Nissan 200SX Spec S S15 Review

Overall Rating

Great handling, incredible performance with minimum mods, killer looks (especially with bigger wheels and lowered), great responsive chassis, very good build quality, surprisingly good boot space, relatively light for it's size (1240kg)

Have to agree on the g/b noise, strictly 2+2, ride is very firm, especially with bigger wheels and heavy duty springs (but I didnt buy the car for comfort anyway), shift between gears is a little mushy, unlike Toyotas

I have a 2002 yellow SpecS with C West front bar, ROH DriftR 18x8 at the front, 18x9 back, lowered Kings Springs, 3" turbo-back exhaust, Apexi Power intake, strut brace. I was fortunate to find a yellow example since the colour is the rarest in this country (the pewter grey is the most common). There were other choices before I decided on this car. R32 GTR, R34 GTT, S3, WRX Sti, etc. I'm glad I chose the S15. And what incredible performance from such minor mods. A stock S15 pumps out 147kw at the flywheel, I believe my car would do that from the tyres just by changing the restrictive exhaust and air filter. I compared my car with a mates totally stock S15 and there was no comparison. He was also pleasantly surprised on how torquey it was from 2.5k rpm. By eliminating the stock exhaust, you would gain about 1.5-2 pounds in pressure. You can certianly hear the blower spool faster and louder than stock cars. The factory blow-off valve also works harder, as evident by the louder noise from the greater air pressure it needs to release. The engine also revs more freely without the straw-like exhaust and there were times when I would hit the rev limiter at 7k rpm without even knowing it. I also found that you would wheelspin very easily with the stock wheels. So I decided on some larger footprints for both ends. I'm now running 265x35x18 at the back and 235x40x18 at the front. Complimenting that with heavy duty springs and you have go-kart handling. Of course, the thing you have to sacrifice is ride comfort. But if I wanted a smooth ride, I would have bought a Honda instead. A set of coilovers would be on the agenda in the future to further improve on handling. My only gripe would be the gearbox noise. It is by far the loudest g/b I have ever experienced. Not sure how Nissan would overlook this problem. I've had a 300ZX and Exa and they were both very quiet. Also, the gear ratio take a little getting used to. I feel that 1st gear is over before you know it. I guess it's because I'm not used to a 6 sp box.

In summary, I have to say this is the best car I've owned. And it'll be very hard to beat in terms of price and performance in the future. All I have to say is go out and drive one!