What if I never go above 5k?
06-06-2005, 03:11 PM
#26
I think some people are afraid to take it up high because it is a force of habit from driving a piston engine. 6000 RPMs in a rotary is not like the same in a piston engine....and I think some believe that they are being too hard on the engine when you take it up high, which is not the case.
06-06-2005, 03:14 PM
#27
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Originally Posted by Vertigo-1
I have the exact same concern as Niro as far as constantly redlining it...wear and tear. Sure, the engine can take it (and I have my doubts about that even), but can the transmission?
Don't assume that hitting redline everyday or even every time you take it out is "constantly" hitting it. It isn't. Your transmission isn't straining from the rpm's either. It is hard shifting and dumping the clutch that hurt. Drag racing is the single harest thing on a car and that is only at the launch.
Why does everyone treat their cars like they are made out of glass? They aren't as fragile as everyone thinks but there are certain things you should be careful about such as warmup. Rotaries are made to rev high and they love it. Drive them like they were made to be driven or get a motor that was designed to be driven slower. These cars are geared in such a way that takes advantage of higher rpm's. Use them.
06-06-2005, 03:15 PM
#28
Originally Posted by Niro
You're crazy...if I'm at the 2.5-3.5k range I can have the gas pedal floored and people on bicycles start sounding off those little ringing bells they have to get out of their way. :o
and 750rpm not boggy? If I don't take 2 mins to release the clutch at those levels I'm gonna end up twisting the key to restart a stalled car...always a good way to get attention to a sports car in traffic.
and 750rpm not boggy? If I don't take 2 mins to release the clutch at those levels I'm gonna end up twisting the key to restart a stalled car...always a good way to get attention to a sports car in traffic.
any gear pulls good on 1.5k +.. not fast but it will accelerate. I routinely drive in 5th @ 25-35 mph in school zones and if i tap the gas the car is more than willing to go.
06-06-2005, 03:16 PM
#29
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Awesome, thanks RotaryGod. I've read a LOT of your posts in the past and they helped me decide that I wanted to buy the RX-8. That's exactly what I like to see - some good, solid engineering reasons WHY you should (or, in this case, shouldn't) do something. I hate reading posts that say "you should do this" when I'm not convinced that person knows why.
06-06-2005, 03:16 PM
#30
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Originally Posted by rotarygod
First of all to whoever said it, NEVER EVER run a rotary hard until it is fully warmed up!!! You are just asking for an engine rebuild. Remember that each side housing and the intermediate housing are cast iron. The rotor housings in between them are aluminum. These metal have different thermal expansion properties. If your car isn't warmed up yet and you get on it hard, the engine is building up heat very quickly. The rotor housings will try to expand faster than the cast iron housings. What can happen is that the rotor housings will just warp and you will get water leaks. They might leak into the engine of it might leak out of the engine and be seen a small coolant puddles on your floor. Let the engine fully warm up first. This is just asking for trouble.
I recommend taking a rotary up to redline at least once every time it is started. Preferably under load such as 1st or 2nd gear. This is usually within legal speeds. This helps keep carbon buildup off of the rotors and rotating auxillary port valves. With the 2nd gen RX-7's, it was not uncommon to find a car that was never revved up high or driven under a heavy load very often. Some people just bought them to drive like every other car. Alot of carbon would buildup inside the engine and often carbon would lock the auxillary port sleeves shut. These were impossible to free up without taking the intake manifold off and even then I have broken several of them permanently in the attempt to fix them. My current 1st gen RX-7 is a prime example of this. I bought it from the original owner who was a woman in her 50's. She just drove it. The car was taken care of and ran fine but the interior of the engine was full of carbon. I spent alot of time cleaning up that engine when I rebuilt it.
2 big rules for rotary engine longevity:
1: Let them warm up fully before getting hard on the throttle or taking them to high rpm's
2: Hit redline at least once a day but every time you take it out would be better. If you can't do it under load then fine but hit redline. You won't hurt anything. This is why redline is here.
