Revision as of 01:37, 25 November 2006

A broad overview of Datsun 1200 Performance

NOTE: Power ratings vary by country and year. Check the underhood plate in your 1200. Most plates have the SAE* rating (see below) of 68 or 69 hp.

1 Datsun 1200 Performance
2 General Information

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Datsun 1200 Performance

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Engine Ratings

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year	engine	HP	rwhp	Kw	@rpm	torque (lb-ft)	N-m	@rpm	Notes
1971	A12	69	40	51	6000	70	97	3600	rear-wheel HP
	A12 used		25			30 (est)			Supertune Dyno
	A12 tuned		38			44 (est)			Supertune Dyno
1971	A12 USA	69		51	6000	70	97	3600	SAE Gross HP (?)
1972	A12 USA	68		51	6000	69	96	3600	SAE Net HP (?)
1972	A12GX	83		62	6400	72	100	4400	JIS hp rating
1973	A12SSS	90	55	67					rear-wheel HP
1973	Datsun Rotary	120		89	6500	116	160	4400	Wheels Magazine
1976	A14 FED	70		52					1976 USA ad, 4-speed
1976	A14 CAL	68		51					1976 USA ad, 4-speed
1980	A14	65		48	5600				US Wagon (from plate)
1980	A14 FED	80		60	6000				US model (from plate)
1974	A12GX	63		46.8	6224	60	83	3273	1200GXman
	A15 race	114		85.0111856823266	6965	90 (est)	124 (est)	6600	Steveo1000's A15
	A15 race	111		83	7900	86	118.938	5900	Steveo's A15
1997	A14	63		47	6000				B140 Review
2004-2006	A14	63		47	6000	70	97	2500	Nissan South Africa
	A14?		99						Dattoman_1000's engine
	A14+		104		7248				Rally1200's A
	A12 turbo		69						stock block turbo
	A15ETT		102	76rw					twin-turbo
	A15		69		5370 (est)				mild build-up

Supertune 1200

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RPM	RWHP Stock	Torque lb.ft. (est)	RWHP Tuned	Torque lb.ft. (est)
2000	10	26	14	37
2500	14	29	19	40
3000	17	30	24	42
3500	20	30	29	44
4000	23	30	32	42
4500	25	29	35	41
5000	22	23	38	40
5500	NA	NA	32	31

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Acceleration Performance

Quote:
turns 0-60 in less than 15 seconds

Quote:

0-60 mph 15.1 secs
1/4 mile 19.6 secs @ 67 mph
lb/hp 29.5
80 mph stop 302 ft
Road & Track Road Test (November, 1970)

Quote:
ACCELERATION [1200 SSS] (Standard 1200 as tested October 1971 given in brackets):
.. 0 - 60mph ............. 11.9s . (14.0s) .. Standing quarter mile . 18.1s . (18.8s)
MOTORMAN magazine

Consumer Reports 1971 September Road Test

1/4 mile ... 21.5 sec @ 66 mph
0-60 mph ... 18 sec

Mechanix Illustrated 1973 article

0 to 60 mph: 19.8 sec.
1/4 mile: 21.6 sec.

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0-60 Comparison to Other Vehicles

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Comparison to Contemporary Vehicles

`The Datsun 1200 was not slow in comparison with other economy cars of the period. For example, it was faster than all these cars in 0-60mph:

1973 Datsun 1200 16.5 <li>1971 Chevrolet Vega 2300 16.5 <li>1972 Dodge Colt Wagon 16.7 <li>1976 Datsun B210 (4spd) 17.2 <li>1976 Datsun B210 (5spd) 17.4 <li>1976 Renault R-5 17.4 <li>1972 Volkswagen Wagon 17.7 <li>1974 AMC Gremlin 17.8 <li>1975 Datsun B210 17.8 <li>1974 Datsun B210 sedan 17.9 <li>1979 Volkswagen Rabbit (Turbo Diesal) 17.9 <li>1971 Ford Pinto 1600 18 <li>1976 Chevrolet Chevette Rallye 19.7</ul> ... Yet slower than these:
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Comparison to Modern Vehicles

What about the Modern Era? To bring the 1200 into the modern performance era, 0-60 times would have to be improved. These are among the slowest cars of the '90s (yet their 1/4 mile times are similar to the 1200's):
reference: http://www.angelfire.com/pa3/ford/performance1.htm

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Top Speed

I would guess the top speed is about 90 mph (144 kmh). The speedometer error in the Road & Track test vehicle was 7% off. It read out faster than the actual vehicle speed. This inflates speed, fuel mileage and distance traveled (if you go by the speedometer). My first 1200 speedo was off about 10%. My current speedo is off ~7.5%.

Top Speed: 90+ mph Mechanix Illustrated 1973 article

The FIA docs states a top speed of 140 kmh, and 150 kmh for the high-compression engine.
To test the top-speed you need a long (5-mile) track or a banked oval. Mechanix Illustrated tested a stock but broken-in 1200 in 1973 on the Daytona Speedway:

Quote:
topping out at a shade over 90 mph

MOTORMAN magazine out of New Zealand tested both a regular 1200 and a 1200 SSS and note this:

Quote:
We didn't take the 0-90mph time with the standard car because it was near the Datsun's top speed, but the SSS version took half a minute to reach this velocity, and continued to pull strongly to its maximum of 100mph.

