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Full Version: Why Doesn't Any Company Make A Header For The 5SFE
6G Celicas Forums > 6th Generation Celica > Engine/Transmission/Maintenance
CyberCT
I have been browsing this forum for quite some time and have noticed that NO COMPANY make a header for the 2.2l 5sfe. SSAutochrome was about to but then people backed out (and yes, I have seen claims of their poor quality with some products. Fortunately this header wasn't bad. There was one or two instances where they did crack or break though in the MR2 community, and that's about it).

I had three MK II MR2s with the 5sfe. I also had the SSAC header on one of them. Let me tell you the performance improvement was noticable right away. It was almost like night and day. More pull and it ran quicker through the gears.

When I had to put the stock exhaust manifold back on for inspection, the car ran much slower, easily noticable.

Now, the NA MR2 weighs in at @ 2650 lbs. The 94-99 Celica GT hardtop weighs in at @ 2450 lbs, correct? A good header would probably make it quicker in a line than the MR2, which felt good in a line.

Is there atleast a header in the works from a reputable aftermarket company?


I'm probably going to be buying a 6th gen celica in the near future as my new daily driver. Is there any place where I can see the yearly updates they did to the celica to fix problems from the previous year? Like for example, in 93, the MR2 fixed some electrical problems or quirks, and upgraded the suspension and other things. Is there a list like this for the 6th gen celicas?
Digndoug
its not really worth it.. its a very low end design engine.. I think the only mod worth doing would be a turbo and to run it under 7psi.
CyberCT
But the 1.8l ST engine would be better, considering there is a header available for it? I'm not looking for a street king. Just some extra punch, like what I got with my MR2. I've experienced the potential and I like it.
Galcobar
If you'd been browsing you'd know the 5SFE header is available from Hotshot and Genie -- or you could use a 4-2-1 from a 3SGE.
MonsterBOX
r u sure the mr2 is heavier than a gt celica? that doesnt sound right maybe though
Galcobar
Sounds odd to me as well...two-seater versus four?
CyberCT
94-99 Celica GT 2 Door Hatchback: 2415lbs
http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/Used/re...carreviewspecs/

91-95 MR2 Nonturbo: 2657lbs
http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/Used/re...carreviewspecs/


91-95 MR2 Turbo Curb weight is over 2800 lbs. More info can be found on the MR2OC Message board, and the MR2's weight is verified there.
http://www.mr2oc.com/showthread.php?t=1015...ght=curb+weight


Now, about the header. I can only find a header for the 90-93 Celica GT 5SFE, and for the 94-99 ST. Neither Hotshot nor Genie make a header for 94-99 Celica GTs according to their websites. Can I used a header from the previous generation Celica GT? Will it bolt right on? I don't want to get into fabing one up, just a direct bolt on like the SSAC Header on my 91 MR2 NA. Same with a good cold air intake by a performance company, which also can't be found. I saw the do-it-yourself CAI on this site for the Celica GT, but I don't want to cut my fuse box or anything like that. Another direct bolt on.
Kwanza26
The Celica GTs weigh around 2600 pounds depending on options and such. Only the Celica ST coupe weighs less than 2500 pounds. A bare bones hardtop MR2 (mine) weighs a little bit over 2600 pounds, T-tops and sunroof ones are even heavier. They're about the same. The reason the MR2 is heavy, front and rear firewalls, reinforced front and rear chassis... Oh... the Celica GT is not as quick as an n/a MR2...

As for modifications, IMO, the 7AFE in the Celica ST is a better platform for n/a modification. The problem with the 5SFE is the way it was deisgned to make torque. The piston dwell and such is very poor for making top-end power, so adding on a header isn't gonna make a big difference. The 7AFE on the other hand can hold its own modified. Oh... and there's no reason the MR2 5SFE header won't work on the Celica. I'd imagine only some minor modifications are needed for it to work.
Galcobar
The Genie and Hotshot headers are not exact bolt-ons for the sixth-gen Celicas, that's true. However, the grand total work on them requires a custom front pipe (on the Genie) or mid-pipe (on the Hotshot) to mate them perfectly. It's a matter of millimetres.

