How about a thread explaining how you would describe what a rotary engine is to a person who isn't as engine savvy as you are?

me: it has no cylinders, pistons, valves and it just revs high (lol)

spinning doritos

a 20th century waterwheel

Is a rotary engine, something that *YOU* retards will never understand.

*you* = whoever Im talking to.

It goes around and around, instead of up and down.

"....works .... sort of like a washing machine on the hi-speed spin cycle - with a balanced load!"

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/rotary-engine.htm

its like a pinwheel...but blows gas outta the exhaust...and isnt nearly as sweet-ass

Is a rotary engine, something that *YOU* retards will never understand.

*you* = whoever Im talking to.

I think you meant to say "rotard"





I usually just point to my seat and say "You see that triangle-thing in my seat?... Two of those things get bounced around in a cirlcle inside of the engine."

That's usually followed up with a "wow - you must get pretty good gas mileage with a tiny engine like that."

...*sigh*

Its a triangle that rotates in a oval housing..........tryin to use my hands to emulate the rotary and how it spins lol. Looks like i'm a magician or high on something :banghead: :Eyecrazy: :)

I use the following picture stolen from someone else...

http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=100472&d=1179843702

Like this - http://www.rotary13b1.com/keychain4.html

A regular car goes boing boing boing.....a rotary goes zooooooom

There are two groups of people that ask questions: People you feel like answering (friends, hot chicks, show judges) and people you don't feel like answering (random asshats at shows). A math head neighbor asked me and we actually got as far as how the geometric ratios of the engine determine the base compression ratio. Most of the time I either feign ignorance or give very short, often incorrect answers.

I think I've told people in the past:
It runs on diesel.
It's like a jet turbine.
The pistons spin.
It has triangular pistons.
It runs on goatsblood and happy thoughts.

A regular car goes boing boing boing.....a rotary goes zooooooom

Damn, someone beat me to this.

For you youngsters, back in the day when Mazda ONLY sold rotary engines and put them in 2 or 3 different types of cars, PLUS a pickup truck (this being the early/mid 1970s era), their ad campaign was:

"Other cars go boing boing boing boing boing boing boing (with a sound effect instead of the onamatopoeia "boing" there), and a Mazda goes HMMMMMMMMM"

It spins.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/rotary-engine.htm

Good, thorough info.

There are two groups of people that ask questions: People you feel like answering (friends, hot chicks, show judges) and people you don't feel like answering (random asshats at shows). A math head neighbor asked me and we actually got as far as how the geometric ratios of the engine determine the base compression ratio. Most of the time I either feign ignorance or give very short, often incorrect answers.

I think I've told people in the past:
It runs on diesel.
It's like a jet turbine.
The pistons spin.
It has triangular pistons.
It runs on goatsblood and happy thoughts.

Hilarious, I think I do the same thing!

I tend to give a too long and detailed responce than what most people want to hear. I just say it's an orbital engine rather than a reciprocating one.

It's like hoola hooping!

The slurp slurp sound you hear is the rotary guzzling gas.

It is a liquified coal steam engine.

The rotary engine = sex. End of topic.

spinning doritos

Hey! You stole my description!

I've been using this graphic forever:

http://www.mazdamaniac.com/images/misc/dorito.gif

I'd say a Dorito spinning inside a peanut, but no one ever seems to get that.

Hey! You stole my description!

I've been using this graphic forever:

http://www.mazdamaniac.com/images/misc/dorito.gif

I'd say a Dorito spinning inside a peanut, but no one ever seems to get that.

LOL!

All it takes is to read the book I just bought on engine mechanics, realize what a stupidly horrible design piston engines are (seriously, they destroy themselves by the mere act of running. The internal stresses are unbelievable). Now, imagine an engine that makes sense, and you have a rotary.

All it takes is to read the book I just bought on engine mechanics, realize what a stupidly horrible design piston engines are (seriously, they destroy themselves by the mere act of running. The internal stresses are unbelievable). Now, imagine an engine that makes sense, and you have a rotary.

