Best Lightweight 4-cylinder Car

If you have any others that you would like to add then post your ideas

88-91 Honda CRX
88-91 Honda Civic HB

BTW....where are we going with this b/c i can go on and on

from the old used ones
mk1 mr2
omni glh


from the new cars there is nothing really that light except for the lotus elise/exige but they are on the pricy side

u want lightweight 4 bangers...... but u don't list any hondas???????

lightweight 4 bangers, I only have 15 options, I can't list all the 4 cylinder cars, also, this is a poll for cars with most potential at curcuit racing

Elise, hands down...

Pick any car made by Lotus.

Ariel Atom II, Lotus Elise, Honda Integra Type R, Renault Clio Sport 182.


Of course you only get the Elise and Type R in the US and certainly don't appear to be in the position financially to attain one (Judging from the list).

So I'd advise to choose a 88-91 Civic/CRX, maybe even a 92-96 Civic hatchback.

88-91 CRX, as stated, is a good choice. 91-94 Sentras, particularly the SE-R models, are good too.

Any EG Civic is good, whether it be Sedan or hatch, my sedan only weighs 1050Kg, which by todays standards is featherweight for a small-medium sedan.

The hatches can weigh as little as about 980 Kg (The kerb weight for a 1992 Civic LX 3 door manual= 976Kg)

Though you must note that all the weights I have posted up are for an New Zealand-Spec Civic LX (Not the US Spec), which means no Air Conditioning, Electric Windows, Sunroof, Rear Disc brakes, Fuel Injection, only a 2 speaker stereo,etc. so this means that the US market versions are quite likely to be a fair bit heavier than this, on the basis that I seriously doubt that the American public would ever buy a car without all that stuff.

But I'm sure there is a no-frills base model EG you could buy then do an engine swap with what you'd have saved instead of buying one of the later model cars.


Or you could bite the bullet and buy a Civic Si :D

Lotus Elise wins by a landslide...

All the cars you listed are pretty weak to be honest. I voted for the Saturn SC2 as it has the most power out of all those listed. (this is of course if you consider low 16's to be power at all)

It'd be hard to get an Elise in the price range that you suggested, and I don't know what you're intending by saying Road Circuit, but none of the cars you listed can outhandle a moderate Civic and a Sentra 91-9x would outhandle the 97 200SX by a lot, especially if it has the SR20 (SER model) to power it out of corners.

I don't know if this has hit anyone, but I don't think this guy is looking for performance, I think he is looking for a nice economy car.

yeah i have a feeling he isnt looking for serious performance either...probably a good economy car and performance second...

if it were up to me i would take the 98 Z24 with a 5 speed....those things are quick for its category. i have seen them pull mid 15's and i had a buddy with one that had a CAI and he pulled a 15.2 until he traded it in for his trans-am. take it for what its worth....

other then the elise I am going with the miata, mk3 mr2(MR-S) and mk1 mr2 and CRX/Civic hatch and uhh...I know I am missing a good one but I cant think of what it maybe at the momment. :P

Hey I just went by the title..."Best Lightweight 4-Cylinder Car"...w/o giving me any more info...the Elise IMHO takes it

actually now that I think this thread does have an undebatable answer as far as performance goes: Radical

Well the SR3 is not really a street car per se

Well the SR3 is not really a street car per se


I belive in england thy have street legal models

well one things for sure, its none of the cars thats on the poll... :p

Yea, the poll has a few too many American cars. When you think of fast 4s, I personally dont think of American cars.

Yea, the poll has a few too many American cars. When you think of fast 4s, I personally dont think of American cars.



just don't try an race a slighty modded Omni GLH or srt4 for that matter or you might get a bad surprise.

OOOOH!!!! OOOOHHHH!!!!

Swift 0.14a Toyota Atlantic car. It's a lightweight 4-cyl car that had the fastest race lap time of any car (regardless of number of cyls) at the SCCA Runoffs this year.

Well if we are talking forced induction inline 4's...then we have to include

MR2 Turbo
Silvia/180SX
Eclipse GST/GSX
Lancer Evo 1-8
Ford Cosworth

etc...

Yea, the poll has a few too many American cars. When you think of fast 4s, I personally dont think of American cars.

