Mad Mechanic

Now this is new, I've never heard anything bad said of the Borg/Warner T-5 transmission. Since torque seems to be the primary factor mentioned here, what should I be looking to do to an engine to maximize torque output and lower the revs at highway cruising speed (besides the aforementioned 5-speed transmission swap). I see some mention of rear end ratios, so lets investigate that for a moment. The 240Z came with an R180 rear end (as far as I know), and it would seem like most people swap this for a later R200. Is there a rear end gear ratio I should be looking for if I perform the same R200 swap? Or is there another rear end I could be looking for instead? I agree, that might be interesting, and it would mean keeping a 240Z a 2.4 liter car. However, I should think I would have to fiddle with the compression ratio of the engine to make this happen for an economy car, right?

Ok, so stick with the L28E or a L28ET. Thanks for the tip! Any real suggestions on the transmission to use? I had been planning on grabbing the Borg-Warner 5-speed from a later 280ZX (or something equivalent) but if there is a better option I'd like the hear it.

Ok, I know these have been beaten to death...I've seen them on these forums before, but so far I have not found the answers that I am looking for. I'm in the planning stages of an "economy" Z build. My plan is to take a 240Z and install either a L24E or L28E into it along with a 5-speed transmission and tune the ECU. So, I have heard of people managing to get 28-30 mpg highway out of L28E's, and this is appealing to me; however, I have not heard much in the way of using an L24E from a 810/Maxima. My final goal is to create a car capable of 28-30 highway cruising mpg but with the ability to get-up-and-go if necessary (this would probably be accomplished with a good ECU map). But first I want to compile as much information as I can on these two engines and which one would be the preferred engine to use for a build such as this. Useful information would include the approximate weight of both engines (I found the weight of the L28 engine on this forum already), which engine has more parts readily available, and which engine is better suited to provide the performance that I have outlined. Thanks guys, and please no flame wars. -MadMechanic

This vid is great, it's amazing what can happen when you read the manual for the car and learn that there is more then 1 way to stop a car. The Prius can be stopped in all the ways he mentioned plus if you hold the gas pedal and brake pedal down at the same time it will shut down the car and stop it.