Was there a reason mazda never did this? RE Miata from Japan.

"SantaRita" (SantaRita) 06/15/2015 at 15:57 • Filed to: None

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It always seems to me that they have the best ingredients but would rather try something even more nuts like a miller cycle sedan, than to just put two doritos togethe from of two seats and mail it from japan with love.

Rotary would have less to move around so more MPG, they could even run a safer 200hp for reliability and be 50HP up over the 4-banger. Anyone here done this and regretted it? Mazda surely tried..why did they not?Any thoughts on the engineering reasoning behind it? Is it all marketing fault?

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Dsscats > SantaRita 06/15/2015 at 16:02

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Worse mileage, worse reliability.

Reliability is one of the top reasons why the Miata sells so well. It’s a classic British roadster you can daily drive. Installing a rotary would have destroyed that.

Plus the history of rotary reliability would have put off many buyers.

CRider > SantaRita 06/15/2015 at 16:04

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You had your chance to buy a rotary Mazda.

PS9 > SantaRita 06/15/2015 at 16:10

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Rotary would have less to move around so more MPG

Nope. Rotaries get terrible MPG. It’s one of the reasons Mazda stopped making them. A thing someone built in their garage is neat, but 15-20 MPG Miata that doesn’t even break 300HP would be a hard sell, which is why it never came with a rotary.

Maybe Mazda can fix that problem with future designs, but 13B Miata from the factory would be DOA on the dealer’s lots across the nation. I’d be the RX-8 all over again.

As Du Volant > CRider 06/15/2015 at 16:22

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You had your chance to buy a rotary Mazda convertible.

SantaRita > CRider 06/15/2015 at 16:38

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will do soon

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > SantaRita 06/16/2015 at 10:24

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Rotaries are NOT more efficient. Not by a long shot. It would be how you get a miata to get under 20mpg city.....possibly even average. Also keep in mind the tight space limits room for radiators and intercoolers for turbo. Of course, you could always go NA rotary, but then you ruin the driveability and reliability of the car. The miata was meant to be a british roadster you could daily drive with a smile on your face. Rotaries ruin it.

SantaRita > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 06/16/2015 at 10:38

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No, rotaries are less efficient thermal nightmares, but i am definitely thinking NA for simlicity. There are plenty of NA rotaries and far more reliable (no boost spikes) and have hit 200K+ miles. I have seen 4 banger mx5’s die at various mileages 85k and 142k, but they were being used hard. I am more thinking of reliability tuning an Na rotary to about 200hp even lower than stock NA renesis.

My best guess is that ther isnt enough space to get rid of the heat comfortably in a Miata...they did make the rx8 on the miata platform, but its supersized compared.

it would be possible to get more MPG because it’s a lighter car overall than the rx8, and a lower output would be reasonable, to ease duty of the thirstier engine.

i know wankel is a dead end, i just never saw the reasoning behind things like a superchrged miller cycle millenia when they could have done a US-spec cosmo or offered a hatchback miata.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > SantaRita 06/16/2015 at 11:05

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The thing is, a rotary is meant to be revved. This was the thinking for a possible rotary generator - spinning constantly at a steady but elevated RPM maximizes the potential of the design. But in a miata, where low and mid engine speeds are part of the package, you are not playing to the strengths of the car. The rotary is, by design, not as efficient in a street driving scenario. Or on a track or twisty road. It is theoretically possible to make a more efficient rotary engine at cruising speeds and engine revs, but that isn’t a sports car anymore.

And no, the rotary is inherently more unreliable than a piston motor. The apex seals were never iorned out and even then, the modern, fuel injected rotaries still need to be warmed up properly and suck in cold temperatures. Having rallycrossed with miatas in the dead of winter, an NA rotary would be terrible for that car. Plus rotaries failing hard and arly is the rule, hose rare exceptions are just that - exceptions. Not surprised at 150k that a miata would have a blown motor if you thrash it around all the time, but 150k+ or even 200k+ is the rule for miatas, not the exception.

A cosmo was way too thirsty, even for japan. And by the time they got it here it would basically be a 50-60k car in a dealership where the flagship was still around corvette money. Remember - mazda is the only one of the japanese 4 that does NOT have a higher luxury brand. If they had that, then the cosmo could be justified like the lexus SC or Acura NSX. Meanwhile, supercharging a miller cycle motor let them use an existing engine and gave it the power to motivate a decently large car. It helped them meet fuel economy standards. And a hatchback miata would never sell. Miata sells less than 20k a year as-is.

SantaRita > As Du Volant 06/19/2015 at 10:05

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i own a 1990 already.