a little advice

[Ikant]

i am in need of some opinions. i have a 96 with s14 sr and a good amount of parts on, some guy wants to trade for a 93 fd that is super clean and stock. supposedly the motor was rebuilt recently. it seems the cars are worth about the same. i really love 240s and have owned them for the last 7 years. my car is super fun to drive and i am not bored of it. on the other hand i have always loved fds and have always wanted one. my list of pros and cons seems pretty equal (FD motors are unreliable) so, what do you guys think, keep the s14 or trade?

[MomentumGT]

I was faced with this question my self a couple of months ago. As long as you have proof that the motor was rebuilt buy a reputable builder I'd go with the FD. This was a bit easier of a decision as our race car is an s13, I daily drive a mod'd s13, and my brother daily drives a s14. So getting rid of another s chasis wasn't too hard of a decision.

-Jon

[ManoNegra]

Tough decision indeed. I would be tempted to take the FD just due to the notoriety and attention (i.e. thieves) that 240s enjoy nowadays. Best case scenario would be to have both.:bigok:

[Full-Lock]

depending on who did the motor work like he said^ i would also trade for the FD. have any pics of the FD?

[Jung918]

The FD is known to be a sensitive sob that requires a lot of attention. If you have the time and money for the maintenance, then go with the FD.

[snappy]

The Fd's are sick, and I haven't seen one around for awhile- so in the case of how rare they are I'd go with the Fd. 240's are a dime a dozen, you can always get another one later.

[Ikant]

I can afford to add the mods that are supposed to make it more reliable, but it kind of irritates me that you have to retune the ecu just to add a catback exhaust.

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/2749/fd1xp4.jpg
http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/3531/fd2ve2.jpg
http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/6320/fd3tv4.jpg
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/2617/fd9dd7.jpg

[MomentumGT]

Minus the rims everything on that car (from the pics) looks in great shape. I'd trade asap. :bigok: Thats the first I've heard of an ecu flash needed for a catback. I know quite a few people who replaced the full exhaust system and removed the pre-cat and cat and the boost started to spike upwards to 14psi. None the less its a true sports car vs. the moded family car feel an s14 provides. IMO.

-Jon

[speedstar01]

definately go with the FD and if you ever feel a little loney like there is a small void in your life...buy an S13 project car and go to work. :) just my opinion :)

[fliprayzin240sx]

Pix of your car next and whats done to it. How much stuff is done to your S14? Plans for the FD if you do go that route? Personally, if I go with the FD, im saving up for a damn LS swap, well that after doing bolt ons and slapping a SAFC on the 13b to make it run richer so it wont blow in 2 days. You'd be surprised how quick an FD is with just bolt ons...

[CKAMC]

if the rotory engine goes bust then you can always do the LS1 swap hell you can do a Sr swap as well.

Im digging the FD a lot, just one of those cars thats hard to get over.

[Ikant]

i agree with the swap options, so one thing i was thinking was trading, selling the fd. then buying a roller and swap to sr or ls1.
here are some pics of mine
mods are s14 sr, apexi intake, hks catback, blitz blowoff, hks turbo timer, tein basics, mb competitions, hks cams, valve springs, s15 seats z32 brakes brembo slotted rotors, navan skirts and valances. some other minor stuff. i guess if i trade and keep the fd, i would just do radiator, intercooler, coilovers, ecu, catback, dp, etc....

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/3684/picture043tn3.jpg
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/363/picture048le2.jpg
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2457/picture064gn4.jpg

[trogdor]

go with the fd...and keep the 13b

[5t341tH]

i'd hit that FD anyday. FD's are sexy

[eastcoastS14]

hmm tough decision...FD's are nice but after my friend just blew his motor im sceptical....they definitely look badass without a doubt...I was suprised by how small they are on the inside though when I sat in one for the first time....they feel like little death traps, like if you ever got into an accident it would be all over...but again they do look nasty

[azndoc]

I love the look of FDs

But when I spoke to a rotory engine specialist shop in Gardena they said that the wiring harness comes from the factory all jacked up so that it catches on fire alot.

I was like oh WTF.

Don't know how true it is. But it's got me thinking. I'd do a SR or LS1 into that bitch.

[fliprayzin240sx]

I love the look of FDs

But when I spoke to a rotory engine specialist shop in Gardena they said that the wiring harness comes from the factory all jacked up so that it catches on fire alot.

I was like oh WTF.

Don't know how true it is. But it's got me thinking. I'd do a SR or LS1 into that bitch.


Thats what happend to one of the guys i know. His engine caught on fire and the engine blew. Not sure if the engine blew first then caught on fire or vise versa. FDs been sitting in his garage for over 4 yrs, he has yet to pull the damn engine. Got a fully built 13b by Motorsports Dynamics (Same shop that built Calvins FD), but i think now he wants to go LS since 2 guys we know just got done putting LS1s in their S14s.

[HWYKING]

keep the s14, FDs are sick, but my buddy is always having cooling problems with his and his is slightly modified.

[OBEEWON]

I almost did this trade a while back, but I'm in school. FD + student = tradgedy. Other wise I would have been on it like white on rice.

[MomentumGT]

Your s14 is pretty clean...but I still stand by my recommendation to trade :bigok:. Definitely cooling issues are a big concern with rotaries, an upgraded radiator is a start but I would also throw in there an upgraded oil cooler, get the upgraded duel oil coolers if its in your budget, vented hood, and a front bumper that will expose the oil coolers and radiator (big openings and vents). This will help in stop and go IE traffic and will noticeably lower the engine temps.