You do realize that the fastest Ford ever (one of their old rally cars) uses a four-cylinder engine and does 0-60 in 2.5 seconds?

..and that ford was most probably not an american developement...

1985-1989 Omni GLH/GLHS

..and that ford was most probably not an american developement...

No, the Cosi Ford Escort was not and American development.

crx is really light

No, the Cosi Ford Escort was not and American development.

It still wears an American name, but I see your point.

just don't try an race a slighty modded Omni GLH or srt4 for that matter or you might get a bad surprise.

Ehhh, I think I didn't make myself clear, when I think of fast 4-cylinder cars, I don't think of the American cars on that list. Come on, ZX2, Z24, Sunfire, Countour, SC2...

However, the fact is that right now the fastest stock 4s aren't American. The EVO VIII, the STi, and the S2k are all faster stock then the best American 4-cylinder, the SRT4. And if your looking for something cheaper then any of those cars, most people (that I know at least) would get a used Nissan 240sx.

Ehhh, I think I didn't make myself clear, when I think of fast 4-cylinder cars, I don't think of the American cars on that list. Come on, ZX2, Z24, Sunfire, Countour, SC2...

ok now i see what you are saying and i do agree


However, the fact is that right now the fastest stock 4s aren't American. The EVO VIII, the STi, and the S2k are all faster stock then the best American 4-cylinder, the SRT4. And if your looking for something cheaper then any of those cars, most people (that I know at least) would get a used Nissan 240sx.


of course those are superior cars as their price difference would justify. However still nothing can touch the srt4 for performance in its price range and that was the its purpose.

The interesting thing it will be in a year or two when the srt4 and evo will be on the same platform(as rumor goes)

It still wears an American name, but I see your point.
So in spite of the Ford Mondeo being developed in Germany/Great Britain and built in Belgium, it's American? Even though there was no American involvement in the process

Same logic applies to the Ford RS200.

Ford may well be American owned, but it's a truly global company with four sub-companies: Ford Europe (Focus, Mondeo, Ka, Fiesta, Galaxy), Ford Asia (Ikon, all the Ford-badged Mazdas), Ford Australia (Falcon and Territory) and Ford North America (All the rest)

Okay, but that doesn't change the fact that the RS200 shows that Ford can create a ridiculously fast four-banger :P

Okay, but that doesn't change the fact that the RS200 shows that Ford can create a ridiculously fast four-banger :P


Yes, it shows that Ford Europe can create a ridiculously fast four-banger.
And Ford Europe up untill the 90s was run quite seperatly from Ford America, and Fod Asia etc etc.
In the UK Ford is considered a British company, and untill the 80s when Ford the global corportation purchased Mazda they designed and builts cars speficly for the European market. Cars like the Consul capri, MK1-3 Escorts, MK1-3 Cortina, etc etc.

Ford has operated an independant presance in Europe since the Model T, and now through Mazda also operates an independant presance in Japan. Despite some rebadging of models a Ford designed in Europe is not an American Car.

Well if we are talking forced induction inline 4's...then we have to include

MR2 Turbo
Silvia/180SX
Eclipse GST/GSX
Lancer Evo 1-8
Ford Cosworth

etc...

Yeah, but he said lightweight. I'm not sure about the Silvia but the Eclipse, Evo, and the WRX are hardly lightweights and we already covered the Cosi Escort.

The interesting thing it will be in a year or two when the srt4 and evo will be on the same platform(as rumor goes)

I don't know if that rumor can be substantiated now since Chrysler sold all their voting stock in Mitsubishi. However, you never know.

....well, they might've sold their stock but the platform was still co-developed by the companies involved and most probably will be used by all parties involved.
same goes for the engine
(mitsubishi, daimlerchrysler, hyundai).

y'know, just cos the ownership has changed, contracts regarding projects still stand....

but that's ages away.
the evo IX is still a derivitive of the current car.
who knows what will happen between now, the IX and the X (2007?)

I don't know if that rumor can be substantiated now since Chrysler sold all their voting stock in Mitsubishi. However, you never know.

as drunken monkey said they still have common projects going. I belive it is official that the EVO X will have that mitsu/dc/hyun developed global engine.

EVO, STi, 240SX, MR2 Turbo, MR2 SC, Elise, DSM's, S2000, or a Honda swapped hatch.

