Why is the micra so popular ??

J

jc1301

hi all

ive just bought a micra
and was very suprised to find a micra owners club like this one
im on many other forums and clubs
but just wondering what makes the micra so apealing to all the users here??

i didnt piticlaurly find it attractive nor exciting
but i do find it is nippy
ive had a good read and look round the forum at pictures and build ups.

but realisticly is there any point in tuning a micra??
i have a 1.3 gx
and cant see any point in speanding money on induction kits,manifolds exhausts and cams ?
what power gains would i get from the above basic set up ??
what would it keep up with with the

other thing is
what made you buy a micra ??
why ??

i bought my micra out of need

and to my suprise there is a massive fowllowing on here


im not slagging the car off or anything
just curious
 
The CG engines (the ones in the K11s) respond quite well to mild tuning, they were designed to be economical and not that powerful. A 1.3 with a Janspeed manifold, decent exhaust system and a filter would be pushing not far off 100bhp.

Couple this with a set of lowering springs and some grippy tyres and you'd be surprised what you can take on round the twisties, it handles very well indeed.

As for reason for buying, a lot of people will tell you on here it's because not many people modify a Micra. The club slogan is "Do not underestimate what you will never understand" for a good reason :)

Anyway, welcome to the club and I hope you enjoy your stay here!

James.
 
i got mine because they was reliable and cheap to run. but after a while a started liking it more and more ive had her three years now. once you join the club you dont wanna sell her lol.
 
lol still abit unsure about it

Janspeed manifold, decent exhaust system and a filter

REALLY ???

25bhp from the above mods
that sounds abit unrealistic?

can you feel the difference ??
 
I probably chose the micra, because it was nippy, cheap and i guess the underdog when your looking at the modifying side of things.

tbh i couldnt find a car that better suited for my needs when i was looking for one...now at its current level of tune, its kinda excessive but then thats half the fun.

a recent insurance quote resulted in my engine performance upgrades being classed as "unacceptable"...which apart from making me laugh, made me pleased with my projects progress. :D
 
jc1301 said:
lol still abit unsure about it

Janspeed manifold, decent exhaust system and a filter

REALLY ???

25bhp from the above mods
that sounds abit unrealistic?

can you feel the difference ??
Click to expand...
In fairness I never did the above modifications to my own Micra when I had it, I was relying on conjecture from other members, however there definitely significant gains to be had fitting the aforementioned mods.

James.
 
We used to have a Micra K10 in our family when I was a kid and my dad bought Nissans pretty much ever since, they're reliable. Micras are particualy cheap to buy and run and easy to find parts for. And on a personal note I think the K11 is cuteeeee :)
 
i got my micra on my 18th as a present and i was cuffed as hell to have a car but thot.... a micra. what can i do with this.
After research i found plenty of ones in japan that looked amazing.
After dong different things to it I started beating cars i thought would have left me for dust. there nippy and can get set up well for handling

now going up to trackdays and hillclimbs the micra is loads of fun. Ive just bought my 2nd micra as a project car to stand up to far bigger cars. and because they expected a grandad car to have nothing it makes it so much more fun.

have a look at the vid from crail, i was only running the 1.0litre that day and the last race was against stani who's turbo'd the same engine you have. you can see the power it has and theres loads of videos you shud watch from crail , theres a few micras up this way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYk9nJDAsvQ
 
jc1301 said:
lol still abit unsure about it

Janspeed manifold, decent exhaust system and a filter

REALLY ???

25bhp from the above mods
that sounds abit unrealistic?

can you feel the difference ??
Click to expand...

i agree with your scepticism fwn, but you can feel difference (90ish hp imo)
replacing the 8.5kg flywheel with a 4kg one is job #1,then a decent inlet cam and some subtle breathing mods ftw :)
 
hmmmmm

how much does it cost on average for manifold and full system ??
any one got any used one's for sale??
also
whats the best induction kit??
 
Id reckon £400-600 could get you a full system (depending what you go for)...and tweaking the normal airbox inlet diameter, is good enough for extra breathing (plus its free)
 
previously ive cut out the air inlet / resnonator (the bits that lead up to the main airbox on the righthand side of the engine) and bond in a larger diameter cold air feed pipe to the stock airbox.

The result is more air can be forced in and you get a louder induction note...cant say what the gains are, but it would be best to assume some gains are possible.
 
Well I got my Micra for Free from our lass, even though it's China Blue a bit of a girlie colour I know, but I love it, it's got potential, 1.4 litre engine, power steering. It's not a Corsa, it's not a Saxo, it's a reliable Jap car. I'm still impressed on how many new members we see every week. it's great.
 
My Father picked me up in a Micra randomly one day, when we got home, he handed me the keys. To much surprise he had bought me the car. From then on, I've stuck with Nissans. I've had several. Micra's.. Primera's.. and the odd Hyundai.. Etc.

