3.2 liter six, When you say fast... Options

[rcarpen22]

Every time I see 3.2 liter cars for sale it always says "super fast!" or "holy crap this car is so fast!" and other such exuberant claims of speed. I recently bought a '71 with a fuel injected 3.2 (complete with DME and autothority chip) and it is a blast. It is not what I would really call fast. It's quick for sure, and seriously fun, but my 944 turbo (with chips and MAF) would bury it on a track. Of course it all depends on your definition of the term fast but the math on the power/weight ratio seems to support the theory that these cars are pretty quick but not really terribly fast. Am I missing horsepower or is it simply the ambiguity of the word? Either way I love the car and if one had to go it would be the turbo!

[lapuwali]

If you're getting smoked by an NA Integra-engined Civic, then I'd say your 3.2 is well down on power. All up, your car shouldn't weigh more than 2400lbs (unless this is a '75/'76 with stock bumpers on it), and a chipped 3.2 should certainly make 240hp, or 10lbs/hp. A 90s Civic should weigh in at roughly 2200lbs, an most Integra engines are in the 160-180hp range, so he should be around 12lbs/hp at best. 10lbs/hp is enough to run with a C4 Corvette, and you should be able to stomp on any Mustang short of an SVT.

Boxsters aren't all that fast, either, mostly because they weigh so much.

As for traction problems, I couldn't use more than half-throttle in first gear with a mere 2.4 Six with CIS, with decent 205s on the back. I could light the tires up in 2nd, and that engine was pretty tired.

Are you sure your throttle linkage is allowing you to get full throttle?