Trying to figure out which Rx is right for you?? Heres some good and not so good points on all the early models to help you decide.
Not to say that any model is better than any other, I like them all! I've had two Rx2's and now I have 3 Rx5's. I was intending on buying a Rx3 but there are almost no decent project ones around. Most of them have been wrecked 3 times over, so be careful when buying!
R100 coupe. With a Piston engine it was known as the Mazda 1300, and came in Coupe, Sedan and Station Wagon Varieties.
| Good Points of Vehicle Model......................... | Not so Good Points of Vehicle Model......................... | |
| Being the lightest weight of all, if you have the same power as another car you will have a better power to weight ratio. | Very hard to find one in any condition!, therefore good examples go from around A$5000 up... | |
| Good looking popular Vehicle. | A lot of work required to fit later model engines / gearboxes etc as no factory crossmembers to fit these engines, and also not much room to work with. | |
| Factory 10A Twin Dizzy engine and 'Clam case' gearboxes are not the strongest or most reliable. | ||
Rx2 (Capella) Sedan and Coupe. The piston engined equivalent was just called the Mazda Capella in Australia and was available in Coupe and Sedan also. It was known as the 616 in some countries.
| Good Points of Vehicle Model......................... | Not so Good Points of Vehicle Model......................... | |
| Possibly the 3rd most popular after the Rx4. | Apart from the R100, the Rx2 has the smallest engine bay of all Rx's. | |
| Fairly light weight vehicle. | Tiny Crossflow Radiators on twin dizzy models are best avoided. | |
| Coil Sprung Rear End, makes suspension mods easy and cheap. | Look for rust around front and rear windscreen. | |
| Still Affordable in price with most falling in the range of A$1000-$6000 |
Rx3 (Savanna) Coupe and Sedan. Mazda 808 was the piston engined equivalent vehicle which was available in Coupe, Sedan and Station Wagon.
| Good Points of Vehicle Model........................................... | Not so Good Points of Vehicle Model......................... |
| Possibly the most popular of all the Rx models. | Very hard to find one in good condition. |
| Lightest Weight of all the Rx series (except R100) | Those that are in good condition are Fetching A$5 - $13,000 |
| Plenty of room for 13B power makes an excellent choice for a fast street car. | Look for rust around front and rear windscreen. |
| Leaf Sprung Rear end | |
| Engine to chassis wiring looms are connected by a massive multipole plug which is prone to electrical problems. Same as Rx4. |
Rx4 (Luce) Coupe and Sedan available. Also 929 coupe sedan and station wagon
| Good Points of Vehicle Model......................... | Not so Good Points of Vehicle Model......................... |
| Possibly the 2nd most popular, after the Rx3. | Heavier than the R100, Rx 2 and 3 |
| Large Engine bay for fitting turbo's etc... | Similar brakes to Rx2/3 are somewhat small for this vehicle. |
| Reasonably Priced....Starting at A$1000 | Look for rust around front and rear windscreen. |
| From 74' on came fitted as factory with 13B engine. | Leaf Sprung Rear end |
| Has arguably the BEST looking interior of all Rx models. The Coupe even came with an overhead console! | The early model 1971-1973 Rx4's had a terrible instrument cluster and interior, and the flat front did not help the styling at all. These models also came with the 12A twin dizzy, and a smaller diff than the later 13B models. |
| Coupe Doors have no frame for the Windows!!, looks trick when you open the doors with the windows down. Same as the Rx5. | Engine to chassis wiring looms are connected by a massive multipole plug which is prone to electrical problems. Same as Rx3. |
| Factory gearbox was a 4 speed. Top Gear was 1:1. |
Rx5 (Comso) Coupe Only. 121 coupe is the Piston Engine equivalent. Only variant was the 121 Landau which had a different more vertical back window and different tail lights, but was still only a two door vehicle.
| Good Points of Vehicle Model......................... | Not so Good Points of Vehicle Model......................... |
| Four wheel disk brakes, vented at the front! means no need for expensive brake conversions. | Heavier than all the Rx models up to around the Series 4/5 Rx7 which came in at roughly the same weight. |
| Power Steering means less turns lock to lock and no problem for the girlfriend, trying to park with that tiny sports steering wheel. | The doors are terrible for Rust!! |
| Air Conditioning on most models (optional) If you don't want the A/C remove it for a Big weight saving! | Wheel stud pattern is unique to this vehicle (and also the corresponding piston engined 121 made in 1976/77) this makes buying mags almost impossible. You have to get them custom made... therefore most of them are still running around with the factory rims which doesn't help the way they look. |
| Cheapest of all Rx models to buy.. A$500-A$4000 | Front Styling is Considered Ugly |
| Retractable Seatbelts as Standard | Factory Alloy wheels are... hmm .... not as ugly as the Series 1 Rx7 type :) |
| The Unique stud pattern means your Custom wheels hopefully won't get Stolen??? I guess it depends how smart your thief is :) | |
| Factory 13B engine on all models and factory holes for the Rx5 5-speed (obviously) means that most engine/ tranny combos simply bolt straight in. |
Engine capacity limits for
modified passenger cars.
