.
As for sunroof, thats gonna be tough, I've gone through the same sunroof blues. First thing you should try is getting an allen key and trying to open it manualy. If you remove the plastic peice that should be about a half a foot behind your seat in the center of the roof you should find the place to put it. If it does not budge from there I hope you don't mind ripping apart your interior because you will most likly have to take a bunch of stuff out to get at your sunroof assembly. It might be that the linkage, the thing that pulls the sunroof in and out, is snapped which will basicaly require you to take your entire sunroof out. On the other hand it may be that the tracks need to be cleaned and re-lubricated (pray that is it). Once again a good way to find out more information on this is to search the forum for "sunroof". I don't want to explain how to get your sunroof out here but if you do the search look for a link to a step by step guide to taking out your sunroof, thats what I used.
You kind of have to remember that anything you can think of asking, has probably been asked at least 5 times before
Welcome to the Forum, and have a nice Rotary Experience
I'm not sure about speicifc chips, but there are piggy back computers like the Apex'i S-AFC and otheres that allow you to program in how much fuel you want based on a % at certain RPM's.
If your going to go with N20, I would stick with a WET system because they are inherently WAY les dangerous, you should probably learn abit more about N20 before you go about buying/strapping one on, with anything up to a 70 shot, I would start lower at a 50 shot personaly. Try searching for "nitrous" or "NOS" in the 2nd gen area and you should get loads of information.
As for sunroof, thats gonna be tough, I've gone through the same sunroof blues. First thing you should try is getting an allen key and trying to open it manualy. If you remove the plastic peice that should be about a half a foot behind your seat in the center of the roof you should find the place to put it. If it does not budge from there I hope you don't mind ripping apart your interior because you will most likly have to take a bunch of stuff out to get at your sunroof assembly. It might be that the linkage, the thing that pulls the sunroof in and out, is snapped which will basicaly require you to take your entire sunroof out. On the other hand it may be that the tracks need to be cleaned and re-lubricated (pray that is it). Once again a good way to find out more information on this is to search the forum for "sunroof". I don't want to explain how to get your sunroof out here but if you do the search look for a link to a step by step guide to taking out your sunroof, thats what I used.
You kind of have to remember that anything you can think of asking, has probably been asked at least 5 times before
Welcome to the Forum, and have a nice Rotary Experience
Last edited by NixxoN; 08-17-02 at 01:25 AM.
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Backfiring and Flames huh? Tough decision. , IM right on it, today is a saturday, no work for me, got paid yesterday, im gonna look for a good straightpipe kit for my rex, also the sunroof, i see im not the only one with problems with it. I've been reading the forum though, and it answers most of my questions, btw, IF i did want to put nos, about how much would one of the worthy kits go for? Is anyone selling them here? last, but not least, would i need any mods in my engine to go nos?
Thanks. -Tito
Thanks. -Tito
#15
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DON't take off your AC that is ridiculous, i dont know why anyone does it in a hot climate, canada i can see but why sacrifice your comfort to have a fast car, the goal is fun, right???i just dont see sweating my ***** off for a half a HP as fun.....
hey turbosmoke,
i have a friend whose dad lives in lehigh (dont know how to spell it) and i come down there every so often, we should meet up some time, i remember seeing a red vert for sale at some "sports car dealer" right before Ft myers beach.... next to some badass lambo or something
Justin
hey turbosmoke,
i have a friend whose dad lives in lehigh (dont know how to spell it) and i come down there every so often, we should meet up some time, i remember seeing a red vert for sale at some "sports car dealer" right before Ft myers beach.... next to some badass lambo or something
Justin
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Originally posted by BDoty311
A correctly funtioning engine can take a 50 shot of nitrous or so Ive heard.
A correctly funtioning engine can take a 50 shot of nitrous or so Ive heard.
#19
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Update! I emptied my cat, i figured it'd be the same as removing it (probably wrong) but i was hoping to squeeze some hp out of there. The sound didn't change very much though, i have the stock mufflers, im looking for some decent straight pipes and echaust tips (maybe de flame ones ) IM no into that high pitched honda sound that sounds like a lawnmower instead of a car. I prefer the low, baritone rx7 style sound. I ordered a K & N cone air filter for 79.99, with the adapter and everything (went all the way to dynamic turbo) does anybody think thats a little overpriced? Anyways, about the N2O kits, i think its a little too soon for that (probably should wait about a week hehe...... ) But since one of you said that 13b could take a 200shot, i was wondering, any special mods for it, or just stock?
#23
"canada i can see"
We get 30-38C temps in the summer. I dont know or care what that is in F, but I believe its around 90. I like ac.
"i'm very interested in rx7's but how well does it make a first car????"
Well, my first car was a probe which I had for ~8 months. Now I have a rx7 turbo ii.
"and for canadian ppl: how much are rebuilds here??? and any shops in bc that are good?"
