| toyotajosh |
| So i was checking out jdmsource for a new engine for my 86 and i'm at a standstill between a 20V silvertop OR a 4AGZE or even getting a celica altogether! the site didnt tell me the torque for the silvertop either. . .I'm also thinking of repainting my 2 to a midnight blue with a bit of added shine in the paint. Some of you might know my car from a few of the meets this summer its already blue but has minimal rust which I want to get rid of and it was in a minor fender bender back i october so I figure while I'm getting that fixed that I might as well make it go faster and be a lil bit shinnier lol. Thanks for your input guys. |
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| SilverFire |
Speaking as the owner of the only known silvertop on this board (and one of 2 in the city), I'd say go with the GZE.
Just kidding. I only say that because I want to stay unique, not because there's actually any problem with them... Besides, I'll be supercharged in 2 years or so, and that'll be FAR more rare - I only know of half a dozen or so supercharged silvertops in all of North America and 3 are in kit cars.
Realistically, it all comes down to what you want out of it. They each have their pros and cons.
The silvertop is best if you're after big HP numbers and high RPMs. You'll also likely be getting a far newer engine since Japanese cars have to come off the road at 90k. Silvertops are cheaper than GZEs, though not by much. They spin up higher with a stock redline of 8200rpm, and that's easy to increase with a new crank and cams. Don't forget about the great sound of the ITBs either. It's rated at 160HP and 120ft-lbs. torque. You wouldn't think we'd see that with our 91 octane gas, but there are all sorts of people on mr2board.com that have posted dyno plots with 145HP-115ft/lbs at the wheels which is roughly what it's rated when you convert it to BHP.
The biggest downside I've found is gasoline. You have to think ahead about fills a little. There are only three places I've found that are actually not too bad. Shell, Esso, and Mohawk. You have to be careful with all of them at low RPMs or you WILL have noticeable detonation. Remember, silvertops are looking for Premium gasoline in Japan. This means they're designed for what we call 100 octane. Also, if you can, replace your crank bearings when you get it. If you don't, you'll be spinning one in 2-3 years. Unfortunately, I learned that the hard way by having it happen to me in August.
As for the GZE, you get more torque but less HP at 145HP/140ft-lbs, but the torque comes up much faster than in the silvertop so if you want to do drag racing, that'd be the better option. I'd expect the fuel could be an issue as well with this engine, but it was at least
Of course, depending on what you want to spend, there's the blacktop with a little more power & torque than the silvertop with its 11:1 C/R compared to the ST's 10.5:1 and the higher 8400rpm redline.
IMHO the best of both worlds (and of course the most expensive and hardest) is a smallport GZE from the JDM AE92 and AE101 Corolla GTS('88-'98). It's rated at 165HP (the same as the Blacktop) and 155ft-lbs torque (higher than any other 4A engine).
Then again, there's the 3S-GTEfrom the SW20s. REALLY expensive, REALLY hard, REALLY potent. Messes with the weight distribution by adding roughly 100lbs to the rear end. Gas is easy to find.
Quick summary -
Silvertop: More HP, less torque. Better for autox/circuit racing. Gasoline might be an issue.
Domestic GZE: Less HP, more torque. Better for drag racing. Gasoline is also likely an issue, but I'm not sure.
Other options: Blacktop is newer than Silvertop with higher numbers. Gasoline will be an issue. Smallport GZE is the all-round best 4A engine. Gas will still be an issue, it'll be hard and expensive. 3S-GTE is the SW20 turbo. You'd have the only Mk1.5 I know of in the city, but the guy I bought my ST from has one in Calgary.
If you have any other questions or even if you want to try out my silvertop, just let me know and I'd be happy to help, though I do need a little more time to get the new one sorted out the rest of the way (March?). Besides, I've got an uncut harness for you if you get a cut one. I'd even be willing to do a straight trade since I'll be hacking it up when I do the S/C anyway. I won't even need the ECU plugs since I'll have to go with an aftermarket ECU. |
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| SilverFire |
| I forgot about that one... Good on ya Sean. Too bad I know nothing about it. |
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| toyotajosh |
| I spent a whole couple of days actually reading up on the blacktops and the silvertops and yeah the blacktop would be better! and yeah I like going fast and I wanna make it reach those redlines even faster! ll my gf di a project on me in ther psyc class and found out that I like to go fast just because of how it makes me feel lol so i guess I was predispossed to go fast! |
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| SilverFire |
| I just came in from trying to start my car for the first time since saturday, and thought I better add one more downside of all the JDM engines - No provision for a block heater... The hole as cast into the block, but it's not drilled out. You can get coolant heaters that tap into the heater line, and pump the coolant through there, but I haven't gotten around to pricing them out yet, though I think that might be a job for today... |
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| toyotajosh |
| that okay I got a truk for the winter right now but I'm gonna sell it and buy a civic |
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