Black94RX-7TT

True....but if you have a warranty like I do then you'll scream bloody murder for them to pick up full Mazda price, then go single or to higher flowing twins with all that $.

Hoses popping off is a problem, worse on some cars than others. My car only had one hose that would pop off. *knock on wood* Fortunately it was the easiest one to access in the whole engine bay, so I zip tied it, no more probs. It runs $3-400 to have all the lines changed to silicone and zip tie them. Some even put sealant on there as you describe, but its optional if zip tied. There are ~80 pieces of small vacuum line in the engine bay, 9 solenoids, 3 actuators on the turbos alone, and 3 vacuum/pressure resirvoirs. At least half of that is for controlling the sequential operation of the turbos.

The Ikon

WOW!!! That's a lot of vacuum lines.... Zip ties hmmmmmmm sounds good...

What does your "7" do in the 1/4??? 13.2 - 13.6 stock or is yours modded?

Lance

No offense to anyone to anyone who owns one, but RX-7s are probably among the WORST built sports cars on the road (third generation, anyway). I bought a NEW 94 RX-7 and had nothing but problems until I got rid of it three years later for a 95 Supra. Among the crap I dealt with:

1) The second turbo died at 26K miles.
2) The plastic door handle inside the car broke off at 28K miles.
3) Cats replaced at 30K miles
4) Getting all those damn TSBs taken care of
5) Coolent system problems (caps, filler necks, etc.)
6) Replacing more hoses than I care to remember
4) Not to mention the numerous rattles and squeeks that Mazda couldn't pinpoint.

If you're considering buying a rotary, STAY AWAY!!

Lance
98 SC400
95 Supra TT Hardtop
94 RX-7 (Gone, thankfully)
93 MR-2 Turbo (Gone, but missed)
91 RX-7 (Gone, no problems with this one)

Black94RX-7TT

None of the failures you mention have anything to do with the fact that the car is a rotary...with the possible exception of the cats...but that is easily and inexpensively rectified with a downpipe. They aren't the most reliable cars in the world, but they are some of the best all 'round performers in the world....sexy as hell, too.

Black94RX-7TT

I've never taken mine to the drag strip....I don't have the heart to abuse him like that. LOL. Based on cars with the same mods, I would estimate that mine would run mid-high 12s. I have a CF cold air box, a downpipe, and an Apexi PowerFC.

The range that you state is indeed par for stock cars.



Forrest
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Current:
1994 RX-7 Touring "Lukas"
1990 Dodge P/U "POS"
Past:
1987 RX-7 TurboII "Little Baby Seven"
1986 Dodge Caravan "Little Flying Box"

MadMaxSC400

Hehe, I started a hell of a discussion here. This is great though... I had considered an RX-7 but I've seen enough people hatin' on them to decide against it. I think I might go for looking out of state on a Supra, but I am patient enough to try the SC300 turbo route. I used to own a Nissan 240SX and the thing was the most reliable car I've ever had. I know that the 300ZX is a tight fit motor, but can it be easily upgraded? I wouldn't mind going with one of those considering my experience with them. I see them for less money too.

qwert26

i dont kno that much about the 300zx engine swap into the 240sx.....but if you go that route you might as wel go with the SR20DET silvia motor, single turbo upgrade......ive heard nothing but great things about these 4 bangers...if you ask around almost all the pplz that have gone this route are runnin about 360-440 hp and about 10-12sec on tha 1/4 mile(not too sure about this)....plus if you convert the front end to the v-spec silvia s-14 or s-15, you will be one of the very exclusive that have an actual unique design that not many other 240sx's have.....all in all it would cost aroud 5-6 g's on all upgrades, but would be a unique car all its own..... thas just my opinion

MadMaxSC400

I meant BUY a 300ZX twin turbo. I used to have a 240.

meanboy

300ZX TT parts are readily available and the community is large. You can't go wrong with one. I had a beaten up 280zx and to this day, I have not found a car that had the same comfortable seating position...this includes my GS3.

Lance

You're right on all counts. None of the problems I experienced (with the exception of the replaced apex seals) are specific to rotaries. I just threw around the word rotary as an alternative to saying RX-7.

I also agree that it is one of the most beautiful cars to come out of Japan, save the funky stock spoiler and door handles.

I hope you didn't take offense to what I wrote, I just get a little steamed talking about the 7 because of (bad) past experience, especially the horrible dealerships. If it was HALF as reliable as my Supra, I wouldn't heistate to get another one. They are definately a kick in the pants (when running)

Lance
98 SC400

SC300TURBO

iTrader: (2)

i highly reccommend a supra or sc300turbo....the 300zx is a pain in the *** to work on and very sensitive to detonation...ect....also a very short wheel base..they love to spin out.......they can make hp but i never see the cars last.......also hard to get traction.....i dont reccommend rotarys..unless you have a spare motor in the garage at all times...Jeff

Bean

iTrader: (1)

Sorry dude but I'm gonna have to speak my mind, if ANYONE is DUMB enough to deal with their Mazda dealership in buying parts for an RX-7; they deserve to be raped anally like that...

a new set of twins from rx7store costs $1500

you can buy a T78 turbo kit for $4000?

300zxs are great cars; they are reliable if you take good care of them... the stock bottom end can handle around 650rwhp before you need to upgrade it... its pretty easy to make power on them...

Just get a set of the T28/T3 turbos from Gyro at DSP in Miami and upgraded intercoolers and supporting fuel, etc and you can make 600rwhp easy... and the turbos with manifolds and downpipes cost only $2500... but you have to remove the engine to install them... everything in the Z is a SUPER tight fit...

if you want something to do thats original; do what a friend of mine in town has done... take a 280zx turbo motor and drop it in a 240 or 280Z (not sx) and put a T3/T4 or full T4 turbo on it... this car will run 11s with only 330rwhp because it only weighs 2600lbs... (the 240z weighs 2300lbs)... the L28 engines are very strong and extremely simple to work on

Slick Lex Coupe

Or better yet drop in an RB26DETT from a Skyline GT-R.

meanboy

Unfortunately, the smog regulations are very strict in CA, and it would probably cost a lot of $$ to turbo a SC300 and have it legal. A SC turbo would probably fluke based on visuals alone. A used 300zx tt would probably costs 10-15k here and with minor upgrades, should satisfy most drivers. And past smog too.

As for spinning out, I would recommend a good racing school to learn how to drive 10/10 of the time, and learning how the zx handles before going all out. Actually, that would be good advice for anyone driving any car at 10/10.

One zx club recommends that new owners of the zx tt take it easy until they get used to the power delivery of it.

Bean

iTrader: (1)

yeah; the Z is a badass handling car if you know how to drive it... it has all-wheel-steering and anti-squat suspension
weight transfer in the car is a lot different; and it also is a bit more unbalanced than most cars... if you drive it like a midengined car almost it handles great... it has enough weight in the front to keep from understeering except in extreme situations and will stay planted and helpout with the AWS in the rear...

Its not an Auto-X car most definitely; its too heavy; it would be good for road racing and it excels on the highway... its also VERY comfortable to drive and has an AWSOME seating position that is both low but easy to get out of...

in my RX-7 there is a stretch of really hard turns that I can take at 90mph before the tires start squeeling and the rear starts moving...
i got my Z sideways on the same turn, but the car stayed planted until 100mph because of the AWS; then it started to step out; but it took no effort to keep it in the same spot; so i just went through the turn a little sideways... scary but the car responded beautifully... its also easier to drive than any other car i've ever driven including my SC300