I've seen a few members here installing the GReddy turbo kit on the 8 and I'm wondering about the reliability issues that come along with the added boost. I'm sure the first wave of turbos installations have passed and the "wow" factor seems like the turbos have been a nice eye opener for the 8. However, now that maybe a few have run 1K, 5K, 10K+ miles on the boosted rotary, has anyone blown an apex seal or any other vital engine part? maybe the side of the rotor? :o

just wondering...

 

Over 1000 miles since putting on my Greddy Turbo kit.. no problems yet other than having to change the plugs out.

 

lets see how thing are in summer when temp. hit the 90' s
hope iam wrong but i think things are going to heat up if you know what i mean :D

 

Well, when the temp goes up, the boost level naturally goes down a bit. If I didn't have a boost controller, I would lose about 2psi worth of boost because of the higher outside air temp. This would bring me from 7psi to roughly 5psi. Since I do have a boost controller, I'll be able to keep it at 7psi.

And yes, I'm eager to see how she handles in the hotter temps.

 

Really? looking at PV=nRT equation, pressure is directly proportional to Temp (if volume remains constant). please tell me if I'm wrong....

 

PV=nRT is the ideal though--when dealing with turbos you have heat loss issues--and heat soaking of intercoolers. Boosted cars have dimished performance when the temps rise; hence the Intercooler water sprayer systems on EVOs and WRXs. My RX7 and my Millenia Ss performed alot better in cooler temps.

 

ah! I forgot about the heat loss. oops. sorry about that... thanks!

but back to the subject..... so far we only have one person with 1K miles on a boosted 8? I want to see some daily driven, bumper to bumper traffic, 20K+ miles, 250rwhp, in TX summer heat!!! :-)

 

hotter = air is less dense. less dense means less air getting in engine, meaning less pressure and less combustion.

 

Well, my 8 is a daily driver. Just wait until May-October here in NJ when the temp gets 90+ with near 100% humidity.

 

the orginal godfather (shawrf1, the SEMA greddy car) has been turbocharged for about 6 months now...but he is stationed overseas and his car is in LA, so we don't hear much from him

 

the only problems i herd was the e manage was a little messed up with the first batch know one right now really knows the ture problem its seem but im sure greddy will work it out they cant havea bad rep with all the 8 owners.....

 

a vented hood will do WONDERS for the heat dissipation.

 

I am getting an water intercooler sprayer for my car. Hopefully this will help a little bit for the summer 1/4 mile runs (in keeping the charge temperatures down a bit).

 

Didn't he post that he was well over 1500 miles so far? I remember reading that somewhere. Also remeber that Pettit has logged over 5,000 miles on their boosted 8 down in Florida so far, but that is a supercharged car, and they have been kind of quiet lately.

 

Since we're on the topic of water spray intercoolers... are you guys interested in a DIY type or a kit? I am too lazy to see if any of you FI RX-8 guys have read this little DIY yet, but I found it to be an interesting read.

 

Anybody worried about the CARB approval issue. I too, read the initial threads about the GReddy turbo and immediately went out researching this as a possibility in my area. I called a couple fo companies, like Mazdatrix and Racing Beat to get their input. They felt that 5 psi of boost wouldn't tear the engine apart, but both said that the new Renesis engine is a high combustion engine that wouldn't really handle much more boost than that. They indicated that similar set-ups on Rx-7's required low compression rotors and a different manifold. These are not available, may not be available for the 8.

I then was somewhat dissapointed, but went down to a couple of local tuner shops to see what their input was. They really wanted to put the turbo on, but install and additional parts like a boost contoller, gauges etc. would run me between 5500 and 7500 to install and dyno.

I asked both shops about the CARB issue. They said that this meant that GReddy didn't go through the additional time and money to get ther kit approved. They indicated that is doesn't mean that it wouldn't pass a smog test, but that most shops/smog techs wouldn't be able to pass the car on the visual inspection portion of the test. Now, the shops explained that there may be some techs that would pass over the visual portions, but this may be hard to find.

