The new wave of Japanese exotics.

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Which of the new Japanese "exotics" do you think is the King?

  • Mazda RX-8 (FR--1.3L Rot. 247hp)

    Votes: 14 19.7%
  • Nissan 350Z (FR--3.5L V6 287hp)

    Votes: 27 38.0%
  • Honda S2000 (FR--2.0L I4 240hp)

    Votes: 11 15.5%
  • Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII (AWD--2.0L Turbo I4 271hp)

    Votes: 13 18.3%
  • Subaru Impreza WRX (AWD--2.0L Turbo B4 227hp)

    Votes: 6 8.5%

  • Total voters
    71
Originally posted by Frustrated Palm
Thats one of the reasons I like Nissan, they are innovative and keep evolving their vehicles and turning good ones as well.

why did they scrap the skyline!? :(

as for the s2000, there's one on my road but i never thought of it being anything special. is it really worth all the praise it gets? it certainly doesnt look that good. is it FR?

paul
 
I have heard the S2000s engine is good for the track, but terrible around town so when you say the engine is a gem, I suppose you are refering to the track?
 
They scrapped the GTR and in line 6 cylinder Skylines because of emissions :( but now there is the VQ powered Skyline out

And yes, the S2000 is FR
 
If you didnt realize it, the S2000 is a total rocket. Its got 240hp and it is FR. Around a track it would blow past many other cars. I think it could stay on the heels of something like a Porsche Carrera or even a Corvette. I know that it can definitely beat cars like the Camaro SS and BMW Z3, SLK32 etc.
 
I dont know about a Z3 or SLK, but an S2000 would not beat a Boxter S around a track, and the Camaro would give it a run for its money
 
Originally posted by vat_man
Yeah - because they test with the driver and a passenger in the car and half a tank of gas. If you're running a low torque engine another 110 kg of weight in the car's going to hurt your times, but it's going to be more representative of real world running, which is what Wheels is about.

Is that right? :odd:
Im suprised that manufactures would let them publish those times, such as the S2000 example. It isnt a compliment to the Honda is it?
 
Originally posted by HRT_Maloo
I dont know about a Z3 or SLK, but an S2000 would not beat a Boxter S around a track, and the Camaro would give it a run for its money
Actually, I think it was road and track or motor trend that did a test between the Audi TT roadster, BMW Z3, Porsche Boxster S and S2000. The S200 dogged the group on a track :)

I'll have to do some more searching to find the article I have it in a magazine somewhere.
 
Yeah but in a real life race it didnt do as well against the Camaro's. There are 3 in the SCCA Runnoffs (forgot actual name but I think that is it). The cars are practically stock (stock tires as well). The Camaro's beat them alot. I think that the S2000 would do better because the 34 Yellow and Black S2000 has a good driver behind the wheel. A car can do really great alone on the track but when you add more people it adds pressure, changes racing lines, your technique (a little), and then drafting is implimented. I love the S2000, thinks its a nice car and has loads of potential and is good as it is too. The 350Z isnt just a car with the the same engine as a few others. I think it performs a little better (was driven in one by my aunts boyfriend). The interior is nice too...
 
Originally posted by Nightmage82
why did they scrap the skyline!? :(

Because it was far cheaper to produce something that shared 50% of the components with 2 other mass-produced cars. The R32-R34 shared parts with, um, something else, but the current "Skyline" (a.k.a., G35, G35 Coupe, & 350Z) is dirt cheap to produce compared to anything R34-based. BTW, what the western world gets as the G35 is still called the Skyline in Japan. The "GT-R" part has been permanently excised from the "Skyline" moniker. The "GT-R" will show up as something quite different...and much more expensive. :(
 
Originally posted by PunkRock
Integra Type-R it is. I'm trying to remember where i found the vid, but i think it was on Kazaa. It's a 10mb file...

With a good chassis, FWD's still got loads of potential... Look at the old (and new) BTCC cars. FWD for the most part, and it wasn't uncommon to see a Peugeot 406 or a Honda Accord embarass a BMW.
A 4 door JDM ITR? I didn't think they made those. can u show me a pic?
Are u shure the car wasn't an Accord Euro-R?
 
