Tuner Trash Talk

  • Thread starter Thread starter F.Zamataki
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Famine
skylineGTR_guy: Factory support. Pure and simple.
Arent all the cars owned by various private companys? They should be able to buy whatever they want, most of the parts are custom fabricated anyway for the specific car, with the sponsors paying big money they should be able to buy whatever they need to compete.
 
OoNismoO
what some people need to do is go out and drive a good import, or a domestic, cause a lot of times they wont understand till they ve actually driven one. they might not change their mind, but a lot of them havent driven a good car on either side. they just base it off of that one, or several lower end cars they have driven, or off magazine articles to make their opinions on.
I currently own 5 cars, and am buying a truck soon (waiting for the current owner to find the title). None of my current cars has more than 6 cyl. IN FACT, only one is a six, the rest are inline 4's of varying displacement, and valve configuration.
I've also owned a number of cars that have manufacturing homes outside of the U.S. And in my "misguided" youth, I've spent a fair amount of time thrashing cars of all "nationalities.".
I love cars. I'm not wed to any particular car company, or national affiliation.
I tend towards Fords, Nissans and Mazdas because they have been the most reliable, if not the fastest cars I've owned. (I have also owned V-dubs, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs, Plymouths, Chevies, Mercedes, and even an Austin or three)
What I'm trying to get F. Zamitake and some of the the other "fast four brethren" to see is that each configuration has its place. The V-8 is an awesome engine. Has been since its inception.
The hi-tech four is also an awesome engine. But keep in mind that I grew up in a time where a new Volkswagen flat-4 turned a wimpy 36 HP. A "hot" Porsche was kicking ass with less than 100 HP.:eek: And the strip was owned by the V-8.
So perhaps, I am a little biased and sentimental toward the venerable V-8.
The beauty of the big motor is that even "shuffling" along at speeds that are barely above idle they can cruise at 70MPH. At 70 MPH, in 5th gear in my Escort I was turning 3000 rpm. My son's Probe is a bit better with a 4-speed automatic, at 2300 RPM. But it doesn't hold a candle to the 1500 RPM that my mom's DeVille turns at 70. And when kick down that big Caddie will sit up and really roar!
That doesn't mean I don't love my 'Scort. I've had a lot of fun thrashing the devil out of that little 1.8. I've even "snacked" on an unprepared/uniformed Honda V-tec boy or two with it. I have even considered Honda ownership. And not just the S2K. But all Hondas tend to be quite expensive.
If I could buy any car as my daily driver, it would be a late model Honda Prelude. (of course it is considered one of the "big-block" Hondas).

In reality, I don't care what I'm quick in. I just gotta be quick.:lol:
 
Gil
And I bet it sounds absolutely vicious:D.

It's got a little burble all of it's own. At tickover, trundling through town centres at 15mph in 5th (nice trick - try that in a Citroen Saxo) people look for the noise. At full chat somewhere the shiny side of 6500rpm it's got a real evil edge to it.

It's not a loudest, best, quickest or most efficient engine in existence, but it does it's job well (pulling in 5th from rolling to 141mph is a pretty good trick too). It suits the car well too - the 4-cyl one is crappy and a V8 in an FF would be hell.
 
Gil
If I could buy any car as my daily driver, it would be a late model Honda Prelude. (of course it is considered one of the "big-block" Hondas).

:lol: The 'Lude is a big block Honda... that's great. 👍


M
 
///M-Spec
:lol: The 'Lude is a big block Honda... that's great. 👍


M
I read most of the tuner mags, and the (H22) 2.2 motor is indeed called a "big-block" compared to the plethora of 1.6's.
But I have a hard time calling it a big block as it's displacement is about 132 cubic inches and my car with a "small" big-block was a 390 (right at 6.5 liters):lol:

Of course, my Dad's Chilton's manual put it at 300 HP with 450 lb/ft of torque.:eek:
 
Famine
Wasn't there a 3.0 V6 Accord Coupe?
This is true. However it only comes with an automatic transmission here in the USA so it doesn't really count.:D
 
Gil, don't get a Prelude. If you want an affordable, reliable, awesome performing 4 cylinder i highly reccomend the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire or the 2003 Chevy Cavalier. 2.2L, 140hp-150ft/lb torque, and if u get the base model, with no extras, your weight is considerably low and the car very quick. I will tell you with no lie, and with no hint of illegality, this motor (with the right driver) is VERY potent. Factory 1/4mile readings are low 16's, but in reality, thats a second too high. All kidding aside... this is one quick motor. Late model Preludes, Integras, Grand Prix, 323ci, Civic Si-R, Mustang LX, Tuburon V6, Accord V6....these are all cars i have defeated in my '03 4-door base model Pontiac Sunfire. I kid you not. beleive me or don't, just take one for a test drive, and you WILL see. The torque and horsepower starts quite low and the powerband is very wide. Handling is poor, the OEM tires are ****bags....but minor suspension tuning and some stocky tires can cure that.

