Makes sense on the build quality. Mazda is the smallest company by far and the RX7 is the cheapest of all of those cars. Thanks for another great video!
Having owned a stock rotary FD and an LS6 swapped FD, the handling difference is not really noticeable. Right now my LS6 car handles way better than the rotary car ever did, but it also has adjustable coilovers, shocks, etc. while the rotary car was bone stock.
The NSX and Supra were more expensive and that RX-7 was built when they were still building R32s...Mazda is also a much smaller manufacturer than those other three. They tried to get the FD as light as possible which did have some negative effects on long term build quality, still probably has less squeaks than a C5 lol. I dont remember my FD being having many squeaks but mine was in much better condition and my daily at the time was a stripped out Miata with no stereo, so my perception was a bit warped...
I say screw the p̶u̶r̶i̶s̶t̶s̶ haters, this thing is awesome! Looks like driving this is a riot while sporting a solid shit eating grin. Great video! You should find an LS swapped Z32 to compare 👀
@a0101110101110101010 corvettes dont have leaf springs lmao they dont even have solid rear axles. Cars havent had leaf springs for a long ass time like the 70s and some in the 80s
@@lollol-xp4mc Sorry bud, every factory Corvette has had leaf springs until the C8. Obviously, they don't have solid axles. They have for sure had independent suspension since the C2. Not every independent suspension uses coil springs.
RX-7s shouldn't be swapped for the same reason you wouldn't LS swap a classic Ferrari. All the reasons for LS-swapping an FD RX-7 that people list apply equally to the Ferrari - more reliable, cheaper, more power. Except in the case of the Ferrari everyone recognizes the idea as ridiculous since it destroys the character of the car. Well, it does the same in the case of the RX-7, that is, destroys the character of the car. Except LS swapping an RX-7 isn't even good from a performance standpoint. The rotary engine can be thought of as a no-compromise all-out racing engine, like a 2-stroke in that it has 1 power cycle per rotation and burns a little oil. It's a lightweight, compact, exotic engine with a higher specific output than any piston engine and whose downsides are only in areas of practicality - such as fuel economy and emissions - not in areas of performance. All turbo Japanese engines from the 90s are special and will never be seen again. Also rotary engines are not unreliable, they just don't tolerate idiotic tuning very well.
Rotary fan boys and blaming everything else except the engine itself for rotary problems. Name a better duo. Rotarys are not as unreliable as internal combustion, let alone a LS pushrod v8. You're lucky to get 50k HARD miles out of it, or 100k daily driven miles. It is how it is. True rotary guys know this and still live with it for the love of the engine but don't be blaming tuning, or "lack of maintenance" or lack of premix and other nonsense for rotary's flaw. To get 390whp out of a rotary you'd have to turn up the boost and fueling and it would be a ticking time bomb. And upgrade the trans. The LS swap provides no weight increase and beefs up the powertrain in 1 swap.
They are not unreliable if you do a million things to baby it from new. Some people don't want to fuck with that. But yeah i agree swapping an ls into an rx7 is kinda blasphemous
I was going to ruin a rx8 but I figured I could ruin an rx7 easier. I love the c6 z06. It is a great car and deserves the respect it gets. With that said an rx7 is a rotary car and it is a great car and should be respected as a rotary car. To each there own but the rx7 is ruined when you swap anything other than a rotary engine in it. Same goes for anyone who swaps a rotary into a corvette. Sorry Rahm Dahm
@@lollol-xp4mc Then please enlighten us with your extensive knowledge on rotaries and how they exactly suck. FYI be ready to back up any of your claims with actual technical knowledge and not just internet 3rd person dribble
@@worldofthunder they need rebuilds way sooner than a typical piston engine and thats just a fact. They burn oil by design. They get horrible gas mileage. They have no torque. Easy to flood. They pillute bad and cats get clogged quickly amongst many other things
@@lollol-xp4mc "they are cool but they suck" Jeez with that very well thought out argument you just made who would disagree... First of all I’d like to point out that I am not against piston engines. My issue with you is your uneducated input about rotaries and that is why I originally asked to be ready to back up your claims with technical information. But it is clear to me now that there really isn’t much knowledge there and as such let’s see if we can remedy that. ******************************************** Well you got one thing right even though it is blatant regurgitation from the internet: “They burn oil by design” They do. Apex seals require lubrication and thus oil is deposited unto them via an oil metering pump. But that’s your argument on why they suck??? Do you even have any idea how much oil is consumed? I’m going to be easy on you and rather than to have you answer that (because I know you don’t know) I will provide it for you. It’s about of a quart of oil every 2000 miles. Yep that's it lol. So think about your argument here: You are saying that rotary engines suck because you have to spend an extra 5 bucks every 2K miles??? Let’s face it, if someone is that broke then they really shouldn’t be in the performance car game. Because it doesn’t matter what you drive, you gotta pay to play. Granted there is a solution to not spending the extra 5 bucks, just change the oil rather than top it off. Your car will thank