As for the CAI, you only have to cut the fuse box if you put on a large intake. A two-inch diametre intake will fit without having to cut or relocate anything.
CyberCT
Wait, so a 7AFE puts out more power and tq with a header and CAI than a 5SFE with stock exhaust manifold and airbox? If this is so, I might go that route. But I want leather interior and it looks like only the GTs have that. confused.gif
Bigmeanbulldog55
QUOTE(CyberCT @ Jun 13, 2005 - 9:22 AM)
Wait, so a 7AFE puts out more power and tq with a header and CAI than a 5SFE with stock exhaust manifold and airbox?  If this is so, I might go that route.  But I want leather interior and it looks like only the GTs have that.  confused.gif
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No. 7a is a better platform because it has more parts avalible. It is not a better engine. They are the same quality, it's just that the 7a was put in corrola's and prizums, so there's more cars with them, and more parts for them. If you want to have fun, go with a 4age swap into a gt or st. They seem to be cheaper, and probably easier to find than a 3s. But neither celica has any power or potential with the stock motors.
Kwanza26
QUOTE(CyberCT @ Jun 13, 2005 - 1:22 PM)
Wait, so a 7AFE puts out more power and tq with a header and CAI than a 5SFE with stock exhaust manifold and airbox?  If this is so, I might go that route.  But I want leather interior and it looks like only the GTs have that.  confused.gif
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I didn't say that... I said the 7AFE has better potential for n/a horsepower, while the 5SFE has better potential for more torque. Considering most modifications make more horsepower than torque (n/a mods), the 7AFE has a step up on the 5SFE. In boosted form, nothing will beat displacement... but in n/a trim, an engine's stroke ratio (most affected by displacement) is gonna take the cake.
CyberCT
I don't want to do any internal mods, only bolt on with CAI and Header. No turbo, no engine work, nothing more. That's why I looked at the 5SFE like with my MR2. The stock exhaust manifold is very restrictive and what a difference an aftermarket header made, with a CAI.

There's quite a bit available for the Integra GSR and I might do that instead. Or I could keep my bland daily driver and wait for a 93+ turbo or NA MR2 to become available in my area that is in good condition.

With a header and CAI, are there any dynos for the 7AFE and what it puts out.

darksecret
One of the main causes for the high torque rating is because the 5SFE has some pretty long intake runners, which in turn increase torque numbers, the restrictive head and long IR make for higher torque with lower horsepower, it's been proven time and again. If you could modify the current runners you would lower torque but increase the horsepower potential, or you could rebuild the motor with forged pistons and rods, give the head some mean work, get some high profile cams and boost it, you'll have a beast, but of course $$$. I have realized that the head is the most restrictive part of the entire engine and it's actually pretty beefy to be aluminum. The main reason nobody builds parts for the Celica is because it is a fairly rare car compared to a 240SX and Civic (not to mention when the car was popular the import scene was still small and most americans couldn't tell you what a WRC is), the 5SFE may not have a lot of potential as is, but it really isn't much to make it a beast, if we could get the aftermarket on our side. Also cars like the Corolla and Prizm, 5SFE had the Camry and MR2, I don't think that was the reason.
Kwanza26
QUOTE(darksecret @ Jun 13, 2005 - 3:56 PM)
One of the main causes for the high torque rating is because the 5SFE has some pretty long intake runners, which in turn increase torque numbers, the restrictive head and long IR make for higher torque with lower horsepower, it's been proven time and again. If you could modify the current runners you would lower torque but increase the horsepower potential, or you could rebuild the motor with forged pistons and rods, give the head some mean work, get some high profile cams and boost it, you'll have a beast, but of course $$$. I have realized that the head is the most restrictive part of the entire engine and it's actually pretty beefy to be aluminum. The main reason nobody builds parts for the Celica is because it  is a fairly rare car compared to a 240SX and Civic (not to mention when the car was popular the import scene was still small and most americans couldn't tell you what a WRC is), the 5SFE may not have a lot of potential as is, but it really isn't much to make it a beast, if we could get the aftermarket on our side. Also cars like the Corolla and Prizm, 5SFE had the Camry and MR2, I don't think that was the reason.
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That is a reason... but that's not THE reason. The problem with the 5SFE making n/a power is the bottom-end. The rods are relatively short, considering it has a full 5mm taller stroke than the 3S, yet the rods' lengths are only about a mm difference (5S vs 3S)... High horsepower, small displacment engines typically have fairly long rods, keeping a good rod/stroke ratio and maintaining good piston dwell time, allowing better combustion, longer compression, and allows for faster revolutions with less internal stress (less piston movement). The 5SFE, with shorter rods, has less piston dwell, but allows for better intake and exhaust velocity at mild speeds... basically it can take larger gulps because the piston has to move more. No matter what you do to the head, the cams, the intake set-up, etc... the basic stroke design is gonna limit the way the engine makes torque. This is the MAJOR reason why I don't think an n/a 5SGE build is a very bright idea (refer to older posts). Little things such as intakes, headers, exhausts... increase efficiency only on a very small scale and are small-time mods for an n/a motor.

