Summer Sports Car Project

[Andrew7dg]

Hi I am new to this forum and already i am liking the threads. So I was wondering if you guys could help me with a car question delema. I have it almost down to a couple of cars for a project

RX-7 FC T2
Nissan 240SX Converted to Silvia powered by a SR20DET
Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX
Mazda Miata First Generation

I have a Mitsubishi GS 2.0L N/A which makes a great daily driver and i have also an S-10 with a V8 in it which makes a butt load of power (however lacks handeling, pure drag truck).
What i am looking for though is a car that i can take to the track or the autocross and something that has good handeling and kind of unique. I am also looking for is a RWD or AWD (this eliminates hondas exept the S2000 which is out of my price range, sorry)

I like the RX-7 FC T2 for its 50/50 and rotary engine however i don't know if it can live up to the FDs handeling

A Silvia in america is always a cool thing to see especially with a SR20DET i am also looking for uniqueness. I know they are popular with drifters but regular handeling?

Mitsubishi Eclipse is a great car. What i am thinking of doing later on though is trade my GS for a GSX later on so i may put this project off untill later

Mazda Miata has great handeling and it is a cool convertable however does it have power

another question can a RX-7 have Miata handeling?

thanks for your replies

Mitsubishi

[Ace$nyper]

its for the summer? Hands down get a mitia top down cage keeping you stiff lil F/I she'll be a blast to scoot round it

aim for a 94 mitia

[SuperHighOutput]

I agree I'd go with the Miata. A 240sx isn't bad either, but a Silvia conversion and SR20 swap isn't exactly unique.

[blakscorpion21]

i would go with the rx7 first then the miata. they handle great but their not the most masculine car in the world. while the rx7 is fast, handles well, pretty masculine and quite rare.

[kman10587]

i would go with the rx7 first then the miata. they handle great but their not the most masculine car in the world. while the rx7 is fast, handles well, pretty masculine and quite rare.

He's looking for speed, not "manliness". The Miata is a better choice for the kind of project he's looking to do.

[Andrew7dg]

Just out of curriosity which one would have better handeling? RX-7 FC or a Miata? Which one would do better on exeleration? I like the idea of a rotary engine with a turbo (RX-7 T2) but a turbo on a miata would get good horse as well. Both i think have good after market support and race clubs that go with them. To me this is a very hard choice between the two.
Just to see what other people think

for me i see the RX-7 having more power potential and handeling (plus uniqueness)

but for the miata handeling you loose acceleration and handeling (just a little bit) but you gain a convertable

O yeah i know that RX-7 came in convertable form but has lots of frame flex.

Side note 240SX Silvia (which look really sexy to me) aren't that common in Minnesota


O THE CHOICES!!!!!!

[kman10587]

Don't get me wrong, the FC3S RX-7 is a more solid performer. However, the Miata is cheaper, more reliable, and easier to toss money into for the desired results. Rotaries are complex and difficult to maintain, and the FC3S is a much less common car, so you're going to have an easier time finding good stuff at good prices for the Miata and its engine.

[k3smostwanted]

good dependable track performer for the price goes to the miata. if you would like to sacrfice a little durability and chea parts, the FC3S is a very nice choice.

may i also suggest a Porsche 944 Turbo...can be a little more expensive but it is a much better performer straight out of the box. if you get lucky...one could be had for pretty cheap, it all depends on area. if i was looking for a track car this car would be pretty high on my list also.

anyways good luck...

[Zachp911]

My choice would be a 240SX with a SR20DETT engine swap, if you look hard enough you will find a 240SX.

[k3smostwanted]

Originally Posted by ludespeed501

My choice would be a 240SX with a SR20DETT engine swap, if you look hard enough you will find a 240SX.

its only a single turbo I4. SR20DET

and 240sx should be a cheap car that would make a cheap performer because parts should be cheap, but with the whole "240sx is the best car ever craze" going on in the US, parts are rather expensive and people are asking twice what the car should be worth.

also dont forget the fact that the 240sx was a simple, cheap, sporty economical car for the US, it was never intended to be a sports car or perform like one from the factory. this speaks loudly in the suspension department when comparing it to the perfect weight balance's of the FC, miata, and porsche.

i just dont find it that good of a car, especially in this particular comparison.

[flip888]

if youre looking for a reliable car, i would forget the GSX and RX7, they break like fuck all the time and are both realy expensive to repair (at least where i live) so trust me, those 2 are total money suckers. plus the gsx doesnt handle nearly as well as people might think so its more of a 1/4 mile only car imo. Although both cars can be very very fast.