Yea... too bad the rotary engine is torqueless, thermal ineficient machine with low reliability. And on top of everything, drinks gas like crazy!

hmmm... those stupid piston engines.....:rolleyes:

Torqueless? Yes, if not turbocharged. Thermally inefficient vs. piston counterpart? Yes. Less reliable? No way. Try this: Run a S2000 and RX-8 both to 8000 RPMs and leave 'em there, and see which one grenades first. People constantly lambaste the reliability of the rotary and they do it without any concrete proof.

What could be more durable than a motor that can sit at the fuel cut-off for more than 10 minutes with no coolant!
http://www.mazdamaniac.com/video/pop.wmv

Hey! You stole my description!

I've been using this graphic forever:

http://www.mazdamaniac.com/images/misc/dorito.gif

I'd say a Dorito spinning inside a peanut, but no one ever seems to get that.

i want to eat that dorito

Torqueless? Yes, if not turbocharged. Thermally inefficient vs. piston counterpart? Yes. Less reliable? No way. Try this: Run a S2000 and RX-8 both to 8000 RPMs and leave 'em there, and see which one grenades first. People constantly lambaste the reliability of the rotary and they do it without any concrete proof.

So why is it that you find more engine replacement posts in a forum like rx8.com than in any other forum... (especially for engines under 100k)?

So why is it that you find more engine replacement posts in a forum like rx8.com than in any other forum... (especially for engines under 100k)?

Maybe because people don't understand the basic principles of the engine and the few miniscule things it needs for longetivity. By the way, since you claim such a high attrition rate, maybe you can tell us what percent of cars had their motors replaced.

A spinning gas hog.

So why is it that you find more engine replacement posts in a forum like rx8.com than in any other forum... (especially for engines under 100k)?

you're simply making this up and don't have any actually facts that state this. We know we know, we all get you, you don't like the rotary engine and will purposely act negative in order to get a fire started in here. Let me guess whats next the gas mileage. Say us all the trouble with the negative posts, we can see you coming a mile away. :rolleyes:

So why is it that you find more engine replacement posts in a forum like rx8.com than in any other forum... (especially for engines under 100k)?


I don't know about that ... but think about it this way:

Mazda is the ONLY car company with the skills / and the ballz to continue production / development on a totally unique engine .. All the other car companies simply feed off all the engine developments that have been made for the piston engine over time!!!

Simple example : variable valve timing- Started by Honda ( i think) as Vtech" - now (in one form or another) in tons of cars.


Imagine how kick ass the rotary could possibly be if not one , but several companies were engineering for it!!!!!!

So what if there's been a few bad renesis engines .. perhaps you should buy Chevy's rotary engine sports car.

As long as Mazda continues to build rotary engine cars ,and stays unique I'll continue to own nothing but Mazda vehicles. ( Haven't bought another brand in 8 years)

Simple example : variable valve timing- Started by Honda ( i think) as Vtech" - now (in one form or another) in tons of cars.


Even that concept (variable intake tuning) was first mass produced in a rotary.

:puke:
http://www.mazdamaniac.com/images/misc/dorito.gif
Spinning Dorito fails!

No power source; it needs a big fuel injector, just off-centre, spraying on it!

Baked Doritos?

So why is it that you find more engine replacement posts in a forum like rx8.com than in any other forum... (especially for engines under 100k)?

Evidence of this please?

The most common cause of engine failure in ALL designs is oil starvation. Because the rotary, BY DESIGN forces oil into the combustion chambers (albiet in miniscule amounts) it comsume oil. Failing to monitor oil level and maintain a proper oil level probably has done in more engines that any other cause. That said, this statement is an unsubtantiated opinion and not fact, just like your statement.

honda didn't start valve timing and lift, they just made it popular and catchy and named it vtec. ferraris were the first ones to use some sort of valve lift and timing from their camshaft designs/movement, so technically, vtec, mivec, vvti, etc. were all knock offs from ferrari.

back to what this thread is about:
no valves, no cams, no problem

It goes around and around, instead of up and down.
+1 for the simplest way to say it.

Related story time: I was sitting at a light when I noticed a ~20 yr old guy in the car behind me pointing at my car while talking to his gf. As he was talking he made a little triangle with his fingers and then began moving one finger around and around. He gets points.

spinning doritos

ahahaha im going to use that the next time someone asks me... probably tomorrow.

