well guys, I did it. I've decided to go with an ls3 swap into my 95 touring, with an lg motorsports g6x3 cam. good for 500 + whp. and still over 20 mpg's. don't worry though, the 13brew from the fd is getting swapped into a miata, so it's not like I'm ditching the rotary altogether. man, I feel like I should repent or something lol

 

it just doesn't sound right, putting a v8 in an rx7, kinda like getting ur olady a sex change, just ruins everything imo

 

LS3 Miata.

 

LS3 miata +1

 

thought about it, but I want a rotary miata race car, and the ls3 7 is gonna be my dd. I love my 7 too much not to drive it everyday, and I can get the hp gains of a somewhat built 20b, but more reliable, and more hp gains per dollar in the ls3 than the 20b. but teh 13btt only has 11 thousand miles on it, so the miata will be alright for a while

 

that would be the most fun you could have with your pants on though

 

You'd have to change your pants after every drive too

 

whats the mileage on the ls3? doesnt it have the multi displacement system ran by the ecu? ive heard of someone running a cammed ls3 with port and polished heads putting down like 600hp and still getting around 30 mph in thier fc. contimplating this swap for my fd as well, was gona go turbo ls2 at about 600-700hp on pump, but would rather have the milage and simplisity of the ls3 with bolt on mods. post up some pics of your fd swap

 

I honestly dont see why u guys need 500whp on a 2700 lbs car..

especially all that torque..

my colossal M5 (4,000lbs) with 275 Michelen PS2's in the back gets tail happy at low revs comin out of turns.. or even on straight roads that a slippery...

many times I catch the car with opposite lock.. (m5 drifts very well with it's long wheel base)

I drive the FD on the same roads.. and it's much better out of boost (and safer)

I can't imagine the FD with it's lift off oversteer


either u'll spend a fortune in soft compound tires...

or u'll be using a feather to accelerate with..

 

LS3 is a newer engine, parts will not be cheap either way.

Lot of things being wasted.

Good chassis, good original motor, and money.

I drive my GT-R everyday, and i think swapping motors in general is a waste of time from a driving pleasure standpoint.

 

Surely the miata would be a better DD & the rex a better race car?

 

please dont its a 95 dude those are so rare. please dont swap out the motor for all the people on the forum dont do it.

 

this is the " other engine conversion" forum
let the guy do whatever he think is best for HIS car

 

I think you should reserve opinion until you have actually driven one. I was a rotorhead...went through a couple of rotaries, and now I have an LS1, stock, that put 330whp and 330tq to the ground...completely stock. The car is a blast to drive, no less spirited...much easier to predict and if anything is more balanced. The only thing it lost was 2000rpm of redline... BUT... it starts pulling HARD 3000rpm sooner, so it doesn't even matter. I put down 300lb/ft of torque at 1800rpm...

When you load the car into a corner it is much more predictable than when doing the same with the boosted rotary. The linear powerband of the NA engine is much easier to drive fast and as a result more fun. It also takes the majority of the worry away. Anytime you had the rotary on track you were terrified, at least I was...

FD is a better chassis.


This is all a function of driver and throttle modulation. There is only so much traction available at any one time. The traction can either be used to turn, go, or stop, or some combination of the three. Obviously the higher you go in the HP catagory, the more traction you need to GO with all that power... SO you have to use less throttle until you have traction...simple as that.

The difference between a 500whp rotary and a 500whp V8 is that the V8 has a flat torque curve. It is easy to modulate the power going to the wheels because it is a pretty linear, direct relationship with RPM. With the rotary it is a geometric relationship with RPM and BOOST. Not nearly as predictable. In a corner...slightly on throttle at 6000rpm (rotary) you could be at 2psi, the minute you go WOT you have 15psi (or whatever your max is)... the torque difference between those two pressure levels at that rpm is very different. With the NA engine, it is a linear relationship.


The FD does not have lift off oversteer that is specific to its chassis. The chassis is VERY neutral, if anything it has a slight tendency to produce a little understeer at the limit. The fact that you talk of lift off oversteer would lead me to believe either you have a car with worn out suspension (about 95% of FDs out there) or you are trail/midcorner braking or lifting off throttle mid corner. In either of those circumstances you will have a dramatic oversteer condition even when driving a stock AWD Subaru.

If you are catching the car with opposite lock, then you aren't lifting off...you are still in the gas. If you lift off, and catch with opposite lock, all the traction will be on the front tires and your rear will swing probably all the way around, if you somehow catch the car with this steering input and no throttle input it will jerk back the other way (in most cases)...you might catch the car in the end and you might end up hopping the opposite curb, you have no idea which because it is incredibly unpredictable. The only way to drift smoothly is to take traction off of the front tires via throttle application and use the progressive breakaway characteristics of the car and tires. Point being, you aren't shifting weight dramatically, you are smoothly moving traction from one set of tires to the other. I am a little confused with your comments.

I might be a little off base, but you weren't real specific. My FD with Tein suspension, new OEM bushings, new OEM pillowballs, poly diff mounts, RP Trailing arms and toe links, and a tripoint front sway bar, racing beat rear bar...is one of if not the best handling car I have ever driven. And that includes a Porsche 997 Carrera S

 

Welcome to the Darkside! TRUST ME YOU LOVE IT!

there's a guy on v8rx7forum that has a ls3 fd race car....ITS sICK i think it's just cam'd and is bad *** here's some vids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O06-1Ly5blo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-6sanQN8hk

 

You will also be very hard pressed to get 500whp out of a cam only LS3. More like 430 to maybe 450whp. You will need to port the heads at a minimum to get to 500whp

 

Just FYI, this post was 'relocated'. So some of the initial posts were added when it was in another section.

 

sorry to hear that

 

I read the title, and I already knew what you were going to say... I am a rotary enthusiast too, and it is somewhat depressing to hear we've lost another FD to the likes of american V8 power. But I won't say anything bad about it, because I've never driven a V8 powered FD... if anyone is feeling generous, lemme know!

 

You will love the V8, especially if you like the exhaust note, it's beyond unreal!!!!!!!!

As for the handling of an Rx7 I have always found the rear is so easy to slide. Throttle off at the limit in a corner will allow one to rotate the car thru a tight autox course like no other stock car that I have driven, give it a little throttle and it just squats and goes straight again. Add the V8 and the power is so controllable that you now have the control of car rotation with throttle on induced rear slide/rotation of the car.

 

I will never understand why people will be sad that a car gets an engine transplant... The turbo rotary in stock form, is not a great engine. It is horribly inefficient, very dirty, and incredibly sensitive to knock. They are unique, but that comes at a significant price. They can be made better with modification... but that is neglecting the fact that what Mazda put to market was not a great product. The LS1 in stock form is considerably better in many areas. Whether or not that destroys 'the spirit' of the car, is totally in each person's opinion. But I can tell you I have driven my car hard, as a mildly modded rotary, as a HIGHLY modded rotary and with a stock LS1... the stock LS1 has provided the most enjoyment so far and it has seen the least miles.

I do my best to be as objective as possible and that is my honest opinion.

 

^at least youre being honest...

DO IT!!