Moridin

I've heard Quartz is not porous like granite. If it looks nice and is functional, it should raise the value of the home.

I think they're laying down in the 430 to 440 RWHP range. LG Motorsports with their longtubes and simple removal of a short piece of 2.5" piping to fit in some 3" put down close to 475RWHP. I don't think 500 is out of the the range for these cars. Can't wait until I get out of school and can afford a crate motor

Are they winter/ice tires?

I didn't know the new Acer Ferrari's had the weave on the screen. All I can say to that is "Mine's lighter!!!" I was thinking of getting a new IBM T or X series. The X series Table PC is very enticing, but I really liked the Sony. Can't go wrong with the titanium/magnesium case of the IBMs or the metal hinges for the screen.

I've always said that when I get done with school, and get a house, that I won't have a golden throne, but a carbon one.

I think not. Check out my new tuning/school tool: Carbon fiber chassis weighing 2.76lbs, 4mm thick 11.1" screen, 4 to 7.5 hrs of battery life, and a host of other options.

Its not just power to weight ratio, but torque, area under the curve, gearing, tires, etc...to see whose car is faster. I've seen a 500RWHP Cobra get the jump on a 650RWHP big turbo Supra (didn't brake boost) for at least 2 gears before the Supra finally caught up. The Supra is about 100 lbs lighter if I recall.

They have new, revised heads out (yet again and at least for the 4 valve Cobra) that uses 9 to 11 threads of engagement on the spark plug rather than 4 from the last one. This is also helping to cure overly high EGTs, and keeping the ground strap on the spark plugs cool to prevent pinging.

I would not say they are junk what-so-ever. That little 4.6 (not so little in physical size) makes 500RWHP in my parent's Cobra without ever touching anything below the intake manifold. Can do even better with a more efficient blower (i.e. twin screw). The one problem that you are going to find with the modular motors is the actual size. A 4 cam 4.6L is going to be hard to fit, let alone the 5.4L with its taller deck size. You may want to look at the 3 valve 4.6L in the new Mustang GTs. Build the block and stick an intercooled twin screw supercharger on for ~500WHP. If you can somehow get all the electronics in the Z, I would use the stock ECU with the Pro Racer Package from SCT. They work extremely well once dialed in.

Do I hear Supra anyone??? Just messin' with yah.

From what I've read, the 99-01? (not sure) Integra Type Rs are one of the most fun to drive FWDs. Decent power and a well sorted chassis is what I've read about them almost everywhere. I believe I remember reading that they do exceedingly well on an autox course.

I know the Cobras have them for sure, but some Tbirds and IRS Explorers may have a LSD too. Just be careful, because the 8.8's run very hot on road courses and you will lose the effectiveness of a clutch type LSD when that happens. If you want the good stuff, go with the 03/04 Cobra and upgrading to a helical style LSD (Torsen T2, T2R, or Detroit Locker True Trac) with a diff cooler. You'd be suprised how cheap you can get stuff from a guy that wants to put a solid axle in his IRS equipped Mustang. The 03/04 Cobra has bigger half-shafts and 31 spline axles as opposed to the 28 spline (maybe 29) of the older ones.

And how complicated was the install?

So the hub to hub width is 4" wider than the measured track, correct?

IRS or solid axle?

My question is are they talking about the IRS or solid axle 8.8?

I'm going to be a lot more intimate with the 8.8 when the subframe comes down on the parent's 03 Cobra. I'm doing all the bushings (poly subframe and aluminum diff), having a Torsen T2R put in, drilling and tapping holes for a pump and cooler, putting on the cover brace, and doing new half-shafts. After seeing what is being done with the RX7, it got me thinking. Why not a Z car? What are the housings for the R200/R230s made out of? Cast iron or aluminum? If its cast iron, the aluminum housing of the 8.8 should be quite a bit lighter. May be able to have your cake and eat it too, and maybe without the complications of the C4 rear end. On the other hand, the conversion could be worse. I guess thats why I want to open this discussion a bit more. Just to see how bad it may be. Any idea how wide a 3rd gen RX7 is compared to a 240Z?

I was browsing through the RX7club.com forums the other night while looking at the LSx swaps. Apparently, a guy there created a craddle to mount an 03/04 Cobra IRS 8.8" and half-shafts to the RX7 suspension and chassis. My point is, has anyone else looked at this as a viable swap compared to the R230. I'm not sure about the case design for the R230, but I know the 8.8" housing is aluminum and insides are pretty tough. Good 300M axles can be custom made through The Driveshaft Shop. There are a few diff cover braces on the market that keep the housing from flexing and making it quite durable. Torsen also offers a very nice T2R LSD similar to a Quaiffe. Detroit Locker may offer something very similar too. I just haven't looked into it. Anyone have any comments or ideas?