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Spider Slower than a Hard Top?

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InfamousEclipse

20+ Year Contributor
1,928
2
Jan 11, 2003
Tri- Cities (c³), Washington
I would think a n/t Spider would be a Hard Top GS or RS because of the weight difference right? Aren't spiders a lot lighter? Someone tells me their slwoer tho for some reason? Probably as really dumb easily answered question but hey, I posted it because I want to know./
 
Spyders GS have sohc motors and i far as i know there is no RS Spyders. im pretty sure that a hardtop RS/GS would take a Spyder GS. (not sure though never saw two run)
 
umm no. a nt eclipse spyder has a 2.4 liter dohc engine. .4 more liters than a nt eclipse. So you would probably beat him, not cause of the weight difference either. the spyder has more torque.
 
I'm pretty sure the 2.4L spyder is a SOHC. Seems kind of wierd if it has .4L more displacement with only 1 more hp and 18 more tq.
 
the spyders do weigh more, where a hardtop only has a sheet metal roof the spider has a steel frame for the top and there is a lot more reinforcement in the body of a convertable car, not to mention the electric motor for the top and all the other accesories.
 
sinner is right you have to make them a lot stronger because it has no top therfore it weighs more.. my brother works for VW and drove the new Bug convertible and said it is so, so slow, way slower than the regular one because they had to make the doors and the braces going up to the roof stronger..
 
Sinner is right the extra reinforcement ads ALOT of wieght. Kinda a wierd thing cause you think the hardtop would way more, but nope. Its this way with EVERY car even ferrari's.
 
I raced a '97 n/t spyder at the 1/8 mile track (soon to be 1/4!) and I beat him pretty good.

IMO the n/t Spyder is for looks mostly. It looks nice, get's the ladies better, but is probably the lowest performance level of them all.
 
I raced one before, 1'st gear we were even, 2nd gear I got my back bumper past his front, 3rd I was like 2 car lengths and I let off becuase I was going like 80 in a 25
 
Originally posted by LifeRollsOn
I raced one before, 1'st gear we were even, 2nd gear I got my back bumper past his front, 3rd I was like 2 car lengths and I let off becuase I was going like 80 in a 25

I appreciate the info, any1 else? I never "fished" for a race with a Spyder, cuz I didnt have the info... dont wanna ruin my 9/9 streak LOL

Thanks for the info guys!
 
Umm...I doing this on a hunch but:

http://autos.msn.com/vip/singleyear.aspx?modelid=2118&src=vip

The 2.4 has more displacement but it is only 1 more HP so it shouldn't make a big difference. But I'm betting the torque is well above the 2.0.'s.

A hardtop is always much lighter than a t-top/convertable because reinforcements must be made for it. I'm lazy but go to www.howstuffworks.com and they have a great write-up on how the top is reinforced in the auto section.
 
RS/GS Hardtops have 140 HP

For some odd reason GS Spyders have 141 HP, I looked it up on Eclipse specs and performance. Wierd eh? I would imagine they're faster
 
im a proud owner(sometimes) of a spyder gs. it is a 2.4 sohc engine. theres about 2 differences between it and the 2.0 dohc. of course the cam differences and then the throttle boddie and other items are bored out more. as of which one is faster. my stock eclipse gs beat a stock eclipse gs hardtop by a car length. and i know this is bad to say but im a car length behind a prelude with vtec, cat back system, cold air intake, computer chip. so to me, thats not so bad considering im bone stock then. but as of today i added the eclipse turbo filter to mine....swett @$$ sound especially at 4500++ rpms.:thumb: :dsm:
 
Yes every convertable car i know of is heavier due to reinforcements like most people said. The spyder N/T engine is a 4g64 i believe with 2.4 liters and SOHC. The reason for the SOHC engine if i remember right was to make more torque to haul around the extra weight.
 
well i have a 1995 eclipse GS, my wife has a 1998 eclipse spyder, the eclipse gs has 140hp, the spyder has 141 hp, the spyder weighs 500lbs more the eclipse GS is a 2.0 DOHC, the spyder is a 2.4 SOHC, we have raced 2 times, i got her the first time by half a car length, she got me the second time by a little less, we are almost even just depends on the launch, we both have 18" wheels her tires are 235 40, mine are 225 40
 
I don't know, I know people with the Spyder who say they constantly beat hardtops, and I know people with hardtops who way they constantly beat Spyders. The only thing I've heard is that with the same mods a Spyder will react better. EX: an open air filter will give a tiny bit more power to a Spyder (4G64) than to a 420A. I don't know if this is true or not, but I've heard it quite a bit.
 
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