So for a while now, I've been curious as to exactly what it is that makes the revolutionary Audi rotary engine better and or worse than an engine produced by Honda, GM, Subaru etc. When I was poking around on audiusa.com I came across a heritage page that had details on the revolutions Audi has made in the automotive industry over the years and the rotary engine was mentioned but all I really got out of it was that it uses less parts, it didn't go into much detail about if its a more efficient engine, if it produces more horsepower from the same amount of fuel, if it is easier/cheaper to build and maintain or anything like that, just that it uses less parts, so I was just curious on what sets it so far aside from GM and other motor companies.

TIA,
-Justin

 

The only company that currently markets a rotary engine (Wankel engine) is Mazda, which has used them in RX cars. I remember my friend's RX-3, fast and rapid climb in revs.

The engine is smaller, lighter, and because there is no "reciprocating parts" like in a standard internal combustion engine, the engine can rev higher.

I can only speak to the problems with earlier Mazda engines, but the weaknesses were early seal wear and difficulty in meeting increasingly stringent US pollution regs.

 

The later rotary engines had the same problems, plus a big thirst for fuel (when compared to their relatively small displacement), plus tremendous heat generation and a tendency to pop when pushed hard or modded beyond basic bolt-ons. It's been long-accepted that if you're going to tune a 13B motor, the first mods are a bigger radiator and a boatload of zip ties for the vacuum lines (the new ones you install, since the original ones are probably as brittle as crystal after about 30k miles - all 78 of them, if I remember correctly). Adding more than a few extra psi of boost on a 3rd gen RX7 wasn't recommended either unless you upgraded the apex and side seals for longevity. The car would run with OEM 2mm seals, but sooner or later, elevated boost and hard driving would blow the seals and then it's rebuild time.

 

As a previous owner of two FC3S's, and a current Audi lover, I'd love to hear anything on past, present or future combination Audi and rotrary style engine's!

 

WAT?!!! audi rotary engine? i believe i need cpr now since i just choked on something. don't miss me if i don't post ever again

 

man i didnt know audi every made a rotary wtf?

as for rotary info in general i know it is possible for the engine to turn much faster easily getting to 8000rpm before redline. modded these engine drink gas like paris hilton at a christmas party. one guy i talked to who had a 4th gen rx7 with a modded turbo II engine said he got around 12mpg... i will say that car was extremely fast though

heres some good rotary info with some diagrams and pictures and other good stuff
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/rotary-engine.htm

 

Actually, there never was an "Audi rotary engine" (as far as I know)
The wankel (rotary) engine was first used in a production vehicle in 1964 by a German company, NSU, which later was purchased by the Volkswagen group and merged in with Audi and Auto Union into one company.
-- See wikipedia linky.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSU_Motorenwerke_AG

Rotary's are pretty cool - if you don't mind the seal problems, high fuel consumption, and lack of torque.
My first new car was a 1974 Mazda RX-4 sedan. I later had a RX-4 wagon as well.

 

I actually just sold my 1990 FC ($4900)to get my 99 A4 ($4600 explain that one?). The rotary engine is very unique and fun. Neither engine is really "better" then the other they both have there pro's and con's. I loved my rotary though it was a stock turbo engine and made 200 crank hp out of 1.3L displacement and redlined at 7k stock. The others are correct the only company that produced the rotary in any mass was Mazda. Suzuki made a motorcycle but that was all I think. The major con's of a rotary are that they are very sensitive to poor tuning when upgrading and a turbo engine usually didn't exceed 120k miles before needing rebuilt, and LOUD. The pro's would be easy high revving, very little vibrations, small size, easy to rebuild, and just over all uniqueness. It's always fun seeing the look on someones face when they ask you how many cylinders and you say 0 lol. IMO the rotary is just behind a bit right now. The piston engine has had so many more years to improve on its design and reliability that the rotary hasn't. Now your making me miss my old car haha. Made some nice power though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JySGC18ayoA keep in mind it was basically 100% stock. Oh and to people always saying they dont have torque mine was rated at 205hp and 198 torque thats about the same as most comparable powered piston engines. The main thing is they hit the torque a little higher in the rpm range so launching the car is different. Although the turbo makes most of the torque.

 

OK, so I had my facts a little goofed. Honest mistake, its not new news that I'm still pretty noobish with Audis. That said, This page is where I first saw the concept of the Wankel rotary engine and since it was from an Audi page, I assumed that it had something to do with Audis. Like I said in the original post, it doesn't have any other info on the engine other than that it uses less parts, all this stuff about Audi never producing/using one isn't mentioned anywhere. That said, thanks for the clarification.