I remember first seeing a gvr4 when I was 18 -1996 cruising a used car lot. Had no idea what I was looking at, but it looked sharp and the vr4 badge told me it wasn't run of the mill. I first test drove one a couple years later on another lot, but it wasn't really stock and I remember it idling a little high. None of the 3 I've had were stock. Wondering if any of you guys who've been around long enough can describe what a fully stock one felt like back in the day.
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Whos driven new or fully stock vr4s?
- Thread starterBpuVR4
- Start date
turbowop
Well-known member
I drove one in '94 at the age of 18. I wanted it so bad, but couldn't afford it. I bought mine bone stock in '98. Felt quick, but I was coming from a Jeep Cherokee with 33" tires.
blacksheep
Well-known member
I have purchased 3 or 4 gvr4's bone stock. I liked them stock, actually.
cheekychimp
Well-known member
I guess the above is fairly accurate but let's break it down a little. You guys got a really shitty deal with the SMIC that's hardly bigger than an oil cooler. I believe stock power on a USDM car was 195 HP. Late model JDM VR4s were pushing around 240 HP. That's not massive power output by any accounts but the difference between 195 and 240 HP is very noticeable, not to mention that it is actually quite easy to raise the power output of these cars to the stock power output of later model EVOs (280 HP for most JDM models from the factory) without significant modifications.
Now how does this tie in with the question you are asking. Well what I am basically saying here is that you can retain the stock driveability of the car whilst getting close to 300 HP.
My bone stock JDM VR4 had a very light clutch that was dead easy to slip and engage, decent comfortable suspension (not awe inspiring performance wise but comfortable), it was no slouch and it started and idled beautifully.
Now my current car is significantly faster and a total blast to drive and yet I still have a really light clutch pedal thanks to the CFDF clutch that slips and engages just as good as stock. After a fair bit of maintenance the idle is just as good and actually needs to be slightly higher in my opinion (850-900 is silky smooth on my car, 750 is bloody awful but every mechanic I know insists on trying to make it idle at 750).
So how can I describe a stock/stockish VR4? Totally stock it will feel slow. With a few upgrades that improve performance it will give similar straight line performance to a stock EVO with as good driveability. Handling will be crap in comparison on 15s with tall tyres and softer suspension but far more comfortable (plus the brakes are nowhere near as good as an EVO). You can close the gap by adding rims, low profile tyres and aftermarket shocks at the expense of comfort. The one thing I don't like about my daily is the suspension. It isn't a track car and I'd gladly sacrifice some handling for better overall comfort.
Don't judge the car by bad experiences of driving poorly maintained or dedicated track cars. There will always be a compromise between performance and comfort. Bottom line, if you think a stock EVO has enough power and performance, then you can make a VR4 almost as good, arguably better depending upon whether you are willing to sacrifice a little handling for comfort. But you have to be willing to do the maintenance. Even a bone stock car is now over 20 years old. You can't compare a brand new one that came off the production line 20 years ago with a badly maintained one that has 150,000 miles on every component. But shining examples like bobdoles restoration from the ground up should give you an indication of how well they can be put back together and look. Ask him or Fuel in New Zealand how a stock car feels to drive!
Now how does this tie in with the question you are asking. Well what I am basically saying here is that you can retain the stock driveability of the car whilst getting close to 300 HP.
My bone stock JDM VR4 had a very light clutch that was dead easy to slip and engage, decent comfortable suspension (not awe inspiring performance wise but comfortable), it was no slouch and it started and idled beautifully.
Now my current car is significantly faster and a total blast to drive and yet I still have a really light clutch pedal thanks to the CFDF clutch that slips and engages just as good as stock. After a fair bit of maintenance the idle is just as good and actually needs to be slightly higher in my opinion (850-900 is silky smooth on my car, 750 is bloody awful but every mechanic I know insists on trying to make it idle at 750).
So how can I describe a stock/stockish VR4? Totally stock it will feel slow. With a few upgrades that improve performance it will give similar straight line performance to a stock EVO with as good driveability. Handling will be crap in comparison on 15s with tall tyres and softer suspension but far more comfortable (plus the brakes are nowhere near as good as an EVO). You can close the gap by adding rims, low profile tyres and aftermarket shocks at the expense of comfort. The one thing I don't like about my daily is the suspension. It isn't a track car and I'd gladly sacrifice some handling for better overall comfort.