You gotta understand the basics of how one part of the engine affects the other if you really want to make n/a power. Even with headwork, bolt-ons, cams, the basic stuff just to open up the engine's potential, you gotta understand that the engine's geometry greatly affects how much potential power can be made. That's why you don't see a lot of n/a mods for the bigger 4 bangers, especially if they're not as popular. If you want bolt-on power... go turbo.

Check out Jim Snodgrass's (http://www.jimsnodgrass.com/dyno.htm) page to see what he did to his 5SFE and then see how much power he actually made. He has the highest whp out of all the n/a 5SFE's I've seen, but even then his powerband looks exactly the same as it did before. Goes to show it's not easy to change an engine's characteristics with bolt-on mods.
darksecret
Yeah I know how the ratios work, but last time I checked most large displacement engines were oversquare which means nothing, it's actually better for street use, undersquare revs higher due to the added stability of the longer rods and rod travel, but don't rule undersquare engines out, I remember when I first came to this forum and you told me I came to this looking like a domestic guy, well when you have half a friggin V8 sitting under your hood yeah it's easy to look at it that way. Unfortunatly that half is a crappy half, but you must remember that the block is very strong the crank is strong, and the head is beefy leaving plenty of room for upgrading, it actually doesn't help this car by having DOHC but who'll complain. In most cars you'll run into the domino effect you upgrade this and break that and that is one problem the 5SFE does face, weak internals and valvetrain. If everyone stop trying to make this motor hit 12,000 rpm and take it for what it is we might see a few better mods, oversquare engines never do well with long runners and the 5SFE is nearly 10 inches where the 7A is what 6".
CyberCT
Ah yes but this is missing the whole point. BOLT ONs. A header and intake made a significant difference on my MR2. The MR2 is more rare than the 6th gen celica, so that's not the reason.


NO internal engine work, NO turbo, NO completely changing around the engine bay and many of it's parts. Just a header and intake. Plain and simple. I think the confusion here is everyone thinks "street beast" when modding. I just want a boost in power.

Nevertheless, I guess I'll just wait for a nice MR2 or GSR to show up around my area and buy that instead.
darksecret
A little boost, like seat of the pants boost? You're kind of SOL like I said out of the box the 5SFE sucks, when you start changing the dynamics of the motor is when it runs like it's suppose to. You confused me with that MR2 is more rare thing, I know it is, well the newer ones are anyways, but people don't look at the MR2 as being weak thanks to the turbo version surviving a little longer, if the same happened to the Celica it would have a few more parts also.
Kwanza26
QUOTE(darksecret @ Jun 13, 2005 - 11:36 PM)
Yeah I know how the ratios work, but last time I checked most large displacement engines were oversquare which means nothing, it's actually better for street use, undersquare revs higher due to the added stability of the longer rods and rod travel, but don't rule undersquare engines out, I remember when I first came to this forum and you told me I came to this looking like a domestic guy, well when you have half a friggin V8 sitting under your hood yeah it's easy to look at it that way. Unfortunatly that half is a crappy half, but you must remember that the block is very strong the crank is strong, and the head is beefy leaving plenty of room for upgrading, it actually doesn't help this car by having DOHC but who'll complain. In most cars you'll run into the domino effect you upgrade this and break that and that is one problem the 5SFE does face, weak internals and valvetrain. If everyone stop trying to make this motor hit 12,000 rpm and take it for what it is we might see a few better mods, oversquare engines never do well with long runners and the 5SFE is nearly 10 inches where the 7A is what 6".
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If that's your response... you missed the WHOLE point of my explaining rod/stroke ratios and piston dwell. Let me make it easy for you... the 5SFE is not a horsepower engine and even with headwork, cams, intake manifold, etc... That's just the way the engine is, regardless of mods, short of changing the rod/stroke ratio. It's a torque engine... but even in that trim, you can't squeeze additional torque out of the motor without opening it up, or adding forced induction. Notice I only mention small displacement engines (4 bangers more-or-less)? Look at ALL of the 5SFE dynos and just about every single time, the 5SFE makes much more torque than horsepower. You can go on about undersquared motors are more user friendly, which I agree... but this isn't the daily driver forum. This is engine performance... which means to squeeze power. When it comes to squeezing horsepower, the 7AFE has a better rod/stroke ratio for making n/a power.

