# 200sx vs. del sol



## bling (Jan 9, 2005)

Would you chose a 200sx se-r or a honda del sol with a jdm b16? Which one would be faster and cheaper to modify?


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## chimmike (Oct 17, 2002)

neither one is gonna be cheap to get the results you want out of it.


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## Nismo GA16 (Mar 22, 2005)

a JDM b16 will rape/ man handle/ molest the GA


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## chimmike (Oct 17, 2002)

Nismo GA16 said:


> a JDM b16 will rape/ man handle/ molest the GA



if you had read more closely, he specified 200sx _se-r_


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## mille-16i (Jun 16, 2004)

Nismo GA16 said:


> a JDM b16 will rape/ man handle/ molest the GA


but the USDM B16 is a good engine and not as expensive JDM B series engines are spendy I would say it is more personal preference get a 200sx and slap a turbo kit on it the honda is lighter so it will be happier with less ponies but every ricer in america has a civic or delso or intergra thinking they are the best.


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## T200Sx (Jan 17, 2005)

id say the se-r and of course why not you come to a nissan forum and ask lol


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## urquidezj (Jul 4, 2005)

why so much honda hate?!!! :topic:


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

T200Sx said:


> id say the se-r and of course why not you come to a nissan forum and ask lol


is almost like goin on a honda forum and asking if there is too many hondas on the road.. that answer are so scewed.


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## nova73guy (Mar 30, 2004)

urquidezj said:


> why so much honda hate?!!! :topic:



It's not hate. Think of it as EXTREME dislike :fluffy:


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

urquidezj said:


> why so much honda hate?!!! :topic:


you would get the same response if you went on a honda forum and asked bout nissans.


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## bling (Jan 9, 2005)

Can't we all just get along lol


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## 200sx_guy (Nov 13, 2004)

mille-16i said:


> but the USDM B16 is a good engine and not as expensive JDM B series engines are spendy I would say it is more personal preference get a 200sx and slap a turbo kit on it the honda is lighter so it will be happier with less ponies but every ricer in america has a civic or delso or intergra thinking they are the best.


actually i think the weight difference shouldn't be all that much if anything the del sol is heavier then a 200sx. most people think that del sols are very light weight because of how small they are. but actually because of the hard top that comes off. honda had to put a lot of steel reinforments on the bottom of the car. don't quote me on that because i'm not sure. do some research because if the del sol is heavier its not worth it in my opinion. the sr20 will be a lot cheaper to mod. if your going for big hp for the cheapest the 200sx will be right up your alley. the b16 is not boost freiendly. the motor will only handle safetly about 7-9 psi with stock internals. if you do some searching you will find that most of us sr20 boost guys are running between 10-15 psi with no problems. others are even running more. :cheers:


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## Nismo1997 (Dec 26, 2003)

My old Honda would take on alot of Se-R.


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## chubsmagee44 (Jun 24, 2004)

200sx_guy said:


> actually i think the weight difference shouldn't be all that much if anything the del sol is heavier then a 200sx.QUOTE]
> whether they had tpo put steel reinforcements in or not the 200sx is not that light, my 96 SE-R's factory GVW as read on the inside of my door is 3500 lbs, the del sol is most liekly lighter, either way...go with the 200, hondas are gay


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## Sanjuro (Mar 8, 2005)

I think GVW is the max weight of the vehicle with all you can stuff in it. for 1996 models in curb weight:

Del Sol base: 1041kg
200SX SE-R: 1057kg
(internetautoguide.com)

they don't list the weight for an Si. so far all the sites I went to only list one weight for the del sol. Still only 16kg difference, so lose some gas and you'd be good to go


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## wildmanee (Nov 21, 2004)

Yeah, the GVW is definitely not the actual weight of the vehicle.


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## 200sx_guy (Nov 13, 2004)

GVW is how much weight can be in the car.


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

the majority of the time, if you go on a nissan forum, they will say nissan, if you go on a honda forum, they will say honda, I say get what you like better.