Originally posted by Hooligan
Because it was far cheaper to produce something that shared 50% of the components with 2 other mass-produced cars. The R32-R34 shared parts with, um, something else, but the current "Skyline" (a.k.a., G35, G35 Coupe, & 350Z) is dirt cheap to produce compared to anything R34-based. BTW, what the western world gets as the G35 is still called the Skyline in Japan. The "GT-R" part has been permanently excised from the "Skyline" moniker. The "GT-R" will show up as something quite different...and much more expensive. :(

I heard (heard, so dont quote me on it) that they will be releasing a car under the Skyline nameplate. Plus we already have the G35 (I think). Maybe we should go over to the Nissan HQ with metal bats and torches :trouble:. They might produce them again :lol:...
 
Originally posted by miata13B
Actually, I think it was road and track or motor trend that did a test between the Audi TT roadster, BMW Z3, Porsche Boxster S and S2000. The S200 dogged the group on a track :)

I'll have to do some more searching to find the article I have it in a magazine somewhere.

Weird. I picked up a mag the other day and it had its annual Performance Car of the Year award. The Boxter S was around 3 seconds faster round a 3km track than the S2000, and it was driven by a V8 Supercar driver so I dont think there would be that much driver error
 
The Suburu Impreza WRX. It Looks better than last year, and lots of improvements. But the question is, can it beat the Lancer 8? It already did in looks, but Performance is the question.
 
there is a 4-door itr, i think i have seen the issue with that race.

I would guess with very good drivers, a boxter s would be quicker than an s2000. Neither of the cars are sloppy, and the boxter s has a higher power to weight ratio. When the drivers are top notch, this is basically what it comes down to. Other things play a part i know, but there arent many things on the s2000 that are lacking from the s. Not being pushed to the limit, I can see the s2000 having an advantage.

Track layout has a lot to do with it also. Maybe the s200 IS faster, just not on that track. With cars matched so closely, it is hard to determine which is better without comparing times on atleast 3 tracks. The same with the r34 GTR vs. z06 challenge, we were always thinking of which car had the advantage on each track. (it turned out the z06 killed the r34 on every track though...).
 
I would suggest a match between the Evo 7 and the WRX in GT3 (though it wont be realistic) and we can kind of get the idea of how they might compare now (chances are it wont be accurate). WOuld be fun to do that though...
 
the only problem with all of those comparos is that A, drivers are differently skilled, B, so much matters on the track it is on.

I might be up for it though. Perhaps after a couple rounds we can make judgments on the cars advantages and disadvantages. (Im pretty sure the evo 7 is quicker though. much less understeer)
 
We wouldnt be the first! Impreza's are always tested against Evo's. Why not compare them in real life! Road & Track have tested them both and compared them. So have countless other mags. Rather than testing slightly different cars on a video game. We could just look it up on the internet. I will come back and post what I find around the internet. We'll see what the real stats are for each car, and get a real life idea of what they're capable of.
 
The thing is we dont know if they are reliable. What if there was more than one driver? I want a 'Hands-on' activity thing. I'd like to see how they do match up in the game, then see how those results compare to real life results. That way we could get an idea of how good PD designed the physics of the vehilces in the game :). If we do have a battle between the two we should keep the cars bone stock with no setting changes...
 
Or how about we match them up against each other in the game. Kind of like how some mags do it except we each test each car. Or someone tests two cars against each other...
 
Everyone here has a valid point, but I'd like to point out that each car (S2000, RX-8, 350Z, LanEvo8) is definately different.

S2000 - I've driven an S2000 plenty of times, and it's not a daily driver kind of car. The S2000 was inspired/designed from racetrack cars, and it makes no pretense of hiding that. People that really would benefit from getting the car would be people with enough money to spare for another car and lots of free weekends. The trunk is only good for a weekend's worth of luggage, you can only put in some low sprint times if you do a tire-frying launch, or you can wait for VTEC to kick in at 3000 rpms, and in order to get full power the engine is screaming at 8000 rpms (not to mention the 9000 rpm rev limit). If you want sporty and real life practicality, search elsewhere, this car is best home on a racetrack or a twisty road, not for daily driving.

