Just bought my first Rx7 can you help

[D1 WTF]

hi there, i have recently signed up to mazda rotay club as i have just bought my self a J reg Rx7.  I looked on the site before i went to look at the car and followed the instructions that some people had writen, on common faults and what to look out for.  so thanks alot for that.

i think the car is a good one.  it has been slightly modded and i am told has 300BHP at the rear wheels.  

This is my first Rx7 let alone Rotary engine, so can anyone give me some advise on what i need to know if anything.  
i have read that i need to change the oil every 3,000, let it properly warm up before booting it (10/15 mins) etc
But surely there is a few more thing i need to know,

Cheers   Sam

[Kash_]

Hi mate, welcome to MRC...  :wave  good to see that the info on this site helped you in buying your rex... I\'m sure some of the more knowledgable members will be able to give you some good tips, other than that its just a matter of searching the forums for info you are looking for...

Kash

[RAW]

hi, as above really, it\'s worth spending a couple of hours reading through posts in the technical/wheels/suspension etc forums. it\'s amazing how much info you pick up. just make a note of anything you can check/adjust on your car as you go and you will find you end up with a long list! then the money spending begins!! its great as you get to know the car inside and out.
 
you\'ve probably read it already, but just be careful exiting roundabouts-you can catch the second turbo spooling up at around 4k which can shake the rear end in the wet. i had read this but still got caught out on some black ice over christmas and only managed to catch it after 4 or 5 tail wags. having said this you can drive the car hard in wet conditions-you just have to treat it with respect. it annoys me when people say they never take their rex\'s out in the rain! the car is there to be used and if driven properly will not bite. i choose to take my car out in the wet on purpose and play on a wide, empty roundabout near me. by doing this you can learn the traction limits of the rear and how the car will react when it does go. some may say this is irresponsible, but it\'s not as irresponsible as booting it everywhere without knowing the car or how to recover from a potential accident situation. you takes your choice...it really annoys me to see people driving around in fast cars like M3s, never revving above 3k. what\'s the point of owning a powerful car!?

[sadgoth]

you\'ve got the real basics:
oil change every 3-4K (ideally filter at the same time)
plugs every 6-8k many suggest you don\'t use Iridium Platinum plugs
make sure you check the oil level regularly (rotaries are designed to burn a bit of oil in the combustion process)
NEVER let the coolant run low
have you had the engine compression tested?
if it has mild mods, what ECU is it running, even with mild mods the engine can run lean on a stock ECU = detonation = rebuild time!
Have the car checked out by a rotary specialist ASAP don\'t know who\'s on your side of London, SHYauto are over there (Clive - the MRC President) runs SHY and he could point you in the right direction I expect otherwise you have RE:Worx in Portsmouth, RX Motors in Dorset, Hayward Rotary in Newbury, Rotechnics in Reading, WGT in Manchester or Dragon in Devon.

[nikp]

You may as well do the filter at the same time as oil: it\'s easily located, and only costs a few pounds. No reason not to do it really.

Also, if you have the jap spec tyres, get some uk spec ones - especially at the rear. If they are jap spec in fact, maybe just replace the rear ones with something more soft. That way you will bring the balance towards the rear more. And then hopefully pick up a bit more grip at the back compared to the front. Reduce the chance of the rear slipping away from you.

[D1 WTF]

Although my main address is in sevenoaks i am actually at uni and am currently living in St. Albans so Gem/Rotechnics aren\'t to far

The car has beenin the uk since 2002 and has been services at Rotechnics ever since.  i have tones of reciepts etc.  it has got an HKS induction kit, HKS down pipe i think it is Race Beat stainless steel exhaust, i think it is also De-cat, uprated fuel pump i think.  i think a few other bits that i dont really know about, all the bits were fitted by Rotechnics as far as i am aware, so i assume they were set up right (well i hope).  i am thnking of booking it into Rotechnics for a full service and get them to sort out a few other bits while it is there as the fuel gauge reads out (apparently sender).  It will be quite expensive but that way at least i know were the car is, exactly when the oil and all fluids were last changed and generally checked over etc  do you think that would be worth doing?

[D1 WTF]

i also want to put some wheels on it and possible suspension can any one point me in a good direction to look.  i was thinking 18"s how wide should i go etc  can some one advise me on size for front/rear etc

also what i should do in the way of suspension, a mate keeps telling me coil overs but i cant see them being that great on the road what do you think?

