Jump to content

New Mazda RX-Vision Concept Car


Casper

Recommended Posts

Rotary engines are cool, but didn't the RX-8 struggle to break 20 mpg with a 1.3 liter??  Until they fix that, it's not going to be viable for them to sell.

Yes all rotary's suffer from poor MPG.  Every RX7 i have owned (80,81,83,88(12a and 13b)) all got around 17mpg city or highway. And they all use oil at a rate of a qt per 1000 miles. Both these issues are why I don't see Rotary's ever being more than a niche car that falls in the gap between muscle and high end sports.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I turbo'd my rx8.. prior to that it was 24ish mixed.. after a Cobb tune it was 22ish.. then the turbo and I was around 17 to 18. . But you don't buy a car like thay for gas mileage.. it was seriously the second best handling car I had ever driven. The first was a lotus exige S. Wasn't fast.. of course it wasn't meant to be.. but it handled on rails.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

But you don't buy a car like thay for gas mileage.. .

 

Yes, but Mazda's average MPG across their product line has to hit the government standards.  Cars like this pull down their average.

 

I have also read some troubling articles about engine wear in rotary applications.  They simply 'wear out' sooner (or so goes the criticism).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

it is true.. the rotary does "wear" quicker.. and actually it has nothing to do with any hard parts of the motor.. in a rotary there is only like 3 main moving parts.. the average   piston motor is 40 plus... but
the apex seals on the 2 rotors in an rx8... or total of 6 seals  do wear out  over time and need replaced..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

According to the press release, they have addressed the reliability, emissions, and efficiency.  Rumors have a few thoughts on it.  Multiple small engines (4 with 2 turbos), or one engine as a power generator for a hybrid system, or multiple engines for a hybrid as well.  Or just could be a solid rotary engine too.  

 

Mazda so far has done a great job of moving their concept designs to production cars.  I hope they do the same with this one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, but Mazda's average MPG across their product line has to hit the government standards.  Cars like this pull down their average.

 

I have also read some troubling articles about engine wear in rotary applications.  They simply 'wear out' sooner (or so goes the criticism).

Apex seals are a bastard if they're not cared for properly.

 

If I understand the concept properly, you get carbon build-up on the seals which line the edges of the rotor lobes. Generally speaking that's all burnt-off if you rev the engine out regularly, like one would with a sport bike. However, trying to drive economically tends to let this accumulate which speeds up the apex seal degradation.

 

The engines also heat-soak easily because there's no exhaust 'stroke' to let the cylinder cool off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rotary engines are cool, but didn't the RX-8 struggle to break 20 mpg with a 1.3 liter??  Until they fix that, it's not going to be viable for them to sell.

It was a 1.3L with 3L V6 HP of course the mileage wasn't going to be great.  It wasn't much worse than those V6 cars though if you look.  Mazda rotaries are high specific output engines which means no fuel economy.  But there are few engines more fun to drive than a rotary.  Silky smooth linear power.  I still toy with the idea of picking up an 8 with the knowledge I would be rebuilding/replacing the engine fairly quickly.  They are just so much fun to drive and have four doors for the other half and kid of course. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...