Nostradamus’ words have been deemed prophetic. He became world renown when publishing collections of prophecies including this theorem: “One of the hardest things to teach a child is that the truth is more important than the consequences.” Eric Hsu, on the other hand, best sums it up with a theorem of his own:
“Cheap asses + cars = cheap ass cars”
The end.
Send your worst to:
questionit@importtuner.com
and put your helmets on.
Why is Hyundai the bastard of the tuner world?
I have had my eye on Hyundais for some time. Their design team always knew how to turn a head but with their Tiburon 2.7L being there flagship sports car all I could do was shake my head and wish they would create a sports car with some real power. So when I heard Hyundai was producing a V-6, 300hp, rear-wheel-drive Genesis coupe for around $25K, my ears perked up and when I testdrove it I fell in love. It’s clear Hyundai has done their homework this time and produced a car the Western market would love. Yet, it seems like this car remains under the radar of the tuner world. Why is that? The Lambda RS 3800 engine started off as a Mitsubishi 6G75 V-6 engine. Is it safe to assume the Genesis engine can take the same kind of abuse as the 6G75 and produce 500 bhp with stock internals? Has anyone designed a forced-induction kit for the 3.8L Genesis coupe or will I have to follow the crowd and buy a 350Z?
-Wes Young
Baltimore, WA
Like you said, Hyundai tuning is pretty much under the radar so I’m not too familiar with Hyundai tuning myself. Up until recently, Hyundais were only passenger cars of mediocre quality. Today, Hyundai’s lineup of cars and engines are starting to garner the respect a world-class car manufacturer deserves. Starting is the keyword here. This is probably why Hyundais are still the redheaded stepchild of the tuning world.
I’ve heard from a friend about a company named Power Axel that provides tuning software for Hyundais, and ARK Performance also supplies Hyundai performance parts and accessories. The Hyundai 3.8L Lambda engine isn’t derived from a Mitsubishi 6G75. I would guess the Lambda is derived from a Nissan VQ35DE upon initial inspection. Those two engines bear an uncanny resemblance, but that’s just my opinion. The 3.8-liter is pretty robust from the factory and can definitely handle some abuse. Rhys Millen uses the engine in his Formula D drift car and while the engine isn’t stock, it makes tons of power and torque (much like a VQ35 does). I’ve heard of a supercharger kit using a Rotrex supercharger as well, but I am unsure of how well it performs. Don’t forget that Google is your friend.
Project Restoration
I recently purchased an ’89 Nissan 240SX for a restoration project with a modest move to increase power output from the factory SOHC engine. My plan is to swap in a dual cam KA, however, as expected with a wiring loom that is nearly as old as I am, some of the plugs are missing and others are completely smashed. Rather than hunting down a dual cam in a junkyard somewhere and ruining a good harness that someone else can use, I was wondering if you had any sources for these connectors, and others like them, that didn’t involve ordering in bulk of thousands.
-Farva,
via importtuner.com
OEM connectors are difficult to purchase because of exclusive agreements with connector manufacturers and the car manufacturers. Like you discovered, you’ll need to buy them in manufactured lots, which are usually in the thousands of pieces. You’ll also need to purchase them from a distributor who is not involved with the automotive industry. You can try Boomslang Fabrication for small quantities of ECU connectors, but honestly your best bet is going to be buying a new or used engine harness from a twin cam KA. Not only does everything plug right in, but you’ll also only need a small modification at the dash harness connector to make everything work.