Introduction to the S13
Home: Introduction to the S13
Take it all with a pinch of salt, I've done my best to make sure its correct,
but just don't quote me on any of it.
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The S13 range came out in two series, series one (refered to as S13) from about 1988 ~ mid 1990, and series two (refered to as PS13) from mid 1990 ~ 1993. The 180SX is identical to the silvia in every respect except its styling as it is the hatchback version as opposed to the coupe shape. It was given the designation "R" (hence the term RS13) with the "P" used to denote the revised SR20 (as opposed to CA18) version.
Note: Dave was wrong! I previously thought that, regarding model codes, the "K" letter represented the CA18 model and the "P" represented the revised SR20 model. Thanks to help from Rohan from Personal Auto Imports (paimports@dingoblue.net.au) I now know that the "K" letter in the model designation identifies a S13 as having HICAS four wheel steering.
A note for people new to Nissan's engine family:
Other symbols include:
- 1988 ~ 1990.5: 1809cc (CA18 Engine) - Turbo model powered by Garrett T25 turbocharger.
Intercoolers on the S13's are side mounted and vary only very slightly in size. Intercooler upgrades are covered elsewhere in this site.
Silvia (Coupe) Model Designations:
The S13 series came with three main model designations:
- J's - Base model. Very spartan inside and rarely seen in Australia.
- Club Series - Special spec given to Q's and K's. To date no one can distinguish for sure the similarities between say a standard Q's and a Club Q's.
- R's & A's - There has been some speculation on other special limited release models but no one has yet seen solid evidence yet that these models really exist let alone were brought out by Nissan.
The 180SX's usually came in turbo with trim levels being restricted to "type I" and "type II". Not too sure what exactly the different types included in the way of trim levels. Drop us an email if you know for sure.
ECCS Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI)
WHAT IS ECCS?
Electronic Concentrated Control System (ECCS)
Source: http://www.datsuns.com/Tech/carterms3.htm
Exact fuel tank capacity is unsure - either a 55, 60 or 65L tank. However i'd put my money on a 60L tank.
Four speed electronic automatic transmissions were standard with a five speed manual transmission (roughly 10% of the production run) being optional. Automatic transmissions were fitted with a power/normal/hold button, which does the following:
Rear wheel drive.
Viscous coupling limited slip differential (LSD) or open differentials are offered in the following ratios:
Differentials used are R200 models.
Four-wheel independent suspension on all S13's.
Four-wheel independent suspension reduces the un-sprung weight, improves ride and handling over rough surfaces and permits room for a larger trunk.
Optional HICAS II (CA18 models) or SuperHICAS (SR20 Models) 4 Wheel Steering available.
Steering is Power sensitive rack & pinion with a turning circle - kerb to kerb (in) - of 9.6m.
F/R: 55/45% (Driver 60Kg)
Approx Silvia dimensions are (L-W-H) 4540x1690x1290mm. Weight of the various models is as follows:
No idea. There are at least four different transmissions on the S13 all with different ratios.
THE WORD ON HICAS!
"Nissan's current version of 4WS is called HICAS, which stands for HI Capacity Actively controlled Suspension. There are 3 versions of HICAS in various stages of development, all of which are stability type systems only. A. HICAS -- Stability type system applied to the rear wheels. In production on the Nissan Skyline Coupe in Japan since 1985. B. HICAS II -- Same as HICAS except with "phase delay;" note: also includes opposite phase steering at high speed built into the system logic which delays turning the rear wheels to improve vehicle turn-in. This "phase delay" also includes opposite phase steering at high speed. C. Super HICAS--same as HICASII except front wheels also have some elements of active control."
Differences between the CA18 and SR20 Silvia/180sx's are as follows:
Silvia Spoilers:
The red silvia is a SR20 with its distinct rear spoiler which contrasts the silver CA18 model with its stock rear spoiler
Alloy Wheels:
Three different types of wheels here - The left one is an SR20 rim just like the center one, only the left one is finished in a matted aluminum and the center one is machine polished. The matted aluminum style alloys were only fitted to turbo (K's) models with the polished rims being attached to the Q's models. All J's models were fitted with 14" steel rims.
The wheel to the right is the distinct CA18 rim which was fitted to both the Q's and K's models.
Silvia Light units/grille:
Its rather hard to see in these photos but the left shot shows a SR20 silvia with its "round" foglights on the inside of light units (same as the low and high beams). The one on the right is a CA18 which has square fog lights. Note also the grille on the SR20 - this was a Nismo option and there are several people around Australia who have molds for making these. Otherwise both the SR20 and CA18 silvias have the same fake "light" panel only the CA18 says the word "SILVIA" in a bigger font size than the SR20.
180SX Differences:
The only real differences on the outside of the 180SX were the wheels (same as the coupe - already covered above) and the front nose cone. The black 180SX is the CA18 style nose with the red being the revised SR20 nose. Everything else (like rear spoiler etc) stayed the same.
S13 Interior Differences:
Interior wise, the only two things that changed where the front seats and the cloth trim. The above photo shows the CA18 "bucket" seats on the left with the plainer SR20 seats. Both models had the option of standard, velour and leather cloth trims with cloth patterns varying.
Some minor difference to which im not sure about the correlation of concerns the steering wheel and gear stick. There are two different types of steering wheels, one a generic Nissan one and one special Silvia one. A leather clad steering wheel and auto gear stick was also available with possibly turbo and leather trim equiped models. Turbo models also got variable intermittent wipers compared to the fixed intermittent wipers of the Q's and J's.
Introduction:
SR20DET
SR = The engine model (SR, CA, RB, VG etc)
20 = The capacity of the engine which in this case is 2.0L
D = Double overhead cams (aka "Twin Cam")
E = Electronic Fuel Injection
T = Turbo
R = Supercharged
TT = Twin turbo
- 1990.5 ~ 1994: 1998cc (SR20 Engine) - Turbo model powered by Garrett T25G turbocharger
- Q's - Mid spec model. Full electrical accessories. No turbo. LSD optional.
- K's - Top spec turbocharged model. Same features as Q's except for the turbo. LSD's appear to be standard on most K's models.
"An electronically controlled system that gives continuous, precision control to a number of engine operating characteristics -- air/fuel mixture ratio, ignition timing, idle speed, exhaust gas recirculation. This system provides optimum driveability, fuel economy, power and emissions control. "
Q's - 1090kg
K's - 1120kg
Q's - 1110kg
K's - 1150kg
© June 2002
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