Learn Me Suzuki Swift GT

What can you tell me about the Suzuki Swift GT? I hear good things about the engines in these. I'm guessing they'd be giggle to drive. Every time I see a nice one, I want it.

So... on a scale of 1 to 10, how nuts am I?

the engine revs to almost 8000rpm but I don't think it even makes 100hp and i've never seen one for sale ever.

Find a Corolla FX16 if you want some revvy fwd car, it's identical and there it a lot of cool things that can be done with a 4age or swapped in like this old sale...

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1689389

kanaric wrote: the engine revs to almost 8000rpm but I don't think it even makes 100hp and i've never seen one for sale ever.

This says 100 hp at 6800 rpm

Even so I think if you want a car like this try to find a FX16 as well if not instead of. The advantage there aside from the engine and chassis support is a lot of corolla parts sharing where how many Swifts have you seen?

Plus you have the advantage that certain things like megasquirt pnp is made for it so you have an easy engine management solution, the 4age is probably one of the most supported 4 cylinders ever so there is a lot of information and help, you can get cheap performance parts that don't exist for the gti like ITBs that people take off and you can find for sale on the 4age forums, wide variety of cams both stock and aftermarket, turbo manifolds, or even bolt in engines like 4agze to go supercharged or turbo or the 20v ITB engines, etc.

A lot of people seem to like Hondas for FWD cars from the early 90s or 80s idk why more people don't try 4age corolla.

I bought one new in '89, and loved it. At the time, it faster than a friend's GTI in a straight line, but it needed a limited slip badly. While it may only have 101 HP, it would spin the tires badly on corner exit autocrossing. I loved it though, and was so fun to throw around. Plus i usually got in the mid to high 30's mpg.

I sold it at around 100k miles, no real issues at all. Gem of an engine. I would think just standard used car stuff.

In reply to kanaric:

The FX16 is most definitely NOT identical to the Suzuki Swift. I'm not sure what you were trying to say here, but just to end any confusion, the FX16 and Swift GT are not the same car.

I had a beater-ish FX16 for a while before I sold it to my brother, great car, great motor, at the time it was unknown, so they were much more reasonably priced and much less fast'n'furioused-to-death than most Honda Civic EF hatches. Note that it's a compact, not a subcompact like the Swift and there is a LOT of room under the hatch with the back seats down.

I've been driving and racing that platform for the last 15 years or so. They can be a lot of fun. They're quick, but not particularly fast. The motors are very well built, and are the best part of the car. The transmissions are fine for street and light race use, but can't take a lot more power than a well built one will make. They are generally quite reliable, but the cars themselves are not very well built. They rattle worse than an 80's GM, and have all kinds of little idiosyncrasies like windows that don't like to roll up, mirrors that flop around, and dashes that seem to be free floating in the car.

They are, however, lot's of fun to drive, get great fuel economy, and and are quite easy and inexpensive to build up. Great as a daily driver when they were new-ish, but better used as a part time, project, or summer car this long into their lives. That's been my experience. I just sold my 93 GT. It was fairly modified, pretty fast, and a blast to rev to 8500 RPM every time I drove it, but I'm glad to move on to something a lot better built on the same platform (yes that pro-ject is ongoing). Fun car, but it will be a hands on project the whole time you own it.

Teamswift is your reference, and a forum with much better than average technical knowledge and support.

Zomby Woof wrote: I've been driving and racing that platform for the last 15 years or so. They can be a lot of fun. They're quick, but not particularly fast. The motors are very well built, and are the best part of the car. The transmissions are fine for street and light race use, but can't take a lot more power than a well built one will make. They are generally quite reliable, but the cars themselves are not very well built. They rattle worse than an 80's GM, and have all kinds of little idiosyncrasies like windows that don't like to roll up, mirrors that flop around, and dashes that seem to be free floating in the car. They are, however, lot's of fun to drive, get great fuel economy, and and are quite easy and inexpensive to build up. Great as a daily driver when they were new-ish, but better used as a part time, project, or summer car this long into their lives. That's been my experience. I just sold my 93 GT. It was fairly modified, pretty fast, and a blast to rev to 8500 RPM every time I drove it, but I'm glad to move on to something a lot better built on the same platform (yes that pro-ject is ongoing). Fun car, but it will be a hands on project the whole time you own it. Teamswift is your reference, and a forum with much better than average technical knowledge and support.

So what is the perfect use for that little cool-as-beans motor?

Lotus 7 replica. That's what I want it for. Lighter body, higgh revs and damnit that engine just looks cool.

It's just a bad ass little motor. The car was alright, the chassis is as weak as a wet noodle though. Wheelspin on corner exit is horrific. The jump between 1st and 2nd gears was HUGENORMOUS. Nothing like turning 8500rpm in first, shift to second and being out of the power band at 4k.

It is a very unique car. Driving it on the highway with modern cars will definitely give you a good sense of mortality. Noting like looking up at that SUV passing you and after it goes past you realize it was a Pontiac Vibe....

In reply to tuna55:

Well, it loves to rev, is sturdy as hell, but doesn't make much in the way of torque or real horsepower. I have been thinking for some time now, that an ideal place for that motor would be what I've been planning to build as a retirement project. A tube chassis kit type car, ideally under 1500 lbs, with some cool bodywork like a Becks spyder body. I have since been inspired by the handy work of Kevlarcorolla, and may very well copy (loosely) the body style of his tube chassis build.