The only other way around this problem would be to "convert" the turbo kit bakc to stock by disengaging the turbo. I asked "But what about the intake portion?". I've gone through the hassle of taking an intake tube off and placing the stock intake housing back on for smog checks, but this was a short ram on a S10 pickup, not a turbo setup.

I guess what I'm most worried about, in addition to possible damage to an engine (voiding warranty issues), is the difficulties that will develop at that first smog check time. The tuner shops I talked to said, "we can do something to help you"....the only other statement that they made was "well, if you don't plan on keeping your car for that long, what are you worried about".

Sorry for the rambling....but I, like others, were very excited about the possibilites of a turbo setup...I guess I just have to do more research and see what you guys experience down the road with your setups.

 

It is currently not CARB approved. Honestly turbo systems would be very hard to get CARB approved as they hinder the function of the catalytic converter. It impedes the light off during cold starts. That was never a worry for me, as I knew what to get into.

it should not be anywhere close to $7500 to buy & install the unit. You can buy the unit for about $2950, get it/everything installed & dynoed for about $1500-$2000. The gauges are about $400 +/- , gauge pod is another $200-$300. You do not need the boost controller or other S-AFC units on a stock turbo kit. Where you will need these things is once you turn up the boost.

Shoot me a PM. if you don't mind driving out to the valley & leaving it with my mechanic for a week or two he can do the install & dyno it for you.

 

Anything with forced induction will give you less fuel economy than a naturaly aspirated counterpart. Less fuel economy means greater emissions.
I don't know if the greddy kit gets you to take out your air pump for fitment (Im assuming the 8 has an air pump like the other 7's) but if it remains in the car, and you have your cats, I wouldn't worry to much.

The second gen TII for example doesn't have nearly the same emissions technology/prevention as the 8 and its running a turbo.

Personally, at 5psi you REALLY don't have anything to worry about in terms of engine wear. The only thing a rotary CANNOT take in terms of forced induction problems, is detonation. If you can prevent that, im sure you could boost the engine to like 10psi with no real wear problems.

 

what exactly is detonation ...not to clear on that ...

 

Pre-Greddy Turbo MPG = 10.5

Post-Greddy Turbo MPG = 15-16mpg

Your guess is as good as mine!

 

****, my Masarati Quatro port got 11. It weighed 5000 Lbs. and had 300 cu in and four weber carbs.
But it had the most luxurious interiior of any car, was a big box and would go 150MPH. Cruise the desert from Vegas with four aboard at 120 all afternoon in perfect comfort. That was it's element around town it was just to big.

 

i want to instal one but i'm not sher of th problems at long time.

 

WHAT IS DETONATION?

Detonation (also called "spark knock") is an erratic form of combustion that can cause head gasket failure as well as other engine damage. Detonation occurs when excessive heat and pressure in the combustion chamber cause the air/fuel mixture to autoignite. This produces multiple flame fronts within the combustion chamber instead of a single flame kernel. When these multiple flames collide, they do so with explosive force that produces a sudden rise in cylinder pressure accompanied by a sharp metallic pinging or knocking noise. The hammer-like shock waves created by detonation subject the head gasket, piston, rings, spark plug and rod bearings to severe overloading.

Mild or occasional detonation can occur in almost any engine and usually causes no harm. But prolonged or heavy detonation can be very damaging. So if you hear knocking or pinging when accelerating or lugging your engine, you probably have a detonation problem.

 

I was about to send you a PM about your fuel economy after the turbo install. Also, wink wink...we all have seen how you drive your 8 (keeping her above 5K at ALL TIMES) LOL, so that explains the 10mpg issue...LOL, I'm just messing with you man...lol

BUT, WOW....how the heck are you getting MORE HP & BETTER FUEL economy????

ALERT...ALERT....

Philodox keep checking the fuel economy for us because this just blows my mind??? By your numbers...lol, my 8 would be getting 24-26mpg in the city...LOL

 

I would be interested in hearing from other members who have installed the kit as well for MPG issues. I am considering the kit as well and am currently getting about 21-22 MPG, with 98% of this highway driving. A signficant hit to this number may turn me away from getting the turbo at this point as I put about 380+ miles on my car during the work week.