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Rear Mid Mount Rotary Concept

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Old 02-27-2006, 08:31 PM
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Rear Mid Mount Rotary Concept

Buddy Lock And Load had wanted me to post these interesting ideas
What do you guys think ?
https://www.rx8club.com.au/forum/vie...?p=13006#13006

In my way of thinking the OPTIMAL rotary engined sports car would be a MID MOUNTED ROTARY ENGINED RX7 / RX8 .

The characteristics of the rotary engine would be ideal for this type of set up .
THE TRANSFERANCE OF POWER TO THE REAR WHEELS WOULD BE OPTIMIZED , the loss of the drivetrain would be minimal , resulting in a far more balanced and powerfull car , the size and weight of the rotary all work to its advantage in this type of set up .

Surely the Mazda engineers must have thought of this ? so why has it not been implemented ??

How much more would it cost to produce a mid mounted rotary sports car , instead of a front mounted rotary engined car that is by nature low on torque and has a greater loss of power through its drivetrain than piston engines .

Your thoughts suggestions are welcomed , maybe this thread could be moved to the rx8 club .com site it would be good to hear from people like Rotary god /Mazdamaniac etc .etc
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Old 02-27-2006, 08:40 PM
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a very high placed engineer from Mazda Japan said his highest wish is to put a renesis in a elise. i think there are many more like him in Japan who would like to give it a go and probably are.

of course what his posting about dynoing correctly has to do with a rear midship mounted renesis i have no idea.
Old 02-27-2006, 08:45 PM
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Mid engine cars tend to be less practical as trunk space is compromised and fitting a rear seat is very difficult to do. This would decrease the available market of a car and limit its sales. As much as we like to believe otherwise, Mazda is in this business to make money, and a mid-engined rotary concept hasn't yet been proven to make money. That would, however, be my ultimate dream car.
Old 02-27-2006, 09:49 PM
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of course lets make it clear that the RX-8 is a "mid engined" car as the definiton of mid engine means the weight of the engine is between the axles. the renesis is. mazda likes to call it "front mid ship" to not have confusing arguements with people who believe mid engine means engine mounted behind the seats
Old 02-28-2006, 01:41 AM
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If I remember correctly ,Mazda toyed with many options of engine placement .
Even Rear engine 'Alla 911 '.The problem with the rear mid mount was the sacrifice of two seats and engine ventilation .
I quite like where it is .I think they got it right there . I think where Lock's comming from is the huge loss in power through the drivetrain . But thats nothing a turbo could'nt fix anyway !

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Old 02-28-2006, 06:34 AM
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The RX7 always looked as if it should have had the engine mounted behind the driver.
Old 02-28-2006, 07:25 AM
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For the RX7 this would be perfect!
Old 02-28-2006, 03:22 PM
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Cooling a mid-mounted rotary might be difficult. I could be done, but I don't know how effective it would be. This is all kit/custom car experience. A factory car might do better as there is more space.
Old 02-28-2006, 03:36 PM
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A front engine car can use a conventional Aisin transmission and still have 50/50 balance. A rear engine car needs a transaxle, I guess that would add cost. Plus you end up with a chassis that's not going to be as versatile, whereas the 8 shares some stuff with Miatas.

Oh and you can extend footwells to take up the empty space around the engine in a front engine setup, so you get good legroom, trunk space, and rear seats. If you extended some cabin spaces into a rear engine car's engine bay, what would you gain? Nothing.

Last edited by BaronVonBigmeat; 02-28-2006 at 03:40 PM.
Old 03-01-2006, 09:47 AM
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I have spent hours dreaming up my Rotory powered super car. I have pages and pages of sketches.

My concept, a 5 sided, twin rotor, twin turbo charged motor. Mid engine, Rear wheel drive. Dual V-mounts located in front of the rear wheels w/ scoops (think Testorosa). and air scoops located on the roof. Still haven't finished the exterior design yet (not so great in that area).

The 5 side rotor would be great. Sits in a 4 clover shape housing and is esentially 2 motors in one. A turbo on each side. I estimate 400 hp on a conservative 6-8 psi. Capable of 600+ no prob. A few more sketches and I will see about my uncle making a small metal model (movible but not functional).

At least that is my dream. Just one lottery ticket away from reality
Old 03-01-2006, 06:48 PM
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I don't care if it's missionary position or doggy style, it's all good to me i.e. front mid-engine vs rear mid-engine ...


Originally Posted by zoom44
of course lets make it clear that the RX-8 is a "mid engined" car as the definiton of mid engine means the weight of the engine is between the axles. the renesis is. mazda likes to call it "front mid ship" to not have confusing arguements with people who believe mid engine means engine mounted behind the seats
Old 03-03-2006, 06:58 PM
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Originally Posted by No Rotor Yet

The 5 side rotor would be great. Sits in a 4 clover shape housing and is esentially 2 motors in one. A turbo on each side. I estimate 400 hp on a conservative 6-8 psi. Capable of 600+ no prob. A few more sketches and I will see about my uncle making a small metal model (movible but not functional).
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