The only down sides of the wankel is that it has poor fuel mileage, and most of all the wankel has a poor compression ratio rather than a "normal piston engine." -Phil philf@xxxx ----- Original Message ----- From: Sean <rx7@xxxx> To: <dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, November 19, 1999 8:20 PM Subject: [DML] Re: Wankel Rotary > >Regarding the Wankel Rotary engine although small and light I have heard > >that the reliability was not as strong as 'regular; engines and certainly a > >little bit more thirsty on the jungle juice. > > > >Am I right about the above points??? > > > >Christopher M. Hawes > >DMD (Delorean Model Dealership) > > > > > My 1st gen rx7's usually got around 20-25mpg during normal town driving, so > it's safe to say it isn't that good. As for reliability, the rotary is such > a simple engine that you need not do much more than change the oil > religiously to keep it running smoothly. Most engine deaths are caused by > overheating - rotary engines already run much hotter than a conventional > piston engine. Pop a heater hose, lose your fluid, and you could have a > dead engine in a matter of minutes. It's not uncommon for a semi-clogged > catalytic converter to glow bright red when it's hooked up to a rotary. > Rotaries also burn a small amount of oil during operation, by design. You > have to top up the oil about every 1000 miles or you'll be running low by > the time your oil change comes around. I can't think of anything better > than a Delorean with a turbo'd rotary in it. Nothing like going 80 in third > gear, without being at redline. Since everything is turning in one > direction, your RPM limit is really constrained by your belt driven parts, > such as alternator and water pump. In the racing world, rotaries are > driven continuously at 10-15,000 rpm! The lighter weight of the engines > (only about 250lbs with all the accessories off) would probably help even > the Delorean's weight distribution out a bit. > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Before posting messages or replies, see the posting policy rules at: > www.dmcnews.com/Admin/rules.html > > To address comments privately to the moderating team, please address: > moderator@xxxx > > -- Create a poll/survey for your group! > -- http://www.egroups.com/vote?listname=dmcnews&m=1 > >