Samoht's 1996 Mazda RX-7 Type RS

[samoht]

On Friday I went to Snetterton for a trackday, with the Mazda Rotary Club, (mostly RX-8s).

Initially the track was wet, so it was a matter of feeling up to the limit of grip at both ends in the slower corners. The FD controls its weight so well, and the steering is so natural, that it's really quick and easy to catch slides - the S13 used to tend to lurch about a bit and be a handful to gather up, the FD just maintains its poise and is very controllable. Once I missed my braking point for the first corner and piled in a bit fast. I trail braked to the apex, at which point the inside wheels were on dry tarmac and the outside on wet. The car just slipped into about 10 degrees of oversteer, and came back really easily.

Had a little run with a 996 GT3 which was being rather tentatively driven on the patchy damp surface, so I caught him up easily. More surprisingly I seemed to be slowly closing on him on the straights, which I wouldn't expect - perhaps he was in too high of a gear.

I got a brief instruction session, which was really helpful. Apparently I was braking hard, then coming off the brakes too suddenly, causing the nose to 'bounce' up and go light just at the point of turn in. This was causing understeer, so I would grab a bit of extra lock, then leading to oversteer as the front bit again. Anyway he showed me how to brake smoothly and the better lines to take for some of the less obvious corners, and it was amazing how much smoother, faster and more controlled I felt on my next run.

Snetterton was surprisingly a really fun track, despite being a flat airfield - there are lots of early and late apex corners, and a couple of great combinations, including coming off the straight at 130mph into a fast left that then leads straight into a tight 90 right.

The FD drives so, so nicely on track. The engine is smooth and pulls hard from low down all the way round to the redline buzzer, and however hard you push it, you always seem to have options to rotate the car a little more and tighten the line, it never falls into plough-on understeer, it's just always responsive. I think the fairly short wheelbase means more front-rear weight transfer, so the cornering balance is very sensitive to throttle and brake - so it's really responsive, but also perhaps more sensitive to ham-fisted braking. It's hard to describe how sweet it feels on the limit.

The FD has cost me rather a lot in the last twelve months, FMIC and radiator upgrades being part of that, but it's totally worthwhile to be able to drive such a great car on track. Now I need some better brake pads, and to plan my next circuit outing!

[thesameguy]

You are bringing a tear to my eye. I've still never driven what remains one of my favorite cars of all time save in video games. What you are writing is everything I have imagined!

Have you driven an RX8?

[CudaMan]

Cool! T1 at Snett has a bit of a pucker factor if you go in to deep or have a little slide, doesn't it? :) I liked the turn onto the back straight, it was a big challenge to carry speed in without sacrificing the exit. Also, bombhole is fun. Lots of grip mid corner as the track banks and shoots up. Palmer is the best of the new corners IMHO.

In short - I'm jelly. :) Would love to drive there again.

[Yw-slayer]

Still one of the best Japanese (or any) cars ever made IMO. A true classic. :up:

[Kchrpm]

:up:

[Godson]

I loved the one that I was so lucky to drive.

330whp was a whoosh of fun. :)

[samoht]

So, updates...

The above-mentioned Snetterton outing required a brake rebuild, anyway I now have yellowstuff pads and DOT 5.1 fluid.

Then the turbos weren't boosting properly, the solenoids were dead so I had six replacements fitted. Plus the steering was weirdly stiff and squeaky, mainly in hot weather; this had been a problem since getting the car, but finally was traced to a bearing in the shaft, so the steering column has been replaced.

Finally Jason (at Super 7, the rotary specialist I use) said that although the car was making just over 300hp on the dyno, it was at 95% injector duty. I was surprised at this, since it had been mapped by someone else who is very highly regarded, but perhaps something had changed to push it up since then. Anyway I saw 91% on the Apexi in a quick third-gear blast, so agreed to a new fuel pump and FPR to run higher fuel pressure and bring the duty down. Originally Jason suggested larger secondary injectors, but that was going to be super-expensive with a new fuel rail too, and the fuel pressure increase was enough to bring duty down into the mid-70s with 300hp.