you for it anyway. Like I said at least you got one thing right but unfortunately it is just as expected, a bunch of 3rd person internet dribble. ******************************************** “they need rebuilds way sooner than a typical piston engine and thats just a fact.” A lot of generalization here? So what is way sooner? Here is a fun fact for you not all rotary engines are the same. So if you lump them all into one category then you are showing a real lack of knowledge. BTW is not uncommon to have an N/A 13B go past the 200K miles mark, bet you didn’t know that did you... What you are referring to is Turbo Rotaries. Not much room for screw up when it comes to forced induction so unless the owner knows how to take care of a PERFORMANCE CAR then stay away. It is the morons that fail to understand how to take care of them that created this fallacy. The fact is, turbo rotaries are performance engines and as such certain precautions need to be taken into account if you want engine life. 1. Don’t baby the car. The rotary is designed to scrape carbon buildup from the rotor housings by high revving. What that means you gotta wind that baby up at least once in a while. Drive it like it was meant to be driven. 2. Don’t defer maintenance. Change the oil regularly and flush out the coolant once a year. But if you are true die hard you can always steam clean the engine internals every couple of years. It’s really easy all you need is 10 minutes, a jug of water, and a hose. 3. Don’t run the car low on oil. Self-explanatory especially if you take the OMP into account. 4. Don’t overheat the car. If you are an idiot and drive the car low on coolant and or with a coolant leak then you deserve a warped rotor housing. 5. Don’t stupidly mod these cars. Turbo rotaries aren’t for meat heads so unless you know what you are doing, again stay away from mods because these engines will bite back for your stupidity. But in short when modding, make sure fuel and heat are properly addressed. So yeah modify the car stupidly, don’t drive it as it should, over heat the thing, run it low on oil, or defer maintenance, and the car is going to need a rebuild. However treat it right and it will reward you. ******************************************** “They get horrible gas mileage.” Are we talking about performance cars or grocery getters? Weak argument. My TUNED 400RWHP Rx-7 gets 26 MPH. That’s not too shabby for a car that has similar power to weight ratio as a hellcat. IIRC hellcats get around 22MPG and the new C8 gets around 27 MPG. BTW when my car was stock it would get around 24. But really who cares? No matter the car, you mash that gas pedal down your MPG is going to drastically drop. ******************************************** “Easy to flood.” False unless the owner fucked up the fuel system. Remember when I said these cars aren’t for morons so unless you know what you are doing it is best to leave them alone? Yeah… Everyone I have known who has flooding issues has fucked with the fuel system and didn’t do a good job tuning for the upgrade. But if you do it right they will start up like stock. Meaning, each and every time so don’t blame the car for the owner being an idiot. ******************************************** “They pillute bad and cats get clogged quickly amongst many other things” Pullute? They pass federal standards… So how is that even a point? ******************************************** “and cats get clogged quickly amongst many other things” Uhm that’s an Rx-8 catalytic converter issue not a rotary issue. Here is another fun fact for you: In general rotary exhaust is very hot and that is why they are able to spin large turbos and produce quite a bit of power. So your negative is actually a positive when it comes to performance. ******************************************** Ah the best for last: “They have no torque.” What you plan on pulling a boat? lol This is where I ask you to explain how you think torque plays a role in acceleration. Come on show us you understand your statement and not just regurgitating what the internet has told you. Seriously I’m not gonna let this go. Explain how having a lower torque engine is a basis for your argument. *Because the fact is rotary cars are lower in torque than their piston counter parts yet they aren’t really slower at the track.*
It’s so weird to hear the American muscle engine note from an RX7 lol
Way less bursting into flames with this swap. When I was looking into buying an FD soooooo many had burned up/replaced motors.
I use to want a ls swap rx7 so bad, so I just brought a c5 z06. Still love a well built fd though
Makes sense on the build quality. Mazda is the smallest company by far and the RX7 is the cheapest of all of those cars. Thanks for another great video!
What is that constant thumping throughout the video? Are you just running over every reflector in the center of the road?
Big question is, how much does the extra weight / higher center of gravity affect the steering feel and handling?
Having owned a stock rotary FD and an LS6 swapped FD, the handling difference is not really noticeable. Right now my LS6 car handles way better than the rotary car ever did, but it also has adjustable coilovers, shocks, etc. while the rotary car was bone stock.
The NSX and Supra were more expensive and that RX-7 was built when they were still building R32s...Mazda is also a much smaller manufacturer than those other three. They tried to get the FD as light as possible which did have some negative effects on long term build quality, still probably has less squeaks than a C5 lol. I dont remember my FD being having many squeaks but mine was in much better condition and my daily at the time was a stripped out Miata with no stereo, so my perception was a bit warped...
