6 ms·

What was the purpose of using the rotary engine in the first place, for ICE cars? From the comments it seems it's maybe lighter for a given power output. Is t

What was the purpose of using the rotary engine in the first place, for ICE cars? From the comments it seems it's maybe lighter for a given power output. Is that it, other than just the novelty of it?

20after4 3y ago
It's about double the power output for a given size / displacement. It's very smooth and high-revving so that makes for a really fun driving experience in a light-weight sports car.
jdblair 3y ago
Lighter and mechanically simpler were the selling points. Poor fuel efficiency and trouble with the seals were the downsides. My uncle had an RX-7 back in the 80s when I was a kid. I remember when it was idling I could see the exhaust puffing, in pulses. It only had a single combustion chamber after all.
- LarsDu88 3y ago
  It's mechanically simpler until the apex seals blow out. Then you are fucked
- samdunham 3y ago
  I've had three RX-7s. A first generation and two second generations. I drove the first until the wheels literally fell off (I was a young, stupid kid that ignored the crunching sounds of the rear wheel bearings falling apart. The rear wheel(s) seized while I was driving down a bridge causing the axel to snap in half. That was an interesting "drive" down the rest of the bridge). The second was a base model second gen that I gave up when I suddenly had two cars because of getting married, then divorced. The third was my favorite. A late model second gen fully loaded. That one eventually caught on fire due to negligence at a tire place. I loved that car. The third generation never got cheap enough for me to consider one, but oh, I wanted one badly. The RX-8 never really caught me. Plus they had some early issues. That Iconic concept definitely has my attention, though.
- ed_balls 3y ago
  rx-7 had two combustion chambers.
- linsomniac 3y ago
  >It only had a single combustion chamber after all Just to be clear: At had two combustion chambers. Both the 12A and 13B engines had two rotors (1.2 and 1.3L "displacement" respectively), each one has a combustion chamber. I had an '84 GSL-SE (13B), I don't remember it particularly "puffing", not saying it didn't just don't remember it. The engine in this article they say is an "8C", which I assume means 0.8L displacement.
aidenn0 3y ago
Power density is indeed the main advantage. It's also much easier to balance; hunks of metal changing direction many times per second (6000 RPM is 100Hz) is somewhat mechanically exciting.

20after4 3y ago

It's about double the power output for a given size / displacement. It's very smooth and high-revving so that makes for a really fun driving experience in a light-weight sports car.

jdblair 3y ago

Lighter and mechanically simpler were the selling points. Poor fuel efficiency and trouble with the seals were the downsides. My uncle had an RX-7 back in the 80s when I was a kid. I remember when it was idling I could see the exhaust puffing, in pulses. It only had a single combustion chamber after all.

LarsDu88 3y ago
It's mechanically simpler until the apex seals blow out. Then you are fucked
samdunham 3y ago
I've had three RX-7s. A first generation and two second generations. I drove the first until the wheels literally fell off (I was a young, stupid kid that ignored the crunching sounds of the rear wheel bearings falling apart. The rear wheel(s) seized while I was driving down a bridge causing the axel to snap in half. That was an interesting "drive" down the rest of the bridge). The second was a base model second gen that I gave up when I suddenly had two cars because of getting married, then divorced. The third was my favorite. A late model second gen fully loaded. That one eventually caught on fire due to negligence at a tire place. I loved that car. The third generation never got cheap enough for me to consider one, but oh, I wanted one badly. The RX-8 never really caught me. Plus they had some early issues. That Iconic concept definitely has my attention, though.
ed_balls 3y ago
rx-7 had two combustion chambers.
linsomniac 3y ago
>It only had a single combustion chamber after all Just to be clear: At had two combustion chambers. Both the 12A and 13B engines had two rotors (1.2 and 1.3L "displacement" respectively), each one has a combustion chamber. I had an '84 GSL-SE (13B), I don't remember it particularly "puffing", not saying it didn't just don't remember it. The engine in this article they say is an "8C", which I assume means 0.8L displacement.

aidenn0 3y ago

Power density is indeed the main advantage. It's also much easier to balance; hunks of metal changing direction many times per second (6000 RPM is 100Hz) is somewhat mechanically exciting.