Finally, after all that outlay it was time for some more trackdays :-)

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-LKJ6l9qSpuc/VDsJO65vMDI/AAAAAAAAL0c/1LEJB7Xv9zE/w1098-h733-no/image005.jpg
(a combination of pro photos from Bedford, and my own from both Cadwell and Bedford)

As I mentioned on the GT86 thread, I went to Bedford Autodrome with a Toyota-owning friend. Again the day started wet, and I started out taking it very slowly, finding where the track went. As I built up speed on the wet track, I managed to outbrake myself into a left-hand hairpin; my right foot was still on the brake, but my hands already decided it was time to turn in, in order to make the apex. Result was quite significant rotation, enough to require opposite lock, which surprised me slightly. While the FD rewards good driving, it still gives you a second chance if you mess up, which is why it suits me well ;-)

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-QqAZAcysS5w/VFTPFF1llvI/AAAAAAAAMJE/Vwkd1OqNPcY/w1098-h733-no/PR_141011_MSVT_BA_0269.jpg

I had a really good play with an MX-5, through the twisty infield we were both traction-limited in the wet, slithering out of corners, until I passed on the straight.

Building up speed, I came up behind an E46 M3, who seemed keen to play, but I was able to stay behind him fairly easily. Squeezing on the power out of a long double-apex right in third, the turbo torque slung me up alongside, and although subsequent acceleration was pretty much level, my initial advantage told by the end of the straight.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-oPvsH5yMkm0/VFTPMURgf5I/AAAAAAAAMKM/VsbkvukqdcE/w1098-h733-no/PR_141011_MSVT_BA_1607.jpg

Of course, I then wanted to stay ahead, and totally missed my braking point into a 45-degree fast left. Braking and turning together resulted in sliding wide onto the concrete run-off, but with the car still pointing in the right direction, I just nailed it
and carried on without losing much time.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6IVEraLjsoQ/VFTPKC780gI/AAAAAAAAMJ0/lohzLWvBsDM/w1098-h733-no/PR_141011_MSVT_BA_1282.jpg

Luckily the day wasn't too busy, and the wide track made it fairly easy for cars to pass each other. However, an Audi TT RS was spectacularly slow through the chicane, but once out on the straight used full power. I was level under power, but not able to gain on him. Since passing is only allowed on the straights, drivers who dawdle around the corners and floor it on the straights can become a bit annoying. I however learned from what my friend had shown me, carried more speed through the 90mph chicane on the back straight, and hauled alongside the TT at the exit, which persuaded him that it was time to let me through.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xZzvQ3WDNuU/VFTPJbxTlAI/AAAAAAAAMJs/pIIj-vHPSqU/w1098-h733-no/PR_141011_MSVT_BA_1211.jpg

All in all it was good fun, and learning from my passenger ride with my friend helped me find where I could carry more speed.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-iJc0uQBMlUE/VFTPFzJnYaI/AAAAAAAAMJM/5EFKngWcQRY/w1098-h733-no/PR_141011_MSVT_BA_0688.jpg


By a coincidence of timing, the Mazda Rotary Club were going to Cadwell Park less than a week later, which I couldn't miss. While most British tracks developed from WW2 airfields, Cadwell is a bit like Brands Hatch in that it's set into a steep-sided, wooded valley, and initially developed as a motorbike circuit. However, it's narrower and even more exciting than Brands, plus you get to use the full loop, whereas at Brands most events only run on the short Indy circuit.

http://www.mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=57232&d=1413805088

Most people's first reaction on arrival is 'that's a long pitlane', not believing their eyes that the actual racetrack can be that narrow. It's a bit like all your favourite B-road bits stuck together, with just a narrow strip of wet grass between the tarmac and the barriers. It's the opposite of a Tilkedrome, in essence.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-75OxHoH1xOg/VEQO6qRMj7I/AAAAAAAAMEk/s_KZSomXIIA/w1098-h733-no/DSC_0008.JPG