Harry is that you?
@@Zygrene Nope
As cool as this car is, it just feels wrong to have am rx7 without a rotory in it to me. But still sweet car
It's reliable now
I say screw the p̶u̶r̶i̶s̶t̶s̶ haters, this thing is awesome! Looks like driving this is a riot while sporting a solid shit eating grin. Great video! You should find an LS swapped Z32 to compare 👀
"C5 Z06 with FD body kit review"
@a0101110101110101010 corvettes dont have leaf springs lmao they dont even have solid rear axles. Cars havent had leaf springs for a long ass time like the 70s and some in the 80s
lol lol yes they do. Do your research. Leaf springs in even in the c6 z06. Doesn’t mean it’s bad. It does it’s job pretty well.
@@lollol-xp4mc Sorry bud, every factory Corvette has had leaf springs until the C8. Obviously, they don't have solid axles. They have for sure had independent suspension since the C2. Not every independent suspension uses coil springs.
@@lollol-xp4mc ha you thought
RX-7s shouldn't be swapped for the same reason you wouldn't LS swap a classic Ferrari. All the reasons for LS-swapping an FD RX-7 that people list apply equally to the Ferrari - more reliable, cheaper, more power. Except in the case of the Ferrari everyone recognizes the idea as ridiculous since it destroys the character of the car. Well, it does the same in the case of the RX-7, that is, destroys the character of the car.
Except LS swapping an RX-7 isn't even good from a performance standpoint. The rotary engine can be thought of as a no-compromise all-out racing engine, like a 2-stroke in that it has 1 power cycle per rotation and burns a little oil. It's a lightweight, compact, exotic engine with a higher specific output than any piston engine and whose downsides are only in areas of practicality - such as fuel economy and emissions - not in areas of performance. All turbo Japanese engines from the 90s are special and will never be seen again.
Also rotary engines are not unreliable, they just don't tolerate idiotic tuning very well.
I agree. If you want an ls powered car then by an ls powered car. You completely take away the soul of the rx7 when you take the rotary out.
He got probably sick of rebuilding the motor and having to deal with apex seals.
Toby Corbin rotary fan boy spotted 😂
Rotary fan boys and blaming everything else except the engine itself for rotary problems. Name a better duo. Rotarys are not as unreliable as internal combustion, let alone a LS pushrod v8. You're lucky to get 50k HARD miles out of it, or 100k daily driven miles. It is how it is. True rotary guys know this and still live with it for the love of the engine but don't be blaming tuning, or "lack of maintenance" or lack of premix and other nonsense for rotary's flaw.
To get 390whp out of a rotary you'd have to turn up the boost and fueling and it would be a ticking time bomb. And upgrade the trans. The LS swap provides no weight increase and beefs up the powertrain in 1 swap.
They are not unreliable if you do a million things to baby it from new. Some people don't want to fuck with that. But yeah i agree swapping an ls into an rx7 is kinda blasphemous
To be fair the only way the average person can own a 100% above board, no tricks, smog legal RX7 that is both fast and reliable, is to LS swap it.
That is raw. I be happy with either but I probably prefer rotary just because it's boosted. I love the sound of boosted cars.
ok, how much?
What road do you do these reviews on? Looks almost like modjeska..?
Filmed on a small road just east of San Jose
Calaveras.... ?
I wouldn't ls swap an fd, but I would ls swap an fc or rx8 in a heart beat. I dunno......
Leave me FC alone lol me too I have 3 FC’s
Seems like the handling is a little off. That front end suppose to hook.
Yeah the handling wasn't quite sorted. Car was inherited as a project from its previous owner.
@@Zygrene You steer that car with the back end when you get the hang of it!
I was going to ruin a rx8 but I figured I could ruin an rx7 easier. I love the c6 z06. It is a great car and deserves the respect it gets. With that said an rx7 is a rotary car and it is a great car and should be respected as a rotary car. To each there own but the rx7 is ruined when you swap anything other than a rotary engine in it. Same goes for anyone who swaps a rotary into a corvette. Sorry Rahm Dahm
Well, at least you're consistent.
Two guys who obviously have no clue about rotaries. SMH
They suck tho smh
@@lollol-xp4mc Then please enlighten us with your extensive knowledge on rotaries and how they exactly suck.
FYI be ready to back up any of your claims with actual technical knowledge and not just internet 3rd person dribble
@@worldofthunder they need rebuilds way sooner than a typical piston engine and thats just a fact. They burn oil by design. They get horrible gas mileage. They have no torque. Easy to flood. They pillute bad and cats get clogged quickly amongst many other things
@@worldofthunder they are cool but they suck
@@lollol-xp4mc
"they are cool but they suck"
Jeez with that very well thought out argument you just made who would disagree...
