I didn't miss the title of the forum https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.gif



Just curious what you guys think about this guys engine swap? I can see the benifits, but it looks like a tonne of work. Would you do it?



RX7 Engine swap

Being that i have owned 6 rx7's and a LS1 powered vette... i feel qualified to answer this one.



The MAIN thing i like about my rotaries is the fact that they rev so freely and to such high RPMs.. Too bad they break alot and can't handle detonation at all... very expensive parts also.





The thing i like about the LS1 is... you get in and turn the key... and it's gonna start and drive EVERYTIME. Huge aftermarket following for parts and upgrades too......Too bad ALL of the stock (Z06 included) clutches are pure ****. Will be replacing the 2 month old Z06 clutch with a Textralia very soon.





Both engines have good points and bad points. It's all in what you want. Doesn't matter what other people think about it.

Would a better clutch at the time of installation not allieviate that problem, or is it inherant in the transmisson?

Plus LS1 FDs sell for quite a profit. Check out v8rx7forum.com.

on a factory clutch set-up... you'll end up bleeding the clutch about once a week if you drive the car really hard. No bullshit. The slave cylinder is shaft mounted inside the bellhousing and transfers all the friction heat from the clutch to the slave. It's about the same if you'd shroud your brake calipers where the heat couldn't get out. When i run thru the gears hard... 1st to 2nd isn't an issue normally, 2nd to 3rd... the pedal hangs about halfway to the floor after the shift... 3rd to 4th.... pedal stays on the floor after the shift for 4-5 seconds..



It is an absolutely shitty clutch set-up design. It might not be as much of an issue on one mounted in an FD due to the huge weight difference it has to accelerate.



go to www.corvetteforum.com and do a search for sticking clutches and you'll see what i mean. *SOME* claim that some of the aftermarket clutchs have no issues with this.... i'll find out soon.

Really? what's the point then?



One set of problems for another

I think there was a Sport Compact Car article (front page) where they back to back test both setups. I regret having neglected to buy it, I still need to track it down.



You are going to get the best answers there I'd imagine.











*for the record, I'm 100% against anything but a rotary in an RX car. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.gif

sup greygt-c,

stock clutches can't handle drag radials well.

i've used CARTEK clutch for years with no issues and 1.5x short times on ET street bia ply. the stock z06 clutch is pretty weak for draggin.

i think i'm gonna use new ls7 clutch mated with aluminum ls2 flywheel. it'll be soft like stock with no chatter, but i won't kill it at drag strip. if you will drag, get that text clutch or cartek. there are a bunch of other good ones out there as well.

In that Sport compact car issue, they liked the 13B better.

[citation needed]



Any idea which issues?

I used to think throwing the LS1 in the FD was blasphemy. Now I'm starting to think I wanna try it. Unfortunately I'm too lazy to do the work myself and the whole bill is roughly $12-13K for labor, LS1, and T56. But man, you can't really go wrong with an LS1 FD IMO. Low-end torque (wtf is that), reliability, kick-ass aftermarket support and only slightly ******* up your weight distribution from 50-50 to 53-47.

haha right on but let me correct you because i corner weighted my car and my friends stock rx7 and his was 53 front/47 rear and my LS1 was 50.5 front/49.5 rear. your results may vary. i have it video taped on my site.

I'm not calling you a liar but that simply dosent make sense. How does a heavier engine and tranny equate into less weight than the front of a 13b. Does all the other miscellaneous stuff under the hood of a 13b car really weigh more than an LS1 car?

it wasn't an apples to apples comparison but it goes to show that a well executed swap won't affect any handling goodness.

my battery is moved to pass side bin. it had PS, AC and ABS removed https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.gif

Ahh good stuff https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...R#>/tongue.gif

The LS1/2 is an aluminium block though? When you count in all the junk for the 13B and turbo's etc. does'nt it come to be 50-100 pounds more for the 13B? I read it somewhere, I forget where.



I for either one honestly, but what do I know, I don't have an FD. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/biggrin.gif

i think it sux, the rotory engines cannot be blown-up

Excellent input there. Exactly what the **** are you talking about???

Sarcasm I think? Or he could be cereal, I dunno?

I'm with UnNatural, Im 100% against anything but a rotary in an RX car. I don't see the point in doing this swap, If I want an LS1 powered car I'll go buy a Camaro.

If we are talking about the same magazine article they compared a "track ready" 13B to a basic LS1 FD with a stock camaro thrown into the mix for shits and giggles. They even hinted that if the suspension set ups were equal the LS1 would be the better of the two. The camaro was just there to humiliate the domestics.

Yep, that was the article. They placed the LS1 FD higher than the 13B FD.





And who gives a damn, it's the persons car, not yours.

Its not a LS1, and its not a FD, but my LT1 FC is a absolute blast to drive.



I have revved that thing to 7k once in a while, maunly because if the tires are cold and you floor it traction becomes an issue, and it never misses a beat.



With its lightweight flywheel that I have and the stock 4.1 gearing in a FC that piston motor revves QUITE fast, as fast as you can look at the tach its redline time, so much for the free-revving rotary motor arguement.



Its also been shown numerous times that Ls1 swaps retain 50/50 weight ratio and sometimes actually decrease the weight of the car once you start removing ps and ac.



Once the torque is factored in any addional weight argeument goes RIGHT out the window anyhow.



Stock LS1 motor FDs sell $20k+, thats with junkyard motors.



And for the record- I am a HOT RODDER at heart, thats when people took whatever parts they could get thier hands on and made them fit into a

different, usually lighter, vehicle to make it fast.

Stock FDs are not all that reliable and take numerous "reliability" mods to make them semi usable, modified FDs retain only the mazda engine itself with every single other part coming from the aftermarket.

The problem with the LSx in the FD is not the weight distribution F/R but the center of gravity on the front. The engine weight sits higher in the chassis with the LSx engine than with the rotary. You can compensate with corner spring rates for weight distribution but if the engine weight sits higher it opens up a new can of worms.

Horsepower will improve straightaway times and should more than compensate for what's given up in handling and corner speeds if you are tracking the car IMHO.

He wasn't talking about the cars, he was referring to the drive trains. and yes the LS-1 (all aluminum) is actually lighter than our rotary with turbo's.

Having owned an FD with an LS1, I can say that they are a lot of fun. I sold that one and now I have a rotary FD, a 95. As soon as the engine blows, it will be ls2 time, 402 or 427, depending on how much $$ I have. It already has all the suspension parts, I just need a beefier differential and axles, and I will be set once the swap is done. I had 360 to the wheels and was doing 12.7 on drag radials. I loved it, and pissed people off, LOL, specially domestics.