Hi, I'm new to the board and to Mazda rotary engined cars.
 

I saw the latest pics of the RX-8 and WOW! Awesome looking car.

I understand that the RX-8 has a new engine, so any information would be appreciated. I've got some questions regarding rotary engine Mazda's.

1. I heard of reliability issues with rotary engines, can you guys separate fact from fiction for me?

2. Is there a site that would give me good information regarding reliability or issues?

3. Are there any particular "regular" maintenance differences between piston and rotary engines?

Thanks for any information you guys can provide.

P.S. I posted what I think would be my ideal color combination in the pictures forum.

Welcome to the Rx-8 forum! I'll try to answers all of your questions:

I don't know too much about the new renesis rotary in the Rx-8, its improved and it 250hp all N/A which means it will last a very long time ;)

1) It all comes down to how you maintain your car, treat it like shit and it will do the same to you. Rotary engines are very reliable if maintained properly and i'll be honest with you, the turbo rotary engines don't last as long as the n/a ones but if you take it easy and don't overboost or race every damn day they will last. My 1984 Rx-7 has 250,000 original miles and it still runs very strong because i take care of it.

2) i'll give you a couple of links:
http://mrmazda.members.atlantic.net/...t.html#MILEAGE

http://www.mazspeed.com/

3) There isn't much of a difference between rotary maintenance and piston maintenance, but here's a couple of things you should always do if planning to owning a rotary 1) check the oil every week, if you run low on oil you'll harm the apex-seals and eventually lose them. 2) change the oil every 2000 miles and not 3000 miles like piston engines....thats all for now if you decide to own a rotary let me know and i'll give you many tips and tricks.

I hope i answered your questions, have fun in the forum!

-Johnny

nice info jonny....also the rotary inject a small amount of oil into the motor..thats why you have to constantly check more often then a piston engine

The car is still too new to glean all the tech info, but suffice it to say that it should be a LOT more reliable than the twin-turbocharged RX-7.

Here's a good site also.

Here's a site that you can learn a little about a rotary engine.
Rotary Engine Illustrated

Here's another good site that explains it pretty good:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/animation15.htm

Thanks for all the info!
 

Great links. I just got finished reading through, skimmed some parts, of Felix's Rotary FAQ. Lot's of good information there.

One of the reasons I am interested in the RX-8 is the handling reputation of the RX-7. When I get the RX-8, I plan on using it primarily as a daily driver, but I also wanted to do the occasional driver school and track days. One of my only concerns is the lack of low end torque. It seems that many of you have experience modifying your cars, I'm sure I will be asking many questions when my time comes.

Thanks again.

Just a note on reliability; my old 1985 RX-7 had 88,000 miles on it when I decided to add a BELL Supercharger with a Holley 4-barrel carb. I took the blower kit off 50,000 miles later. I finally sold my RX-7 in 1998 to by my Miata. The RX-7 had 198,000 miles on it and nothing - I mean nothing - ever went wrong with that car. At 13 years old it still didn't even have a spec of rust on it.

Wazza Wankel
 

I had a 90 RX-7 that I wasn't nice to but it lasted 250,000 miles.
Heck the car flipped several times at speeds exceeding 100MPH and she just looked like an abused tin can, no actual internal cabin damage. I just got a belt burn across my chest. I feel secure in a RX.

I get the best info here:

www.rotaryengineillustrated.com -How it works
www.monito.com/wankel/ -Rotary, it's Inventor and Producers
www.wankel-rotary.com -Rotary, it's Inventor
www.racingbeat.com -Parts specific
www.howstuffworks.com -Look up rotary and RX

If you want more just write.

Opps
 

I see that you already got a few of these. Oh well.

Do you know trig?
This car does need more mathmatical knowledge for greater accuracy in "block" modifications.
The rotor runs on a eliptical planatary orbit and rotation around the eccentric driveshaft. More rotations of the shaft for less orbits, efficient. While a piston does only one rotation per movement, typical.

Check out the tutorials and the animations on www.rotaryengineillustrated.com for more on that.

Apex
Keep that motor running.