Talk to me about: The Nissan 200SX (S14/14A)
- Thread starter Saytan
- Start date
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Lopez is known for his over-reaction and bad driving skills.
No. They're really quite tricky in the wet. I never came close to unintentionally losing it in the rain but that's because I am fully aware of what the car can and will do in slippery conditions and use my head. Intentionally putting it sideways is another story altogether.
I loved it. But what I don't want to see is someone jump out of a Focus into a 200SX and give it some beans on a damp day and fling it off the road. I'm sure it was a mate of DreXels who put his 14a straight off at relatively low speed in the wet.
EDIT
This thread on SXOC highlights that it's not just me being over cautious
http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=437204
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Imo it is. I never had much trouble with mine at stage 1 power levels, refreshed stock suspension and decent tyres. If you drove it like a dick it would bite but the standard suspension gives enough roll to give plenty of warning about grip levels. Even when it does start to slip it's fairly easy to catch.
As for buying one the main thing is rust and regular oil changes. They also don't feel that quick as stock, so try a stage one one as well as it makes it a much better car.
Soldato
- Joined
- 19 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 3,164
Had one for 5 years, generally cheap to run and simple mods such as an apexi air filter, free flowing exhuast and a boost controller will make it much more fun. In stock form they are pretty dull and soft, they were more a motorway executive cruiser in the latest incarnation.
As regards wet weather handling its just a case of treat it with respect, it will break grip easily in a bend if you stick it hard but this is true with any RWD car.
As regards wet weather handling its just a case of treat it with respect, it will break grip easily in a bend if you stick it hard but this is true with any RWD car.
You see, a thread like that screams to me that the problem is 200SX drivers and not the car. Fitting decent tyres, not mashing the pedal down, not being "baited" to race by boy racers, seriously, do people REALLY need to be TOLD this?
You see, a thread like that screams to me that the problem is 200SX drivers and not the car. Fitting decent tyres, not mashing the pedal down, not being "baited" to race by boy racers, seriously, do people REALLY need to be TOLD this?
All available evidence suggest that, in many cases, yes.
M
You see, a thread like that screams to me that the problem is 200SX drivers and not the car. Fitting decent tyres, not mashing the pedal down, not being "baited" to race by boy racers, seriously, do people REALLY need to be TOLD this?
Yes.
Search for "crashed" on SXOC and you'll come back with plenty of reading material.
What people need to remember is that back in the 70s and early 80s people were often brought up learning to drive in RWD cars. Most of their early machinery would have been RWD. Low powered, but RWD.
Assuming these people were driving enthusiasts, they would progress to faster RWD cars. Same driving characteristics, more power.
Fast forward to the 90s and 00s. RWD cars are less commonplace so people will learn to drive almost exclusively in FWD cars. However, RWD cars are still available - particularly as sports cars - so driving enthusiasts will often progress to these cars. However this time they have no experience of what to do in an RWD car when it goes wrong.
Take 2 cars. Mk2 Escort 1.6 RWD. Mk2 Focus 1.6 FWD. Both mundane cars, neither going to set the world on fire.
Drive each one in turn onto a wet roundabout and give it a bit of beans. The outcomes will be very different. The Escort will spin, the Focus will slide in a straight line. By the time you lift off in the Escort (assuming you are a newcomer to RWD) it will probably be too late. You have far more chance of recovering the Focus.
My Manta has a 1.8 litre carburated engine. An open differential. 195 section tyres. It struggles to see past 100mph. In fact, it doesn't really feel happy much past 80. It makes probably 85bhp if it's lucky.
If I want to, without trying very hard at all, I can spin it on a wet roundabout or tight corner. In the dry doing that is nigh on impossible, but in the wet it's child's play.
Take the same formula but replace the engine with a 2.0 turbocharged EFI engine. A limited slip differential. 205 section tyres. It can knock on the door of 150mph. It makes about 200bhp. It isn't difficult to see why people get it wrong so often.
All this 200SX talk has made me want another one! Kate's was a really clean example until it got stoved in:
You see, a thread like that screams to me that the problem is 200SX drivers and not the car. Fitting decent tyres, not mashing the pedal down, not being "baited" to race by boy racers, seriously, do people REALLY need to be TOLD this?
Yeah I agree. Don't get me wrong, Lopez knows his stuff and I agree with him some cars are definitely more tail happy than others, but the stuff in that thread is all rather "no **** sherlock" to me!
I really want an S14 though... LOVE the front end. Has to be totally stock though. Yes, even the wheels.
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You see, a thread like that screams to me that the problem is 200SX drivers and not the car. Fitting decent tyres, not mashing the pedal down, not being "baited" to race by boy racers, seriously, do people REALLY need to be TOLD this?
