GTi-R - most overlooked Jap car?
Discussion
Why do people always look down their noses and overlook Nissan Pulsar Gti-R's?
Yes its an old car now (first game out 1990, so expect any old turbo car to need tlc and possible rebuild by now) and yes it can look, in some people's eyes, ugly and chavy, but hiding behind that is still a bl**dy damn quick pocket rocket of a hot hatch that has feedback, raw thrills and chuckability in abudance. Improve the famous "faults" with a Front Mount IC, slightly bigger wheels and better brakes, and its a drivers toy.
Becuase it had virtually a non-existant rally history (Nissan pulled the plug after the first season instead of developing it) people overlook the road car.
The three main Jap mags never give it much attention compared to 100's of scoobs and evos all the time (OK seems Jap Performance has a blue one this month), tuners are not interested becuase the money/amount aren't there like newer cars, but it still has a cult following where many owners keep them for years.
I admit, there are some serious taty ones around now that have either been neglected or even imported poorly, and some haven't been setup properly, a must for an old turbo car that was designed to run on high octaine fuel in Japan, so they can't be run on a shoe string.
At totb5, considered the top tuner event, if you take out the big money tuner and company demo vehicles including Skylines, evos, scoobs etc, the 3 private entered Pulsars did very well amongst all the private entries, but no mention about this anywhere. But then even Gran Turismo3 and 4 mucked up and left the car out.
A dying breed, but can be an awesome pocket rocket.
Yes its an old car now (first game out 1990, so expect any old turbo car to need tlc and possible rebuild by now) and yes it can look, in some people's eyes, ugly and chavy, but hiding behind that is still a bl**dy damn quick pocket rocket of a hot hatch that has feedback, raw thrills and chuckability in abudance. Improve the famous "faults" with a Front Mount IC, slightly bigger wheels and better brakes, and its a drivers toy.
Becuase it had virtually a non-existant rally history (Nissan pulled the plug after the first season instead of developing it) people overlook the road car.
The three main Jap mags never give it much attention compared to 100's of scoobs and evos all the time (OK seems Jap Performance has a blue one this month), tuners are not interested becuase the money/amount aren't there like newer cars, but it still has a cult following where many owners keep them for years.
I admit, there are some serious taty ones around now that have either been neglected or even imported poorly, and some haven't been setup properly, a must for an old turbo car that was designed to run on high octaine fuel in Japan, so they can't be run on a shoe string.
At totb5, considered the top tuner event, if you take out the big money tuner and company demo vehicles including Skylines, evos, scoobs etc, the 3 private entered Pulsars did very well amongst all the private entries, but no mention about this anywhere. But then even Gran Turismo3 and 4 mucked up and left the car out.
A dying breed, but can be an awesome pocket rocket.
Yeah we can all fit big turbos on, and its what mags are all obsessed about now.
Surely what makes a car is the drivabilty and feedback, in the case of turbos' the lack of lag, its smoothness, and how much you can use its power. Going back to the Pulsar, it has bags of this, the standard T28 and hybrid versions, if mapped correctly spool up quickly combined with faily low weight for a 4wd in a small package add up to a very fast exit out of slow opening corners. Still very quick for such an old car now.
Surely what makes a car is the drivabilty and feedback, in the case of turbos' the lack of lag, its smoothness, and how much you can use its power. Going back to the Pulsar, it has bags of this, the standard T28 and hybrid versions, if mapped correctly spool up quickly combined with faily low weight for a 4wd in a small package add up to a very fast exit out of slow opening corners. Still very quick for such an old car now.
Edited by NISR227 on Monday 18th September 22:04
Nah, as standard they way closer to 1220kg fully loaded with electrics, a/c etc (some more with sunroof and options), but can be made far lighter by ditching full a/c (23kg), using light wheels etc. Mine's been offically weighed, with lighter mods, at 1182kg on a weigh bridge (limited fuel, without me in it) and I know many others similar. The highly tuned ones approach 1100kg with strippping, CF bonnets etc, and some have gone full extreme (!) (eg awd in scotland) to get near 1000kg, but are basically race cars. Light for 4wd.
