first of all has anyone ever noticed how fucking uncomfortable it is to drive our cars...my '96 200SX SE manual is sooooooooo uncomfortable no matter how i adjust the seat....i have tried everything from "gangsta" laying back in the seat to sitting the seat so far forward i was almost leaning forward/hugging the steering wheel....EVERYTHING I TELL YOU. and i am not even tall or anything at 5 feet 9 inches.
my girl has a 93 Sentra XE auto and it is just as bad except you dont cramp your left leg as much because well, she has no clutch. WTF was nissan thinking when they designed this.....IMO the most important thing in ANY vehicle is for the driver to be comfortable(atleast somewhat...i know my car is not a luxury model). I know i am not the only person to feel this way, my girl, her father, my sister's boyfriend and my friend have all made the same comments(the seat/leg/pedal placement combo is terrible) basically anyone that has actually driven these son of a bitch cars for more than 5 minutes.
and for my REAL complaint....i hate this 90whp and no real aftermarket....i see all these people doing H/I/E mods and still not hitting 100whp...this is a sad thing considering this engine has been around for what 10+ years now?!?!? so why do people continue to add headers/air intake/exhaust when combining all of these still doesnt give you more than 10whp...
i really had the intent to make a nice 200SX...something you DON'T see everyday...but now i know why....they are inferior cars....uncomfortable, slow, and boring. i mean seriously go look at ANY other motor that was made for like 10 years straight.....it will have a huge aftermarket and following of people interested in pushing the engine to its limits....
so i am stuck in my interests....i like my car to some point but at the same time i am ready to move on(& i have only had the car for a few months...truely sad). in all honesty my 92 saturn sedan was more comfortable and probaly STILL has more potential than my 200SX....
Yup, your right on the comfort thing. I absolutly hate my nissan for this very reason. It sucks to drive because my left knee gets screwed up from driving it. I wish they had designed the pedals and seat better than they did. Mybe this is a comfortable car for people that are 3 feet tall (I am 5 9 myself) but surly it is not comfortable for a normal sized person. As far as the overall picture on quality I don't think nissan put much effort into putting any pride into the base model lineup (sentra). Overall this car is okay as far as longevity (200K and up) but all the pieces and parts are so cheap. It is much more tempermental than most other cars in its class imo. For example (60K miles on this one) the shock/struts always make noise, the clutch sucks, especially the cable part of things. This cable is a prime example of how they cut corners on this car. There are many members on this forum that have "phantom" electrical problems. Anyways I have had rarely had to touch my other 2 cars and I usually have something to do on my shitbox sentra. My civic is a 96 with 120K on it. No noises or squeaks and only oil change and a timing belt to date. Better ride and comfort level. Hydraulic clutch. Better transmission, NO SYNCRO PROBLEMS. My 91 eclipse (hydraulic clutch too) also runs like a top 130K on her and only a thermostat, oil change, brake pad change and rotor resurface, and timing belt (sohc). No squeaks or rattles here. Talk about comfotable, this is the car! Stretch your legs out and enjoy the far better handeling as compared to the Breadtruck, err sentra. Talk about bodyroll.....
I guess imo the sentra is not the car for me but since i owe alot of money on it I'm stuck. Is it a bad car, NO. Is it a good car, NO. I will stick it out with her....
jer28-
you are so right with the knee comment....that makes you the 6th person to say the EXACT same thing about the seating...ie. knee strees and how it seems to have been designed for midgets from japan(nothing against midgets or japanese people...). No lie, all 5 people who have driven either my 200SX or my girl's sentra said about the same thing.
I also feel my clutch setup sucks ass too...not only is it HEAVY for a car with only 90hp, but the entire motion of it sucks ass and further complicates the seating/pedal arrangement. It is like you have to push the clutch heavily down first, then straight backwards, followed by a last grinding push in an upward motion towards the engine and firewall. What the hell?
more and more i think of it the more and more i hate my car which sucks becuase i just bought it a few months ago and it's great condition and mechanically it runs fine.
i think everyone should switch there seats to the se-r seats i thought they were very comfortable. I am also 5' 9 and i had no problem with my b13 or now with my s13. Also if you want a 200sx with more then 100whp find an se-r. they are pretty common have alot more go to.
i think everyone should switch there seats to the se-r seats i thought they were very comfortable. I am also 5' 9 and i had no problem with my b13 or now with my s13. Also if you want a 200sx with more then 100whp find an se-r. they are pretty common have alot more go to.
I'm actually working on reinforcing and modifying Mazda MX3 seats to fit the B14 Sentra. I have yet to get a seat in decent condition (I may not for another two weeks, thanks to finals ), but if I succeed I'll let you guys know.
I second on the SE-R seats my 1998 200sx comes with them stock no complaints. Im 5'10 and i dont find it that bad i mean the new Exploers suck ass. their seats are like sitting on rocks they are hard as hell and not that much leg room and thats an SUV, for the wallet thing it helps alot. lol. also the clutch thing u guys are getting way to picky for a Econobox car and if you drive the BMW Z4. 3.0 the clutch on those things are hard as hell to press in. oh and as for the comment on the 10 year old motor with no after market support where the hell have u been living under a rock? searh when mike had his 200sx N/A he dynoed by just putting on headers and exhaust 21whp thats pretty good if u ask me and showing more gains then the honda D16 engine u can tell u dont know what your talking about oh and civic seats are just as bad if not worse..... and i would take my 200sx over and soch civic.
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yes with the basic i/h/e pulleys a 1.6 can be close to a stock 2.0 or faster but the se-r handles better stock and has those kick ass wheels and seats. Plus like 2 million civics on road not nearly as many 200sx and even less se-r's. The clutch on my 89 volvo 240 was super stiff i think nissan clutches feel good if serviced right. there might be some fast saturns but all i have to say is dent resistant side panels i would take a 200sx se before that but an se-r would blow it out of the water with same mods at least i would think.
