Has anyone or do u know anyone that has a Rb engine swap or a rotary engine swap?

 

A ranger with a rotary engine would be sick.

 

I've got an rx7 myself, and there are quite a few b-series around with a 13b in them, even a few with 20b's.

mazdatruckin has a whole section dedicated to re-pu's (rotary engine pick ups).

If I ever decide to swap out my engine, it will be a tough battle between a 5.0L, 5.4L, some form of diesel engine, and a 13 or 20 b.

It's quite cool, and rotary engines are quite unique and a pleasure to drive.

 

isn't it true that the rotary engines have virtually no torque? i drove an early first gen RX-7(sa22c)and you had to rev the cat pi$$ out of it to get any power... or is that a myth? i've been considering a RE first gen...

 

No it is not. They generally run at higher rpms than normal engines. My buddy's Mazda rx-8 does not red line till he hits 14k rpms and when he is going 70 its around 4k. So they just need to get up to their normal rpm range to get some torque.

 

hmmm...makes me wonder...

 

rotaries suck end of story

 

Rotary engines aren't the greatest at producing low end torque. The only place this really creates an issue is off the line in a drag race, as in a race where you actually travel around a track or through a sprint course, you'd keep it in it's power band like any other vehicle.

The stock RX-8 with a manual transmission has a 9000 rpm redline. Rotaries can be modified for higher revolutions, and are able to continue making power into much higher revolutions with proper tuning. It would not surprise me if your friends RX-8 is revving to 14 000 rpm, but i do doubt it greatly.

Rotaries are simple engines, and are able to create plenty of power in a compact and lightweight package. They also rev freely, especially when compared to piston engine. The piston engine needs to transfer it's up and down motion into a spinning motion, whereas, the rotary is already rotating.

 

My stock 6-port 13B starts creating decent power at about 3000 rpm, and pulls hard up to roughly 6800 rpm

 

see, it's this tendency to only start making power at 3000 RPM is what is making me not want a rotary... i (with the current gearing) don't see 3000 rpm in 5th gear until i'm running 80 mph... the rotary would make the truck eat the interstate as long as i kept it near 90... but i need good power in the 1200-2500 RPM range as well because i do use it as a truck still...

 

not to mention fuel econemy of a v8 with the power or a 4 cylinder and worse reliability then anything

 

new coyote 5.0? :P

 

i WISH...

 

Reliability is a tricky issue with rotaries. Most people don't know what the heck it is or how it works and aren't able to provide it with proper maintenance. This is being realistic. Regardless of whether your talking about a piston engine, or rotor engine, improper maintenance will lead to the self destruction of the motor.

Rotaries burn oil, which is part of the design, and depending on how you drive it, will need the oil to be topped up every 1000-3000km. If you let the engine run out of oil, well, I'd hope your prepared for a rebuild, which is going to be evident in all internal combustion engines.

The rotary is a guzzler, there's no denying that, but they sure as heck don't have the power of a 4 cylinder. Fair comparisons are difficult to come by, and as a result, the whole they don't make enough power, or use too much gas, arguments tend to pop up all the time. And in all reality, I don't think I've ever heard anyone 'win' an argument as we're not all engineers, and even if we were, we're more than likely not trained enough on the engine. But for comparative purposes, the stock 13b 6-port naturally aspirated motor in the 89-92 RX-7 creates about 160hp. The 3.0LOHV engine in my 2000 taurus produces the same 155hp. Please note that the 13B rotary displaces 1.3L, and the V6 displaces 3.0L. For the purpose of benefiting the piston motors though, the rotary engine gets classified as 2.6L. I figured a 3.0L v6 would benefit the pistons a bit more although. In regards to torque, the v6 should out perform the rotary, but I couldn't find stats on it. The rotary really doesn't provide a huge amount of torque, and I can't say opposite. If your comparing it to a four cylinder, I'm sure it is on par though.

For the purpose of towing, and hauling heavy loads, I can't recommend the rotary as a good solution. A v-8 or diesel fuelled engine should be used. the 1000-2000rpm range is relatively weak, and engine speed would need to be maintained.

I hope that I have provided a bit of light on the engine. Everyone has their favourites, and I know this may not necessarily be yours. That, of course, is perfectly fine, but just because it is not yours doesn't mean that it is garbage. The second largest car forum on the interweb is the RX7 Club (as of a year ago), if rotary engines were that crappy, I'm sure there would not be the following that they have. People that like them, love them, and people that don't, well apparently they hate them.

 

i agree with most of what you are saying but a modern 4 cylinder CAR not truck should be making around the 160hp mark. Im not against rotaries I just dont see the reason to swap them into anything especially a truck for towing tho there is a local guy with a factory rotary truck and he towes his 16 foot ski boat with it. This all comming from a guy that owns and has built several v8 powered rx-7s

 

I did make note that I do not recommend it for a towing vehicle. I definitely agree that the rotary is not a truck power plant, when that truck is being used as a truck.

I also initially purchased my rx7 to do a v8 swap as well, but after driving the a few rotary powered vehicles I changed my mind.

I agree with the modern 4 cylinder comment. But in that case, if we take the 2012 Mazda3 2.5L, it is producing 167hp, and 168 lb-ft. The modern rotary, still a 1.3L is producing 232hp and 159 lb-ft (2011 RX-8 Manual Transmission). All data taken from Mazda Canada's website. This helps to emphasize the lack of torque as well.

 

guess you havnt driven a v8 rx7 then :P, and to be fair the modern rotary is twin turbo to make that power

EDIT: not trying to turn this into a rotary vs piston battle so dont take anything the wrong way

 

The rx-8 motor is naturally aspirated. the 3rd generation rx7 uses sequential twin turbos, and makes about 270hp (somewhere round there, i hear varying stats from 255-276)

I haven't driven a v8 rx7, and i definitely would like to. My v8 sports car experiences are essentially a 95 trans am, a whole whack load of mustangs (only ones I haven't driven are most classics (drove a '69 mach 1) and the newest body style) and an 08 Ford GT500. My car doesn't accelerate like either one, but is a hell of a lot more exciting around the corners. It would be cool to see how a v8 rx7 performs.

EDIT: I'm not trying to turn this into a rotary vs piston battle either. I just don't want anyone to get the wrong idea about the engine, as it is quite unique, and for my sake (read parts), I don't want people to disregard it, and it becomes extinct. I'm quite happy actually about the rx8, as you can get one under $10 under the 160 000km mark, and blow it up, and have mazda warranty it. This works out well since you get a new motor, and then you can take care of it properly from there on in. still shitty fuel mileage though.

 

Sorry didnt notice you were talking rx8. Only rotary cars i have driven were a stock first gen rx7 and a 3rd gen with some bolt on stuff so my experience is limted.
Check out norotors.com for some v8 stuff

 

No worries, the 3rd gen is regarded by many as the purest sports car to come from japan. And it's suspension is a really track oriented which provides a great base. A gentleman near me has one with an LS1 in it, and it seems like an awesome car, but he doesn't track it. Well, he hasn't in the last couple years at least.

I'm familiar with that site, but haven't been on it in awhile. Before I purchased my car, I was lining everything up so that I could have a v8 in it within the first few months of having it. Was going to get the granny kit, and go from there.

For the sake of this thread through, let's end our conversation. Feel free to PM me.