Jodi, I rememeber yours, it was that red one in CCC many many years ago that they weighed, never understood the weight they got though..... unless you were in it, full tank, heavier wheels, exhaust etc. All weights quoted for cars in mags (for comparison reasons) are usually dry.
As standard it does 60 in 5.4secs according to many different tests (not 6.1 as autocar tested a poor example but some mags seem to quote this), I've also seen tests get 5.2, even 5.0 dead for some. 1/4mile is 13.9 secs. There's no way a standard 220bhp 4wd pulsar would get those times if it was over 1350kg. Now 60 and 1/4 mile times are not everything, but it does give an idea of its weight and performance low down. The standard one now can feel sluggish (if your use to near 300bhp) and there are many getting into 12s for 1/4 with minimal mods.
STEVE
www.letstorquebhp.com
Jodi, I rememeber yours, it was that red one in CCC many many years ago that they weighed, never understood the weight they got though..... unless you were in it, full tank, heavier wheels, exhaust etc. All weights quoted for cars in mags (for comparison reasons) are usually dry.
As standard it does 60 in 5.4secs according to many different tests (not 6.1 as autocar tested a poor example but some mags seem to quote this), I've also seen tests get 5.2, even 5.0 dead for some. 1/4mile is 13.9 secs. There's no way a standard 220bhp 4wd pulsar would get those times if it was over 1350kg. Now 60 and 1/4 mile times are not everything, but it does give an idea of its weight and performance low down. The standard one now can feel sluggish (if your use to near 300bhp) and there are many getting into 12s for 1/4 with minimal mods.
STEVE
www.letstorquebhp.com
Edited by NISR227 on Tuesday 19th September 08:36
Re the understeer, ask the driver on that track day, did he fit all the whiteline gear (arb's, bushes etc), makes a big difference on an old car with worn parts.
Jodi, yeah your car looked good at the time, I've had mine for over 6 years now and i've seen how the tuning market for the car has moved on over this time, people now know how to get the best out of the car. Personally I take the opinion, stick to the standard box if your staying under 350bhp (mines 330) use the best box oil, light wheels and organic clutch to reduced the stress on the box. Touch wood, mine's been fine, only brok the transfer box one time. Anyway, 500 quid for box rebuild isn't that much... my bro spent that on just a set of tyres on his Evo5 after a few trackdays!
Quaife were condsidered the best at the time, but since many have now broken I would avoid them now. PPR dog boxes seem the best on the market, both Lou Rob (600, and going for more) and Mike (640+) have built them into their extreme cars that should be seen at shows, and hopefully time attack time events, over the next year.
People look at them as cheap turbos, although it should be pointed out if it has problems then they can be expensive to run, but think about this, a 1bar R, setup well to 280bhp will hit 100 high 11secs, setup to 300 will be high 10's, and 1.2bar 330 if done correctly, 10.0 dead to 100. All times i've seen obtained with offical equipment. All for just minor mods (no mods internals) if done correctly.
Even JTuner mag, that's been timing all sorts of "private" owned Jap cars from Pulsars to Skylines, Supras and Scoobs for the last 18 months, still have a Pulsar at their top of their offical 0-60 leaderboard with 3.5secs on a damp foggy air strip where cars have been struggling for grip, and that was with a car only running about 420bhp.
But it still doesn't get much praise. The fact that i've surprised so many cars, including twistie roads, shows that so many people suprisingly still don't know what they are, great fun, and what they are about.
Jodi, yeah your car looked good at the time, I've had mine for over 6 years now and i've seen how the tuning market for the car has moved on over this time, people now know how to get the best out of the car. Personally I take the opinion, stick to the standard box if your staying under 350bhp (mines 330) use the best box oil, light wheels and organic clutch to reduced the stress on the box. Touch wood, mine's been fine, only brok the transfer box one time. Anyway, 500 quid for box rebuild isn't that much... my bro spent that on just a set of tyres on his Evo5 after a few trackdays!
