urbanlegendrx8

Ok...here the deal everybody: The shop that is doing the 20b swap just got delivered the 20b. I need to know where to go next with all this. Don't misunderstand me I have all the faith in the world with the shop that is doing the work however I would like some insight from those that have done such a swap on their rides first. I would appricate any and all post on this thread.

These are my goals:

450hp max...I'm not after crazy power or a 10 second drag car...It will actually be a daily driven(for the most part) and road raced on occasion.

Yes it will be turbo( single)

My questions:

Should I or is it needed to do a rebuild with porting work done to it?

What are suspension/drivetrain modifications needed for this?

I read that the 20b motor sticks out 7 inches longer in the rx8 than the Renesis...how much of a difference will there be in regards to handling and overall drive feel of my 8 after the newly implanted motor?

Churchill
aka Urban Legend

Transam kid 01

iTrader: (1)

Seems to me that these should have been questions to ask before your purchase....

maxxdamigz

iTrader: (1)

The 20B is a used engine and a rotary. Most people would want to rebuild an engine before they drop it in. I doubt porting will be required to hit 450 whp. The increased hp is going to drastically alter the squat of the car under acceleration and throttling through turns. The engine will likely require a custom cradle/mount construction. You will have pretty much an entire custom engine bay. Really, if you don't know these things, you are pretty much at the mercy of the shop doing the install. It's going to be a lot of fab work.

angeljoelv

For those numbers (450 max hp), I would have gone 13b. I wouldnt spend all the extra work and money for the 20b swap to achieve those numbers. Which are very possible with a cosmos 13b swap. the 20B is indeed a longer engine, so you either custumize the crossmember or cut into the firewall ( please dont). Which you dont need to do with a 13b swap. Dont get me wrong, a 3 rotor swap is the BOMB, But why spend all that money and effort if you are going to limit the power of the 20B. Again, it would really be a cool swap, but money wise.... Dont know if the right route for those numbers.

This is my baby..

swoope

iTrader: (5)

is it going now?

might be in town the weekend of the 20th

beers

26B RX8

100% with angel.
the only difference is that those 450hp with be very reliable at 8psi.
if you need a new turbo/ wastegate/ all more parts not expensive email me at
detorresgroup@aol.com

Oh, and this is my baby!! lol

urbanlegendrx8

Thank you for those who has answered...

Yes ,26b rx8, that is exactly what I am after: reliable power. RS Motors in Burnsville, MN...Angel, you're gonna be in Minneapolis area the 20th? I am dropping off my car this tuesday the 17th.

Umm...another reason for the 20b and not the 13b is that I'm after something different and amazing. I have never been a person to do anything everyone else is. The 20b is a coveted motor and I wanna be apart of something special.

As I mentioned in my initial post I do a little road racing so addressing the weight difference, weight balance and power transfer is crucial.

26b rx8, I do need some guidence on what turbo choices. My shop recommened a 35r turbo, says that it's good for 600hp...what does everybody think.

Thank you all for taking the time to reply/post...plz keep them coming!

Churchill

urbanlegendrx8

Angel....Aside from the turbo what did your conversion involve?

26B RX8

gt42r for the power you need is more than ok...I can sell you one brand new garret gt42r for $750.00 and a brand new hks gt 60mm wastegate for $400.00
the wastegate will be very important because you will be at a low boost setting, therefore a good /big wastegate will be needed to control boost spikes. I also can sell you a e11v2 haltech to control that engine. Brand new $800.00 with a long wire harness. and much more things if you are interested.
let me know.

04RX8man

angel....uh...wow...yeah thats it.......

dznutzuk

GT35r for a 20b, no chance in hell. Way way way too small, it'll take a dump really quick. The 20b has way too exhaust for a small turbo like that. I would put a gt42r on it, even a gt4094 might be too small of a turbo for that engine.

urbanlegendrx8

Could anybody help me out with parts list that is needed to do the swap...

26b rx8, can you send me pics of the haltech and wastegate???

chsouksa@gmail.com

dozer

iTrader: (3)

wow is this guy serious? ^thats a something you gotta research, this shouldve been done months in advance

whats your budget?

26B RX8

I'll sendyou pics tomorrow.

urbanlegendrx8

dozer, i've actually been planning this for months however the internet seems to have limited resources for the 20b RX8 swap...unless my google isn't actin right...could you point me into the right direction of any website that you know about?

As for my budget...One thing I DO realize is this is not a cheap and I do have funds to support such a project. I'm not the type to just had someone my credit card and say "go nuts".

Another reason for asking is b/c I want insight of how each person did THEIR 20b conversion...see what kinda problems they had. Considering a lot of custom work has to be done in the engine bay, a lot "custom" problems must have come up and I would like to hear bout them...or maybe what would they have done differently, etc, etc....

It's embarassing if I came off as a knuckle head that askes obscene questions, that might just be in over his head....I'm extremely new to this forum stuff soooo maybe I don't have proper forum ettique.

Thank to all to took the time to read me defend myself, LOL!
And more thanks to those who could help me out with my questions.

