Page One - Attitude and goals
Pictures start at page 2.
HELP: I want to post a video of some sideways action. What sites are good for this?
My attitude is that a performance car is for having fun and for getting from A to B very efficiently. I'm not interested in adding stickers, plastic bits, ricer wings, fake carbon fibre or any other gimmicks [sorry ricers - I respect your right to make a car look loud and funky, but I don't want that for myself. Peace to all free-thinking individuals]. I'm going for a stock look so that it doesn't draw attention from cops or attempted races from dumb-ass schoolboys with P-plates. Attention from schoolboys is inevitable anyway when driving a Silvia, but at least you can avoid them thinking the car is something extra special.
The car has a lot of engine and tyre noise, especially at freeway speeds. Therefore I don't think it's worth chasing a phat sound system. When I want to listen to a good sound system I'll go home. I've added a system with upgraded interior speakers, a small sub in the boot, an in-dash CD plus a 6-stacker for long drives and that keeps me entertained when cruising. The passengers aren't going to get a DVD player - they can do their job which is cop-spotting.
Although the car is practically stock right now, I plan to make performance enhancements when funds allow. All mods will have approval papers where necessary so that I get no hassle from the cops if it's ever scrutinised.
There are 4 major performance areas to deal with: engine, suspension, brakes and tyres. So far I've selected:
Stage 2 kit from Australian tuning company APS (kit currently out of stock dammit) which will be good for 250kW of very drivable power.
"The Works" suspension upgrade from Whiteline Automotive which deals with all the limitations I've found in the handling, and still keeps the car fully legal and very practical on the street.
Tyres and rims should match the engine and suspension performance. I haven't looked into this yet but I will aim to make the rims look as "standard" as possible.
Brakes are also very important to upgrade. I haven't looked into this either but I've read an article which says that the new Porsche 996 (aka 911) disks and system is practically a bolt-on. That sounds very interesting since Porsche stoppers are famous for performance and being unfadable. Apart from that there are several alternatives out there.
Bodywork? Not going to touch it, although the engine kit will mean that a decent sized intercooler goes up front, and a larger exhaust tip will be visible. I'll try to disguise these as much as possible.
When the powerlevels on SR20DET's go up, they approach heat problems around 300-400kW. For long-term reliability, it might be a good idea to get some bonnet vents to help dissipate the heat, along with tape-wrapping the exhaust downpipes to further reduce underbonnet temps.
The car is called a 200SX in Australia, but it has several Silvia logo's in various places. The body badges say 200SX.
It is different from the American 200SX which appears to be a more standard-looking sedan or hatch from what I've seen.
It's different from the American Silvia because it has the SR20DET engine, not a 2.4L naturally aspirated engine.
It's different from the Japanese S15 because we didn't get the upgraded 187kW engine - I blame the bean counters at Nissan Australia for causing that.
Still, it's very easy to get far more than 187kW with a reasonable investment.
Pictures on the next page...