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## thedaddies (Sep 29, 2003)

I currently own both vehicles (minus the B16, has D16Z6 Vtec). I much prefer the SE-R to the Del Sol. The main reason is the lack of the limited slip. The Del Sol due to the short chassis I would assume, seems to have more lift when accelerating or braking. Since it is 5 in the morning and I'm a little out of it, otherwise I would give you better reasoning.=) Also lack of a limited slip in the Sol is quite annoying in comparison.


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## Nik33615 (Aug 3, 2004)

They are probably pretty close on the weight issue. I had a 92 NX2000 and currently a 93 delSol Si also with the D16Z6 VTEC engine. Although they are probably close on 0-60 times I would have to say the 200SX SE-R would probably be faster in a straight line. I think the delSol might have a little more grip in the corners. 
You also have alot of bolt in engine choices with the Civics/delSols B16,B18,H22 it all depends on how much you have to spend. I personally am looking for a 200SX at this point because without any mods I feel like I get more preformance from the Nissan but then again I always did like Nissans better anyway so yea I am biased. :cheers:


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## 200SushiX (Jul 12, 2002)

I have both, (a 200SX SE and a Delsol Si, very comparable,
power-wise), and would definately pick the Honda over
the Nissan any day, just for looks/build quality. Plus, I
think the Delsol has a shorter 5-speed, which makes it
"seem" faster/quicker than the 200SX. It's also a 
SEXY BEAST when you stow that targa top :thumbup:! 
Plus, they both have about the same milage and I 
never had a problem with the Honda; I can't say
that about the Nissan, and both are driven in the 
same manner, by me, so it's not a "rag on the Nissan
/baby the Honda" issue.
Just telling it like it is. Both cars are good and reliable,
though.


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

you are comparing a top model SI verse the base model SE... it doesn't go hand in hand. the sad part is, the nissan prolly still has more tq... he is talkin se-r which is a slightly different beast. the se-r is quicker, handles better etc


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## bling (Jan 9, 2005)

200SushiX said:


> ....It's also a
> SEXY BEAST when you stow that targa top :thumbup:!
> Plus, they both have about the same milage and I
> never had a problem with the Honda; I can't say
> ...


Hey i agree with you on the reliablity part, I have gone through 3 transmissions on my nissan 200sx. My other friends with Hondas never have any problems, and they drive their cars much worse than i do. I love my torquey nissans, but hondas are more reliable. 
p.s: the targa top is sexy :thumbup:


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## CHRIS/SR/SE (Dec 15, 2003)

I would choose the SE-R, the Del Sol's chassis really scares me... When you whip it around the thing creaks and make some very odd noises. I test drove a new one at dealership and was not impressed. Check the honda forums there will be allot of people with the same story.


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## 200SushiX (Jul 12, 2002)

psuLemon said:


> you are comparing a top model SI verse the base model SE... it doesn't go hand in hand. the sad part is, the nissan prolly still has more tq... he is talkin se-r which is a slightly different beast. the se-r is quicker, handles better etc


No...the "top model" is the Vtec, with the B16. Which makes 160hp. Maybe comparable to the SE-R?
EDIT: My Honda D16Z6(Si) makes 125bhp; my 200SX SE
makes 115bhp, I think?


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## 200SushiX (Jul 12, 2002)

CHRIS/SR/SE said:


> I would choose the SE-R, the Del Sol's chassis really scares me... When you whip it around the thing creaks and make some very odd noises. I test drove a new one at dealership and was not impressed. Check the honda forums there will be allot of people with the same story.


Chassis flex is normal with topless cars, and, believe me:
the Delsol IS "topless" when you take the targa off.
Otherwise, I have no complaints whatsoever.


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## CHRIS/SR/SE (Dec 15, 2003)

200SushiX said:


> Chassis flex is normal with topless cars, and, believe me:
> the Delsol IS "topless" when you take the targa off.
> Otherwise, I have no complaints whatsoever.


Yes topless it is, but a car that groans at you is not cool (body panels rubbing) The Saab 900 convertable is normal, it creaks a little and you can feel the chassis absorb bumps, but the Del Sol feels more like a trampoline!


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## mille-16i (Jun 16, 2004)

Nik33615 said:


> You also have alot of bolt in engine choices with the Civics/delSols B16,B18,H22 it all depends on how much you have to spend.


