Replacing an Audi TT with 170K miles since July 99. What is the longevity history of the rotaries? RX7 or RX 8. Caaertainly expect to incurr expenses equivilant to a major TT service - Timing belt etc. ~ $1200-1500 @ 90k miles.

 

That's a fair bit of mileage!

To answer your question, no one's sure exactly how long the Renesis will last since it's relatively new.

One would hope it should last the same mileage as your TT if it is properly maintained.

Some older rotary engines have lasted the same mileage so all we can do is keep our fingers crossed. :o

 

Where the HELL did you drive to? Mordor????

 

Yes yes...discuss...I would love to hear old rotary tales....

Let us know you Rotor Heads...

 

:D If I had a TT Aragorn I could definitely understand how you could put 35km per annum on it....great driving and fun. Hopefully the 8 will go the distance as well.

 

I have a 74 Rotary pick up with 179K on it

 

Considering that I'm, if everything stays the same, going to keep my next car (INSERT RX8 HERE GOD WILLING) I hope the 8 will last me at least 80,000 to 130,000 miles.

I only put like 10,000 a year on my cars...sometimes less...

 

Cool! What's the secret to the longevity?

 

1990 turbo with 127k on rebuilt engine

 

there is NO timing belt to replace on a rotary engine :D

and with proper maintenance (CHANGE YOUR OIL RELIGIOUSLY!!!), the renesis should outlast all the previous rotary engines.

 

FC RX-7 Turbo, original engine went for 150K before replacement, new engine went for 60K at 10psi before the car was wrecked, 2nd engine was fine at that time.

FD RX-7 TT, not so good luck with the original engine, but that was my fault for improper tuning.

Any NA rotary should last longer than 175K if properly cared for.

 

Rotary Crazy thanks...but the "REBUILT' in your statement does not offer confidence. Why did you need to rebuild it?

I really hope the Renesis will be good to me!

 

14psi Wihtout Tuning, if rou leave stock boost level no problem.

My fd had 67,000 before I chage the speedometer (mazdaspeed 300 km now).

 

If kept well lubricated and not allowed to overheat, an NA Renesis should outlast a modern piston engine... I fully expect to see 150-200k miles if I don't boost it. And I change my oil every 2500 miles for insurance

 

Cool! What's the secret to the longevity?


Drive the hell out of it,and change the oil regularly.Oh yeah and don't let it over heat.

I have not had the REPU it's whole life,and I can'y guarantee the engine is the stock one,but I believe it is,but regardless these engines(Rotaries in general)are strong.

Also I have a 83 RX-7 with a used 12A from a junkyard in it.When I got the car it needed and engine so I got a junk yard one,and installed it 7 years ago.It is still running strong to this day.It had 80K on it when I got it and now the engine has well over 140K on it and still runs great.The normally aspirated engines last a good long while when they are even moderatly taken care of.I have beaten the hell out of the RX-7 as well so I would say these engines are very durable.

The 12A is the bastard child of the rotaries,but I think they are the most durable of them all,but what do I know.Buy the 8 you will be happy,and oh yeah check and change the oil.

 

I'll refer you to a story I posted a few years back. Be warned it's a long post.

 

Have the 8 and extremely happy....but it's only got 1,000 clicks on it (that's km where I live) so it's finally broken-in. Up-coming high revs soon...with regular oil changes as stated hope it lasts cause I'm about to kick it's butt

 

I sold my '90 RX-7 with 147k miles on it about 6 months ago (original engine and trans) and it was running exceptionally well. As far as I know it's still running fine to-date. Unless you don't keep up with normal maintenance (oil changes, basically and then the odd things like coolant flushes, etc) then I would expect to see the Renesis last at least as long. I have 19k on my '8 so far (since July '03) and it's been trouble free. My breaks sqeak a little but not enough to be an annoyance to me...

 

I had a 1981 RX7 with 140,000 miles when I got rid of it. The engine was still running fine but the body was starting to rust pretty bad. I got $600 as a trade in on a new 1989 Mustang 5.0 LX.

 

I've seen many 86 to 88 NA RX7s reach and exceed 200k miles. Will the renesis do as well with it's smaller apex seals and wider side seal clearances, exhaust heat applied to new areas, not to mention higher revs? It remains to be seen.
I hope so.

 

As long as you put oil in them, they'll be fine.

 

I had a 1982 RX-7 with 150K miles on it when I had to part with it (it was 16 years old). The engine was still running strong though the car had some cosmetic issues by that age.

Gave me the confidence to grab an RX-8 and look forward to another 10+ years!

 

I've owned 5 RX-7's and all went well over 100K with no engine problems. The 81 had over 150K and I abused it pretty severely (I was 18). I bought an 83 with a seized motor (owner overheated it several times) and replaced it with a junkyard motor which ran fine. If you maintain the car according to the owners manual, you can get well over 200K out of a rotary. Severly abuse and/or neglect it and you can expect a 150K blue smoking machine.

On the operator error side of things, you cannot neglect coolant and oil as well as any filters (gas, air, oil, etc). I haven't heard any Renesis overhearing stories but it's common knowledge that overheating a rotary is instant or premature death. Neglecting oil will mostly shorten lifespan.

Although rotaries require more maintenance attention, and this may sound strange, but it I've found that you bond more with the car. It's not a maintenance free appliance like a Honda but you can expect excellent quality and engineering.

 

You can download the owners manual form the mazda website. It has the recommended service schedule. If you're a hyper maintainer, bring the schedule into the service manager at your dealer and ask him to price out the cost of the interval services. That'll be your worst case scenario.

Since you are probably going to use up the warranty in two years you might want to consider extended warranty. Personally, I don't believe in them but others do.

 

I had a 1988 with 189,000 miles that finally went due to overheating.

Changing the oil every 5,000 miles, doing the regular spark plug, fuel filter, hydraulics, brake fluid etc changes and checks and making sure it doesn't over heat and you should see many many miles problem free.