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From a factory engine standpoint it is hard to argue against V8 superiority but once you get a rotary up to equal power numbers I would wayyyyyy rather take the dorito. And yeah the new mustangs handle pretty good for what they are but they're still absolute pigs compared to an RX-8 or similar. Corvettes on the other hand... they may be a dime a dozen but you gotta give credit where its due. TL;DR V8 and nimble are not mutually exclusive.
It is a real pity that the quality of their actual finished paintwork leaves a lot to be desired at 47 microns compared to a GM product which has around 157 microns, is it any wonder Mazda cars scratch so easily, chip so easily, and then rust forms on the chipped and exposed surface around wheel arches, etc.
There is just not enough thickness of paint applied to protect the virgin steel from exposure or moisture which breeds rust and corrosion.
More than anything this really concerns me about the brand, IF Mazda wants to go luxury this is one area they MUST spend more Yen on.
I don't know about GM paint, failing paint is common unless they changed that over the past couple of years. Especially on black, I have two employees, one with a Cobalt SS and another with a Black Avalanche and they both have clear coat failure.
Speaking with Australia’s Motoring, Kiyoshi Fujiwara, Mazda’s head of research and development, blamed a lack of money for the delay. “We cannot provide the RX Vision to the market by 2020, because we do not have enough money to invest, to commercialize it,” Fujiwara said
I am so sick of reading 'leaked' articles saying that the engine has been developed, or the car will be released soon--- I think 2017 was the first estimate I heard. Now they say, "Ummmm, no. We haven't even started!"
Forget it people, the rotary is dead. Jesus will return before Mazda even holds a meeting about reviving it. Guess it's time to go ahead and get the new Mustang GT.
If you still want RX-8 looks and can do without the rotary and have plenty of cash you can always spring for a Maserati GranTourismo. They look damn near the same.
Wonder what the aftermarket would be for an R3 with LS power. Seems like the best of both worlds.
After the RX, everything feels bloated except a Miata. Put some decent power in tandem with the light weight... There should be a serious market for that. Similar to Monster Miatas.
I agree. If I want a big engined car, I get one that's designed for it. Makes more sense that way, unless you just really like RX/MX.
If people are saying ponies/muscles handle well(just not RX-8/MX-5 well), then it(I am thinking a Camaro)'s definitely worth considering down the line. I would actually have really liked a bigger convertible.
If Mazda gets a new rotary out, it's not gonna be until a while, and with rotary fans losing the patience, I think things are looking more and more grim.
There was a "turn-key" builder? Haven't seen that...
Lookup "Daniel A. Nadal" in the "LS Powered RX8" facebook group. He does turn-key LS swaps in RX-8s in his garage in Phoenix, AZ.
You bring him a car (or ask him to source a roller) and he'll put an LS-family V8 in it for as low as $7k (-ish). Working dash, tach, EPS, ABS. That will be with no AC and an iron block 5.3 Vortec. He quoted me ~$9k for 400 HP Al block 5.3 with T56 and working AC.
Lookup "Daniel A. Nadal" in the "LS Powered RX8" facebook group. He does turn-key LS swaps in RX-8s in his garage in Phoenix, AZ.
You bring him a car (or ask him to source a roller) and he'll put an LS-family V8 in it for as low as $7k (-ish). Working dash, tach, EPS, ABS. That will be with no AC and an iron block 5.3 Vortec. He quoted me ~$9k for 400 HP Al block 5.3 with T56 and working AC.
Yeah, I wonder if we can somehow update RX8Help with this info.
Good to put up to date info out there rather than having people correct noobs all the time.
Lookup "Daniel A. Nadal" in the "LS Powered RX8" facebook group. He does turn-key LS swaps in RX-8s in his garage in Phoenix, AZ.
You bring him a car (or ask him to source a roller) and he'll put an LS-family V8 in it for as low as $7k (-ish). Working dash, tach, EPS, ABS. That will be with no AC and an iron block 5.3 Vortec. He quoted me ~$9k for 400 HP Al block 5.3 with T56 and working AC.
