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Response

Some of this week's Letters to AutoSpeed!

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DID No Dud!

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You guys are obviously from the city... When reviewing the 3.2 turbo DID Mitsubishi Pajero (New Car Road Trip - Mitsubishi Pajero Exceed Turbo Diesel) you said it needs more planning for open-road overtaking than the 3.5-litre petrol V6 model. You also said it needs more top end power. Now don't get me wrong, I like reading your reviews, but of course it's not going to go as well as the 3.5 V6. IT'S A DIESEL! Having driven one myself from the Mitsubishi motorcade, I think Mitsubishi has the most powerful turbo diesel on the market and it would nearly stand up to our current NL 3.5 V6 Pajero for grunt and power. The 3.2 turbo DID would even give it a run for its money at the traffic lights. So, once again, I say you should be very impressed with it and not compare it to a petrol V6 because it's not the same - sorry guys!

Luke
Australia

The DID Pajero's 121kW versus the petrol version's 140kW (a 16 percent difference) is noticeable when you're asking for maximum power for overtaking. But, sure, launching from traffic lights, the massive torque of the DID gives it good acceleration. We think the petrol and diesel variants must be compared because that's a key decision for Pajero buyers.

Older Minded Performance

How about some articles to appeal to some of us older performance minded readers? Cars that go hard but still serve a practical purpose for the family person. Take my '02 GT Forester for example - it has slowly evolved from 85kW ATW (stock) to a 131kW ATW wagon. I'm sure there are plenty of us out there with families that still like a bit of performance but in a practical package.

Mark
Australia

Many of today's turbocharged and V8 cars are quite practical - based on conventional sedans, wagons, etc, but we take your point onboard. Have any readers got any hotted-up family trucksters that might be worthy of a feature?

More on Mazda

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I have just finished an engine conversion to the DOHC Mazda FE 2.0-litre and I would like to know more about the car at Express Delivery. This is quite a breakthrough what this gentleman has created - I'm very, very interested.

Robert Windsor
Australia

We don't have any more info than what's available in that article.

Keis Coming?

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Just wondering if you could do a comparison on all of the Kei class cars that can be brought in under the 'older than 15 year old' rule? They're not the best Kei cars ever, but 1988-89 is when some of them started to get interesting.

Mainstream compliance holders have largely ignored Kei cars, which is fair enough since they would never be high volume sellers. The 'over 15 rule' seems to be the only way to get more of the boxy 'fridge on wheels' varieties in! I'd love a feature on them - even if nobody else would!

Daniel Griffiths
Australia

Have a look at Kei Fun to read about all of the Japanese Kei turbos. At present, the 15 yo rule doesn't allow any of the 660cc guns, just the 550s. We do plan to cover these as they become available.

Also check out Urban Weapon for the 1.2-litre Honda City Turbo - another 'wee ripper'!

Skyline Power Ups

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In the article R33 Brain Transplant, the Microtech LT-12 produced a significant power gain in the mid-upper rev range. However, in the article The APEXi Power FC Engine Management ECU the difference was far less dramatic. Since the LT-12 was tested in a R33 GTS25t and the Power FC in a R32 GT-R, would it be correct to say that the GT-R's ECU is better than the GTS25t's? And would it be true that a Power FC installed in a GTS25t would produce less dramatic gains than the LT-12?

Also, in the LT-12 article, it states... "Note that, unlike the standard ECU, the LT-12 does not have an active knock sensing function. This shortcoming applies to every aftermarket programmable system we've seen on the market." However, in the Power FC article it is clear that it does have active knock sensing. The LT-12 article was written well after the Power FC article, too!

Greg Sullivan
Australia

The R32 GT-R used in the Power FC evaluation was nowhere near as modified as the R33 that received the MicroTech unit. As such, the more modified engine had the potential to pick up the greatest gains with programmable management (and note that the restrictive airflow meter was also ditched as part of the conversion).

Re knock sensing - there are now some systems that offer knock sensing and, yes, the Power FC had it before the MicroTech article was written. Well spotted!

Sexier Scoop

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I was just reading DIY Budget Intercooler Fitment and couldn't help thinking that a Nissan Patrol bonnet scoop may look a bit more tasteful than the 'up periscope' marine one on there.  I remember reading that these scoops could be bought cheaply as a spare part from Nissan...

Chris Marston
Australia

Demon Daihatsu

I am just wondering it you could tell me what modifications I can do to my 1988 Daihatsu Charade to get more power out of it. For example, a turbo - what sort of turbo should I put in it and what would be the price?

Guy Gilson
Australia

Sounds like you need the CB70 twin-cam turbocharged 1-litre three-pot from the Japanese-market G100 Charade GT-ti! With 78kW as standard - and the potential for a lot more - you'll turn your Charade into a real flier. We've seen half-cuts for about AUD$3000 - but that was a while ago. You might need to do some looking around.

We have also seen a few complete GT-ti Charades being advertised for sale recently. That might be an easier way to go.

Richer Running?

Some of the material I read about putting free-flowing intake and exhaust systems on a 200SX says that these mods will richen the fuel/air mixture. Other articles say they will lean out the mixture. Which one is it?


Kim Miller
Australia

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In this dyno graph from SX Speed you can see the mixtures go oh-so slightly leaner with the fitment of a high-flow exhaust and intake. It's still bulk rich, though.

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