Im rebuilding mine myself, using all new parts except the block for a little under $1200.00, but I live in AB not BC. You can probably find a jspec motor w/ 80 000km for about $1000 if you want to take that chance.
We get 30-38C temps in the summer. I dont know or care what that is in F, but I believe its around 90. I like ac.
"i'm very interested in rx7's but how well does it make a first car????"
Well, my first car was a probe which I had for ~8 months. Now I have a rx7 turbo ii.
"and for canadian ppl: how much are rebuilds here??? and any shops in bc that are good?"
Im rebuilding mine myself, using all new parts except the block for a little under $1200.00, but I live in AB not BC. You can probably find a jspec motor w/ 80 000km for about $1000 if you want to take that chance.
#24
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since im too lazy to read everyone elses replies, I might say stuff thats already been said
You have a Series 4 (86-88) GXL. I'm assuming it is a manual.
You're lucky, S4 GXL's came with Limited Slip Differentials, so theres one plus.
Your car has 146hp (@flyhweel) stock, probably less over the years.
Get a compression test on your car, and find someone around you who is wise when it comes to rotaries (hopefully someone with an N/A FC) and let them look at your car.
Catalytic Convertors and Test Pipes
Definately get rid of the catalytic convertors, or get a single high flow cat to replace them.
http://www.rx7.com sells a bonez high flow cat setup, and also a decent price on a pre-silencer (muffler instead of cat to quiet exhaust note down).
http://www.racingbeat.com makes some very good products, but you pay for the quality. A pre-silencer and midpipe combo would be very good.
6th ports
Keep your 6th ports in good working order, and fix them if they aren't working. Go to Aaron Cakes website (click the WWW button below his posts, he has a sticky at the top of this 2nd gen forum right now). He has a how-to on cleaning your 6th ports and checking to see if they're still operating properly.
It would be a good idea to get some 6th port sleeve inserts from http://www.pineappleracing.com
These smooth out the flow and help get you some horsepower. They cost $50
Catback Exhaust
Corksport makes a cheap, good quality catback exhaust. It is a single sided exhaust (drivers side) and is stainless steel. The OD (outer diameter) of the exhaust is 3" I think. But I'm not positive.
It cost $290, which is VERY good for a quality stainless steeel catback exhaust. However, if they have it in stock, do not get it. There are several stories of it taking a long time to fill backorders. They may have gotten a little less backed up by now though.
Nitrous Oxide
A dry shot of N2O could be very helpful. Some say a 50shot is safe dry, and a 75shot shouldn't be exceeded (unless you have a wet setup).
You can get a dry cheater kit for $250 or so. I think NX (nitrous xpress) makes a kit. Has a small bottle to put into one of your bins behind your seat, and won't be very obvious. There are quite a few threads on this 2nd gen forum about nitrous on N/A's that you should search for.
A wet kit will let you use a bigger shot safely, but remember your engine is probably old and worn out (read: not recently rebuilt)
Header
The stock isn't very bad. You gain the largest gain from replacing your cats on an N/A FC. An aftermarket header will still free up some hp, but it will make an open exhaust even louder.
Racing Beat makes a good header, there are other good ones. But Racing Beat was the first to come to mind.
Fuel
The stock N/A fuel system should be good for around 200hp before you need to start upgrading.
If you do put in larger (550cc Turbo II) secondary injectors, or a more powerful fuel pump. Get an S-AFC to control your injectors.
It will take a lot to get an N/A to 200hp
Octane doesn't really matter on a N/A rotary. If you have a supercharger, turbocharger, or Nitrous Oxide, then you should use the highest octane available.
The old N/A rotary racecars of the 80's use 80 octane.
The higher the octane, the longer it can hold out to detonation (combusting because of excess heat before getting spark from the sparkplug). This let the fuel ignite a bit faster.
But this doesn't matter for you since you can't get anything that low. I'm not sure of what advantages there are with higher octane on N/A's
Tires
I would personally go with Yokohoma AVS Intermediates. They're affordable and great tires. Far better than kumhos.
You can fit 225's up front, and 245's (actually wider) in the rear with the proper rim size, and offset.
Lightening
Remove stuff that isn't necessary, and you don't really care about anymore.
If you have AAA and always carry a cellphone, you may want to remove the spare and the jack (although they're lightweight and made from aluminum).
Also, if you don't have an aluminum hood, try to find one that is the same color as your car.
There is about a 30lb difference between the aluminum and steel hoods.
Some people remove the A/C, but you're in Miami so I wouldn't.
The stock exhaust is pretty heavy, so think of new exhaust as lighter and better flowing. BTW, single sided exhaust (corksport) is even lighter than duals, so thats even better.
Try not to go subwoofer crazy, and if you do, just go with enough to make it sound good, and don't go overkill. Subwoofers are far too heavy to go overkill with in an N/A FC
Some people remove the rubber pad covering the fuel pump (under carpet in the hatch) and some sound deadener. But lightening your car isn't for everyone.
