Which just sets them up for YEARS AND YEARS of wasteful spending as you never actually own a vehicle.
Yes reliable stock.
Oh yes, lets take an already highly-stressed small engine and lets put some power-adders on it and make it even more stressed.
Did you see that MTV documentary about ricers? They documented a street racer, he spent most of his time working on the little thing than actually driving it. When he did race it ::sputter,sputter:: ::cough:: weez:: the poor stressed little-engine-that-could spewed blue smoke and sounded as if it were in its death-throws…
Let me guess.
It’s yellow, right?
I loved the site http://www.beaterz.com/ but it has been updated in nearly two years. I was just getting into digital photography about the time it died so I was never able to get any photos posted there.
Don’t get me wrong, I think that hotrodding econoboxes is a perfectly honorable hobby. My tastes ran toward German cars like my beloved '78 VW Rabbit “Conejito” but we have room for all kinds. I still reserve the right to laugh like a hyena at some felchwit who puts a whale tail wing on a grocery getter. bonus points for the moron who mounts the airfoil to give upforce. Yes, I’ve seen multiple examples of this in Phoenix.
Installing a header and large diameter free flow ehaust system is hot rodding.
Putting on an exhaust tip the size of a paint can on a 3/4" tail pipe is not hot rodding.
Installing Bilstein struts, lower progressive rate springs, sway bars and chassis braces is hot rodding.
Getting offset wheels that place the tread centerline outside the fender wells is not hot rodding.
I’ll take that bet on the modified SVT Focus versus a 220 horse Civic. I may not have all the speed you do, but I’ll have more torque, and a much better suspension and braking system. Plus, I drive in NYC traffic. I can put my car at near-speed through a hole no more than an inch wider than it is.
Plus, it’ll be the second in the area so-modified, so we’re going to put the lessons learned on the first to good use.
E-Sabbath- Keep us posted on this project of yours. It sounds great. My roomie is only 1 of about 3 cars with his configuration, and each person is trying for different redlines and such in their tuning. It can be a royal PITA to be a trendsetter…
Tony Montana- I hated that show. It captured the worst of the hobby, all in a neat half hour format. Also, as an aside, apparently the kid was trying to do what is called an “Frankenstein”, using the bottom end from an Integra b18 engine and putting the Si head from the b16a on it. When it’s done properly, it works like a dream… torge of the b18, with the vtec and high end of the b16. The problem is, it’s not something you can do on your own. I’ve seen 2 up close, one that was done by a shop and one that a kid threw together. The shop one ran smooth, with very little problems (he was still tinkering with the fuel mapping) while the home job sucked ass.
The problem that most people don’t get is that the engines are designed to handle a hell of a lot more than what is thrown at them on a day to day basis. Hell, tunabreaths drivetrain has been used in 700bhp monsters. The engine is stout, that can’t be denied. Add to that that the real hard core guys, buy the time their done so much has been added that you can only call it a “Civic Engine” in name only, and the engines are getting some amazing power, while still staying quite reliable.
How exactly does that affect the handling anyway, besides just looking stupid?
In theory, it would make it easier to turn at high speed. In reality, since most people don’t set up their suspensions properly (cut springs instead of proper lowering springs, struts with broken bump stops) it doesn’t do anything except make your car look “cool”.
In the Import scene, you don’t see that particular look very much anymore. The folks that do that are usually more into Hydroulics and such…
It’s also popular, the offset wheels, on smaller cars that have crap for braking. I was about to do it to my old Civic in the 80s because the wheels locked up dangerously on wet surfaces, just for a bit more rubber on the road, before I traded up.
In other news, the first SVT is a ZX3, 2002. I’ll dig up the specs. It’s still not the fastest car in the area, but then again, that’s a Lambo. Actually, I think technically it’s a Porsche 969, but that’s not streetworthy. Westchester County has a lot of neat cars.