The challenge is that the track just never stops changing its curvature, writhing like a snake over the bumpy landscape; usually the bend tightens just over a blind crest, or perhaps flicks back in the other direction, just for fun. Play it safe and you will stay on the track, but miss out on both speed and satisfaction. Once you start to get it right, you link up three or four apexes in a single, flowing, fast line, the tarmac unrolling in just the right place as you crest each brow. As you can probably tell, it's my favourite track. It also has a yump, and a section of switchbacks that crest a couple of brows.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-DdyOPNBpT3o/VEQPaIvFeOI/AAAAAAAAMF0/Xhbc5G5b_wg/w1098-h733-no/DSC_0033.JPG

Fortunately I got some instruction mid-morning, my instructor turning out to be Adam Morgan, a successful BTCC competitor who does instruction during the week. This was super-helpful in learning the lines, and as long as I was able to concentrate on doing as I was told, I lapped faster and faster. In the afternoon I had a couple of good runs giving passenger rides, putting the instruction into practice. As the other guys in the group were driving RX-8s, some of them were pretty impressed / frightened by the acceleration of the FD, 120mph on such a narrow track gives a pretty good sensation of speed.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--frLupd-1KA/VEQPX0aMAzI/AAAAAAAAMFs/F7IY18rNlXM/w1098-h733-no/DSC_0031.JPG

The RX-7 is progressive and predictable, just shading into slight understeer in high speed corners with the power on, the steering indicating when the front tyres are at the limit of grip. At lower speeds the back can ease out under power, but perhaps I was unconsciously leaving a little more margin due to the lack of run-off, as I didn't get seriously out of shape all day.

Some other participants had more of a no-holds-barred approach to the track, resulting in a Seven-alike, two MX-5s and an RX-8 hitting the barriers during the day - getting on for a ten percent attrition rate! Still, I think at least some of those were deliberately going all-out, knowing that their cars are relatively cheap to repair or re-shell.

I happened to be spectating when one MX-5 came unstuck; before he came into view I could hear his squealing tyres, so was ready for him with my camera:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/TFVuZWZoD9RUpQ-F6c2rdRCIqo4pwpcB0bjhE6ORaoA=w303-h202-p-no
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/6UNitgwoqU0-09OQqHTRzwaQeIosmddVUyKJXP-CPJw=w303-h202-p-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/F6YQxa5XA8Z7LDLjEiDP3RAYf82SOb7NVsnNhITbP7k=w303-h202-p-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/F7oCZYQbPhPTsR-Ww4BETu_WGU7N5b373f7MPpDq5e8=w303-h202-p-no
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/HgWgFpyAVlUk2Piw5Hw8JU3WFe40AzNijTcc0D9EXrs=w303-h202-p-no
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/1WStWSFpval-al3iVA4u1piuRzaE-96_bhlh93fSGdY=w303-h202-p-no
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/XJ3SkNC8waTR-mb-BJp7UAPLXXmF7unYshqUGJ5dABs=w303-h202-p-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cdTKxm2S_Vvy6qVtj6lH2NctHm2AwBX03fgYyS1xloQ=w303-h202-p-no
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/98NEP_DxEWGkU1MlNNqL1E1p6WsNav5ANcq9XcYVSuk=w278-h186-p-no

to my relief the driver was fine, and happy to have a copy of my photos afterwards ;-)

[samoht]

To end where I began, the RX-7's turbos started dumping oil into the air inlet at Bedford, so I'm now looking at turbo rebuild options. Jason was nudging me towards going for a not-too-big single turbo, however I'm not keen on losing the response of the sequential twins, so will hope to get them rebuilt.

[KillerB]

What about the 99+ (Series VIII) twins? They're supposed to be more responsive yet provide better top-end, and (at least in the US) they're cheaper.

[thesameguy]

I don't know what I am taking about, but it seems like all the development in turbos should give you lots of single unit options - between ball bearing cartridges and twin scrolls and variable vanes you can get the responsiveness without losing top end, and save weight and complexity in the process.

