<VV> Re: 140 Vs 180

[vairologist@juno.com]

Bruce Wrote
> Bob,
> I just have to disagree with you on this. I've never owned a turbo 
> and  wouldn't want a stock one. I've driven some and had friends that
had 
> them. I just don't care for a turbo. In stock form they have poor 
> throttle response. They take forever to make any power. You 
> generally  have to be in third gear before they get up some boost and
start to 
>  run. If you modify them so they perform well, you have to be careful 
> or  you'll have so much detonation you'll destroy them. Certainly a 
> properly built turbo can be a blast on the street, but the stock 
> ones  I've driven about put me to sleep.
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Smitty says:  Got too many apples in your orange sack Bruce.  Knowing
your bent toward performance I can see how you would feel the way you do.
 I think the issue is which engine is most pleasant to live with in a
stock configuration.  As you say, once everything is correct the 140 is
relatively trouble free.  Same can be said for turbos.  The nasty little
accel pump on a turbo is a problem but by the time it fails I will bet
that the 140 owner will be back to messing with his linkage again. 
Otherwise the turbo is perfectly happy torquing along at 800 rpm in high
and still has can provide lots of fun when required.  
        Are you driving a stock 140?  I doubt it.  Because of that I
figure it is OK to compare non-stock to non-stock.  It really isn't that
hard to improve performance with a turbo.  You don't have to get inside
and mill chambers or relieve ports or anything else.  I have a stock
Spyder I drove as a work car for years and years.  I'm leaving it alone. 
I love it the way it is.  My performance car starts boost at 2000 in low
and almost doesn't quit on the 1-2 shift.  It is gated at 5 psi on the
street only because I am insane when challenged by a Ricer and wouldn't
have enough sense to back out of it with poor fuel aboard.  I do not run
the Safeguard on the street.  I promise you that with only 5 psi it will
perform with a 140.  Comes track time, the spring on the gate gets
changed, the Safeguard goes in and we shall see what we shall see.