I've always wanted an FD ever since Gran Turismo came out for playstation.

I've owned 4 FCs over the past 2 1/2 years, 3 of them are still in my possession. My latest toy is an 89' TII. I bought the TII hoping it would satisfy my craving for an FD, but after 4 months of driving it I realize it is just a heavier, quicker version of my 88' NA.

I've been smogging lots of FDs lately and with each one I smog I just want one even more. I want to make sweet love to an FD.

My question: Are these cars really worth 10-15 grand for a stock nice conditioned one? I got my TII for 2k and the thing is a beast, especially on the touge which is my drug of choice. Should I start dumping money into the TII, or sell it and get an FD?

Just looking for opinions from people who went from loving an FC to loving an FD.

 

I used to have an FC until I graduated hs in 03. I bought my fd after joining the army and it was an awesome upgrade. its faster and looks great. Im on my second FD and yes i think the 10-15k price tag is well worth it. you gotta pay to play and you wont be disappoint

 

I have both an FC and an FD.

I drive the FC more.

 

me too, because my FD is on jack stands...

 

Honestly, I have an s4 T2 FC and a good friend of mine has an FD that I work on and drive for him a lot because he travels. Stock-for-stock the FD is a much higher performing car. But once you start modding both significantly, there really isn't that much of a difference in terms of straight line or handling capability. Replace/upgrade the suspension on both cars and their handling is pretty close, with some differences in overall feel. Put a big single on both cars and there isn't a huge difference (that you can actually feel) between the two. The stronger casting on the FD block backs the biggest difference between the two engines because you're not nearly as likely to crack a plate.

Get the FD because you like the look and the rarity, and because it holds its value better. It's a hell of a lot harder to work on than the FC (everything is harder to get to) and has a lot more cooling issues. It's way tighter on the inside, the interior parts are even less durable than the FC's and it has a similar level of electrical problems. Aftermarket parts are more common but used OEM parts are not, because there was never a high volume nonturbo model sold.

But here's the thing: you put $8 or $10k into modding an FC, it's usually still worth 5-6 grand at most. You put the same amount of money into an FD and you can still get over 10 grand for it if the car isn't trashed.

 

How do you figure the fc will be even close to an fd mod for mod and is not going to be a big difference straight line? Just asking because I thought fc's came with like 70 less hp and if they went mod for mod it would stay about the same.

In my opinion the fc is better for day to day driving but the fd out classes it and is just on a completely different level as far as a sports car is concerned.

 

How do you figure the fc will be even close to an fd mod for mod and is not going to be a big difference straight line? Just asking because I thought fc's came with like 70 less hp and if they went mod for mod it would stay about the same.

Well yes, but figure in that the FC comes as a single turbo car stock and that turbo built as a hybrid makes the same power as the FD small twins built as a hybrid. Both max at around 400RWP.

And if you go to a large frame single on both cars there really is no difference in power now is there?

The FD twins when left sequential do usually make more boost in the 2,000-3,000rpm range than a hybrid FC turbo and so will feel better when driving gingerly.

FC is a little lighter, little better aerodynamics and a little more durable.

FD handles much better, has better brakes and looks more stylish.

My SSM race FC has poly bushings, coilovers, bump steer elim, rear steer elim, strut bars, etc, etc and my Super Stock FD with race shocks on stock R1 springs and speedway front bar flat handles better on the same wheels and tires.

FC is more fun to drive because both cars have about the same $ into them total so FC has ~100RWHP more, little lighter, little better aero, little shorter 5th, so it rules the streets.

 

this would be nice, if we can actually find someone or some video of a race between FC and FD ( where both have the same hp output. ).

 

ok I gotcha thanks for clearing that up. I was under the impression that fc's maxed out at about 300 on the stock turbo or modded stocker, and its not like this matters they are brothers and both have benefits/disadvantages although my little brother eventually started beating me at every video game known to man and I taught him everything....kinda sucka now when I cant beat his scores.

 

They come with less horsepower mostly because the stock FC turbo is smaller, the ports are smaller, the fuel system has less capacity.

1. put a big single on either car and the power output isn't that much different, with the FD having a somewhat more favorable curve depending on the setup

2. the runner area of the FD ports is larger, and the UIM is a better design. But when you port an engine it is mostly shaping the port timing and the bowl area, which can be ported to similar levels on both the FC and FD engines. Once you start modding the FC you begin to approach parity with the FD, with the possible exception of the casting on the irons. Early model FC turbo engines are weaker in this area.

A lot of FD long runner exhaust manifolds work on FC's with some modification, I have one on my car right now.

3. the FD fuel system flows more stock, but once you upgrade either the FC or FD you pretty much run the same setup. If anything, fuel upgrades are easier on the FC because most of the turbo cars out there come with top feed rails that have metric threads on the end. So you don't even need aftermarket fuel rails on the FC.

4. the FD rotating assembly is superior, especially to the 87-88 turbo FC's. But the FC's isn't that much worse... you can still rev out to 8000 rpm on them, which is high enough for most applications. The 87-88 rotors are 8.5:1 compression, which means less chance of detonation but perhaps a little less spool and topend.