[Random]

20B swap! :D

[thesameguy]

:up:

I feel that something like a GT3071R would be a great option on an FD with no or very modest HP goals. That unit delivers very good response even on relatively small (eg, 2.0l) motors while being capable of big HP - up to 500 - and still being suitable for ~300 or so. Again, I know nothing about turbos on 13Bs, but I've driven Saabs with this turbo and it's very good - little to no lag and a big punch. The weight loss of a single turbo is worthwhile, but it sure seems like a single exhaust path through a properly sized single turbo would inherently yield more power. These types of turbos didn't exist in the '90s hence the sequential approach, but I believe if Mazda did it again today, it'd be a single turbo all the way.

[samoht]

Here's a dyno graph for a standard sequential twin FD. The blue line is torque:
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p197/samco77on/rx7/F41FFA3C-BA22-4564-87DF-1DCAB618E639_zpsy7lfiqqo.jpg
see how it's virtually the same at all revs? That, I think, is what makes it easy to measure out the torque at corner exit, and easy to feather the throttle when the tail starts to rotate, because the relation between your right foot and torque at the rear wheels doesn't change as you increase speed away from the apex.

I honestly don't know how a good modern single would compare, except I don't think it would manage to hit peak torque quite so low down, so would be a bit worse in that regard.

[thesameguy]

You'd be surprised what a modern turbo can do. Modern turbo technology is light years beyond what they in the '90s - which is why they are suddenly so in vogue. Lag and responsiveness aren't really huge considerations for folks with modern power goals. My Solstice made 1bar at 1800rpm out of 2.0 - less flow and less RPM than a 13b for sure. That dyno shows peak boost at about 2800rpm - I don't know what peak boost is, but probably around 1bar. I don't think that is even somewhat ambitious for your engine.

[Godson]

I know the Turbo'd E36 guys are running 20+ PSI and making strong NA like boost with a GT35R...and 600whp.

[neanderthal]

The MotoIQ RX7 is a sexy sexy LS3 powered beast. So much want.

[KillerB]

Peak boost on a factory Series 6 (93-95) FD is 10psi.

V8 swapped RX-7s can die in a fire.

[Kchrpm]

No LS7 should ever die in a fire.

[thesameguy]

Peak boost on a factory Series 6 (93-95) FD is 10psi.

V8 swapped RX-7s can die in a fire.

Seriously??? They did sequential turbos for 10psi? Nutso. With that info, I wouldn't even consider rebuilding that setup - there is definitely performance up for grabs here.

[KillerB]

FWIW it can't be compared 1:1 with piston engines. You can't run as close to stoich on rotaries.

I think the later non-US cars ran more like 12psi.

[thesameguy]

Sure, but flow is flow, and for all intensive porpoises 300hp of air is going to be about the same whether rotary or reciprocating. And I get that more boost on a factory rotary motor could have been a risk not worth taking, and I get that 300hp is a very reasonable (excellent!) number for that car in that era. It's certainly believable there was more on the table and Mazda had no interest in it. Whatever the case. Turbo technology really didn't start to take off til the mid to late '90s, so it's within the realm of belief that by the time Mazda could have built a single-turbo 13b that delivered the performance they wanted the FD was already EOL. Certainly, any early '90s turbo car would have been built with late '80s turbo technology, and full boost at 3000rpm was more or less the target. Delivering it at 2800rpm was sort of an accomplishment. But Saab (truly) pushed development to deliver peak torque earlier - 2200rpm c1993 - and these days turbo cars are expected to deliver peak torque at 1800rpm. In any case, if the goal is 10 or 12psi by 2800rpm with a 300hp peak, the world is your oyster. The GT3071R will deliver something like 25psi by 4000rpm on a 2.0l. The ball bearing Super60 in my old SPG did 20psi by 3200rpm (on 2.0l). I'm expecting the hybrid T3/T4 in the XR4Ti to be in that ballpark as well, having an extra .3l to help. And those are old, old turbos - ~10 year old tech. An appropriately sized twin scroll on a 13b will not have a problem, and will probably shave a few hundred rpm off the torque plateau.