He probably quotes a lot of ppl at 9k then once you're in start telling you about all the fine details that go into these swaps headers after market sways engine mounts chassis modification to fit LSx and T56 because its not direct blt-on etc. etc. it starts at 9k probably all said and done for 15k-20k+
9k$ sounds too good to be true and doesn't sounds like a complete swap to me even with a 5.3 GMC truck engine I see these engines going for 1-4k would be good for power though easily supercharged etc. he must just be putting engines in cars and making it driveable but it will still need a bunch of other **** to be street/track capable custom exhaust headers ecu etc.
not shooting at you bro just think that guy on face book is full of it.
I've seen LM4 (aluminum 5.3L) engines going for as little as $750 in "running when pulled" condition. Add a hot cam, used LS head and intake and you'll get close to 400 at the crank. He uses the LS1RX8 kit.
You may be right but he's sold a number of them and never had a complaint.
I think most people are expecting it to be a lot harder than it actually is. The body of knowledge about how to get it done is enough that there really isn't any guess work left.
I might have to check him out see what he's doing mainly to get the cost that low.
I haven't looked in a while but he was pretty active in that Facebook group when I followed it. Very helpful and willing to discuss how he does things. He had a completed Shinka with basically the build I wanted for sale for a bit over $8k. I agonized over that for a while before ultimately passing on it.
I think a some of the cost involved is the trial and error nature for most people. This guy seems to have a design he probably repeats over and over.
I know if you get a truck motor, you have to use accessory components, intake and possibly head from a LS car for clearance. I think most go with an F-body oil pan, as well.
Whenever we talk to Mazda senior executives, the one question always asked is: “rotary sports car – is it any closer?”.
We’ve written countless stories on it – and will continue to do so – because the passion among fans manifests just as strongly by Mazda employees.
The only problem is, the financial institutions that own and run Mazda are risk averse.
The capital required to develop and manufacture a rotary-powered sports car far outweighs the return – at least financially. It’s a loss-making venture (as many sports cars are) but that hasn’t dampened the spirit of many of the company’s heavy-hitters. Even CEO of Mazda Motor Corporation, Masamichi Kogai, has said on several occasions he won’t rule out a rotary sports car.
More recently Julien Montousse, design director for Mazda North America responded unequivocally to the question: would you like to see a Mazda RX-9?
“From a design standpoint, yeah!”
He says the idea of a rotary sports car burns deep in the veins of many employees, but the clincher is making the business case work, or “sketching it and then hoping the finances allow it,” to use Montousse’s words.
“It truly is a ‘never give up’ spirit,” he enthuses.
“When I go to Hiroshima, there are some buildings where I’m not even allowed to go, where you know they’re working on something that they truly trust is the future, there’s such passion, and they’re protecting it to a point where I can’t even have access, but I know it’s very promising.”
Mazda’s current flagship sports car is the MX-5, and it’s been an excellent ambassador for the brand, holding the Guinness world record for the highest selling sports car in history. It’s also rear-drive and convertible.
But as Montousse explains, the rotary engine is intrinsic to the Mazda brand.
“I mean it’s part of our DNA. Mazda has this kind of insane passion for the brand and what it represents and that engine is part of it. Kogai mentioned many times that we would only come out with it when it’s ready and when it makes sense.
“For the past 15 year they’ve never stopped [working on rotary]. I know they’re working on it extremely hard, and with considerable investment behind it.”
A region where the RX-9 would be hugely popular is the USA, and the head of Mazda North America, Masahiro Moro, didn’t mince his words when the topic of rotary sports cars was raised.
“Rotary engine has interesting opportunity from power source to ultimate environmental capability. So we have resources continue to develop it. In the future at some point we need to decide what we do.”
Arguably, that’s code for ‘we’re keeping rotary alive under the guise of a range extending EV’ but ultimately there’s a strong desire for a sports car.
“At this moment, it’s not on the official roadmap,” admitted Moro.
But the unofficial roadmap?
“We have dedicated engineers for it,” was all Moro-san would say. But for the die-hard rotary fans, this will be enough to keep the dream alive.
10-31-2017 | 02:56 PM
