What IS a sleeper a nowdays?

[AccordWarrior]

Dodge Caravans...that reminds me of the Relentless.

www.thedodgegarage.com

Watch the video of it taking out a Supra.

[ACCORDianate]

Volvos

My volvo 240 wagon was rwd and it had a 5cyl engine that could come turbo from the factory to boot.

Let me clarify something about Volvos and I'll let this discussion run its merry course:

First: All Volvos until 1993 were RWD. The first FWD Volvo was the 850. The 100, 200, 700, and 900 series platforms were all RWD.

Second: The second number in the model designation is the number of cylinders the vehicle has, with only a few exceptions. Examples follow: the 240 is a 200 series with a 4 cylinder in it. an 850 is an 800 series with a 5 cylinder in it. A 760 is a 700 series with a 6 cylinder in it. however, Volvo started changing that 2nd slot designation with luxury/trim level at about 1988 with the 700 and 900 series platforms. A 760 did not necessarily mean a v6; it may have a turbo 4 in it.

Third: 200 series only had turbos until about 1983. 700 and 900 series had turbos throughout the years. If you're going to boost a 200 or 700 series engine, get a pre-87 or 90+, but avoid 88 and 89, as they had weak connecting rods and they cannot handle insane amounts of boost.

Fourth: If anyone has a spare 200 series wagon that runs/drives sitting around that they wish to donate, PM me.


Carry on.

[gloryaccordy]

It really all depends on the situation...although I agree w/the new ricer thing. I'm much more weary of Civics w/just a drop than I am of Civics with bodykits, etc...then again a lot of dudes here have both the bodykit and the very intercooled turbo setup, so it's a real tossup. Ultimately if you didn't expect a car to be as fast as it is it's a sleeper...the minute details really depend on the car/situation.

[h22sparkle]

Well my cars a sleeper sorta because of the fact that ou look all around it you dont see anything but you look upin the rearview and im right behind you chillin because i let you go, youll then see the intercooler in the front until i say now youve seen enough and then shoot right by you like you where just crawling.

[KillerCam282]

I think that our CB7s are super sleepers. Most people who want a fast honda pass on the our CBs cause they opt for the lighter civics. Then the stock engine seems to be only good for cruising on the highway. Also alot of people say that the CB7 has excellent acoustics. Basically no one main perception of this car is for it to be fast. Thats why i think right now my car is a sleeper. People look at it and see some kitted accord with a black widow wing and hooked up interior. They assume it can't be fast but then they find out the wikked truth.

[deevergote]

I agree that "sleeper" has become a diluted term lately. I've had my car called a sleeper, and I have 17" rims and a drop! Not to mention my loud exhaust...

Steve, I like the "shady" concept... I'm clinging to that one! And yes, it's rare to see someone under 25 driving an older Honda with no modifications. Well, maybe not rare, but it's not that uncommon these days! Very many cars have modifications, but the extent of the mods is often unknown. Most probably have cheap IHE, and not much else.

Usually, if you see a multicolored Civic, chances are the owner doesn't have enough money to finish the bodywork, so they probably don't have enough money for engine work! Though the cost of engine work COULD be the reason why they haven't been able to afford the body work...

Either way, MY definition of a sleeper is a car that shouldn't be fast, that is made fast... without all the "hey, look at me! I'm fast!" appearance modifications. No wing, no stickers, no 3.5" drop... no 18" rims (though they would slow you down...) no FMIC, etc... ATX's car is a decent sleeper... well, decently shady The rims are subtle, the exhaust isn't obnoxious, and the drop isn't "full race".

[Sho Nuff]

I have been called a sleeper every weekend for the past couple of months. But my car is finally dropped now.

But i have learned to not look down on any car on its appearence. I always expect the worst, simply because many people would NEVER think my car could do anything. And from what i have seen over the past few years is that the ugliest cars are the fastest.

[deevergote]

That ugly comment is often true for domestics... I've seen some crazy fast late 80s and early 90s Mustangs and Camaros that looked beat to hell.

