Sometimes getting an education can be a harsh lesson in the facts. But Marc,
you are right on the money, and it is definitely a case of buyer-beware!
Unless you (roadster owner) have a lot of time to ask around, do some
digging, & look into some research materials, I'd say you had better be
prepared for the consequences if you embark into a modification of the
engine you have--and as a further caution, don't do it unless you have a
good reserve of back-up parts just in case the part or systems you've had
modified turns out to do you no good.
In my ideal world, I would have a stable of different engines and
drivetrains for my cars that I could experiment with for the best results. I
think this is essentially what carmakers do and have done over the years:
just a bunch of good old fashioned R&D and trial and error.
What the enginners at Nissan have built & given the general public is pretty
good equipment. I'm not saying that it is perfect for every usage, because
obviously racers do modify their stuff. But I've been of the opinion for a
long time that backyard mechanics no different from guys like myself are in
a sort of LaLa land when they talk about what they have planned for this
project and that. But most of it is just "talk". . .
What racers do for every fraction of horsepower and what normal car owners
like most of us do to get a little more ummphh are not really related.
Racing and roadstering are two very different worlds.
Just be careful, because we are dealing with old cars with an evaporating
parts market. What you do with good intentions to make your car peppier
could really backfire and leave you stuck with a real dog.
That's a little more than my alotted 2 cents, but I hope it spends just as
well.
Tony Genovese
San Diego
a Z & a roadster.
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