Why cars with rotary (wenkel) engines aren't popular. They works well, fast and save fuel too. Why?

Answer 1

Actually, these engines started to grow in popularity quickly until the descovery of its short time to overhaul. Each rotar required three apex tip seals to procude the three different chambers with in one rotorary cylinder to allow the engine to work. The problem was these apex tips wear quickly and resulted in shorter time to overhaul. With today's advances in composite and metal alloys these apex tip seals will probably last a good long time, but the damage has been done, and it is hard to reverse a bad rap in the automotive industry.
And to correct a previous answer given from another user. These engines are lighter then the equivilant horsepower reciprocating engines, and yes, they are quicker when they are new and fresh, but once the apex seals wear down, they loose alot of power. They receive their lighter weight from several factors. The rotar becomes the valves, eliminating the traditional valve system of a reciprocating engine. One rotor is equivilent to three cylinders on a reciprocating engine. Along with other weight saving engineer design factors.
Sadly though fuel efficiency isn't an engineering marvel of this engine, give the fact that each rotary is constantly igniting a fuel air mixture (increased high end rpm torque output on the shaft, but this design hurt bottom end speed for torque output on the shaft). So even if the wear problem is solved, the fuel efficiency would be the killer in this time of day for this engine.

Answer 2

Rotary engines are not fuel efficient at all. My old little 1.1 liter Mazda RX7 could barely manage 20 mpg. An equivilant piston engine in a car that size might have done up to twice as well.

The Rotary engine also required many years to get reliable and only Mazda was willing to make the investment. Thus they own all the patents.

In addition, Rotary engines have odd, seemingly torqueless power bands that do not appeal to many drivers and many driving habits.

Answer 3

Roto's are ver naturios for leaking oil, and burning collant then poping. But if you are at all skilled in them. You can build, drive, and maintaine one for years. I have an 87' rx7 with a 13B block, no turdo. And I have put over 150 miles on it. I love it. It revs to about 10 grand, and can smoke a maro or even a vet off the line. Just as long as it is not a C6. But fuel economy sucks, like 17 on a good day. 12 when I really drive it.

Answer 4

I was under the impression that the central rotating part of the engine wore out very quickly, leading to problems of leaking and reduced torque from the engine.

I believe that mazda are still honouring the lifetime guarantee on their engines, supplying a replacement every time one dies in their old cars.

Answer 5

1. They didn't make many of them.
2. They really aren't good on fuel, they're terrible on fuel.
3. The earlier designs relied on a fuel cutoff switch becuase the fueling system was very unreliable.

Answer 6

a 13b on cruise control in my rx5 got from ceduna to cavan on a single tank of petrol doing exactly speed limit for entire trip no stops except for toilet
ok so thats about 763 kilometres on a standard tank size
also
the engine as far as i know was totaly straight out of showroom from new it would easily wind out to 15,500rpm i took it to my personal top speed of 240 klm when i drove in the northern territory it would go much faster but the suspension was really starting to not handle the road to well so i backed off
unknown how fast this mad little car would really go
i now drive an xr8 that has almost as much take off speed
as the rx5 did
but the xr8 over quarter mile is faster

Answer 7

When they first came out, there was a problem with the main seal leaking. They aren't the best with mileage, and they have less low rpm torque than the piston engines.

It seems like they would be decent and I suppose they have gotten the problems worked out by now. I can't say, I've never messed with them. good luck

Answer 8

they do not save fuel , they are not fast until you spend about 20g to work on them and most improtant of all is that it is too much weight for a small car.. there is a good reason that do not make many of them any more.

Answer 9

keep a respectable eye on air stress of tires (keep as intense as you are able to to diminish rolling resistance" keep the trunk clean and empty attempt to keep your max % below 70km/hr limitting efects of air resistance throttle up slowly from a end keep your % as on a similar time as you are able to warding off finished stops as you should use the most suitable oil you'll get with a teflon additive keep the vehicle contained in the most suitable state of song you should use the most suitable gasoline using inexpensive gasoline will value you extra becase its low high quality. use the grade gasoline the manufacture recomends

Answer 10

first of all its called a Wankel engine
second bad fuel
not allot made (that's why the company isn't around)
expensive to fix (hard to find parts)
expensive to make