Quaife were condsidered the best at the time, but since many have now broken I would avoid them now. PPR dog boxes seem the best on the market, both Lou Rob (600, and going for more) and Mike (640+) have built them into their extreme cars that should be seen at shows, and hopefully time attack time events, over the next year.
People look at them as cheap turbos, although it should be pointed out if it has problems then they can be expensive to run, but think about this, a 1bar R, setup well to 280bhp will hit 100 high 11secs, setup to 300 will be high 10's, and 1.2bar 330 if done correctly, 10.0 dead to 100. All times i've seen obtained with offical equipment. All for just minor mods (no mods internals) if done correctly.
Even JTuner mag, that's been timing all sorts of "private" owned Jap cars from Pulsars to Skylines, Supras and Scoobs for the last 18 months, still have a Pulsar at their top of their offical 0-60 leaderboard with 3.5secs on a damp foggy air strip where cars have been struggling for grip, and that was with a car only running about 420bhp.
But it still doesn't get much praise. The fact that i've surprised so many cars, including twistie roads, shows that so many people suprisingly still don't know what they are, great fun, and what they are about.
In over 6 years of owning the Pulsar, where only first year it was standard and now near 330, touch wood, i've neer broken the gearbox (only the transfer box). I put this down to organic clutch, MT90 box oil, 4.9kg 15inch wheels, and no stap-changing or regular launching, oh and less than 5k miles a year.
I personally think too many owners get carried away trying for high bhp figures or 1/4mile times. Just get it setup right and enjoy driving the car on the right road, unless you have the money (which you'll never get back) to aim really high.
I'm hoping that one or two of the puslar's do a 10sec 1/4mile run at the Pod in October, they deserve it with the amount of work the've put in to a privately owned car.
I personally think too many owners get carried away trying for high bhp figures or 1/4mile times. Just get it setup right and enjoy driving the car on the right road, unless you have the money (which you'll never get back) to aim really high.
I'm hoping that one or two of the puslar's do a 10sec 1/4mile run at the Pod in October, they deserve it with the amount of work the've put in to a privately owned car.
emicen said:
Mate, have you considered its because theyre just so damned ugly?
They are cheap and fast yes, but I'd only ever own one as a track car.
They are cheap and fast yes, but I'd only ever own one as a track car.
yeah that probably is the answer but then 99% of people on the road think all scoobs, evos, GT4's, escort cossie, grale's etc and anything with a large wing and/or bonnet scoop look crap, you don't buy a Pulsar for the looks, in fact you don't buy any of those cars for the looks.
Yeah its "if only" with Nissan. You look at how much Subaru started with the legacy, and kept developing the Impreza over many years. Nissan just started with an OK car in the 1992 WRC that had faults in its early developement but they didn't retrify them instead just pulling the plug the following year.
From a WRC view, there were three main probelms with the Pulsar, the top mount just didn't keep it cool so it lost power (it was deisgned to avoid stones! doh!) the weight of the WRC Pulsar was heavier compared to rivals, and they had a poor tyre contract that wasn't competitive at the time. So in 1992, except for one of the snow rallyes, it wasn't really to be seen. They could of changed all this the following year, move to a front mount, loose weight, add decent arches, bigger wheels with the same tyres as everyone else, improved the suspension and made it compeitive and popular, but no they just pulled the plug! Subaru and Mitsubishi, as road sales and in the WRC, could have had another competitior, it never happened.
From a road point of view, as mentioned before, the faults can be improved, and most are. There's even wide arch versions which show what they could of been like on the same level as a Grale (a car that looked boring like the standard sunny in 1.6 normal delta trim too, but awesome as you say in grale/evo).
The Gti-R Modifiers Club (different than the Owners Club) are hoping to have at least 60+ Pulsars on display at the Jap show on 8th October, you can see many different ways of tuning the car, speak to different owners who are all enthusastic, and maybe even see a 10. Either way, some are still keeping them alive.