[samoht]

Update!

I haven't really talked about the FD since the last trackday ended sub-optimally ( http://gtxforums.net/showthread.php?1657-My-first-crash-( )

Catchup; the car was all repaired, genuinely wouldn't know any difference to look at or drive, trackday insurance ended up covering a bit over half the cost. Previously, the engine was rebuilt by the Worthing-based specialist I was using at the time in c.2015. It was never really quite right after that, always a bit of oil smoke. In 2018 it started pressurising the cooling system, diagnosis was water seal failure, time for another rebuild. By this time I'd moved from Croydon (South London) to Cambridge, so I took it to another rotary specialist in Rayleigh, Essex.

Anyway, they said the prior rebuild had been 'done by monkeys', water seals not properly in place, and 'had to' port it a fair bit more to get port shapes they were happy with. So running that in, then the turbos wore out, got them rebuilt, sequential turbo controller was too far gone and needed a complete replacement, oil metering pump failed and needed a (hard to find) replacement, damper blown so four new dampers. Quite a bit of money and time when the car was either away, or at home but not working 100%.

This is what led to me buying a 350Z, initially intended to replace the RX-7. However I quickly decided I couldn't give up the FD, it's just smaller, lighter, more immediate, more urgent, more exciting. I mean, they're totally different kinds of car, for all the superficial similarities.
However, making the RX-7 a second car was much more clearly a good thing, lower mileage means fewer expensive repairs and less of a hassle when it's offline or away for an extended period. So the 350Z was replaced with a nice practical estate car ( http://gtxforums.net/showthread.php?2045-Samoht-Mercedes-C55-AMG-Estate ), and the RX-7 stayed in the garage, coming out for an occasional blast.

The Essex specialist is a lot better than the previous place I was going; does a better job for less money, and tends to fix problems properly by getting stuff rebuilt or replaced with new parts, rather than the other place that would put in used parts... which would then fail again. After the round of repairs mentioned above, plus the odd bit of rust, it's been generally working. Even the turbos reliably hit hard with their one-two punch, followed in short order by the sound of the redline warning chime.


Anyway, I'd not been on track since the above-linked mishap, but the latest iteration of the FD Owners Club has been bolstered by a Californian joining the ranks, moving on from RX-8 ownership. As we all well know, it takes an American to get Brits to socialise, and this year for the second time Roy organised a private club trackday at Blyton Park. I've been feeling the need to be sociable and do more car stuff, Blyton Park is only just over 2 hrs drive from Cambridge, there's not too much to hit there (it was the first trackday I did, back with the 180SX), and the car was working well - so it seemed a really strong opportunity to blow off the cobwebs.

The trackday was good with only six cars on track at once, and with everyone going at a similar-ish pace there was none of the problems of spending the whole lap being passed or stuck behind a stubborn driver that afflict typical public days. Also Stu & JayDee, who run the Essex rotary specialists, were there which is always a nice reassurance. There were some nice cars there - one guy with a 20B who'd done much of the work himself, and a lovely Innocent Blue 2002 car with a single turbo on CE28s that was super-quick around the track.


First session it honestly all felt like things were happening a bit quick - that's what a five year gap does I guess. But after that I got back in the swing of things, and after lunch I had a fun session chasing a slightly more modified car, going hard to keep up and trying to learn from his lines. The brakes (with CL5 pads and high-temp fluid) were solid, the car didn't miss a beat apart from the water temps running up to 108 C, so I tended not to push too hard for too long. The first corner at Blyton is a tightening radius, feeling the car pivot as you turn and brake is cool, it really likes to rotate in this situation, but controllable as long as you're paying attention. I love that it doesn't just push into understeer if you go in too fast - everything it does is in response to your inputs, it's just a matter of giving it the right inputs!

Anyway, was a nice day out and a good way to get back into driving the FD towards the limits, as well as meeting people again for the first time in ages.

