V4 vs V6 in MPG?

  • Thread starter sicbeing
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Would an Mazda MX5/Miata be that bad for auto crossing? Light, RWD, nice handling. You might get laughed a bit but if you can put some slightly more sporty suspension on it (without putting yourself in a higher class) it would probably be a very good car. Plus, it's a four cylinder so it'll be easier on the gas.

If you aren't set on RWD why not look at CRX? With your $10K you could get one and afford a reconditioned engine as well + a new clutch and 'box and some new wheels and tyres.
 
A guy that runs a STOCK 1.6L Miata gets times right next to the moddified WRX STis. yeah, its a great autocross car.

And it gets good gas milage. And it has lots of aftermarket.
 
SCCA has been discussed before with me on other threads ive started. I want to do Solo II auto cross. I plan on buying a used car just for it basically now and keeping my civic, or <i>a</i> civic, etc, for town driving. A RWD is a must for it, just because I'd rather be able to slide around if needed. But as you all must know now cuz ive said it a few times :lol: I want an ametuer car , not something really too far above 200 hp if that. I will be using my first "race" car just to start.

On a side quesiton. Where can doing Solo II get you after doing it for a while ( a year or two?) will I move up to harder / different settings? Autocross will help me learn how to handle my car really well.
 
You don't move up from just doing Solo II. I'm seeking open track time, wheel to wheel at the end of summer (was gonna be this month, but Ineed to get a camera)

I'm paying about 350 dollars for a weekend on insturction. its not SCCA stuff, its with the BMWCCA. Its not timed or anything.

For actual road racing, you will need a roll cage, firesuit, and other stuff. Its quite an investment to say the least.

Many many other orgnazations do racing take note. I autocross with two clubs that don't go by SCCA standards. I'm not even a part of the SCCA. So yeah. Look around a bit.
 
I say this just about every time, and once again I know M5 will always agree with me on this car.

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Sure it's front wheel drive, but there are a million suspension parts for them and you can get a VR6, which mean a ton of power upgrades. Plus they are overly popular and you will get the "whats that?" question.
 
I always thought of them as funny looking, long nose and no ass. Still doesn't mean I don't love the car. If I could find one in decent shape around me I would get one just to screw around with.
 
sicbeing
Thanks, but all that sts and etc talk got me lost, i dunno what your talking about. :boggled:
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STS = Street Touring class w street tires. Don't worry about it for now.

SCCA has been discussed before with me on other threads ive started. I want to do Solo II auto cross. I plan on buying a used car just for it basically now and keeping my civic,
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Oh. Well if you are not looking for a dual use daily driver/auto-x car, then you should definately consider a Miata. They are excellent Solo II cars. Usually dominant in their class; if they're classed fairly.


M
 
BlazinXtreme
I say this just about every time, and once again I know M5 will always agree with me on this car.

751814_1_full.jpg


Sure it's front wheel drive, but there are a million suspension parts for them and you can get a VR6, which mean a ton of power upgrades. Plus they are overly popular and you will get the "whats that?" question.
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Those are sweet! 👍
 
///M-Spec
STS = Street Touring class w street tires. Don't worry about it for now.



Oh. Well if you are not looking for a dual use daily driver/auto-x car, then you should definately consider a Miata. They are excellent Solo II cars. Usually dominant in their class; if they're classed fairly.


M
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Actually yea the other day I was thinking about this and I think if I raced out a Miata itd be a great, if not a badass choice, especially for ametuer stuff. I don't know how far you can take a miata under the hood, but it's very lightweight.

The reason I want to have two cars, one for racing, is cuz i want to make it so its almost street illegal. Like one seat, racing paint job with my own number in vynal on the side, etc etc. Like a mini race car, I think thatd be cool. Id only put the best performance oil/fuel etc in it and never really drive it on the streets. Body kit, paint job, make it look serious lol. I want to make racing a huge hobby of mine, but I still have a lot of learning to do.
 
people have shoved B13 rotorarys into Miatas.... though I don't think anyone would need a 400 HP Miata.

