R33 skyline - will I be disappointed?
R33 skyline - will I be disappointed?
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Discussion

paolow

Original Poster:

3,261 posts

281 months

Monday 13th October 2008
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Ive my eye on a Skyline - have done for some time and was after some advice. I would be looking at a GTST working on the theory that I can afford a good GTST or a bad GTR and who wants a bad GTR smile
What im after then is some advice on performance. I used to run an MR2T running close to a bar and perhaps about 275 Bhp with all its mods. It was very very quick indeed and wasnt far off 5 seconds 0-60 and a hoot to drive.
If i got a skykline Id want something similar out of it. What worries me is that the skyline will be very fast, but not as quick.
I wont be breaking the ton too often so Im after monstrous acceleration rather than pub top speed bragging rights - but will a skyline put a grin on my face like my tubby used to?

Stu R

21,433 posts

238 months

Monday 13th October 2008
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As standard they can feel a little bit cumbersome because of their size, a few simple mods for not a lot of money soon sees that off, even on GTST's you can get some bloody healthy power figures with the basics.

That said, they'll never feel as agile as the MR2, and you'll miss having darth vader-esque sounds over your shoulder, but I'm pretty sure the skyline won't disappoint. Get on the owners club, pop along to a meet and have a couple of runs out in them, you'll know instantly whether they're the car for you.

Worth noting that GTR prices have come down quite considerably of late too. That's not to say the GTST is an inferior car, it isn't really it's just different and can be equally if not more fun at more sensible speeds.

mr2-turbo-gar

146 posts

219 months

Monday 13th October 2008
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sorry for going of the subject now, i was just reading your profile of your old mr2turbo, what suspension were you running and what turbo? ive tein superstreets on mine and the front end still seems very very light and twitchy at times,

id plum for a late spec r32 gtst 2.5lt not the 2lt they made a few of them with the 2.5turbo from the newer r33gtst's, to the best of my (limited!)knowledge i think they were all 1994 cars, fairly rare as well which is always nice!!!

COLONEL_SMITH

274 posts

260 months

Monday 13th October 2008
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I have an R33 GTR which is far from standard but I did drive a GTS for a couple of days when mine was being serviced and it was better than I expected. What I did notice was where the GTR would keep pulling all the way through the revs the GTS would flatten out at about 4500.
I did have a EVO VI before the skyline and that felt so much quicker but it was actually no quicker than the skyline.You need to remember the skyline is a big car and the sensation of speed is not always there like you get in a smaller car.
As for prices GTRs are not selling at all..I have been trying to sell my 500 bhp Gtr for a couple of months and had hardly any calls on it even though it is now down a a stupidly low price of £9500...

GravelBen

16,356 posts

253 months

Monday 13th October 2008
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mr2-turbo-gar said:
id plum for a late spec r32 gtst 2.5lt not the 2lt they made a few of them with the 2.5turbo from the newer r33gtst's, to the best of my (limited!)knowledge i think they were all 1994 cars, fairly rare as well which is always nice!!!
scratchchin Never heard of a 2.5 turbo R32 myself, the GTS-T(+M) and GTS-4 were RB20DET. There was the GTS25 with RB25DE but it wasn't turbo. Happy to be corrected if they did make some though.

mr2-turbo-gar

146 posts

219 months

Tuesday 14th October 2008
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you could be right, i might be going a bit mad after all, the only one i could find is this one www.tradecarview.com/used_car/japan_car/nissan/sky... but im assuming by the sellers notes that it is a transplant from an r33 not an original, nissan have a history of doing short runs though for example the sil80.

GravelBen

16,356 posts

253 months

Tuesday 14th October 2008
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yes Nissans are very much interchangeable too so its nothing unusual for people to swap engines between different cars, plenty of examples around like bigger RB's (25/26/30) in Skylines, RB25 or 26 200SX and Cefiros, etc.

Wadeski

8,854 posts

236 months

Tuesday 14th October 2008
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I would personally get an Evo IV, it will "feel" faster

liner33

10,861 posts

225 months

Tuesday 14th October 2008
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Stock GTST's arent mind blowing but as already said they dont need much to get them lively , a 300hp GTST is a quick, reliable and usable car and certainly wont be frightened by a GTR

£5k will buy you a decent one with the right mods

£7.5k would buy you a nice 450hp one

White-Noise

5,500 posts

271 months

Tuesday 14th October 2008
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Interesting question as I could end up in this position at one point. Anyone owned both?

