Rotory engine in miata

[Mustang73351]

Any body herd or seen this done

[Phatmiata]

Yes, this has been done, but everyone that does it seems to disappear not soon after building one. :ninja:


Here is a good article on a 600+hp one.

http://www.turbomagazine.com/features/0103_turp_1990_mazda_miata_13b_turbo/

[Unk577]

The better question is why would someone swap a rotary into a miata?

There are too many better options that bring more power and reliability. Such as LS,LFX,Honda K24, SBF, even a 12 cylinder from a Jaguar.

[Dandy]

Current member, Gene Rodriquez (and his dad), knows a little something about rotaries. He is pretty active here.

[Mustang73351]

The reason would be to keep it mazda

[Unk577]

How about MZR in 2.0 or 2.5 and ad FI? It will have a lot better power band and be more reliable. Look at the dyno graph in the link Phat posted. It's embarrassing....nothing nothing nothing 400 500 nothing... Can it be fast? Yes but driveability will be shit.

[Flyin 92]

You should swap in an FE I-4 or a Mazda V6

[jux]

Mooo

[etikoner]

The better question is why would someone swap a rotary into a miata?

There are too many better options that bring more power and reliability. Such as LS,LFX,Honda K24, SBF, even a 12 cylinder from a Jaguar.

Light weight.
Handling
Likes to rev high
Small packaging.

I've been in a carb'd 13B miata and it was pretty damn awesome.
70 mph in second gear, and the engine being positioned farther back made it feel like a front mid engine car with sharp turn in.

The miata is a small car, so I think the small engine suits it's perfectly.

[Phatmiata]

I wish I could take the motor from my 2013 Mazdaspeed3 and put it into my miata, it would need nothing after that.......

[Unk577]

You could duplicate it in your miata

[Phatmiata]

$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Hyper]

The better question is why would someone swap a rotary into a miata?

There are too many better options that bring more power and reliability. Such as LS,LFX,Honda K24, SBF, even a 12 cylinder from a Jaguar.

to keep it all mazda. it is cool

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QFO0CRUTYM

[theothersawyer]

Why take a reliable car, and make it unreliable?

[miata2fast]

I am not a big fan of rotaries myself, but the quickest Miatas built for drag racing are rotary powered. Rotary motors won a few championships in several classes when NHRA had the import series. They have done well in other motorsport too. There are plenty of reasons to hate them, but the fact remains that they work very well at making cars go fast.

They seem to have lost their popularity in the last few years.

[Thumper13]

Heck with all Mazda,get a 4.6 from a wrecked Ford Mustang,add turbos and stand back. The motor is a 300 hp motor before adding turbos. Not big $$$$$$ or we can steal Yatas Vette and rape it for a motor and trans

[Hyper]

I

They seem to have lost their popularity in the last few years.

they are gas eaters and only make decent power at high revs.

[etikoner]

They're really smooth and make nice power for such a small engine.

[jux]

Small motor? Yes.
Lightweight? Not really. They're rather dense.

[Chops]

If I had the money, I'd throw a 12A in my car in a heartbeat!

I built two different 12A's back in the day for my '83 RX7 GSL and loved them both. I rebuilt both from the ground up and they made considerably more power than stock. One I opened the hell out of the ports, then bridge ported the damn thing on top of that! The other motor I did a FULL peripheral port on it. With highly modified oiling, carbon apex seals, heavy duty side springs/seals and a few others little things, Holley 750 DP, Racing Beat header and 3" exhaust all the way back, these suckers were loud and would scream.

The bridge port made peak power around 7.5k and I'd shift around 9k. The peripheral peaked around 9k and I'd shift around 10.5k. It also ran a little hotter, but that was typical of peripheral's due to the port going right through the water jacket. They were around the 260-320hp range, NA of course. Both had a very fun, nasty idle, and I used to keep snapping the damn WP/alternator belt at high rpm's (above 8k). I became a pro at looping the new belt through the fan shroud and onto the motor in less than 30 seconds, even at night in no light. I kept a stockpile of them in the hatch! LOL

Back to my point though, I would definitely put a 12A in my Miata.

[rantman]

There was one at "Miatas After Market" in Braselton, Georgia, for sale last year. Beautiful job, except oil cooler lay rather low to the ground. It was for sale $4.5 K

[The Driver]

How about MZR in 2.0 or 2.5 and ad FI? It will have a lot better power band and be more reliable. Look at the dyno graph in the link Phat posted. It's embarrassing....nothing nothing nothing 400 500 nothing... Can it be fast? Yes but driveability will be shit.

Come on man. You can't swap an MZR engine unto an NA/NB. It would be cheaper to go LSX!

Rotor NA's are AWESOME!

[JamieH]

Rotaries are neat... but absolutely mad. You know how most people see a car as an appliance? Then there's car people? People that treat and view cars like family members. Well, rotary guys are that next level of crazy. Think about it. Rotarheads accept oil as a consumable like gasoline. Don't get me wrong, rotaries make a sweet noise like nothing else, rev quicker and higher than most engines, but they make as much sense as a screen door on a submarine. Tiny engines, yet incredibly thirsty that burn very brightly at both ends.

My hat is off to anyone that chooses to get wrapped up in the land without valves.

[etikoner]

I want a rotary powered car in my life.

[DK Wolf]

I am not a big fan of rotaries myself, but the quickest Miatas built for drag racing are rotary powered. Rotary motors won a few championships in several classes when NHRA had the import series. They have done well in other motorsport too. There are plenty of reasons to hate them, but the fact remains that they work very well at making cars go fast.

They seem to have lost their popularity in the last few years.

However, you're forgetting that only until recently has the NHRA figured out how to even the playing field between Superchargers and Turbos for competition. Not to mention they STILL haven't figured out how to appropriately class a rotary motor. Those gaps in rules allow for a little bit of an unfair advantage in certain scenarios.


Much of the reason why the 787 was banned from Le Mans.

[etikoner]

I still want a rotary car in my life.

[miata2fast]

However, you're forgetting that only until recently has the NHRA figured out how to even the playing field between Superchargers and Turbos for competition. Not to mention they STILL haven't figured out how to appropriately class a rotary motor. Those gaps in rules allow for a little bit of an unfair advantage in certain scenarios.


Much of the reason why the 787 was banned from Le Mans.

I will buy that to a degree. You can't argue with the fact that rotary motors made cars go fast.

For me, it is a moot point. I would never ever have one. I could not live with the unpleasant noise as well as other odd characteristics of those motors.

[DK Wolf]

I will buy that to a degree. You can't argue with the fact that rotary motors made cars go fast.

For me, it is a moot point. I would never ever have one. I could not live with the unpleasant noise as well as other odd characteristics of those motors.

Well its only fast because it was the equivalent of labeling a v8 as a v6. Under that pretense when you have v6 expectations of course it'll be fast.

However rotaries are known for being rudely inefficient.

I and a few rotary enthusiasts consider a 13b as a 3.9L v6 essentially. Has what is arguably six combustion chambers each at ~650cc.

What its actual displacement is, is amd always will be disputed among fans.

Mazda only utilized 1.3 for insurance purposes and racing bodies recognize it as a 2.6 for some bizarre reason.

Just to show you why they perform so well in competition.