From a WRC view, there were three main probelms with the Pulsar, the top mount just didn't keep it cool so it lost power (it was deisgned to avoid stones! doh!) the weight of the WRC Pulsar was heavier compared to rivals, and they had a poor tyre contract that wasn't competitive at the time. So in 1992, except for one of the snow rallyes, it wasn't really to be seen. They could of changed all this the following year, move to a front mount, loose weight, add decent arches, bigger wheels with the same tyres as everyone else, improved the suspension and made it compeitive and popular, but no they just pulled the plug! Subaru and Mitsubishi, as road sales and in the WRC, could have had another competitior, it never happened.
From a road point of view, as mentioned before, the faults can be improved, and most are. There's even wide arch versions which show what they could of been like on the same level as a Grale (a car that looked boring like the standard sunny in 1.6 normal delta trim too, but awesome as you say in grale/evo).
The Gti-R Modifiers Club (different than the Owners Club) are hoping to have at least 60+ Pulsars on display at the Jap show on 8th October, you can see many different ways of tuning the car, speak to different owners who are all enthusastic, and maybe even see a 10. Either way, some are still keeping them alive.
yeah there are some better pictures of other widekit R's, but I can't host them. Check this white one out with a different kit than the pic above, complete with roll cage..
www.gtiroc.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=865&c=26
The Gti-R Modifiers club is now the largest and most used pulsar site/forum in the world, (although its UK based} it can be seen at www.nissangtir.co.uk/forum
Here's also a good review from Yahoo's site, written by Andy Enright (although I would disagree about getting one for £2500, it would be taty with problems for that, more like £4.5-£5k for the really clean ones with uk history)
http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/car-reviews/
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
Word of mouth is a strange thing. Certain products can, with little or no promotion from their manufacturers, rapidly build into items of cult status. Credibility counts here, and in the case of the Nissan Pulsar GTi-R, this is a car with credibility oozing from every bulge, scoop and intake. Following in the footsteps of Nissans Skyline GT-R, the Pulsar or Sunny as UK cars were incongruously dubbed GTi-R shared the Skylines hardcore all-wheel drive and turbocharged ethos.
In many ways its the ultimate in function over form, and GTi-R owners tend to be a pragmatic bunch. No its not pretty, nor does it wear a sexy badge, but thats all part of the appeal. Call it inverse snobbery if you will, but the Pulsar GTi-R is refreshingly unpretentious. BMWs and Audis that can show this little Nissan a clean pair of heels are few and far between.
Used examples are relatively easy to come by if you look in the right places and most of them will be Pulsar models imported from Japan rather than the slightly less powerful Sunny GTi-R cars that were imported to this country between 1992 and 1994. Dont let that put you off. Do some research, buy from a reliable outlet and you should land a performance bargain.
Think of the Pulsar as a regular Japanese shopping hatch with a trick up its sleeve and you wont be far wrong. And thats part of the appeal. Its easy to get into and out of, it can seat five, it has a decently sized boot and you can see out of the thing. Okay, so the scoops, the firm ride and the throbbing engine may give the game away, but when the time comes to acquaint throttle pedal with carpet, the Pulsar switches personality and turns into a monster.
The interior is fairly ordinary with swathes of black plastic, but the bucket seats grip front passengers tenaciously and the increments on the speedometer remind you this is no ordinary hatch.
Prices start from as little as £2,500 for the Pulsar, making it one of the most outrageous performance bargains around. With comparable performance and handling to a Ford Escort RS Cosworth, examples of which are hard to find below £9,000, the Pulsar is rightly popular amongst keen drivers. Whats more, many of these imported cars are reasonably low mileage too, although mile for mile Japanese cars tend to have an even tougher time of it than British models due to crippling congestion. The 220bhp UK cars start at around £4,500.
Whichever model you choose, be prepared to be stung for insurance, most brokers rating the Pulsar at Group 20.
The engines on GTi-Rs tend to be very tough little units, easily capable of shrugging off 100,000 miles. At first they sound very tappety, but this is due to the fact that they use a cam chain rather than a belt. Many owners cant resist using a bleed valve or a boost controller as a cheap way of upping power. These cheap methods promise to raise power to around 260bhp but they have a downside.
