The “ricer” cars are a bit absurd, but in a fun kind of way. If we’re talking about poseur vehicles, all those Expeditions, Gargantuans and other land yachts – most of which never go off-road – have the ricers beat hands down.
Sorry dead0man I think I jumped the gun here.
I’ll give you an example–my daily driver. It’s a 2000 Civic Si.
Here’s the statistics:
–From the factory, it’s about 2200 lbs
–160 hp, with about 135 torque. (Stock)
–The engine revs to 8400 RPM. (Stock)
–The engine in the Si (1.6L Non-turbo) has VTEC**
On mine, I’ve added an intake, heder, and exhaust, as well as a 55hp nitrous system. When not on the nitrous, it’s about 170-175 hp. Not a huge increase, but when the nitrous is activated, it’s about 225 hp–which is a pretty damn quick in a 2200 lb car. It’s a lot of fun to drive, powerslides beautifully, and is quick enough to keep up with V6 and stock V8 mustangs. If you really want to go all out, you can add a supercharger or turbocharger, which will give me pretty much as you want (up to 350-450hp–seriously). It all depends how much you want to spend.
The other thing is that the engines in these cars are bulletproof. Most of the engines have 4-bolt main bottoms and are overhead cam (OHC), which makes them more reliable than OHV (overhead valve) engines. You can drive these things hard and not blow them up.
**the intake timing switches to a more aggressive profile when the engine is spinning at more than 5400 RPM. This allows the engine to idle well and maintain good fuel economy when not being driven hard and provide good power when you get on it.
If you want to see all the stuff you can buy to modify a Civic, look at Sport Compact Car magazine next time you are in Borders or Barnes and Noble. It is 300+ pages and most of it is nothing but ads for places that sell upgrade equipment for Civics and other small Japanese cars.
There is a series of drag races now that are designed for small front wheel drive foreign cars. Also many of the people who do autocrosses drive Civics or similar cars. (Autocross is a time trial where you have to drive through a course with cones and do a lot of fast turning)
Hondas are built with naturally high-revving engines, this means you can really wind one out without having to worry about it blowing on you. I think that the red-line on my totally stock Accord is around 8,000 RPM (not that she’s capable of getting up to that RPM any more), also Honda’s are highly reliable cars. Important when you’re trying to impress folks. The last thing you want when you’re zipping past them at high speed is for the car to tear up on you.
also—smaller, high revving engines=better weight distribuition=more neutral handling
I saw a shootout 2 years ago, a new Mustang GT vs. and Integra Type R…
Mustang was faster in the 1/4 mile, but the Integra (a 4 cyl.) was faster around a track.
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Very true, but let’s be realistic here… Are these people really taking these cars out to the track, or do you really even think they have an interest in racing their car? No, they’re taking their cars out to 26th and Main every night to beat that damn super charged escort. It’s really a power trip…
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Sure they do but there’s no sticker a ricer can put on a Detroit product in an attempt to make people belive the car is more expensive than it really is. Not like, say, a Civic.
The main reason I don’t like cars that make lots of horsepower from small engines is that they just aren’t that drivable in typical stop-and-go traffic.
Given the choice between a car with a supercharged 4-cylinder engine, and say a 5.7L V-8 making the same horsepower, the V-8 will be much more enjoyable to drive, all else being equal. More bottom end torque, and a smoother power curve. I’ve driven an Integra, and it’s a dog off the line and up until the engine gets to about 4500rpm, at which point the power really comes on and pushes you back in your seat.
But unless you’re going to drive like a maniac all the time, you never get to see that power in typical city driving.
In July I bought the replacement to the Acura RSX Type S. I unwittingly bought a rice-boy’s dream car. I get stares from these guys wherever I go, for a $24,000 car completely stock. This car is basically a luxury Civic with a kickass little driving profile.
But, off of the showroom floor, it is incredibly fun to drive. It has great torsional stability, very little roll, and great handling on of all things, a strut in the front and a wishbone in the back. It is quick, too, with a 200 hp engine on basically a Civic chassis. It has a 6 speed transmission with a fun little short throw gear shift. It redlines at 8200 RPM, and the power pickup increases beautifully from around 5500 to 7500 RPM because of the VTEC.
Also, Acura did a wonderful job bundling the car together – leather, 6 disc CD changer, Bose sound system all standard.
And Sam Stone:
Yer not gonna get 27 MPG city driving off of a 5.7L V-8. Sure I can burn gas when ricer revs his engine next to me at the stoplight, but if I am driving like the responsible adult that I delude myself into thinking that I am, I get 33 MPG on the highway.
I absolutely love driving this car. It has turned me into the guy in the car commercials. Honda knows their market and caters to them at all levels. The Civic and Civic Si for the entry level, Preludes and RSXes on the next step up, then the CL Type S for the luxury driver. So your typical high school kid can put a big fat tip on his Civic with 17" wheels and perhaps a new intake. When he graduates from college and gets a real job, they will be right there selling him a V6 Accord, a Prelude, an RSX, or a CL.
erk, first sentence should read replacement to the Integra, the RSX Type S.
You ever see cute white gurls driving a Civic or Integra? It turns me on.
Here’s my input so I don’t get “tossed”
I own an integra … w. the large selection of aftermarket parts, it’s fun to personalize these toys to your style. oo yea.
Oh, and I also have a very IMPORTant question. This is why I have returned from a long absense at STRAIGHDOPE.
Subject: Car Audio
In the rear of a 99 Integra 3-door hatchback GS, the speaker grill fronts like there is a 6x9 behind it, but really it’s a pathetic 6.5" surrounded by foam. What’s up with this? Perhaps people remove the foam and stick a 6x9 in. Will it fit or do I need some sort of harness or custom basket? Boost me the 411. Thank you.
wuorfalse@aol.com if u want to respond via email. thanx!
Honda no longer makes the Prelude. I think everyone quit buying those and bought the Integra and now the RSX instead.