So why is it that you find more engine replacement posts in a forum like rx8.com than in any other forum... (especially for engines under 100k)?

Well, you might want to take into account that mazda has admittedly had improper flashes for the car which caused some of the engine issues. They did a recall to fix this, and during this recall, if an engine was damaged it was supposed to have been replaced... So the recall might be part of the reason we see some of the engine replacements... just maybe...

Dorito = good, Pepto-Bismol bottle = better:

How about.. a weak gas guzzlin oil burning smooth high-revving engine? :FIREdevil

ok go easy on me, i did complement its 'smooth high-revving' attributes :)

yes, it burns oil. yes, it drinks gas like a a football player drinks gatorade. weak? weak is how i would describe your girl's abilities in bed.

thanks for the smooth high revving compliment though. i also got the same compliments from your girl.

How about.. a weak gas guzzlin oil burning smooth high-revving engine? :FIREdevil

ok go easy on me, i did complement its 'smooth high-revving' attributes :)

http://www.catwack.com/pics/173.jpg

A helicopter on wheels...............

I show them my rotary keychain

Triangle sex. http://www.cuttingedge.org/Triangle_Ra_Encircled_Seattle.gif

******** Thirsty!!! *******

You do realize that all the other car companies dropped developpement because of the thermal inefficiency as opposed to the piston engine. In simpler terms the piston engine was able to provided the same performance for less gas. This was a simple economic decision by the other car manufactures. Look at the volume of rotaries Mazda sells as opposed to pistons. They to understand this fact but use the rotary as a differentiator from the other manufactures. It is more of a sales tool then a technical advantage. Hell they had to hobble the MS3 so it wouldn't out run the RX in 0-60mph.

I like the rotary and it is unique but lets face reality. A piston engine is simply more efficient and no amount of development into a rotary will change that fact of physics. Enjoy your car but be realistic.

I don't know about that ... but think about it this way:

Mazda is the ONLY car company with the skills / and the ballz to continue production / development on a totally unique engine .. All the other car companies simply feed off all the engine developments that have been made for the piston engine over time!!!

Simple example : variable valve timing- Started by Honda ( i think) as Vtech" - now (in one form or another) in tons of cars.


Imagine how kick ass the rotary could possibly be if not one , but several companies were engineering for it!!!!!!

So what if there's been a few bad renesis engines .. perhaps you should buy Chevy's rotary engine sports car.

As long as Mazda continues to build rotary engine cars ,and stays unique I'll continue to own nothing but Mazda vehicles. ( Haven't bought another brand in 8 years)

You do realize that all the other car companies dropped developpement because of the thermal inefficiency as opposed to the piston engine. In simpler terms the piston engine was able to provided the same performance for less gas. This was a simple economic decision by the other car manufactures. Look at the volume of rotaries Mazda sells as opposed to pistons. They to understand this fact but use the rotary as a differentiator from the other manufactures. It is more of a sales tool then a technical advantage. Hell they had to hobble the MS3 so it would out run the RX in 0-60mph.

I like the rotary and it is unique but lets face reality. A piston engine is simply more efficient and no amount of development into a rotary will change that fact of physics. Enjoy your car but be realistic.
Well you cant be so blunt about it, I mean there are other factors involved in the Piston vs Rotary battle. Look at the rx7, back in the day when the FD came to the US, it dominated all of its competition and the only draw back was the cost, but still. Anyways we buy sports cars because we want to have fun, not worry about mpg =P I understand your point though, freaking camrys and other econoboxes run faster than us in terms of straightline speed. A good point in owning a rotary though is its low center of gravity, its 4 banger rival would probably the subaru's boxer and the porches.

A spinning top..........................

Piston = Woman on top position

Rotary = Rotating 69 ;)

Yea... too bad the rotary engine is torqueless, thermal ineficient machine with low reliability. And on top of everything, drinks gas like crazy!

hmmm... those stupid piston engines.....:rolleyes:

rant mode on. Too bad you are blatantly wrong on 2 out of 3. I keep having to tell people this over and over again but they never seem to comprehend this. The rotary is not torqueless. It is SMALL!!!! ANY small engine has relatively low torque compared to a larger engine! What is so hard for people to comprehend about this??? It's a simple concept. If we had a 5.7 liter rotary, it would have tons of torque. You don't buy a small engine and then complain about lack of torque. That's plain dumb. For it's size it is no worse than anything else therefore it isn't low in torque it is right where it should be.