With Hondas, you can often tell who's fast, I think. Those that are serious about appearance often have VERY clean body kits, and huge rims. You know where their money went. Those who are fast usually have clean looking cars. Not usually beat up, and usually lightly modified. The wheels are often lightweight, the drop is usually more subtle (though not always) and body kits, if they have one, aren't usually outrageous. Usually more on the conservative side. Those with aluminum wings, cheapo rims, unpainted or poorly maintained body kits... etx... those people are USUALLY not fast. They are USUALLY clueless about what they want to do! (of course, that isn't always true either... accordlayinkit has been unpainted for a LONG time, and he has a direction! just no money to move as fast as he would like... I can respect people like that)

[AccordWarrior]

I remember back when I went to the strip there was a completely stock looking 91 Camaro. It sounded stock, was driven by an older guy (didn't look like a gear head), stock wheels, stock hood, everything. The thing ran something like a 10.8 @ 13something. if I remember right. I might be off in the speed, but I know it was a 10.8. It had a underhood supercharger with a ton of boost. Would that be a sleeper? I didn't expect it to be that fast.

[4GAccordH22]

A Sleeper

In my opinion, THIS is a sleeper! All I know is that it pulls like a mofo and has surprised a lot of "innocent bystanders"


the rest is in the sig... vvv

[FishyMan]

Here's a sleeper. ^^




Anyhow, I think SLEEPER, JDM and all that has been and will be played-out or desired by MANY. I mean it's just how things are, things are fast, first, and then everyone wants it. But that's okay....

Just like WRX, damn, I wanted 1, the 2.5rs '01 (b4 redesigned) actually just to be different, and digged the hood vents and scoop. But now the WRX, STi are like played out like hell. It gets a bad rap at times here, and people with the WRX aren't helping out either.

But my idea of a sleeper is like a DARK HORSE, and someone who just comes up BIG when called upon sort of speak. They don't have to SHOW OFF just cuz their car looks clean, or dress receivingly. More so, they are looking to not RACE, PLEASE their buddies in the car, but to SMOKE fags who wanna start shiet.

I mean think about it, dressing your car to LOOK COOL is another thing versus someone who dresses it CLEAN or SLEEPER LOOK. But I guess SLEEPER would mean, "ITS ALL ABOUT THE CAR's PERFORMANCE" and not worry about aesthetics...

[ACC0RD22]

1) not to be off topic . . . but . . .i hate the term played out . . . why does it matter how many other people have done it if you like it

2) i was gonna mention your car h22sparkle . . . cuz honestly when you drove into the NJ meet i was at . . . i had no clue that your car had an h22-t underhood

[zipcreature]

I agree with the idea that a real sleeper does not exist as it did about 10 years ago. Remember the whole idea of beating a mustang with an import is that a smaller economy car, with a swap, could win against blatant testosterome powered f-bodies.

The main idea with alot of the cars we drive are to emphisize the lines of an already pleasent car. The CB's are very nice, in my eyes. I dont agree with tainting them with a wild body kit; to me that is changing the car. I would prefer to bring out the nature of the car by say, adding a lip. As someone here said that is "clean" an emphasis on the beauty of the car itself.

HOWEVER, with the respect that alot of people have worked very hard to build and maintain by staying away from ricey parts, the idea of all imports being slow economy boxes is def. on its way out. Alot of people who own domestics and muscle cars really do respect the import scence (a different topic). As I talked to an older gentleman today he said:

"I may not be a fan of the type of car you might drive, but I can still appreciate the work that has been put into it".

- Zipcreature

[palinix]

This is an interesting topic. There are a lot of views out there. Here's what i would think.

A sleeper is intentionally visually downplayed. The owner of a sleeper enjoys a stock appearance or slight, in the owner's opinion, 'tasteful' mods to the exterior. Performance mods always take priority over external mods. Most mods, either performance, internal or external are purposeful and not simply eye candy.

In this day, tuners should be able to look at a sleeper and identify as being cleanly worked on, reasonably powerful and not obnoxiously loud.