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Old 01-24-2017, 07:49 PM   #22
Nick M3
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Bethesda, MD
Posts: 12,438
Quote:
Originally Posted by blee View Post
Yeah. That was true in the '80s and it's more true today. IIRC, the S14 had more *peak* HP and torque than any other E30 offering in the US, but you wouldn't know it at low RPM. It was peaky and you had to get it past 4000 to really get going. People have conjectured that the driving experience is what led to sluggish sales. Some of those cars sat on lots for months...I can't even begin to imagine.

The first time I drove one, I had had my E36 for a while, and I was pretty bored as we made our way out of the neighborhood. It wasn't until I could unwind the engine that I understood why the car was so awesome. Track and autocross drivers talk about "momentum driving" with that car because it won't win many drag races, but it's a joy at the limits.
I think that's also why so many people put effort into uncorking the engine. The S14 can make quite a lot more power with a little effort.

Ironically, I don't have so much of an issue with the power. But I'm kind of at a point where the very act of working the engine is what I find most pleasurable. Power doesn't really do a whole lot for me just because there is literally never enough. What I do kind of fantasize about doing, though, is getting a custom bellhousing for a 6spd made so that I can graft on a modern 6spd. More, tighter spaced gears would do a LOT for that engine.

I recognize the irony of this statement as the clear winner of the carmudgeons engine swap leader board.
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