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So, I'm looking for a new DD and am looking for cars that are fuel efficient, but respond well to boost. My idea being that as long as I stay out of the boost, my gas mileage should remain pretty good for it's day to day duties but if I ever want to get on it, it can do that too. 
So, what cars are fuel efficient but respond well to boost?
Here are a few I'm looking at:
Miata. Girly car? Nah.
If i were you id look for a mk2 vw, and swap the ABA into it, that would be alot more fun. :) I have driven a 86 gti with a worn out ABA that was stock except for a chip and 262 cam, even that was pretty impressive. If you are lucky, you can get a neuspeed supercharger for around $400.
XR4Ti, just put a $5 manual boost controller on, dial the T3 up to 20psi, instant happiness. Cruising they'll get mid-high 20s on the highway, 20 around town, put a megasquirt on it and you'll get alot more 'free' HP and more fuel economy, if you can keep your foot off the giggle pedal...
That being said, if you don't have an electrical engineering degree or a penchant for punishment, this car probably isn't for you, but I thought i'd toss it in the pot before it became too thick to chew...
I know in stock form they're kinda ugly, but some aftermarket parts and time can yield something as pretty as say:
OP, what's your idea of fuel efficient?
My 99 SAAB 9-3 fits the bill. I get mid 30's on the highway and high 20's around town, the stock computer will allow 15 lbs before it cuts spark and there are DIY fixes for that.
I have a MBC, drop in K&N, modified airbox, 3 in DP, 2.5 in exhaust and a Forge BPV. From a dead stop its not all that but from a roll you need to hold on. 
A 99 9-3 SE with a manual trans is the place to start and they can be had cheap. And as an added bonus you can run regular in it with no problem.
DSMs Turbo Dodges.
Either one will stomp a mud hole and proceed to walk it dry in all aformentioned cars.
Turbo Hondas can be impressive but cost megabucks for a fast one.
I was able to get almost 30 with an AWD DSM, averaged around 26 with mixed driving. A FWD one should run low 30s on the highway if you drive it gentle and stay out of boost. Not to mention you can't beat a factory turbocharged car for daily reliability and parts availability. Yes I mentioned AWD DSMs and reliable in the same sentence. Properly modified and maintained ones are stone reliable.
I'm sorry, I just had to...
Turbo Hondas are not mega-bucks if you know what you are doing. A cast iron turbo manifold can be found on ebay for less then a $100. Hondata or Megasquirts are cheap.
81gtv6 wrote:My 99 SAAB 9-3 fits the bill. I get mid 30's on the highway and high 20's around town, the stock computer will allow 15 lbs before it cuts spark and there are DIY fixes for that.
I have a MBC, drop in K&N, modified airbox, 3 in DP, 2.5 in exhaust and a Forge BPV. From a dead stop its not all that but from a roll you need to hold on.
A 99 9-3 SE with a manual trans is the place to start and they can be had cheap. And as an added bonus you can run regular in it with no problem.
This. The 99 9-3 SE or a 2.3T 9000 Aero would be my picks. The passing power is unholy.
FACT: The 9000 2.3T Aero was the fastest in top gear acceleration 50-70 tests by a wide margin among all stock production cars tested for a few years. Including Ferraris, Lamborghinis and such.
Here's one out of left field: 1g MX6 GT or Probe GT. Comes with boosted goodness. Capable of some fairly insane torque. EXTREMELY reliable and long lasting.
Consider this: I get high 20s mixed driving in mine, and it's running rich as hell and still managing that. (Something to do with stock ECU, 440cc injectors, and a 255lph fuel pump)
And not that i would ever street race, but some late night hanky-panky has proven that it has no issues at all taking down a DSM with the standard run of mods. I'm sure off the line would have been entirely different, though.
All I know about turbo Honda's is my friend has one that runs like 11.3 on street tires and 10.70s on drag tires. Has a PTE SC61 turbo. It gets up and goes and looks beautiful but cost megabucks. Sure you can slap a turbo on some rattletrap and run 14s, but whats the point. There goes your DD reliability and its still barely as fast as a stock DSM or turbo Dodge.
That DSM you beat must have been running on 3 cylinders :) My old roommate had a turbo Probe, was an OK car and fun on the highway, but far from fast. Quick, but didnt knock you back. It was modified, but not too heavily. Had injectors, Apexi 5 knob AFC, boost controller, fuel pump, no exhaust, and a custom intake pipe and intercooler piping.
93celicaGT2 wrote:FACT: The 9000 2.3T Aero was the fastest in top gear acceleration 50-70 tests by a wide margin among all stock production cars tested for a few years. Including Ferraris, Lamborghinis and such.
FACT: Some research would have been prudent.
http://www.car-videos.net/performance/speed.asp?Speed1=50&Speed2=70
Try making a DSM handle though. 
