[Jimbob]

Hi!! My name is James from York and new to the forum. I have had a good look through the site and am hugely impressed with the amount of information on here!!

My insurance is up soon on my MR2 Turbo, which is pretty standard so not hugely quick .I fell in love with the Jap car scene when I had my CRX Del Sol. I do a LOT of motorway miles and having borrowed an Accord Coupe for a few weeks I realised the benefits of havin a massive coupe- pitty it has no power!!!

So, I would like an N/A Skyline to get me started, principally because:

1) I couldn't justify the fuel costs of a Skyline GTS-T/GTR given the milage I do. (unless I'm mis-informed about GTS-T/GTR mpg????)

2) Insurance. I'm 23, Been Driving 2 years, 2years NCB (touch wood!) and dont fancy paying through the a*se for insurance like I did on the MR2 Turbo. (£900 tpft)

Was thinkin an N/A to get me going and see about a GTR in a year or two when insurance may become a little more sensible???? If there are any N/A owners or anyone who may be able to gimme some guidence or some links for info/specs I'd be really really greatful.

Regards,
James.

 

[andy42uk]

about 3 years ago I started with a personal import r33 gts 2.0 n/a.
It was mint! and looked great, and realistically drove well.
But fuel consumption was shit as it had to be pushed hard to go anywhere.
I have had an MR2 turbo for 3 months this year....
As far as I know you'll pay group 20 no matter what, so not an issue.
Get a GTS-T, I am now on my 3rd, a 4 door, stealth, practical, and at the limit of stage 1, about 330bhp, driven normally it is ok on fuel, floored it is pretty dam quick, in all it owes me about 5k, not bad considering it is quicker than my friends '02' plate M3......
Up to you, but save time and buy a turbo version IMHO.
Andy.

 

[Jimbob]

ahhhhh ok, fair one. if you gotta thrash it to make any real progress il just go for a gts-t. was thinking an R32 with the RB20DET(?) engine. Think theyre around 210bhp(?) so not a great deal different from my MR2 Turbo. As for MPG the MR2 isnt good at all. 20 to the gallon and no practicallity means i just cant live with it another year. I imagine the Skylines are almost bullet proof even with the tuning you have done?

I take it basic mods would be:

1) Good quality filter (HKS/Apexi etc...)
2) Full zorst+de-cat
3) Boost controller of some sort

Surely good for 250 bhp??? Is there anywhere on here with all the specs for all the different models? Ive used the search but to no avail.

Thanks for your time mate.
James:thumbsup:

 

[gtrlux]

Hi Jimbob and welcome to the forum.
N/A RBs are still very impressive engines, smooth power curves and unbreakeble
Do you know about the diffrent N/A RBs?
Here is a short line up.
R32
# GTE Type-X - 2.0 L RB20E I6, 125 hp (93 kW)
# GTS Type-X, S, J - 2.0 L RB20DE I6 155 hp (115 kW)
# GTS-25 Type-X, S, XG - 2.5 L RB25DE I6, 180 hp (132 kW)
R33
# HR33 GTS - 2.0 L RB20E SOHC I6, 130 PS (96 kW)
# ER33 GTS25 - 2.5 L RB25DE DOHC I6, 190 PS (140 kW)
# ENR33 GTS-4 - 2.5 L RB25DE DOHC I6, 190 PS (140 kW)
R34
# R34GT - 2.0 L RB20DE NEO I6, 140 hp (103 kW)
# 25GT-V - 2.5 L RB25DE NEO I6, 193 hp (142 kW)
# 25GT/25GT-X - 2.5 L RB25DE NEO I6, 193 hp (142 kW)(4 door)

An interesting one would be the R32 with the RB25DE and 180HP, the car can be made light and with a few engine bits up to around 210HP.
There are not many professionally modified RB25 NAs around, but I saw some interesting RB25s bored to 2.8 with a throttle set up in Japan.That was giving you a healthy 250-260+ HP, and with the choice of the right bits . . . you could also rev higher (9000rpms) some 10000+:smokin:
But for thoses you need to choise a good importer, who will look out for theses cars in Japan.

Compare the RB N/A tuning to the SR20DE tunes . . . the RB is just smoother and gives you more torque at low-mid range-streight six

You may fall on the RB30 swaps while searching about N/A Skylines, but I would not consider that, only if you want to buy an R31.