There are other issues you must address before modding your FD and this is covered in any rotary forum, you'll be a "search function" pro real soon. LOL. Buying quality parts for this tempermental motor is a must so you can forget shopping on ebay for parts. Don't let anyone discourage you if you do decide to trade for the FD the extra work is well worth the experience its going to give you.

-Jon

[Full-Lock]

if you trade for the FD be sure to get coilovers and wheels right away...

i also hear rotorys take a shit because they arent cooled correctly.

[Ikant]

the only problem is, i like to beat the shit out of my car.

[mulinmoua]

i love rx7's. but it's drinks too much gas!!!!

[MomentumGT]

the only problem is, i like to beat the shit out of my car.

Just remember to use the pre-mix regularly, but fix the cooling first and foremost and take care of the engine bay fire possibilities out of the equation before you start ripping on it.

-Jon

[aznpoopy]

I would also throw in there an upgraded oil cooler, get the upgraded duel oil coolers if its in your budget, vented hood, and a front bumper that will expose the oil coolers and radiator (big openings and vents).

not a bad idea

since i'm always on rx7club anyway, here are commonly accepted BARE MINIMUM "reliability mods"

-new aluminum AST. plastic one cracks = bye bye coolant = bye bye rotary
-radiator. stock simply doesn't cool sufficiently.
-downpipe. stock is too restrictive and cooks the vac hoses that control the seq twins. hurray.
-remove pre-cat. its yet another engine bay cooking restriction. recommended to replace stock cat. you do not want to run the risk of driving on a clogged cat... not even for a little bit.
-intercooler. stock one acts more as a heat sink and is fairly worthless.
-boost controller and boost gauge. cuz you modded the exhaust system. keep it at 10psi. 12 = fuel cut. 14 = blown motor.
-every rubber hose under the hood. because whoever owned the car for 10 years didn't change the downpipe. lucky for you the vac system is incredibly complicated and a bitch to fix. don't forget the fuel lines. mm, engine fire!

and even if you do everything right, these "reliability mods" only get you to 100k miles or so on average.

i also plan on getting a FD in the future. but not at the expense of my s14. screw that.

[Ikant]

what about later model 13bs, were they reengineered at all for reliability?

[EDacIouSX]

I love the look of FDs

But when I spoke to a rotory engine specialist shop in Gardena they said that the wiring harness comes from the factory all jacked up so that it catches on fire alot.

I was like oh WTF.

Don't know how true it is. But it's got me thinking. I'd do a SR or LS1 into that bitch.

ls1 or sr into an fd? Sorry jack, that is just pretty gay. That's like buying a JDM S14 and swapping in a LS1 into it. How is it the same? Cause SR's are good engines and the car was designed for that engine. 13B's are good engines and are designed for FD's. LS1 changes the characteristics of the car...


the 13b-renesis? I forget. the one in the rx8 is designed for more reliability. it's more efficient (better gas mileage, more of the gas is combusted compared to the 13b in the fd.) Also, the rotars in the rx8 are, iirc, 18%? lighter than the FD's rotaries. Also, iirc, they are higher compression, hence NA rx8s....

and 13b's aren't unreliable. you just need to give it more love than normal engines. also I believe the redline is higher on the rx8, 9K? Compared to 8K?? I forget......... been a while since my fd study like a mo craze.

[aznpoopy]

LS1 changes the characteristics of the car...

bad argument. ls1 retains or improves FD weight distribution; search on rx7club if you feel like reading the big answers.

what about later model 13bs, were they reengineered at all for reliability?

you have to understand... turbo + rotary = short life span. its just the nature of the beast. is it unreliable? only if you don't understand that fact and budget/plan for it. oh, and if you don't realize the car is underengineered in many respects. that's why there are 'reliability mods' to begin with.

[trsilvias13]

rotary sounds really good.. all aluminum body panels, really fast with simple bolt ons. I have one 12.8 1/4mile on street tires. Most mods needs a tuning. Rx7club.com and read the faq - this will tell you a lot of stuff to do and what not to do. 8-10mpg is what i get on my fd.

[Ikant]

hey tr, i sent you a pm.

[Koopa Troopa]

you have to understand... turbo + rotary = short life span. its just the nature of the beast. is it unreliable? only if you don't understand that fact and budget/plan for it. oh, and if you don't realize the car is underengineered in many respects. that's why there are 'reliability mods' to begin with.


yeah no, I have a friend who's 450 whp 13b has been running 450whp for the past 6 years. Only reason that motor went down is because a freeze plug rusted. Learn to tune.

Rotary engines are badass but they're not for morons so naturally I don't own one.

[Ikant]

yeah no, I have a friend who's 450 whp 13b has been running 450whp for the past 6 years. Only reason that motor went down is because a freeze plug rusted. Learn to tune.

Rotary engines are badass but they're not for morons so naturally I don't own one.

these have been some really good responses, thanks for the input.

[snappy]

I didn't realize all the problems with the FD , hmm- if you don't mind the possible headaches, I'd say go with the FD.

[aznpoopy]

yeah no, I have a friend who's 450 whp 13b has been running 450whp for the past 6 years. Only reason that motor went down is because a freeze plug rusted. Learn to tune.


there's always one or two that hit "high" mileage for a turbo rotary. that's not indicative of the pack. sure, i know of one guy with a turbo II who has hit 150k modded with stock motor, no rebuild. there have also been a few FD's who hit 130k. that's the exception though, not the norm. a few unlucky bastards blow at <50k. most average 90-110k or so. friend with a turbo ii lost coolant seats at 85k.

in n/a trim they are crazy reliable; my gf has 177k on her s4 and she is not good at taking care of that thing at all.

you don't have to believe me. go on rx7club and do your own reading.
here i'll even help you out
http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=30268
http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=405456