Electric Fan
Get the electric fan, and fan shroud from a fiero. They are very good, and are easy to find by just calling local junkyards.
Search for ways to wire up your fan properly.
Enjoy your new car!
You have a Series 4 (86-88) GXL. I'm assuming it is a manual.
You're lucky, S4 GXL's came with Limited Slip Differentials, so theres one plus.
Your car has 146hp (@flyhweel) stock, probably less over the years.
Get a compression test on your car, and find someone around you who is wise when it comes to rotaries (hopefully someone with an N/A FC) and let them look at your car.
Catalytic Convertors and Test Pipes
Definately get rid of the catalytic convertors, or get a single high flow cat to replace them.
http://www.rx7.com sells a bonez high flow cat setup, and also a decent price on a pre-silencer (muffler instead of cat to quiet exhaust note down).
http://www.racingbeat.com makes some very good products, but you pay for the quality. A pre-silencer and midpipe combo would be very good.
6th ports
Keep your 6th ports in good working order, and fix them if they aren't working. Go to Aaron Cakes website (click the WWW button below his posts, he has a sticky at the top of this 2nd gen forum right now). He has a how-to on cleaning your 6th ports and checking to see if they're still operating properly.
It would be a good idea to get some 6th port sleeve inserts from http://www.pineappleracing.com
These smooth out the flow and help get you some horsepower. They cost $50
Catback Exhaust
Corksport makes a cheap, good quality catback exhaust. It is a single sided exhaust (drivers side) and is stainless steel. The OD (outer diameter) of the exhaust is 3" I think. But I'm not positive.
It cost $290, which is VERY good for a quality stainless steeel catback exhaust. However, if they have it in stock, do not get it. There are several stories of it taking a long time to fill backorders. They may have gotten a little less backed up by now though.
Nitrous Oxide
A dry shot of N2O could be very helpful. Some say a 50shot is safe dry, and a 75shot shouldn't be exceeded (unless you have a wet setup).
You can get a dry cheater kit for $250 or so. I think NX (nitrous xpress) makes a kit. Has a small bottle to put into one of your bins behind your seat, and won't be very obvious. There are quite a few threads on this 2nd gen forum about nitrous on N/A's that you should search for.
A wet kit will let you use a bigger shot safely, but remember your engine is probably old and worn out (read: not recently rebuilt)
Header
The stock isn't very bad. You gain the largest gain from replacing your cats on an N/A FC. An aftermarket header will still free up some hp, but it will make an open exhaust even louder.
Racing Beat makes a good header, there are other good ones. But Racing Beat was the first to come to mind.
Fuel
The stock N/A fuel system should be good for around 200hp before you need to start upgrading.
If you do put in larger (550cc Turbo II) secondary injectors, or a more powerful fuel pump. Get an S-AFC to control your injectors.
It will take a lot to get an N/A to 200hp
Octane doesn't really matter on a N/A rotary. If you have a supercharger, turbocharger, or Nitrous Oxide, then you should use the highest octane available.
The old N/A rotary racecars of the 80's use 80 octane.
The higher the octane, the longer it can hold out to detonation (combusting because of excess heat before getting spark from the sparkplug). This let the fuel ignite a bit faster.
But this doesn't matter for you since you can't get anything that low. I'm not sure of what advantages there are with higher octane on N/A's
Tires
I would personally go with Yokohoma AVS Intermediates. They're affordable and great tires. Far better than kumhos.
You can fit 225's up front, and 245's (actually wider) in the rear with the proper rim size, and offset.
Lightening
Remove stuff that isn't necessary, and you don't really care about anymore.
If you have AAA and always carry a cellphone, you may want to remove the spare and the jack (although they're lightweight and made from aluminum).
Also, if you don't have an aluminum hood, try to find one that is the same color as your car.
There is about a 30lb difference between the aluminum and steel hoods.
Some people remove the A/C, but you're in Miami so I wouldn't.
The stock exhaust is pretty heavy, so think of new exhaust as lighter and better flowing. BTW, single sided exhaust (corksport) is even lighter than duals, so thats even better.
Try not to go subwoofer crazy, and if you do, just go with enough to make it sound good, and don't go overkill. Subwoofers are far too heavy to go overkill with in an N/A FC
Some people remove the rubber pad covering the fuel pump (under carpet in the hatch) and some sound deadener. But lightening your car isn't for everyone.
Electric Fan
Get the electric fan, and fan shroud from a fiero. They are very good, and are easy to find by just calling local junkyards.
Search for ways to wire up your fan properly.
Enjoy your new car!
Last edited by Node; 08-17-02 at 11:19 PM.
#25
"Try not to go subwoofer crazy, and if you do, just go with enough to make it sound good, and don't go overkill. Subwoofers are far too heavy to go overkill with in an N/A FC"
I can vouch for that. I notice a difference when I take My 2 10's out of my trunk.
I can vouch for that. I notice a difference when I take My 2 10's out of my trunk.