Stu R

21,433 posts

238 months

Tuesday 14th October 2008
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White-Noise said:
Interesting question as I could end up in this position at one point. Anyone owned both?
yep smile

White-Noise

5,500 posts

271 months

Tuesday 14th October 2008
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Stu R said:
White-Noise said:
Interesting question as I could end up in this position at one point. Anyone owned both?
yep smile
Ahh, but yours is a rather nice beast. So what was the transition like? Was it as you expected, and did you miss anything or was that overshadowed?

porkifer

29 posts

211 months

Tuesday 14th October 2008
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i have owned a mr2 about 320bhp, evo 3 280bhp, skyline gtst 325bhp, rx7 about 300 bhp , at the moment i have a skyline gtst rb30 with about 600bhp .
out of all the jap cars the gtst is the best handling, yes the mr2 is lighter and the evo is 4wd but the skyline is rwd and better balanced .
the rex i would say is very close on handling but runs out of puff too early and you really have to rev it altho it does like to rev but very peaky .
as someone here has said some gtst seem to run out of guts about 4.5k but that is the turbo set up which is a 2 stage affair which can easily and cheaply overcome so it is on full song from about 2.5k upto about 6.5k .
if you want a try in one and your not too far away i can arrange that

Stu R

21,433 posts

238 months

Tuesday 14th October 2008
quotequote all
White-Noise said:
Stu R said:
White-Noise said:
Interesting question as I could end up in this position at one point. Anyone owned both?
yep smile
Ahh, but yours is a rather nice beast. So what was the transition like? Was it as you expected, and did you miss anything or was that overshadowed?
Have to say GTR's have always been my thing, didn't miss anything about the GTST when I went to my first GTR, but that's not to put the GTST in a bad light. It just felt like natural progression, almost what I envisage going from a porka carrera to a turbo.

The GTST is a cracking car, very tuneable, nice and chuckable and of course there's the fact it's RWD. The GTR felt a touch more planted and had the advantage in road holding when travelling point to point at speed.

The GTS-T felt a bit more akin to a 200sx with a bit more grunt and a bit more weight to carry, where the GTR felt like a different car.

If you want something that will knock spots off them all you'd do worse than looking at a fettled 200sx to be honest, RB25DET engine transplants from the GTST are increasingly common, and there's some bloody good ones out there that'll knock all but the best GTST's and a lot of GTR's into a cocked hat.

I don't think you'll be disappointed in any of them really, having owned pretty much all of the cars mentioned in this thread I've got to say they've all been a barrel of laughs.

Finally, on a similar theme (rear wheel drive, jap, turbo, bit of a GT car), you might want to check out supras, prices are pretty low these days for nice examples, and they're still in my top 3 jap cars of all time. Probably the most reliable of all too.

Paul GTS

177 posts

214 months

Wednesday 15th October 2008
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Few quick little facts.

When I got mine it was standard...0-60 around 6.2seconds I felt quick but not violent, just like a big engine in a big car.

A small amount of mods later, including a Apexi PFC, injectors, boost controller and a dyno for 330bhp I managed 0-60 in 4.8seconds. By now it was getting seriously powerful and pulled hard all the way to the redline. The back can try and overtake the front at this power.

Now I am on 450bhp after new turbo, HG etc and 1.3bar. Its now so violent i can hardly use more than 50% throttle on the roads, and deffo not on a corner. it will now shame a standard GTR (but how many are standard lol)

Next stage is more track orientated suspension set up and its a bit soft still.


liner33

10,861 posts

225 months

Thursday 16th October 2008
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Paul GTS said:
Its now so violent i can hardly use more than 50% throttle on the roads
Wuss;)smile


mattley

3,030 posts

245 months

Saturday 18th October 2008
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COLONEL_SMITH said:
I have an R33 GTR which is far from standard but I did drive a GTS for a couple of days when mine was being serviced and it was better than I expected. What I did notice was where the GTR would keep pulling all the way through the revs the GTS would flatten out at about 4500.
That's just as the second stage boost kicks in. Should keep it planted at 4500. smile

RobCrezz

7,892 posts

231 months

Tuesday 21st October 2008
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I have a mate whos got a Standard(ish) R33 GTST. It doesnt feel that quick, and its not as quick as my REV3 MR2. Does make a nice sound though.