Posted on 10/02/2018 10:01:38 AM PDT by C19fan
The rumor is now a fact: Mazda announced today that it would bring back the legendary rotary engine, though not as the main powerplant of a car. Instead, a version of the rotary will act as a range extender in one of two electric vehicles the brand will debut for 2020.
As Popular Mechanics noted in our recent feature about the story and legacy of the Wankel rotary, the engine hasn't been featured in a car since the Mazda RX-8 was canceled in 2018. But there have been rays of hope for the rotary faithful. Specifically, rumors swirled earlier this year that Mazda would move to combine the rotary with an electric powertrain, bringing the design back into production.
(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...
Nice fit...................
The Wankel is back!
“Piston engine goes ping, ping, ping,
But the Mazda goes hmmmmmm.”
Lemme check my calendar. Yep, it's still 2018.
They need to find a better editor.
Good engine. Easy to over rev, trashing the seals in milliseconds. As a near constant rpm machine, it would be great. Very compact and smooth.
A friend of mine had a very early version in, I think, it was called an RX-5, from the 1970’s or so. He commuted to college from the Chicago suburbs to downstate Illinois, and rode I-55 for a good part of the distance. He got in a race, one night, with some clown in a Corvette, and he pushed that Mazda to well over 120 mph, running AWAY from the Corvette.
It was a shaky, rusty old piece of machinery then, and he realized (later) is was just a show of testosterone, but it was one of those things you tell of later. Those damned things could wind well out over 10,000 rpm.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/a23563167/mazda-rotary-engine-revived/
...The last production car to use the unique powerplant was the RX-8, and that car was cancelled all the way back in 2011.
The rotary is very light, very compact and surprisingly efficient when operated at its sweet spot for load and rpm
Perfect for producing onboard electricity to reduce battery requirements to reduce weight and save battery soccer as well as to extend range
Add in regenerative braking and you get a really nice, efficient and practice hybrid with surprisingly high performance
I had a friend who ran the service department for a Mazda dealership and when the RX-8’s first came out I was there for a service on my wife’s van and he took me back and showed me the first one they had received in the back. Beautiful car inside and out and I asked about how she would run and he shook his head and said don’t get it without the extended warranty is all I can tell you. When it worked it worked great, when it didn’t well...
And the Mazda goes Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...................
SO MANY people misunderstand the rotary engine it’s not even funny. Even guys who call themselves experts.
They are neat engines, and should be put into play in something. But many people think the 13B is “1.3 liters” which is wrong. It’s an easy mistake, but they are using 4 stroke math to calculate that displacement. It’s a 2.6.
And when it comes to 2.6 engines you’ll now understand that it’s not a magical beast. It’s just a 2.6 liter engine. The early 80s Supra (I owned several Supras at the same time as my 87 GXL RX-7) is the same performance only the 5MGE lasts forever.
Both were .. neat .. on power but not as elite as everyone thinks.
Oh, and a Rotary actually redlines around 14-16k. It’s the belts and accessories that can’t take over 9k. They respond VERY well to turbocharging though, but you need to know how to actually drive a turbo for it to work.
I worked in dealerships and drove Z-series cars and RX’s. Impressive performances from both makes.
One of my co-workers used to own a Suzuki RE5. I bet he wishes he still had it!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_RE5
How do you think a small Wankel would do in a powered hang glider or an ultralight or similar? Would putting some kind of governor on it to prevent over-revving help to alleviate the seal trashing issue?
Just curious. I don’t have a project in the works at this time.
Hmm. I honestly don’t know. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work...
I was fortunate enough to be working at a Suzuki dealer when the RE5 came out. Pretty impressive bike with a load of TORQUE! Guess there were too many problems for it to continue in production,tho.
I was fortunate enough to be working at a Suzuki dealer when the RE5 came out. Pretty impressive bike with a load of TORQUE! Guess there were too many problems for it to continue in production,tho.
I would think the high winding rotary engine would need to be geared down for a propeller.
The LiquidPiston™ engine can be considered as a Wankel turned inside-out then greatly improved. Much lighter for the output and easily double/treble the efficiency. Will debut in the UAV market as well as a range extender application.
https://www.sae.org/news/2018/03/x-marks-the-spot
Mazda had a Rotary powered small Pickup Truck too.
A buddy of mine had one.
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