li7in6 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Reposted this because people are still morons.

li7in6 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

the FD is FAR from a perfect car stock, and even with some aftermarket work it still leaves some to be desired, but that can be said for just about every car out there. no the 13b isnt a bad motor, it just takes alot more to keep it up, keep it running like it should, and to pull power out of. the LS1 is not a bad motor either, its strengths car outweigh whatever the 13b has going for it to anyone who is willing to put the time and effort into this swap.

li7in6 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

A good amount of the car and motors bad rep is due to uninformed owners, but alot of it is due to the car iteslf in terms of drivetrain QA, lack of sufficient engineering, and design shortfalls. Unfortunatly all this added up to a motor that many times couldnt get passed the 60k miles mark bone stock, didnt like sitting in traffic like a normal car and was all around tempermental with fuel, turbo switchover, heat, vacuum leaks, etc. etc. etc.

li7in6 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

the 787b and 792p's R26b was a money no object purpous built race motor. built for a specific power level and a specific level of constant stress. the 13b-rew was a production motor and its engineers were forced to jump thru all sorts of hoops it keep costs down, and the sacrifice was reliability, the get a stock 13b-rew up to normal car reliability standards it costs $1-2k in 'reliability mods, and several hours of securing/simplifying vacuum lines.

li7in6 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

a 13b-rew is ~25 inches long with accessories and flywheel. an LS1 is ~28 inches long with the flywheel and accessories. 3 inches is nothing. do some research, just because its american doesnt mean its big and heavy, just because its a pushrod doesnt mean it sucks. the LS1 is one of the most compact, powerful, and readily available powerplants out there. Its power, light weight and dimensions are why its the engine of choice of all sorts of swaps of this sort.

li7in6 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

5. LS1 corvettes are known to be able to get 30mpg or more highway. this is thanks to the t-56 6-speed and the LS1's torquey nature which allows it to cruise at a very low rpm at freeway speeds. thats 30mpg in a 3300lb car with a very similar drag coefficient to the FD. Fd's weigh anywhere between 2800 and 3000lbs depending on options.

li7in6 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

4. (cont.) The sheer complexity of the 13b's sequential turbo system, vac. lines, etc.(things which are known to cause serious problems on cars with as little as 15-20k miles) put it at a disadvantage to the LS1's simplicity. not to mention any shortcoming in the general design of the rotary as far as water seals, apex seals, heat warp, etc. also an LS1 will hold on to more power for a longer time than an 13b-rew

li7in6 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

4. Reliability, say what you will, a 13b-rew will NEVER be as reliable thru its entire lifetime as a LS1 stock for stock. the vast majority of the time an LS1's lifespan will be much longer than that of an 13b-rew(alot of times even twice as long or more).

li7in6 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

3. The 5.7l LS1 is NOT a big motor. As I said, weight is not an issue, the LS1 being all aluminum in contrast to the 13B's cast iron main and side housings. Size wise the LS1 is not much bigger either, front to back its almost dead on, the LS1 is wider howerver, this is a moot point as width doesnt matter as the engine bay is plenty big enough to accomidate it with room to spare and width of the engine wouldnt affect the cars balance at all.

li7in6 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

2. (cont.) if you were to count total combustion chamber maximum displacement a 13b would displace over 3.9 liters (654cc per chamber, 3 chambers per rotor, 2 rotors per engine) Calling a 13b a 3.9 liter is just as unfair as calling it a 1.3 liter however. Its power, fuel consumption, power stroke, and displacement per revolution are all inline with a 2.6 liter 6 cyl.