Hi Everyone I'm new to this forum. I've been here reading a few times. I own a TH Mitsubishi Magna and I am not entirely happy with it's get up and go off the mark. I am wondering peoples opinions if it's even worth modding. Because I can resell and get a 91" Nissan 300ZX without any change over. The only thing that is making me no do that already is cause ive heard things about ZX reliability.

Any Help would be much appreaciated

Thanks! :D
Broke

Hey, welcome to Aussie Magna :D
I share your frustration, although I am going to endeavour to try to change it, starting with taking to my throttle body with a dremel tool to free up some air flow, and see how that goes, after that, not sure, I was hoping a RFR Fuel Pressure Regulator might help too, then CAI then I will be broke like you lol
I am not going to get into a debate over the Nissan option, cos I am very much pro Magna, dare to be different I say!!

Yeah well I do like Magna's in general. They are much nicer looking that other Aus "family" cars i.e - Commodore/Falcon. That's why i chose it.
A local performance parts place told me that a new air filter and some extractors and chip torque would mean that I could from a standing start waste a 5ltr commodore v8. Needless to say it sounds impressive but i am not sure how true this is.

And thanks it's good to finally meet people who just dont write magna's off as gutless family cars like everyone else i talk to

:D

Hey,

Wouldnt suggest going for a 300zx. They are pretty expensive to work with and repair because 90% of the time the engine has to be removed coz its such a tight fit.

A local performance parts place told me that a new air filter and some extractors and chip torque would mean that I could from a standing start waste a 5ltr commodore v8. Needless to say it sounds impressive but i am not sure how true this is.


Wont get any benefit out of a 'chip torque' chip - they're not designed for magna's. Pretty good gains to be had from piggyback ECU like GReddy or Haltech - but I'm just being argumentative. Performance wise my cars still bog stock so I can't speak from experience - but I get the impression that with some breathing mods (K&N replacment panel filter or a CAI setup) and exhaust mods (at least a replacement sports muffler - preferably extractors and a aftermarket cat-back system) you should be able to give those 5.0L commo/falcon drivers something to think about (if not hand them their @ss on a plate).

Some other worthwhile mods which get talked about fairly frequently on this site are;

Flowed Throttle body (DIY or take it off and get it professionally done or buy a replacement one) - very nice improvement to throttle response by all accounts, but no real increase in power as such.
Fuel Pressure Regulator - don't know much about these at this stage

That probably about covers it for 'bolt on' performance mods, then theres cams, high compression heads, advance timing/higher octane fuel..... the list goes on.

And then of course there are a few members on here who have gone down the path of forced induction - I'm sure they'd be more than willing to share their learning experiences with anyone who wanted to follow in their foot steps.

i cant beleive no one has said this yet- STICKERS!!!, so obviouse its painfull

dnt bother with the ZX
look my erada the first night i had it btw choped a stock ZX non turbo so i wouldnt be complainin to much maybe your car just needs a tune up.( i had a full car btw) your magna is lighter also. dnt waste your money on a ZX its an insurance eater and not worth the money there are much nicer more reliable cars out there like an FTO or R33 GTST

First of all, don't waste your time with stickers unless you wanna be a poser. :nuts:
The cheapest upgrades IMHO are K&N Panel Filter, Sports Exhaust and Powerchip.
This combination will yield you an extra 25kw at least. That way you will have as much power if not a little more than a standard 3.5lt Sports/VR-X that has no mods. :cool:

As you can pretty much tell through these posts, start from the outside in, ie: breathing in and out.

Exhaust - 2.5" mandrel bent cat back exhaust (we've discussed how the later models already have this, but there are some restrictive sections inside the resonators that can be aleviated), straight through muffler (Lukey LR2779, Redback, Magnaflow have all been popular on here) and then a high flow catalytic converter (people will say it's not worth it, but if you want to get rid of restrictions, you're better off replacing everything while you're at it).

Then you can move onto extractors if you wish. Pacemaker has a decent designed set, cant remember the price 4-500? (please correct me if Im wrong!)

RPW also makes them, though they are very expensive and since you're in the eastern states, if anything goes wrong you can pretty much expect to be shafted as quite a few of us have been.

They are apparently very good, however...

For intake, you can look at doing something like THSmoker's cold air induction setup, which is just as good (imho better) than the RPW one for less than 1/2 the price. With the right pod filter it should make some nice changes to your throttle response.

Also, another thing people don't check, make sure the slack is taken up on your throttle cable. Not sure about the 3rd gens, but on the 2nd's you just loosen the bolts on the bracket that holds the cable on the intake plenum and just slide it across so it's not pulling on the cable, but hasn't got any slack, you'll be able to figure it out, just a little hard to explain on here.

Anyway, I hope that clears some things up for you.

Well said Killbilly.
I never thought about the slackness in the throttle cable. Hmm, might go check mine now. lol

Hey guys,

So how much would a K&N panel filter be for a 2.6L '94 TS magna?

cheers

is it a MUST to change the shocks when if u wanna lower ur car with new springs?

A local performance parts place told me that a new air filter and some extractors and chip torque would mean that I could from a standing start waste a 5ltr commodore v8. Needless to say it sounds impressive but i am not sure how true this is.


You can waste a 5.0L V8 commodore with a stock standard magna. The 5.0L commo's are not really that impressive anyway.