As for undersquared motors... stroker motor. Nuff said. Like I said before... don't talk torque unless you're gonna have a sh!t load of it. 150 ft lbs or before 4500 rpms is nothing. 300-500 ft lbs... that's a bit better... but not out of an n/a "small displacement engine"...

Seriously now... if you want more power out of the 5SFE... turbo charge it. It's not gonna make great power with bolt-ons... unlike the 7AFE, which still has a chance.
Kwanza26
QUOTE(CyberCT @ Jun 13, 2005 - 11:57 PM)
Ah yes but this is missing the whole point.  BOLT ONs.  A header and intake made a significant difference on my MR2.  The MR2 is more rare than the 6th gen celica, so that's not the reason.

NO internal engine work, NO turbo, NO completely changing around the engine bay and many of it's parts.  Just a header and intake.  Plain and simple.  I think the confusion here is everyone thinks "street beast" when modding.  I just want a boost in power.

Nevertheless, I guess I'll just wait for a nice MR2 or GSR to show up around my area and buy that instead.
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So do you just want a header, or do you want a car that you think is gonna be faster than an MR2 with the same engine? If you just want a header... buy an MR2 one and have an exhaust shop modify it to fit. If you want to be able to hang with 5SFE MR2's... well... you're not gonna. The MR2 is a bit quicker. My MR2 can throw down high 15 second 1/4 mile runs (stock) while the best I've seen out of lightly modded Celica GT's is low 16's...

Also... I don't think any of the Celica folks, aside from relative newbies, think "street beast". You're thinking a header is gonna make a whole lot of difference... we're just telling you it's not, and explaining why it's not... and then letting you know what WILL make a difference.
darksecret
You talk like the 5SFE is a diesel, it's stroke is smaller but it is still a good motor, like I said the IR is almost always overlooked in engine building and can make a difference if it was chaged, but that would be changing the way the motor sits under the hood, either way torque is a good thing and even though Honda's are everything horsepower, a car can have a lot of horsepower and make very little torque and yes it still runs good but you have to ride at 7,000 rpm to get anywhere, without torque horsepower is useless, i'm not going to get into a horsepower vs. torque, every car mag on the planet has explained it, neither are better than one another but if you want a quick street cruiser increse the torque, if you want a race car that can run high rpms all day go for horsepower. I do agree with Kwanza on the get an MR2 thing, basic bolt ons won't help because the head is to restrictive to make good use of them, that explains that dabble I went into earlier about cams and stuff.
Kwanza26
QUOTE(darksecret @ Jun 14, 2005 - 12:58 AM)
You talk like the 5SFE is a diesel, it's stroke is smaller but it is still a good motor, like I said the IR is almost always overlooked in engine building and can make a difference if it was chaged, but that would be changing the way the motor sits under the hood, either way torque is a good thing and even though Honda's are everything horsepower, a car can have a lot of horsepower and make very little torque and yes it still runs good but you have to ride at 7,000 rpm to get anywhere, without torque horsepower is useless, i'm not going to get into a horsepower vs. torque, every car mag on the planet has explained it, neither are better than one another but if you want a quick street cruiser increse the torque, if you want a race car that can run high rpms all day go for horsepower. I do agree with Kwanza on the get an MR2 thing, basic bolt ons won't help because the head is to restrictive to make good use of them, that explains that dabble I went into earlier about cams and stuff.
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Again... if that's all you're getting from me trying to explain in layman's terms... you're out of luck. Horsepower and torque are the same thing BTW... only expressed in different ways. Funny that you're trying to argue about horsepower and torque and can't even get that. You can talk about torque all you want... but NO ONE races at 4000 rpms... unless of course that is the redline.

