Feel of a Rotary Engine
12-20-2007, 01:18 AM
#51
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It was explained to me that much of the low-end torque produced in an engine is due to the mass of the moving parts. More moving mass equals more rotational momentum, which is converted into torque. The rotary lacks the moving mass of a conventional engine; therefore more rotational energy must come strictly from the "power stroke" (or whatever it's called in a Wankel) and not from conserved momentum. The Wankel excells at higher RPMs than a piston engine, so it's somewhat like comparing apples to oranges.
Is this actually a fair description, or is it in need of correction/refinement?
Is this actually a fair description, or is it in need of correction/refinement?
12-20-2007, 04:09 PM
#52
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If an electric engine could have soul, it would sound like this. Imagine an auto parts jockey grinding a Honda starter motor's gear into the corner of an 8-foot length of pressure-treated 4x4 pine. Put your ear on the other end of the beam and you'd hear Renesis. Well, maybe. Either way, it sounds so cool you just want to mash the throttle all the time.
Although it sounds flat and uninspiring at idle, the 8 has a distinct and intoxicating sound at speed and high RPMs. Not an exhaust sound, but an engine sound that's part induction & part turbine in sound that ranks right up there with air cooled flat sixes (my fav.). That said, an old Ducati with Contis or a Tubi equipped Ferrari make a good case for exhaust sounds, as does my litrebike with a Hindle that literally barks when I blip the throttle - sounds pissed, especially at over 12000rpm!
But the Renny has more character than just sound, it's defined also in engine feel and power delivery. While you can isolate vibes from even the most unbalanced engine nowadays, the rotary needs no such tricks. It's guilt free engine thrashing and I have yet to drive anything as smooth. As for power delivery, I tend to be an "in slow out fast" driver/rider, and there's nothing worse than trying to gradually increase throttle while having to compensate for boost or erratic power delivery. I've sworn off of chipped turbo's a while ago, and prefer a perfectly linear power curve. Or even better, my BMW flat twin produces about the same level of power anywhere in the rev band, though its flat power curve can be less exciting than the feeling of power coming on from a conventional engine.
Anyways, nice thread, the stuff that makes cars feel special - rather than debating what's faster or which one gets chicks - is not something that's discussed here that often.
Last edited by 9291150; 12-20-2007 at 04:20 PM.
12-20-2007, 05:28 PM
#53
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I think the idle isnt THAT smooth but when driving its VERY smooth. from a stop the car isnt that fast but if your already rolling (20+ mph) when you downshift the car moves pretty nicely for what it is. It impressed me the first time I drove it, which is why I now own it 
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12-20-2007, 05:48 PM
#54
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No low-end torque is just the nature of the beast and personally it's what I like about the rotary engine. My dad doesn't understand, he always asks, "why do you rev it so high?" - well, that's where all the power is. It's fun because you feel like you're beating the junk out of the engine but that's what it lives for. Rotaries like the high revs. 
Cheers,
Cody
Cheers,
Cody
02-01-2008, 01:44 PM
#57
Let's put it like this. My friend has an H22 prelude, probably the most torquey out of any sporty coupe Honda has made, aside from the NSX. Banging the gears and shifting extremely quickly is the best way to drive that car because of it's peaky power. Now i had him drive my rx7, i told him to shift smoothly and precisely. He was amazed at how smooth the power output was without nailing out every gear or reaching your peak power. Just a different perspective.
02-02-2008, 12:48 AM
#58
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I love how the engine just keeps revving higher and higher and doesn't really feel like it's getting up in the revs. I've had the radio blasting and the only way I realized the engine was at the redline was because of the beep, if you're not expecting it to come yet it's always a surprise when the beep hits because you can't feel the engine's distress
02-02-2008, 12:59 AM
#59
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Speaking of sound...does anybody know of a site with samples of what a rotary engine sounds like? I've done some searches and visited the sites that came up in the results, but the samples I found weren't very good.
The sound of the engine is important to me when considering a car purchase, and I've been told rotaries have a very distinctive note that I'm curious to hear. Any suggestions of sites I could visit would be appreciated.