On the offchance that others may enjoy seeing some RX-7 photos, here are some :D (First three pics are my car, then some of the others).

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLU6Pdt1eYQpTYWYff6kkGn9rDPgpXndvYsymhdsBGqO5ELJC jFVQ4lkbuljKWp3QeS0Y1ud4jVW5GeUJQSgf2UZud7qO9oQPwy aqKo03ieDGZkeEAf2oTvyxtp1f0U7ZgQaf0_BInjbSDtG-QHB4uYTLQ=w1174-h969-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLX4OoiAtqGfEWKpe5-Gm0qxaKlG-GWdxS_0IwnDOWHKMIAI7tYnL5XIw6xvNHvVoi5VkxTfIKTv-dtWY8Apc3YRlKaSHuraWgbob5qkMVQEPaUDQC9Ow8iSAglSHtJ hca6Oak1sNb3qqmGbcL6tTWwdJQ=w1238-h969-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLWdyDEtkpPOzR3PEkX565wL8rxr7D-8FjsfrXHDfNV2I0bnmE4p3pK8a15eG4qZbGNGAwg6gK0-DAgInmm5ryiAa_W5XNrCXldtPW-OcQ-RMgySs5XaJKdFCHc0Y1FJzDeSGzXp2_nlUu0qiq6hlMKoqg=w1 339-h969-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLVmcUeQlSUBl0ci_lLVZsc-HlsxrRdzrQOEvEpMggfyq-CgORluw0co8X790BH6NXRjKlcY04UW7hEHS0auXJ8Ll69pAbDc nBQnlfIpbM6jtTuLcapR-Vn3kybQ6euvbYfD6ZjP1dM_ppcF8BMr4MWcsQ=w1454-h969-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLU0V5IrQo8IWsn9hC9aF_HPeGQUmRvttyrFZ8M2MpBzFLEQo GgGtqnDLdlShA-eD_x_Nmlrql-ceMp6JCei_dmUB51nC-jPwBbK7tNWsLF3pCQbfNB-tP_GVkq-EKKAr8xSKRjGuUEfZgTdQ1Hl7-wMMg=w1249-h970-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLVOwD3g8u9YhstejIGEvdl0n6gmMii_1Edc3rkproAmjTw0v CbOArxeUfk0yMwjq0UWqCRRFmC6TBQrNfJzHC2CC0f30sqRSpo kKLBtqJhfnkvONUUfkhEqd9ZpaElhw7Cy6dZnatteOzXIeuYzi 7V3dQ=w1493-h969-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLVmVdCowNdauvRXqUL-MA1hxs4-a0PC_31gf2M6ecDiVc6yCvPQmsdnK8JZK2SxGfl33sECcFCnRu 7HBJiNOZaR6qS08OR22eE0XTVFq84IXrbnCMhEk-oJBy6HeXkf-vx3EipjSGi_wgRTKujX9zl8Mw=w1563-h969-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLWYEuUDu-GtyZ5PrtiXy1jB8E9E8yEHOGyZCwIpwjjtpKJxgnH9aDVqY1hH kdPQapKuxCYIBEWcXt_ZlnNn4u-1eCmIsgd1hbT8jMjPgwhjThe3UzDAMjpMNNb_uy3ciw-Z4rruv5IYc4q4_kQwx04-wQ=w1920-h731-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLUIskMVIWfLurtFaJyBBmS7nyqliMDOWP15BdW0DH2QSrFyf 2Gps5RPNbW409SzYiQL390X48wDASQQaUX18URKz7gWK8gQRPS bDkrsu9un8n_wvV0FVEz29WXzUyqDqK2-eYfd6ZbaXjnsaOdJKiu6JA=w1454-h969-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLWudY-6keO2vgncfkMAhS0PpU2tcMUnXFw2IxA3G5RTIK1J7yxznLQAT QJXYYqy27k3UjBVsVCsfuXoJ4Yb7yiARyC32W3mhBkYBlWob_M zzVPsFZ5cz6cu7CBDnzxsFfGc0hyuNEBvjtxr0mvAppPbag=w1 454-h969-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLWL3shGFhZ1M28yButlQSzW2bwAYEkj3PM2bJZHRZIysWkY_ hi-FG_hTfp5ntGBVe_-URObW8l1HKrc7K4BDTlb6OlOgmhslynof5eX-t_0l8tv1iLPySdaeGPKGfnELTB84mSuvX3gr7bua9pJIwWF8A= w1454-h969-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLWn8e0p12RTLeGADqAEaP0oW0GazApTGMktTi8TnVp4fJT0t hK1ZqtOMjHcrdq7DjK5MPH8L2LK2wQ34tUm9mcDxffwqpPkcCE bmy2Pd_zcZFY355mxt00CeEK7bJrU9ScxrEJGv_QhjLkvNv_sk gyitA=w862-h969-no