The choice among them is up to you, depending on what you want. But if you're looking for an economical A to B car, i'd say a Civic or Corolla...

How bout a dsm! 1992 tsi awd, their ya go, i don't know if its lightweight, but its sure fast, and can handle awesome.

as drunken monkey said they still have common projects going. I belive it is official that the EVO X will have that mitsu/dc/hyun developed global engine.

True, contracts have a way of doing that.

EVO, STi, 240SX, MR2 Turbo, MR2 SC, Elise, DSM's, S2000, or a Honda swapped hatch.

The choice among them is up to you, depending on what you want. But if you're looking for an economical A to B car, i'd say a Civic or Corolla...

Once again, he said LIGHTWEIGHT. The Evo, STi, WRX, and DSMs are not lightweight.

85-86 nissan 200sx turbo.

Lotus Elise/Exige. It is an automotive God. Its got pace, stunning looks, and handeling abilities that will leave your spline on the passanger seat.

Okay, but that doesn't change the fact that the RS200 shows that Ford can create a ridiculously fast four-banger :P


I watched a show about top 5 rally cars and the RS200 was in there... the car is fast, but the thing is it is the worlds most unreliable car...actually its reliable in being unreliable...the engine of the car has only 10 hours of driving life, after that its dead and you have to throw it out

Talk about, not a car you'd want for a daily driver :lol:

"the engine of the car has only 10 hours of driving life, after that its dead and you have to throw it out"

that depends on the state of tune.
i'm guessing that if that is what you heard on that program, then they were talking about the race spec cars.
in which case, ten hours isn't too bad for a rally car engine of the period.....

i don't consider 3000+ lb cars lightweight. lightweight cars are crxs, civics, mkI and mkII vw gtis.

You're all wrong. The bmw m3 is the best. I drove one over the summer and have yet to drive a car that was half as much fun.

4 cylinder?
that'd be the E30 then.
hmm, but then again, since when was 1300kgs considered lightweight?

lotus elise S1: 755kgs
lotus elan sprint: 640kgs
lotus europa twin cam: 712 kgs

oops.
did i just mention even more contenders for best lightweight four cylinders cars?
why would ya look at that;
they're all lotus.

hmm, think that might be saying something?

Yeah mostly i just wanted something on this list other than the completely obvious answer - lotus elise. You know though, that really is a shame that there aren't more cars under 1000 kgs. Isn't the miata even heavier than that?

The Miatas are just under 1000 kg. Mine is 2465 lbs with the car + 1/2 tank fuel + roll cage + me, (about 970 kg empty)

I was starting to wonder when someone was going to say MIATA!!!!!

miata miata miata miata miata. them Mk1/mk3 mr2, crx and civic hatches, gti, older Sentra SE-R and maybe dodge neon ACR although I dont know how much they weigh at the top of my head...

Does anybody know if the Lotus Elise uses a backbone chassis (invented by Colin Chapman i.e. Lotus)? This would explain why the Elise is such a lightweight, and has a very rigid chassis.

So after getting that off my chest, anybody up for a side impact test? Ill test out the Hydroform, one of you get in the backbone. :lol:

nope.
the elise's chassis is best described a an aluminium tub constructed from custom extrusions.
i.e it not anything like the cruciform backbone of earlier colin chapman era lotus.
if you take off the body panels, you get what looks like a go-kart (almost not surprisingly).
much of it is bonded (yes, that means glued....)
and the S1's bare chassis weighed 65 kgs.
that's lighter than me.....

that's lighter than me.....

And one hell of a lot stronger!

Iv seen several that have been hit by other cars, in both cases the other car was written off, while the Elise was driven away with only superficial damage to the fiberglass body work.

The Miata is your best option and a 1.6L (89-93) is the lightest and can be had for very cheap.

Ok, I have just seen this on topgear. Check out this beast:

http://www.arielmotor.co.uk/

Its got a 275 bhp honda engine (taken from the civic R and then supercharged!) and with no body panels to cut weight, it has over 600bhp per tonne. It can also reach 62 mph in 2.8 secs, providing you can change gear fast enough.

Its also faster than a morotbike, and a Porsche Carrera GT. And all this for less than £30k...