I recommend taking a rotary up to redline at least once every time it is started. Preferably under load such as 1st or 2nd gear. This is usually within legal speeds. This helps keep carbon buildup off of the rotors and rotating auxillary port valves. With the 2nd gen RX-7's, it was not uncommon to find a car that was never revved up high or driven under a heavy load very often. Some people just bought them to drive like every other car. Alot of carbon would buildup inside the engine and often carbon would lock the auxillary port sleeves shut. These were impossible to free up without taking the intake manifold off and even then I have broken several of them permanently in the attempt to fix them. My current 1st gen RX-7 is a prime example of this. I bought it from the original owner who was a woman in her 50's. She just drove it. The car was taken care of and ran fine but the interior of the engine was full of carbon. I spent alot of time cleaning up that engine when I rebuilt it.
2 big rules for rotary engine longevity:
1: Let them warm up fully before getting hard on the throttle or taking them to high rpm's
2: Hit redline at least once a day but every time you take it out would be better. If you can't do it under load then fine but hit redline. You won't hurt anything. This is why redline is here.
That's what I like to hear!
So you're saying...if I drive the car pretty hard every time I take it out it's actually GOOD for the engine?How about the transmission??
06-06-2005, 03:19 PM
#31
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Also, Mugatu - yeah, I agree with that. I always feel a sort of guilty pleasure when I bring it up high, and need to constantly remind myself, 'no - this is GOOD for it!' Just takes time to get used to I guess.
06-06-2005, 03:27 PM
#32
Originally Posted by unpocoloco
Also, Mugatu - yeah, I agree with that. I always feel a sort of guilty pleasure when I bring it up high, and need to constantly remind myself, 'no - this is GOOD for it!' Just takes time to get used to I guess.
Eventualy you will 'feel' that the engine actually LIKES to be up high...and you will too.
06-06-2005, 03:37 PM
#33
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Well I'm certainly glad rotarygod decided to jump into this one. I'll definitely take the info to heart about keeping that carbon out. Here's a question though in that regard...in terms of clearing out the carbon, do I have to mash the gas pedal, or is it fine to just slowly bring the RPMs up into the higher ranges by just gently getting on the gas? Lately I have been running up to 5000 more often, but I do it by gently getting on the gas...simply because stomping on it produces too loud of a roar from the exhaust and attracts too much attention. By gently doing it, I can hear the engine whizzing up but not the exhaust so much. I'll gladly stomp on it when I'm away from civilization, but when I'm around it, I'd prefer not to look like an ***. 
06-06-2005, 03:44 PM
#35
Originally Posted by Vertigo-1
Well I'm certainly glad rotarygod decided to jump into this one. I'll definitely take the info to heart about keeping that carbon out. Here's a question though in that regard...in terms of clearing out the carbon, do I have to mash the gas pedal, or is it fine to just slowly bring the RPMs up into the higher ranges by just gently getting on the gas? Lately I have been running up to 5000 more often, but I do it by gently getting on the gas...simply because stomping on it produces too loud of a roar from the exhaust and attracts too much attention. By gently doing it, I can hear the engine whizzing up but not the exhaust so much. I'll gladly stomp on it when I'm away from civilization, but when I'm around it, I'd prefer not to look like an ***.
06-06-2005, 11:10 PM
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What RG said. Warm it up every time and red line it every time you take it out. The only exception would be when road conditions make it unwise i.e. ice, snow, etc.
06-06-2005, 11:52 PM
#39
Talk to any mechanic and they will tell you that you are destroying your car.
A needs to be generally driven 10 miles to warm up properly. Get a bycycle.
Or walk. I walk 6 tenths of a mile every day to the train station.
A needs to be generally driven 10 miles to warm up properly. Get a bycycle.
Or walk. I walk 6 tenths of a mile every day to the train station.
06-07-2005, 07:55 AM
#40
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I live close to work, maybe 3/4 mile. No way I would walk, by the time I get there i'd be covered in sweat and looking like I just came out of a shower.. only smelly.
06-07-2005, 07:58 AM
#41
Originally Posted by Razz1
Talk to any mechanic and they will tell you that you are destroying your car.
A needs to be generally driven 10 miles to warm up properly. Get a bycycle.
Or walk. I walk 6 tenths of a mile every day to the train station.
A needs to be generally driven 10 miles to warm up properly. Get a bycycle.
Or walk. I walk 6 tenths of a mile every day to the train station.
06-07-2005, 08:07 AM
#42
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Wow, amazing how many of you have learned to type but not to read!
As Glyphon noted (thank you!), I have already explained why I cannot walk or bike. Thanks for the lecture though.