The problem is 200SXs (especially S13s) are quite cheap now and are rapidly falling into the hands of idiot chavs.
As an enthusiast forum they're a bit sick of seeing loads of these cars getting written off and scrapped every single winter.
At the same time, whenever some tard turns up posting in txt speak who has just bought a sheddy S13 you'll usually get people claiming dibs on various parts in their introduction thread.
You see, a thread like that screams to me that the problem is 200SX drivers and not the car. Fitting decent tyres, not mashing the pedal down, not being "baited" to race by boy racers, seriously, do people REALLY need to be TOLD this?
Have a wander through Tescos carpark next time you go shopping and casually glance at the tyres fitted to the average sub £5k car.
You'll find that yes, people really do need to be told this stuff.
This is what the next owner did to my first S14a which was my absolute pride and joy - I was trying to get in touch to buy it back at roughly the same time this happened.
Big frig off tree 1 - S14a, nil.
This one is a project at the moment which I don't really intend to keep - just going to flog it on and make a bit of money.
Big frig off tree 1 - S14a, nil.
This one is a project at the moment which I don't really intend to keep - just going to flog it on and make a bit of money.
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[TW]Fox;16481226 said:
I nearly understand it on your "average" car, but on stuff that is likely to be owned by "enthusiasts" I find it a bit disgraceful. These are typcailly the first people to claim that they Know a thing or two about cars and play around with things like pod Air Filters and boost controllers, but seemingly don't know the very basics of driving their cars?
Checking the tyres of the Soarer was one of the first thing I'd did. If It'd been sitting on barely legal mismatched ditchfinders I'd have probably walked despite the fact that they were going to get replaced anyway. How people treat the only means of keeping their car on the road is usually a great indicator of how they've treated the rest of the car, find that they scrimp of tyres makes me wonder what else have they been scrimping on...
I'd have thought enthusiasts would have know the importance of good tyres and not driving their Turbocharged, Rear Wheel Drive cars like idiots in wet, cold weather without the need a patronising 'warning' thread.
Come to think of it, I'm probably just tempting fate here. I'm only a week into Turbocharged, RWD car ownership myself
.I'd have thought enthusiasts would have know the importance of good tyres and not driving their Turbocharged, Rear Wheel Drive cars like idiots in wet, cold weather without the need a patronising 'warning' thread.
Come to think of it, I'm probably just tempting fate here. I'm only a week into Turbocharged, RWD car ownership myself
Given the significant number of people who wipe them out the first time it rains, it's not exactly a patronising thread. Patronising would mean it was basically uneccessary, and when you look at the evidence it blatantly IS necessary.
And to be honest, you really don't need to be driving like an idiot to get a turbocharged RWD car out of shape in the rain, far from it.
I nearly understand it on your "average" car, but on stuff that is likely to be owned by "enthusiasts" I find it a bit disgraceful. These are typcailly the first people to claim that they Know a thing or two about cars and play around with things like pod Air Filters and boost controllers, but seemingly don't know the very basics of driving their cars?
Checking the tyres of the Soarer was one of the first thing I'd did. If It'd been sitting on barely legal mismatched ditchfinders I'd have probably walked despite the fact that they were going to get replaced anyway. How people treat the only means of keeping their car on the road is usually a great indicator of how they've treated the rest of the car, find that they scrimp of tyres makes me wonder what else have they been scrimping on...
I'd have thought enthusiasts would have know the importance of good tyres and not driving their Turbocharged, Rear Wheel Drive cars like idiots in wet, cold weather without the need a patronising 'warning' thread.
Come to think of it, I'm probably just tempting fate here. I'm only a week into Turbocharged, RWD car ownership myself
a great many "car enthusiasts" are just overgrown barries, to whom gungho skidmaster 3000s are an acceptable tyre choice for the simple reason they came cheap with their ripspeed rims. Genuine enthusiasts know that good tyres are a priority one component, ranking way above blingness
Yeah I agree. Don't get me wrong, Lopez knows his stuff and I agree with him some cars are definitely more tail happy than others, but the stuff in that thread is all rather "no **** sherlock" to me!
I really want an S14 though... LOVE the front end. Has to be totally stock though. Yes, even the wheels.
Buy one as a daily runner Howard
i dont really like that colour
Don't diss the damson!
*shameless pimp*
Gotta say black would be my first choice, followed by red/blue but purple is different and I do like it a lot
I really do suggest if you buy one go book yourself for a skidpan day or alternatively find a secluded car park on a damp night and see how things go. Get the shock out of your system and when it does eventually break in an unwanted situation your going to be in a much better position to sort it out in a calmer manner.