My friend is thinking of getting a 240SX to use for the street and to have some fun at autocross and track events. He is just tired of all of the problems his 87 supra turbo has given him and now he just wants a car that will be fun to drive if not all that fast for the time being. They are relatively light, RWD, and come with LSD. Any opinions would be appreciated.

 

Well, s14s aren't exactly light.

S13s are posting pretty good times with novice drivers here in Seattle, though.

Hell, there have been more 240s than Civics lately.

 

Those Supras are pigs, and not all that reliable either (yes I have owned them for street use.)

An S14 could be very good. Awesome chassis and amazing handling with easy bolt-ons. The problem is the motor IMHO... It's torquey, but not very quick- or high-revving. It also doesn't make much power, maybe 140 at the wheels with bolt-ons, and that's not much for what the car weighs. Furthermore, all versions of that 2.4 are known for timing chain issues and/or front cover leaks (I saw them all the time during my days as a service writer at a Nissan dealership) which are big-ticket, big-time repairs. Of course, you can fix all this by swapping in an SR20DET, in which case you can get 220-250 reliable whp with proper setup and tuning. My vote along these lines would be for an S13 with an SR20DET swap, mostly because donor cars are cheaper and more plentiful than S14's (and cheaper to insure, for what that's worth.)

Another possible rwd track/autox car in the S14 price range is a late E30 or early E36 BMW with any of the 6cyl motors and the sport package(s). Awesome chassis, great steering, reliable if cared for, etc. Just a thought...

Hope that helps-

Jon
(who looked at doing all this before deciding to build a Spec Miata instead...)

 

As an s14 owner whose done a few autoxes and some track days, I'll pass along my impressions.

As a street car, it is great. The back seat is for insurance only (put a person there and they will hate you) and the trunk will carry a week's worth of groceries [note: if you are over 6'2", don't buy one). I've had no switchgear of minor annoyance-type things (power windows, cruise, etc.) break on me. Insurance is brutal, considering the thing can be totalled in a 10 mph frontal collision -- that stuff up there ain't cheap and it *always* gets bent. Otherwise, all s14's are power everything, cruise, etc. which is nice. If you get one, get an SE -- they don't cost any more, but come with std. rear sway bar and 5-lug hubs. NOTE: no s14 comes standard w/ LSD. It was an option on EVERY s14 (but you can source one from a JY from either any 240 or a J30 for about $300 -- and there is no engine removal to install it ).

I don't have too much experience w/ it as an autox car. Generally - torquey, which is good, but it certainly runs out of revs easily. 2d gear isn't bad (6500), but third starts to lose steam at around 6300. On a track, 4-5 shifts are done around 6K. The motor is an acquired taste. Personally, for a mixed use car, I'd take the 2.4 over a b16 (maybe not a b18). They are comparable in speed, but the 2.4 in the 240 is so much more everyday (torque), air-conditioner, and rev-friendly (unless you like spinning 4K at 75 mph). Stock output is 155hp/160tq and dynos in the high-120s to 130s are common. The car responds well to exhausts (but becomes loud unless you find a non-turbo exhaust (Fireball only) b/c most Japanese exhauses are made for the turbo) and will yield up to 15 dyno hp. There are many bolt-on 240s putting down 150-165whp -- but NONE over 200 w/ FI.

The early s13's are known to have timing chain problems due to a poorly made guide, but I have never heard of anyone having this problem w/ s14s. It is a chain, so it lasts until it makes noise (check for a rattling/clanging near the front cover). I don't know of any s14's that have done timing chain service -- including some over 150K mi (I'm at 130K w/ no problems). I also don't spot many oil leaks up there. My car doesn't leak but a bit around a gasket (it doesn't spot driveways or anything - just makes a bit of discoloration). In my experience (personal and "message board"), the cars are pretty reliable and it takes a LOT to kill the motor.

Car has excellent balance, isn't too awfully heavy at 2850 lbs. Contrary to interet opinion, the s14 will out turn, out accellarate, and out brake the s13. it also weighs just about 80 lbs. more. The springs aren't as still in the s14, but the chassis is MUCH more rigid. Car responds well to springs and shocks (even though it pulled .89 g's from the factory). I've found the brakes sufficient for track days (w/ good pads), but if you *need* more, the 300zx calipers bolt up. Over all, I find the car a lot of fun to drive and an excellent performer for its vintage. Plus, it is one of a handfull of sporty rwd sedans that can be had for less than an arm and a leg.