RX-8 - Sure, it's ugly, it's got a tad bit more torque than the S2000, and it's rotary. The RX-8 was designed as a family/sport car. The car is not the next generation RX-7. As we all know, the RX-7 is a superb machine for the track, but it failed in practicality (it was 40k when it left the US in 95). The rear seats were toilet seat covers, the american spec seats felt uncomfortable after 2 hours of driving, and the car itself was shrink wrapped around you and the engine. The RX-8 is designed to be a sporty car that can double as a daily driven family car because it can hold 4 adults in a decent amount of space. It's not a loud as a S2000 (which screams rice rocket past 3000 rpms) and it won't attract cops every single block. (well, it might gets some funny looks, giving its styling). To look at the numbers on paper is only one side of the story. Can you stuff people into the trunk in a Z/S2K? I'd like to see you try.

350Z - Sure, some think it's pretty, but after seeing it so many times, it's starting to rub off. The car is desgined for 0-60 sprints. That's it. Even if you get a track edition, you'll still get passed because it's all show (Hello big space taking roll bar in trunk). The Z can hold itself well in the twisty roads, but it just doesn't cut it for any long haul, it's best as a secondary car. Are you constantly running 0-60 sprints down the street? The G35 (aka JDM Skyline) is not a GT-R. It is going back to the days of when Skylines were sporty and practical. GT-R's are street monsters stock and when tuned. The G35 is lux-crusier/GT. It's faster than the Z in the 0-100, and it's much more comfortable in the long run. Not to mention just as stiff as the Z without some body brace running through the trunk. If you want to turn heads, both cars do it, but in the end, the G is more practical than a Z.

LanEvo8 - This is really just a car for boy-racers with enough green to toss about. If they had enough, they'd buy the E46 M3 (heck, I would), but this is, hands down, a car that screams, howls, and smacks you over the head that it's a racecar from a mile away. The car is 4WD, it's got carbon fiber everwhere, Recaro seats, 18-inch Enkei rims with wide fenders, outruns other cars (due to high torque) and a maintenace bill that's at least double vs. Prelude SH(my daily driven car). If you have enough money to do regular tire rotations every 8000 miles, going to the dealer for oil changes (the LanEvo uses a synthetic brand only Mitsubishi produces - similar to the M3), and dealing with the premium, it's not a bad car, but are you really going to be going at Autobahn speeds to need that spoiler? 4WD is handy, IF you live in a region that has seasons. And the fact that it has seating for 5 and a decent trunk place it higher in rank than the others.

I'm all for sporty driving, but my Prelude can double as a daily transportation car and a weekend sport car. If you're defining these on a real-world day-to-day base cars: An S2000 is a sport car solely for the weeked, the Z is a "look, I'm driving a Z" for single guys and sprinting, the RX-8 is a family/sport car that's fine for driving with adults without negating the sporty feel, and the LanEvo can be both sporty and practical for daily driving for men and teens with money. ALL of these cars have their ups/downs, but I'm sure you'd want your first car to be useful on a daily basis. OR you go and label them under the exotic category: "does it guzzle gas, sprint like mad, looks like it's built to race, and turn heads?" All of them would, except for the RX-8 (the family car).
 
Originally posted by Keisuke_FD3S
The trunk is only good for a weekend's worth of luggage, you can only put in some low sprint times if you do a tire-frying launch, or you can wait for VTEC to kick in at 3000 rpms, and in order to get full power the engine is screaming at 8000 rpms (not to mention the 9000 rpm rev limit).

3,000rpm?:odd: The more agressive set of lobes kick in at 6,000rpm. Peak tq. is around 7,500, and peak hp is 8,300rpm.

3rd gear VTEC pwns j00!:lol: Or something.
 
here is a shock to you all: the RX-8 is sometimes hailed as the most beautiful car to come out of japan

who said it: Road and Track
 
Originally posted by JDMTypeR
A 4 door JDM ITR? I didn't think they made those. can u show me a pic?
Are u shure the car wasn't an Accord Euro-R?


Not an Accord. Trust me.

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http://www.honda.co.jp/factbook/auto/INTEGRA/19950824/in95-011.html

These are the blueprints of the body... That's all i can find right now, it was a pretty rare car.
 
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