greetings this is my first post and i have very limited knowledge on well about everything. regardless my question is what would be the most effiecient engine set up for road racing( specifically on Hallet race circut out side tulsa oklahoma) i am new to the sport but i have been studying rotary engines for about a year now. From what i have seen most people go with a turbo set up , my car happens to be a 1986 n/a.

i have considered a turbo , but is it actually worth the cash for the improved power, or is a "hopped up" n/a motor a better choice? what about turbo lag? how does that affect your mid range r.p.m.s and tourque? what about engine management systems? cooling systems? what about lubricating systems or dry sump set ups? and superchargers, what could they do? any input or opinions would be appreciated. Currently i am a college student majoring in automotive collision repar and restoration and would someday like to build GT and pro circut cars(hopefully rotaries; if the lords willing and the creek don't rise!). i am hoping to begin working on the car in question this winter and spring and am just trying to figure out my options, and talking to myself has got me no responses i appreciate anyone who responds and thanks for tolerating me.



Remember keep your stick on the ice, we're pulling for you, we're all in this together.

 

First thing's first, if you're talking about real road racing, figure out what group you want to run with and what class you want to race in. That will severely limit what you can do. If you're talking about just track days, then you can do anything you want. Turbo can get you more power, but then cooling, brakes, drivetrain, tires, etc all need to be better to handle the extra speed. NA gives better power delivery, but has a limit to how powerful it can be and it gets expensive when you start getting up there in terms of power. A turbo set up will be 100+lbs heavier and in road racing, weight is the enemy.



Having a well defined budget is the very first step in deciding what to do.

 

Not to mention that N/A is generally much easier on parts and their longevity. Besides; you will be suprised at how much quicker and more nimble your car will be with a 1000 pounds of "daily driver" convieniences taken out of the vehicle.

 

yeah you need to figure out what class you're running in, most classes were only for non turbos.



the biggest hurdle, in road racing a rotary is the cooling system, its hard to keep a rotary cool when you're full throttle 80% of the time

 

thanks guys for the input. On the scca website i havent been able to find a club racing class that doesnt either require all out modification,like gt, or they want you to run as close to factory specs as possible, and then their is solo competitions , but i would like to try the track events out. time trials( club and track) seem more managable money-wise, and i havent found where there are any real guidelines as to what you can or cannot run. i think i would like to start with track days and time trials, but i would really like to try out gt racing. i never have been a big fan of forced induction systems, so i think i would enjoy that (GT). My budget is an issue but not too big of one,(College has been paid for,thank you mom and dad once again for your foresight!) and i've worked for the last two years mainly saving for improvements for this car,it truely is a project! So what has worked for you? and what do you run in ? not trying to steal any secrets just a curious kid. lets keep this thread going maybe someone else will learn something from my questions? thanks again.

 

most FC's run in improved touring (IT), its supposed to be the next step beyond showroom stock.



with an FC you end up with a stock engine, no emissions, exhaust is free (you can do what you want), it runs a stock intake manifold, ecu can be whatever you want as long as it fits in the stock case., you get to do springs/shocks. interior comes out. 15x7" wheels.



you need the cage, harnesses etc.



nowadays they have more stuff. NASA has performance touring PT, and time trials TT, these both are based on the IT rules, but there is a modification point system, too many points, and you get bumped into the next faster class. so you can build the car you want. TT is even nicer, as its not wheel to wheel racing, so the car stays nice.



if you're wheel to wheel racing, the car will get banged up.



there are also time attack things, similar to TT