[RAW]

i\'ve got harder/lower springs and adjustable dampers-good compromise over full coilovers.  i\'m also running 18s although many people say 17s are better for the handling, and the ride is certainly more forgiving.  most wheels are between 8 and 9.5 wide. stay clear of the usual \'halfords\' type of wheels that are only around 7 wide. downside is wider wheels cost a lot more. it\'s actually quite hard to find wheels to fit the rex-proper jap wheels are mega bucks.

[fro]

also what i should do in the way of suspension, a mate keeps telling me coil overs but i cant see them being that great on the road what do you think?

Depends which coil overs. I\'ve fitted Tein flex coilovers to my FD and they\'re superb! You can adjust the damping and, on the lower settings, the ride comfort is miles better than the standard suspension  :Thumbsup!

[Jono FD3]

Welcome to the club mate.

Wheels: I\'d say you would want 8.5" wide on the front and 9.5" on the rear, this alows you to run a wider tyre on the rear giving more mechanical grip!! 235\'s on the front and 255 / 265 on the rear!!!

Suspention wise, yes coilovers have big advantages, the main ont is that you can drop it as little or as much as you want instead of the usual 20mm or 40mm!! but be warned, if you drop it, get the geometry set on a 4 wheel laser alignment to save your new rubber!!!

Jono

[power_king]

You\'ve also got Powergains in Chigwell, Jason and Kieran did all the work on my car and can\'t rate them high enough.
I\'ve bought the G-Force coilovers, they\'re height adjustable and are apparently alright, I haven\'t fitted them yet though, I\'m waiting for my respray before I finish everything off.
For 18\'s you should get 8.5" on the front and 9.5" on the back with a fat lip  :Giggle

[Jit]

Hi D1 WTF, was that your FD I saw parked in front of the LRC at University of Herts yesterday? Black

And RAW, wich roundabout in harrow do you frequent? you can email me at lsun69@aol.com if youd rather?

[D1 WTF]

Yer that was my car outside the LRC.  

That is what i was thinking wheel size wise, 8.5"front, 9.5" rear.  

That is quite encouraging coil over wise.  i didnt think they would be that good for road use.  But the more i drive it the more i think that it would be better on coil overs.  

i have only done a couple of hundred miles but i am proper liking the rex.  they are wicked cars!!!!!!  even if i am paying silly money on insurance, lol.  

My car was imported in 1992 i dont know what they did with the clocks etc and the speedo reading i was told was in Km, however i filled her right up and hit the trip switch to zero it.  i then drove back to kent and the millage that it said i had done in Km, was the actual millage in miles.  there is no way that was a Km reading as it would have been way more.  i dont know if this makes sence but if it does has any body got any idea what could be going on.    
 it has made me think that i have no idea as to the genuine millage of the car.  (however it is going into Rotechnics next week for a big service etc so i will explain to them my thoughts and get them to have a look and see what they think)

[Marky B]

My rex is on stock suspension, but i\'m also looking to get - either 17\'s or 18\'s and a drop to suit. I drove another rex the other day with tien coilovers and 17\'s. It was VERY harsh ( didn\'t check which spec, sorry). I have no doubt given experience on the track that this car would\'ve outhandled my own and left it for dead  round a track, but i personally couldn\'t live with that ride every day. I guess it\'s down to preference. I\'ve tried 19\'s with my stock setup and they scrubbed at the front but they were very wide. therea a group buy going on for 18\'s so i\'m sure theres a lot of different suspension setups to go with them to see what works.

I\'d be interested in the results too, ( even tho I can\'t afford to act on them yet lol)

other than that - know that you own an old sports car. if you abuse it, it will bite you as with any sports car.

 change your oil, filter an plugs reguarly, make sure you use the correct oil (not semi or fully synthetic unless it\'s specifically approved for these engines) as this can ruin the engine.Know that most mods yo do will require additional mods like a snowball effect. I did not know this when I first bought my rex, so post up anything you\'re thinking of doing an people will tell you of what else you need to do in preparation.

Good luck

Mark

Mark

[Warthog]

Welcome. :WaveBye

A few of us are up at Shakespear drag racing just outside Stratford-upon-Avon on Saturday. If you can spare the time drop by and we can go over your car between us and you can meet a few of the nutters that like to mod and abuse the FD on the strip. Others will be going up on the Sunday as well. I will be there both days feel free to join us. :cool