RX-8 Engine Swap

Kinja'd!!! "Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish" (mrfist)
03/13/2018 at 14:36 • Filed to: None

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Talking to a friend about a potential engine swap for an RX-8 as the engine is on it’s way out. Throw some ideas out there!

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DISCUSSION (45)


Kinja'd!!! OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 14:38

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1JZ


Kinja'd!!! djmt1 > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 14:39

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1UZ


Kinja'd!!! Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 14:39

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Kinja'd!!! AestheticsInMotion > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 14:40

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LSX

https://v8roadsters.com/product/rx8-lsx-package/


Kinja'd!!! AkursedX > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 14:41

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Admittedly I’m a purist and would just swap in another Renesis. But if you’re aiming for reliability, more power, and probably more fun, there is always the LS-swap. Another cool swap I have seen done is a K-series Honda swap that had a big turbo on it.

Older twin turbo and 20b rotaries are also quite awesome.


Kinja'd!!! Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 14:41

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Ecoboost!!!!


Kinja'd!!! OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
03/13/2018 at 14:41

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That looks like an EJ?


Kinja'd!!! interstate366, now In The Industry > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 14:43

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K-series, J-series, 1JZ, 2JZ.


Kinja'd!!! Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars
03/13/2018 at 14:43

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It is. An EJ from an STi probably would take some sort of fabricating magic to fit in the engine bay of an RX8, but it’d be insane.


Kinja'd!!! Ash78, voting early and often > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 14:44

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LS...

https://www.hinsonsupercars.com/s-1156-mazda-rx8-2003.aspx


Kinja'd!!! OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
03/13/2018 at 14:46

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Much proud of myself. Funny enough it was the interlocooler/radiator thing on top that gave it away seeing as that is my favorite part of opening the hood up.


Kinja'd!!! HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 14:46

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K20A


Kinja'd!!! Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 14:47

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Alternately,

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or...

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Imagine a 3.6 VR6 RX8. With straight pipes:


Kinja'd!!! CobraJoe > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
03/13/2018 at 14:49

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I was just thinking recently... Subaru’s boxers are so short, I wonder if they could fit in something small meant for a transverse engine?

I’d love to see an RWD converted Fit.


Kinja'd!!! BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 14:49

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Just build a 26b, more rotors = more reliability right?


Kinja'd!!! Saracen > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
03/13/2018 at 14:50

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Would probably be way too wide.


Kinja'd!!! Saracen > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 14:52

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I don’t really think an RX8 is even going through the effort of swapping, not that that has stopped anyone.

My favorite is the Cummins swap.


Kinja'd!!! Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Saracen
03/13/2018 at 14:54

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Nothing a portal axle from the flywheel to the transmission couldn’t fix. Who wouldn’t want the engine sitting right at the top of the cowl?


Kinja'd!!! My X-type is too a real Jaguar > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 14:59

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Turbo charged pinto 2.3


Kinja'd!!! winterlegacy, here 'till the end > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 15:00

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Why not find some 4-cylinder motor with similar driving dynamics as the Renesis motor, but with the inherent lack of “I have to rebuild this every so often?”


Kinja'd!!! Chariotoflove > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 15:04

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Get a new rotary. Seriously. That’s the point of this car. LS swaps or whatever miss the point.


Kinja'd!!! Tareim - V8 powered > CobraJoe
03/13/2018 at 15:05

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you can make anything fit with enough $


Kinja'd!!! nerd_racing > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 15:07

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20B 3 Rotor Swap!


Kinja'd!!! BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 15:14

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I will forever be Oppo’s advocate for the Vulcan V6 swap.


Kinja'd!!! Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 15:16

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Mazda 4 cylinder from a miata; get it installed then add a turbo.


Kinja'd!!! Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
03/13/2018 at 15:17

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Alternately another rebuilt rotary.


Kinja'd!!! Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
03/13/2018 at 15:23

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obamanotbad.jpg


Kinja'd!!! CobraJoe > Tareim - V8 powered
03/13/2018 at 15:24

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Well, yeah... but I wonder if it would fit under the hood, not force you to drive from the back seat.

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Kinja'd!!! Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 15:25

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This would be perfect, may even bolt to thy tranny. Just cut a hole in the hood for the intercooler.

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Kinja'd!!! Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
03/13/2018 at 15:25

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The EJ is wide, not long or especially tall, it would be a width issue I would imagine.


Kinja'd!!! SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 15:47

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D16Z6


Kinja'd!!! Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 15:52

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Just put another 13b in it. The whole point of the RX-8 is the rotary. If you want something more reliable, buy a Mustang or something like that


Kinja'd!!! Milky > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 16:09

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Kinja'd!!! Long-Voyager > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
03/13/2018 at 16:12

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Isn’t the point of swapping to get a reliable engine?


Kinja'd!!! Long-Voyager > Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction
03/13/2018 at 16:13

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Pretty sure the RX8 didn’t have a 13b?


Kinja'd!!! Long-Voyager > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 16:15

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Thunderbird Super Coupe supercharged 3.8L.


Kinja'd!!! Tareim - V8 powered > CobraJoe
03/13/2018 at 16:15

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I don’t think the fit is wide enough to fit it without major modifications but as far as length (front to back) it should be just about ok, maybe minor firewall modification


Kinja'd!!! Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > Long-Voyager
03/13/2018 at 16:37

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It did, the 13B-MSP to be exact


Kinja'd!!! chaozbandit > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 17:22

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It’s a stretch, but it might just fit

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Kinja'd!!! LastFirstMI is my name > Chariotoflove
03/13/2018 at 17:28

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If you look at the total effort involved in swapping in a different engine, you could go through 3 or 4 rebuilds. But that wouldn’t be as much fun as swapping in something crazy like a W12 or turbine or whatever. If I’m doing it- rebuild then rebuild/replace again; repeat as needed. If you’re doing it- go crazy and post pictures!


Kinja'd!!! Chariotoflove > LastFirstMI is my name
03/13/2018 at 18:03

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Nah, I had 13 good years with mine. I’ve moved on. But, if I were to do it again, I’d get a new crate engine from the guys at Rotary Performance down the street. I wouldn’t rebuild or buy a rebuilt engine. The newer engines had fixed many of the problems the originals like the one in my ‘04.


Kinja'd!!! boxrocket > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/13/2018 at 20:43

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Get two 13Bs and join them.

Alternately, 5.0L Coyote.

Also alternately, find a wrecked current-gen CX-9 and take the turbo 2.5L I4. Because 310 lb.-ft. of torque.


Kinja'd!!! pip bip - choose Corrour > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
03/14/2018 at 04:04

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LSV12?

VW diesel?


Kinja'd!!! Long-Voyager > Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction
03/14/2018 at 07:01

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I did not know the Renesis was a 13b.

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Kinja'd!!! Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > Long-Voyager
03/14/2018 at 13:59

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I spent enough time repairing that engine to know it ^^