Re: V8 Questions

[Eliot Lim <eliot@u.washington.edu>]

On 3 Apr 1996, Paul C. Waterloo wrote:

> SEATS
> In the achieves, it says the 1990 V8's had great wrap around buckets,
>and they
>went to the same seats found in 100/200 in 1991.
>  Is this true for all 1990's?

note that the 1991 200TQ is actually 1990 1/2 and it has buckets.  all 1990
v8s have buckets, the 5 speed '91 v8 has buckets, but all others have
seats meant for generously proportioned bottoms.

>FRONT BADGE
>What year V8's came with the "V8" badge on the grill?  I love the looks of it!

the 4.2 liter ones have it.  was it '92 that the 4.2 appeared?  i
think that it is tacky.  anybody who doesn't know what the car is
doesn't need to be told!  in any case i'm sure you can just buy the
badge from the dealer's parts' dept. if you really want one.

>TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE
>What transmission software came on the 1990 V8's? What are the pro's and con's
>of it?  How does one upgrade?  Via a new chip?

have the control unit replaced.  about $900 for the part.

>TRANSMISSION SWITCH
>It has three positions, sport, econ?, and manual.
>What does the manual position do and when is it used?

hmmm, one would think that the label is self explanatory..  it means
that the tranny generally stays in the gear that the lever is in, but
in reality with the upgraded software, the tranny would make rapid
shifts if you attempt to start off from a high gear.  this was really
designed for the winter challenged BMWs who needed gentle take offs
under slippery conditions.

>UFO BRAKES
>Are there people out there with UFO brakes that don't stand on them on a
> regular

when my car had UFO brakes i thought i was pretty gentle with them.  they
warped nevertheless at around 20K.

> WHEELS
>I've seen some with the BBS's stock, and some with the 100/200 wheels.
> Did one
> type wheel come on certain years, or was it an option to get the BBS's?
> Which
> do current V8 owners prefer?

'90s came with ronals.  later ones came with bbs's.  the bbs's are prettier
(and rumored to be forged rather than cast) but are a bitch to clean
especially when you have standard brake pads that spew out volumes of
dust.


eliot