What is it with men in minivans and 4-cylinder cars? (1 Viewer)

[Todd Hochard]

Yeah, it's just another way of saying that gentleman is using NOS, more guys use the term squeezing though.

I knew what you soke of, I was just curious about the phrase. I wasn't trying to bust anyone's chops. "On the gas" or "laughing gas" is the more common slang here (we will ignore the quite annoying NAAWWWWSSSS!)

But, if you do bust out the periodic table, make sure you let everyone know that it's N2O, not NO2.

I'm too chicken to run N2O on the engine I've currently got. The bottom end is stock 1980- not a particularly stout year.

Todd

 

[Seth_L]

The Evo is just a Lancer with $10k in options.

Incorrect. The only major part of the car that the EVO VIII shares with the Lancer is the two front doors. The rest of the car is different. It just happens to have the same name and have a striking resemblance.

Seth

 

[brentl]

"What is annoying is when these 15 year old CRXs with bicycle tires are going 15mph over the limit. Those kinds of cars are just not meant to go fast."

Not meant to go fast!! If the car is kept up this is quick a viable "sporty" car even now.

Sure, it won't keep up with modern sports car, for that matter it won't keep up with a four door Civic. I'll tell you this though, it's one helluva a fun ride.

Fast this car isn't !! Fun to drive this car( along will a lot of this type of vehicles) most definately IS!

Brent

 

[Scott L]

My friend bought a used supercharged CRX for $5k, got 13sec easy in the quarter and he sucks at driving stick. Yes it took some time & money to get it to that speed but who says that it wasn't meant to go fast?

 

[Kirk Gunn]

Yeah, well... my Sienna is pretty "juiced up" too....

(You're talkin' "Juicy Juice", right ?)

 

[Ryan Wright]

In fact, I used the performance versions of each of those cars, not the base models. The WRX is really just an Impreza with $5k in options. The Evo is just a Lancer with $10k in options. The Mustang GT is just a regular Mustang with a V8. So using your logic, I didn't use the base models at all.

OK. You win... this time...

 

[Dave Smith]

Oh, and the base MSRP for the cars you listed is at least twice what a Mustang goes for. I could plop $90k down on a 4 cyl Lotus Esprit and whoop all of these cars, but that wouldn't hardly be a fair comparison, now would it?

Are you talking about the Lotus Elise? The Esprit has had a V8 for a long time now. The Elise is only going to be around $35k too.

 

[Philip_G]

I have never seen a newer mustang driven by anything but a teenage girl
Sura, a cobra would run me, but the WRX hasn't had a hard time with a crustang GT yet. I'm sure there's plenty out there that would, I've not met one yet.
Just wait until there are real STi's out there

another one you have to watch is that damn neon SR-T

 

[Mike__D]

I've seen 0-60 times of 6.0 and above for the Mustang

That depends on the model year. Anything older than '99 will hit 60 in the 6 second range. Those models only had 215HP (I had a '97 GT). The 99's and newer though, are pretty damn fast, pushing around 260HP.

Has anyone seen the Mustang Concept? Pretty sweet. I'm thinking about a convertible GT to compliment my WRX But that's a couple years away, and assuming the production vehicle will look closely to the concept version.

Nice thing about the WRX is it will never sound like a fart can equipped Civic. The flat four sounds great with performance exhuasts.

Finally, to conclude my misc. ramblings... I hate when minivan owners put soccer ball magnets on them, what's the point? They are just living up to a negative image most people associate with "soccer moms".

Mike D.

 

[Mike Lenthol]

 

[Brian Kleinke]

Nice X!

 

[DaveHo]

I dunno what "punching juice" means, but yes they are trying, its just that their overweight cars are slower than mine just cos its got a V8 doesn't automatically make it faster than a car with fewer cylinders, its hp, torque and weight that counts not the number of cylinders.

Spoken like a true ricer. So what are you actually driving?

-Dave

 

[Jared_B]

Spoken like a true ricer. So what are you actually driving?

Ouch! :frowning:

So are you saying his claim about HP/Trq/weight is false?

 

[Brett_H]

Jared,

So are you saying his claim about HP/Trq/weight is false?

No I think he is redefining "ricer" to mean "one who believes in the laws of physics"...

Yes, there are base model cars out there with big exhausts and lots of wings/stickers/body kits. Some people simply lump all imports (or even smaller domestics) into this category without giving it much thought.

-Brett.