The intercooler on the GTi-R is placed atop the engine in the hottest part of the bay and often struggles to supply air at higher boost pressures. A favourite modification is to move it to the front of the engine and to install a higher capacity fuel pump. In hot weather at low speeds the GTi-Rs response can feel a little sluggish. The gearbox and clutch tend to be fine for standard cars, although if youre uprating power, the clutch should also be uprated.
Suspension isnt a problem, although many owners will drop the ride height of the car by up to 50mm and add aftermarket alloys to get rid of the standard cars rather unfashionable gap between wheel and arch. When giving the car the once over check the clutch isnt squeaking. The GTi-R uses a hydraulic system so a squeak often indicates that the pedal box has broken away from the bulkhead. Engage the gears with the engine running and the clutch depressed.
If the clutch slips, walk away its a pricey engine out job to change. Brakes should bite well, but the standard Nissan discs and pads are prone to fade. Bodywork should be fine, although the one place to check for rust is around the rear arch extensions. The Pulsar wont be as corrosion resistant as Sunny variants.
Also check for crash damage. There are a few curious characteristics common to the GTi-R that you may want to look out for. The cross bracing in the roof can rattle against the roof itself. This annoying fault requires the headlining to be removed and the spar to be rebounded.
Cars with sunroofs escape this fault. Almost all GTi-Rs have lazy drivers window winding mechanisms and plenty suffer from vibrating doors at speed. Cures for this include partially opening the sunroof and replacing the door seals.
Parts for the Sunny and Pulsar GTi-R are commonly available on internet web rings. Trawl the message boards, join a few clubs and you should easily turn up the bits and pieces you need. A number of aftermarket tuners specialise in the GTi-R so you certainly wont feel alone!
Although it was the Ford Escort Cosworth and the Lancia Delta Integrale that raked in all the glory, the Pulsar GTi-R is arguably a better ownership proposition than both of these icons and it can certainly more than hold its own on the road. Take power to weight ratio. The Pulsar pumps out 189bhp per tonne whereas its contemporaries such as the Integrale 16v at 163bhp/tonne or the Toyota Celica GT4 at 134bhp/tonne dont stand a chance. Bear in mind that todays crop of super hatches cant beat this.
A Ford Focus RS manages 169bhp/tonne and a Honda Civic Type-R 166. Not even mega-money specials like the VW Golf R32 or the Audi S3 can touch the little Nissan. Performance figures for the standard car are 0-60 in 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 143mph although such cars are relatively rare.
A more indicative time for a 260bhp boosted car is around 4.9 seconds to 60mph and top speed nudging 150mph dependent on gearing. Handling is well up to scratch as well, with no nasty surprises in store. On wet roads the GTi-R will eventually understeer, but with more commitment will drift all of a piece.
On dry surfaces the standard tyres will squirm a little if cornered very hard, but most will run on low-profile rubber and will grip like a leech. The four-wheel drive system isnt as clever as that in the Skyline, being a mechanical 50-50 split front and rear, but its undeniably effective.
The Nissan Pulsar/Sunny GTi-R has to be the most cost effective way of putting a Porsche in its place. If you are prepared to shop around, look at a few and understand their characteristics, theres no reason why you cant have a giant killer in your garage for less than you think. No, theyre not particularly subtle and they can cost a fair bit to run, but the GTi-R is built tough and has a practical side to it. At least thats how you can sell it to your other half.
www.gtiroc.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=865&c=26
The Gti-R Modifiers club is now the largest and most used pulsar site/forum in the world, (although its UK based} it can be seen at www.nissangtir.co.uk/forum
Here's also a good review from Yahoo's site, written by Andy Enright (although I would disagree about getting one for £2500, it would be taty with problems for that, more like £4.5-£5k for the really clean ones with uk history)
http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/car-reviews/
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
Word of mouth is a strange thing. Certain products can, with little or no promotion from their manufacturers, rapidly build into items of cult status. Credibility counts here, and in the case of the Nissan Pulsar GTi-R, this is a car with credibility oozing from every bulge, scoop and intake. Following in the footsteps of Nissans Skyline GT-R, the Pulsar or Sunny as UK cars were incongruously dubbed GTi-R shared the Skylines hardcore all-wheel drive and turbocharged ethos.
