Just out of curiosity, you know, no backstory or anything at all...

Somebody was talking the other day and somehow numbers and cars came up and this somebody started saying that his "stock" 1992-ish Acura could run 13 second quarter miles. So I said "I was talking 1/4's, not 1/8's" and then this somebody swore that his "stock" 1992 Acura could run 13 second 1/4 miles. I said that I was doubtful.


I asked his buddy, and his buddy said that this someones car was "stock" except for an air intake, exhaust and " imported Japanese-spec 2.2L engine that is rated for 300-ish horsepower". And from what I asked, a stock manual transaxle or whatever they have. I again said that I'm doubtful, mainly that an " imported-Japanese spec 2.2 liter engine" could make 300 horsepower. (This is without a turbo or drugs...)

But then I got to thinking about it and it doesn't really sound that far fetched... I just never realized that a little 1600 pound car could go that fast with so little, but the numbers jive up... But has anybody ever heard of "Japanese-spec" ricer engines that make 300-ish horsepower "stock"?

 

Yes, the modern cars make that. The Mitsubishi Evo now makes close to 300hp and the Subaru WRX Sti makes 300hp, stock off the show room. Both are AWD, light and can haul some serious ****. Now, i doubt a 1992 Acura came with 300 hp stock. It would probably have to be heavily modded to get that.

 

Its the stickers!!! Da window stickers man!
They hold the glass together allowing those little engines to wrap out and reach astronomic RPM's that cause ordinary tempered glass to crumble...

 

...and don't forget the gauges that are installed in the pillar with only the lights wired up in them.
The hat turned sideways for better aerodynamics, and the flip-up screen on the radio is always good for another 20 or so hp.

 

My Dad has a WRX STi and it has a big turbo to get 300hp. Also comes with plenty of turbo lag. But once it's spooled up, look out!!

MikeyB

 

I got to hand it to the rice racers. They are the closest thing to gearheads like my my generation was. I can talk to these guys and they are genuinly interested in my advise on making them go. AND I can learn alot from them and their tricks. Pretty cool they take these "cheap" stockers and race them. I think ricers are cool.

 

I've got respect for the guys who are actually doing stuff to make more power, but the kids with a fart can, a wing, and some "nos" stickers don't impress me at all. They're the same as the guys who used to put on air shocks, Cragar S/S rims, and white letter tires so their car would look fast. Nevermind that it's a 4 cylinder Vega with a Powerglide.

 

Not without a turbo, no. Honda has a 2.2 liter in the S2000 that makes 237 hp. Horsepower ratings aren't all the same, though, so maybe it makes 300 Japanes hp, I don't know. Car and Driver says 14 flat in the 1/4 for the S2000.

 

Even a JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) engine won't make 300hp from 2.2L in NA form. Heck, the engine in the S2000 only makes 240hp, and it revs like a blender.

Second, that car weighs a heck of a lot more than 1600#. More like 2500# with some help.

A WRX Sti will turn a 13-second 1/4, but it's turbocharged and has AWD that lets it launch like no other car. A stock 1992 Acura will not run a 13-second quarter.

Not even a stock 1992 NSX did that!!!

 

maybe its one of those pitch favorable tracks.... say a 20 percent grade??? lookie here........ http://www.albeedigital.com/supercou...0-60times.html
.
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Hey! Leave me alone! So what if I have three extra gauges and only one of them hooked up!

 

The part that scares me is that this guy's car doesn't have any stickers or aftermarket 10-inch tachometers, so it kind of makes me think "likely sleeper".


And you guys keep throwing around all of these little serial codes and stuff, but basically I was thinking along the correct lines...

I had doubt, but didn't know enough to be very sure. (Like that's ever stopped me before. )


Doing some research, this site here sells JDM engines and it lists a 2.2 liter DOHC VTEC engine as only making 200HP@6800 RPM and 161 Ft Lbs at 5500 RPM. Which I guess is respectable, for a jet turbine or blender or something of that nature.

What probably happened was that he got the engine, which was 200HP, and then he added on an intake that was good for 25 horsepower on the box, and then an exhaust that was good for 25 horsepower on the box, and then rounded it up to 300...

A 1992 Acura NSX ran a 13.9, and that was with a 3.2 liter that made exactly 300 BHP without a turbocharger. And that car weighed 2985 pounds.

So unless he has the "stock" 3.2 liter V-6 out of an NSX, I'd assume he's telling stretchers... Now if he does have one of those, then it'd fly 13 seconds sure. (I guess that the 3.2 liter is a widely available engine, even if it's downrated in the other cars that Honda puts it in. I don't know how easy it is to up one to 300 HP, and I have no idea how much money one costs or how impossible one is to find.) And anyways, I'm pretty sure that he said "2.2L" instead of "3.2L".

Now what is scary is that an Integra could do solid 13's with a stock, naturally aspirated 300HP 3.2 liter V-6. But the 13's seem pretty out of reach for any non-turbo 4 cylinder.

Still though, not that far of a stretch. And it is darn impressive what they are capable of. Ultimately I have to steal a glimpse under his hood and count sparkplugs; if it's a 4, there's no chance, while 6 would mean that he's potentially very accurate...

 

maybe he meant to say it was a one liter ruff turbo motor out of a pikes peak car, they make 500 hp and guarenteed to run 24 hours

 

The 2.2L is known as the H22 in the Predlude. It is rated at 200 hp +/- and is basically the CTD of Honda's as far as motor swaps go. My roomates Prelude was supposed to run 15.3's, but his best was 15.7 with intake, exhaust, motor rebuild, plus thousands of dollars of other stuff. Putting this motor into a smaller car like the acura and running high 13's doesn't sound unreasonable. Its all about power/ weight.

 

Its all about the size of the back wing.
We all know about the stickers giving more power, but the size of the wing is the real secret to power these days.

Rich