Sure.....you driving a Sunfire/Cavalier.....but youll be the one laughing when the stock 93 Mustang 5.0L cant pass you untill he drops his stick in 4th gear, and your gas needle is still where u left it. For the price you pay.....this is the fastest car in its class. And faster than some others.

Im not advertising here, but i drive this car everyday....and people literally laugh when they hear the Ractive Fart Can pass by sticking out of the back of a 4-door sunfire. But thats OK... if only they stick this motor in something nicer....oh well. goes to show that aussie made motors are teh l337.
 
I like the 'lude because it's sharp looking.
I don't run too many fools on the street.
I also usually get the "hole-shot" on the street because my reaction time is nearly nil.:D
The 'lude puts me in mind of the early ponycars. I really like the way it looks. It is also kinda practical, with real room for 4, and the good looks.
Long hood, short trunk, looks like it's rear wheel drive. All the stuff I like in a sporty car.
Plus, the 197 Hp it's rated at, is way more than I've had under my right foot in a long while.
I've spent the last 22 years of my life learning how to be fast in a slow car.

I'm sorry to say I'll pass on the Cavalier. I've known too many GM cars. :lol:
Plus, ages ago, (1984) a Chevy dealer in Florida thought that my wife and I were stupid kids and tried to sell us a $9500 Cav' for a $250 monthly payment for a 5 year note. If you do the math you'll note that that's $15,000. I actually laughed at him as I was getting up to walk out. He kept talking the whole time we were leaving, acting like we were passing up the deal of a lifetime.
2 weeks later a sinkhole opened up under that dealership and it swallowed about 10 cars, including the one we looked at.:lol:
I bought a 1982 Nissan Sentra a few days after talking to the Chevy idiots. It was an all-round better car, and it cost me less money. A lot less money.
My new truck is rated at only 112 HP but like 140lb/ft of torque. And it's a little 2.3Liter Ford.
I had a 2.5liter 'Iron duke' four in a Pontiac 6000. It was a great car, fairly quick, especially for a mid-size four dour sedan. It also ran great, right up till the day it blew up. It gave me no warning. It didn't burp or burble, it just up and quit. It wouldn't have pissed me off so bad, except it did it the day after my birthday.:irked:
The Escort I bought to replace it (four years and 70,000 miles ago) was old when I bought it, is currently only running on three cylinders, and it's giving no indications that it will ever quit.
I'm gonna donate it to the Kidney Foundation as a tax write off in a bit. I'm currently teaching my kids how to properly handle a manual with it. I figure that if they can handle smooth take offs with a stumbling motor, they'll be smooth as glass in a properly running car.:D
 
anyways, back to the V8 thing. I never meant to label myself as some 4banger rev happy V8's suck kinda guy. Theyre great motors.....but the huge old school ones are just not for use everyday. i just think when it comes to a powerful motor, straight 6 is the most practical, as its configurations for induction and exhaust are very versatile. and i think i may be the only one to say this, but i find the sound of a V8 in idle and mild acceleration quite irritating. it sounds soo unsynchronized and sloppy, like its gonna fall apart. only when one is breathing at full throttle am i pleased with the sound.
 
F.Zamataki
anyways, back to the V8 thing. I never meant to label myself as some 4banger rev happy V8's suck kinda guy. Theyre great motors.....but the huge old school ones are just not for use everyday. i just think when it comes to a powerful motor, straight 6 is the most practical, as its configurations for induction and exhaust are very versatile. and i think i may be the only one to say this, but i find the sound of a V8 in idle and mild acceleration quite irritating. it sounds soo unsynchronized and sloppy, like its gonna fall apart. only when one is breathing at full throttle am i pleased with the sound.
I drove either a 390cid Thunderbird or a 429SCJ powered Ford Wagon every day.
(If I could get the wagon from my Dad:lol: ) They were docile, tractable, and actually quieter than any of the straight sixes that we owned. They only got loud if you tromped on them hard enough to open the back two barrels of the carbuerator. Yes the gas mileage sucked. But they would roll happily all day at 70 MPH while turning less than 2000 RPM. In fact the only thing that sound silkier than an V-8 is a V-12. It has to do with there being an even number of cylinders in each bank, and no extraordinary means needed to balance them like in a V-6. You should never be able to find a motor that runs quieter at idle than a V-8 or V-12.
The only V-8 I've run into that truly sucked was the 351-W in my Mom's old Galaxie 500. It was hampered by a 2 barrel carb, and crazy gearing.
It was one of the slowest cars I've had the mis-fortune of driving. But it was also the most reliable car I've ever seen. It broke one time during the time we owned it (11 Years). And we kept in touch with the car over the next two owners. It gave upt the ghost at nearly 400,000 miles and had never had the heads off.
That's what they mean by "built Ford tough!" It was no power house, but it was the bomb as far as reliability.
 
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