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Braking Performance

The disc-brake Datsun 1200 had decent brakes:

FROM 60 MPH ... 160 feet
... with some or all wheels locked ... 140 feet
Consumer Reports 1971 September Road Test

It had significantly better braking performance than the Datsun 510. It was similar to the 240Z (the 1200 beat the 240Z when fully loaded).

Stopping distance in feet from 60 mph: 190-195 feet
USA 1971 Nissan Consumer Information document
Click for Nissan braking specifications

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Braking Comparison with Period Cars

Compared to its time period, the 1200's brakes weren't necessarily bad: <li>disc-brake Datsun 1200: 190 ft <li>1964 Pontiac GTO: 197 ft <li>1970 LS-6 Chevelle: 194 ft
It was also better than the Fiat 850 and the same as the Opel Kadette.

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Braking Comparison with Modern Cars

The braking performance doesn't compare well with todays vehicles: <li>disc-brake Datsun 1200: 190 ft <li>2002 Mitsu Lancer: 144 ft <li>2002 Toyota Camry: 118 ft

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Weight

Weight .................. 14cwt
MOTORMAN magazine
CURB WEIGHT (pounds) ... 1613
Consumer Reports 1971 September Road Test
Curb Weight: 1,609 lbs.
Mechanix Illustrated 1973 article
CURB WEIGHT ... 1613 pounds
Consumer Reports 1971 September Road Test
Curb weight 2-dr coupe: 1650 lbs
Curb Weight 2-dr sedan: 1630 lbs
Add 75 lbs for automatic transmission
Source: Nissan statistics for coupe and sedan

Datsun 1200 Weight
4-dr manual 1532 lbs

4-dr auto 1609 lbs

2-dr coupe 1520 lbs

5-dr wagon 1609 lbs

Source: Aussie brochure:

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Fuel Economy

The Datsun 1200 got a fuel economy of about 24 city and 38 highway. I used to keep records, and I got about 32 rural/38 highway (after adjustment for speedometer error, see 'top speed' above).

You don't believe it? Here are some actual test results:

MOTORMAN magazine: Range between 24 and 32 miles per gallon. Average on test, 28.9mpg.

Consumer Reports 1971 September Road Test: RANGE OF AS MILEAGE TO BE EXPECTED IN NORMAL USE (mpg) ... 23-41 TANK MILEAGE OBSERVED ON 300-MILE TEST TRIP (mpg) ... 35

28 mpg overall: Road Test - Road & Track (November, 1970)
32.5 on the 1973 Datsun 1200: Motor Trend
35.3 mpg:

We drove the little Datsun from Daytona to St. Augustine and back -- a total of 106 mi. -- on some second-grade roads. At an average speed of 48-plus mpd, the rig from the Land of the Rising Sun got 35.3 mpg, making the round trip on exactly 3 gallons of gas. Mechanix Illustrated

End of Datsun 1200-specific information.

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General Information

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How much horsepower does my engine have?

Engine ratings can vary from the engine in your car:
The best way to measure your engine is to put it on a dyno. Use the same air cleaner and exhaust and all accessories, or use a correction factor to estimate the Net hp from the Gross hp.
Hp can also be estimated from top speed (if a lot of other things are known, like the aerodynamic numbers or the car), or from 1/4 mile drag race elapsed time.

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Horsepower Ratings Standards

Note that engines are not rated by independent testers -- it's the manufacturer's word. They are supposed to follow a standard though, or they could be held liable for false advertising.
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What is horsepower?

Horsepower is a measurement of the engine's ability to perform work. For example, the work of accelerating a car through a 1/4 track.
Horsepower is a computed factor based on the torque measured on an engine dynomometer. Torque is just the force of the engine, but doesn't say how much work is getting done. Horsepower is the work made possible by the rotating engine, so RPM is also a factor along with the torque in determining power.
The HP "rating" is a static setting for a certain condition (like full throttle, maximum engine load at a certain RPM) and so only tells a little bit about the engine. An engine performance curve, generated by by taking torque readings at a sequence of RPMs, will give more insight into the performance of a car.
For a detailed discussion of horsepower and torque and how they relate to cars, see Vettenet's Torque and Horsepower Primer

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Torque and HP conversions
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What is SAE?
SAE is the Society of Automotive Engineers. Their standard is used by the auto manufacturers. Prior to about 1971, the SAE Gross rating (aka bph - brake horespower) was used. This was the engine without accessories. Since about 1971 the Net SAE rating has been used. This is the engine with all accessories (alternator, air cleaner, etc) as fitted in the car, so it is more realistic. Both SAE ratings are based on an engine dynamometer (not a rear-wheel dyno). The "brake" is referring to the dyno's putting a retarding force on the engine.