I never thought I'd install aftermarket body parts on my car. Simply not my thing. But I simply couldn't get away from the fact that my car was beginning to look a bit dated. Mazda had already taken the step to freshen up the design with an overhaul in 1999. New front bumper, new rear wing, different style wheels, etc. And there was something to be said about the new front bumper. From an engineering perspective it was a step above the old style. The larger openings made for better cooling in all regards - oil coolers, radiator, and intercooler all were fed more air. From an aesethic perspective there was much controversy. Seems as if most people really liked the new look but the integrated license plate frame was a real eyesore. I was of the same opinion. I never have used a front license plate on my car, and never will, and having an unused molded in plate holder stuck right in the middle of the front bumper simply would not do. So scratch that option. Rats.

Lovely 1999 JDM RX-7 but...OUCH! That license plate frame has to go!

Regarding the engineering issue, some technical justification for wanting a new front bumper is in order. Mazda indicates that the cooling openings are over 150% larger than the openings in the 1993-1997 bumper. The bigger the openings the more cooling, the better off you will be in keeping you car running...when run hard...on a track. The oil cooler openings now essentially expose the entire face of the CWR oil coolers to incoming air. Also Mazda states that the new front end and lip spoiler when combined with the rear wing greatly improved the aerodynamics of the car as a whole. I did some quick and dirty calcs on my 1999 rear wing install page which bears this out.

The turn signal lenses are different so replacements must also be purchased. The OEM 1999 lenses are VERY expensive at more than $400 for the pair. Yikes! AND...they will not plug into the 1993-1995 wiring harness. An adapter harness has to be bought for about $80 (more expense) or you could splice in the wires yourself (more work). However, help is on the way. Makoto Auto Trends sells knockoff 1999 JDM style lenses for 1/2 the price of the factory lenses (Part number M-MZ99R7-6839BLX for the smoked version) AND the wiring plugs directly into the 1993-1995 harness - no adapter or wire splicing needed. The only difference in appearence is the OEM lights have a smooth inner housing whereas the knockoffs have an angular inner housing. From 5 feet you can't tell the difference and if you didn't know there was a difference one would swear they were OEM parts. And a nice option is the knockoffs are sold with a clear lens, a smoked lens, or clear lens with a clear housing (vs black). I chose the black housing with the smoked lens.

The next hurdle involves the oil cooler ducting. The 1999 style bumper obviously has larger oil cooler openings. This renders the existing oil cooler ducts unusable. Add to this my aftermarket CWR oil coolers and my nice Carbon Fiber ducts for those are also unusable. Fiddlesticks! Rotary Extreme has developed a fiberglass duct to fit the 1999 style bumper and which mates to the EOM oil coolers both drivers and passenger sides. Doesn't really help me much so I have resigned myslef to fabrication of my own ducts or persuading CWR to do a run of some CF ducts for the '99 bumper.

And the last issue is that of the lip spoiler. I already had the 1999 lip spoiler installed on my old bumper so no problem for me but consider this as another added expense. They are OEM parts - 2 pieces that run about $175.

If you would like to contact me and converse about my experiences with my 7: please feel free to send an e-mail to crispyrx7@yahoo.com