I hate to back a honda but your wrong here what are your many choices for the 200sx if it is a GA16 then you can go SR20 or SR20DET or if you got big bucks and luck the SR20VET but with the honda you can get your hands on a B18 LS motor that is practicly thrown away out of a non GSR integra for the B18C5 and slap a turbo kit on it and make around 215+ hp on stock internals, if you do not have a B series VTEC motor factory if you do it will make close to 250+hp. The bottom line is it really is up to you I might suggest a Civic over the Del so since it is more comon and cheaper and will have less maitnence problems with.


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

wow 215 + hp on a stock b18c motor.. thats pretty similar to the hotshot turbo kit for the ga16de motor.. but i bet that ga makes more tq.. hondas are good cars and so is nissan.. nissans will make better useable power under the powerband. many hondas only have power in the higher rpm range and i have seen many powerbands for hondas and it was very choppy. Now i dont know if thats for all hondas, so i dont want to generalize them. but many nissans make better use of teh powerband and make a lot more tq


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## bling (Jan 9, 2005)

psuLemon said:


> wow 215 + hp on a stock b18c motor.. thats pretty similar to the hotshot turbo kit for the ga16de motor.. but i bet that ga makes more tq.. hondas are good cars and so is nissan.. nissans will make better useable power under the powerband. many hondas only have power in the higher rpm range and i have seen many powerbands for hondas and it was very choppy. Now i dont know if thats for all hondas, so i dont want to generalize them. but many nissans make better use of teh powerband and make a lot more tq


I agree, nissans are torque monsters. A nissan will torque out in front but that vtec will walk start walking. I've driven alot of nissans and hondas and vtec is nothing to be played with. Think about it wouldn't most people love the sr20ve or sr20vet motor in their nissan. We might all hate on vtec but i think most of the problem is, we dont have it.


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

nissan's problem is that dont have a lot of variety as honda does.. look at the civic, it prolly have like 4 different models while nissan usually has two.. so unless you do aftermarket or jdm motors, then its hard to compare. all the great nissan motors (except the vg35) is out of the US (ve series and the dets)


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## captain_shrapnel (Sep 10, 2004)

I think that Hondas have one key benefit over Nissans, aftermarket support. Granted, what we have is nothing to shake a stick at but it still doesn't compare to the support of Honda. If you wanted to, you can even go to the bookstore and find 2-3 books on how to build your Honda. That being said, everyone has a Honda and I hate being like everyone else.


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

the sr20 market isn't a few to come by..they have a good support, not the ga is slowly gettin some and the 350z has an immense amount.


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## Acceler8ter (Feb 5, 2005)

Don't most of the Honda SI model cars have V-Tec? I don't know about the older ones but I'm pretty sure about it for 2000 or so up.

Horsepower is nice, but it's not as great as torque. Torque wins race, horsepower sells cars.


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## Rephlex (Mar 7, 2005)

I owned a Del Sol for 4 years and I still miss it every day. The only major downside to a del sol is the body flex. If you corner hard enough, your inside rear is definitely gonna lift. If you park it on an incline, you can't get the roof on, etc. Those cars handle very well though, and there's NOTHING that sounds quite like a b16 with i/h/e and all that. I owned mine for all that time and all I ever had to do with the engine was replace the o2 sensor. Gotta say I love the 240 tho. Just can't mess with RWD. My .02


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

Rephlex said:


> Gotta say I love the 240 tho. Just can't mess with RWD. My .02


where did the 240 come into the equation, its a very nice car, but the 200sx is the car that he wants. hell look at wes's se, he ran 13.04 and race a honda with 400hp and still kept up with him for a good portion of it in the first ran when he ran 13.9 and the civic ran 13. the funny thing is, wes only has 252whp. Honda sells its hp numbers. Nissan has power and better suited for turboes. Hondas are very peaky while nissans have smooth powerbands.


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## Rephlex (Mar 7, 2005)

psuLemon said:


> where did the 240 come into the equation, its a very nice car, but the 200sx is the car that he wants.


my only true experience w/nissan. :thumbup:


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## captain_shrapnel (Sep 10, 2004)

psuLemon said:


> the sr20 market isn't a few to come by..they have a good support, not the ga is slowly gettin some and the 350z has an immense amount.


