Things to think about on your Q

[Jesda]

Stock S2000s run 14.2-14.9Slightly better numbers for the newer "S2200s"

[Rex]

According to Car and Driver2002 S2000 ($32,740) 14.4 at 98 mph2002 Mugen S2000 ($56,352) 14.1 seconds at 100 mph

You get some cosmetics, wheels/tires and suspension to that $23K, but wow, that's a lot of coin for 0.3 secs in the 1/4 mile.

[Rex]

Here's the opening line on a pretty good page discussing the 73 Firebird ...Quote »If 1973 is remembered for anything in the automobile industry, it has to be the Arab Oil pontiac.com Embargo. The Arab nations, upset at the world for the exploitation of their country, decided in unity to low the flow of oil to raise their prices. People suddenly realized that 35-cent a gallon gasoline and 10 miles per gallon wasn't a bad thing, but take the same 10-mpg and charge 70-cents for the same gasoline... Toyota and Datsun were a guaranteed success overnight. But ask a car guy what 1973 really meant and they'll probably announce two terms - Super Duty and the "screaming chicken".[/quote]Hopefully what won't be lost is that the "basic" TA was not the same as the screamin' chicken and GM was flirting with both emissions regulations and mpg for customers pocket books.

FWIW, the HP "ratings" for the T/A didn't change until 1978.

I think it shows the compromise GM made between the T/A image, emission, mpg, performance and customers wants. Also, keep in mind this was back in the day when no one dared buy a car with 100k on the clock unless they were planning to rebuild. Most cars didn't even have 100k odometers.

[JoshIsSciFi]

If I had been around in 1973, I don't care if gasoline was $3/gallon, I still would have gotten myself an SD455 Trans-Am, because damn, thats just PURRRTY

[DAEDALUS]

Daedelus, in no way shape or form does the s2000 take 15 seconds to get through the quarter. Stock 2000's routinely run hi 13's with a good driver.

My bad. I went with the first thing that came up in google.

http://www.motoring.co.za/inde...04322

[Rex]

Admittedly, a screamin' chicken with the 455SD mated up to a M22 "Rock Crusher" 4 spd manualy transmission would have been a balst to drive.

Did you notice the total production #'s for the 73 455SD T/A's? A whopping 252 units.

It would be interesting to find a listing of the EPA measured MPG since the start of CAFE.

I'll go look.

[Rex]

I found this site.

It allows side by side comparisons of cars from 1985 to date.

Edited: Fixed the year, oops.
Modified by Rex at 4:31 PM 12/10/2004

[JoshIsSciFi]

switch that 8 and 9 around there Rex lol

[ScottJackson]

Wow, what a thread here. I'm all for people modifying their car if done in a respectable way. Respectable to me is something that's effective, reversible if the person is going to sell the car, and done properly. My take is that the Q is a nice cruiser that thankfully has a little sportiness to get you moving when you put the pedal down. If you want a fast car, I would recommend a different car. The corvette is a great bargain for a sporty car. Other options are mustangs with modified V8s or small cars with large engines installed like the 240Z with 350 chevy. One of the best ways to gain hp is to lose weight and it's tough to make a Q lightweight while maintaining any of the comfort the Q is inherently meant to have. Better off starting with a light car. HP does matter, and Torque gets a car moving, but HP is very important because it takes into account torque over time so you can take advantage of GEARING to immensly increase what torque actually gets to the wheels. I plan to keep my Q stock and keep working on my 1100hp '69 Mach1 project. It'll have AC and seats from a newer camaro for some comfort, but that's about it. The Q motor is good for a 4.5L engine built at the time. I think it has a lot of potential if you have a lot of $$$ but when one considers parts availability and cost, I think it will almost always be cheaper to just buy a lightweight car and build a motor that's already supported by the aftermarket. Personally, I'd recommend a C5 vette with a cam swap and supercharger for a reliable sporty car and then just keep and maintain the Q for comfortable cruising.

[JedCoop]

... not until every last one of the 90-93 Qs have either died a horrible painful death, or have had the guides replaced. Nissan engineers were STUPID to use plastic, and if you think they weren't, well then, I have some ocean front property here in WV ya might like to see. "Lets see, we're going to make a performance-luxury sedan folks... it's going to have power... a v8... and four cams...." "Well what shall we use as the guides?" "Hmm.... ah hah! PLASTIC.... Plastic makes it possible..." "But sir, the chains will be revolving at 7k rpm in some cases." "YOUR FIRED!, Go commit Sipiku!"

What year did Mercedes Benz stop using plastic chain guides?

[elwesso]

Josh, i think that is a weak argument with the plastic guides..... There are modern day engines that use plastic guides...

Who cares, they all (or most) last beyond 100k..... The engineers woudl rather the car die so people would buy a new one...

[pito11213]

So Wes is that an admission to Infiniti going for the bigger picture, which is money.

If Jaguar and the other highline car companies were using plastic guides I am sure that research was done on them. Whether they cared or not is another issue.

[PoorManQ45]

Who cares, they all (or most) last beyond 100k..... The engineers woudl rather the car die so people would buy a new one...

OMG. Again, that is called planned obsolecense, which is illegal.

So, wes finally admitted that it really is all about the money. Hasn't someone else been saying that for awhile

edit: Wes, don't lock or delete this thread just because I/we piss you off

[Altiman94]

I don't think the engineers knew the possible consequeces of their actions. Every car has its fault, the Q is just old and parts are wearing out now. Theree are several out there on the stock guides with 200k miles. Its just something that wasnt researched enough. You gotta realize tha they wanna get these cars out on the lines right away. Somtimes theere isnt enough time to be researching the chain guide failure posibilities down the road. That can be addressed with recalls and tsb's.

[Jesda]

For crying out loud, it is NOT illegal... cite some cases and show me some legal precedent.

Findlaw.com is your friend and lover.

[elwesso]

I don't think the engineers knew the possible consequeces of their actions. Every car has its fault, the Q is just old and parts are wearing out now. Theree are several out there on the stock guides with 200k miles. Its just something that wasnt researched enough. You gotta realize tha they wanna get these cars out on the lines right away. Somtimes theere isnt enough time to be researching the chain guide failure posibilities down the road. That can be addressed with recalls and tsb's.

Agreed.. you can run research all you want in the lab, but the real results could be different in the real world......

Unfortunately, its absolutely ignorant to think that overall the car manufacturers are car enthusiasts like we are... by and large they are but when it all comes down to it, its about making money....

fortunately infiniti was nice enough to address the issue after 3 years of production..... They are designing new cars wtih plastic guides.....