[Kchrpm]

Looks like a lovely, loud day :)

[Godson]

The FD is such a cool fucking car.

I'm glad I have had the chance to drive one in anger

[Crazed_Insanity]

Ditto!

Except I just need a chance to drive one still… :p

[Yw-slayer]

So jealous. Glad the car is back in shape and that you're enjoying it as it's meant to be enjoyed!

[dodint]

That looks aweome.

[Alan P]

Still a gorgeous thing is the RX-7.

[Crazed_Insanity]

It's amazingly weird that RX-7 doesn't look dated in this day and age...

[CudaMan]

The FD is one of the great drivers cars. Love the chassis, it drives lighter than its 90s Turbo Japanese contemporaries. Glad you got to give yours some proper driving again, better than ever!

[samoht]

Yeah, it was always one of my favourite cars to drive in NFSSE and GT, due to the really nice handling, so it puts a smile on my face to grow up and discover that the games were realistic in this regard! Still love the looks, think it's the way they adopted and updated sixties proportions that makes it seem timeless in a way. The combo of looks/speed/handling and being a JDM icon of the era is why I've not been able to replace it, despite the running costs!

[samoht]

Sold. The new owner drove away in my RX-7 half an hour ago.

It's just a couple of months short of a decade since I got it. It's been a great car, expensive to keep going but lovely to have for the occasional blast or trackday. I still loved it, but I think with the chance I have now to make a step up, it's a good time to sell. It doesn't make sense to buy a new 'toy' car before selling the current incumbent, especially with limited parking, and it gives me a break from worrying about keeping up maintenance, tax, insurance, MoT etc on two old cars. I've also got one eye on the economic storm clouds on the horizon here in the UK, so it seems on balance better to sell it now than delay and end up trying to move it at a time when people's disposable income may be more restricted.

In the process of selling I found it had a rust hole in the floor, so sent it to a bodyshop for '3-4 days' to get that sorted. It ended up with them fabricating a whole new sill as well and four weeks and £2k of work. So that was a bit of a stress, but the new owner hung on and seems really happy. I do feel I sold it to a very genuine enthusiast who will enjoy it as much as I have.

I'd definitely recommend an RX-7, really really fun cars to drive. Just need to have a good rotary mechanic not too far away, pick your car carefully, and consider how to protect it from rust (!). And while they're more expensive now than they used to be, but I can easily see them being worth a lot more in the future too.