Like I said before... go drive your car, shift it at 4500 rpms (torque peak)... then shift it at 5200-5800 rpms (power peak). It's EASY to tell which accelerates the car harder.
darksecret
Not all cars are Hondas, the Celica tops out way before it's redline (I shift at 5,000 rpm) with ok numbers, having a lower rpm means less stress on the engine which in turn makes a better street car, an S2000 in not a street car it's a motorcycle with 4 wheels. Do you want me to explain the definition of ft.lbs., lbs. ft. and horsepower because if you think they are the same your wrong. You're thinking ft. lbs. (as in 1 hp=550ft. lbs.) which translates crankshaft force into horsepower, i'm talking lbs. ft. if we use the way you describe it my motor is making about 88,000ft. lbs. at the crank, nobody goes under the peak horsepower because when you shift you drop below the peak torque range, but if there is only a thousand rpm difference between peak horsepower and peak torque you'll want to shift at peak horsepower so that you'll be at peak torque in the next gear, lbs. ft. is the driving force making the car go faster horsepower is what helps maintain that speed and increase speed when te car is already in motion if a motor is designed to work in a 4,000 rpm range it can put the equivalent amount of power out as a car made for a 8,000 rpm range yet it only needs to reach 4,000 rpm to meet that. Large engines typically have a lower rpm range put are still capable of running high power numbers but the higher the power and lower the rpm and displacement the more engineering is involved, in the case of the S2000 there is a lot of engineering involvede yet they couldn't reach that horsepower number without increasing the rpm and a major flaw with Hondas is to reach higher horsepower numbers they must sacrifice torque, high horsepower and low torque help when you have a small light vehicle like a motorcycle, but when you are dealing with 2800lbs. cars it shows that a car with lower horsepower can overcome one with higher horsepower through means of having higher torque, the reason why Honda can have numbers like those and not have to drive at such a high rpm is through VTEC which in a way stretches the powerband out and allows the engine to take advantage of horsepower over a larger area basically flattening the horsepower curve in a sense. If you put a car that has 300hp 500lbs. ft. against a 500hp 300lbs. ft. car most likely the 500hp car will win, now if you take a 160hp 180lbs.ft. car and put it against a 180hp 120lbs.ft car then the 160hp car will most likely win (ex.gearing in that) I could go into the gearing of the Celica also but that is a whole other can of worms.

BTW if that is what you meant by horsepower being the same thing as torque you were close but they are different, if they were the same Freightliners would haul some major a**. You can't have a very high horsepower car without sacrificing torque and you can't have a very high torque vehicle without sacrificing horsepower (you can balance them also but you wont have either extreme without increasing displacement or a power adder), if you want a street beast that you can take out for more than just a weekend go for torque, if you want a track star that you can run at 8,000 rpm the entire time go for horsepower, it's more preference.
LewFX
anyone know if this is any good for the gt?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...7980867020&rd=1
Bigmeanbulldog55
QUOTE(LewFX @ Jun 14, 2005 - 2:11 PM)
anyone know if this is any good for the gt?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...7980867020&rd=1
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That's for the 1.8. The 1.8 is the ST. Best bet is to by an mr2 header and modify it to fit, seriously. GT's are the 2.2.

