rx8 drift car, how are they? and sr20det conversion?

L

LeeHT

New Member
hi guys, well i've been looking for a decent rear wheel drive car that i can actually get insured on for under 2 grand.. (21 with no no claims bonus is a killer!) been looking at the rx8 192 as i can't even get insured on the 231 6 speed version..

i was wondering these 2 things.

what are they like for drifting? does it need a lot of upgrades to the engine as i've been told they aren't very good for torque figures. the 50/50 weight distribution seems like it would be a good start and with a very good stiff chassis too.
also i was wondering how hard would it be to do an engine swap for an sr20det engine. i've seen it done before, mainly in a garage at home so i didn't think it would be that difficult, but i could be wrong.

and help and advice would be really appreciated!

cheers,
lee.
 
Engine swaps in these are ridiculously hard work. Also kiss goodbye to any chance of insurance if you swap the engine.
 
i wouldn't change the engine for at least a couple of years, i know if i couldn't get insured on the 231 there would be no chance of me getting insured with the engine conversion.. i was just wondering for future plans. i'm more bothered about what the car would be like as it is for drifting with a few things changed.
 
LeeHT said:
i wouldn't change the engine for at least a couple of years, i know if i couldn't get insured on the 231 there would be no chance of me getting insured with the engine conversion.. i was just wondering for future plans. i'm more bothered about what the car would be like as it is for drifting with a few things changed.
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the rx8 is nicely balanced as standard and has a decent amount of grip stock. the only difference between the 192 and the 231 is the rev limiter so i'm reliably informed so getting a 192 and a quick remap would get extra insurance friendly ponies
 
that sounds like a plan, i was thinking since the car revs to 8000+ rpm it would be quite good for drifting without putting too much strain on the engine. bit worried about some things i have been told about the renesis engine and they seem to need a bit of work to keep them from blowing up but it will have to do :(
 
Thread about this that I started a while ago.

Basically some people said they impossible to drift, the ones who are good drifters and have actually tried say they are awesome to drift.

Not easy as lack of torque, but just like MX5s, if you cant drift one, its you not the car.
 
thanks for the comments and help guys! and i know what you mean stavros. it's rear wheels drive, has a 50/50 weight distribution, the power isn't too bad with some easy mods ect.. so it should be able to go sideways somehow! i was going to get an mx5 eunos like yours but i needed my drift car to be my daily as there is no way in hell i could insure 2 cars! so it had to be of decent size.
 
I know of a nice one for sale but its a 231bhp one.
They are cool cars, felt like my old Rx7 when i drove it.

Do it!
 
Big_jim said:
I know of a nice one for sale but its a 231bhp one.
They are cool cars, felt like my old Rx7 when i drove it.

Do it!
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jim, you might know this since you had and rx7. i've heard some quite horrific things about the renesis rotary engine about not starting when hot and then the engine fails completely, and they're like starting a jet up since you need to do certain things to warm the engine up or it pretty much breaks.. is this true or is it like a one in a million thing?
 
The gearbox on the 231 is meant to be a shed load better too. I was talking to Re:Worx about this a while ago and they said that the ones they've done a full turbo conversion on (as in, using the turbo engine from an RX7) they still run the gearbox from the RX8 231 as they're so good. Also, they were very impressed with the HUGE amount of adjustability that the stock arms give. So much so that their 10sec drag rx8 runs stock arms.

I'm interested to try one.
 
Surely if insurance is an issue an mx5 I'd the way to go. Rx8's are great cars but hi revving 230 brake engine isn't really what you want for a beginner drift car imo, especially when you have all that grip at the back. I imagine it will teach you a shit a load about going balls out but chances are it will be frustrating for learning in.

Also I'm pretty sure the 231 has another set of auxiliary ports rather than a better map, hence the higher rev limit and power.
 
Sea Squirrel said:
Also, they were very impressed with the HUGE amount of adjustability that the stock arms give. So much so that their 10sec drag rx8 runs stock arms.
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Same as an MX5 then (actually the same chassis save for wheelbase I'm told), though the MK3 MX5 IMO is a backwards step from Mk1s and 2s.
edit: Now I think about it same as RX7 FD.
 
My mate has one, as everyone else has said they drink petrol (and oil) and have a lot of grip as standard without much torque, I've only driven it once in the wet but I found it good fun to drift. If you're looking for cheap skids then get a volvo or an mx5. They are the tried and tested options.
 
1L every thousand miles, that's hardly drinking...

there twitchy cars - just something you'll have to get use to and there is so much grip which means you can drift so much faster. none of this clutch kicking in 2nd BS. if your going hard and fast enough it will drift.
 
Dan507 said:
1L every thousand miles, that's hardly drinking...

there twitchy cars - just something you'll have to get use to and there is so much grip which means you can drift so much faster. none of this clutch kicking in 2nd BS. if your going hard and fast enough it will drift.
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i think the 192 rx8 will be a decent car for me as it will be my first RWD car and i needed something that can be a daily driver and a weekend drift toy. i don't want an mx5 as i need something that has more than 2 seats in it for the time being and i can't get insured on anything turbo'd like a 200sx.. :(
 
LeeHT said:
jim, you might know this since you had and rx7. i've heard some quite horrific things about the renesis rotary engine about not starting when hot and then the engine fails completely, and they're like starting a jet up since you need to do certain things to warm the engine up or it pretty much breaks.. is this true or is it like a one in a million thing?
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My cousin has a 231, and he basically starts his up, leaves it idling for 10 mins then thrashes the bollocks off it. He's never had a problem with the engine apart from coilpacks when he first got it.

Apparently they heat up much faster than normal engines, still not condoning this sort of treatment mind!

Oh also he accidentally revved it to 10-11k in a mis-shift, it started spluttering and smoking and throwing up warning lights. He got to work, left it sitting all day then when he started it up at night, it drove absolutely fine again lol
 
the thing i was thinking was, if they were really that crap, why did they sell so many of them? and why did they make another version of it and sell loads of them too. and yeh they drink petrol, but they don't drink as much as something like a 350z and a 350z is smaller inside, bigger outside, more to insure, cost more, and do even worse on fuel, but people still love them.. and around a track, they aren't much faster than an rx8
 
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