rotor or v8

griff · Postby **griff** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 9:14

not sure im thinking more power and I have a lt1 camero motor with all I need or just turbo the rx8 just not sure need more power :confused:

GR-8 · Postby **GR-8** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:14

griff wrote:not sure im thinking more power and I have a lt1 camero motor with all I need or just turbo the rx8 just not sure need more power

What power are you looking for?

iani1.1 · Postby **iani1.1** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:14

13b rew swap

http://speedhunters.com/archive/2009/01/29/car-feature-gt-gt-tony-angelo-s-rx8.aspx

chickenwafer · Postby **chickenwafer** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:14

It all depends on what kind of power you are looking for

Up to 400rwhp, the Renesis is a good, reliable option and the most cost effective.

Beyond 400rwhp, a 13B-REW swap is cost effective because you can keep the stock 6-speed transmission (although I don't recommend it). Not a whole lot of people have done motor swaps into the RX-8 yet, at least not as prolifically as in RX-7s, so there are no "swap kits" per say. Everything will have to be custom fabricated, including wiring up the EMS.

An engine swap is pretty involved. The factory ECU controls traction control, the stock gauge cluster, A/C, the electronic power steering, ABS, and more. Be prepared to either loose all of these ancillary systems or do a lot of work to keep them.

If it was me, I would just turbo the RX-8. Check out http://www.turblown.net, they have some great kits for the 8 to do it right. And when you do, let me know I can tune you.

PXRdriFT · Postby **PXRdriFT** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:14

If your choice is turbo or LT1, go for the turbo.

griff · Postby **griff** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:14

I like the high rpms with no lower end ive gone as far as putting a 411 gears in the rear for more off line but for 3k just for the rear end not much has changed I guess I just need help with more power thanks

Dange · Postby **Dange** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:14

20b swap?? they seem to be actually pretty cheap right now ive seen a few 8's with the swap, but i dont know what it entails. but id definately do that before swapping an 8
otherwise go turbo itll be easier in the long run i think

griff · Postby **griff** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 9:14

Esmeril Racing has a turbo kit 414hp for 7k ill look into it but wow 7k

erod550 · Postby **erod550** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 9:14

^^ A v8 swap is going to cost a lot more than that.

GR-8 · Postby **GR-8** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 9:14

erod550 wrote:^^ A v8 swap is going to cost a lot more than that.

Yup. If you can't do all the work yourself and all the fabricating your looking at less but it still is gonna cost WAYYY more money to do the V8 swap and a lot more time. Even if you can do most of the work.

The link Dave ( Chickenwafer) put up for turblown has a custom kit that is like the Esmeril kitc and can be tuned with the AP as well. Something the Esmeril kit cannot do without modification.

RX-8 club has some used kits for sale. That's where I got mine after I missed out on Daves kit. They have some Greddy kits with upgrades to it for around 3k. Sometimes not all the peices are there so you have to be careful buying used.

PXRdriFT · Postby **PXRdriFT** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 9:14

erod550 wrote:^^ A v8 swap is going to cost a lot more than that.

Depending on what you get, it sure can. My LS2, tranny, wiring harness, and ecu ran 6200. There are motors that you can get for way less but when you factor in mount, cooling, fuel, power steering, etc...it adds it quick.

erod550 · Postby **erod550** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 9:14

Is that counting labor or just the parts? And that's not counting any work you do to the engine before you drop it in like stroker kits, head work, etc., that you might as well do while it's out of the car right? Hehe, the list of "while I'm at it" never ends.

PXRdriFT · Postby **PXRdriFT** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 9:14

The 6200 is just for the motorset. The rest of the stuff brings my swap close to 9k for parts. But I have a good, solid 300+ hp car that runs. "Runs" being the key word! lol.

If you buy a different motor, you can potentially save 2-3k. I did nothing to the motor when I bought it. I wanted to make sure that I had a solid running motor before I did anything. The place I got it from gave me a 6 months warranty so if anything is wrong, I get a refund/replacement and I wanted to make sure that I didn't do anything to void that.

griff · Postby **griff** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 9:14

Ive been looking at my rx and all the stuff I would haft to pull from the ss camero I have It just dont look fun Ill just need to save more money for a turbo and tires

chickenwafer · Postby **chickenwafer** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 9:14

Don't get the Esmeril kit, it uses EBay Chinese crap. Get a kit from Turblown or I can make you a kit with enough time. The Esmeril kit is not out-of-the-box compatible with the AccessPORT either, which is the best tuning solution for the RX-8.

There are more problem with motor swaps in the 8 because of the advanced electronics. The power steering is electric so you're going to loose it no matter what and you can't swap in a hydraulic system. The ABS is controlled by the PCM so you loose that as well. I'd be impressed if you managed to keep A/C, defrost, and the stock gauges working. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like a fun car.

A 20B swap is still going to run you over $20k, well more than a V-8 swap. Even if you are a certified professional TIG welder and can fab everything yourself, you're still looking at over $12k in parts for both swaps.

Just turbo the Renesis. You can reliably do it for under $6k. I know because I did it before so I'm not just spouting hearsay.

rotor or v8

rotor or v8

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