For comfort get the Touring; for speed and theoritcal better reliability, get the R1 or R2.

 

one or ther other are not more features or less, just different, R models is sport package, ie less weight, stiffer suspension, z rated tyres, no cruise, strut bar, 2 oil coolers, list goes on. Touring has big fat stereo leather seats, sunrrof, etc you get the picture.

the base is the bottom level. Touring is base with features, and R model is the king!!!! lol. More important than trim is year model, try to get a 1994 + if possible.

Touring or R, it is a toss up, I tenbd to think R modles will demand a little more cash, but hard to prove. sometimes I wish I had a touring and sometimes I love my R2.

 

I'm glad I have a touring, let's put it that way.

Though I also have the R1 wing and front lip on it.

 

must...have...moon/sunroof! I go batty in cars w/o one usually. vert action even better. Oh yeah, I love living in Cali!

 

The only thing about the R1/R2 that is of benefit is the oil coolers. The Bose sound system in the Touring sucks but other than that you can make a Touring very fast. The suspension on a R1 (93) is VERY harsh and a little softer in the R2 (94 and 95) but you can add springs and shocks to a touring. I just love having a sunroof and makes it look better too.

 

I don't know why people think the Bose sound system in the Touring model isn't good. I think it sounds great. Possibly the best stock sound system I've heard. Also, there isn't that big of a difference between the model years. I would certainly put condition and miliage above year as a priority.

 

I agree. The bose stereo is pretty decent. I was content. Then my CD player broke, so I got an aftermarket alpine head unit, and it sounds incredibly better. First time I popped in a CD I though "Is this really my stereo?!"

 

Then, of course, there's the popular equipment package.
You get the sunroof, leather seats, and more luggage space
because there's no Bose speaker snake back there.

 

I like what I got... which was a PEG (close to Touring) and here's why..

- you can always add another oil cooler (ala r1/r2)
- our cars are pretty old now..shock could use some changing..so r1/r2 lose advantage or disadvantage there, depending on how you like the ride.
- For a short person that doesn't race much (w/a helmet ) I dont need the added headroom of the r1/r2
- the sunroof vent feature is awesome for letting some cool air in..rooling down the windows sucks.
- ok I never use cruise control

What I didn't like and changed..

-added r1 front spolier
-adding oil cooler
-upgraded suspension way past R1/R2 standard anyways..
-put some race seats in (leather looks good but does not hold me in)


oh yeah who want BOSE anyways ???

 

I love the touring. In my opinion, the Bose system is great. I love listening to music, most of the time loud, and eventually want to put a bigger stereo system in, but I am pleased with my Bose and will not change for a while. I also love leather, which was a huge plus for the touring. The sunroof is nice, and I also like fog lights and the rear wiper. So the touring in my opinion is the best. I believe it is easier to upgrad the touring with R1 features than it is to upgrade the R1 w/ Touring features.

 

Although the Bose system is pretty nice when comparing to other factory stereo systems it doesn't have much crankability when you have the bass cranked up. Add an amp and a subwoofer and the difference is day and night! Infinity's Basslink 200watt powered subwoofer is a simple installation and the difference is amazing.
it

 

I was thinking of getting the Basslink to get a little more out of the system, but all of my friends discouraged me about getting it. So it wasn't too tough to install and worth the $? What do all of the wires from the Basslink hook into in a head unit? I plan on getting a new head unit soon and I think I might get the Basslink with it too.

 

did you wire the basslink in along with the bose wave tube???
i was planning on ripping that bose thing out and just using the basslink and using the rear channel output to the bose to run some 5x7s or somethin.
how did you wire it up??

 

It's hard enough to find a FD in excellent condition so I would suggest that you take the cleanest one, rather than choosing based on the trim level.

That said, I think the PEP is probably the most balanced trim. It's basically the touring without the bose tubes in the back that sucks up much needed space in a relatively small hatch. Aside from this, I do like the moonroof (ie with glass) more than the sunroof (with metal).

If you just want the most features, PEP or touring are your trims.