The rotary is a very reliable engine when taken care of. Many have gone hundreds of thousands of miles until they literally wear out. You only hear about the bad stories online. You never hear people start threads that say "hey my engine didn't blow up today". You get a skewed outlook on reliability if you only look at forums.

It is thermally inefficient. That is it's downfall. Fortunately the fact that it is compact and lightweight for it's output gives it advantages that piston engines don't have. This along with the fact that it can be made to run on almost any fuel with very liitle and sometimes no work and now you've really got an engine that has potential compared to piston engines. If gas mileage is your issue than you probably aren't going to buy a big engine that has lots of torque so pick one. Which is more important.

Each engine has it's advantages and disadvantages but when people spout out complete and utter ignorant horsecrap like this, it really pisses me off. Rant over.

Too complected for you to undrestand! :spank:

As Smashing Pumpkins once said..."Despite all my rage, it is still just two rats in a cage" (slightly modified to better fit)

rant mode on.
Each engine has it's advantages and disadvantages but when people spout out complete and utter ignorant horsecrap like this, it really pisses me off. Rant over.

http://www.catwack.com/pics/194.jpg

A whirling dervish..................

It's like a small lite weight piston engine that has less power and gets gas mileage like a big V-8.

You do realize that all the other car companies dropped developpement because of the thermal inefficiency as opposed to the piston engine. In simpler terms the piston engine was able to provided the same performance for less gas. This was a simple economic decision by the other car manufactures. Look at the volume of rotaries Mazda sells as opposed to pistons. They to understand this fact but use the rotary as a differentiator from the other manufactures. It is more of a sales tool then a technical advantage. Hell they had to hobble the MS3 so it wouldn't out run the RX in 0-60mph.

I like the rotary and it is unique but lets face reality. A piston engine is simply more efficient and no amount of development into a rotary will change that fact of physics. Enjoy your car but be realistic.

Thank you..............................+1

rant mode on. Too bad you are blatantly wrong on 2 out of 3. I keep having to tell people this over and over again but they never seem to comprehend this. The rotary is not torqueless. It is SMALL!!!! ANY small engine has relatively low torque compared to a larger engine! What is so hard for people to comprehend about this??? It's a simple concept. If we had a 5.7 liter rotary, it would have tons of torque. You don't buy a small engine and then complain about lack of torque. That's plain dumb. For it's size it is no worse than anything else therefore it isn't low in torque it is right where it should be.

The rotary is a very reliable engine when taken care of. Many have gone hundreds of thousands of miles until they literally wear out. You only hear about the bad stories online. You never hear people start threads that say "hey my engine didn't blow up today". You get a skewed outlook on reliability if you only look at forums.

It is thermally inefficient. That is it's downfall. Fortunately the fact that it is compact and lightweight for it's output gives it advantages that piston engines don't have. This along with the fact that it can be made to run on almost any fuel with very liitle and sometimes no work and now you've really got an engine that has potential compared to piston engines. If gas mileage is your issue than you probably aren't going to buy a big engine that has lots of torque so pick one. Which is more important.

Each engine has it's advantages and disadvantages but when people spout out complete and utter ignorant horsecrap like this, it really pisses me off. Rant over.

First off, why do you think I'm ignorant just by the fact that I state that the rotary engine has no torque? I guess almost everybody on this forum knows this. The size of the engine has it's advantages in distributing a good weight distribution in the car and all that crap. But let's face it, if Mazda doesn't do anything on improving the image of the rotary and fuel efficiency (which is the nature of he beast to be not so fuel efficient), I don't expect the rotary engine to last for much longer, and it will be a nice museum piece.

Please don't get me wrong. I am not complaining... I am just stating what everybody knows... I love my Rx8, and I LOVE MY ROTARY!. It gives me a completely different driving joy that I have never experienced before!. I am a first time rotary owner, and if I'm able to buy more rotary cars in the future, I probably will.
..........................

