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Rotary Engines
I have just had a good look at a Mazda RX8 sports car, when was parked in Lidls car-park. Its a smashing looking car !
But why are Maxda the only people left that use the rotary Wankel engine ?
I thought that these engines were the bees knees and I am sure I remember Honda using them in the past ( but I may be wrong about that )
Can anyone tell me, in simple layman's terms, why rotary engines are good, or bad ?
But why are Maxda the only people left that use the rotary Wankel engine ?
I thought that these engines were the bees knees and I am sure I remember Honda using them in the past ( but I may be wrong about that )
Can anyone tell me, in simple layman's terms, why rotary engines are good, or bad ?
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No best answer has yet been selected by mikey4444. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Well Norton made a rotax engined motorcyle for the police market as well as a racing bike.The police version did not operate at all well at slow speed as it was air cooled and overheated.It was a two stroke engine and was an environ mental disaster. I believe the Norton racing team were quite successful but of course those engines were running at max speed and were well cooled.
Actually though it is often referred to as a rotary engine, it's real name - give the man his due - is a Wankel Engine. A real rotary engine has an uneven amount of cylinders in a circular configuration, used mostly in early aircraft, I was looking at some last year in the science museum, they are gorgeous pieces of machinery!
Felix may be gone, but he's not forgotten, a street in a nearby town to me is called Felix Wankel Strasse.
Felix may be gone, but he's not forgotten, a street in a nearby town to me is called Felix Wankel Strasse.
Since we're straying a bit and as Khandro has mentioned it, there are two types of engines similar to those he describes (with cylinders arranged in a circular configuration around the crankshaft). The radial engine is more conventional in that the cylinders remain stationary whilst the crankshaft (usually with a propellor attached as they were used almost exclusively in aircraft - though some were used in tanks) rotates. The rotary engine is similar in design and appearance but when these are running the cylinders and crankcase (usually with a propellor attached) rotate around a stationary crankshaft.
These rotary engines were not entirely successful and their limitations were soon discovered. Much of the engine's power was lost in simply driving round the crankase and cylinder assembly. When used in aircraft the hefty rotating assembly produced a serious gyroscopical effect making the handling of the aircraft a bit dodgy.
These rotary engines were not entirely successful and their limitations were soon discovered. Much of the engine's power was lost in simply driving round the crankase and cylinder assembly. When used in aircraft the hefty rotating assembly produced a serious gyroscopical effect making the handling of the aircraft a bit dodgy.
judge is talking about a radial engine. The engines with a wankel in the are commonly known as rotary. The problems are that they use a lot of fuel and Oil and generally have a shorter life. The probem is the seals on the tips of the rotor continually wear and cause problems. They are also very misleading in terms of CC and are usually understated. When working well they are very good and responsive but will cost a lot of fuel and maintenance in the long run. Only bother if you are a devotee.
"judge is talking about a radial engine"
No I'm not, 3Ts. As I think I made clear I'm talking about an earlier type of engine similar in appearance to a radial engine, but called a rotary engine. They pre-date the Wankel engine by about 50 or 60 years and in my view are the "true" rotary engine:
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Now these little beauts had a radial engine.Very similar to a rotary from outwards appearance.Douglas Bader lost his legs by crashing this type of aircraft BTW.
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