The Nissan S13 Silvia/180SX Turbo is one of the most popular import vehicles on the
Australian performance scene. The exciting little Nissan’s rear-wheel-drive
handling, powerful and bullet-proof turbo engine, attractive appearance and
infinite tuning potential make them hot property.
Nothing much has changed since our initial road tests of the Nissan S13.
Well, nothing except for one very important point – their price has virtually
halved!
Thanks to the regulations for imported vehicles 15 years and older, the early
CA18DET-powered Silvia/180SX can now be purchased fresh from Japan for about
AUD$6000. Add the expense of ADR-ing and you’re looking at an on-road cost of
around AUD$7500.
At this sort of price it’s worthwhile looking at the S13 with new eyes.
Let’s cover the basics first. The S13 is the Japanese-market progression from
the S12-series Nissan Gazelle, which was sold in
Australia in the
mid ‘80s. Like the ol’ S12 Gazelle, the S13 is available in two body shapes –
the ‘notchback’ Silvia and the ‘fastback’ 180SX. The Silvia and 180SX are
fundamentally the same vehicles, except the 180SX offers hatchback practicality
and better looks. It’s no wonder the 180SX continued production through until
the late ‘90s.
One of the S13’s biggest drawcards is its light kerb weight. Depending on
body style, transmission choice and options, most S13s hover just below 1200kg.
That’s almost 100kg lighter than a first generation Subaru WRX.
The combination of light weight and RWD traction give the S13 a good measure
of speed. A 5 speed manual example can accelerate to 100 km/h in the low-to-mid
7 second range, while the more common auto versions take almost a second longer.
It’s not quite up with the later model S13s equipped with the SR20 turbo engine,
but the CA is certainly revvy and enjoyable to drive.
The standard power and torque output for a 1989 Silvia/180SX turbo is 130kW
and 225Nm (at 6400 and 4000 rpm respectively). Displacing 1.8 litres, the
CA18DET engine employs DOHC, 16 valve breathing and much of the contemporary
Nissan technology. The engine management system uses a hot-wire airflow meter,
an ignition coil is mounted above each spark plug and the turbocharger is a
Garrett-based T25. The static compression ratio is 8.5:1 and a small
air-to-air intercooler is mounted in the left guard.
The rear-end suspension design of the S13 is particularly elegant for an AUD$7k-odd
vehicle. Its independent rear is a multi-link design that would still be
acceptable in a current model vehicle. Top-line versions of the S13 are also
equipped with HICASII – Nissan’s ram-forced rear-wheel-steering.
Interestingly, the standard S13 suspension is quite soft – there’s no impact
harshness, but there is considerable body roll and squat, which accentuates the
tendency to burn the rear tyres. Even with aftermarket suspension installed, the
S13 is a proven power oversteerer.
Four wheel disc brakes come standard, but – with only 250mm single-pot fronts
– a brake upgrade is advisable at elevated power outputs. Fortunately, the 280mm
front brakes from the later SR20 are a straight bolt-on. Skyline brakes can also
be fitted with some more effort.
Note that ABS appears to be an option on all S13s.
The power-assisted rack and pinion steering is responsive and linear. Fifteen
inch alloy wheels come standard, but many S13s have since had these replaced
with aftermarket jobs.
Inside, the seats, dashboard and door trim are shared between the Silvia
and 180SX. Various trim colours are available – including a horrible brown...
Standard equipment includes power windows and mirrors, central locking, analogue
climate control and map lights. Up-spec versions also come with a digital
dashboard (featuring a head-up speed display), an instrumentation dimmer switch
and sunroof.
The biggest flaw in the S13 is its lack of space. Both the Silvia and 180SX
suffer appalling leg and headroom. The boot of the Silvia is also shallow and
has poor access – the hatchback 180SX is a bit better in this regard.
Styling wise, the mid-section of the Silvia and 180SX are identical. However,
the Silvia gets projector style headlights and a conventional boot. The 180SX
employs pop-up headlights and a long hatchback. It appears that front and rear
spoilers were optional.
But the biggest attraction of these cars is their tuning potential.
If you’re working on a budget, a high-flow exhaust and air intake with give
around 15 – 20 percent more power. Before you look at increasing boost pressure,
we recommend improving the intercooler – the factory intercooling is a pretty
lame effort. With a bigger front-mount ‘cooler and up to 15 psi boost you can
expect around 40 percent more power. And, yes, that’s enough to crush pretty
well anything you’ll pull alongside on a Saturday night.
But what if you want more?
Well, you’ll need to upgrade the turbocharger before you can do anything
else. The standard turbo off a SR20DET is a straight bolt-on. However, if you
want BIG power you can fit a new Garrett roller-bearing turbo. The internals of
the CA18 are very strong, but we have heard that the factory conrods can fail
under severe combustion pressures. We’ve also heard of quite a few head gasket
failures – perhaps as the result of detonation. If you go to the effort of a
full engine tear-down you might also want to look into fitting naturally
aspirated CA18 cams – these are, apparently, good for a few more kilowatts.
Ultimately, the most power we’ve seen from a CA18 engine is 411hp at the back
wheels – more than three times the standard output! See Xtreme SX
for details.
And how does the standard Nissan driveline cope?
Well, you might want to slip in a heavy duty clutch - or a fluid cooler in
the case of an automatic – but that’s about it. Just take a look at the absolute
flogging these cars receive in drift circles and you’ll come to appreciate their
strength.
For about AUD$7500 on-the-road, you can’t go wrong.
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