When you do all the same types of mods to an FC and an FD engine you get pretty similar results on the engine side (especially if you have latemodel FC irons). In terms of suspension, the FD suspension geometry is certainly better and so are the brakes from the factory. But when you start modding both cars the difference is less noticeable, although it's certainly still there.

Also, the FC is NOT lighter than the FD. Not the turbo cars. They are actually heavier (series 5) or pretty close in weight (series 4)

 

^ Yeah the first thing I noticed when spiritedly driving my S5 TII is that it feels like it is over weight, kind of like my friends old Starion. I actually prefer the handling of my S4 better, and from what I understand the FD is lighter than an S5 TII.

Also on the Tsukuba circuit in Japan, from what I have seen on youtube your average fantastically fast FC is 59-1:01 while your average fantastically fast FD is a couple seconds quicker. And I love watching FDs dominate on the touge in the Best Motoring International videos.

Thanks for all the input so far!

 

Great info, I never owned an fc so I never really learned about them. I was gonna ask because I thought the fc was lighter. The other reason I would think it would still make a little more power was the higher compression but I guess that can be seen as a disadvantage. Thanks for the info

-Chance

 

When the motor went on my '91 coupe, I decided to do a true TII swap, from the hood to the rear end to the cluster...all swapped. I did some math, contacted a few rotary gurus and came up with 5000-5500 for the complete swap.
One of the guys I asked about the swap mentioned that he just bought an FD and would sell me his old one for 6500 bucks. It was dented up on one side and keyed all the way down the other. It had ripped up seats, 145k on the clock and puffing white smoke on start-up. I bought it immediately.

Going from a one-owner almost showroom-clean FC to the FD was weird. Even with the dents and scratches, I couldn't believe how many looks the FD got. Maybe it's the town that I live in, but not too many people know what kind of car the FD is, and IMO, that alone's got some cool factor. Now that the paint's done, the engine's rebuilt and the turbos are new...well, it's nice to have the oomph to back up the looks again.

One thing I really miss is flogging the **** out of the FC at Laguna Seca, changing the fluids and DD'ing it for the rest of the week. If I tried that in my FD, I'd be out of a job. Even when it's running well, this baby needs...uh..babying.

My advice: Get yourself a reliable daily driver and treat yourself to that FD. It's not gonna be cheap and it's not gonna be reliable. It WILL be semi-rare, pretty damn quick and GREAT looking. The three things that make a classic a classic.

 

Agreed.

All I was trying to say is, don't get the FD because it automatically has way more mod potential than the FC. There are tradeoffs between the two cars performance wise. The FD does have superior suspension but the FC cooling system is VASTLY superior. My nonturbo 2nd gen had a much bigger radiator and oil cooler than the FD. The stock 2nd gen oil cooler is as big as a lot of FMIC's I see on small 4 cylinders--it's probably bigger than both R1 oil coolers combined, and it's mounted right in front instead of on the side. Hardly anybody upgrades oil coolers on FC's.

 

I went from a totally modded TII, to a stock FD.

It was like trading in that skanky bimbo with lots of surgeries for a naturally beautiful and sophisticated woman. There is no comparison, and I'll never go back.

 

Thanks everyone for your input! Because of it I have decided to sell my TII, buy an FD, and keep my S4 dd. Maybe sell my S5 vert too.

I wish I could keep the S5 TII as my dd but there is just too much money I would miss out on by not selling it. Plus my S4 NA is my baby, I will never get rid of that car.

 

Yes, the S5 TII is heavier than the FD.

My S4 TII FC is lighter than my R1 FD despite all FC's crap added to make big power because it started S4, and then I went non sunroof, non power windows, etc.

The FC has the potential to be lighter than the FD.

I mean, heck if you are happy downgrading to the FC NA powertrain to make the durability as poor as the FD then you are several hundred pounds lighter than the FD

 

remove the fd's twins for a nice single and you will see a pretty big drop in weight.

 

Why not keep a bone mildly modded s5 t2 as ur dd? I wish I could keep my white s5 t2 and fd. I wanted to make my s5 t2 a mild-moderate modded car with a bnr stage 1 @14psi which would be near or at 300whp. More than enough for me and would be easy enough to put back to stock to pass smog. Unfortunately I got bills to pay, but eventually I will be getting another white s5 t2. I feel the fd is superior in almost every category but is more complex and is a pita some times. But the things I like about the s5 fc, is the simplicity of it's turbo engine, it's more roomy, parts are cheaper and more abundant. I have spent over 5 years with a 3 s5 t2s, 2 s4 t2s, and 1 s5 na. Those 5 years have been good and I'll keep going after I sell my current one.

 

i went from a 84 gsl-se to a 88 na se and then to a 94 and each time was a great upgrade but due to the fact that i have 50k tied up in my fd in 5 yrs i use it as my nice fast street and touge car and bought my old FC back to be used as a track car since parts are noticably cheaper. both are great cars but if budget isn't an issue get the fd if it is get he fd and don't go overboard and get an fc too.

 

Yeah I would love to keep my TII and buy an FD, problem is I need the money from selling my TII to help finance an FD. Plus, for dd I really just need a car that handles well, as I rarely break the posted speed limit, but take every turn like a maniac. That's where my S4 NA comes in, as S4s handle better than S5s IMO.