Churchill

rgonza

Yes, very small turbo it will breake your engine at 4000 + rpm you can,t reach 350 rwhp with this turb0.go for gt 45 or gt 47. For the ECU Platinum Sport 2000 work very fine in 20B application. For wastegate use 2 60mm

arghx7

what are you doing to control all the interior gauges? Do you have parts for a return fuel system? What size injectors are you going to run? Are you going to run them with a saturated driver (voltage controlled) and resistors or will you have an EMS can run them in peak-and-hold ?

Who is fabricating your manifold? Are you going to recirculate the wastegate into the downpipe? Where will the wastegate be placed? What size exhaust will you have, and how quiet do you need it to be? What size intercooler core are you going to go with? What size piping? How are you going to handle A/C or P/S if you plan to keep them? How important is idle quality and what idle speed range are you looking for? Are you going to control it with an idle speed control valve or block that off and adjust only the throttle body? What is your ignition system going to consist of, what coils etc? How will you wire the fuel pump?

you better have answers to all those questions and many many more...

illsuspect

if this dude has the resources to have this done , i say go for it .
this should be nasty when its done ,and bring some more credit to the rx8 community.
not every body that likes cars is a gear head. thats concerned with every little piece, hes askin some of the right questions, i cant wait to see pics...

p.s. you realize for a DD you will be gettin about 8MPG highway....lol

arghx7

if you're doing a 20B swap into an Rx-8 you better become one, especially if you want reliability.

it won't be that bad if it's tuned right. Do you think the Cosmos got 8mpg highway? There is a whole 20B section on the rx7 forums.

urbanlegendrx8

Rob, yea, I have heard lots of good things about the Haltech Platinum Sport 2000. After talking to Ron the other day(Owner of RS Motors and guys doing my swap) we think that this is the route to go with ECU...However 2 Wastegates?!?!....Rob, what are the benefits and/or how is it neccessary???

Ok....now I wanna exhaust(no pun intended)something...I'm the first to admit that I have limited experience modification, tuning and quote-unquote being a TRUE Gearhead. In, '99 I started off with a '98 Mazda 626 and raced the **** outta it...a manual V6 that was spraying 100 wet of the giggles...Frown on my platform of choice? Well I wanted to be different....while everybody else were rockin the H&A's and could easily buy off the shelf stuff to get quick, I didn't. For the simple reason that there wasn't **** for aftermarket stuff for the 626. Like most I tried to teach myself a thing or two by tearing into the car myself and puttin back together. It was then I started doing stuff myself (Intake Manifold & TB Porting, Nitrous, Intake....**** even a failed attempt of sanding and priming my car, driver side had more waves than the ocean, haha)

I knew my car...what it could and couldn't do...and what I wanted to accomplish with it. In the end when I sold it I was happy with what I accomplished. With the 8 things are a little different...First of all I'm older now....I manage and am part owner of a retail business, if anybody has ever been a person of any kind of management, sometimes there just isn't enough time in a day for the things you love.

2 months ago the most life changing thing happened...I got engaged. Those who know, KNOWS that after marriage anytime you do have, isn't your's anymore. That when I decieded that if i was ever gonna do with the 8...it was gonna be NOW.

My point: Yes,I made a hasty decision to do 20b swap without having all the answers on HOW to DO it or what I need in it. Yes, some of my questions may seem ignorant to most since I havn't had the pleasure working with turbos, let alone a rotary. However I do know how I want things done, I do know what I wanna accomplish with it, and if it wasn't for time restraints I'd be the one tearing up the car...

Those who wanna be apart of something special they listen and learn from the best. And the best people to learn from are those here on RX-8club.com...

Gotta get back to WORK!! I'M OUT!!

Churchill

blackenedwings

If you are doing a single turbo with the 20B you should look at producing higher numbers than 450. The 20B is a fantastic motor and the motor swap of choice for making the RX-8 a serious performer, but it is an order of magnitude more difficult than any other major modification with the car; including extensive bolt ons like a turbo kit. Unless you can pick up a LOT of knowledge fast, you are basically going to hand a blank check to your shop and hope they don't rip you off. A while back someone left their car with a 20B at Mazsport... it didn't turn out so well. My recommendation is to spend as much time as you can getting educated, have some frank discussions with your builder, and set some time/money goals/limits. There is a LOOOOOT more to a 20B build besides adapting mounts to fit the motor in the engine bay. You have to deal with engine management, gauges, ECU, tuning etc... not to mention things like a more free flowing exhaust, and wider tires to put the power down. Also don't expect this project to take 1-2 weeks... I've heard of professional shops taking 6-12 months to complete a 20B build. Best of luck to you, a 20B build is something I've given serious thought to myself, but its a massive undertaking even besides the raw cost.

urbanlegendrx8

Update:

Motor swap is on it's way...My car was delivered yesterday to the shop and motor will be taking out today while 20b will be prep'ed...i'll keep everybody posted and put up pics as they are taken...thanks

dozer

iTrader: (3)

good luck!

mac11

iTrader: (1)

That's fantastic, but the 4 seconds you do you should probably be spent on figuring out where you are about to toss your money than explaining to people why you didn't do your homework yet and that you're massive different yo.

mac11

iTrader: (1)

and a word to the wise. If you can't deal with things going wrong, with frustrations, with being over budget and past deadlines, if you can't deal with it not being as nice and comfy as it was off the showroom floor, if you can't deal with some quirks, you should be honest with yourself, end this all now and go buy yourself a corvette.