All answers welcome!

[240crawler]

I have a 1991 240 w/2 cam engine. It runs smooth, idles good, and gets 25 to 30 mpg. I know it is stock, but why is it so weak? A lightweight, 5-speed car with 155? horsepower should pull better. My best time at a local 1000ft drag is a pathetic 9.72. What is wrong, and if nothing, how can I improve on a budget? Thanks in advance.

[1991S13]

Welcome to NICO.

IMO, the 240 is pretty quick compared to a lot of other 4 cylinder cars that can be found for fairly cheap. You came to the best place to find out how to make it faster though.

Get it running great again (if it isn't already, but Im assuming it does.) Search around here and you will find out what to do. The KA is strong and there are some good turbo kits you can piece together to make big power, or you could always toss it and replace it with a SR20, CA18, RB20 or 25, etc.

You don't have to go turbo though - I/H/E, pulleys, cams, etc. can make a good difference.

Oh yeah...if yours is an automatic the best thing to spend your money on right now is a manual swap. You will get a HUGE difference with that.

[coolbone28]

9.72...sec?!?! you think that is crappy for 1000 ft.? (under 1/4 mi? you might want to check those numbers again.

[240crawler]

It is a 5-speed car. I am used to cars with a little more go, but it does feel weak after 2nd gear. I checked my slip from the track, the track is only 880 ft. Most stock LS1 cars are running in the 7's. My 99 vette ran a 6.2. Money reasons made me sell and go to a much cheaper car. I want to know if there are any cost effective means of incresing the performance. Stillen offers cams for 695, but only add 8-10 hp. Waste of cash. Same with cold-air intake or exhaust system. Are there any ghetto-go-fast mods for my car.

[SlidnSideways]

There are a few cheap things you can do to increase horsepower but nothing thats gonna make a difference.

Best thing i can tell you to do is search around NICO and look at peoples setups. There are setups ranging from stock all the way to 600+ whp on the KA alone.

Just look around

[sanioll]

hehe anything more than 450hp is too fast with 240sx. Simply too fast, death without traction.

above 450hp you need complete redesign of suspension system. way too different tires for street use. different gear ratios too.

[240sx2soon]

Seems like aples and oranges to me. You can't compare a vette to a stock 240, they are two very different motors. I think your time has to be in the 1/8 mile not 1000 feet, a 1/4 mile strip is only 1320 which means if your 1000ft. time really was 9.7 than your 1/4 mile should be in the 12's. Performance mods will help but unless you plan to put about $5000 to $7000 into a good turbo and suspension to handle it, get used to getting whopped upon. I had to eat a big **** sandwich at the track last week when a engine swapped civic hatch ran a 14.3 next to me. That hurts more considering I was going to buy a civic hatch and swap out for a turbo frankenstein B20. S'ok though since I'm turboing next summer to stomp some ***