 

[Jared_B]

Exactly what I was thinking, Brett

 

[DaveHo]

If you've ever hug around car people and car places one of the favorite ricer arguments is hp/liter, hp/weight, etc. That's all fine and dandy, but there's a heck of a lot more to it than that. Suspension, tires, gearing, driver skill, etc also have a lot to do with it.

The same people who spout off about hp/whatever are also usually the same ones who never race anyone, won't opened there hood to show you that giant turbo, yo, and will claim that the huge wing on the back gives the them more downforce making them faster, and the 12" wheels sticking 3" outside the wheel well improve handling. Yeah, I'm stereotyping and generalizing a bit. So are some of you.

So, back to my orginal question. What are you driving and what have you done to it to be able to stomp all over these slow V8's? BTW, in case you are assuming I'm anti-import that's not the case. I have owned/driven many imports American V8's etc. I can appreciate a fast good handling car in whatever form it happens to be in.

-Dave

 

[Mike__D]

I think we need to clarify what a "ricer" is for some folks. From what I recall (and this varies depending where you get your info), the term ricer originated as a derogatory term referring to those of Asian decent with import vehicles. While this may offend some, it has been generally accepted as a term for "all show and no go" (and no longer thought of as it's origins pointed too). Even a domestic car owner can be a "ricer". So please, I mean no disrespect to our Asian friends on this board.

These "all show" items are the huge wings, ground effects, stickers, 5 inch exhaust/coffee can/fart can, 20inch chrome wheels (which combined weight is more than the car itself ), & cut springs to lower the vehicle. There are varying degrees of rice as well. Some cars actually have some decent money put into them (although I still think they are hideous), while others throw everything they find at Pep Boys on the car, like those awful washer nozzle lights, and a HUGE "R" sticker on the rear window.

Now some of these cars might actually have money put into the engine as well, such as new cams, ported heads, turbos, super chargers, etc. And also the handling department with adjustable coil-overs, bigger, lighter, stronger wheels, etc.

Hope this clears things up!

Mike D.

 

[Brett_H]

Dave,

I know the original question wasn't directed at me, but I figured I'd answer to give you an idea of my perspective. Before I do that...

Suspension, tires, gearing, driver skill, etc also have a lot to do with it.

This applies to all cars equally. Crappy drivers are behind the wheels of many different cars, and this can make all the difference.

Anyhoo, I drive a VW GTI 1.8T, which surprisingly enough has some V8-ish qualities to it, at least from the factory: lots of torque (for a small displacement 4 cyl) down low, but runs out of steam pretty early on due to a smallish turbo that can't flow enough air up top. I don't do street racing, but the one time I too it to the drag strip, I only managed a low 15 second, 90 MPH pass. My only changes were a performance chip to raise the boost from 8 PSI to around 15, and a K&N filter, mostly because it's good for the lifetime of the car. I have friends with much more extensive mods that have done better. It's a fun car, but I'm also not kidding myself into thinking I'm in "V8 killer" territory.

And you?

-Brett.

 

[Jared_B]

Mike, you're spot on for the "ricer" definition. "Rice" has nothing to do with race/ethnicity anymore, nor does it specify the make of the vehicle. I see a riced-out V6 Mustang in my town all the time. However, calling an enthusiast a ricer - them's fightin' words.

Calling someone a ricer because he believes in the importance of a good power to weight ratio is crazy.

To answer your question Dave, I have a slightly modified WRX.

Edit: Good points, Brett. And there IS a replacement for displacement. It's forced induction in a lightweight, AWD car!

 

[Moe Maishlish]

I drive a 1994 Honda Civic Si, stock! Well... I added an alarm system to it, but that's hardly a peformance item.

While it's not the fastest car on the planet, it's got some decent kick to it, it's fun to drive, and it's a BEAUTIFUL looking car (it's the same model as the Black Civics that the theives drove in "The Fast and the Furious")!

Of all the model years, I know that mine (1993 to 1995) is the most sought after, as it's the best looking body style for customization, and the one that's most "tricked-out".

Why have I kept it stock? It's simple. I'm not pumping any extra money into a car that performs as well as I need it to out of the gate, and why oh why add vanity items to it only to make the vehicle more attractive to the theives?!?

I always get a kick out of morons who plaster a nice big "Kenwood" or "Pioneer" sticker on the read windshield as an advertisement to the theives as to what kind of aftermarket stereo equipment is installed in the car. I mean, if you're going to do this, why not walk around with a shirt emblazened with the amount of money you're carrying in your wallet?

Moe.