Mazda News - Mazda to further refine Wankel rotary engine for more efficiency?

February 14, 2009 by tsikot

Mazda to further refine Wankel rotary engine for more efficiency?

Mazda’s Wankel rotary engine has always been unique in the automotive landscape as a mass-produced internal combustion engine that eschews such unsightly items as pistons, valves and camshafts. The Wankel packs lots of power into a very small package, but one thing it’s never been is fuel efficient, despite its relatively meager 1.3-liters of displacement. It seems the Japanese automaker is working hard to change that reputation with the next generation of the RX series.

Like the classic 13B engine that the current Renesis is still based on, the new 16X would use two rotors, though enlarged to 800cc each for a total of 1.6 liters. Despite the increase in displacement, Mazda hopes to increase fuel economy and reduce emissions by 20 percent.

Other efficiency improvements are planned as well, including a dual-clutch transmission and a significant weight savings over the current RX-8, which isn’t exactly a porker as it is. Supposedly, the new rotary would be available in both a two-door, two-seat RX-7 and a larger, four-seat RX-9 variants.

[Source: Inside Line]

Mazda to further refine Wankel rotary engine for more efficiency? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: www.autobloggreen.com

[tags]mazda cars, mazda news, mazda models[/tags]

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.