So if its the miata vs the sr20det, i would go with the sr20 hands down no contest. It can be made to handle as good and it has way way more potential as far as horse power goes.

Plus the 24sx is way cooler than the other cars, miata being the gayest.

[Andrew7dg]

So far it looks like it is a dead match on all three and it is just more preference. It looks like i chose close competing cars.


RX7
Miata
Silvia

Exept for the GSX which people say it is a money hole. yeah i have heard the transmissions go pretty easily on those unless you take it to Shepard which they will rebuild the transmission. but when the GS goes that would be the replacement (minnesota winters with AWD)

On reliability, that really doesn't matter to me because i love working on cars and i come to realize if i am going to push any car on the track or street, it is going to wear more quickly and break.

Another thing is that there seems to be some gender security problems,
i have read the forum on this that had an argument on this which turned out to be a couple pages long. I don't want this thread to be like that. I drive an eclipse which some believe is "gay" however that person lost traction in his "manly" firebird on a corner and flipped his car in the ditch while my car remained on the road. If the car can compete and win, then it has no right for the "gay" word.

So back to the question i asked before
I was wondering if the RX-7 FC can out corner a miata and does it have better acceleration?

Another thing i was wondering was (and this is more suspension talk then anything) for example the FC and the Miata has a 50/50 weight distribution and has a neutral cornering characteristic. However the Silvia has a 60/40 and has an understeer characteristic. If you add a stiffer sway bar and springs in the back you get a neutral cornering characteristic (being carefull that it doesn't turn into an oversteer car) but it still has the 60/40 weight. (heres the question finaly) is it better to still have the 50/50 weight for cornering or because the 60/40 had its suspension tuned to a neutral it doesn't matter as much?

thanks for all the replys!!

[k3smostwanted]

Originally Posted by Andrew7dg

So far it looks like it is a dead match on all three and it is just more preference. It looks like i chose close competing cars.


RX7
Miata
Silvia

Exept for the GSX which people say it is a money hole. yeah i have heard the transmissions go pretty easily on those unless you take it to Shepard which they will rebuild the transmission. but when the GS goes that would be the replacement (minnesota winters with AWD)

On reliability, that really doesn't matter to me because i love working on cars and i come to realize if i am going to push any car on the track or street, it is going to wear more quickly and break.

Another thing is that there seems to be some gender security problems,
i have read the forum on this that had an argument on this which turned out to be a couple pages long. I don't want this thread to be like that. I drive an eclipse which some believe is "gay" however that person lost traction in his "manly" firebird on a corner and flipped his car in the ditch while my car remained on the road. If the car can compete and win, then it has no right for the "gay" word.

So back to the question i asked before
I was wondering if the RX-7 FC can out corner a miata and does it have better acceleration?

Another thing i was wondering was (and this is more suspension talk then anything) for example the FC and the Miata has a 50/50 weight distribution and has a neutral cornering characteristic. However the Silvia has a 60/40 and has an understeer characteristic. If you add a stiffer sway bar and springs in the back you get a neutral cornering characteristic (being carefull that it doesn't turn into an oversteer car) but it still has the 60/40 weight. (heres the question finaly) is it better to still have the 50/50 weight for cornering or because the 60/40 had its suspension tuned to a neutral it doesn't matter as much?

thanks for all the replys!!

it will be bette to have a 50/50 weight distribution. the fulcrum will be directly in the middle of the car making handling characteristics more responsive and predictable. yes, you can modify a 240sx suspenson to handle as well as a miata or rx7 but imagine those same modifications into the forementioned cars. you will have a 2500lb kart racer....

i think the FC3S TII will out-accellerate a miata but stock for stock i think the miata will out handle it by a small margin. probably, partially due to the FC having an older suspension and things will be wore more.


if i were to choose...between these 3 cars, it would be the FC followed closely behind the miata. but if i needed a car for your application...porsche 944 turbo.

[kman10587]

I would have to say that all other things aside, the FC3S RX-7 is superior in performance to the MX-5 Miata. If you are willing to work on the car a lot, treat it with care, and modify it smartly, the FC3S can be a track demon, and it'd be my pick out of those three.

[beef_bourito]

if you want this car to last a while without being rebuilt all the time, i'd say go with the miata. From what i hear rotaries lose their sealing very qyuickly, they require a good mechanic who knows everything about them, which aren't everywhere, and they just plain dont last as long. the miata should last very long and can be a good performing car.