Why Rotary Engines Kinda Suck

Rotary engines: Displacement of a 4 cylinder Power of a 6 cylinder And fuel economy of a 8 cylinder

"10 years ago, Audi tested a Rotary engine" Huh, I didn't know Audi did that in the early 2000s... Wait, 10 years ago was 2011. Damn.

I absolutely loved my RX-7 convertible. People probably thought I was crazy, because sometimes I just laughed out loud while driving it. It was that much fun.

The Mazda dealer I turned wrenches for had a grip of dead RX7's and 8's sitting abandoned behind the shop. We called it The Field of Broken Dreams.

I think the reliability problems could have been fixed, and where I live, rebuilding a rotary is far cheaper than rebuilding a piston engine, because there are so few parts. Granted, it's more prone to failure due to the issues we all know (sealing failures and such) but I think that overall, that could have been fixed. After all, most dedicated rotary owners have third-party solutions installed to fix those reliability issues. Problem is fuel efficiency & emissions. A RX8 can eat like a supercar going presto even at normal city speeds. Like 15l per 100km. That's a lot in a world in which efficient, full combustion cars can go as low as 5l, and a Porsche 911 can do 7-10. And there's emissions. They burn oil by design. Inherently, they pollute a lot more.

Rotaries sound fantastic. 787b all the way.

Interesting video. Thank you. My greatest automotive regret was selling my RX8. Everything you say is true, but you left something out. They are absolutely delightfully fun to drive. The rotary engine finds itself at relatively high RPM. And when I say high I mean HIGH! 😱 For instance, entering a cloverleaf and accelerating through it.. downshift one or two gears to 7000 RPMs and accelerate. You can easily go to 10,000 RPM on an RX8 — something most cars would drop fragments of pistons on the road as the engine blew. So it’s not a muscle car dragster, but it finds itself on curvy highways. I much prefer it to the Porsche I have now. The weight distribution was just perfect. The major reason for it being discontinued, was emission regulations. Rotary engines by definition burn oil.

You most certainly don't need to be a specialist to rebuild a rotary engine. I built my own 13b monster bridge port in our shed on our farm with the help of just a book. This was mid 1970s, in those days, nothing could touch them bang for buck. My completed built in those days was 2000 folding. That includes lightened, balanced rotors and new housings and new everything else including the clutch. She could drop 225hp at the wheels after a few hours on a dyno. That car had a 4 barrel Holly and inlet manifold with a beautiful air cleaner with the velocity trumpet in it from Rotor motion on it, that was a very cool piece of kit. That may not sound like much of a big deal, but I'm from NZ, so it was at the time. My old rx2, what a fun car that was.

I think that no matter how you slice it, Mazda has just always had weirdness going for it. I'll always love that unique style, and I'll always hope to have an SA-22 in the garage. Too cool.

I've heard that for smaller light-duty engines, there have been some substantial improvements -- but this is in the 1/4 to 4hp range. I love mazdas, and am sticking a toe into the crossover market, so the MX30 is very appealing. When I was a kid, a neighbor had an RX3 that rev'd over 10K and sounded amazing. Of course, it was up on blocks a lot waiting for parts a lot. And I still remember Mazda's jingle from the 70's "Piston engine goes boing boing boing boing boing but a Mazda goes Hhhhmmmmmmmmmm"

I remember owning the 2004 RX8 high power, it was lots of fun, the sound was great. My main issue was the rear wheels slipping way too often though, I moved from bridgemoans to conti's and that mostly solved the issue. The oil top ups was annoying but the 18 MPG on average was pretty dire but I bought it for the smiles per gallon anyways :)

Always thought that the MX-5 (miata) should have had a Mazdaspeed version with a rotary in it from factory, even if it was the NA from the RX-8, in the smaller car it would be magic.

I've had my RX8 for 11 years. It has been a generally good car. Well, until a few weeks back when it blew a seal on a track day, with 76k on it. I would rebuild it but there are so many Friday, afternoon rebuilds. Even if it is rebuilt well, it's 20mpg (10 on track) and £600 UK tax. They are fun cars that, to be honest you are better off avoiding.

Better not let Rob Dahm read that title 👀

4:08 The arrow at the lower left points to the primary inherent problem in the Wankel engine: this area of the stator housing (in red) is constantly exposed to the hot combustion gases, consequently lubricating oil that impinges on this surface is quickly burned off. As the apex seals sweep over the hot, dry surface, the steel-on-steel friction wears them down rapidly, this is the main reason the overhaul interval is short in Wankel engines. Also, the long, cornered combustion chamber leads to incomplete flame propagation and poor combustion efficiency. The shape of the combustion chamber gives it a larger surface area than a cylinder, which contributes to poor overall thermal efficiency. On the other hand, compared to the reciprocating engine the Wankel is small, light and cheap to manufacture, which may make them ideal in certain specialized applications.

Seeing the rx7 from nfs carbon being referenced even for just a second made me happy asf, that version of it made me fall in love with the car and have been ever since I got that pink slip from the boss as a kid.

Ha, love the included outtakes Callum! Presenting is WAY harder than people think! 👍👍👍

My household had 3 first gens and 2 second gens. Rotary cars are very special, but today I drive a 50k mile BRZ/FRS/GT86 as I really don't want to be on automotive forums 24/7 trying to diagnose and fix my sportscar on life support. No regrets, not even the 85 where I changed the gearbox oil and had to do synchros and bearings right after. No regrets, not even lightly drifting at over 100mph on lakeshore in Saskatoon in the 91. No Regrets on the 82 that I bought for $1200 in 95 and wrote off for $3k in 96. No Regrets for the 82 that I power shifted until the clutch disappeared. No regrets drifting the bridge loop at work every day in 100hp car. These cars were simple enough that a kid could learn how cars work and how to diagnose car problems. These cars changed my life... but today I choose an FRS. Its still lightweight, low CG, better suspension, killer in the corners - but its good on gas, doesn't break and will last twice as long... maybe more. Here's to the car and the engine that taught me how cars work and how to drive them. RX7/8.

same music in donuts xD great video btw

Growing up, I was in love with the RX-7. My heart literally skipped a beat the first time I saw an FD, and I eventually bought a 91 GXL FC. It was a great car, but yeah the rotary engine (as cool as it is) does actually kinda suck. Wankel's engine concept is unique and MaZDa's execution is also very well thought out. Its just that the rotary engine's pros dont outweigh a traditional piston engine.