Jackson supercharger kits can be setup to bring the car easily over 200 HP.

They dominate Solo II, as I;ve pointed out
 
I've seen pics of an LS1 shoehorned into a miata.

Miatas are great cars but unfortunatly they've been labeled as girly ones.
 
Not really girly ones, just gay. Id have to make mine look ungay for me to ride it though, especially in things like Solo II. And i dont think ricing it out would be the right term.

I dont know anything about motor swaps, until i know what my stuff straight, i plan on keeping anything i buy stock engine, just mod'd, if at all.
 
Around Auckland area there's a 302cui Chevy engined MX5 and also a 1UZFE (Toyota/Lexus quad cam V8) MX5.....:drool:

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This could be you....
 
sicbeing
well u know what i mean then =-p Yes in an In Line 4 Cyl, and I might buy a Mustang V6.

I might buy a supercharger for it, do you think it can handle it?
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A V6 Mustang can get between 19-25 mpg if you're easy on it. My '86 V8 gets 17-18 city.

Don't listen to the "people will laugh at you" thing. If you want a V6 Mustang get one but you should understand what trying to make that any fast entails. The thing is is that V6 Mustangs have no Trac-Lock (Limited-Slip) so all the power goes to one side. Once you make enough power you'll not have enough traction. Not to mention the V6 Mustang's have narrower wheels and tires than the GTs, less traction again.

I will say that you can put a supercharger on a V6 Mustang but they do not have forged internals so you can only run maybe 6 psi safely, but 6 psi is still gonna add plenty of horsepower. If the V6 Mustang's engine is already pretty old you could swap the supercharged V6 with forged internals from a Thunderbird Super Coupe like mine but that's not terribly easy.

Overall for a Mustang, if you can afford the insurance for a V8 and want to go fast, it's SO worth the extra money. My friend has a '99 Mustang GT 5-speed and it still gets about 18-19 mpg and still uses 87 octane.

If you're hell-bent on a V6, your best bet is not with the Mustang. I will say that if you supercharge a V6 it will need 93 octane and my Super Coupe gets 17 or MAYBE 18 mpg if I'm easy on it. When I'm foot to the floor a lot I get as low as 11 mpg city. Boost kills gas mileage real fast. I'm making about 17 psi though.

In the end, a V8 Mustang is cheaper than supercharging a V6 Mustang. If you decide on a V8, I will advise against '96-'98. Either get a '89-'95 5.0L HO or a '99 or newer 4.6L.

Good luck.
 
Revheadnz
Around Auckland area there's a 302cui Chevy engined MX5 and also a 1UZFE (Toyota/Lexus quad cam V8) MX5.....:drool:

Edit:
28_04_2002_bit_3.jpg


This could be you....
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That's 302 FORD not Chevy...

A lot of people drop Ford 302 (5.0L) V8s in Miata now, I kinda wanna do it. Actually that wouldn't be enough for me, I'd put a Ford 347 stroker with a centrifugal supercharger in a Miata vert daily driver and call it a day. :sly:
 
If i end up getting a mustang for the SCCA, itll most likely be a V8 due to speculation on these boards. I'll keep the V8 in mind, but what do you mean all the power goes to one side? you mean left/right side?
 
sicbeing
If i end up getting a mustang for the SCCA, itll most likely be a V8 due to speculation on these boards. I'll keep the V8 in mind, but what do you mean all the power goes to one side? you mean left/right side?
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Yes, like my '86 has no limited slip so when I do a burnout only one tire spins. It greatly hinders traction from a stop for drag racing, and in autocross you'll be spinning that tire out of corners everytime. :yuck:

Mustangs are probably some of the best American cars for SCCA simply because they have an aftermarket that possibly dwarfs the Honda Civic. There are several companies that make road course racing parts like Steeda and Ford Racing does stuff too. If you get a GT you can convert to Cobra IRS too to upgrade handling. There's just so much you can do with a Mustang but if you want to use it for SCCA I suggest you keep the Civic and do weight reduction on the Mustang. At least a fiberglass hood.
 