Last edited by zlr101 : Apr 26th, 2004 at 07:58 PM.
SE's have different seats don't they. I LOVE my SE-R. I don't mind the seating position at all. I am only 5' 7" too. My knee will get kinda sore in lots of stop and go traffic, and on the interstate i use the cruise, but i love it. I don't mind the harsh ride either.
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SE's have different seats don't they. I LOVE my SE-R. I don't mind the seating position at all. I am only 5' 7" too. My knee will get kinda sore in lots of stop and go traffic, and on the interstate i use the cruise, but i love it. I don't mind the harsh ride either.
The SE and SER seats are very similar. After doing a bit of research and trying a few things out myself I think I concluded that the stress on the left knee is a combination of the lack of thigh support, the slightly right-oriented pedal position, and the hard lump of padding they have behind the small of your back for "lumbar support". Let's face it though. Few of Nissan's mid-90's cars have great seats. They're all hard or weirdly shaped or cause fatigue in strange places.
sorry i am going to have to call bullshit on this one.....
lets see some *AVERAGE* dyno results of the GA16DE with I/H/E vs. a stock SR20.....i got $10 on the SR20 beating the 1.6 in all aspects(ideal powerband, peak HP, and peak TQ). Im not trying to be an asshole so if you can prove me wrong please do so and change my mind!!! Remember i drive a nissan too!!
But my main point is how uncomfortable it is to drive the car...which i have now found out is a widely shared opinion....
Bryan200SX-
i dont care what people say, i know my clutch is in good condition and adjusted properly(probally much better than allllllot of other 200SXs from what i have gathered on the forums) and it still sucks ass....in all honesty its not THAT stiff...i was just noting that it seemed a little hard for such a weak ass car...the true problem i have with the clutch is the lack of smoothness, and the FUCKED up motion it requires(down, back, & then upwards). I would not have this complaint except for that fact that other car models in the same price range as the 200SX have better clutch setups...
And i since i bought my 200SX i have been looking on forums and sites gathering information...that guy mike's results are NOT average.
ReVerm-
You say the seating/pedal placement problem is common in 90's model nissans....does the maxima(95-99) have this problem as well considering it is their flagship sedan??!?
ReVerm-
You say the seating/pedal placement problem is common in 90's model nissans....does the maxima(95-99) have this problem as well considering it is their flagship sedan??!?
The A32 Maxima's seating/control setup is a hell of a lot better than the less expensive cars, but when you compare it to say, a Mazda MX6 (a semiluxury sport coupe which competed in the same field before prices shot up), it's still not great. It's not that the seats are bad, it's just that when you compare it to some other OEM seats, they really don't stack up (especially not in the sport coupes).
those are some dynos a stock sr20de has about 115whp
the one ga16de has 102 or so with header and exhaust etc., thus very close. why dont you trade your se for an se-r if you want the power
the last site has tons of stuff for a ga
Last edited by zlr101 : Apr 27th, 2004 at 10:02 AM.
Ok so it's not fast enough? You knew the displacement right?
Does 1.6L sound fast?
No, it sounds light....
For power add TURBO, maybe NOS.
Throw the spare out....I did (AAA is great for weight savings)
If you do get more than 100 whp there goes the stock clutch (a gripe?, yes)
Brakes really suck (gripe #2)
Overall this car needs a hydraulic clutch or just a bigger one.....
My main gripe is the tranny bites too.....(gripe 3)
After a new clutch (ACT stg1street @60k mi) the stock tranny is starting to grind and pop into gear with 76k on the car.
I dunno if it's clutch but it's always shifted with a "catch" from 1st to 2nd
now it catches and wants to grind in all shifts.
As for the seats.... Use the headrest if you can, it helps neck strain.
Buy padded seat-covers (of course ones that look nice)
(fatty's need not apply for padded seat covers, loosing weight will help you fit any seat)
I like the SE-R seat change idea!!!!!
My main complaint is aesthetic though, The car looks like it's lifted with an air-bladder system. Way too much wheel-well gap, like 17" rims though.
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no need to rip on our little cars. EVERY car has its gripes. I agree, the seating on our cars beats the hell out of me (esp. w/ my knees, torn ACL's), but really, everything is good. my tranny isn't the smoothest (or shortest shifting for that matter) but it gets the job done. as for the power issue, well a few things:
1. its an economy car, with a very well built motor that will take care of you until the end of time (w/ a little TLC from you)
2. upgrade your motor, our cars weight about 2300lbs, so it doesn't take much more horsepower to get you rolling
3. our cars are a shit load torquier than most cars in its class, and it has a very consistant power band (rare on most cars anyway). our power band are quite broad for the displacement, and it pulls happily to redline. in city driving, the torque reserve on our cars is way more usable then...say that of a civic (not rippin on them, they are great economy cars)
4. if you really feel the need for speed, and you have the cash, then pop a turbo on it, because nissans are genuine boost monsters. again, can't do that with a civic (high compression engine with weaker blocks). While i love small displacement motors (i.e. RSX-S, Teg-R) with high outputs, but, unless you have CART, INDY, or F1 parts and engineers, then you have alot of limits. our engines respond VERY well to even moderate amounts of boost, and can handle lots of it. M3's (nother small displacement, high output motor) and RSX-S's can't handle lots of boost with major durability problems.
look, we all have our gripes and dislikes, but that doesn't mean that our cars suck. they are reliable, efficient, low maintence motors, that have cheap parts, and a number of performance parts.
all i'm asking is that you see the bigger picture
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