It's a system that come from the Skyline GTR ! On that car it was fine but has Sport Compact Car has said, it,s have some problem on the 240.
It's a kind of All Wheel Drive but not really at the same time ! Kind of bizzard ! !
You should go check the Sport Compact Car of this month they are talking a lot about the 240sx ! There is one place where they build a real bomb for a little bit than 3000$ us ! ! very nice car !
it is nothing like 4 wheel drive. in the simplest terms it is 4 wheel steering where your rear wheels will caster (steer). you gotta drive it first to see if you like it. ive seen one car though break the 2.0 lateral G with this car. in bad weather though it has been said to act all weird. the system is also sometimes unpredictable at when it hooks in unless youve driven it alot. to me hicas is garbage. if i were forced to buy a car with it i would get a kit to eliminate it.
Anyways, to answer your question, super hicas is basically four wheel steering. On 240SXs it was only available on s13s from 91-93 and only on fastbacks. It came as part of a handling package which included a limited slip differential (a very good thing!), and stiffer springs.
It was also available on some 300ZXs and Infiniti's J30Ts along with other cars I am sure.
Most 240sx owners would prefer not to have the super hicas because even though it will handle a little better at lower speeds, it can be very unpredictable when really pushing the car.
There are actually kits out there to dissable the super hicas system.
The other downside to super hicas is the added weight of the system.
added weight? dont think 100 pounds is that much. it was available in 94 i believe. in japan the S14 also came with hicas.
as for removal kits till now i have only seen them in japan. i know stillen makes some for the 300ZX to eliminate the 4 wheel steering. as for the 240SX i dont know but i would wait for a non hicas equipped. thats what im doing.
100 pounds is something of course. but not enough to go through the trouble of removing your rear subframe and replacing it with a non hicas equipped car. your better off waiting for a non equipped one like me. too much trouble to go through to remove hicas.
By the way Andrew if you are interested, my car is always up for sale.
Its a 90 though but could probably beat most DOHC 240SXs.
Anyways, Its in amazing shape. If I were to sell it, it would be in the ball park of $6000 nego. dependeing on what I sell with it.
(Springs, mags, Cd player, etc.)