Indeed, no arguement there, but the civic/teg/del sol platform eclipses nearly everything except the chevy 350. You just have to look a little harder for nissan stuff sometimes (i was mostly refering to the 200sx, not 350 or the 240)


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

i know, but i was using them as an example


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## 200SushiX (Jul 12, 2002)

bling said:


> Would you chose a 200sx se-r or a honda del sol with a jdm b16? Which one would be faster and cheaper to modify?


The original QUESTION....I think a delsol vtec, (b-16),
could "handle" an SE-R. Cheaper to modify: Honda, of
course!  What's an SE-R ,make, anyway?


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

200SushiX said:


> The original QUESTION....I think a delsol vtec, (b-16),
> could "handle" an SE-R. Cheaper to modify: Honda, of
> course!  What's an SE-R ,make, anyway?


a stock del sol SI wont run an se-r, maybe the del sol vtec one iwth 160 hp, but you have to remember, the se-r has a better power band and better tq, it would be pretty close.. you have to remember, that hondas hav eto have a lot of hp to compete with the powerband of nissans. Wes's 252whp ga16det ran with a 400whp civic. Wes's car only ran a 13.9 on i believe its 10psi so he lost, but two runs later wes ran identical times runnin the 14psi. and thats a ga not an sr. SR's max at 200whp and similar tq N/A, turboes can get in the 500 range as kojimas i believe is 529whp with the jwt stroker kit.


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## ak47m203 (Apr 24, 2005)

aftermarket performance/support it's del sol.

634whp Honda Del Sol !!

http://videos.streetfire.net/Player.aspx?fileid=AA411B94-402B-4E40-AB5A-D938C2368A4B&p=2

i never seen a fully modded 200sx yet.


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## bling (Jan 9, 2005)

ak47m203 said:


> aftermarket performance/support it's del sol.
> 
> 634whp Honda Del Sol !!
> 
> ...


I bet wes can keep up with that to lol  
I'm sure you can squeeze 232 whp out of a ga16de, but by the time you you do, you'll be living in your car and eating whatever scraps you can find on the street. Moding our cars are expensive due to the lack of aftermarket support. If I could take the money wes spent on his car, I could buy a del sol and make it faster than his. Yea, yea he ran a 13.9, but did he tell you how much money he spent to achieve that. And to tell you the truth, 13.9 really isn't that fast, fast for a ga16de but compared to regular cars thats ok. Srt-4 neons run faster than that stock. I love my nissans, but hondas are cheaper.


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

Wes Ran a 13.04.. the Sr20 has a lot more aftermarket support than the ga, you have to remember that..


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## bling (Jan 9, 2005)

psuLemon said:


> Wes Ran a 13.04.. the Sr20 has a lot more aftermarket support than the ga, you have to remember that..


well yea thats pretty good, but still the money he spent to do that could have been spent on another motor and made faster. Yea I know its to prove that the car can be made fast, but any car can be made fast with the right amount of money.


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

bling said:


> well yea thats pretty good, but still the money he spent to do that could have been spent on another motor and made faster. Yea I know its to prove that the car can be made fast, but any car can be made fast with the right amount of money.


you can say that for almost any car.. why spend 10K on a honda civic that cost 10K when you can just buy a faster car stock. True wes could have dropped in an sr20det and started with a better platform, but he choose to use what he had. some people like a challenge rather than having a honda civic. besides nissans dont need as much power as a honda because their power band is more efficient. wes ran with a 400hp civic.. think how much money was invested in that car and for wes (with almost have the hp) hang with the civic and ran similar times especially considerign Wes doesn't run the drag strip but rahter auto-x and solo events.


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## bling (Jan 9, 2005)

psuLemon said:


> you can say that for almost any car.. why spend 10K on a honda civic that cost 10K when you can just buy a faster car stock. True wes could have dropped in an sr20det and started with a better platform, but he choose to use what he had. some people like a challenge rather than having a honda civic. besides nissans dont need as much power as a honda because their power band is more efficient. wes ran with a 400hp civic.. think how much money was invested in that car and for wes (with almost have the hp) hang with the civic and ran similar times especially considerign Wes doesn't run the drag strip but rahter auto-x and solo events.


