American Muscle VS Ricers/Imports/Tuners

[OxyGenz]

what was interior in your impala made out of? aluminum? also, metal rusts, plastic does not.

[weasel497]

Definitely, Civics and the such should not be brought up here. I consider a "Tuner" anything that cost more than 30k. I drive an s2000.

[Azmaveth]

Owned both, and I've gotta' go with imported. They're 100x more reliable.

[adamk128]

Imports all the way. I have a infiniti g35. My rental 2011 toyota camry 4 banger kept up with a 08 4.0 liter v6 mustang. double the displacement, more gas, and still puts out enough to barely pass a camry.. come on..
g35s, m35's, the new 370z and g37x is what I like. look nissan gtr, 90k car, can beat a lambo and ferrari, except enzo. and that's a 3.8l v6. Sti's too, for the price plus awd. American cars just know how to shit the bed, and it's pointless having so much power in a rwd car, you're not gonna get grip....

[benny_boy_18]

"American" cars are fast, but historically they can ONLY go in a straight line. Ford, and even GM to an extent, is getting better though.

[benny_boy_18]

The BMW M3 RWD Coupe is the way to go though.

[mrmckeehan]

american muscle all the way. drive an 01 chevy camaro z28 and had a 00 z28 before this one. once you drive one, there is no going back to imports.

my outlook on imports vs muscle is why get an import and dump a load of cash into it to make it fast when you can easily get muscle and have the power ya want.

[jparmeley91]

Imports all the way. I have a infiniti g35.

Infiniti G35's are pretty soulless to be honest. It was disappointing after driving one.

I will say the Nissan GTR is a great feat but Nissan developed that car for a long time.

If I had to buy any brand new sports car it would be the 2012 Mustang 302 Boss edition. The new Coyote 5.0 is a culmination of the different technology Ford has produced throughout the past 20 years. I expect that engine to be a corner stone for all of Ford's new performance cars.

I'm a Ford guy btw

I respect a clean K20 hatch just as much as WS6.
The Rx-7 is an awesome car though, great ride, so nimble.

Overall I prefer domestic but I have a soft spot for Audi's.

namely the B5 S4 bi-turbo.

[Camaro_91_00]

Of course it doesn't. But look at the facts. Most powerful 4 cylinder to be put in a production car. If the American cars were built like the Japanese, I would expect to see your Camaro with about 600hp naturally aspirated, and redline set somewhere around 8000rpm.. STOCK. But that's comparing apples to apples. The fact of the matter is, that MOST American cars just aren't engineered to the degree that the imports are. Sure the LS and LT motors are fast in a straight line, but how big is that motor? Too big for such little HP it puts out. And throw some curves in the way, and it's game over.

True, the motor is big. And sure, the cars come heavy stock. But when you get to the bottom of it, weight reduction in those cars really isn't hard at all. You can easily get one down to less then 3000 pounds is you just take the time. Sure, four cylinders were built to last, but people needs to realize that once you start throwing power at it, it loses it's reliability. I can't count how many four-cylinders blow up 15,000 miles later because a car with only four cylinders just could not hold the power that you threw at it. The LS1 with a stock bottom end can stand 1200 horses EASILY. And that is on a N/A aluminum block. That definitely deserves the respect. Also, there was a test to see which motor was the best for power, and the LS series motor was proven the motor to produce the most power for the least amount of money. I see to many people pay tens of thousands of dollars for a 600-horse 4-cylinder, when I could slap a procharger and stupid little bolt-ons on my camaro and still be walking away. Japanese cars were made for reliability and fuel efficiency, they were not build to compete with the power of a motor twice it's size. May I also remind you that American Muscle started all of this in America? Our muscle cars are the grandfathers of the American racing craze... can we not pay them a little respect? And as far as turning and handling.... I slap a stiff suspension and decent tires on my camaro, and I can get her to drift like any little Japanese car. (Plus, Camaros are damn near impossible to roll).

[aaron_n]

first off, the title is offending.
"ricers" tuners and imports are not the same thing.
ricers can be anything, a cavalier, sunfire, a civic that has tasteless/cheesy modifications (ugly body kits, excessive LED's, park bench wings anything from a walmart automotive section, pepboys etc) and appears fast but isn't, also known as all show and no go. rice can also be called 'rice inspired cosmetic enhancements" or in my books, simply retarded. know the difference.
tuner and import, well self explanatory.
i drive a honda. that doesn't mean i don't like mustangs or camaros and stuff, the way i look at it. you drive it, you love it regardless
in regards to what ones faster? it boils down to who can dump more money into their car.
anyways, i drive a 1990 CRX Si with a b16a1 that i had restored to stock USDM Si-spec with the exception of JDM CRX decals and stuff, few jdm interior goodys and a jdmsh!t/password jdm (forget where its from) front lip. just finished it,
now i have a 1991 dodge stealth i'm looking to boost and convert to awd.

[n2o_junkie]

It depends entirely on what you want to do with your car.

/thread

[slicklegend]

It depends on your tastes, I have driven both and I have grown to love Japanese cars, I despise the civics and their detrimental presence to Japanese cars, and personally enjoy luxury sedans. I enjoy cars that are especially nimble, and let's face it, America has taken some time to make suspensions that give good feedback to the driver. Though the roles have reversed in favor of the American car companies and for the most part they have been putting out good cars, and Japan has been stagnant. I enjoy older Japanese cars from the 90s, and I also enjoy older American cars from that era as I am no fan of GMs computer onboard diagnostic system, simply problematic and overly sensitive in my experience. My experience with Ford is little, although my recent rental of a 2011 Ford Taurus has blew my mind.

Like has been stated it depends on what you like, "imports" can be made fast with engine swaps and forced induction and American cars can be made nimble through suspension work.

[NothingImportant]

I prefer American muscle, I'm currently building a 1972 Chevy Chevelle with a 1970 Chevelle front end with a 454 with a 4 speed behind it. It's gonna be my first car, yes I know it is an impractical first car. The reason I prefer American muscle though is because I have been raised around them, Rat Rods, and big trucks my whole life but I can appreciate the handling and top end speed of a proper built ricer but to me it can't beat the torque, sound, and to me drivability of american muscle with a manual but it is completely preference but I have respect for both of them.

[mos_def]

The BMW M3 RWD Coupe is the way to go though.

[Wugamonter]

Hi everyone i am also new here. Looking for a great time here.

[psychiatric-patrick]

Imports all the way...
just my 2psi

[SurferSteed]

id hav to say i go both ways but only if the car is done right with the import or tuner cars ricers i jst cant stand ricers. but american muscle can not be beat if it is built correctly.

[Specter96]

The era of American Muscle is dead and ironically the American "Hot-Rod" spirit is mostly in the import scene.

[BAN-ONE]

I have a 78 Trans Am with a 455 bigblock.......i guarantee itll outrun any ricer. The windows rattle when it idles and it leaves black marks just by shifting from park.

[MikeTheLoverBoy]

I'll take a 4cyl over a muscle car any day. The ability for modification is remarkable. Lighter weight, just as much HP. I have a 98 Eclipse GSX pushing 620awhp on 40lbs of boost. It will run the 1/4 in low 8's. Bought the car for $2000 and I have about $12,000 all together now. So for $14,000 I can beat almost any american muscle car.