I'll always remember how it feels to drive, especially the way it slipped into a gentle drift on lift-off on corner entry, or how it rotated under trail braking. Not to mention the thrill of riding the sequential power curve in third on a damp road, waiting for the wheels to spin.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dcAGJEhjbHzm4pGqwSockFZWsZXFFA7vDuJo_LtAEsOHyIEu0J W8v3ykEx3rV25Jh9CjvBB0jvp3UBOLGHQ3s04mRpKnxmESC80L MsOGhKQXA8s10ilMaJgqWEfvL3sj5g_bu8i9mv3ZaSRoYqBQER x5pagDcF_C-4AKs3ZXlDiaCTLXAcNsMFFjqkdcjxm4mvz5INqXMumaWvW9RiJ bYyLJeKWnLntoVMSIHJsifRJ9T19LLqHjn9LXGgFk9WE--U902Xo86zxa1BJPwdE8h1Tw4A3igZsF5i7Z8AaK3cIyPN-IAvhR7KfqZfjw8FQoC4MvfiPHjIgPIKdwIhlznpSRibrpDItdS YPQwSItpl8X_26BbCQ4-lRKrhlFm2whQcnw-TMDNd554xDv7J4kWbfz6R2aK84PCAs4mSoiijdZ96aphy7VuQJ C4xgV6oV5tZUf2bKvMDNwir1v9IbkepflZn0-FgQ54f88xm40iEnY28nJ07Did0t1Zg0HynpSDTJyg6z4s4RiDV V7RBqFMiMizMwlkLoPxJilOm4AbLRTgmym2Lp06vVzq3XIgDHW LYrBy5_nWUmdCA4Y0TpIbI8-68cWwtDb_lt7J0biE4EmPBQAjZhSCc33cAlPw6vzNf4g-fBlaBbboPVzUng1du5Sg9nnkUQff4BbL6FnURYpZ3eHWVc9YjL WXw1EW3WPD7l66bfnKCBhwWzAL5xU555Hqs4Vvk1GENKIc3oEl 2MKOEGfKWxNsM27Clar=w3375-h1783-no?authuser=0

[Kchrpm]

The end of an era! I hope the next thing can bring you even more joy, but that seems like a tall order.

[Crazed_Insanity]

:up:

Btw, just wondering why was it expensive to keep? Are you referring to taxes and insurance for a rarely used car or does rx7 really have frequent repair/maintenance bills?

[samoht]

I spent five years taking it to a place that tended to do poor quality repairs or fit used parts, some of which then had to be re-done in the second five years at the better shop. Also some of it was upgrades too, but mainly just so the car could do trackdays without overheating something. Plus old Japanese cars rust in the UK climate.

Engine rebuild, twice (first place messed it up)
Turbo replacement /w used 99 spec, then rebuild
Sequential turbos piecemeal replacement of solenoids, finally whole new control unit
Upgrade rad and intercooler, then again because water temps were still too high on track
Rust, rust and rust again (rear arches, sills, floor)
Door locks (two or three times)
Endless futile attempts to get the A/C working
Bigger injectors, rails, fuel pump

I've probably spent maybe £35k on it over ten years of ownership, and got half that back in the appreciation having now sold it.

I think if I'd been taking it to the better garage from the start, would probably have saved about a third of the outlay perhaps? But it's still an old high mileage car in a damp climate, that was driven hard on occasion.

You can see that £250 a year road tax and £300-600 for insurance was the least of my worries!

[Crazed_Insanity]

Gotcha! Considering you guys have much higher gas prices, I thought perhaps you guys have insanely high taxes and insurance as well… ;)

My S2k has definitely had it good in SoCal weather for the past 20 years, but now the pacific NW is kinda like your weather… hopefully I won’t experience too much rust issues. I definitely do not have money for upgrades… it will stay as factory for as long as possible! :p

[Rare White Ape]

Keep the receipts for the McLaren and tell us how much that costs in 10 years, won't you?

:D

[Crazed_Insanity]

At least carbon fiber won't rust!

[samoht]

Yeah - no rust, lower road tax, better fuel consumption - will clearly be a great money-saver ;)

[Crazed_Insanity]

:lol:

[HondaKid86]

Dude, that thing is absolutely gorgeous! And apparently I didn't even hear about it until after you'd sold it. Where's the upside-down smiley emoji?!

So what the heck are you driving now?

Glad you had the chance to love and let it go. <3

[Phil_SS]

*hugs*

And cruise on down and read the following thread for his next adventure: http://gtxforums.net/showthread.php?2127-Fun-Sports-car-supercar-lightweight-replica

[HondaKid86]

The least he could've done is gotten us some close-ups of those juicy fat five-spoke FD wheels. 🤤

I blink, and the dude's shopping McLarens...

How far we've come! 🎉