Regards
Chris

 

[stealth]

Hi matey all Skylines are group 20 as far as I know,all you need to know about the NA cars is they slow ,if you fancy haveing a tangle and getting blown away by bog standard Mondao's or Vectra's go for it . Buy a GTS t they are cheap ish now and are quite fast .

 

[gtrlux]

Hi matey all Skylines are group 20 as far as I know,all you need to know about the NA cars is they slow ,if you fancy haveing a tangle and getting blown away by bog standard Mondao's or Vectra's go for it . Buy a GTS t they are cheap ish now and are quite fast .

LOL man, you just disillusioned me of buying an N/A Skyline forever . . . .:bawling:

 

[Jimbob]

top info that guys! I was under the impression the 2.0's were closer to 200bhp, obviously not!!! Thinking GTS-T is the way ahead. Been in a mate of a mate's R32 GTS-T and got to the 112mph limiter pretty quickly!!! Dont know what sort power it was running but looked fairly innocent enough under the bonnet. Do plenty of GTS-T's appear on here for sale???

James

 

[gtrlux]

time to Time some appaer, you're looking for a R32 or R33 GTS now?
GTS are pretty capable cars, mine had around 400HP at full boost.:smokin:

 

[NISFAN]

Hi matey all Skylines are group 20 as far as I know,all you need to know about the NA cars is they slow ,if you fancy haveing a tangle and getting blown away by bog standard Mondao's or Vectra's go for it . Buy a GTS t they are cheap ish now and are quite fast .

true about the insurance, the NA is slightly cheaper with one or two of the more knowledgeable insurance brokers, but not much in it.

As for blown away by Mondeo's and vectras, yes if you go for the R33 RB20E engined car (woefully underpowered), but no if you have the RB25DE engined one. These produce around 190bhp, and will walk away from most normal cars (similar performance to E36 325i's, Seat Cupra 180, etc), but still no match for a GTS-t.

None of the skylines is good on fuel though.

 

[mava_rules]

insurance for an r33 gts25 is no diferent to an r33 gts25t, i had r33 gts25 and it can quite easily keep up with a standard gtst, but the need for even more power and speed drove me to a r32 gtr which i have now and is still the same price for insurance! gts was no where near as bad on fuel as my gtr is now but with me the peddel is either all the way down or up aint no inbetween!

 

[Grasshopper]

Hey, I'm a newbie on here too. Unlike Jimbob I'm not yet on the road (never had the job to pay for wheels) but I'm determined to get a Skyline as soon as I possible can (hopefully skipping the fiesta/micra stage of life)

so my question is....what is the best entry level skyline with the best potential (if these two things aren't mutually exclusive)?

 

[Booty-licious]

I HAD a N/A R33 2.5 GTS, had it like that for 3yrs. It's economical, and smart, sexy.

Depends exactly what you want and what you're looking for.

I wanted to increase power...I did....Abbey Motorsport supercharged it.

I was happy before, but now the smile is WIDER!

PM me if you really want to know what it's like driving a N/A

Claire

PS Welcome

 

[Demon Dave]

Hi matey all Skylines are group 20 as far as I know,all you need to know about the NA cars is they slow ,if you fancy haveing a tangle and getting blown away by bog standard Mondao's or Vectra's go for it . Buy a GTS t they are cheap ish now and are quite fast .

I would have to disagree: the entry level RB20E engined car is pretty slow, I know I drove one for 2 years. Still makes a good entry into the skyline world. They put out around 130bhp standard. However the RB25DE engined car is a hell of a lot quicker (I also drove one for 2 years) and definitely not what I'd call slow.

Feel free to check out my website for specs/info on both cars...

That said though, if most insurance companies in England fail to distinguish between an N/A & Turbo'd skyline, you might as well opt for the turbo'd GTSt - there won't be much to save in terms of fuel economy and the tuning potential/grin factor will more than make up for it

 

[Jimbob]

some top information there folks, thankyou. What am i wanting from the car??? Here in this particular order:

1) Large, reliable, coupe.

2) Reasonable economy due to motorway miles (at least 30mpg would be nice)

3) Some grunt to have a bit of fun when not on the motorway

4) Awsome noise!! (Can't beat a 6cyl on full chat!!)

5) Cost less than £4k.

From what I gather, an R32/R33 with the 2.5 n/a engine might be about right for *me* and what *I* need/want. With me commuting from Oxford to York every 5 days it surely seems the logical choice??? Its frustrating for me-If I worked closer to York I doubt I'd have even started this thread and just thought, "sod it" R33 GTS-T!!! BUY BUY BUY!!! :chuckle:

Thanks again,
James.