When you mean wes hung with a 400hp civic, do you mean he was like 10 cars behind or what. To me that sounds somewhat ridiculous. Yea our powerband may be better than hondas but its not that great. Not great enough to make up 148 hp. If that were the case then a stock ga16de should be able to beat a stock civic si, or at least "hang" with it. How did he know it had 400 hp? :bs:


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## Nik33615 (Aug 3, 2004)

mille-16i said:


> I hate to back a honda but your wrong here what are your many choices for the 200sx if it is a GA16 then you can go SR20 or SR20DET or if you got big bucks and luck the SR20VET but with the honda you can get your hands on a B18 LS motor that is practicly thrown away out of a non GSR integra for the B18C5 and slap a turbo kit on it and make around 215+ hp on stock internals, if you do not have a B series VTEC motor factory if you do it will make close to 250+hp. The bottom line is it really is up to you I might suggest a Civic over the Del so since it is more comon and cheaper and will have less maitnence problems with.


The first post stated a SE-R which dosen't come with a 1.6 . Your swap choices are SR20det or SR20VE yea thats alot of choices 
What are the maintence problems with the delSol? The only one I can think of would be the top seals and you can easily find one that has either had the seals replaced or one that was built after they updated the top seals. Other than that they are as reliable as any other civic. I Have one I know this.


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## 200SushiX (Jul 12, 2002)

psuLemon said:


> a stock del sol SI wont run an se-r, maybe the del sol vtec one iwth 160 hp, but you have to remember, the se-r has a better power band and better tq, it would be pretty close.. you have to remember, that hondas hav eto have a lot of hp to compete with the powerband of nissans. Wes's 252whp ga16det ran with a 400whp civic. Wes's car only ran a 13.9 on i believe its 10psi so he lost, but two runs later wes ran identical times runnin the 14psi. and thats a ga not an sr. SR's max at 200whp and similar tq N/A, turboes can get in the 500 range as kojimas i believe is 529whp with the jwt stroker kit.


I was refering to my Delsol Si and my 200SX SE, (with
the GA16DE), since both have approximately the same
power numbers. Honda nomenclature is a bit fucked up
when talking about Si's since my Delsol's an Si, (D16Z6
engine), but a regular *Civic* Si has the B16. A lot
of confusion for people who aren't familiar with Sols.
But an SE-R has a 2 liter engine in it; let's be fair, slap
at least a B18 in the Honda of choice, (Civic or Delsol),
then do a comparison.


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

200SushiX said:


> I was refering to my Delsol Si and my 200SX SE, (with
> the GA16DE), since both have approximately the same
> power numbers. Honda nomenclature is a bit fucked up
> when talking about Si's since my Delsol's an Si, (D16Z6
> ...


the thing is, we arent comparing a del sol witha swap.. an si sol vs an se-r, the se-r wins, in power, tq and speed


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## bling (Jan 9, 2005)

psuLemon said:


> the thing is, we arent comparing a del sol witha swap.. an si sol vs an se-r, the se-r wins, in power, tq and speed


well I don't know about that, a vtec del sol runs an estimated 15.9 an se-r runs a 16.1. I don't know i think it would be a good match. ser has.... wait a minute, actually nevermind this whole forum is way off topic. I said a JDM b16 vs. an se-r 200sx. That b16 would whip that ser's a$$. A del sol with that motor should be running high to mid 14s, stock. Maybe vtec isn't overrated. 
jdm b16: 170hp 114tq 
sr20: 140hp 130tq


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

bling said:


> well I don't know about that, a vtec del sol runs an estimated 15.9 an se-r runs a 16.1. I don't know i think it would be a good match. ser has.... wait a minute, actually nevermind this whole forum is way off topic. I said a JDM b16 vs. an se-r 200sx. That b16 would whip that ser's a$$. A del sol with that motor should be running high to mid 14s, stock. Maybe vtec isn't overrated.
> jdm b16: 170hp 114tq
> sr20: 140hp 130tq


well then thats no far, its a swap JDM against a Stock USDM motor.. you should at least run a fair match.. at least a sr16ve motor is a fair match for a jdm b16.


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