Yeah, i tend to agree. I don't put much relevance in Ring times. Too many ways to game the system. Not that I think that the Type R isn't fast, it is for sure. Just how much of it is what you can get from the dealer and how much of it was specifically set up for the Ring?


I mean, Ferrari is the most blatant about it, but all manufacturers do it to some degree.
How Ferrari Spins

 

I always read that it was the best way to judge a car due to the imperfect surface and layout of the track. But yeah I am sure they can fudge the numbers. Either way the new Type R would trounce anything rotary stock for stock. But it is way newer so not really a fair comparison unless you want to make blanket statements about how a rotary is faster than a Honda . But yeah I have seen a few (I think I read the Nismo GTr did the same thing) that use specific tires and don't share the details.

 

Yup, it's a potent car. And it's a good test ground.

Too bad they don't all agree to use the same tire compound and set up as you would get from the dealer... It would mean a lot more then. It's basically just a version of trying to compare the street RX-8 to the street Corvette using the Grand Am version of each.

As it is, cars with slower times could be falsely under-evaluated, and faster times falsely over evaluated. It just undermines the entire concept to the point of generalities. Every justification "yeah well it had..." just moves it further from a fair comparison.

 

Ferrari is the WORST at it. Recently discussed by Doug Demuro, Chris Harris, and Top Gear. They obsessively try to control all aspects of media reviews of their cars. The quintessential example of how you will never get the performance that you read in a magazine review in your off the assembly line version...

Whereas companies like Mazda, Porsche and BMW ALWAYS provide garden variety cars for tests and reviews.

 

Talking about Honda, I almost sold my LS and got a F20C to swap into my 8. That would be a cool swap, kind of a piston version of the Renesis But after some thought, I wanted a little more HP and torque so I kept the LS, since I already had it.


Now since this a **** talking swap thread... It seems that there's two types of people swapping engines here: people with money and no time, and people with time and no money. I really don't get it. Why would you even attempt a swap if you're broke? These things are money pits.

 

Essentially any project car is a money pit.. the fact that people think they can do these things on a budget is laughable. Something has to give, there are always compromises.

 

Yup. That's for sure.

I think I'm in for 30-40k so far and it ain't finished!

 

I mean, there's always a budget, unless you're really rich. What I don't get is people that can't even afford to do a proper rebuild on an existent motor, thinking it's a good idea to swap in a different engine. What kind of results can you expect when you start your project cutting corners? Just sell it all and put a down-payment on a Kia already.

 

It is a swap I have considered as well but a K24 swap with turbo would be fun too. But I have a few swap ideas, in the end after I convert from a low mount to a top mount turbo kit (already purchased) on the Renny I may get serious about a swap. But it would likely be a rotary swap.

Any swap in an RX-8 won't make sense financially and I have no clue why people claim they can do it cheaply. But I would probably never sell the 8 and a swap is cheaper than any new car I would want as a toy, and I don't plan on taking my money with me when I die anyway so why not .

But for the next couple of years it's all about optimizing what I have.

 

lol because racecar, dur and anything is better than the Renny,,


my total budget has moved to $6,500 including price of the car $2700,,


so far im in $2950

and projecting a test drive mid spring

 

Face palm.

I was reading posts from guys on the LS RX8 Facebook group yesterday about whether they can do the swap under $5k excl car purchase, and people don't seem to get it.

It is not a cheap chassis to play with unless your okay with a build that looks like it was designed and executed by a blind 8 year old.

I'm definitely trying to keep costs to a minimum with mine, but within reason, as every corner cut will be some type of sacrafice in the end. I'll have well over $10k into my $2k RX8 before the first time I get to drive an RX8 lol

 

This is how I justify the bill too, there's nothing I can buy for 50k that interests me or will be as much fun plus super quick for even double that, in australia at least. Remember ur cars are cheaper there. A reasonable s1 rx8 here is still 14k

 

I'm hoping it can be done for $15-20K with a used LS2 and GTO T56. Still waiting for V8R to finish their kit though before I can price everything out. If it's more than that I'll just wait for the 987.2 Cayman S to hit $30K and sell the Mazda when they do.

 

I would say that is a realistic budget to get you a well built car vs some of the hacked together messes I've seen. the V8R kit is by far the best setup available for the RX8 at this point IMO

Im figuring I will have $4-5k in just support parts for the swap, like exhaust, cooling, intake, wiring, steering etc etc, but thats with fabricating everything myself.

I anticipate by the time I am actually done the car it will be a $15k swap including a 8.8 rear end swap, engine/trans and everything built so I can happily put 50k miles on it. That $15k could get me a nice C5 Corvette, but I am in love with the RX8 now, and I put 30k on my '99 FRC C5 vette and got bored of it lol

 

We won't hold our breath.

 

After putting together my budget heavily relying on V8R for fabed parts id say $15k is pushing it for any proper v8 conversion. Even if i was taking a Fab-most-of-it-myself with a GOOD used engine and trans approach id still budget 20k....

Using mostly new parts for an LS3 conversion cost is realistically around $30k, IF and only if you are starting with a chassis that does not need a lot of repair/TLC. (Which i am not)

 

Where the hell did this crop of realistic swappers come from?!?!

 

gravey they are fools to spend that much. one weekend and $2500 is all you need for a proper ls swap

 

My short backstory. I've been a rotary guy for better part of 20 years (on and off for the first 10). I've built both street and track cars. Even a championship winning NASA PT RX-7. Love the rotary for the track, my favorite engine to drive on a road course. But an N/A rotary on the street is in my opinion, boring. Turbo cars are great but i've never been sold on the renesis overall due to the sideseal issues. I got a bug to do something different over this winter so i decided to go to the darkside this time. But, do it right over at least a year and spend the money needed to make it something special. Further, I'm saving a very straight, one owner, 05 shinka chassis with an AT, who's realistic next stop was the boneyard (even though im daily driving in currently).

 

If we are dreaming as part of this thread....someday....my racecar will have a renesis based PP non-turbo 3-rotor.

 

i love the bcm color

 

Yeah i specifically sought out a Black Cherry Shinka

Even though the engine and trans in this 135k car is a complete worn-out turd, the chassis is still so utterly spectacular...

 

^Good on you for the rescue, how's the interior holding up on it?

 

I would say average for a 10 year old florida car. The leather may be resurrectable, but probably will need to be replaced. I've replaced some of the usual suspects already including: Passenger Airbag dash panel was cracked badly, center console slider cover was broken (of course). But overall it's ready for the conversion. The exterior needs more love, no rust, but faded and oxidized in spots, with quite a few scratches and dents. But the paint looks original everywhere and it's perfectly straight so no accidents.

When i bought the car 4 fuses were blown including the main fuse and it was BADLY flooded. The heater temp dial was in need of the resolder work. I got it started, fixed the heater, and even got the sirius sat radio working LOL. Been driving it in the last throws of this MN winter for a month now...it really complains when you try to start it hot but, it runs!

 

Not sure where you got that from.
When I've ran at the strip BC is off... spring only, 12psi.

But around town I daily @16psi running street tires.