 

[Aitch]

There is one version of the RB25DE which has around 200bhp, the GTS25S or Type S as it is frequently stated.

This comes with Sports steering wheel, HICAS and one or two other sweeteners. However any of the N/A RB25's will provide a spirited drive, and can readily be improved on the cheap.

Don't try the bigger exhaust route though, it saps them, but a decat is essential, that and an added air feed to improve induction will give an extra 20 bhp or so at little cosT.

The next thing is to make sure you can drive the car to get the best from it, so 18" wheels and 40 profile rubber, followed by strut braces will revolutionise the ride. This will produce a 220 to 230 bhp car which returns 20 mpg and brings a smile to every journey, without breaking the bank. Additionally a specialist insurer like Adrian flux wil know the difference between turbo and none turbo. Finally it can accommodate the family, even granny can get in and out without dislocating a hip and there's still room for the car seat, you know it makes it sense.

Aitch

 

[Jimbob]

top stuff that Aitch! I assume you've had experience with N/A's?? seem to know your way around the N/A 'Liners!!! The Accord coupe I borrowed for a few weeks was awesome inside, comfy spacious, just had NO balls at all and was gettin about 180-200 miles from £30!!!! Not good in a car thats as slow as that. If I could get same MPG as MR2 which amazingly is better than the Accord I borrowed then no problem.

By 'bigger' exhaust I assume you mean diameter for the pipe work??? With it being an N/A more back pressure required to get good performance??? So: Decat and induction kit should free 15 bhp???? What about changing the silencer/muffler-gotta hear the 6 cyl, it's law!!!! Or would this be detremental to performance?? To be fair, other than cosmetics, its as far as I'd want to take the car anyway. (Ask me that after 6 months of ownership!!!???)

Thanks again folks, really helpful.

James

 

[gtrlux]

The absoulte must for major power gains, is a performance manifold-downpipe and cleaned outlets.

 

[Jimbob]

cleaned outlets????

 

[Aitch]

"The absoulte must for major power gains, is a performance manifold-downpipe and cleaned outlets."
GTRLUX


Not on an N/A Skyline it's not..

Unlike the RB20 the N/A RB25DE comes with a full 3" exhaust system as standard, including down pipes, which is the same as the Turbo cars. Any attempt to increase that simply flattens the response, done it been there, then sold the Brand new Blitz exhaust I paid around £870 for to someone on here for £500 after just 1 week on the car.

It killed the motor, the only exhaust mod I found which did anything for the car was a decat, anymore and there's no back pressure left. And in any case, downpipes on this motor without removing the cat would add about 2 or 3 bhp at best, that's ruddy expensive for a few BHP, and then decatting may take it over the top again and flatten the response. Don't waste money, this car has limited options for simple tuning, unless you want to look at cams etc. The decat is comparatively cheap, even for a good one, (Abbey)it's easy to fit (30 minutes) and does work.

It depends how far you want to go, but the mod's I've outlined are for me as far I'd want to go with this motor unless I intended to get serious. I will finally add Nos, working up to a 100 shot which will give around 235 bhp and 335 with the Nos, enough unless you have race aspirations.

If you approach it on the above basis then ensure you have 18" wheels and 40 or lower profiles, then add strut braces and you've finished the cheap stuff!

While you're adding the strut braces I'd fit a brake master cylinder brace, you will need more stopping power at that point as you'll start to drive the car harder and faster because you can. The Nismo front strut brace can be had with a cylinder brace attachment, but they are also available separately. I also intend to fit steel braided brake pipes in place the of standard rubber flexi's, and 5.1 fluid. Having done the basic mods outlined we did find it hard to stop, so the brakes will need looking at unless your's has a better set up than ours had.

At this stage simply re learning to drive the car, properly, will give you the edge over most things around, assuming you have the HICAS you can really work the bad bends when everyone else is standing on the brakes. The reduced roll and improved grip, added to the little extra power and improved response, when coupled with HICAS and good driving takes the RB25DE to another level for not a lot of money.

Aitch

 

[Marky_GTSt]

After talking to somebody with an NA 33 I get the impression it was easier going on the twisty lanes, especially when grip might be a problem, The smoother and more predictable power delivery sounded kinda nice, But I like me turbos Im guessing that all things being equal, on a slippery twisty the NA would have a slight advantage... Its not all bad.