 

If leave the car in stock form then their is very
little difference. A little "comport" on the touring/PEP/base and more of a rug
ged ride on the
R1/R2.

However, if you plan to add performance
modifications to the car, such as engine and
suspension mods, then it really doesn't matter
which model you get. And besides who does keep
their RX-7 in stock form now a days?

 

Get the touring or the PEP if you want features. It weighs only slightly more, the Bose does not suck though it can be beat, and there are few of us who would really have better numbers in the R1 or R2 which have more drag from the spoilers.

 

It really depends on what you want out of your system. All I was looking for was more powerful bass without losing clean output. I bought my Basslink for $400 from crutchfield. I liked the idea of a subwoofer and amp in one compact package. It fits just perfectly in the back of a FD. The sound is great compared to the stock Bose setup although you can get even better sound if you keep your components separate and build a nice box for your speakers. I just didn't want to go to that trouble.

As far as hooking it up, it was a breeze (as long as you feel comfortable with working with the electronics in your automobile). I have both my Bose and my Basslink hooked up. If you have a stock receiver you just tap into the output of the rear speakers wires, run them to a high/low convertor with a RCA output and then run a RCA patch cable to the Basslink. If you have an aftermarket stereo with preamp outputs your job is super easy. Just hook it up with a RCA cable. The only other thing needed is to hook-up the ground and power cable. The only semi-difficult thing is running the power cable through the firewall to the battery.

 

That's not tough at all. So all that's needed is RCA cables, power cable, and ground cable with an aftermarket head unit w/preouts? You don't need a sys. control wire (light blue)? Did you find a good place to drill through the firewall? Exactly how much more bass does it put out? I hope it's a lot more for 400 clams. Is it the equivalent of a 8 or 10 inch sub?

 

Yes, I did forget about the light blue wire. I just tapped that into the switched-supply wire from the stereo.

Here's a stock FD receiver wire diagram (thanks to Stephen Stanley):

10-wire connector:
==================
Red: Front Right door speaker
White: Front Right door speaker
Blue: Front Left door speaker
Green: Front Left door speaker
Grey/Black stripe: Could not trace - maybe front dash tweeter crossover
Red/Green: Instrument dimmer illumination connector
Green/Red: Aerial (Antenna) power lift feed
Black/Red: Could not trace - maybe front dash tweeter crossover
Blue/Red: 12v permanent supply
Blue/Black: 12v switched supply

5-wire connector:
=================
Yellow/Green: Rear Left speaker
Yellow/Blue: Rear Left speaker
White/Blue: Rear right speaker
Blue/Yellow: Rear right speaker
Beige (light brown): Could not trace

Spade connector
===============
Black: Negative Earth

Antenna connections for diversity system
========================================
Large socket: Main retractable aerial mast
Small socket: Rear window built-in aerial

You need everything that you stated. There are various locations you can go through the firewall. On the passenger side is a really easy spot. There is a bunch of wires that go through a rubber grommet straight through the firewall. I used a screwdriver with a long and thin blade to poke a small hole and fed the power wire through it. Just be carefull you don't puncture one of the wires in the grommet. That would be a major pain in the *** to fix!

The Basslink has a 10" subwoofer so it does greatly enhance the stock system. But it is not going to be enough for somebody looking for neighborhood thundering bass. To me it was definitely worth the $400. Somebody else might want to invest in a separate amp and dual 10" subs with a custom box.

 

That's a sweet price!

 

WHat about skid pad numbers, acceleration ect? -Anyone have a good collection of back issues so we can add some hard data to this discussion? BTW-my complaint with the bose isn't the lack of base, but the muddy center channel. I installed a set of boston acoustic proseries fronts with seperate tweeters and the difference is night and day! I'm still not happy with the base response of the 6/9s I have in the rear storage compartments, but I'm going to swap them for a set of subs and see where that gets me. The main reason I dumped the Bose was to create more room in the trunk. I do a lot of flying (and subsequently drive to and from the airport often) and was having trouble fitting a carry on roller bag in the trunk with the bose. Obviously this doesn't apply to everyone but something to consider.

-Chris C