WOW it only took 50 years of banging their heads against the wall to figure out it wasn't gonna work.
Actually you have to give props to Mazda, no American or European company (other then maybe the Germans) would have ever been able to make the Wankel work as well as it did in affordable mass market road cars. The Majority of the population are so automotive maintenance clueless, they can barely keep a Honda engine in one piece, the Wankel was doomed from day one. And with the Wankels known thirst for fuel, and tighter and tighter emissions laws, we all knew this day was coming.
Moneypits Rank 8
Number of posts : 1871 Registration date : 2008-12-16
sarcasm not unnoticed. But the RX8 was all bark and no bite, but if it was LS6 powered or some Japanese 4.0 V8 with 16 overhead cams and 2,000 valves...well hold on there cowboy, now you got something!
subbie Rank 9
Number of posts : 4383 Registration date : 2008-08-29
Subject: Re: Bye Bye Rotary engines! August 12th 2011, 9:33 am
i agree. I love the look and feel of the rx-8 but it just had no guts to it. Hopefully they come back with it and perhaps throw a v6 or v8 in it.
doom26464 Rank 4
Number of posts : 411 Vehicle : MR-2 GT, Civic SiR Location : Moose Jaw Registration date : 2008-08-30
mazda dumped soo much time and money into an engine that the pistons desgin always one up it. mazda did do some serious improvments to it over the year but still not enough compared to everyone else on the market.
Jhall Rank 9
Number of posts : 2058 Vehicle : Ruckus/91 MX5 Registration date : 2009-04-06
mazda dumped soo much time and money into an engine that the pistons desgin always one up it. mazda did do some serious improvments to it over the year but still not enough compared to everyone else on the market.
explain.
abs0Lut Rank 9
Number of posts : 2214 Vehicle : '95 EJ1 Location : Regina, Saskatchewan Registration date : 2009-04-13
from what I was told by an instructor at Siast for the AST program the only reason rotarys arent mainstream is because they can't keep the emmissions under control, nothing sounds as good too! braaaAAAAP
Zimm Rank 6
Number of posts : 856 Vehicle : 1990 Nissan Skyline GTS Location : Regina Registration date : 2010-04-14
rotaries are good if ya no about them but if not there a head ache and the rx8 rotary heard is real junk ha
Marshal. Rank 6
Number of posts : 763 Registration date : 2009-02-02
Subject: Re: Bye Bye Rotary engines! August 13th 2011, 12:14 am
abs0Lut wrote:
from what I was told by an instructor at Siast for the AST program the only reason rotarys arent mainstream is because they can't keep the emmissions under control, nothing sounds as good too! braaaAAAAP
Id say its more the poor fuel milage, more maintanence (meaning the customer actually has to know more than to put gas in the car), and the lack luster "real world" performance and by that I mean what 98% of what people use cars for.
Cool engines nonetheless.
Moneypits Rank 8
Number of posts : 1871 Registration date : 2008-12-16
Subject: Re: Bye Bye Rotary engines! August 13th 2011, 11:20 am
TOP GEAR reviewed it and said it was great, Ive driven a few with bolt ons and they were a blast, doin donuts and the like
Subject: Bye Bye Rotary engines! 
August 11th 2011, 2:09 pm