In many ways its the ultimate in function over form, and GTi-R owners tend to be a pragmatic bunch. No its not pretty, nor does it wear a sexy badge, but thats all part of the appeal. Call it inverse snobbery if you will, but the Pulsar GTi-R is refreshingly unpretentious. BMWs and Audis that can show this little Nissan a clean pair of heels are few and far between.
Used examples are relatively easy to come by if you look in the right places and most of them will be Pulsar models imported from Japan rather than the slightly less powerful Sunny GTi-R cars that were imported to this country between 1992 and 1994. Dont let that put you off. Do some research, buy from a reliable outlet and you should land a performance bargain.
Think of the Pulsar as a regular Japanese shopping hatch with a trick up its sleeve and you wont be far wrong. And thats part of the appeal. Its easy to get into and out of, it can seat five, it has a decently sized boot and you can see out of the thing. Okay, so the scoops, the firm ride and the throbbing engine may give the game away, but when the time comes to acquaint throttle pedal with carpet, the Pulsar switches personality and turns into a monster.
The interior is fairly ordinary with swathes of black plastic, but the bucket seats grip front passengers tenaciously and the increments on the speedometer remind you this is no ordinary hatch.
Prices start from as little as £2,500 for the Pulsar, making it one of the most outrageous performance bargains around. With comparable performance and handling to a Ford Escort RS Cosworth, examples of which are hard to find below £9,000, the Pulsar is rightly popular amongst keen drivers. Whats more, many of these imported cars are reasonably low mileage too, although mile for mile Japanese cars tend to have an even tougher time of it than British models due to crippling congestion. The 220bhp UK cars start at around £4,500.
Whichever model you choose, be prepared to be stung for insurance, most brokers rating the Pulsar at Group 20.
The engines on GTi-Rs tend to be very tough little units, easily capable of shrugging off 100,000 miles. At first they sound very tappety, but this is due to the fact that they use a cam chain rather than a belt. Many owners cant resist using a bleed valve or a boost controller as a cheap way of upping power. These cheap methods promise to raise power to around 260bhp but they have a downside.
The intercooler on the GTi-R is placed atop the engine in the hottest part of the bay and often struggles to supply air at higher boost pressures. A favourite modification is to move it to the front of the engine and to install a higher capacity fuel pump. In hot weather at low speeds the GTi-Rs response can feel a little sluggish. The gearbox and clutch tend to be fine for standard cars, although if youre uprating power, the clutch should also be uprated.
Suspension isnt a problem, although many owners will drop the ride height of the car by up to 50mm and add aftermarket alloys to get rid of the standard cars rather unfashionable gap between wheel and arch. When giving the car the once over check the clutch isnt squeaking. The GTi-R uses a hydraulic system so a squeak often indicates that the pedal box has broken away from the bulkhead. Engage the gears with the engine running and the clutch depressed.
If the clutch slips, walk away its a pricey engine out job to change. Brakes should bite well, but the standard Nissan discs and pads are prone to fade. Bodywork should be fine, although the one place to check for rust is around the rear arch extensions. The Pulsar wont be as corrosion resistant as Sunny variants.
Also check for crash damage. There are a few curious characteristics common to the GTi-R that you may want to look out for. The cross bracing in the roof can rattle against the roof itself. This annoying fault requires the headlining to be removed and the spar to be rebounded.
Cars with sunroofs escape this fault. Almost all GTi-Rs have lazy drivers window winding mechanisms and plenty suffer from vibrating doors at speed. Cures for this include partially opening the sunroof and replacing the door seals.
Parts for the Sunny and Pulsar GTi-R are commonly available on internet web rings. Trawl the message boards, join a few clubs and you should easily turn up the bits and pieces you need. A number of aftermarket tuners specialise in the GTi-R so you certainly wont feel alone!