Can't be done!
Well, a few guys have but its not too cheap.
Who needs handling when you have grip and acceleration?
MKIV Jettas and Golfs with 1.8t already get 30mpg. Why not start there? Add a bigger turbo, injectors etc. if you want more power.
How about a MK1 Rabbit with a 1.8t or 16vt or TDI.
TDI's allow you to use the boost regularly and still get better than 30mpg.
Didn't TopGear get under 6 seconds to 60 and over 80mpg out of their TDI rabbit?
93gsxturbo wrote:All I know about turbo Honda's is my friend has one that runs like 11.3 on street tires and 10.70s on drag tires. Has a PTE SC61 turbo. It gets up and goes and looks beautiful but cost megabucks. Sure you can slap a turbo on some rattletrap and run 14s, but whats the point. There goes your DD reliability and its still barely as fast as a stock DSM or turbo Dodge.
How about 12s on a "rattletrap" reliably? Sounds like people in your area hate Hondas. I can't go outside without tripping over a turbo honda.
For my challenge Miata I’m running a 14b turbo at 15 psi with MegaSquirt on the stock 1.6L. It runs 13.9 at 107 mph with a poor launch and I get about 26 mpg on the highway. I’m pretty happy with it.
93gsxturbo wrote:That DSM you beat must have been running on 3 cylinders :) My old roommate had a turbo Probe, was an OK car and fun on the highway, but far from fast. Quick, but didnt knock you back. It was modified, but not too heavily. Had injectors, Apexi 5 knob AFC, boost controller, fuel pump, no exhaust, and a custom intake pipe and intercooler piping.
Not at all. Please see signature. That DSM had just run a 13.4 quarter mile that very day.
Oh, and AFCs don't work correctly on the F2T for one VERY substantial reason. Useless mod, he wasn't getting anything at all out of it.
In reply to 93gsxturbo:
The same can be said for you, the list you linked to does not have the 9000 Aero listed.
This is from here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_9000
The Aero's in-gear acceleration was strongly emphasized; the Aero was capable of accelerating from 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) to 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) faster than a Porsche Carrera 4 or a Ferrari Testarossa.[8][9]
I also believe it was the fastes production sedan for a time.
My wifes 03 9-5 Aero will beat a same year 911 turbo in the same test. Go for a ride and you will believe. 
93gsxturbo wrote:93celicaGT2 wrote:FACT: The 9000 2.3T Aero was the fastest in top gear acceleration 50-70 tests by a wide margin among all stock production cars tested for a few years. Including Ferraris, Lamborghinis and such.
FACT: Some research would have been prudent.
http://www.car-videos.net/performance/speed.asp?Speed1=50&Speed2=70
Hey, if we're going to be nasty:
FACT: You didn't comprehend my post. I said for a few years. Not of all time. Saab used to put that fact in all their brocures for the 9000 Aero. Remember "The 9000 Aero as seen from a Lamborghini Diablo?"
Autocar said:50-70 figures in top gear:
Saab 9000 2.3T 5.6s Lambo Diablo SE 6.3s Porsche 928 GT 6.5s Lotus Esprit S4 6.8s Aston Martin DB7 7.1s BMW M3 7.1s
Source : Autocar
93celicaGT2 wrote:OP, what's your idea of fuel efficient?
Mid-20's around town would be ideal. Most of my driving will be in the city, not necessarily stop and go but I'm not going to be cruising at 80 for hours on end.
Also, keep in mind, that I don't mean that the car has to be turbo'd from the factory. A lot of the cars I'm interested in I like because they get good gas mileage now, and when I want to go FI down the road in a bit, I can do that too. So what else ya got?!
Been tossing around the super ETA idea ("i" head on an "e" block I believe). Heard they get pretty good mileage and respond really well to boost. Anyone have any experience?
Anything Mazda BP-powered.
Escort GT, Tracer LTS, Protege LX. Expand that to MX3 and 323 with the B6.
Celicas, Integras, Civics.
I guess pretty much any japanese 4-cylinder?
I don't know much about the BMW, though. 
not a subaru
The E30 M20's can make a lot of power on the stock motor, eta with i head or otherwise. 300+whp isn't hard, and I would expect upper 20 mpg on the highway well tuned. I don't think you'll get 25mpg in town though. You MIGHT if you swapped a M50 and boosted it.
Mid 25's in town is going send you to light 2wd cars, no doubt.
Neon are cheap to boost, and 200whp is easy on the stock 2.0 DOHC motor (use SRT turbo and hardware). Depending on how "into it" you want to get, I'd look for a PT 2.4 engine and put stock SRT4 rods and pistons in it. That'll hold up to ~400whp...in a 2500 lb car. Stock SRT turbo setups in a 1st gen neon have run 11's the last I heard (I haven't been following the past few years)
Nathan
