Boingers

[Zack]

> One thing about a Wankel engine can not be improved greatly upon:
> the combustion chamber shape sucks!  Long, thing, flat.  Just made
> for detonating.

Actually, as far as I know, the huge quench area makes them more 
resistant to detonation then most.  Normally aspirated Wankel engines 
with compression ratios in the 9.5:1 range will run on octane's as 
low as 40.  
	That's why a 2nd gen RX-7 with a roughly 9:1 compression ratio 
running 8 pounds of boost will -can- get by on 87 octane.  What the 
long thing combustion chamber does contribute to is slow burn of the 
a/f mixture and less complete combustion than in a typical piston 
engine.  The combustion chamber shape is a big reason for the fuel 
inefficiency of the Mazda rotary, (in addition to the location of the 
exhaust port, which opens very early).

Z