sch@dedalus.UUCP (sch) (01/18/86)
For the record: I have an 82 Rx7 GS. Its 12A rotary engine was rated
at 100 bhp. I never have trouble pulling my Supercat 17 catamaran
which is longer, taller, and wider than the car. It is admittedly
not very heavy as trailers go (approx. 500 lbs boat+trailer), but
with me, a friend, all related sailing gear (ice-ladened coolers,
sails, harnesses, etc.), and so forth, the total load represents a
considerable percentage of the "empty car" weight. The new model (86)
Rx7 uses a fuel-injected 13B rotary engine, rated at 139 bhp.
Both rotary engines have approximately one fourth the number of moving
parts of your 302 V8. MY car has never had any mechanical or engine
failures to speak of (the one exception was a centrifugal clutch for the
radiator fan, it froze up). There are no valves to burn, no cam shafts
to wear out, and the engine is so small that it actually sits BEHIND the
front wheels. The weight balance on the car is 51% front, 49% rear.
Trailering just isn't that much of a problem (Airstreams excluded).
An interesting aside: my car has 100 bhp; my 84 Yamaha motorcycle
has 120 bhp. Maybe I should pull the boat with the bike...although
stopping might be exciting.
Steve Holzworth
mcnc!ikonas!dedalus!sch
or
mcnc!ikonas!dedalus!tachyon!schtjsmedley@watmum.UUCP (Trevor J. Smedley) (01/20/86)
In article <717@dedalus.UUCP> sch@dedalus.UUCP (sch) writes: > > An interesting aside: my car has 100 bhp; my 84 Yamaha motorcycle >has 120 bhp. Maybe I should pull the boat with the bike...although >stopping might be exciting. > > Steve Holzworth > mcnc!ikonas!dedalus!sch > or > mcnc!ikonas!dedalus!tachyon!sch I once heard a story about a guy who pulled a (normal - not made for a bike) hardtop tent trailer with a motocycle. He was driving along one day when a police cruiser came along the road towards him. The driver was so suprised to see a tent trailer with a headlight coming down the road towards him that he went off the road and into a tree. I wonder if the police could sue the guy on the bike? If you really plan on doing this, maybe you should consider a special liablilty insurance for such things :-) ? Trevor J. Smedley University of Waterloo {decvax,allegra,ihnp4,clyde,utzoo}!watmum!tjsmedley
ins_aeas@jhunix.UUCP (Earle A .Sugar) (01/22/86)
> > Both rotary engines have approximately one fourth the number of moving > parts of your 302 V8. MY car has never had any mechanical or engine > failures to speak of (the one exception was a centrifugal clutch for the > radiator fan, it froze up). There are no valves to burn, no cam shafts > to wear out, and the engine is so small that it actually sits BEHIND the > front wheels. The weight balance on the car is 51% front, 49% rear. > Trailering just isn't that much of a problem (Airstreams excluded). > > An interesting aside: my car has 100 bhp; my 84 Yamaha motorcycle > has 120 bhp. Maybe I should pull the boat with the bike...although > stopping might be exciting. > > Steve Holzworth > mcnc!ikonas!dedalus!sch > or > mcnc!ikonas!dedalus!tachyon!sch The amount of horsepower your engine puts out has nothing to do with what I was talking about. The fewer horses per cubic inch of swept volume, the less stressed the engine is. You may not have many of the parts that mine has to break, but does extra load put extra strain on cam bearings? Not really. However, my 302 and your rotary both have bearings that take the loads exerted on the output shaft on the engine. Let's both tow a 500 pound trailer for 40,000 miles and use plastigage to measure main bearing wear. Since your engine is putting more stress on less bearing area, there will be more wear, assuming equivalent bearing material and lubrication. -- ______________________________________________________________________________ Earle A. Sugar Disclaimer:"I doubt anyone else here agrees with me." USENET: ...!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!aplcen!jhunix!ins_aeas CSNET:ins_aeas@jhunix.csnet ARPA:ins_aeas%jhunix.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa BITNET: INS_BEAS@JHUVMS (as a last resort) "If you don't expect anything, you'll never be dissappointed." or call 301-889-0815 after 6 P.M. EST