*STOCK* Torque/weight king of the 90's??

[WayOutCat]

hey y'all,

i've been doing some research and i am surprised to see that my old rusty 1992 Sentra SE-R (about 2400 pounds, dep. who ya ask) --132 hp/140 tq-- is pretty much the pinnacle of the bone-stock torque to weight ratio, as far as small, affordable cars go.

i *Literally* ask to be proven wrong : ) please!... i am curious.

newer cars are either heavy or astronomically expensive --and usually obvious cop-magnets to boot, not sleepers like the Sentra--, while many cars of equal age, weight, & price are low on torque.

what gives? i bought this car because my old honda died. i didn't realize i had bought the best sleeper in existence...

[kman10587]

There are a ton of cars with better torque/weight than that, but they are all pretty expensive. The SE-R is indeed a great sleeper

As for which one is the king...1996 Dodge Viper GTS coupe. 490 ft-lbs of torque, 3375 lbs of weight.

[Kurtdg19]

Well the first thing that comes off the top of my head would be the Pontiac Fiero. 2.8L V6 with I believe around 165ft lbs of torque weighting in at around 2500. I'm sure their are others, but nothing else seems to be floating in my head at the moment.

[MR2Driver]

Psht, MR2 Turbo = Fiero in weight and had 200ft/lb of Tq

Viper still wins tho

[WayOutCat]

thanks Kman, for your kind words about my humble car.

yes, you're all correct about those other cars; they're certainly faster than mine, but are there any other inexpensive sleepers out there to challenge me?

isn't anyone going to stand up for Preludes or maybe some old Volvo...?

come on, there HAS to be more competition for the SE-R out there amongst the unheraled sleepers of the early 90's, in the days before every (secretly) cool car gained weight and got married : D

[FordJunky]

well, i dunno wut exactly ur lookin for but if ur lookin just for the best ratio an old mustang has a better ratio (its heavier but has more than double the torque) and my 87 ranger gt weighs 2586 lbs and has 170 tq.

[WayOutCat]

i *have* been tempted by mustangs, don't get me wrong! : )

BUT, i am looking for a sleeper, and Mustangs are cop-magnets, as cool as they are.

also, to be honest, i am looking for something with Japanese handling characteristics. PLEASE note that i did NOT say "better" handling! i don't want to start the old American vs. Japan flame war again!

let it be known i own a '65 chevy (327 impala) if my love for old school american muscle cars be doubted
: )

[genjy]

One of the best sleepers of the early and mid 1990's is really the Taurus SHO. It has a revvy 220HP/200tq 3.0L v6 and a 5speed stick. It doesn't handle as well as a compact, but it doesn't attract cops as much either. 0-60 around low 7s and 1/4 mile in low 15s stock... very respectable for something made more than 15 years ago.

[GTStang]

Originally Posted by genjy

One of the best sleepers of the early and mid 1990's is really the Taurus SHO. It has a revvy 220HP/200tq 3.0L v6 and a 5speed stick. It doesn't handle as well as a compact, but it doesn't attract cops as much either. 0-60 around low 7s and 1/4 mile in low 15s stock... very respectable for something made more than 15 years ago.

This is a good suggestion and as far as handling there is a reason these are Auto-X favorites.

[kman10587]

The only problem with the Taurus SHO is that it is a well-known fact that reliability is a very dark spot for them, and good luck finding parts for that Yamaha-built V8.

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by WayOutCat

also, to be honest, i am looking for something with Japanese handling characteristics.

and those characteristics would be.......?

[BP2K2Max]

Originally Posted by WayOutCat

i *Literally* ask to be proven wrong : ) please!... i am curious

ask, and you shall recieve...

1995 nissan maxima, 190hp 205 ft/lbs of tq and 2895 lb curb wieght. it's 14 lbs of body weight per ft/lb tq, compared to an se-r's 18.2 lbs per ft/lb. good for low 15's-mid 14's stock 5 speed, even better in some cases.

This is the motor trend review of the maxima the year it was introduced:

Motor Trend, Road Test, June 1994
"Our tester, a five-speed SE version of this fourth generation of Maxima, produced a blazing 6.6-second 0-60-mph time, and a 15.2-second, 92.4-mph quarter-mile run. Ask us,
and we'll tell you how the Maxima SE will whip the Integra GS-R, and Taurus SHO;
the new Maxima also shows no mercy on its Nissan stablemates: It'll stomp the normally aspirated 300ZX, and drivers of automatic-transmissioned 300ZX Turbos best not be snoozing when the light goes green.
This demure-looking family car is the quickest Japanese sedan available in the States."

[kman10587]

Yeah, the 1995-1999 Maxima is a nice car. Everytime I see one, I wish I could go back in time to 1996 and tell my dad to buy a Maxima SE instead of a Camry V6 LE, because I'd be driving it right now.

[BP2K2Max]

I got rid of my loaded 95 5 speed Maxima with stillen cat-back, downpipe, and intake for a measley $3K on a trade in for this maxima. i've been kicking myself in the ass for it ever since. One day i'll come across another and scoop it up for a project.

V6 Camry's from that era are very similar to the Maxima, same hp and torque i believe, they're just a couple hundred lbs. heavier, and don't have much of an aftermarket. They're not bad cars at all.


and WayOutCat, you have your figures backwards. for an SE-R it's 140 hp and 132 tq, not the other way.

[WayOutCat]

oops! ; )