Zomby Woof wrote: In reply to tuna55: Well, it loves to rev, is sturdy as hell, but doesn't make much in the way of torque or real horsepower. I have been thinking for some time now, that an ideal place for that motor would be what I've been planning to build as a retirement project. A tube chassis kit type car, ideally under 1500 lbs, with some cool bodywork like a Becks spyder body. I have since been inspired by the handy work of Kevlarcorolla, and may very well copy (loosely) the body style of his tube chassis build.

What's you plan for the transmission?

In reply to tuna55:

Can't you use Sammy RWD transmission to hook that motor up in a RWD car?

In reply to tuna55:

Rear engine, stock trans, probably the 4.4-1 final drive from a 3cyl. car.

Yes, the Sammy trans works. All the G series engines have the same bolt pattern except the G16, although it can also be made to work.

93EXCivic wrote: In reply to tuna55: Can't you use Sammy RWD transmission to hook that motor up in a RWD car?

That's my long term plan for a 7.

If you use the Sammy rear axle as well for a locost they have the driveshaft offset to the passengers side a bit. My ultimate is the swift gt engine, Sammy trans and axle, and a book chassis built with the tunnel offset enough for a nice drivers seat for me and a couple of cushions on the passengers side that sort of look like a seat. Perfect solo commuting car.

I still want to put a one of these engines in a round tail Spitfire.

kanaric wrote: the engine revs to almost 8000rpm but I don't think it even makes 100hp and i've never seen one for sale ever. Find a Corolla FX16 if you want some revvy fwd car, it's identical and there it a lot of cool things that can be done with a 4age or swapped in like this old sale... http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1689389

The advantage they'd have over the FX16 is a few hundred pounds less weight...I know the JDM ones are around 1600lbs and believe me that makes a difference...I have serious trouble catching a guy in autocross who drives one. And he says he's going to get it under 1500. The guy who drives it does complain about the 1-2 gap, 1st is very low and then 2nd is like the 2nd on a current WRX STi.

The big problem with them is that the gearboxes are made of glass. You can swap in the 5spd manual from the 1.6L Swift sedan to fix this. Don't know if it fixes the ratios.

^ My 94 weighed 1790lbs in STC trim with 1/2 tank of fuel.

Bobzilla wrote: ^ My 94 weighed 1790lbs in STC trim with 1/2 tank of fuel.

Man that is light... I have had 4 of them over the years. I fully support the above comments. Motor is swwweeett, rest of the car not so much. We used them in at least 1 samurai that I can remember. Door regulars sucked and nots of squeaks. Great motor for lotus as stated above.

Another vote for team swift. THE source for good info

BBC

That G13B is definitely "old school". It lopes a bit at idle when warm, you feel it come up on the cam like an older sport bike and the engine is definitely peaky. It's dead below 4k rpms. But get it over the hump and that thing makes a wail unlike any other car. It's raw. I likened it to a cross between a Miata and a Civic engine... it makes that godawful racket down low like a Miata, but it keeps revving like a Civic.

I still go back and pull up old vids of it. It was just wicked. That's why I think it's the perfect companion for the 7. It weighs next to nothing. A complete shortblock is less than 80lbs. That's block, crank, pistons, oil pump and pan. I built my first one (literally) on my bench. I only put it on the engine stand to torqhe the head bolts.

Also, sub 2000# with vented fronts & rear discs. Nice brakes.

Actually, the transmissions are not bad, and certainly aren't made of glass. You only start to have problems when you double the stock torque or horsepower. With the exception of one bad bearing on a high mile original GT trans, I've never had a problem in almost 15 years. The 4.4-1 final drive helps with the 1-2 shift, and the car feels a lot better down low. Bob, what you were feeling when "it come up on the cam" is the stock timing curve. There's big dip around 4000-4500, we think to possibly make it feel like it's coming on like gangbusters, when it isn't really. Low end power on a stock one is actually pretty good. It's when you start to do a header, exhaust, intake, etc. that it kind of gets a little soggy on the bottom. The Cultus engine parts do make a nice difference.

You are right in that it's an old school design. Even at 12-1 compression and only 200 degrees duration, mine still wanted almost 40 degrees timing advance. Mine was 1700 lbs. The most important thing to do when building a Swift Gt is reduce weight. If you do only that, and leave it otherwise stock, it will be a RIOT to drive. For that reason, 15" tires and heavy aluminum rims are a big no no The stock alloys are super light.

And mine had a header, 2.25" exhaust, it was chipped etc. With a bad chip, it made 90hp at the wheels and 80ftlbs on the dyno. I swapped ecu's the following year, with a better tune and the car was 1000000000% better but I never made it back to the dyno. I am sure it was close to 100hp at the front wheels easy. The original ECU died at 7k rpms but would still rev to 8k. But it was super lean up there. The new one PULLLED to 8500 and was much fatter up high.

Mine came with bent steelies on the second car, and wierd 14's on the first car. The 15's I ran were 11lbs each, 15x7, with 195/50/15's.

I've had a couple of them.... loved them. The engine is definitely the best part about the car.

Turbo it and you will go through transmissions just with roll ons- just keep a spare transaxle around to swap in it. My boosted 94 ran 14.5's @ 95, (135 hp / wheels) but still would return 40 mpg on the freeway. [URL=http://s6.photobucket.com/user/airwerks/media/swiftturbo009.jpg.html][/URL]

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In my garage I have a 77 colt I'm swapping another boosted G13B in with a Sidekick trans. Lots of other swaps would have been easier, but I love this motor.

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