Volks,
these engines are really sports car engines. E.g. a Mazda RX-3 weighs in at 900
kg, a little bit more than a Beetle. The Wankel would do wonders in a Beetle,
because of the weight, but the heavy weight Vanagon 1500+ kg is just too heavy,
and has the aerodynamics of a house. Why do you think VW skipped the 1600 cc 50 hp
engine in the bus in 1972, while the Beetle still uses it in Mexico? It is not the
hp that accelerates the car, it is the torque. The hp just holds the car at speed.

PerL
88 Caravelle Syncro

Ari Ollikainen wrote:

> >Hi, volks,
> >
> >I was wondering about the Wankel for some time. A guy I know with an old
> >RX-7 was whining about a blown seal, but upon reflection, said that he had
> >no real problems with the motor except for that.
> >
> >However, I am not aware of any kits for Wankel conversion, nor am I hip to
> >anyone who has done this, and I get the suspicion that there is a reason.
> >Does anyone know what is up with this?
> >
>
>         Plain and simple it's the lack of torque at a low enough rpm
>         to make it useful in a Vanagon (make sure you're viewing the
>         following chart in a non-proportional font):
>
>            1st Generation           2nd Generation            3rd Generation
>            Standard GSL-SE    86-88   89-91 86-88     89-91   All U.S.1996-97
>                                             Turbo][  Turbo][  Models  (Japan)
>
> Engine Type  12A      13B     13B     13B   13BTurbo  13BTurbo 13B-REW 13B-REW
> Displacement 1156cc  1308cc  1308cc  1308cc  1308cc   1308cc   1308cc  1308cc
> Power output 105bhp@ 135bhp@ 146bhp@ 160bhp@ 182bhp@  200bhp@  255bhp@ 265bhp
>               6krpm   6krpm  6.5krpm 7krpm   6.5krpm  7krpm    7krpm   6.5krpm
> Torque(lb-ft) 105@    135@    138@    140@    183@    196      220@    222@
>               4krpm   3krpm  3.5krpm 4krpm   4krpm    3.5krpm  5krpm   5krpm
>
>       OLTECO                    Ari Ollikainen
>       P.O. BOX 3688             Networking Technology and Architecture
>       Stanford, CA              Ari@OLTECO.com
>       94309-3688                415.517.3519