My V6 Ciera is so much faster than my V8 Supreme! Is that just the way it is? Does anybody know what the stock 0-60 time is for a California 307 V8? The car is in good shape and has been babied for the past 22 years by your typical little old lady who only drives on Sundays. Seriously, I have proof of this!
How slow is a 1987 Cutlass Supreme 307?
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150 hp is optimistic... add 3500 lbs or so, and you got yourself a slow ride.
Rear gearing also plays a big part as well.
That's why so many people end up swapping motors...
Rear gearing also plays a big part as well.
That's why so many people end up swapping motors...
Well, the 0-60 time for a 442 Cutlass Supreme in 1985 was..9.8 seconds. That was with the "High Output" 307, 3.73 gears and more aggressive governor in the transmission that allowed WOT upshifts at 4500 RPM. The standard model would have had 2.41 gears (or worse) with a 3,000 RPM governor. If it did 0-60 in 15 seconds, I would be surprised. The stock V6 Cutlass? Well it was a full 5 seconds faster to 60 than a similarly sized Mercedes Benz 240D. Which sounds good...until you realize that a 240D takes 27 seconds to hit 60. So, umm.... yeah. The v6 does 0-60 in about 22 seconds.
The difference between a RWD Cutlass and the Ciera is that the Cutlass Supreme can be improved on pretty easily, while the Ciera was a poor answer to the question the Honda Accord answered so much better. That is, how to make a good, FWD transportation appliance that was comfortable and inoffensive. Very few people today own a G body to just drive it as is. In stock form, they are so bad compared to other cars available today for similar money that you would have to be self loathing to want it to remain completely stock. Fortunately, they are easy to improve without butchering their "Essential Gm-ness" as I like to call it. That is, you can keep the style, and interior but lose the suck. After all, the interior is of a much better quality than anything GM would build for another 20 years, so there is little reason to mess with it if it is in good shape. The look isn't bad, and usually is easily improved with wheels, tires, tint and mild lowering. Steering feel is a steering box swap away, and the suspension can be improved greatly for less than $50. The interchangeability with other GM products is what makes these cars good. Otherwise, they suck unless you have a late turbo Regal.
The difference between a RWD Cutlass and the Ciera is that the Cutlass Supreme can be improved on pretty easily, while the Ciera was a poor answer to the question the Honda Accord answered so much better. That is, how to make a good, FWD transportation appliance that was comfortable and inoffensive. Very few people today own a G body to just drive it as is. In stock form, they are so bad compared to other cars available today for similar money that you would have to be self loathing to want it to remain completely stock. Fortunately, they are easy to improve without butchering their "Essential Gm-ness" as I like to call it. That is, you can keep the style, and interior but lose the suck. After all, the interior is of a much better quality than anything GM would build for another 20 years, so there is little reason to mess with it if it is in good shape. The look isn't bad, and usually is easily improved with wheels, tires, tint and mild lowering. Steering feel is a steering box swap away, and the suspension can be improved greatly for less than $50. The interchangeability with other GM products is what makes these cars good. Otherwise, they suck unless you have a late turbo Regal.
speed
Well when i first got my cutlass I took it to the track,1/8 mile. With the 307 it would go 12.45
Now with the big block it goes 8.15 :lol: :lol:
Well when i first got my cutlass I took it to the track,1/8 mile. With the 307 it would go 12.45
Now with the big block it goes 8.15 :lol: :lol:Thats funny comparing it to a 240D. My parents had one and the few times I drove it I wanted to shoot myself. Kids on bicycles would gap me from a stop. It was much better on the highway and felt somewhat strong with good torque. Not so with my new V6 Cutty. It feels slow everywhere. 22 seconds to 60 eh? Wow. The good news is traffic tickets become a thing of the past. I did have a V6 malibu last summer that actually felt good around town so I'll give all the credit to the gearing. Twenty two seconds. That makes me want to laugh and cry all at the same time.
Just think how much better these cars could have been if GM was not so cheap better sway bars and springs,steering boxs etc,offering a stick instead of all automatic.
It is slow enough that you do not want to try and pass someone on a two lane road. It is very dangerous, ask me how I know 
You most likely will not have enough time to pass before a car is coming head on towards you.
You most likely will not have enough time to pass before a car is coming head on towards you.
I think the lack of power that a 307 has is grossly exaggerated. It isn't a powerhouse by any means, but it isn't "dangerously slow". I've never had problems passing people with my 86' roller 307 with a 200-4R and 2.56 rear gears. It just downshifts and goes. It loves cruising at 65+ MPH and it doesn't take all that long to get there. The VIN Y was rated at about 140 HP, and mine, with anti-fowlers on two of the plugs and numerous other problems, feels like it still has at least that. I've also noticed that although many cars in traffic are faster off the line, I pull away at the top end.
What type of gearing do you have in the car? That will make a big difference too.
What type of gearing do you have in the car? That will make a big difference too.
Jamesejam, fwiw far and away the single biggest easiest and most cost effective acceleration improvement for your Cutlas is going to be rear gears. If you have an overdrive transmisssion get a 3.42 or 3.73 if you have a 3 speed get a 3.08. A gear swap is a bit of a roll of the dice if you are doing it yourself without proper tools. As in it may wine etc. Assuming you don't have serious go fast plans. The cheapest easiest most idiot proof way is to have your local salvage yard do a computer search to see if they can find a a whole rear drum to drum. Any MCSS will have either a 3.42 or 3.73. The 3.08 would probably require you physically going yard to yard looking at trunk stickers for the right code. (Which I don't know off of the top of my head.
Also fwiw the HP #s of a 307 are almost irrelivent. The 307 moves the car with torque. I think the 307 made like 230TQ which is more than most V6s of the day but then it needed it with the weight and tall gearing. I have a 4 cylinder that makes more HP (155) but only makes 155TQ and while it makes more HP if it had to move the same weight against the same gearing the 140HP 307 would leave it in the dust.
Also fwiw the HP #s of a 307 are almost irrelivent. The 307 moves the car with torque. I think the 307 made like 230TQ which is more than most V6s of the day but then it needed it with the weight and tall gearing. I have a 4 cylinder that makes more HP (155) but only makes 155TQ and while it makes more HP if it had to move the same weight against the same gearing the 140HP 307 would leave it in the dust.
Inspect the flying spaghetti monster of vacuum hoses and emissions parts. My 305 Monte picked up a little better after I got the emissions parts working. It was a low miles car too but the EGR valve was bad, the valve that blocks off the exhaust manifold at cold start was stuck, 1 or 2 hoses had vacuum leaks, the choke stayed on too long, and the big one was the throttle linkage wasn't pulling the mechanical part of the quadrajet secondaries open all the way.
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