Just to let you know, if you want a fun car to drive, with decent horsepower, go with a GT. These guys are arguing about something relivent, but pretty much usless. Neither engine is ever going to make great horse power, even with a turbo. The GT will make more horsepower with little mods. If you put a header, exhaust, and intake on it, it will be decent. Don't expect to outrun very many people though.
LewFX
I have a GT and its fun, and i do outrun allot of people! I just outrun certain cars and know which ones i can beat and which ones i cant.
darksecret
The main reason nobody cares to modify the 5SFE is because it's an economy engine, i've seen Snodgrass's 5S but he really doesn't have a lot done, see the biggest failure is the head and i'm at the point now where i'll sink the money to get a head flow test to show a stock GT head has crappy flow. When it comes to upgrading most people neglect flow and wonder why their intake doesn't give the 5 whp it claims on the box, well it's because it is bringing in more cfm's than the head and cam will allow, increasing the duration of the cam will increase the amount of time the valve is open, but that will not matter if the flow of the head restrict the cfm's the intake passage is capable of. So in to put it simply if your head and intake passage produces 125cfm but your cam duration only allows for 75cfm then you need to up the cam duration or lift, and if your cam is profiled to bring in let's say 85cfm but your intake passage is only capable of 60cfm then you'll pull 60cfm no matter how big of a cam you put in it. I can get more technical about this but i'm no head expert and it requires a little research to back my statement but this is head flow in a nutshell.
Silver94CelicaOwner
I think the point was totally missed in this thread. Let me try to answer your question about the header...

I understand that you already owned an MR2 N/A with exhaust, header, and an intake and liked the boost in power. Currently for the 6th generation Celica GT with the 5SFE, there is no header readily available for sale in the US. However Genie (AUS) an almost direct fit for the Celica, and Hotshot makes a header that fits the 5SFE but doesnt bolt right on to the 6th gen. platform.

You're choices for the 6th Generation GT are to either try to get a Genie header overseas from Australia, or locate either a 3SFE Pacesetter header and make it fit, or do the same with a 5th gen header from Hotshot or an MR2 header made to fit, or even a 3SGE header. Most of these choices will require some modifications to make it fit right but would yield the results you're looking for.
darksecret
^^^^^^^^^^
We already told him that the arguement came after.
Kwanza26
QUOTE(darksecret @ Jun 14, 2005 - 2:48 PM)
Not all cars are Hondas, the Celica tops out way before it's redline (I shift at 5,000 rpm) with ok numbers, having a lower rpm means less stress on the engine which in turn makes a better street car, an S2000 in not a street car it's a motorcycle with 4 wheels. Do you want me to explain the definition of ft.lbs., lbs. ft. and horsepower because if you think they are the same your wrong. You're thinking ft. lbs. (as in 1 hp=550ft. lbs.) which translates crankshaft force into horsepower, i'm talking lbs. ft. if we use the way you describe it my motor is making about 88,000ft. lbs. at the crank, nobody goes under the peak horsepower because when you shift you drop below the peak torque range, but if there is only a thousand rpm difference between peak horsepower and peak torque you'll want to shift at peak horsepower so that you'll be at peak torque in the next gear, lbs. ft. is the driving force making the car go faster horsepower is what helps maintain that speed and increase speed when te car is already in motion if a motor is designed to work in a 4,000 rpm range it can put the equivalent amount of power out as a car made for a 8,000 rpm range yet it only needs to reach 4,000 rpm to meet that. Large engines typically have a lower rpm range put are still capable of running high power numbers but the higher the power and lower the rpm and displacement the more engineering is involved, in the case of the S2000 there is a lot of engineering involvede yet they couldn't reach that horsepower number without increasing the rpm and a major flaw with Hondas is to reach higher horsepower numbers they must sacrifice torque, high horsepower and low torque help when you have a small light vehicle like a motorcycle, but when you are dealing with 2800lbs. cars it shows that a car with lower horsepower can overcome one with higher horsepower through means of having higher torque, the reason why Honda can have numbers like those and not have to drive at such a high rpm is through VTEC which in a way stretches the powerband out and allows the engine to take advantage of horsepower over a larger area basically flattening the horsepower curve in a sense. If you put a car that has 300hp 500lbs. ft. against a 500hp 300lbs. ft. car most likely the 500hp car will win, now if you take a 160hp 180lbs.ft. car and put it against a 180hp 120lbs.ft car then the 160hp car will most likely win (ex.gearing in that) I could go into the gearing of the Celica also but that is a whole other can of worms.

