HWO

check out how low the engine's weight balance is on a rotary then compare that to any piston engine. The alloy intake manifolds and turbo etc dont weigh enough to be much of a factor, the engine engine weight is in the bottom 1/3 to 2/3's of the engine bay's height, short of running a flat horozontally opposed motor - like porsche, that kinda low slung weight cannon be achieved.

Its the whole package though, the motor, where it is mounted, the chassis design, the suspension geometry, the weigh distrubution etc etc etc

BlackRx7

Well myself owning an 88 tII and used to own an 89 gtu I would say the gtu handle better, untill I installed the RB rear toe eliminator in my 88 TII, which made a huge differnce, I can turn alot harder untill the rear wheels break loose and when they do I auto matically compinsate by turning the wheel the oppisite direction and slide..............

I WILL ALWAYS OWN AN RX7, you may shoot me if I buy a domestic!

twint78

not true there hwo.a pushrod v angled piston engine has a lower center of gravity than a rotary engine.

RX-7Impreza

you are just wrong all over the place today, second gens did indeed have 50/50 weight distribution. (well 50.2/49.8) but when it is that cluse it is considered 50/50.

and then, no car truly has 50/50 when you add the multitude of different siz/weight of drivers. anyways to make up for that .2 percent all you have to do is relocate your battery to the trunk.

.2 percent of 2800 lbs is only 5.6lbs. so if you remove 11.2 pounds worht of airpump, there is your 50/50

Justin

MechE00

huhdawhat?? What exactly are you talking about? Aerodynamic lift effects or just normal rollover? CG height and width of the wheelbase are the primary concerns in basic rollover analysis.. beyond that suspension travel and damping also play a role, but really total weight is not that big a deal for preventing rollover..

"I rode in enuff cars"... powerful support for your statement.

all other things being equal lighter is better for handling.

Another aspect beneficial to RX-7 handling is polar moments.. the weight is relatively centralized, giving the car a lower rotational moment of inertial (for yaw). Further, the wheels are pushed out to the corners of the chassis, with compartively little overhang front and back.

But I think it's mainly the kansei engineering.. :p

HWO

The rotary's 80 kilos compared to the pushrod v8's 300+ kilos might cancel that arguement out ya reckon?????????

twint78

13b- rew is almost the same weight with its needed accessories as a lt1(a little less)and the same weight as an ls1.

look at lab's thread.a 13b turbo engine is not as light as everyone makes it out to be.

and just cuz it is lighter n/a doesnt make it a lower center of gravity.that is like saying a a 2jz-ge engine has lower center cuz it is n/a compared to the 2jz-gte.same higher center of gravity due to the ohc.just less in weight from having no turbos.

twint78

im surprised no one has mentioned the sturt towers.stiff chassis.and anti-roll bars.

damn these play a big role.

50/50 is not the main factor.why does everyone throw this out there.when it comes to anything about the rx7.damn.it doesnt even have perfect weight distribution once u have put ur *** in it.and no a battery wont equal this out.45lbs versus ur 150-180lb ***.

also mention the camber and toe.

im glad yaw was mentioned.

what about limited slip.this is also a factor.

get over the 50/50 weight ideal.

there is plenty of cars that are mover around a track without 50/50. but being nuetral in corners does help.

where is peejay when u need him?

ScrapFC

iTrader: (5)

The low, centralized weight, awesome suspension design and stiff chassis are great arguments. 50/50 doesn't hurt either. All I had to do was jack up the car and look at the suspension components themselves and I know Mazda was on to something. if in doubt, compare the components in our cars to any of the "sport" compacts. Can you say, "overbuilt" boys and girls? Can you say, "Your suspension flexes and mine doesn't" as well? I know I can...

nashman69g

iTrader: (3)

actually the FC has a perfect 50/50 weight distribution with a full tank of gas one 180# driver and passenger
or something very close to that...I read that in the FC yamaguchi book! look it up

TriTurboGen3 RX-7

How much lighter can a S5 T2 get, with carpeted interior.

There is nothing i love more than feeling th G's hauling *** through a turn.

I am Planning to buy every possible Handeling uprgrade i can get my hands on.

What are the most important factors, to improve handeling ?

MechE00

The most important factor is the driver. Check out local autocrosses and HPDE's-- you can not learn/do performance driving on the street.. after driver, it's tires, then I'd say springs&shocks&bars then chassis stiffening..

..but the part with the most effect on the handling of the car is the nut behind the wheel.

edit: spelling