Hope this was of use. If you have any specific questions, shoot me an IM -- I've been into them for a bit and know most of the resources and facts about them.

Mark - who loves his 240, but is getting rid of it as soon as he gets around to it b/c of that Miata thing... why be 1/2 impractical when you can go all out?

 

Great review. Just what I was looking for.

 

Be very careful lowering them. It seems all Nissans of somewhat modern vintage are designed with not much suspension travel, and lowering leaves you with almost none. Supension travel=good

I'd get sn SE and leave the suspension alone, except replace possible worn out struts. I test drove an SE when I was origianlly looking for an SE-R (back in 94). VERY impressed with the SE suspesnsion. Oh wait, that was an S13 though....

 

A friend of mine has a 98 240SX SE. I've always loved the looks, mailny the front end and it's a great car to drive. I've driven on multiple occasions and love the tight steering and chassis. His has a Injen Intake, and we just installed JIC FLT-A2 coils overs which are simply amazing. I'm trying to convince him to get out and autocross the thing. Exhaust is coming soon, and he wanst to turbo the KA down the road and have a torque machine. Also the shifter was horrible in comparison to the one in my R, or Civic Wagon for the matter, but a recently installed B&M shifter is amazing, making the car feel much more racey, as it should have been from the factory.

 

first and foremost - i'd like to say Hi to mark, we've "known" each other for quite a while, and are basically the same person when it comes to cars. i hope your SM project works out well, mine should be started in a couple months.

if ever there was a thread custom tailored to my experience, this would be it.

i have owned a 98 for the last 1.5yrs, drive it daily, and have run it at i think 6 track "events." Panoz GTS champion Gary Curtis has even used my car for instructing on track once.

My modifications include:
Eibach pro-kit springs - $215
Tokico HP shocks - $375
Hawk HPS pads - $45
DOT4 fluid - $10
SPEC stg 2 clutch - $275
Lightened/balanced OEM fly (6lbs removed from about 25) - $150
5Zigen fireball exhaust for NA - $475
Short Shifter - $100
16x7.5 Kosei K1's - $450
225/50 Sport 8000's - $380
Hotshot header on the way - $330

now you can get a feel for what it costs to modify a 240 for dual purpose use. After Mr. Curtis was through with my car i was very eager to hear his impressions. He said it was very well balanced, very controllable, enjoyable to drive, and lacked in only 1 area - power (of course this guy is used to driving 300hp race cars). This is the universal complaint of any KA owner worth his weight in 100 octane. as mark said, figure 130whp baseline for a strong S14 engine.

Nissan's are pretty rediculously overbuilt from the factory, and the KA is no exception. Forged pistons and an iron block make a good candidate for FI, and though i'm no boost expert, i think it is widely accepted that the engine can handle 7psi without changing internals. Rumor has it this will get you around 220whp (i think).

As far as NA tuning goes, the car responds pretty well to modifications. iirc, mark is right, 15php can be achieved with certain big LOUD exhausts. My NA specific application has been dynoed to gain 8whp basically throughout the entire rev range. The header i ordered (4-2-1) has been dynoed with a solid 5whp gain from about 4.5k up to 6.25 without other modifications. Simple intakes also provide gains of around 5whp by themselves. The main limiter to high-end-usable-revs (other than stroke) are the cams. There are cams on the market that make good power (about 10whp) from mid-range all the way to the 6.5k limit, with no ECU tuning. iirc, more extreme cams from JWT paired with their ECU makes even more power up to a 7250 redline....not bad for a "truck" motor. Basic bolt-on 160whp NA 240's are not uncommon.

The suspension is capable in stock form for track use, but even mild upgrades (such as springs) making relatively large improvements imo. handling is where this car really shines. For you honda boys, i was on-track with a well prepped ITR this summer driven by an experienced driver; while he really pulled on me down the straight, i could catch him just a bit through the technical stuff.

Overall, it is a very capable track car, and an EXCELLENT car to start on track with. Given the drivers were novices, but i have caught multiple Mustang Cobra's, C5's, Z32TT's, and even a 993.

As far as daily use goes, more than one passenger is pretty much out of the question. I think it has more than adequate luggage space, and is comfortable enough on long drives. Keep in mind i am 6'3' 220lbs, and have a sunroof. Yes i can get a helmet on, but i have to adjust the seat just a bit, resulting in a bit of a "reach" for the wheel.

if you have any other questions i can be found at TNord42 on AIM. I also have links to dyno sheets if so desired.


[Modified by tnord, 8:42 AM 4/1/2003]