To: Chuck "No whine, no pistons and no pushin' rods" Rothfuss
Saw an artical on a turboed Wankel (13B) the other day. Couldn't believ
it...79 cu. in. and 798 HP...incredible...10 HP per cid...discoverd that's
on nitrous too.
I would have to agree that the displacement factor of three is a bit
excessive...as this has virtually eliminated the Wankel from competion. A
factor of two would be more realistic.
Now a three rotor from Japan has got to be killer.
John "breakin push rods" Beckett
-----Original Message-----
From: Chuck Rothfuss <crothfuss@coastalnet.com>
To: land-speed@autox.team.net <land-speed@autox.team.net>
Date: Friday, December 03, 1999 1:34 AM
Subject: Re: Just a Question?
>Keith, List,
>
> I ain't "got's no pistons" neither, and the Wankel don't whine! Gotta
>think about the tiny chassis that a turbo rotary in the easy 600+ HP/10,000
>RPM range would fit into. Bet it would fit nicely in an Austin Healey. If
>these little monsters (13B turbo on nitrous oxide) can push various small
>cars to over 170 MPH in the quarter mile imagine their potential on the
>salt. The turbo will tone down the sharp rotary exhaust note somewhat from
>the way the naturally aspirated rotaries sound (loud enough to make your
>ears bleed without mufflers.) but there's nothing whiney or wimpy about the
>sound.
>
> Now lets talk about new technology and how it's been received in the past
>by the LSR community. Looking at the SCTA record book I see Racing Beat's
>G/PRO record is still standing, as it has since 1973. (Racing Beat claims
to
>have increased the G/PRO record to 160.393 in 1974, but this isn't shown in
>the SCTA record book.) Early rotaries on the salt were classed at their
>actual displacement. After the novelty wore off and the noisy little
>foreign cars with the NEW engine (which only began being commercially
>produced in 1963) began setting some records race sanctioning bodies across
>the country took measures to ensure it wasn't gonna have any further
>advantages. (It already had the advantage of no reciprocating motion, only
>three moving parts and tremendous increases in power from minor changes.)
>The Sports Car Club of America doubled the factory displacement, rotaries
>were banned outright from midget racing, and the SCTA decided it was best
to
>TRIPLE the displacement. That musta really stung the folks that were
>running Wankel engines back then, but it's been nothing more than a
>historical curiosity to me. It gives anybody really considering something
>NEW TECH a lot to think about. Anybody on the list remember the raspy
>little R100's and RX3's on the salt? Anyone in on the decision on the
>engine class change? Might make for an interesting history lesson.
>
>Chuck "No whine, no pistons and no pushin' rods" Rothfuss
>"Skipper" of the USS Wankel, 1971 Datsun RX510 (E/ etc.)
>ECTA
>Pole Cat Hollow, NC
>
>P.S. Remember, junk is something you throw away three weeks before you
>realize you need it.
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