vs.

Where's the Muscle?



A Strong Vote for the V8 Engine Swap


On one of those bright, but cool autumn afternoons, I drove my "flying" Conquest onto the highway for the half-hour ride home. Also entering the highway was a kid in a black, late-model Acura RSX. His head turned to look me over... a split-second later, he was rocketing away, dashing around the other cars like it was a slalom course set up purely for his amusement. I wasn't sure what runs an RSX, so I tromped on the loud pedal and pursued, choosing to wait my turn, rather than scare the wits out of the other drivers.

I caught up with him only because the long on-ramp became one lane, blocked with some cars that weren't travelling at "ludicrous speed." When we hit the open highway, the RSX simply walked away from my Conquest. Up the long hill.

Let's take a step back so you can understand how confused I was at this point. I had guessed the Acura RSX was a chainsaw-ripping, high-revving, small displacement motor with the ever popular VTEC treatment. Sure, they make plenty of horsepower at zillions of RPM, but my experience is that the torque falls greatly behind. Wouldn't the sheer displacement of my 2.6L turbo motor be enough to pull me up the hill faster than this four-wheeled weed whacker? That was my mentality. That's why I had to keep trying. To find where my 15-year old motor would have its day.

On we went, with me being thrashed any time there was open road. This kid knew his car and his confidence showed. When he accelerated, he must have hit the power band every time because he pulled strong, building momentum quickly, as you'd expect in a far lighter sports car. My Conquest climbed into its narrow power band, like a weary climber. When the motor hit full boost at 4000RPM, the car marginally pulled harder. Granted, we were travelling far faster than any human sharing the road has a right to, but the RSX was bulletproof so far, and I had yet to find it's weakness.

The RSX and its driver may as well had sent me to a chop shop, if I so much as attempted one of the kid's outrageous lane changes. Traffic, and the lives of those who made it up, were nearly trivial to the kid's driving style. He cut off vehicles with only inches to spare on his rear bumper. One driver flinched and nearly left his own lane. Single lane changes took about a second, double lane changes were nearly as quick. The thing that raised the hair on my arms was the pure severity with which the RSX slid, no TURNED, into other lanes. The motion was one quick jerk to the right, followed by one quick jerk to the left, complete in about a second, at 75-80mph. I predicted to myself that for sure, his back end would lift up, swing out, and become his ultimate demise. But it tracked the road like a golf cart. I waited, then made a smoother arc around the cars to catch up.

Each time, I somehow caught up with him on the open road, enough to repeat the whole process a few times. Finally, he slowed down at an interchange, and I passed him, thinking he was getting on another roadway. I winked my brakelights a few times, as if to say, "See ya, 'til next time". Maybe that was what caused him to stay with me one more time.

This time, I insisted on getting a head start, down a long, clear two-lane highway. Sure enough, without fanfare, the RSX crept up, and accelerated past me, this time, at 115mph! At this point, I knew there was nothing else to try, so I simply kept a distance back as we came into town. I figured if the kid would just pull over, I'd have to stop and kiss his tires for rolling past me a half dozen times under WOT.

No such resolution. The RSX slowed to the speed limit, moved into a left turn lane, and left the roadway. That was the end of my whuppin'.

So what was it that wiped the floor with the Conquest?

Engine 2003 Acura RSX 2003 Acura RSX Type-S
Type
 16-valve, DOHC, 2.0-liter, i-VTEC 4-cylinder
Horsepower, SAE Net
 160 hp @ 6500 rpm 200 hp @ 7400 rpm
Torque, SAE Net 141 lb.-ft. @ 4000 rpm 142 lb.-ft. @ 6000 rpm
Redline 6800 rpm 7900 rpm
Bore and Stroke 3.39 in. x 3.39 in. (86 mm x 86 mm)
Displacement 122.1 cu. in. (1998 cc)
Compression Ratio 9.8:1 11.0:1
Induction System Programmed Fuel Injection (PGM-FI)
Valvetrain i-VTEC intelligent Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTC), DOHC, 4-valves-per-cylinder, chain-driven camshafts and variable timing control
Engine Block Aluminum alloy with cast-in iron liners
Cylinder Head Aluminum alloy with four valves-per-cylinder pent-roof combustion chambers
Emission Control LEV-2 (Low Emissions Vehicle-II) emissions control
Ignition System Direct ignition system
Alternator 110-amp max
Battery 12V, maintenance-free
Recommended Fuel Unleaded Premium Unleaded

That's it?


Yep. I'm sorely disappointed knowing that my car is finally feeling its age.

Perhaps it's time to retire the car for a while, take stock of my options, and stick a small-block chevy V8 in there. If that doesn't do the trick...



Speaks for itself, doesn't it?