Which is the best tuned (for road use)
Discussion
Buying a used one already modified to a decent road spec... which would you choose and why? 
Subaru STI Type R
Evo V/VI
Mazda RX7
Supra
Skyline R32
Honda S2000
I guess as they're tuned, it comes down to which has the best chassis... so which one does?
Subaru STI Type R
Evo V/VI
Mazda RX7
Supra
Skyline R32
Honda S2000
I guess as they're tuned, it comes down to which has the best chassis... so which one does?
Edited by matt28 on Monday 18th June 17:38
depending on the roads;
RX7 for go-kart handling
R32 for everything else.
Reasons, owned one and modified it for great handling (R32), had a few blasts of the other (RX7), loved em both but the RX7 was a bit cramped inside for me, Fabulous handling though.
The RX7 is very "flickable" with really nice turn in, and the weight balance feels perfect, gives you loads of feedback and is very progressive. Not sure I could live with the rotary personally though.
The R32 feels very different, but is still a great handler. Certainly with a sprinkling of mods it will be very very capable in the handling stakes.
RX7 for go-kart handling
R32 for everything else.
Reasons, owned one and modified it for great handling (R32), had a few blasts of the other (RX7), loved em both but the RX7 was a bit cramped inside for me, Fabulous handling though.
The RX7 is very "flickable" with really nice turn in, and the weight balance feels perfect, gives you loads of feedback and is very progressive. Not sure I could live with the rotary personally though.
The R32 feels very different, but is still a great handler. Certainly with a sprinkling of mods it will be very very capable in the handling stakes.
the 4wd will handle the best especially with all the electronic gubbins helping, but when it goes wrong its usually way beyond saving.
S2000 is good out of the box, dunno about modding - its an NA so expensive to mod for little benefit.
Supra's aremental to start with add mods and they become super mental.
Rex's are great and tunable and good handling but I wouldn't cos of the Rotary.
R32 good base for modding and upping the handling
possibly missed one off the,list 200sx similar to R32 but cheaper to mod handling is excellent when you add coilovers. There are 3 200's in this years Time Attack that I know of beating subaru's and skylines etc
S2000 is good out of the box, dunno about modding - its an NA so expensive to mod for little benefit.
Supra's aremental to start with add mods and they become super mental.
Rex's are great and tunable and good handling but I wouldn't cos of the Rotary.
R32 good base for modding and upping the handling
possibly missed one off the,list 200sx similar to R32 but cheaper to mod handling is excellent when you add coilovers. There are 3 200's in this years Time Attack that I know of beating subaru's and skylines etc
Edited by sparkyhx on Monday 18th June 21:18
steve bowen said:
sparkyhx said:
the 4wd will handle the best especially with all the electronic gubbins helping, but when it goes wrong its usually way beyond saving.
4x4's don't handle better, they just grip more. Scoobys without the right suspension mods are known to be understeery dull handling.If you want exciting then try a rwd without all the electronic trickery. Quite franky I love my 200, but its downright scary in the damp/wet - you have to drive with a lot of respect. Its a bit like riding a motorbike - avoid white lines, avoid manhole covers and avoid deisel spills, get your speed off before the bend etc
In the dry its another matter, there is nothing like feeling the rear squat as you put down the power. It really rewards good driving, getting the right speed into a bend and squeezing out of it, you feel in touch all the time, but get it wrong and it will bite back, but usually its at slower speed than say a scooby. In a 200, if you get it wrong, you are not usually going that fast and you can either catch it or you bend the car, in a scooby it can be a near death experience, cos at the speeds the electronics loose it will be much higher.
of course nobody has mentioned the MR2 either, but it would have to be a turbo version.
steve bowen said:
sparkyhx said:
the 4wd will handle the best especially with all the electronic gubbins helping, but when it goes wrong its usually way beyond saving.
4x4's don't handle better, they just grip more. Scoobys without the right suspension mods are known to be understeery dull handling.The type-R and RA Imprezas don't have any 'electronic gubbins' like the Evos either, just a damn good chassis set up and mechanical drivetrain. They don't even have ABS because its (a)crap on gravel and (b)gets confused when you lock up the centre diff.
Edited by GravelBen on Tuesday 19th June 02:37
Would depend on the mods offered on each respective car.
For me it would probably come down to the STi Type R and the EVO, with the STi just edging ahead given its 2 door and has DCCD.
I'd be wary of an EVO IV unless it had an engine from a V or VI installed, the IV engine is prone to crank walk and holing pistons I beleive.
For me it would probably come down to the STi Type R and the EVO, with the STi just edging ahead given its 2 door and has DCCD.
I'd be wary of an EVO IV unless it had an engine from a V or VI installed, the IV engine is prone to crank walk and holing pistons I beleive.
Edited by MarfGTxx on Tuesday 19th June 18:50
MarfGTxx said:
Would depend on the mods offered on each respective car.
For me it would probably come down to the STi Type R and the EVO, with the STi just edging ahead given its 2 door and has DCCD.
I'd be wary of an EVO IV unless it had an engine from a V or VI installed, the IV engine is prone to crank walk and holing pistons I beleive.
