rx8dude907

so i was wondering just a quick question that might get me yelled at,i was wondering i know we are suppose to red line our car's ever so often but just how much abuse can this car take???what are the hazards of hot rodding the car in the long run?just what do we have to worry about? What does this car not like us to do? Ive got almost 6000 miles on my car and was just wondering how i should treat the car and what i need to not do before i start having problems?

MazdaTed

Wankels are very well balanced, They do not mind being redlined. They do mind being redlined when the engine is not fully warmed up.

Wankels take lots of abuse, Assuming proper maintannce.

I wouldnt worry about redlining the car. Its not like it has a lame 350 cu in V8 in it or anything right?

NgoRX8

iTrader: (1)

think of it this way... if it wasn't for the drivetrain, the engine could go more.

RX8Maine

rotor RPMS = 1/3 engine RPMs

NgoRX8

iTrader: (1)

^that doesn't matter if we're looking at the tach on the car.

Nopstnz

I like that.

Actually a week ago I decided to get my oil changed at Auto One instead of mazda (same price and they check a lot more things on your car) and the guy who was changing it while I was standing right next to him watching every move he made like a hawk was telling me about his buddy that owned a 8. He said that the engine could keep on going a lot higher than 9k if it wasn't for the drivetrain. I was fairly surprised. Knew a lot about the engine. Was very impressed. Did a great job too.

Aseras

the car will melt the exhaust pipes off and catch on fire before the engine breaks running it at redline..

rx8dude907

but what problems do i have to worry about in the long run??

RotarySpirit

If you take care of your engine, theoretically your engine will outlast any piston engine. Since there are only 3 moving parts in your engine, there is less that can go wrong. On the same note, if something is not right, or if the engine hasn't been taken care of, then it is very easy to blow a rotary engine.

Many people say that rotaries actually increase in performance as they age if they are taken care of properly.

MazdaTed

There are people on the RX-7 forum, who bought their car NEW that redline their car every day since they got it (after it was broken in of corse) with 200,000+ miles on them.

The only thing you really have to worry about is...

Too many speeding tickets making you lose your insurance, license, etc.

allmotorRX8

http://videos.streetfire.net/Player....EF855BA56E&p=0
the rx7 taking a beating, it has been posted here before... but ill save u the trouble of looking for it. rx7 redlined for 5 mins...

Clavius

Ok everyone always mentions "taking care of the Rotary" well what do you guys mean?!?! beyond changing the oil and air filter. Just curious is all.. I looked a few times but only found threads about people mentioning general maitence.
If there are any links anyone has saved I'd love to see them, I'd love to be **** about maintence as I am about keeping my baby clean.. f'ing pollen.. grrr

rx8dude907

damm crazy!!i wonder if he got rid of some carbon deposits!!lol

MazdaTed

Do you have the owners manual? It should be in there. Exept Im going to guess it says to change the oil at 5K intervals, I will suggest 3K intervals.


I was going to post that vid, For somereason it sounds really good (Im listening to it right now).

therm8

3k is totally unnecessary, imo. But you guys do what you want. 65k and counting.


Other parts of taking care of the engine that you won't find in the manual:

Don't rev it up 'til it's warm. By warm, I mean the temp needle has been at normal operating temp for 5 minutes or so. This allows the aluminum and steel bits to heat up "slowly" and minimizes the chance of future coolant leaks. Coolant leak from rotor housings = new engine.

Don't run the **** out of it and then turn it off. Cool it down with some easy driving before shutting it off. Temps will spike after shutoff, so a lower temp leads to a lower spikes, also mitigating future coolant leaks.

Basically, treat it like you would a horse

BlueSky

what's with the title of this thread?

Fuel4theFury

I have never owned a horse.................what now?

RotarySpirit

Simple, you are incapable of properly taking care of your 8.

Razz1

Hell, you can drive this car all day long at 8k.

Fuel4theFury

Maybe I shouldnt go buy an 8 then. Thanks for the help. Haha, nah Once i get the money, I will. Still got some 05s out in the area.

Spin9k

Gee, I guess track days are out from now on....

momo

Was I the only one that didn't get WTF he was trying to accomplish? Give the circumstances would any engine hold up while redlining it in parked or neutral, for 5 minutes? I don't think so, too much heat.

puch96

Redlining your engine will help clearing up carbon build-up. But it will also go under greater stress, thus higher operating temperatures and will affect the life expectancy of your apex seals....just simple physics and mechanical properties of materials.

MazdaTed

I really dont think it would reduce the life expectancy more than a few thousand miles. Big boost on the other hand might reduce the life expectancy TO a few thousand miles.

And carbon flaking off is by far more damaging than high RPM operation.

puch96

That's true.... I think for the most part the RENESIS engine is fan more well designed than the previous rotaries. They should perform much better when it comes to reliability....It is probably too early to tell, but we'll see....