The magnas are a damn good car straight out of the box. The TH I reckon is the best for performance due to its weight as each successive model has added weight which has hamprered performance. Of course TJ series II has added an engine upgrade to compensate, but its easy enough to make this power up in a TH through basic breathing and exhaust mods. :D

is it a MUST to change the shocks when if u wanna lower ur car with new springs?
No, you do not have to change the shocks. If you keep standard shocks you will notice a big improvement in handling, but if you replace shocks and springs then it would be a huge difference.

IMHO: The easiest, quickest, cheapest and most effective power upgrade is:

K&N Replacement Panel Filter!!!

$120-$130 Order them from Supercheap Auto, Autobarn etc.

That should be number ONE on the to do list - instant power with no mucking around.

And then there are extractors/exhasut, CAI setups, Powerchip (www.powerchip.com.au) will take good advantage of these breathing mods versus stock. And then yes you can get a cam replacement headers etc and make your car go HARD!!!

IMHO: The easiest, quickest, cheapest and most effective power upgrade is:

K&N Replacement Panel Filter!!!

$120-$130 Order them from Supercheap Auto, Autobarn etc.

That should be number ONE on the to do list - instant power with no mucking around.
I dont know about you.. but 1 - 2kw's atw isnt what id call 'instant power' cheap mod yes.. but not a huge gain..

Also a few people have been noticing a loss in low end torque for the gains in high end...

I dont know about you.. but 1 - 2kw's atw isnt what id call 'instant power' cheap mod yes.. but not a huge gain..

Also a few people have been noticing a loss in low end torque for the gains in high end...

I noticed nice big 100mm CAI piping tends to help this problem, well at least on cold day/nights :D Could have somthing to do with how the air flows accross the filter with the standard snorkle???

I noticed nice big 100mm CAI piping tends to help this problem, well at least on cold day/nights :D Could have somthing to do with how the air flows accross the filter with the standard snorkle???

Did you cut a circular hole in the front of the airbox, or mold your CAI piping to fit the original oval cut out?

Do not go for the 300zx, the n/a version is nothing special and the turbo while "up to scratch" has a whole lot of trouble with over heating. Magna's seem faster than most cars on the road and a whole lot more reliable.

edit, the turbo 300zx are twin turbo im sure.

Umm Bain I have had my TR Dyno'ed on paper filter and K&N filter and the power gains are impressive. 12% more power. If you dont believe my I can post up the dyno sheets of each run. K&N Panel filters do work. I have the evidence. Pods on the other hand can make things run a little funny, I agree to that.

wow, thanks for all the replies everyone. I may try the intake upgrade and some extractors. I was quoted $1000 for pacemakers installed with some tips from a local place. Am i missing something? How is it that everyone can get them for like $500 sept me? hehe. Although i live in Townsville and EVERYTHING is more expensive up here. :D

Also does anybody know some sites or places that sell body kits for a TH Magna?

I own a 1990 twin turbo 300zx. My family owns 2 Magnas. They are incredibly different cars built for very different purposes. I think you need to work out what you want out of a car. For me, I don't want a conservative daily driver with loads of body roll. I'm after a performance car that is still practical (hence me getting a 4 seater), that is fun to drive, a head turner and has a targa top. I can get my conservative sedan later in life.

If you are still wondering about the 300zx visit their web site (http://www.aus300zx.com) where you can hook up to go on a cruiZe and meet other Zed owners.

As for reliability, they have an unjustified bad reputation. Saying that though, they are like every 15 year old car. As long as it has been well maintained then you should have minimal problems. I do all the work on mine myself, from brake pads to cooling systems, wiring and plenum pulls. Spare parts are easy to come by but insurance may cause you grief.

Happy shopping!
Cheers
MikeZ

http://www.m-clayton.com/z/interior.jpg

Hey everyone also, on the piggyback ECU. I have found a Greddy piggyback at a local auto store $500 does an upgrade of this manner really make a noticable difference? any opinions and help appreaciated. :D

$500 sounds extremely cheap. :shock: Is it the E-manage?

They are normally around $750 with ignition and injector harness.

save yourself up $150, go buy a k&n panel for $130 and the other $20 on PVC pipes and bends. You will be instantly impressed. my k&n only really came to life when i added the custom cai. It alone dropped a consistent and proven 0.25 seconds off my 1/4 mile times :)

I'd recomend just as much spending another $170 ish on a straight thru muffler as well too.

oh and, is your TH manual? When i read this comment I am thinking no :P


I own a TH Mitsubishi Magna and I am not entirely happy with it's get up and go off the mark

yeah it is an auto. I dont mind it though. I do have to be pretty heavy-footed to really get it going fast. I may checkout the throttle cable tension as some people have said.

I'm very surprised to know that a K&N makes such a difference. I have the money to go and get it done now. I have been told that Magna's need a heatshield setup because they generate a fair bit of heat under there. That is what ive been told by Autobarn here up north. Does anyone know exactly what filter I need to get? Sorry i am very new to performance parts and what not.

THANKS :D

firstly, autobarn will know which k&N panel is for your car, and will order it in for you. Secondly, $1000 installed for pacemakers is a bloody rip off, you can get them installed for less then $550 down here and even then thats on the higher price side of things.