BTW if that is what you meant by horsepower being the same thing as torque you were close but they are different, if they were the same Freightliners would haul some major a**. You can't have a very high horsepower car without sacrificing torque and you can't have a very high torque vehicle without sacrificing horsepower (you can balance them also but you wont have either extreme without increasing displacement or a power adder), if you want a street beast that you can take out for more than just a weekend go for torque, if you want a track star that you can run at 8,000 rpm the entire time go for horsepower, it's more preference.
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I'm on vacation right now, and really not sharp enough to argue or whatever... but horsepower is a non-exsistant measurement of an engine's ability to work. It's measurement is purely based on torque, the equation itself is based only on torqure and rpms. You can cry all you want, but really... if you have less than 200 ft lbs of torque, your engine isn't a torque monster nor does it have enough torque to fully utilize it in an acceleration contest. Here's some good readin for ya.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question381.htm
Here's some proof...
1st Gen Camry Solara V6 5 speed: ~2900-3000 pounds, 200 hp 225 ftlbs of torque, 1/4 mile mid 15's
DC5 RSX-S: 2600-2800 pounds, 200hp, 142 ft lbs of torque, 1/4 mile low 15's
02 LS1 Corvette 6 speed: 3200 pounds, 345hp, 345 ft lbs of torque, 1/4 mile low 13's...
02 NSX: 3200 pounds, 290hp, 225 ft lbs of torque, 1/4 mile low 13's...
01 Celica GTS 6 speed: 2500 pounds, 180hp, 128ftlbs of torque, 1/4 mile mid-low 15's...
02 Sentra SE-R Spec V: 2600 pounds, 180hp, 180 ftlbs of torque, 1/4 mile mid-low 15's...
Nothing against torque bro... but seriously... when talking n/a 4 bangers, torque makes for a good solid driver. Horsepower makes a performance car. Engine size may change that a bit, because bigger motors can make broader torque bands, but when speaking about n/a 4 cylinder motors and performance, torque doesn't make as much difference as horsepower. Don't assume I don't like torque either... or I underestimate torque. Unlike you, I don't stand biased for dumb reasons like "not liking Hondas"... I drive a Ford F250 superduty towing around our shop's various racecars (2 Hondas, 1 Toyota). I mean... with a hypertech chip, and a turbo charged diesel, 600+ ftlbs or torque off idle is a beautiful thing...
Silver94CelicaOwner
QUOTE(darksecret @ Jun 16, 2005 - 6:51 AM)
^^^^^^^^^^
We already told him that the arguement came after.
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Sorry, I just tried to clarify his choices a little instead of being caught in the middle of a debate. Hopefully somebody will take something from it and the topic will be easier to find answers to for all the GT owners who regularly ask this same question. wink.gif
darksecret
No prob man I understand, as for Kwanza I understand horsepower is a good thing, believe me, I wasn't saying it's useless or that torque is better, but I did want to say that if you want a highway monster, something for the street/strip increasing the torque would be more important due to the lower rpm gains, now horsepower on the other is great for drifting, drag, or high speed track simply because you can utilize it more often than on the road. The horsepower thing is also why I don't care for Hondas, you've debated with me before and you can tell i'm not stupid when it comes to cars, i'm not a typical hater who says Hondas suck because they get riced, my main reason is because I feel they are overrated, some are quick but like the S2000 it's a track car that is portrayed as a daily driver, it's got a high amount of road noise and a very high peak horsepower rating, the Si in stock form or with mild mods isn't very fast but a lot of Honda guys will defend it until they die, I have legit reasons for not caring for them (also the fact that i'm more into rare cars which the Celica is one of the least common imports). I do like the RSX-S, my Celi (for a 5SFE) is quick but I still can't beat a stock one, i'll give a good run until about 40-50 mph but then they come into their powerband and I lose.

I kind of like debating this with you, i've been a member since March and a viewer since November and I think between us we can write a book on most the details of a car. Well i'm letting the horsepower vs. torque thing go like I said before it has been an ongoing debate for decades and it will go on until it's not a unit of measurement anymore. I didn't mean to offend anyone about the Honda kids thing, I should have added that most of the fast Hondas around here are owned by 17-19 year olds whose parents helped them build them up, which I feel if you're going to talk trash and say you got a 328whp RSX you should have put more than a waiting period at the garage into it, you'll appreciate it much more (it isn't just Honda owners like that either, we got 4 Evos like that also).

BTW I lived on HSW for about a year and even read the book, that's how I know a lot more than the average person, it's a really helpful site for a noob. I would recommend taking notes though, there is a lot of info.
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