Wow, more FD owners

Rotary-Amuse 2 quick questions for ya how did you get the thing so light?? With me in the car and almost full tank of gas I was weighed at 2950. Since then I've lost ~20 lbs and taken ~10lbs out of the car (switched driver seat to a lighter Sparco model)

I still have a decent amount of the interior, maybe that's why...

Second question, noticed you have a front mount, what do you think of your water temps that way? I've got an M2 large stock mounted and a Koyo Rad because I was worried. Are you running Evan's coolant or...

Anyway, thumbs up on a nice FD. GNX7...yours is a beast, I see it ate a person already

 

Thanks francesco. I bet the S2000 is pretty fun too.

gnx7- i've seen pictures of your car in the RX-7Club 3rd gen picture thread. It looks great. very clean swap. what offset do you have? i have seen 18x10 +50 with 285/30/18 fit in the front with the right alignment without having to massage the fenders. i imagine you have problems breaking that rear end loose! that's a lot of rubber in the back.

MirageJHU- post some pics up of your CYM. CYM and track capabilities... i need to see it.

i realized my numbers might be a little deceptive. The 2,690 pounds is the car without my weight or with any gas taken into account. I have the lighter seats, emisions pulled, the A/C pulled, the Bose system pulled, and lightened or removed parts here and there. The car weighed 2,993 pounds when I had it cornerbalanced; so your numbers without the roll bar seem pretty accurate. I calculated that number out as an estimate deleting the weight of gas in gallons per full tank and my weight. I would never drive it without gas or me, obviously so maybe i should stick with the more accurate 2,993pounds weight. i have some plans of replacing the hatch with carbon fiber and lexan, and if i get a full roll cage some carbon fiber doors and lexan windows. I'm also thinking of pulling the ABS and doing a brake bias adjuster, and ditching the power steering. Do you have either removed? If so, your thoughts? I would hate to get rid of the red interior, but it's always easier to ditch pieces then add power or to put myself on a diet.

As for the front mount, I am not having much luck with it. I have a fan motor going out, so that could be part of the culprit; but heat is always an issue with autocrossing and track days. I just spoke with Ray Crowe from Malloy Mazda (great guy, I wouldn't drop his name otherwise) about replacing the fan motor and seeing if it helps. It should, but if it doesnt, I am just going to go with a V-mount.

Kevin Wyam's M2 piece is a work of art in itself. Very well built unit. I typically run 90/10 water to coolant in the summer with water wetter and swith it to 50/50 for the winter. Heat, as I am sure you are aware, is a huge issue for these rotaries; so I am getting that all squared away before i take it back out.


Any other RX-7 owners (FB, FC, FD, RX3's, RX-4's, etc.) feel free to post up your rides in here. i'd love to see them.

 

Ray saved me a boat load on some new control arms, definitely an awesome guy.

Thanks for clarifying, there's nothing wrong with the "empty" weight of the car, that's an awesome number to have, I think that's what a lot of manufacturers quote isn't it? Either way very impressive.

Sucks to hear about the fan motor, one of these days I think I'm going to go V-Mount, but that will probably be when I go single turbo or something...the car works so well right now.

As for pics...you asked so here you go, I only have a few on the net...the rest are on a different computer...

Turn 3 at Laguna Seca



Corkscrew



Turn 3? Sears Point/infineon



One one of the straights at Thunderhill...

 

the curb weight of my car is 2,690 pounds; which from what I have found is defined as the vehicle without fuel, cargo, or passengers (for comparison purposes, a stock RX-7 is 2,789lbs, the S2000 is 2,809lbs and the 90's MX-5 is 2,183lbs). the gross weight of my car is 2,993 pounds with the roll bar. I am pretty sure that is how factories rate them. I have seen race prepped FD's weighing in under 2,500 pounds, so you can get these cars pretty light at the expense of a lot of things. It will never be Lotus or Miata light, but pretty good for what it is.

It is too bad about the fan, but I am just glad I now know about it. I can't wait 'til I have my set up all squared away and can just enjoy it worry and guilt free.

As for your v-mount, if it's not broke don't fix it. The stock mount should work well with a single turbo; or at least that's how Pettit's race cars were in the '90s. I am going with a v-mount because of the vented hood (well, and because the FMIC was just a horrible idea for my plans with the car.) It should just suck air across all the fins with it set up parallel to the hood. That is a huge priority on my list. I am leaning towards Rotary Extreme's or HKS'.

I am back and forth on the single turbo idea. I know I am getting one, but not sure when. My car is more then capable in it's current state, and especially for an inexperienced racer. I think I am going to keep this power setting where it is now, square the heating issues away, make it more reliable, then race the stock twins as a training wheels set up until I am confident enough to step up to 400+ rwhp. I am thinking either A-Spec's GT35R with the ball bearing turbo for quicker spooling or the 500R for more top end. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.


As for your car, I love it. simply gorgeous. I might be wrong, but it looks like you have K58s? Either way, definitely a nice car. Congrats to you as well. There are a lot of nice FD's on this forum.

