Real difference between 86 base and 89 gtu (for all you basers out there)
 

well guys I have an 86 base and have always been satisfied with my experience with the car and she has always gotten me around with a relative amount of comfort and fun. Lately I have had the ability to have my hands on an 89 gtu to play with and fix and drive around the neighborhood ;) to play with in small spurts. When I first picked up the car to fix a small electrical problem and drove it I thought the car anemic in power compared to my s4. My mods on my car are a gutted cat and a bonez intake. The s5 mods are intake, rb headers and full catback with presilencer so you would think the thing would put out quite a bit more power but felt weak. Keep in mind for all you s4 guys that our cars have a nice weight advantage especially if you have a base. 200 lb weight difference PLUS mine has no power steering AND an aluminum hood, as well as this particular GTU has a heavy ass wood box with 4 10" subs in the back wieghing at least 65 lbs. So im sure this made a difference at first and thats why my car seemed so much quicker because of the weight and the fact that I have more low end with stock exhaust. Once I got used to the S5 i really enjoyed how the thing handled and drove and the power steering the difference in suspension is HUGE. I think the s5 gtu outhandles my dads vette of the same year whereas my s4 is no where near. So basic differences that I enjoy is the high end power of the racing beat with the higher compression s5 motor and the way it handles, and guys the suspension makes a HUGE difference in the fun of driving the car, BUT my car is just as fast due to being lightweight but wouldnt hold a candle in the turns. Just my experience and i thought i would share.

I didn't think the S5 base/GTU had LSD, I know mine doesn't.

your right is doesn't ;). I was misled about his particular car.

i just love my 86 2+2!

yeah but those S5's drive like knives compared to our 86's

Although I have never driven an S4, I did used to own an S5 base with streetport and exhaust and some other mods. And I loved the way it handled, could really push it through the corners real nicely and felt confident all over. Loved the car.

so what do you own now?

upgraded to sig :D

the GTU is not the base model for 89.......It is the base model for 1990.

200 lbs heavier = thicker frame/subframe pieces that are more rigid, or so i hear. i'm sure you could get the s4 pretty stiff with a bunch of bars and/or a cage.

GTU was the base model in 1989 and 1990.

I know I test drove 3 RX-7s before I bought my '90. The first 3 were all S4s and I was almost completely turned off the 7's, then I test drove my '90 GTU and bought it on the spot. To me the differance was huge. Dad ended up buying a S4 and was never really happy with it compared to mine.

Well i love my s4 no doubt. And it is faster than the s5 in this particular case, but now i cant wait to have some wider wheels and an aftermarket suspension if there is this much of a difference just between stock

Think of the GTU and GTUs as TII's without the Turbo.

I've been dealing with this comparison for about 2 years now... I have an 86 Lux model that I've heavily moded and an 89 GTUs that is stock except a Bonez cat and RB Catback. My 86 has Tokico shocks, solid sway bar end links, poly bushings all around, 17" rims, and an engine strut tower bar...the 89 has stock suspension.

The 89 GTUs handles as good as if not better than the 86. Why? Rigidity. The 89 body has a lot less flex to it. I can really tell the difference when going over speed bumps on an angle. The 86 just seems to bend more over the bumps where the 89 doesn't.

I really don't think so........Can we get Icemark on this one?

Straight from the FAQ
 

My s4 out handles my friends s5 by far not quite sure why, hisd is in mint shape, and runs a 17.9, Its automatic, mine runs a 15.2 and is stick. And his car just feels really loose in turns more sedan like not as stiff really, it has the AAS and it works but still won't handle like mine, think something is wrong with his?

if it still has the aas then no wonder, he needs new shocks by this time im sure. i dont think there are too many people with stock aas anymore as theyve all gotten worn out. tell him to get some better struts and shocks.

speak of the devil, he just came by my house he just got coil overs, (do they make a coil over kit for our cars?) he said coil over but they might be lowering springs and new struts, still feels loose to me but my tires are much wider maybe thats it

just curious what is the difference betweent he GTU and the sport?

Sho how dfoes a GXL figure into all this?
My TII can walk on my GXL as far as autocrossing is concerned... And I've never owned a GTU so I can't say which NA is faster... But for all those weirdos out there who only want to have one 7 :P which 2nd gen would you guys recommend (and we all know the TII is the fastest :D)?

it's a unibody. you can't make the frame thicker.

you could use foumm stuff. :( (I cant spell)

ive heard obout that foam suff alot anybody actually use it on there cars? whats the difference. if it works well how much weight does it add and where would i get it from and how much would it cost? (i have a 87 base NA and love it)