DID No Dud!
You guys are obviously from the city... When reviewing the 3.2
turbo DID Mitsubishi Pajero (New Car Road Trip - Mitsubishi Pajero Exceed Turbo Diesel)
you said it needs more planning for open-road overtaking than the 3.5-litre
petrol V6 model. You also said it needs more top end power. Now don't get me
wrong, I like reading your reviews, but of course it's not going to go as well
as the 3.5 V6. IT'S A DIESEL! Having driven one myself from the Mitsubishi
motorcade, I think Mitsubishi has the most powerful turbo diesel on the market
and it would nearly stand up to our current NL 3.5 V6 Pajero for grunt and
power. The 3.2 turbo DID would even give it a run for its money at the traffic
lights. So, once again, I say you should be very impressed with it and not
compare it to a petrol V6 because it's not the same - sorry guys!
Luke
Australia
The DID Pajero's 121kW versus the petrol version's 140kW (a
16 percent difference) is noticeable when you're asking for maximum power for
overtaking. But, sure, launching from traffic lights, the massive torque of the
DID gives it good acceleration. We think the petrol and diesel variants must be compared because that's a key decision
for Pajero buyers.
Older Minded Performance
How about some articles to appeal to some of us older
performance minded readers? Cars that go hard but still serve a practical
purpose for the family person. Take my '02 GT Forester for example - it has
slowly evolved from 85kW ATW (stock) to a 131kW ATW wagon. I'm sure there are
plenty of us out there with families that still like a bit of performance but in
a practical package.
Mark
Australia
Many of today's turbocharged and V8 cars are quite practical - based on conventional sedans, wagons, etc,
but we take your point onboard. Have any readers got any hotted-up family
trucksters that might be worthy of a feature?
More on Mazda
I
have just finished an engine conversion to the DOHC Mazda FE 2.0-litre and I
would like to know more about the car at
Express Delivery. This
is quite a breakthrough what this gentleman has created - I'm very, very
interested.
Robert Windsor
Australia
We don't have any more info than what's available in that
article.
Keis Coming?
Just
wondering if you could do a comparison on all of the Kei class cars that can be
brought in under the 'older than 15 year old' rule? They're not the best Kei
cars ever, but 1988-89 is when some of them started to get
interesting.
Mainstream compliance holders have largely ignored Kei cars,
which is fair enough since they would never be high volume sellers. The 'over 15
rule' seems to be the only way to get more of the boxy 'fridge on wheels'
varieties in! I'd love a feature on them - even if nobody else
would!
Daniel Griffiths
Australia
Have a look at Kei Fun to
read about all of the Japanese Kei turbos. At present, the 15 yo rule doesn't
allow any of the 660cc guns, just the 550s. We do plan to cover these as they
become available.
Also check out Urban Weapon for
the 1.2-litre Honda City Turbo - another 'wee ripper'!
Skyline Power Ups
In the article R33 Brain Transplant,
the Microtech LT-12 produced a significant power gain in the mid-upper rev
range. However, in the article The APEXi Power FC Engine Management ECU
the difference was far less dramatic. Since the LT-12 was tested in a R33 GTS25t
and the Power FC in a R32 GT-R, would it be correct to say that the GT-R's ECU
is better than the GTS25t's? And would it be true that a Power FC installed in a
GTS25t would produce less dramatic gains than the LT-12?
Also, in the LT-12 article, it states... "Note that, unlike the
standard ECU, the LT-12 does not have an active knock sensing function. This
shortcoming applies to every aftermarket programmable system we've seen on the
market." However, in the Power FC article it is clear that it does have
active knock sensing. The LT-12 article was written well after the Power FC
article, too!
Greg Sullivan
Australia
The R32 GT-R used in the Power FC evaluation was nowhere
near as modified as the R33 that received the MicroTech unit. As such, the more
modified engine had the potential to pick up the greatest gains with
programmable management (and note that the restrictive airflow meter was also
ditched as part of the conversion).
Re knock sensing - there are now some systems that offer
knock sensing and, yes, the Power FC had it before the MicroTech article was
written. Well spotted!
Sexier Scoop
I
was just reading
DIY Budget Intercooler Fitment and
couldn't help thinking that a Nissan Patrol bonnet scoop may look a bit more
tasteful than the 'up periscope' marine one on there. I remember reading
that these scoops could be bought cheaply as a spare part from
Nissan...
Chris Marston
Australia
Demon Daihatsu
I am just wondering it you could tell me what modifications I
can do to my 1988 Daihatsu Charade to get more power out of it. For example, a
turbo - what sort of turbo should I put in it and what would be the price?
Guy Gilson
Australia
Sounds like you need the CB70 twin-cam turbocharged 1-litre
three-pot from the Japanese-market G100 Charade GT-ti! With 78kW as standard -
and the potential for a lot more - you'll turn your Charade into a real flier.
We've seen half-cuts for about AUD$3000 - but that was a while ago. You might need
to do some looking around.
We have also seen a few complete GT-ti Charades being
advertised for sale recently. That might be an easier way to go.
Richer Running?
Some of the material I read about putting free-flowing intake
and exhaust systems on a 200SX says that these mods will richen the fuel/air
mixture. Other articles say they will lean out the mixture. Which one is it?
Kim
Miller
Australia
In this dyno graph from SX Speed you
can see the mixtures go oh-so slightly leaner with the fitment of a high-flow
exhaust and intake. It's still bulk rich, though.
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