It has been a dream of mine to be able to race on Laguna Seca; well before I bought my RX-7. You are a lucky man. One of these years, I want to make it out to SevenStock and try to schedule a track day at Laguna around it. I don't think they're close, but if I am heading out to California from Massachusetts, I would absolutely make it worth it.

 

I have some more pics of your car in my RX-7 photo collection. I am not sure where I got them.

 

Great looking RX-7, I especially love the hood!

 

thanks for the compliment. I'll try to find some better pictures of it. I am considering doing a thin Brilliant Black layer over it so the carbon fiber weave isn't as noticeable. I love the look of carbon fiber but want to keep a low profile.

 

Here's a picture that shows the clear distinction of the carbon fiber and the paint (definitely needs some paint, in my opinion)


(Picture by Luigi Oriol)

Here are some more random shots of my car:

(Picture by Me)

Similar to my hood approach, I am swapping out my exhaust for a more conservative, mature look eventually. I am thinking the A'PEXi stove black Noir exhaust. I took this picture, edited it, and like it for the most part.


Here's another shot I did and wish i had a better camera for it. I think it could have came out much better if i had used my new camera. I might eventually retake it.


Here are some more from that series that are alright, but I want to redo.




and one of my fuel controller for the stand alone computer and my custom carbon fiber glove box with boost controller and turbo timer:



I would absolutely say the car has a lot more to it than meets the eye; it doesn't transform, but I am sticking to more of a under the radar sleeper look. hence the hood paint and exhaust update. i am considering keeping the stock body, depending on how it works with the eventual updated cooling components.

I am trying to get more into automotive photography, so please don't hold back feedback on my shots (be it good or bad)

 

LOL I think those maybe are from RCC? I'm not sure to be honest.

Oh man didn't realize your hood was CF, just knocked your car up a few notches

Looking very good man.

 

Very nice car. Love the "Ron Fellows" fender strips.

You need some fatter wheels to complete your look.

 

Thanks Mirage. I love carbon fiber. The side skirts and door sills are carbon fiber as well (very dirty in this picture.)




Thanks Rotary Rocket. I saw a black ZO6 with red calipers and red Ron Fellows stripes and liked it. I didn't know at the time what it was or the racing history with them, I just figured they were just vinyl, so I put some on. I have since taken them off, and the top picture in my previous post is the most recent look.

For tires I am thinking 285/30/18s all around tucked in stock fenders, or rolled if need be. I have my eyes on the Classics or C10s. We'll see. Right now, my 255/50/16s are looking pretty diesel!

Something tells me yes, but are you a RX-7 owner as well? I think I know your car (if that's your White Porsche in the avatar) from pictures on RX-7Club of a white FD and the white Porsche.

 

Very nice cars yourself, Rotary Rocket. they make a really nice couple. Now honestly, which do you like better?

 

Wow, good eye.

Both cars are set up for the track, the only true place where you can have proper fun with these cars. The Porsche is more rewarding to drive fast, the 7 is a lot more forgivable. The 7's steering is not as precise as the P-car, but there is an aftermarket company the apparantly has addressed that issue ($1,000 for the new rack!). I also have much larger breaks on the Porsche and in combination with the car's natural abilities the breaking is much stronger than the 7. The 7 will somke my Porsche on straights. Both are super fun on the track.

I have 285 on CCW classics on my car, you will need to roll the front fenders but the rears are a non issue. A friend of mine is using my Work wheels that you in the picture, otherwise they would be the prefect color combo for your car.

 

Amazing cars RR. I'm jealous.

RA - I was going to say you've got to roll fenders in the front for 285s, you should get CCW classics, they look amazing on FDs. I guess they are a great wheel all around, there's a reason they are called classics right

 

haha, yea I am a bit of a RX-7 stalker.

rotary rocket- Like mirage said, I'm jealous. Having the RX-7 for track duty is great, but having 2 awesome options for track duty is better. Do you alternate track events with them or are you getting more into one and out of the other? Either way, it must be awesome.

Are you talking about the AtomicRex steering rack? I have heard great reviews on them. Makes a lot of difference. The RX-7 definitely needs some updates to get it to a more modern performance level; or at least to keep up with a P-cup car. Are you looking into a big brake kit or replacing the steering rack?

I will have to look into a good fender roller. I am still not sure of what color combo I am going to go with on the rims. i am leaning towards black, but am considering bronze or gold; depending on the rims. The classics would be all black. Or something along the lines of Jack Mardikian's bronze Classics:




As of recently, I have been also looking into the Volk RE30 rims. Apparently 18x9.5s weigh in at about 15.5 pounds; about 5 to 6 pounds lighter than the Classics or C10s. Also about 3 months to get in and $500 - 1,000 more. In a +47 I should be able to fit 285/30/18s


mirage: yea, the Classics are a great wheel. The weight isn't bad, but I am looking into other options as well. My power level is fine for now, so I am looking into lightening my car as much as possible. There are a lot of great, lightweight options coming out. I could always use 2 sets of rims...