V-Max?
I just bought a gorgeous Commodore SS and I've been looking all
over the net to find a site that says what the top speed on my baby is. The
result - NOTHING! Since you're one of the best sites I was wondering if you
could give me this figure.
Randy
Kuwait
We haven't tested the top speed ourselves so we can't say
for sure. But based on external data a 225kW Holden SS should be good for just
under 240 km/h.
Turbo’d ECOTEC
I really enjoy reading your articles and would like to express
how much I like your informative website. I drive a Series 2 VT Holden Commodore
with the ECOTEC engine. Myself - and a lot of other V6 Commodore owners - are
contemplating putting turbos on our cars. The problem is there are a lot of
dodgy auto companies out there. I thought it would be a good idea if AutoSpeed
did an article on this subject. I know you've done a lot of article about
turbos, but so far I haven't seen one relating to the Holden V6.
Andrew
Melbourne
To avoid being a ‘guinea pig’ your best bet is to approach a
tuning company that already has extensive experience relating to Holden V6s
and/or developing turbocharger kits. One of the most knowledgeable Holden V6
gurus we know is Leon Vincenzi of South Australia's Awesome (+61 8 8277 3927).
Have a read of Holden V6s with Leon Vincenzi as
a starting point.
More Mumbo Mitsi
I
wonder if you can help out. I’ve got a Mitsi 4G91 and want to upgrade. What
motor would fit my engine bay without many mods? Would the 4G63 engine fit?
Oh Harris
New Zealand
We suggest the 4G92 MIVEC 1.6-litre. This motor fits into
the MMC Mirage in place of your existing 4G91, so it'll be a relatively
straightforward swap. If you haven’t already, read Mirage Fighters
More Mumbo Honda
I’ve got a 1994 Honda Civic VTi hatch. What do you suggest
performance wise?
Zac Bosnic
Australia
The first step is to decide approximately how much power you
want. If you want about 10 - 25 percent more power you should do extractors,
exhaust, air intake and maybe an engine management change (a chip or interceptor
would be fine). For more power than that, we suggest contacting AVO (AVO Turboworld)
for a turbo kit or looking at a B16B/B16C DOHC VTEC conversion.
Torque Which Way?
I’m writing about the article you did about a Nissan Skyline
R32 GT-R torque split controller
Godzilla Tamed.
I own an R32 GT-R and, when I bought it, it came fitted with a
Blitz ETS (Electronic Torque Split) controller. Usually, when I switch the
car on, the 4WD dashboard light will stay lit and torque is delivered to the
rear wheels only. But today when I started it, the 4WD light wasn't on.
Then, when I tried to take off with wheelspin, the car threw me forward. I tried
it again with a 5000 rpm launch and, again, the car shot forward instead of
wheel spinning. I’m confused. Then, while driving later on, the 4WD light came
back on and it was back to rear wheel drive again. What’s going on? Could
it be the controller playing up? This afternoon I drove the car running
‘proper’ 4WD and, after that experience, I want it running that way all the
time! Your help would be much appreciated.
Varun Chandra
Australia
Sounds like there's a problem in the 4WD electronics system somewhere -
maybe a faulty connection to the Blitz controller. If the system is sending a
greater percentage of torque to the rear wheels and you like the sensation of
all-paw drive we suggest you remove the Blitz system completely. Returning the
car to standard is a good place to start.
Pick a Box
I have recently come across a steel-case Toyota Supra 5 speed
that has a series of numbers cast on the side of it. Can I identify what ‘box
this is from these numbers?
Cameron
Australia
Try Dellow Automotive (+618 29774 4419) - they know all
about Supra gearboxes!
Rewired
Just a comment on
Cheap, Do-It-Yourself Bass One of the other options
with your amplifier is to run the channels in parallel - it is fairly easy to
do. You just need to use some 0.1-ohm or 0.2-ohm resistors from the positive
terminals to your speaker and an IDENTICAL output signal. There is an
application note (AN-1192) on the National Semiconductor website (www.national.com) that details this for
IC amplifiers, but the principle will still apply to discrete amps. The
upshot is your amplifier sees double the load impedance, so - with your example
of a 2-ohm speaker - if you run both channels on the amp in parallel then each
channel would see 4-ohms. The real caveat for this, though, is that you would
not be able to use an amp which has one channel inverted for easy bridging.
Damian Sander
Australia
Lexus Mystique
Re Lexus LS430 Road Test... "The only
thing the LS430 lacks is mystique - and Lexus owners must cringe when asked if
their vehicle is a grey market import... "
I don't know why you would cringe at that question. The Lexus
models sold in Japan often come with considerably better specifications. Also,
they’re about 50% of the RRP they are in Australia - including GST, customs duty
and luxury tax *on* the Japanese RRP pricing. Goes to show how much the Aussie
public is being ripped off.
Dominic
Australia
We meant a cringe in regard to being lumped in together with all the
dodgy 'fix it' imports that have been registered in the last few years.
Not Wanting to Hear a Loud BANG...
I own a Mazda Familia GT-R and want to expand performance.
However, I feel I can’t do this with the restrictions I am experiencing with my
gearbox. Is there any way that I can make my gearbox stronger without spending a
fortune on it?
Amanda
Australia
As quoted at
Mazda Familia GT-R... "The 'box used in the GT-R is
the same design (as the Familia GTX), but the engineers reworked what they
could. The housing was strengthened, the gears were shot-peened and the
hard-working 230mm clutch was also up-spec'd."
Given the GT-R’s gears are already shot-peened the only
thing you can do is run quality gearbox fluid, avoid rushing the synchros and
try to avoid hard launches. And check out Trouble-Free Twelves . The
owner of this car mentions the importance of using a standard type clutch - a
no-slip clutch means a whole lot more driveline load.
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