Frankly, in a front wheel drive car of Civic/Focus weight, I don’t think much over 200 horsepower is desirable. Too much torque, too twitchy, too easy to light the tires off.
Saw something sad on the way home couple days ago. Some idiot RiceBoi with the effing stickers and suchlike tried to run from the cops, managed to lose traction in a turn, looks like he overcorrected and just eliminated his front end to the windshield against the concrete barrier at the INSIDE of the turn.
And yes, he had an upforce wing.
Actually, this gives me a thought. Since I’ve got a goal and time to do it, what should I do to the car? I’m going for the 5-door for insurance and cop and convienence reasons… should be obvious why, right?
I do want it to look nice. My idea of nice is, how shall I say this… tight. Frenched. Subtle. People who know what to look for should say, “Good lord, what did he do?” and people who don’t should say “Oh, another boring car.” I’m low on cladding and stickers, except possibly the HURST as mentioned above, as a bit of a joke, but I think that’d draw too much attention. I’ve seen some nice hoods, and maybe the headlights could be replaced, but not in the obvious way.
What else is there to do to the car? I really don’t think you can improve on the suspension and transmission unless you could import a RS.
http://vstore.nopi.com/catalogs.asp?model=Focus Nopi makes performance parts for pretty much everything, but they’ve really started pushing the compact car scene.
http://reviews.focusfrenzy.com/ A review of different aftermarket parts for the Focus. I’m not sure if that includes the SVT, but you get the idea at least.
http://www.zx3tuning.com/index.html Parts and such for the ZX3, which is the sportier Focus until the SVT comes out.
http://www.newedgeperformance.com/svtparts.html A handful of parts and such specifically for the SVT.
I don’t see whow ruining the steering geometry with dramatic offset effects braking. IMHO you’re far better off maintaining stock offset and rolling diameter but going with a modestly wider tire of better quality. A 205/60 tire has the same rolling diameter as a 155/80 on the same diameter wheel and of course there are +1 and +2 combinations that do the same.
As for your question sturmhauke I don’t know what it’s supposed to do but it generally introduces a lot of bump steer among other undesirable traits.
I’m sorry, not thinking fast enough. It’s the early morning. You mean actual offset? Like those… damn, those are ugly. I thought you were just discussing how some apparently normal civics have tires that extend past the wheel wells.
The SVT is certainly out. It is out in both ZX3 (3 door… two and hatch) and ZX5 (Four and hatch) versions.
I agree with the first two paragraphs, but take umbrage with the last 
I am into Mopar muscle cars: 'Cudas, Challengers, GTX’s, that sort of thing. My fastest car was a '74 'Cuda, which had 400 HP and 450 torque out of a small block, and was dead nuts reliable. A drunk hit me, and the car was no more. It would run high 12’s in the 1/4 mile.
Currently, I am watching my partner in awe while he builds his project car, a 1973 Duster. 528 Cubic Inch Hemi, BDS 8/71 blower running 8 pounds of boost, etc. etc. It will be breathing down the neck of 1,000 hp. According to another gentleman who built the same motor with similiar cam specs, it will push his 3,000lb car down into the 8 second range in the quarter. I wish I could post a picture of it, but here is a link:
http://www.mindspring.com/~dusterdave/
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You know, I don’t see why people have a problem with hot rodding import cars, except for the poseur issue.
All people are doing today is the same thing they were doing in the 50s and 70s.
1: Get cheap car. Prewar Model T in the 50s, newish small car with big engine in the 70s… Muscle cars were basically small cars with engines way too big for them.
Civic today. Millions of them, reliable engine, cheap to get.
2: Make fast. Or Make Look Different. Individualize. Alas, it’s like hippies, everyone individualizes their car and they all look alike.
3: Present best face forward.
I’m serious, considering available materials, what difference is there? I say, in 20 years, they’ll be sporting up SUVs.
Hey, one of those places has the hood I like. Odd name, though.