Don't judge the car by bad experiences of driving poorly maintained or dedicated track cars. There will always be a compromise between performance and comfort. Bottom line, if you think a stock EVO has enough power and performance, then you can make a VR4 almost as good, arguably better depending upon whether you are willing to sacrifice a little handling for comfort. But you have to be willing to do the maintenance. Even a bone stock car is now over 20 years old. You can't compare a brand new one that came off the production line 20 years ago with a badly maintained one that has 150,000 miles on every component. But shining examples like bobdoles restoration from the ground up should give you an indication of how well they can be put back together and look. Ask him or Fuel in New Zealand how a stock car feels to drive!
i found myself daydreaming about what a brand new one back in 91 or 92 felt like as I was listening to my 3" thermal exhaust popping from 272 cams...figured it would feel solid, quiet...and yea prob a bit on the slow side. Only one of my VR4's still had the 4ws on it, but i barely remember it. Pretty much, I'm an old man now at 34 where I can't believe I found myself wondering about the car in stock condition.
cheekychimp
Well-known member
Oh now I understand where you are coming from /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Yeah I have had the same thoughts (and for the record you aren't old yet /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif). I think the biggest thing about driving one new back then must have been that there probably wasn't much to compare it against. We are constantly using the EVO as a benchmark for the VR4 and yet it should really be the other way around. Pre-Evo, the VR4 must have reigned supreme.
Yeah I have had the same thoughts (and for the record you aren't old yet /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif). I think the biggest thing about driving one new back then must have been that there probably wasn't much to compare it against. We are constantly using the EVO as a benchmark for the VR4 and yet it should really be the other way around. Pre-Evo, the VR4 must have reigned supreme.
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fuel
Well-known member
Mine's near stock but I've done a few sneaky mods like EvoIII exhaust manifold, 20G compressor with 8deg back cut turbine and high-flow down pipe with cat converter gutted out. Previous owner ran a 13.7 1/4 mile but I haven't taken it down the strip myself as I much prefer circuit racing, where in stock condition it wallows and understeers all over the place but if you get on the brakes and jerk the steering wheel you can get it to flick the rear out a little.
Here's a vid of a stock early-spec JDM Galant in 1987, this model has 205PS and the driver has no troubles getting it sideways - click
Here's a vid of a stock early-spec JDM Galant in 1987, this model has 205PS and the driver has no troubles getting it sideways - click
yea, Im a less is more kind of guy. so i always wonder what the best bang for the buck setup would be...and yes, now that Im older reliability becomes key whereas when I was 21, I drove an old Mopar with a big block- no carpet, no heat getting 8mpg everyday and not care as long as it was fast.
matt92vr4
Well-known member
Mine was stock when I bought it. Nice and and comfy, but slow. I'm trying to keep it comfy while making it quick.
tyeler18
Well-known member
Mine is currently bone stock. Even has the air can and everything still on it. Only "mod" is a boost gauge which sits at a steady 10lbs on the 14b still. Stock it's slow as f*** out of boost and requires a good amount of boost to get up to any moderate speed, although it's got 182k but still had a solid 130psi of compression in each cylinder at 7200ft. Now that I'm at lower elevation (1200ft) it has a signifcant pickup in off boost acceleration, but still requires a heavier foot to keep going. Honestly I wish these came with a 2.4 from the factory. The added torque would benefit greatly for a car as heavy as it is in stock form. Either that or a compression ratio similiar to an evo/2g would've given it some more pep to get up and move as 7.8:1 on a fresh engine isn't hardly high enough to get a nearly 3600lb 4 door moving without boost.
fuel
Well-known member
Yes the lower compression and smaller capacity does suck but remember these were originally made for the Japanese market which had tax restrictions on the width (1700mm) and the engine capacity (2000cc) and if it exceeded any of the two it would have been bumped up to the next class with a higher tax placed on it. In Japan the base model comes in 1600cc with 13" wheels while in the US only one engine size is offered. I guess the JDM ones aren't so lethargic with their larger intercoolers and lower weight (no big heavy bumpers or electric seat belts etc).