Right, that was something I said before, that I'd just keep the thing stock under the hood for a long time and work on weight / handling. Because the mustang is heavy, at least compared to most imports anyway.

How much does an LSD cost? I didn't realise that most of the power was distributed to one tire.
 
Well the V8 models have LSD to begin with. LSDs I think cost something like $180 for nice ones but they generally should be installed professionally. So prolly at least $300 including labor.

My suggestion, and this is what I would do if I were you, is to look around for a '94-'95 Cobra 5.0L HO. The 5.0L is lighter than the 4.6L, and it has cheaper aftermarket for motor stuff. The Cobra is better for SCCA over a regular GT because it's beefier and can handle more stress in all areas, and it has independant rear suspension among other handling upgrades over a GT. SVT badges mean more than just more horsepower, SVT always strives to make their cars handle much better and endure more thrashing. Plus Cobras have 6-speeds. The downside--I think the Cobra needs 93 octane gas but I'm not sure.
 
I dunno what octane means, you mean premium gas at the pump?

I think it'd be kinda hard to come across such a specific model and year, or would it be easy?
 
sicbeing
I dunno what octane means, you mean premium gas at the pump?

I think it'd be kinda hard to come across such a specific model and year, or would it be easy?
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It's not terribly hard. Actually it's usually pretty easy as long as you aren't picky about color and whatnot.

It took me a year to find my '94 SC but I specifically wanted a moonlight blue '94-'95 SC with a 5-speed. There are only about 1,300 5-speed 94-95s in the first place, and I wanted a specific color and good/great condition.

If you aren't picky it should be simple to find a '94-'95 Cobra.

87 octane is the regular unleaded gas, 93 octane is premium gas. Around here, premium is about $2.29 a gallon.
 
Probably much easier in classifieds or a local auto trading magazine. '94-'95 Cobras are all 5-speeds. No automatics were offered with Cobras I'm pretty sure.

There are 5,009 '94 Cobras and probably over 6,000 '95s, so it shouldn't be very hard to find one you want.
 
No problem man. Worse comes to worse, if you can't find a Cobra just get a GT, the potential is more or less the same, it will mean more money and more work though.
 
I know, I just can't let the BMW thing rest. Here is the breakdown (in theory) on BMW names. Forget the "is" and "ic" and stuff--all that means is whether the car is a coupe, sedan, or convertible, which most listings get wrong anyway. Just look at how many doors it has. 325=3 series, 2.5 liter engine (Straight 6). 328=3 series, 2.8 liter engine (straight 6). 323... you get the idea. The 318 has a 1.8 liter I4--by far the least power, and the M3 has a 3.2 liter I6, which was the top engine (plus the suspension upgrades. 92-95 BMWs were 318 and 325. They started making the M3 again in 95. BMW added the 328 in 96, producing the 318, 323 or 325, 328, and M3 (they started calling the 325 the 323 after a while, mostly to create a bigger bap between the 325 and 328--but don't be fooled. The 323 and 325 are the same car). They gave the 3 series a makeover in 99. But kept the same engines until 2000 or 2001, when they went to the 330 instead of the 328, and started calling the 323 the 325 again.

So, where does that leave you? I'd look for a 96 328. You should be able to find one pretty easy below the $10k mark--I know a guy that sold one for $9600 over a year ago, with about 90k on it. Or, you could go with a 323 like Mspec said, which you would probably be able to find a little cheaper, and shouldn't lose too much in the power dept to a 328. And keep in mind, you can get any of these cars as a convertible, coupe, or sedan.

Browsing the 3 series listings on ebay will give a lot of info on the differences between the different cars. In fact, that's pretty good advice for anything you're looking at.
 
Well i dont wanna go with anything above 70k miles on it. Like I said before, I will -definatly- look for at BMW's. When the time comes I will be comparing a -lot- of cars as to what i can even find. 👍
 
look with the money u spend on a v6 n to supercharge it..get a black GT ull eat alotta cars on the road..but u can also scoop a 2000 Camaro SS SLP with like i think its 335hp or 345hp..with a 6 SPEED instead of a 5..think bout that 1..
 

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