First of all I’d like to point out that I am not against piston engines. My issue with you is your uneducated input about rotaries and that is why I originally asked to be ready to back up your claims with technical information. But it is clear to me now that there really isn’t much knowledge there and as such let’s see if we can remedy that.
********************************************
Well you got one thing right even though it is blatant regurgitation from the internet:
“They burn oil by design”
They do. Apex seals require lubrication and thus oil is deposited unto them via an oil metering pump. But that’s your argument on why they suck??? Do you even have any idea how much oil is consumed? I’m going to be easy on you and rather than to have you answer that (because I know you don’t know) I will provide it for you. It’s about of a quart of oil every 2000 miles. Yep that's it lol.
So think about your argument here: You are saying that rotary engines suck because you have to spend an extra 5 bucks every 2K miles??? Let’s face it, if someone is that broke then they really shouldn’t be in the performance car game. Because it doesn’t matter what you drive, you gotta pay to play. Granted there is a solution to not spending the extra 5 bucks, just change the oil rather than top it off. Your car will thank you for it anyway.
Like I said at least you got one thing right but unfortunately it is just as expected, a bunch of 3rd person internet dribble.
********************************************
“they need rebuilds way sooner than a typical piston engine and thats just a fact.”
A lot of generalization here? So what is way sooner? Here is a fun fact for you not all rotary engines are the same. So if you lump them all into one category then you are showing a real lack of knowledge. BTW is not uncommon to have an N/A 13B go past the 200K miles mark, bet you didn’t know that did you...
What you are referring to is Turbo Rotaries. Not much room for screw up when it comes to forced induction so unless the owner knows how to take care of a PERFORMANCE CAR then stay away. It is the morons that fail to understand how to take care of them that created this fallacy.
The fact is, turbo rotaries are performance engines and as such certain precautions need to be taken into account if you want engine life.
1. Don’t baby the car. The rotary is designed to scrape carbon buildup from the rotor housings by high revving. What that means you gotta wind that baby up at least once in a while. Drive it like it was meant to be driven.
2. Don’t defer maintenance. Change the oil regularly and flush out the coolant once a year. But if you are true die hard you can always steam clean the engine internals every couple of years. It’s really easy all you need is 10 minutes, a jug of water, and a hose.
3. Don’t run the car low on oil. Self-explanatory especially if you take the OMP into account.
4. Don’t overheat the car. If you are an idiot and drive the car low on coolant and or with a coolant leak then you deserve a warped rotor housing.
5. Don’t stupidly mod these cars. Turbo rotaries aren’t for meat heads so unless you know what you are doing, again stay away from mods because these engines will bite back for your stupidity. But in short when modding, make sure fuel and heat are properly addressed.
So yeah modify the car stupidly, don’t drive it as it should, over heat the thing, run it low on oil, or defer maintenance, and the car is going to need a rebuild. However treat it right and it will reward you.
********************************************
“They get horrible gas mileage.”
Are we talking about performance cars or grocery getters? Weak argument.
My TUNED 400RWHP Rx-7 gets 26 MPH. That’s not too shabby for a car that has similar power to weight ratio as a hellcat. IIRC hellcats get around 22MPG and the new C8 gets around 27 MPG. BTW when my car was stock it would get around 24. But really who cares? No matter the car, you mash that gas pedal down your MPG is going to drastically drop.
********************************************
“Easy to flood.”
False unless the owner fucked up the fuel system. Remember when I said these cars aren’t for morons so unless you know what you are doing it is best to leave them alone? Yeah… Everyone I have known who has flooding issues has fucked with the fuel system and didn’t do a good job tuning for the upgrade. But if you do it right they will start up like stock. Meaning, each and every time so don’t blame the car for the owner being an idiot.
********************************************
“They pillute bad and cats get clogged quickly amongst many other things”
Pullute? They pass federal standards… So how is that even a point?
********************************************
“and cats get clogged quickly amongst many other things”
Uhm that’s an Rx-8 catalytic converter issue not a rotary issue. Here is another fun fact for you: In general rotary exhaust is very hot and that is why they are able to spin large turbos and produce quite a bit of power. So your negative is actually a positive when it comes to performance.
********************************************
Ah the best for last:
“They have no torque.”
What you plan on pulling a boat? lol This is where I ask you to explain how you think torque plays a role in acceleration. Come on show us you understand your statement and not just regurgitating what the internet has told you.
Seriously I’m not gonna let this go. Explain how having a lower torque engine is a basis for your argument. *Because the fact is rotary cars are lower in torque than their piston counter parts yet they aren’t really slower at the track.*