Newbie question

[waffles]

I am very interested in getting a second gen MTX sho, I was wondering what makes these engines so powerfull for the size? my dads 3.4 liter grand am gt puts out around 170 and my 3.1 lumina does 150hp. I know a bit about the secondaries but could someone clear this up for me please?:thankyou:

 

[luigisho]

Compression, timing, cam profile, high flowing heads. They have alot more power on the top end and can rev fairly high. 2 stage intake to give a flatter torque curve across the power band.

If you plan on getting one try to make sure it's in decent shape. Any car of this age may need alot of maintenance to get it up to par.

 

[waffles]

Thank you for the info, could you please explain how the secondaries increase the power?



LOlsauce: I had an opertunity to buy an sho for 3 grand but passed and I now drive a 93 lumina......tragic

 

[kevinspann]

Yamaha coated the pistons in pixie dust, that helps the engine make a lot more power.

Edit - a SHO for 3k better be nice. They aren't really worth shit these days.

 

[waffles]

It was alright looking and maybe had a suspension issure or two. How much on average do you think I should pay for a bone stock second gen MTX?(average) I was hopeing to upgrade a few things myself (I enjoy working on things but i'm no pro) I will have around 2 grand to spend (maybe a bit more)

 

[kevinspann]

It would depend entirely on the car. Some cars are worth $500 others are worth $2500-$3000.

No rust, decent to good paint/interior, and hopefully some maintenance history - $2500-$3000 at the higher end. Most people here probably wouldn't spend that much on it. Look in the classifieds here to get a good idea.

 

[luigisho]

Should cost maybe a bit more. I'd look 2500-3k or so. More for a better well kept car. Secondaries don't increase power per se. They open the second set of runners and allow more air to enter the motor at a given rpm. You could take the secondary butterflies out but it kills torque down low. Oversimplified-Managing airflow helps keep the power in a more useful range over rpm band. The SHO heads flow alot better than most engines of that production time period.

 

[waffles]

Here in MN it's hard to come by the "perfect sho" there arent too many, second question (kind of) will this car smoke any stock ricer on the road? (vtec:stright hate)

 

[kevinspann]

Lol. It's a 220hp Taurus. It can be smoked by a newer Camry.

 

[zach44102]

edited

 

[SHO1]

Welcome! Gearing helps alot too. In case you didn't see it yet, There's a MN section here.

 

[wingtip80]

me personally the only vtec motors that will give you a run is (stock vs stock)
k20, k24, and a b18c1's and c5's.. vtec motors have came along way from where a taurus was 15 years ago.

My friend has a 95 mtx his wife has a 09 civic mtx vtec the sho will pull away in second.

 

[rubydist]

since a 09 Civic has a whopping 140 hp, the SHO should pull away.....

in this part of the world, a SHO has to be really nice to go for $2000, and that means nice paint, of course no rust, and recent maintenance. it seems that farther east they go for more in not as good of condition.

the secondaries refer to the tuned intake - basically there is an ideal intake runner length for certain rpm range of the engine that takes advantage of the resonance of the intake air stream and helps move more air into the engine. the fact that the SHO motor has longer runners tuned for lower rpms and shorter runners tuned for higher rpms provides a long, flat torque curve that makes the engine pull well over pretty much the entire rpm range. at the same time, the relatively high horsepower output is achieved by having decent torque at high rpms, so the reality is that the engine is not a torque monster with natural aspiration. boosted is a whole 'nuther story.....

 

[Enzo731]

If you have time and money. And then after you have a fondness for the SHO.

Then welcome to the club.

If you don't have time and/or the money. And then after you have a fondness for the SHO.

Then welcome to the club. But we'll be watching you.......

 

[jayro]

Hp is a rating of torque at a specific RPM. HP= (Torque x RPM)/5250. Due to the 2 stage intake and heads ect (stuff already listed) the sho makes pretty good torque ( of course this is relative) at higher rpm which equals more HP.

 

[waffles]

More Noob Q's: I have been told that the gen ones do not have a yamaha head but the gen twos do, is this true? I am aware of the body differences between the two but under the hood is there any difference? Also performancewise, MTX or ATX? I appreciate the help :thankyou:

 

[kevinspann]

Gen 1s have the same drivetrain as gen 2s.

Performance wise, MTX, simply because the auto isn't sucking up all the power.

 

[luigisho]

GenI&II Yamaha motor and heads. GenIII yamaha heads.

 

[waffles]

Thanks guys, are there any major common faults? Excuse my inquisitiveness but I kinda wanna know what i'm getting into.

 

[turbo79]

More Noob Q's: I have been told that the gen ones do not have a yamaha head but the gen twos do, is this true? I am aware of the body differences between the two but under the hood is there any difference? Also performancewise, MTX or ATX? I appreciate the help :thankyou:

All of the SHO engines from 89-95 have Yamaha made long blocks (which includes the heads).

The first SHOs ('89) were a little faster because they weigh less.