Yes, it is ovious that the rotary engine is small, therefore they are low in torque...
So no, I'm not wrong 2 out of 3. I think it might be 1 out of 3, because it might actually be reliable.

But let's face it, if Mazda doesn't do anything on improving the image of the rotary and fuel efficiency (which is the nature of he beast to be not so fuel efficient), I don't expect the rotary engine to last for much longer, and it will be a nice museum piece.Damn this sounds familar. Didn't I read this after the first "gas crisis", in 1975? And again in 1996?? In fact, wasn't 2005 gonna be the last year of the RX-8?? Oh no, wait—it was 2006. No… 2007. I read it right here! Gee, guess it was—what's the word?—oh yeah… wrong!

It's like a small lite weight piston engine that has less power and gets gas mileage like a big V-8.
A 1.3L piston engine would not have more power. It would just be weak and annoying. The power output of the rotary is extraordinary for a 1.3 with no FI.

Oh, and you spelled 'light' wrong.

You know what car has a 1.3L piston engine? My old Geo Metro and I can assure you THIS car is much much MUCH faster, although it does eat gas like a V-8; but for me the former outweighs the latter. In my opinion if the engine doesn't suit you then modify your engine, put in another engine, or buy another car.

A 1.3L piston engine would not have more power. It would just be weak and annoying. The power output of the rotary is extraordinary for a 1.3 with no FI.

Oh, and you spelled 'light' wrong.

Weak is weak no matter how you slice it. It's like saying, for a 5 year old that kid is really smart..... but in the big picture theres not a lot a 5 year old can tell you.

Feel free to spell check, I didn't.

First off, why do you think I'm ignorant just by the fact that I state that the rotary engine has no torque?

I don't know. How about the fact that it has plenty of it for an engine it's size. A Viper has no torque....compared to an ocean liner. It's got plenty.

Yes, it is ovious that the rotary engine is small, therefore they are low in torque...
So no, I'm not wrong 2 out of 3. I think it might be 1 out of 3, because it might actually be reliable.

I still don't think you understand so I'll disagree and hold the number at 2. By stating you are wrong on one account it is still an admission of being wrong though so I'm happy with that.

http://www.angelfire.com/ne/notears/compromise.jpg

http://www.catwack.com/pics/178.jpg

You know what car has a 1.3L piston engine? My old Geo Metro and I can assure you THIS car is much much MUCH faster, although it does eat gas like a V-8; but for me the former outweighs the latter. In my opinion if the engine doesn't suit you then modify your engine, put in another engine, or buy another car.

:) I use the Metro to explain the difference in power efficiency compared to a piston engine. Granted it is the upgraded Metro engine. 1L (55hp;58tq)vs 1.3L (70hp;74tq)

Renesis High power (238hp; 124tq)...


How do I describe the rotary --- Smooth (Rev the engine and the car does not jerk to one side like a piston engine)

runs on black magic and hamsters

A blender.

Weak is weak no matter how you slice it. It's like saying, for a 5 year old that kid is really smart..... but in the big picture theres not a lot a 5 year old can tell you.
232 bhp is not weak. And if the 5 year old could fit far enough back in my engine bay to give my car 50/50 balance then fine. I don't know what the hell that means so here's the point:
Little rotary engine allows for a balanced sports car. Little piston engine allows for a floundering econobox. The major competition from a big V8 is a rumbling slob with a low rent interior.

It has nothing to do with a 5 year old.
Feel free to spell check, I didn't.
Spell-check would not have picked up the word "lite" as it is spelled correctly. It is just not the right word.

232 bhp is not weak. And if the 5 year old could fit far enough back in my engine bay to give my car 50/50 balance then fine. I don't know what the hell that means so here's the point:
Little rotary engine allows for a balanced sports car. Little piston engine allows for a floundering econobox. The major competition from a big V8 is a rumbling slob with a low rent interior.

It has nothing to do with a 5 year old.

Spell-check would not have picked up the word "lite" as it is spelled correctly. It is just not the right word.


I don't think the child labor laws would allow you to put a five year old in your engine bay but go for it if you want. I wouldn't do it though as the deflooding procedure is really nasty.

The thread asked how would "you" describe the rotary not how would "Shinka - Dona" describe the rotary.

Zoom zoom

^^ what he said