Considering Nissan's... 240sx/Silvia

[pr0craztinazn]

I got my E30 project as something different after two S13s. Fixing poorly built SR swaps has paid the majority of my bills for the last few years, and has taught me to loathe the rocker arm headed versions (read: all factory RWD SRs). I lol'd at the shitty bottom end comment; most Nissan engines don't have such problems unless the owner is a moron. The KA doesn't get the love that it should; I sold my coupe to someone who ran it out of oil and put 36k on it before rod knock occurred... he forgot to refill the oil after draining it (case study example, I know, but even a moron needs time to kill one of those engines). My Altima's KA is slightly different but still just as reliable, has more torque due to different stock cams and factory ECU tune, and is more economical due to gearing; I haven't convinced myself to part with it for those reasons. The RBs taught me to love I6s, and that is ultimately what led me to the E30 world.

They are really fun cars, but the chassis isn't that stiff... that'd be my only complaint. If I had the opportunity to get another S13 base model coupe, I'd do it in a heartbeat, or a S14, since I have yet to own one long enough to track it. Nissan really nailed the car, and the aftermarket has made them capable of whatever you have the money to do. In terms of sales volume and aftermarket support, Nissan is the Japanese market equivalent to BMW... I think you'd enjoy it.

Unlike most other cars around, I wouldn't mind restoring a ghetto S-chassis back to where it should be; the parts are still available and still cheap.

[kalib0y]

when you say noisy do you mean engine noise, road/tire noise, or squeeks/rattles?


cause my e30 is plenty noisy in the road/tire noise department, and i'm always sure of what the engine is doing. doesn't bother me much! but i can't stand rattling interior pieces and squeeks from the chassis.


also.. what kind of mileage do you suppose these get? lets say it has an sr, mildly tuned (no big turbo beasts). i figure a 4 cylinder in a car <2800 pounds probably does pretty well.. but will it surpass the average 25 i get in my eta?

I failed to mention that I also had a loud GP sports race exhaust. I tried to muffle it down with a apex'i silencer but the back pressure killed alot of the power. I guess I grew out of trying to set off alarms even when I am not in a parking structure (yes im old)

I had all the bars and strut bars available to the car so it was plenty stiff but is not nearly as stiff af a bmw. The hatch is a big soft point on the car.

I got about high 20s in the mileage department. I dont know exactly becuase I never paid attention to my fill ups. All i can say is I never complained about the gas mileage.

like I said earlier, it was a blast to drive, looked cool in hatch form. I don't care much for the S13 coupes becuase I think the front end of the car doesnt match the rear in the US versions. I would have kept the car if I didnt live in CA, and it wasnt so noisy exhaust wise.

[TheEtaUnderdog]

Not a fan of straight 6's in cars that were made for four cylinder engines. It just upsets the weight balance and makes them handle like crap.