If we are slating engines the Type R (without a quality remap for UK fuel) is highly likely to need a rebuild before 60k miles.For me it would probably come down to the STi Type R and the EVO, with the STi just edging ahead given its 2 door and has DCCD.
I'd be wary of an EVO IV unless it had an engine from a V or VI installed, the IV engine is prone to crank walk and holing pistons I beleive.
Edited by MarfGTxx on Tuesday 19th June 18:50
(Don't bother saying they are strong and only break if abused because that is simply not the case).
GravelBen said:
Hi ya Ben
Looks like we will have to agree to disagree on this one.
The P1 owners club (where you could reasonably expect cars to be well looked after) did a survey and 1 in 3 P1s have had a rebuild at low mileage (usually 40k or so). Those that have not were either still showing fewer miles or had additional tuning, including remaps.
The P1 engine is the same as the Type R engine.
You can draw what conclusions you want from that. I'm bored of trying to save people money and hastle.
trickywoo said:
Looks like we will have to agree to disagree on this one.
Fair enough, I guess we've had quite different experiences with Subaru.Are you sure the P1 engine is exactly the same as the Type-R? Prodrive played round with everything else, I'd be surprised if they hadn't touched the engine - the P1 also has a far worse reputation for letting go than any other Impreza including the Type-R which makes me think there was something different.
sparkyhx said:
If you want exciting then try a rwd without all the electronic trickery. Quite franky I love my 200, but its downright scary in the damp/wet - you have to drive with a lot of respect
They're not that bad... with decent tyres and a controlled right foot you can still make good pace in the rain, I was dreading my first winter, but I made it through in one piece! 
sparkyhx said:
of course nobody has mentioned the MR2 either, but it would have to be a turbo version.
If you think the 200SX is bad, you'd be terrified in an MR2 Turbo, they're less forgiving to, so you can't get away with as much, one they go the go.matt28 said:
Buying a used one already modified to a decent road spec... which would you choose and why?
One you missed off, is the Nissan 200SX...They're cheap to buy, cheap to insure, cheap to run, cheap to maintain, cheap to tune, good on fuel, fast, comfortable, handle well, reliable, etc...
You get a 2.0 turbo engine that's cheap/easy to tune, coupled to a front engined rwd chassis with an LSD, and near 50:50 weight distribution. As standard they're nothing special, but they have all the right ingredients for a great car and with a few basic mods they're a completely different car, they have a lot of potential.
There are plenty of good ready modded examples out there for sensible money, that haven't been abused by drift wannabes, I picked my S14a up just over a year ago and it's been superb. It came with a few mods anyway, mainly power enhancing, but I've since done handling & braking upgrades as well, which has made it even better.
To live with on a day to day basis, you get electrics, aircon, leather (in the Touring), plenty of legroom (I'm 6'3"
, a decent sized boot and mine is not too loud & not too hard, it's a good motorway cruiser when you want too. The SR20DET in the 200SX has VVT as well, so it's quite smooth & progressive unlike some turbo cars, it's happy pottering around off boost at low revs, wheras my mates Impreza STi was a pig.Of all the cars you listed about, the 200SX will be the cheapest to run and very entertaining, certainly not to be overlooked.
It would have to be the Evo or Scooby for me. Far safer cars, far more practical and probably the best handling in standard form.
If its fun your after though, RWD is the way to go. Im not saying in any way that the AWD cars are boring, far from it, but if you want to feel as if your a driving god nothing seems to give that feeling more than hanging the tail out on a bend and living to tell the tail.
As for RWD being more controlable and safer because your not going so fast when you lose it is nonsence. When you lose it you lose it and you can die at 50mph as easily as at 80mph, either way, you dont want it to happen.
RWD can be very tricky and as with AWD it can lull you into a false sense of security. When your booting it you are ready for the back end to step out but when your just minding your own business plodding home and you catch that greasy patch, your screwed!!! I know because i have done it, and it wasnt in some poor handling high powered car either. It was in a MK3 MR2 Roadster, to say i was shocked is an understatement!
So to sum up...........RWD is great fun but dont listen to those who think they are safer because your going slower when you crash
AWD is safer and can give you a real buzz without killing you but you dont always get that driving god feeling.
And breath
If its fun your after though, RWD is the way to go. Im not saying in any way that the AWD cars are boring, far from it, but if you want to feel as if your a driving god nothing seems to give that feeling more than hanging the tail out on a bend and living to tell the tail.
As for RWD being more controlable and safer because your not going so fast when you lose it is nonsence. When you lose it you lose it and you can die at 50mph as easily as at 80mph, either way, you dont want it to happen.
RWD can be very tricky and as with AWD it can lull you into a false sense of security. When your booting it you are ready for the back end to step out but when your just minding your own business plodding home and you catch that greasy patch, your screwed!!! I know because i have done it, and it wasnt in some poor handling high powered car either. It was in a MK3 MR2 Roadster, to say i was shocked is an understatement!
So to sum up...........RWD is great fun but dont listen to those who think they are safer because your going slower when you crash
AWD is safer and can give you a real buzz without killing you but you dont always get that driving god feeling.
And breath
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