i11matic

Mmk im probably going to look like an idiot but here goes...
1) is it going to be possible to turbo\supercharge the rx8? why or why not?
2) i understand that there cant be as many after-market upgrades because of the lack of pistons and whatnot... so im assuming no cams, etc. yes? are there different things you can do to upgrade a rotary engine that you cannot do to a cylinder\piston engine?
3) what do you think the max hp you'll be able to get the rx8 up to will be, all things considered (intake, exhaust, engine, maybe turbo, etc.)?

Sputnik

Noone looks like an idiot for asking a question. But most of the answers have already been given in this forum, so don't forget to look over a new forum before asking (heck, it might bring up other questions that haven't been asked yet).

The short answers:

1) Like any new car coming out, it will be possible to super or turbo charge the car. The thing is, it will take a lot of custom work, and alot of expense. The availability of a "kit" from an aftermarket vendor will depend on the demand for one, would depend on which vendor is making it, and would depend on how difficult it will be to put FI on this engine. Remember, it is a significant change from previous rotaries, which must be taken into account when "tuning" a car.

2) The lack of pistons doesn't restrict the number of upgrades, it just changes them. I'll let those who are more involved with the RX7 Internet community point you to some basic reading on the net.

3) That would be a guess from anyone. It's not only limited to our lack of knowledge on the Renesis' behavior, but on the items you mentioned. For example, how much HP we will get out of an intake or exhaust will depend on how restrictive those items turn out to be. How much HP you get from something like a turbo depends on how far you want to go, and what else you do with the engine.

We're not going to be able to tell until the car comes out, and someone steps up and voids their warranty . It's a good bet that that information will be available here once someone does.

---jps

i11matic

icic... thank you very much! i have read some of the other posts on this forum but some of the answers did not make sense to me and i didnt want to bring up a whole bunch of old threads to ask multiple questions, i figured it might be kinda rude and annoying :P

why would it be so expensive and difficult to turbo\supercharge it? i read something on here saying something about b\c its intake and exhaust are on the sides or something... didnt really understand it though.

thanks for your help sputnik.

Sputnik

Feel free to ask a question on a thread, even if it's a thread that is over a month old, it is not rude. It's actually normally better to bring those up so that people have a better idea of what you've read already, and know better how to answer your questions.

Lessee... take a look at http://www.rotaryengineillustrated.com/. It should give you more information than one can normally ingest in a single sitting.

As far as the intake/exhaust, they were talking about the ports inside of the engine itself (the website goes a little more into that). It was mostly speculation on their part, and personally, I don't see why it can't be done with the new Renesis rotary engine.

The expense comes from the fact that this rotary engine will have different characteristics, different emissions considerations, etc. etc. So, someone will have to design and build a completely custom exhaust manifold and downpipe (for the turbo), and a completely different intake setup for both the SC or turbo. This will be extra difficult because of the emissions equipment that you will have to incorporate in all of this.

But the most difficult part of this is the tuning. The amount of fuel to put in, and the way you bypass the stock ECU accomplish that is a big consideration. The amount of timing, and how you bypass the stock ECU to accomplish that is another big item. These are the same problems that you run into with a piston engine, but it will be doubly difficult because of the evolutionary changes to the rotary engine that noone has seen on the street before. So, it's a whole new learning process. Some of it will remain the same as past rotaries, and some will change. But you won't know which will be which until you test and tinker, and that will take time and money (especially if you blow an engine or two in the process, which is what it takes sometimes).

Someone involved with producing an aftermarket turbo system with the Protege' recently how the biggest hurdle they are finding is trying to get things to work with the ECU.

---jps