What would it take to get mid 14's?

[JH]

I got a 92 z34 auto and i was wondering what it would take to get it to do mid to high 14's?

[SappySE107]

Well....headers and tuning would do it....custom intake manifold and tuning would probably do it...head porting and ported intake manifolds with tuning....(btw, tuning is needed to get the most power from any major mods so I include it). If you are lucky, 13 degree exhaust retard, or any variable of cam timing changes that work better than that, tuning, high flow cat, 2.5" mandrel bent exhaust, and a cold air intake. Some stock DOHC autos run 16s, some run mid 15, pushing low 15s. That makes it hard to say what the minimum is.

[JH]

i dot have a cat anymore is that just as good as a high flow cat?

[JH]

opps i mean i don't have a cat lol

[JJ77]

What about the tranny. A high stall torque converter, Shift Kit and the 3.73 gear change will shave almost 1 sec. off of your 1/4 time (16.5 to 15.6 or 15.5) Then if you do some of the things that sappyse107 mentioned (Head work and the 13 degree mod) and some basic boltons ( Dog-bone, UD-Pulley, Chip, CAI ). I could see you in the high 14s with those mods
But tuning is the key to getting the most power

[SappySE107]

Id like to see 1 second from the high stall, shift kit, and 3.73. I know the 3.73 doesnt do nearly that much on its own, and a shift kit...well, ive been in a car with a rebuilt trans that shifts hard as fuck and even that wasn't dropping the times much either. The high stall would have to account for at least half a second. Maybe it can happen, but id like to see it. A stock DOHC shouldn't be running 16.5, thats 3100 territory!

[JH]

How difficult is it to do a 13 degree exhaust retard?

[SappySE107]

If you can do the timing belt change with stock timing, its not much harder to go 13 degree on the exhaust. Just takes a little longer, thats about it.

[Anonymous]

Well....headers and tuning would do it

I don't think the headers alone would do it, even with tuning. They ahelp a lot no doubt, but making up over a second in the 1/4mi might be a bit more than just headers will do.

If you want to get to the mid 14s easy, get a 5-speed. Then basic bolt ons will get you there soon enough. All of this other stuff has to be custom, and it gets expensive fast.

[JJ77]

Thats just what I have heard, but you know that the weak link (when it comes to performance) in the auto tranny that came with the 3.4 DOHC was the TC. I think u can drop at least .3 or .4 secs off of your 1/4 time. I was overexaggerataing with the 1 sec. but, maybe gains somewhere in the range of .8 secs is very possible

[SappySE107]

1 second would do it....if you run closer to 16 stock, there are other issues with the motor slowing it down. They should be in teh 15s solid, near 15.5-15.7 with the auto. Headers untuned gave almost a second to kickingZ's car, but he had other mods as well. Tuning makes a hell of a difference, and last I checked your car wasn't tuned aaron. Also, some autos run 15.2-15.4 stock, so thats a little less than a full second drop.

The 5 speed does make getting mid 14s easier, as the gearing is really well suited to the motor.

[SappySE107]

The torque converter is a weak link in the trans? I thought it was the differential.

[JJ77]

Performance wise the TC is the weakest link ( It will show the most gain when replaced )

[Anonymous]

Yah my 5-speeds gearing is IMO perfect, I love it.

I'm gonna compare 2 autos here. The first is bowtiekid's former black Z34, that had a newly rebuilt tranny and motor. That was the quickest auto I've been in. I was actually surprised. For being stock, it would have held close to both of our cars. It'd leave 5ft of rubber in Colorado. The only lag part was right off the line, where it struggles to get to 3500. But then, it'd pull right to the shift point, and then slam into 2nd. It was no doubt a low 15sec car at seal level. But then i drove a friends 1993 GTP, and it was the opposite. Slow off the line, power fell off bigtime after 5500, and the car pegged its rev limiter for a second or two before shifting. Or something like that. It was pretty slow, and I was surprised at the difference.

I really wish I got a before and after 1/4mi with my headers.

[PlatinumZ34]

im pretty sure NOS and of couse, nos stickers, would get you in the 14's...

Since noones mentioned it :
Tires

and then: Chip, mount, UDpulley, SR or CAI, probably plugs and wires, exhaust... pretty much everything everyones mentioned AND:

or if your cheap and dont want to buy any parts for your car: WEIGHT! these cars are heavy, get out a plasma torch and you know... cut the roof off, remove the back seat, trim up the steering wheel (you dont need a top and bottom anyways), take off the passenger door, and drivers door if you want... j/k of course, but anything to save weight will help ALOT.

I have pictures of i believe a golf, getting into 12's or 13's by removing everythign but the frame basically. no engine mods.