The Micra is somewhat of an under dog, and because of the assumptions people make upon no basis what-so-ever, it's a good car for those who are able to see through the bull####. The CG engines are very choked, so replacing the breathing components of the engine definitely has their gains. It's a box with an engine, so even a slight increase in power gives it a lot more 'umph' than you'd initially expect.
 
i got my micra because its the same thing as the corsa,saxo,polo, and fiestas which are cheap,small, economical cars which get modified to death but you never really see modified micra's around so thats why i picked it to be different
 
why is a micra a good car:

it won car of the year in 1993, it has come second on the list of best cars ever made only to be beaten by the honda civic.

it is jap so it is reliable, it is very well build and easy to come by, most micras die of rust before the engine dies.

they are a decent size inside, compared to simmilar cars like the corsa they are very spacious and nippy.

the micra has been at the front of technology, it was the first small car to have an ECU, and DOHC 16 valves.

they are commonly used in auto grass and rallying, and are class winning cars.

the K10 super turbo is one of about 3 factory production cars to have a super charger and a turbo charger.

there are still K10s from 1983 driving about, apart from classic cars, they are some of the oldest cars you will find still on the road. they are even rare in scrap yards!

there have been micras with turboed engines, super turboed engines, and as high as 1.6l engines in them.

as far as looks go, it is something that grows on you, i have never liked the look of a micra straight away it has taken some time, i am only just starting to like the look of k12s, but thats down to personal taste.

over all the micra is what a car should be, it is practical and efficent and reliable, cheap to run, economical, and with a bit of work they can become fairly reasonable sports cars.

with a full suspention kit, and a full exhaust kit, you will have more fun in a micra round country lanes than you could have in a skyline on the same roads, and how much fun can you have just going very fast? the micras will get to 60 quick enough and thats all you need really, there arn't many places they will go faster, and if you want they can do 120...

there are lots of reasons why the micra is a good car, its one of the most popular cars in japan and tailand, its just people have a negative image towards it here, where they think its a slow granny's car, and with some people its impossible to get them to think different, even if you show them the K12 with the 350Z engine in the boot, or the k10 with the Super charged and turbo charged engine, or the k11 with the 400bhp 2.0 turbo engine....
 
simples because they are diffrent and not to bad to insure as a first car ect

i got mines as it was my sisters before and she was looking to get something bigger so i said i would have this car if she gave me it cheep so here i am :D
 
I got mine because it was cheap and a bit different. I hated it at first. I hated how it looked, hated the image, but after signing up here and seeing what you can do with them, that turned me around.

What can be bad about a pretty indestructible all aluminium injection DOHC engine, high build quality, a very high power to weight ratio compared to other cars in it's class and some funky looks.

If you think about it though, you can go out on a saturday night in any town, and you'll see loads of chavtastic corsa's, saxo's, 106's etc etc but how many Micra's do you see?
 
jim_bling said:
because i own one
Click to expand...

LOL!

I decided at 15 i was gonna get one when i saw the 'bubble' kit (impul replica iirc) in the back of max power.. Firstly it was just to be different, but since have found more reasons, stated by everyone else in this thread!

As far as i can tell the only bad thing about them is the granny stereotype.
 
What made you buy the micra? The 1.3 gx is a good model from what i hear from other people. Have you owned any other cars or is it your first?

Mine was my first car, it was given to me and at first i was sceptical about the thought of this 'granny car' but found it amazing the second i got into it. I've never had a single problem with it after 90,000 miles. I now own a more powerful car but only because the 1litre engine isn't powerful enough for my constant motorway travelling but i do intend on buying a 1.3 in the future as a run around car and modifying it to look as good as some of the cars on here have turned out.

All in all ther is nothing to complain about when it comes to micras. (Unless you travel on the motorway alot lol)
 
Rob said:
What made you buy the micra? The 1.3 gx is a good model from what i hear from other people. Have you owned any other carsl)
Click to expand...


LOL
I've owned many of cars
Civic vti's
Type r's
S14's
Celica's
Eg civics
Ek civics
Ed7 civics
And loads more LOL

But I've had to buy a micra to get me around
As I've lost my no claims bonus and a recent acident
That wasn't my fault left me out of pocket :(
So I can't get insured on anything now
 
i got mine for christmas 2 years ago. my dad was talking about getting me one, to learn in, as he thought they were good little cars, but untill we got one, we didnt realise how good. i was over the moon when i saw mine parked in the garage on christmas. they are nippy reliable and cheap. unusual, and easy to work on. i think a 1.3 might be on the cards....
 
They are the best supermini of old, ricetastic reliability, and much better for modifying than a Corsa B.
 
When my parents got my sister a K10, I was like 'God just don't buy me a Micra when I turn 17', because of the whole granny image thing (my grandparents had one :wasntme:)
When I turned 17, my parents woke me up and dragged me outside with my jammies still on, and there was Bubble Mark 1, a 1.0 K11 LX all done up with a bow on her windscreen :grinning:
I owned that car for 4 years, and we had our ups and downs, but she was a damn reliable car.

