Hey all,
I recently bought a 1989 S13… yea!! 
its pretty much stock… and i’m pretty new to this car and bought it for school…
so i was wondering what were your first mods you guys did on your S13’s??
since im a student still and gotz no money (small $) what are some things that you guys would recommend a first thing putting on that is not expensive that will improve performance or efficiency? i’m not really interested now in the looks or huge performance gains…
Thanks everybody!
id suggest some decent brake pads, new springs and shocks, sway bars and stb’s
that in itself will greatly improve your car and make it much more enjoyable to drive.
GT
Personnally I went with 300zx brakes (Z32), cause I was sick and tired of warping and replacing rotors every 6 months
Sound advice. I’d follow the above mentioned upgrades and just keep your oil changed, spark plugs clean/gapped etc.
I put on coilovers and it dramatically increased my car’s “fun” factor.
http://www.son240sx.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14780
Go get em!
SR20DET
I’d have to strongly recommend against that as an early upgrade, just becuase brakes/suspension really should come first. Unless your comfortable with the power and a capable RWD driver.
Ditch the 60 series tires though, 205/55/15(?) -> 235/45/17
is there a Cheaper and better brake pads/rotors place besides CAN-tire u guys can suggest?
as for new springs and shocks, is there a place for cheap combos for that too?
what’s stb? sorry for the noob question… :?
-i
:werd:
The engine is worthless. Don’t touch anything under the hood other then
oil filter and the occasional fuel filter.
Be prepared to pay $ for some decent improvements.
Start with suspension as mentioned…
Did I mention the KA engine is worthless?
Yah you did, don’t bother touching that truck motor.
Swap in a motor made of popcans and be done with making 300hp.
is there a Cheaper and better brake pads/rotors place besides CAN-tire u guys can suggest?
as for new springs and shocks, is there a place for cheap combos for that too?
what’s stb? sorry for the noob question… :?
-i[/quote]
stb = strut tower bar
Yah you did, don’t bother touching that truck motor.
Swap in a motor made of popcans and be done with making 300hp.[/quote]
and sat in a junkyard for 10 years. Because of course it has 20k km right :lol:
We all love junkyard engines eh Adam, they only cost us 100 bucks :lol:
Andrew
i’ve been looking around ebay and found cheap strut bars for like $30-50US… are these any good?
there are other bars too… im not expecting the best of the best stb, but is this worth it? i was thinking about geting both rear and front bars… is there spefic rear bar type i should look into for S13 (ie. lower or upper strut bar)?
brakes and rotors are expensive on ebay… err…
talk to the prez iquabob about rotors, pads, stb’s, etc.
he can get any of the big names and they are in expensive.
i also have front and rear cusco stb’s for sale… both for 300 obo… these are top quality./
GT
I’d have to strongly recommend against that as an early upgrade, just becuase brakes/suspension really should come first. Unless your comfortable with the power and a capable RWD driver.
Ditch the 60 series tires though, 205/55/15(?) -> 235/45/17[/quote]
Ya im running an sr with stock 240 brakes. I would definately recommend brakes first, they are terrible.
are you guys for real?
do you really think you cant handle a sr with stock suspension or brakes?!
you know the car was sold in japan with the sr20det, and sorry coilovers were not a option, and neither were 300zx brakes.
advance your timing, run stb, springs, better pads, and get a short shifter. and if you still have some money grab some sway bars and save for a engine swap
are you for real? the JDM version (S13) had larger brakes, with rotors of equivilant size to the 300zx, different thickness
as for suspension, very few have good condition factory parts for suspension, my 90 has 180km chasis milage, and ALL the susp. is shot
they had the equivilant of q45 brakes. there are many people driving 240s on stock suspension with mid 13 second srs with no problem.
saying because your moving from a 16 second car to a 14 second car you need full suspension upgrades is retarted
just because you can accelerate faster why do you need to all of a sudden stop faster, unless you now drive 150 in 80s since your have more power why does it matter…i can still drive 150 in a KA or a SR
equilavent of Q45 brakes, I’m affraid your mistaken, not to seem advaisarial or anything, but Q45 are twin piston floating calipers, whereas JDM 180sx are singal piston based on maxima/altima (USDM) equivalant parts.
Not a full susp. upgrade, but at least address some of the S chasis shortfalls, such as fluid filled bushings which rarely last 10 years
i must have a factory freak because all of mine are mint.
My personal advice because your cash is low:
THEN
get eBay strut tower bars, who cares. As long as they fit and they’re solid. Mine were $80 CDN shipped to my door, front and rear. I considered them well worth the money.
Buy a cone filter ($10-40) and MAF adaptor ($10-20), OR an intake system for $50-250 or so depending. Intakes make the car feel better, sound better on wide open throttle.
Get a short shifter and/or a classy shift knob. Would run you anywhere from $100-300 or so, again, depending.
Tune-up the car on your own where it seems needed, one part at a time. Such as spark plugs, fuel filter, plug wires, O2 sensor or whatever looks shot.
Don’t plan a motor swap or turbocharging until you have a lot of planning, research, money, and a car that’s ready, all under your belt.
Remember you get what you pay for…just keep it in mind.
Have fun!