The sound of the engine is important to me when considering a car purchase, and I've been told rotaries have a very distinctive note that I'm curious to hear. Any suggestions of sites I could visit would be appreciated.
At low rotations it is very quiet - and not much more than the wind blowing by the window- you can really hear all the notes in your music... Most of the sound is produced by the generator belt rather than the exhaust pipe.
At higher revs it sounds a little like a vacumn sweeper - not like any engine you ever heard before!
As you approach the red line - it sounds like a jet engine - perhaps because it was originally designed as a front loader for a jet...
It can really shake up a Honda driver when he tries to Rev at a stop light - they look over with a "What is that??" Just before he gets left behind
02-02-2008, 01:05 AM
#60
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smooooooooooooth.
02-02-2008, 01:21 AM
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With a big solid block front engine - it kind of drags you around, when you turn a curve it squashes you against the door, when you speed up, you are banging into the back seat, it pulls your arms and you kind of muscle your way over the road - at the end of the ride you hurt a little...
This car is amazingly kind - When you speed up you are not sure you are going that fast - when I was following an ambulance to the hospital - for the first time I realized, at 120 mph, I could pass the ambulance! When you want to get into traffic you are already there! When you turn, you don't have to fight the wheel, you are not pressed in the seat even when you are accelerating and accelerating...You run it up and it goes faster, you let it coast a little and you run in up again and again it goes faster, you can't seem to find the bottom - but it is not fighting you, it is flowing with you, You turn and you are still in control - and other cars are trying to match it are going off the road - and you feel surprised!
At the end of a ride, you are not deaf, and you are not tired - and you get used to this real quick!
You are not being shaken to peices, and you can't figure out why your old piston car seems to be running so rough and loud...
It's sort of like having a sharp knife vs a dull one - the dull one kind of bends the loaf of bread - the sharp move just glides right through it - you feel that you are polished surgical steel - You could see a Samari really getting into this!
This car is amazingly kind - When you speed up you are not sure you are going that fast - when I was following an ambulance to the hospital - for the first time I realized, at 120 mph, I could pass the ambulance! When you want to get into traffic you are already there! When you turn, you don't have to fight the wheel, you are not pressed in the seat even when you are accelerating and accelerating...You run it up and it goes faster, you let it coast a little and you run in up again and again it goes faster, you can't seem to find the bottom - but it is not fighting you, it is flowing with you, You turn and you are still in control - and other cars are trying to match it are going off the road - and you feel surprised!
At the end of a ride, you are not deaf, and you are not tired - and you get used to this real quick!
You are not being shaken to peices, and you can't figure out why your old piston car seems to be running so rough and loud...
It's sort of like having a sharp knife vs a dull one - the dull one kind of bends the loaf of bread - the sharp move just glides right through it - you feel that you are polished surgical steel - You could see a Samari really getting into this!
02-02-2008, 09:38 AM
#64
02-23-2008, 06:36 PM
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It was explained to me that much of the low-end torque produced in an engine is due to the mass of the moving parts. More moving mass equals more rotational momentum, which is converted into torque. The rotary lacks the moving mass of a conventional engine; therefore more rotational energy must come strictly from the "power stroke" (or whatever it's called in a Wankel) and not from conserved momentum. The Wankel excells at higher RPMs than a piston engine, so it's somewhat like comparing apples to oranges.
Is this actually a fair description, or is it in need of correction/refinement?
Is this actually a fair description, or is it in need of correction/refinement?
The Renesis/13B is a small displacment motor - a 4 stroke equivalent of about 160 cubic inches. It's not quite as efficient as a 4 stroke and delivers roughly the same torque per cubic inch as a 2 valve 4 stroke. It just happens to rev a lot faster then most 160 cubic inch 4 strokes in production cars, threfore has more HP.
02-23-2008, 09:42 PM
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Three words..........................smooth as silk! Roll down the window bring rpm's up in second and de- accelerate and listen.............it's a sound all in it's own class, sounds like there's something mean under the hood.