I sold it in January to get the K11 March Cabriolet I own now (Bubble Mark 2) - a decision I wouldn't have made, and the fun I would have missed out on, had my parent's not got me the LX.
They're reliable, engines are bulletproof (although I don't think too kindly of the electrics) and I'm a member of this fine forum! From which I have made some very good friends!

I doubt I will own Micras forever, I'm planning a rich life full of crazy and fantastic cars, but I'm glad I got a Micra and not a stupid Saxo or Corsa!
 
haha robert wondered when some one was going to say something about that lol

i have the 1.4 cga engine and i made 101.5 bhp just off janspeed manifold janspeed decat custom cat back to back box with a relocated air filter which is proven on a rolling road so take that 100 bhp stripped out with full handling kit on and bye bye quite a few cars in the twisties
 
What car is the 1.4 from
What handling mods do you recommend??
I take it there will alot of body roll regaurd less of
Handling mode???
 
it is standard mate very rare to find its a facelift facelift mate or phase 2 facelift and handling mods i say lower her 50 mm on shocks and springs or coilovers if you can afford them lower strut brace upper strut brace front whiteline anti roll bar rear whiteline anti roll and whiteline panhard rod some light weight alloys as well with good tyres mate also less weight the better
 
NeX said:
why is a micra a good car:

it is jap so it is reliable, it is very well build and easy to come by, most micras die of rust before the engine dies.
Click to expand...

*sobs* Don't say my Micra will die!

I think Micra's are great cars because from stock they are just better than others similar. E.G. a 1.0 Corsa v 1.0 Micra, so that's 12v v 16v, 3cylinders v 4.

I have always been surprised how well my car pulls. I used to drive my Mums Corsa. Any day I would take my Micra!

Yet as everyone says, they are so underrated :(
 
Cant really say any more than whats already been said...

They are SO under rated its crazy!
people wont realise how good they are until they own one. And its good to be different from everyone else, and its also fun when you beat a saxo full of chavs off the line :D
 
Sheeer UNDERDOG! and unbelievably pretty. As for the reliability my k11 has 156k on the clock, never failed an MOT rarely needs servicing and still not beaten by the rust factor! What more do you need???
 
got my first one for free off our lass horible white thing decided that i needed to do something to improve its looks and out of the ashes came the bumble bee lol, sadley she,s now off to somerset tonight but I still have another 2 a 1.3 and the humble 1lrt and im thinking of a 3rd so as i dont get bored long may they live and im not repeating whats allready been said.......................apart from underestimated
 
Because it's the best super-mini,it out-performs the competion.(Although Civics & Starlets are also excellent)
The rest of the worlds manufacturers engineering is 10 years behind the Japs.
The Ford 1.25 Zetec engine in the Fiesta/KA is usually finished by 60K & your arches will fall off.The 8 OHV engine is a modified dinosaur from your grandmas Anglia from the 60's.
Anything from GM that sayes "Ecotec" on the rocker should be scrapped,that 1 litre 3 cylinder thing from the Corsa is a joke.GM made better engines 15 years ago.
The Saxo/Pug 106 look good & don't rust but 2 bob build quality with deck chair seats.And the pedals are made for dwarfs.
Clios drive & last well but the Micra is much more fun...
Puntos are a joke,like driving a jelly.
Micras are reliable,handle well,economical & so much fun to drive & blend into the background with the added benefit of whipping the competion.
 
sleeper_ss said:
Because it's the best super-mini,it out-performs the competion.(Although Civics & Starlets are also excellent)
The rest of the worlds manufacturers engineering is 10 years behind the Japs.
The Ford 1.25 Zetec engine in the Fiesta/KA is usually finished by 60K & your arches will fall off.The 8 OHV engine is a modified dinosaur from your grandmas Anglia from the 60's.
Anything from GM that sayes "Ecotec" on the rocker should be scrapped,that 1 litre 3 cylinder thing from the Corsa is a joke.GM made better engines 15 years ago.
The Saxo/Pug 106 look good & don't rust but 2 bob build quality with deck chair seats.And the pedals are made for dwarfs.
Clios drive & last well but the Micra is much more fun...
Puntos are a joke,like driving a jelly.
Micras are reliable,handle well,economical & so much fun to drive & blend into the background with the added benefit of whipping the competion.
Click to expand...

exactly what it says on the tin haha that is a mint explination that made me chuckle
 
i got my micra because it was cheap to insure. i then discovered there east to work and live with. i am planning on gettting rid of the 1L and getting a 1.3
 
i took the car for a good 100 miles round trip over the weekend
and was really impressed how it held its own on the motorway
im glad ive bought the micra now
becasue i looked at corsa's,feista's,306 d-turbo's
and it was a toss up between a starlet,micra or a d-turbo
as ive had a d turbo before
but i think i made the right choice
its a good solid weee car

still need to change the oil a few times to clear all the gunk tho
does any one know if i just change the oil with out the filter is this ok ??
 

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