Although it was the Ford Escort Cosworth and the Lancia Delta Integrale that raked in all the glory, the Pulsar GTi-R is arguably a better ownership proposition than both of these icons and it can certainly more than hold its own on the road. Take power to weight ratio. The Pulsar pumps out 189bhp per tonne whereas its contemporaries such as the Integrale 16v at 163bhp/tonne or the Toyota Celica GT4 at 134bhp/tonne dont stand a chance. Bear in mind that todays crop of super hatches cant beat this.
A Ford Focus RS manages 169bhp/tonne and a Honda Civic Type-R 166. Not even mega-money specials like the VW Golf R32 or the Audi S3 can touch the little Nissan. Performance figures for the standard car are 0-60 in 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 143mph although such cars are relatively rare.
A more indicative time for a 260bhp boosted car is around 4.9 seconds to 60mph and top speed nudging 150mph dependent on gearing. Handling is well up to scratch as well, with no nasty surprises in store. On wet roads the GTi-R will eventually understeer, but with more commitment will drift all of a piece.
On dry surfaces the standard tyres will squirm a little if cornered very hard, but most will run on low-profile rubber and will grip like a leech. The four-wheel drive system isnt as clever as that in the Skyline, being a mechanical 50-50 split front and rear, but its undeniably effective.
The Nissan Pulsar/Sunny GTi-R has to be the most cost effective way of putting a Porsche in its place. If you are prepared to shop around, look at a few and understand their characteristics, theres no reason why you cant have a giant killer in your garage for less than you think. No, theyre not particularly subtle and they can cost a fair bit to run, but the GTi-R is built tough and has a practical side to it. At least thats how you can sell it to your other half.
Edited by NISR227 on Monday 2nd October 09:21
Keith, I remember speaking to you a couple of years back at the Pod, I think your car was parked near another Pulsar with a very flashy dark grey metalic paintjob, with all sorts of colours in the paint. I agree with Jodi, not to keen on the rear spoiler and other items he mentioned, but everyone to their own. Really like the wide arch kit side of your car though, and the paint.
People do get carried away with modifying Gti-R's, and other cars. Just enjoy it for what it is, and do what YOU want, not what others say should or shouldn't be done. Once you get above 300-330bhp on the Pulsar, it can start getting very expensive with no money return and problems, but having owned mine for over 6 years I know a good few owners who think, unless its 400+ now then its just ordinary (like most Jap cars, eg you need 500 in an Evo, 600 in a skyline etc to be even considered for mags these days etc), its certainly not ordinary.
I prefer to have a car on the road most of the time with 330ish (or less with boost turned down but still enjoying it) used and enjoyed regularly, than have a more stupidly powerfull one and worry about not driving it "hard" as to brake something else and off the road again. I done most things to improve my Pulsar the way I wanted to, but don't want to throw any more money at it now, for the extra enjoyment its just not worth the aggro or money to make it any faster. Thats modified cars for you. Now, off down my favourite B road for some fun...
People do get carried away with modifying Gti-R's, and other cars. Just enjoy it for what it is, and do what YOU want, not what others say should or shouldn't be done. Once you get above 300-330bhp on the Pulsar, it can start getting very expensive with no money return and problems, but having owned mine for over 6 years I know a good few owners who think, unless its 400+ now then its just ordinary (like most Jap cars, eg you need 500 in an Evo, 600 in a skyline etc to be even considered for mags these days etc), its certainly not ordinary.
I prefer to have a car on the road most of the time with 330ish (or less with boost turned down but still enjoying it) used and enjoyed regularly, than have a more stupidly powerfull one and worry about not driving it "hard" as to brake something else and off the road again. I done most things to improve my Pulsar the way I wanted to, but don't want to throw any more money at it now, for the extra enjoyment its just not worth the aggro or money to make it any faster. Thats modified cars for you. Now, off down my favourite B road for some fun...
Edited by NISR227 on Thursday 5th October 15:03
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