Sorry to be such an a$$ but I KNOW that's not good for a car, but there's nothing I can do about it.
However, here's a thought that may or may not be correct.
Let's say the first 5 minutes of driving is where most of the wear and tear on your car occurs. 80%, just to throw out some random number (anybody have a more accurate estimate?). Then from a wear PER MILE standpoint, I would be causing more wear on my car than if I drove it 100 miles a day. But, there is incremental additional wear that is occuring on each of those 100 miles. The TOTAL wear is greater in the second case, which is startUpWear + additionalHighwayWear.
So I figure if I keep my car on for about 10 minutes each time, and give it a good drivin' on the weekends, the wear will be fine. It won't have "as much wear at 10k as others will have at 100k". What do you have to back this theory up? (If RotaryGod said this I would be scared though.)
As Glyphon noted (thank you!), I have already explained why I cannot walk or bike. Thanks for the lecture though.
Sorry to be such an a$$ but I KNOW that's not good for a car, but there's nothing I can do about it.
However, here's a thought that may or may not be correct.
Let's say the first 5 minutes of driving is where most of the wear and tear on your car occurs. 80%, just to throw out some random number (anybody have a more accurate estimate?). Then from a wear PER MILE standpoint, I would be causing more wear on my car than if I drove it 100 miles a day. But, there is incremental additional wear that is occuring on each of those 100 miles. The TOTAL wear is greater in the second case, which is startUpWear + additionalHighwayWear.
So I figure if I keep my car on for about 10 minutes each time, and give it a good drivin' on the weekends, the wear will be fine. It won't have "as much wear at 10k as others will have at 100k". What do you have to back this theory up? (If RotaryGod said this I would be scared though.)
06-07-2005, 02:00 PM
#46
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Originally Posted by RenKat
Two words (Carbon Lock)
rev your engine!!
06-07-2005, 03:52 PM
#48
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Is there a gas additive I can use to prevent the carbon lockup?
My wife does not drive the car that hard and it is an AT to boot so...
Mazda is going to have a slew of warranty claims if this is true, most people associate taking it easy with prolonging engine life not killing it.
My wife does not drive the car that hard and it is an AT to boot so...
Mazda is going to have a slew of warranty claims if this is true, most people associate taking it easy with prolonging engine life not killing it.
06-07-2005, 04:30 PM
#49
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Originally Posted by Shoafb
Is there a gas additive I can use to prevent the carbon lockup?
My wife does not drive the car that hard and it is an AT to boot so...
Mazda is going to have a slew of warranty claims if this is true, most people associate taking it easy with prolonging engine life not killing it.
My wife does not drive the car that hard and it is an AT to boot so...
Mazda is going to have a slew of warranty claims if this is true, most people associate taking it easy with prolonging engine life not killing it.
read this https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/flashes-mop-auto-trannies-63494/
but also in a nutshell- run 92 or higher octane, shift the car using the paddles or the stick so that you/she runs in higher rpm range. less short trips and when you run it hit the redline. also dont move to texas
06-07-2005, 06:06 PM
#50
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The biggest problem causing carbon buildup is the fact that the engine is getting motor oil injected into it. Motor oil doesn't like to mix with gas or burn cleanly. Different oils have different chemical additives and ash content that can build up as they are being burned. This is why I like Royal Purple synthetic. No ash. The best thing to do would be to not inject motor oil at all but rather the inject an oil that is designed to mix with gas and burn cleanly, 2 stroke oil. It wouldn't be hard to modify the vehicle to accept 2 stroke oil from a separate reservoir (I have this on 1 of my RX-7's), but most people wouldn't think about filling this up or would look at this as a hassle associated with this car so Mazda would never do it. Unfortunate.
Strangely enough carbon lock has only been a problem on the auto's in hot southern states. Not generalizing or being biased here but the only problems with carbon lock that have been reported so far have also been primarily with women. Most of them just get in and drive while alot of men can't keep their foot out of it. So much for easy driving being good for the car!
Strangely enough carbon lock has only been a problem on the auto's in hot southern states. Not generalizing or being biased here but the only problems with carbon lock that have been reported so far have also been primarily with women. Most of them just get in and drive while alot of men can't keep their foot out of it. So much for easy driving being good for the car!