Can S14 200SX be made to hussle??

[Pierscoe1]

I have an MX5 at the moment, which is ver nimble, and accurate, if a little underpowered..

I am sorely tempted by an S14, for the grunt, good but restrained styling, 4 seats (sort-of), and solid roof....

is it going to feel like a barge down a country lane?
I hope to get a test-drive in this week, but want some idea before-hand....

all comments/tips/suggestions/info greatly appreciated..

Piers

[Alien]

There are armloads of suspension tuning parts available for S13/S14. They are one of the most commonly tuned cars in Japan. If you don't like the way it is stock, you can change it to your exact preference.

[Pierscoe1]

well yes.. of course, but I'd like to know what they're like as standard... are they ok as-is for fast-road use?? or are the all smooth-quiet-ride and no handling?

they seem to be quite light for the size of car.. 1260kg ish which would suggest a not-too-lardy persuasion...

what is turn-in like? do they settle quickly into turns, or are you forever second-guessing the weight-transfer?

[Trefor]

Mine seemed fine - just don't get caught by the turbo coming on song. They're softly set up from the factory - loads of options available aftermarket. Judging by 5th Gear this evening they're the drifters' choice now!

[Pierscoe1]

>just don't get caught by the turbo coming on song

are they tricky in the dry as well??
heard stories of, and quite obviously they are, a bit tricky in the wet, but then 200bhp rwd is always going to be entertaining on a wet roundabout!!

[JohnL]

My Bro-in-law's got one. Only had a short drive in it but it's no barge! Very zippy, just a little tail happy :-)

Back seats are a waste of space btw, with me driving (I'm 6'2") there was about 2" between the back of the front seat and the front of the back seat.

[NikB]

Prices have come down so much now that you can pick up the latest model (S14a) for around 5-6 grand for a good one. If you want to mod it then the best route is exhaust, airfilter, decat, maybe a front mount intercooler, and the free boost upgrade. I have done this to mine (except the front mount) and am now running about 250BHP.
On the chassis the ideal mods to do are Skyline GTR front brakes and Tein suspension, this should make it handle really sweetly.


Have a look on www.sxoc.com for more info. There are lots of members and cars of various states of tune - chances are whatever you want to do has been tried already.

Cheers

Nik

PS check out my profile for pics of mine.