courtesy of the RTA web site www.rta.nsw.gov.au
| Maximum Engine Capacity | |||
| Engineer Certified Modified Production Category | Normally Aspirated | Supercharged or
Turbocharged |
|
| All vehicles originally having a
4 cylinder engine or a rotary engine as the largest optional engine and
weighing less than 1100kg.
which include: Mazda Rx2 Mazda Rx3 |
In cubic inches Original weight (kg) x 0.183 __________ In millilitres (cc) Original weight (kg) x 3.0 |
In cubic inches Original weight (kg) x 0.153 __________ In millilitres (cc) Original weight (kg) x 2.5 |
|
OTHER VEHICLES 4 cylinders & rotaries over 1100kg. which include: Mazda Rx4 Mazda Rx5 |
In cubic inches Original weight (kg) x 0.294 __________ In millilitres Original weight (kg) x 4.82 |
In cubic inches Original weight (kg) x 0.244 __________ In millilitres Original weight (kg) x 4.0 |
|
Note: The engine capacity to be used for rotary engines is the displacement of all rotors x2.
It also clearly states that if the modification is an original manufacturers option for the vehicle it can also be owner certified, as long any other components such as brakes, transmissions, suspension, exhaust etc that were part of the option were also fitted. However when I went and asked at the RTA about putting a 12A etc into a Capella 1600 they were most Unhelpful and said that I must prove it was an option and prove that I had transferred any other relevant items over, such as suspension and brakes. So in other words go and get an engineers certificate. Also changing your 12A to a 13B should be allowed as well since it is just less than a 15% capacity increase. Engine capacity increases less than 15% over standard should not need to be engineer certified, which should include the 12A (2292) to 13B (2616) conversion.
So from these calculations, the Engine Options available are:
1. Providing your car is already registered....... anything you like :)
or else.....
Mazda Rx2 and Rx3: 12A Normally aspirated, 13B Normally Aspirated, 12A turbo.
Thats it unfortunately. According to the RTA this is the absolute maximum even with Engineering Certificate. So if your driving around the street in a 13B turbo Rx3.... I hope you've got some way of pulling off the Turbo if you ever have to go for a genuine roadworthy certificate....
Mazda Rx4 and Rx5: Because they are over the 1100kg barrier the options are endless.... virtually anything goes... 13B Normally Aspirated, 13B turbo , 20B Normally Aspirated, or 20B turbo. Anything with a 15% power increase over Standard is supposed to be engineered, which will most likely add another $500 to the equation. Another problem you may experience if you want a 100% legal vehicle is that the RTA also state that if you say put a 20B in your Rx4 that you must keep the pollution gear off the vehicle that the engine came out of!! One way around this is to run the vehicle on straight LPG, which will exempt you from any emissions requirements. To qualify for this exemption the fuel tank and all fuel lines must also be removed from the vehicle so it cannot be converted back easily. You can check out Michaels straight Gas Rx3 on the Round and Round web page from the links on the front page.
Vehicle Curb Weights-1970 to 79 Mazda Piston & Rotary Models. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gearbox Ratios... just thought Id throw these here at the bottom....
| Vehicle | Mazda 121 |
Mazda Rx5 |
Mazda Rx4 |
Rx7 S2 | Rx7 S5 Conv. |
Rx7 S5 Turbo |
|||||||||||
| 1st | 1 | 3.380 | 1 | 3.683 | 1 | 3.380 | 1 | 3.674 | 1 | 3.475 | 1 | 3.483 | |||||
| 2nd | 2 | 2.077 | 2 | 2.263 | 2 | 2.077 | 2 | 2.217 | 2 | 2.002 | 2 | 2.015 | |||||
| 3rd | 3 | 1.390 | 3 | 1.397 | 3 | 1.390 | 3 | 1.432 | 3 | 1.366 | 3 | 1.391 | |||||
| 4th | 4 | 1.000 | 4 | 1.000 | 4 | 1.000 | 4 | 1.000 | 4 | 1.000 | 4 | 1.000 | |||||
| 5th | 5 | 0.8?? | 5 | 0.862 | 5 | none | 5 | 0.825 | 5 | 0.711 | 5 | 0.762 | |||||
| Reverse | R | 3.389 | R | 3.692 | R | 3.389 | R | 3.542 | R | R |