I bought my 92 new from the dealer. Actually ordered it as soon as I heard they were making a 92 and picked it up in Fall of 91 when it was delivered. Driving it home from the dealership was the first time I've driven a stick but had no problems. Brand new the car was 100% reliable, wasn't particularly fast but you could feel there was potential when the turbo kicked in. In case anyone wonders there were some minor annoyances even brand new; the lumbar support would pop back to the lowest setting if set to just above the lowest setting, there was some wind noise from the sunroof after closing from one of the positions (I forget which one) but solution was a quick re-open and close from the other position and radiator supports had a bit of slack. Stock tires were lacking and partially melted the first time I took the car on a road course.
Being the original owner I've also gone through just about all the common things that eventually fail on the car other than the timing belt which I was pretty good about replacing before it happens. Have yet to open the engine if you don't count replacing valve cover gaskets. As it sits in the garage now it only has a small 16G, wheel, tire and suspension upgrades with over 10 years of accumulated parts ready for an overhaul. It hasn't been driven in over 5 years and I'm just waiting for the right time to start working on it again.
The only other comparable sedans at the time in the same price range were the Legacy turbo, Taurus SHO, Spirit R/T and Maxima SE.
Being the original owner I've also gone through just about all the common things that eventually fail on the car other than the timing belt which I was pretty good about replacing before it happens. Have yet to open the engine if you don't count replacing valve cover gaskets. As it sits in the garage now it only has a small 16G, wheel, tire and suspension upgrades with over 10 years of accumulated parts ready for an overhaul. It hasn't been driven in over 5 years and I'm just waiting for the right time to start working on it again.
The only other comparable sedans at the time in the same price range were the Legacy turbo, Taurus SHO, Spirit R/T and Maxima SE.
fuel
Well-known member
wow a one owner VR-4, that has to be a rarity on its own! How many miles are you up to now?
I think it was somewhere in the 140k mile range when I stopped driving it. It has gas stabilizer in it and I start it about once or twice a year. Funny thing is I try to only bump the starter to get some oil flow first but it always want to start right up. I think it misses me.
man RayH thats awesome. I do think about what the car would be like with just the 14b, hard pipes, exhaust...but I just can't keep that list short at all haha, then it ends up with what i have now minus cams, 16g, a more discreet exhaust..etc. But thinking about a VR4 still under warranty blows my mind ha
bazeng
Well-known member
Mine was stock standard when i bought it.
I can recall - tall, soft, comfy, smooth, heavy, ugly and quite.
It is now - low, hard, rough, jerky, still heavy, prettier and loud!
But the one thing these hasn't changed - the love for the car.
I can recall - tall, soft, comfy, smooth, heavy, ugly and quite.
It is now - low, hard, rough, jerky, still heavy, prettier and loud!
But the one thing these hasn't changed - the love for the car.
GSX_TC
Well-known member
Quoting LIV4PSI:
Slow and boring as f***
^^What he said
Slow and boring as f***
^^What he said
Quoting LIV4PSI:
Slow and boring as f***
Mine is still stock but I don't find it slow or boring in anyway yet, since my 22RE 4Runner holds that title.
That is until you get off-road. I can't say that it will stay stock as I plan to upgrade a little but don't
plan on overdoing it. 250HP to 300HP is good enough for me.
Slow and boring as f***
Mine is still stock but I don't find it slow or boring in anyway yet, since my 22RE 4Runner holds that title.
That is until you get off-road. I can't say that it will stay stock as I plan to upgrade a little but don't
plan on overdoing it. 250HP to 300HP is good enough for me.
Mac
Well-known member
My car was showroom stock when I bought it.
Problem was that it had a worn out clutch and clutch pedal, worn out suspension, and the usually boost leaks. I didn't really get to enjoy it in stock form.
Problem was that it had a worn out clutch and clutch pedal, worn out suspension, and the usually boost leaks. I didn't really get to enjoy it in stock form.
