LocostUSA.com

I have got to try that!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aSBItXz ... re=related

I found this interesting also. A step by step video of the stages of building it.

_________________
mobilito ergo sum
I drive therefore I am

I can explain it to you,
but I can't understand it for you.

It seems that rotarys are coming back into fashion.The only problems they had were that the housings would twist and the seals on the tips of the rotors would become damaged..but someone had figured this out and found a cure...and that if you bolt a few housings together and turbocharge them they make massive power.I personally have never been into the rotary thing but lately im more and more interested,only because they are light and can be made reliable.My plan is a 20b triple ..turbocharged ..they came out in the cosmo non turbo..jdm only..and this will be a great track day car.I already have the frame built..i built 2 at the same time as i already had the table and extra steel..they are haynes sized and i will use the other 350z diff as i already have a spare.Anyone know the weight of a 20b ?.Another thing to remember is that once you bolt a turbo on one it cuts the noise considerably and without a port job they have a nice smooth idle.

It's a myth that rotary's are light. A 13b will weigh similar to a alloy 4cyl 2000cc engine. Maybe a little lighter but not a huge amount.
My batty rx7 s7 motor stripped to a bare block but with the flywheel still on was no light weight to lift. Two of us with our rings hanging out. They have 3 fairly large(for the size of motor) plates that are cast iron and the rotors are heavy. The only alloy part are the rotor housings and they have the least material in them.

My whole life i thought rotarys were light! bugger..your car running yet?

Making the fuel tank and seats tomorrow. Not far now. Motivation is at an all time high

Not to bring up an old subject, the 13B rotary "KEG"" weighs right under 180# (dry). This number is fairly consistant across many references. Where it varies is when you get numbers for a "complete" engine. That 180# number includes the rotors, the housings, the irons, the eccentric shaft, oil pump, oil pan, and the front plate. - no accessories, no flywheel, no intake manifold or injectors, no exhaust manifold, no alternator, no oil injector pump, no water pump, no starter..... Just the basic equivalent of a long block engine. Any real world comparisons should be done similarly IMO.

I prefer the long block equivalent since many weights out there in the interweb are either just plain BS or do not mention the conditions of weight. Add to that, one person using a lightweight flywheel and the other including the factory flywheel/clutch assy really throws the comparison numbers for a loop. It is just too difficult to come up with real comparisons on weights.

The closest realisitic comparison I can come in short work was the 2.2L Ecotec coming in at 235# for a long block with water pump and front engine mounts. http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=10979&start=15 Of course, all of those missing ancilliaries add up and may close the gap fairly quickly if you are comparing stock vs stock running engines.

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

But even if the rotary weighed as much as a traditional motor the weight is concentrated into a much more CG friendly package.

_________________
mobilito ergo sum
I drive therefore I am

I can explain it to you,
but I can't understand it for you.

And then there's this: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/ ... 317/page1/

_________________
mobilito ergo sum
I drive therefore I am

I can explain it to you,
but I can't understand it for you.

Thanks carguy..my new found interest in rotary's is getting stronger every day,your right about the cg thing..apart from a jet turbine engine there isnt going to be a more compact to the centerline of the crank engine.

Plus it's easy to get big HP out of a rotary

I once owned a 20B. I bought it for the sound. I was told it had the closest sound to a V12 you could get. I never even started it up to listen to it.

I ended up not using it and selling it because it was to go into my son's first car and I couldn't find details on HP levels w/o the turbos ANYWHERE!

I was afraid it would make too much or too little power for the 280z it was slated to fit in. It looked absolutely dinky sitting in the Z engine compartment. My son & I could stand in front of it and the front cross member.

Since it was to be my son's first car I was worried it would be too powerful for him to control.

But on the other hand, since it was a custom creation I was worried it would have so little power we'd be embarrassed by it.

I sure wish I'd have kept it! I listen to the 3 rotors in the Continental Challenge and just love the sound and realize it would have been exactly what I wanted.

You live and learn.

BUT I don't think the rotary will really come into it's own until it has Direct Injection and possibly that new laser spark inducer thingy to give a better burn pattern and therefore better gas mileage and better power band.

_________________
mobilito ergo sum
I drive therefore I am

I can explain it to you,
but I can't understand it for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... lOHXxBMeIk it seems mazda has also interested in the rotary putting a 20b in their concept car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xpF22ac ... detailpage check this also..i dont know what to say really.

Those first two vids came out of little ol NZ where jet boating is quite common. I have one only it is no where near as fast as that one and we play on the local river. Google "Rakaia River, Canterbury" zoom in and you will see that it is no ordinary river. A boat with a prop wouldn't last 5 minutes, in some places it is literally 2-3 inches deep. Great fun.
Bruce

Sorry to hi-jack the thread, couldn't resist.