> > Just a side comment:
> > Mazda is truly a unique company.  The automotive manufacturing business is
> > intensely competitive with frequent and brutal calls for cost-cutting
> > whenever the quarterly numbers take a dip.  Mazda has continued to dedicate
> > engineering talent and development dollars to the Wankel over many decades
> > despite these pressures. Sure, they've made some money on the RX-7 and RX-8
> > line, but they surely could have made just as much by spending this money on
> > marketing econoboxes.  They (rightly) believe that the Wankel has certain
> > inherent advantages, and are continuing to develop it.  We're all
> > beneficiaries.
> >
> > Mark Waldron
> >

Mark

Yes Mazda has stuck with it but it would be accurate to say a small group of
guys within Mazda have persevered through all odds. Seiji Tashima, has taken
up the leadership from Yamamoto San as was shown in the Project X
documentary I translated.  Speaking of which, what ever happened to that CD?
I believe a lot of guys on this newsletter wanted to watch it.

I went to the Tokyo Motor show yesterday and have a few things to add to
what Don reported.

The engineer I spoke to confirmed that they have a target for 280Hp and have
considered turbo charging it. 280Hp is the legal limit a PRODUCTION car can
have in Japan.  Of course all makers are aware that after market tuners will
soon be jacking the engine up to well over that.

The 16X housings are 5mm narrower, and the new engine is lighter than the
Renesis but of course bigger in all dimensions. Need I say that 13B housings
won't fit:) ?  On the 'e' number the engineer was vague because he said the
engine was still in development and is still changing. He said a little less
than 20 now but I suspect he didn't want to give that info out and was
fibbing.

The engine and parts are in a plexiglass case so that pictures with a scale
in front didn't work. I did get some pictures comparing the 13B and 16X
rotors side by side for comparison as well a some monitor shots comparing
the 13B rotor path overlaid within the 16X.  I'm having some technical
difficulties getting these photos sent to you though.  I'll try again this
evening when my other half comes home.

There are now three oil injection points.  Again the engine on display is an
earlier test engine to see if two oil injection are better than one. WHY?
The larger rotor will be heavier of course and it appears the top rpm will
have to be limited to 8500rpm.  as the line speed and force on the seals
will be greater.

The 12 o'clock overhead direct injector is the primary injector and it is a
special order item from Nippon Denso. The 16X team has a goal to improve
fuel mileage by 10%  and at lower rpms this injector helps a lot. Secondary
is in the side port.  At what rpm the engine will have the less friction the
engineer couldn't say.

My conclusion: This engine is  a different and new animal and doesn't have
the advantage of 20 years of performance testing like the 13B based engines.
It will be at least two years but probably more if Mazda follows their
pattern of introducing new technology, before we see it in a production car.

Doug in Japan

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280 hp is not enough.  If a new rotary-powered car arrives at that power
level it will fail as miserably as the RX8 has.
Don Sherman

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I agree with half of what Don says. I don't agree the RX8 failed
miserably as they are still selling. Not fast but steady. If there is
a law in Japan that does not allow engines over 280 HP they
could detune the Japanese version.

In the mean time putting a fast shifting steering wheel mounted paddle
controlled mechanical gear box in the RX8 would help greatly. No torque
converters.  Much like the gear boxes used in Formula One cars.

Also adding a trap door P-port to the RX8 or 16B engine would gain a lot
of power over 6000 RPM. See the attached pdf. It would not be a major
change to the current engine. Cut the hole in the liner with a laser and
make the parts on NC machines. It does not have to be super precision
as there are no pressure gradients in the vicinity.

There is an analogy between a p-port and a piston port.
Piston ports are situations where the piston opens and closes intake
and exhaust ports located in the cylinder wall. They are typically used on two
cycle engines. In the case of the p-port rotary the rotor opens
and closes the ports.


The Wankel is unique in many ways but one of the most important is
"piston porting" is more efficient than piston porting a two cycle piston
engine. Unlike a piston engine the air makes no right angles turns. Forcing
the induction air to make right angles is always a bad idea from a pumping
loss point of view.
-- 
Paul Lamar ...No rotor no motor.

There is no law in Japan or anywhere I know of limiting horsepower.
The new Nissan GTR, for example, has 473.  A production corvette will be
introduced at the upcoming Detroit show with 650hp. 280 will not be enough
to win the hearts and minds of car enthusiasts.
Mazda's rotary exists only because marketing bosses from around the world
convened in Hiroshima this year to say that it is part of the company's heart
and soul and needs to be continued in the future.  But considering Ford's
current death spiral, the expense of developing an exclusive engine as well
as a car to carry it, may not be tolerated.  All you rotor heads better buy
Fords, not Mazdas, to assure the continued viability of this engine.

Don Sherman

HP alone is not the whole story. The whole story is power to weight
ratio. Light weight is twice as important as it yields benefits in
many things such as handling, cornering, braking, cost of manufacturing
(particularly when higher cost of modern materials, read carbon fiber,
are factored in) and last but not least fuel economy. The rotary
is the highest power to weight ratio engine available. The 16B is a major
improvement in power to weight ratio. Car design is a snowball process
with the engine weight at its core. The RX8 is 500 pounds lighter than
its average competitor with similar performance.

Rumor has it, and as I recall Ford, no longer controls Mazda. I could
be wrong. The current president is Japanese and not an American.
Ford still own a large amount of stock but I think control
has passed back into the Japanese family owning a larger amount
of the stock.