1997 GSX Questions Thanks

[SpeedJUnkyz]

OK I did some searching for this and really didn't feel like my questions were answered. I appreciate any help here please thanks. Oh and if you don't have anything nice to say, please save it for off the forums. In other words email me.


Ok I have found the perfect GSX for me to buy. I have been searching high and low and finally found one.

Red, Man. Tranny, good condition, and cheap.

Before I buy I would like to get some ideas from people who know more about this car than I do.

Ok it has had its motor changed once with a stock motor. The new motor has 90k on it. My questions for the motor is this:

What problems can I expect from the 97 GSX motor?
What power can I get out of it before I need to change the internals?
What size turbo is in it now?
What HP can the IC withstand?
What HP can the Turbo withstand?


My questions for the Drivetrain:

What TQ can the tranny, clutch, and crank withstand?
Cams?

My questions for the chassis components?

What TQ can the axles hold?
What HP/TQ/Speed can the suspension hold?


Any other info you guys can think of that I would need to know about this DSM please feel free to share. I am stupid when it comes to GSX's.

SJ

 

[gorf]

Ok it has had its motor changed once with a stock motor. The new motor has 90k on it. My questions for the motor is this:

What problems can I expect from the 97 GSX motor?

depends, how was it taken care of - crankwalk is very over-rated, only about 6% of 2g's get it.

What power can I get out of it before I need to change the internals?

350 to be safe, 400 for a while

What size turbo is in it now?

T-too-Small

What HP can the IC withstand?

Depend, some here say with meth injection - a lot

What HP can the Turbo withstand?

Change it! maybe 250-280hp with supporting mods and good tuning. get a used 14b cheap and a good first turbo upgrade.

My questions for the Drivetrain:

What TQ can the tranny, clutch, and crank withstand?
Cams?

More than the t-too-samll will throw at it

 

[gixrman]

You ask alot of general questions that unless someone actually looked at the car can only tell you. But here it goes. The stock turbo is a garrett t-25, which sucks, the intercooler is too small and rubber IC piping swells under heat. The motor it self has been know to take some good abuse. Your motor as you state has been switched out so it may have an earlier 6 bolt block which is a common swap because it it less prone to crankwalk, a mystical 2g problem. The tranny and the transfer case are the weak links. What lasts and what does'nt all depends on prior maintance and the driver habits. I've owned my GSX since 2001 and have replaced just about every single piece of the drive train besides the rear and the transfer case. Also the brakes suck.

 

[delta448]

Good post Gixrman.

What problems can I expect from the 97 GSX motor?

Keep a close eye on maintaining the timing belt, the condition of the timing belt tensioner, spark plug wires, use synthetic oil, change the oil regularly, do all of the more infrequent maintenance at the recommended intervals and you will likely have only minor issues.

What power can I get out of it before I need to change the internals?

7-bolt engines can survive ~450whp, 6-bolts can live through even more.

What size turbo is in it now?

The T-25 is most likely, but if you have a 6-bolt swap, you may have a 14b (1G stock manual trans) or 13g (1G stock auto trans).

What HP can the IC withstand?

With the stock sidemount by itself you won't likely hit more than 300, unless it's really cold weather and you use a big turbo.

What HP can the Turbo withstand?

The T-25 will struggle to hit 300whp, the 14b will struggle to hit 360whp, the 13g I honestly don't know, but IMHO its even worse than the T25.

What TQ can the tranny, clutch, and crank withstand?

Trannys seem to break at around 400 awhp. The stock clutch will vary, but will slip badly a little before 300whp. The stock crank has seen in excess of 750whp.

Cams?

The stock cams are a big bottleneck, but you can reach over 350whp with them.

What TQ can the axles hold?

The rears seem to break first and usually around 400-450whp.

What HP/TQ/Speed can the suspension hold?

The stock suspension can "hold" a decent amount. Most of the cars with stock suspension have a little wear and tear on the suspension that causes varying performance, but it always seems to get a bit hairy for my taste above 375whp/325wtq/100mph.

 

[SpeedJUnkyz]

wow guys thanks so far so good...I will get pics of the topic at hand soon.....