Im new to mustangs. 88 LX 2.3 questions.
01-03-2011, 02:10 PM
#11
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: California
Posts: 75
Definitely!
Make the car lighter then build urself a nice all motor 4 cyl and go honda hunting.
without too much trouble or money, you can add a few boltons that will make it a little more powerful (120hp). not gonna win many races, but not gonna leave you frustrated either.
then for not much more, when you're ready, remove the head and port/cam it with a set of larger injectors and a tuning software and you'll have a honda beater (180hp).
and now, you have a lighter, more nimble, and plenty quick car that gets 25 mpg.
try to do that with a V8.
01-03-2011, 10:25 PM
#12
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: IL
Posts: 877
However, the 4 cylinder N/A's only came with 88hp (until 92 when they came with 105hp due to a revised cylinder head), so no matter what you do, its going to be pretty difficult to do anything spectacular to that motor.
I have not seen anything nor any proof (via dyno results ect) of getting a 2.3 N/A over 120hp lol. Hopefully someone can prove me wrong
If you look up Sleeper_Inc, you will see what he did to his 4 banger before he went Turbo.
01-04-2011, 09:08 PM
#14
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: IL
Posts: 877
Feel free to venture into the other forums if you plan on learning other asspects of automotive. Also dont be affraid to PM me any questions you may have
01-05-2011, 02:24 AM
#15
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: California
Posts: 75
Well that is a good point. Thats why i use my 4 banger as a driver over my V8.
However, the 4 cylinder N/A's only came with 88hp (until 92 when they came with 105hp due to a revised cylinder head), so no matter what you do, its going to be pretty difficult to do anything spectacular to that motor.
I have not seen anything nor any proof (via dyno results ect) of getting a 2.3 N/A over 120hp lol. Hopefully someone can prove me wrong
If you look up Sleeper_Inc, you will see what he did to his 4 banger before he went Turbo.
However, the 4 cylinder N/A's only came with 88hp (until 92 when they came with 105hp due to a revised cylinder head), so no matter what you do, its going to be pretty difficult to do anything spectacular to that motor.
I have not seen anything nor any proof (via dyno results ect) of getting a 2.3 N/A over 120hp lol. Hopefully someone can prove me wrong
If you look up Sleeper_Inc, you will see what he did to his 4 banger before he went Turbo.
I'm sure my estimate of a 15hp gain is understated.
I have only used a dyno app on my smartphone to record 1/4 mile times down the same stretch of road and I've shaved close to 2 seconds off my original 1/4 mile time.
But if you want to pay for the dyno time so you can see a sheet indicating such, I'll go put it on rollers to back up my claims
01-06-2011, 02:37 PM
#16
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: NJ
Posts: 33
Turbo is really the way to go with the 2.3. I have seen na 2.3 race motors put out some respectable numbers for use in some of the smaller circuits, but for the street you can def find a one of the 80"s tubro fords listed above for cheap and have everything you need for the swap. Heck I'm selling 2 T/C's right now for $700, one na one orig.
01-08-2011, 01:47 PM
#18
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Michigan
Posts: 240
Possible, yes. Smart, safe, and worth it, no. An N/A has too high of compression, weaker internals, and has the wrong EFI tune to make it work well. It will run and you may see some better performance, till it grenades.
If you want to turbo, your best bet is finding a doner car (SVO, Murker Xr4Ti, Thunderbird T/C) and take the engine, ecu, fuel system, and some pigtails/sensors to make it all work right. For the money you would spend buying a turbo, and trying to make it work on an N/A engine, you could have less money into buying a doner car and have everything you need to do the job right.
If you want to turbo, your best bet is finding a doner car (SVO, Murker Xr4Ti, Thunderbird T/C) and take the engine, ecu, fuel system, and some pigtails/sensors to make it all work right. For the money you would spend buying a turbo, and trying to make it work on an N/A engine, you could have less money into buying a doner car and have everything you need to do the job right.
02-22-2011, 10:42 PM
#19
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 7
oh so the 2.3 n/a doesnt have forged internals like the 2.3t im guessing has. ive become a pretty big subaru fanatic and have 2 of them now, sold the first one. I must say the boxer 4 cylinder is a wierd motor. Anyways the main reason i sold my mustang was because of how rough it was and the A4LD. had it been a 5 speed mustang i would probably still have it. My first car (94 saturn sl2) actually came from the factory with a forged steel crank, forged rods, but just average cast pistons. And all Subarus have a forged steel crank, turbo or not. I like the simplicity of the inline 4 as compared to the boxer 4, when it comes to taking it apart. The subaru im fixing is a 97 outback, and im considering selling it once i finish it, and trying to get my hands on a 5 speed turbo car of some sort. On craigslist i found a Mustang SVO, and a Merkur XR4T, both 5 speed. both nice cars. Also found eclipses and eagle talons but those cars are junk. I may get back in the mustang club who knows