Tweaked Too
I read with interest Julian Edgar's article "Tweaking the Shift".
I too had an L4N71B auto that was lacking in responsiveness (ie poor shift pattern properties). I
modified the vacuum modulator rod as suggested and discovered there is an
adjustable modulator valve sold by Auto Pro in Sydney. I used both the new valve
and the lengthened rod as a means of adjusting my shift patterns. The result -
bloody wonderful. What a transformation! I thought such response was only
available with more modern boxes. It definitely went from slush to slick!
Mark Avramovic
Australia
BFMR BS
I am the co-founder of the New Zealand Ford Laser Club, an active forum
member at FordLaser.com and I am writing with regards to the AutoSpeed article
entitled "Buying Used - Mazda BFMR 323/Ford KE Laser 4WD Turbo".
There are a few discrepancies in the article that are based on some rather predominant myths
about these cars (in Australia, at least) that require a bit of clearing
up...
Firstly, the article mentions that the BFMR Familia and KE TX3 turbo 4WDs
were first released in late 1987. While this is correct, the first Familias and
Lasers of this body style were released in January 1985.
Contrary to your article, the Ford Laser was sold in Japan as the KC
model and later as the KE model, parallel to those sold in the Australian and NZ
market. However, although the Turbo 4WD was officially "released" in Oz and NZ
with the advent of the KE model in 1987, it was a whole different story in
Japan. Over there, the KC model was available in Turbo 4WD from October 1985
onwards, and were in fact produced on the very same production line as the
Familias. Only a total of 965 were ever made - I own one of these rare cars and
know several other people in New Zealand who do as well. While they are
relatively easy to find in NZ with a bit of searching, they are very rare in
Australia with only one or two making their way there as "grey imports".
So therefore your article does tell the truth, but only half the
story!
Japanese market Lasers/Familias with the B6T turbo engine received slightly
more power than their Oz/NZ counterparts, with 110kW of power and 195Nm of
torque running on 100 octane fuel.
The quad headlight front was standard only on the KE TX3s assembled in
Australia. None of the Japanese market ones, nor the KC model, ever received
these lights, and this (among other things) is one of the best ways of
determining which market the car was originally destined for.
If your readers wish to seek further information and/or discussion about
these cars, they are invited to browse the following Australian/NZ Ford Laser
& Mazda Familia forums:
http://www.fordlaser.com/forum
http://tx3.hashbro.com/phpbb/
And my personal site: http://lasertx3.orcon.net.nz
Edward "Orion" Wong
Co-Founder, Ford Laser Club of New Zealand (TX3 NZ)
New Zealand
Damn Drone!
I urgently need some advice on exhaust sizes. I drive a '95 S14 200SX with
CAI and a boost increase of 0.3 Bar. I recently fitted a 3" SS free-flow exhaust
system in the following configuration - two small straight-through mufflers and
one large rear muffler with a very mild "S" type kink inside. I have no cat
fitted in the system. The performance increase was amazing, but I can't take the
drone of the exhaust - especially at low rpm for everyday driving. I would like
to keep the system for later race days, so I thought of replacing the pipe
leading to the rear muffler, (just after the second small muffler) with a 57mm
pipe leading to a large rear muffler, splitting inside the box to give twin 48mm
outlets. Would you recommend this as an effective way to decrease the noise
levels? I don't have the cash to replace the entire system again, so I would
just like to replace the rear muffler and the pipe leading to it with something
different for daily driving. Please help - I'm really desperate on this
one!
Gordon Pieterse
South Africa
This is a scenario that sometimes is unavoidable and there's no easy answer.
We'd try adding a cat converter and/or maybe a VariFlow technology exhaust
butterfly as featured in AutoSpeed. Variations in pipe diameter - as you've
mentioned - can also help. Trial and error is the only way you'll fix it.
Accord On Its Way?
I find your new car reviews a very valuable resource for information. I find
them unbiased and it helps me make a determination on what vehicle is worth the
money. I have tried to locate a review on the new Honda Accord
Euro. Are you in the process of doing such a review?
Benjamin Salvemini
Australia
Glad to be of help. And, yes, we have a couple of Accord Euro tests coming up -
stay tuned!
Soarer Seeker
I'm currently looking around for a new car and I've been focusing mainly on a
Toyota Soarer twin-turbo. I have read all your reviews already on them, but was
wondering if there's anything I should look out for before handing over my
precious dollars. One car that I am thinking about is a '91 Soarer 2.5-litre TT
6-cyl - is there anything specific to this model?
Todd
Australia
We have heard that the 1JZ turbochargers aren't particularly durable and
often require a rebuild. Aside from that, the digital dash can give troubles and
that's about it. A great car for the money! Check out "Toyota Soarer Twin-Turbo" if you haven't already.
Worthwhile to Insure?
I have enjoyed the articles you have been writing on the Nissan Maxima you
own. I am considering buying an older import myself now that there are so many
cheap 15-year-old imports available. One thing I was unsure about, though, was
whether to insure it. Do you insure the Nissan Maxima or is it too expensive for
a car that was so cheap to buy?
Alex
Australia
Apart from the mandatory insurance cover you get with your rego fees, the
AutoSpeed Maxima has only third party property insurance. Comprehensive
insurance premiums on cheap cars often don't make a lot of financial sense. We can't stress enough the importance of third party
property insurance though.
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