by Chinky420 » Mon Aug 04, 2008 2:35 pm
first: it's car "lengths" not car "links"
second: i doubt the z was racing. there's no way an auto i4 will, in any way, compare to a 350z. if you had the lead until 42 mph, then i don't think the other car knew you were throwing down. also, if the street conditions were wet, then neither of you should be racing....and the 350z probably wasnt, because the RWD aspect of it makes it much more risky to race in wet conditions. and if he WAS racing, then he was limping through first gear, and possibly part of second, so as to keep himself safe. no way an auto i4 or the v6 is going to keep up with a stock 350z
third: honestly, and without malice, i'm going to say that you should focus on making your ride a luxurious ride, rather than a sport compact. the solara body/chassis is way too heavy to get any real performance out of, and on top of it, the i4 isn't going to be able to produce enough power to offset that weight. on top of the fact that you're rocking a automatic instead of a manual, you're at the short end of the performance stick on every aspect.
seriously, you money will be best spent initially with tint, wheels, suspension (drop your ride about an inch, and install a RSB if you like whipping around corners), and then maybe an exhaust and intake.
the only way you're going to get some real performance numbers out of the 4cyl would be to install a turbo setup. but then you have to worry about a whole host of other issues and complications, as well as have a deep wallet to fund your tinkering.