How about a thread explaining how you would describe what a rotary engine is to a person who isn't as engine savvy as you are?

me: it has no cylinders, pistons, valves and it just revs high (lol)

 

spinning doritos

 

a 20th century waterwheel

 

Is a rotary engine, something that *YOU* retards will never understand.

*you* = whoever Im talking to.

 

It goes around and around, instead of up and down.

 

"....works .... sort of like a washing machine on the hi-speed spin cycle - with a balanced load!"

 

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/rotary-engine.htm

 

its like a pinwheel...but blows gas outta the exhaust...and isnt nearly as sweet-***

 

I think you meant to say "rotard"





I usually just point to my seat and say "You see that triangle-thing in my seat?... Two of those things get bounced around in a cirlcle inside of the engine."

That's usually followed up with a "wow - you must get pretty good gas mileage with a tiny engine like that."

...*sigh*

 

Its a triangle that rotates in a oval housing..........tryin to use my hands to emulate the rotary and how it spins lol. Looks like i'm a magician or high on something

 

I use the following picture stolen from someone else...

 

Like this - http://www.rotary13b1.com/keychain4.html

 

A regular car goes boing boing boing.....a rotary goes zooooooom

 

There are two groups of people that ask questions: People you feel like answering (friends, hot chicks, show judges) and people you don't feel like answering (random asshats at shows). A math head neighbor asked me and we actually got as far as how the geometric ratios of the engine determine the base compression ratio. Most of the time I either feign ignorance or give very short, often incorrect answers.

I think I've told people in the past:
It runs on diesel.
It's like a jet turbine.
The pistons spin.
It has triangular pistons.
It runs on goatsblood and happy thoughts.

 

Damn, someone beat me to this.

For you youngsters, back in the day when Mazda ONLY sold rotary engines and put them in 2 or 3 different types of cars, PLUS a pickup truck (this being the early/mid 1970s era), their ad campaign was:

"Other cars go boing boing boing boing boing boing boing (with a sound effect instead of the onamatopoeia "boing" there), and a Mazda goes HMMMMMMMMM"

 

It spins.

 

Good, thorough info.

 

Hilarious, I think I do the same thing!

 

I tend to give a too long and detailed responce than what most people want to hear. I just say it's an orbital engine rather than a reciprocating one.

 

It's like hoola hooping!

 

The slurp slurp sound you hear is the rotary guzzling gas.

 

It is a liquified coal steam engine.

 

The rotary engine = sex. End of topic.

 

Hey! You stole my description!

I've been using this graphic forever:



I'd say a Dorito spinning inside a peanut, but no one ever seems to get that.

 

LOL!