Even with a scavenging exhaust (which yes, is annoying... even more annoying than my exhaust... ) a 1.4 liter motor just doesn't have the bite to even take on a stock 1.6.

A stock 1.6 makes about 105 - 115 hp.

A stock 1.4 (carburated?) makes about 80-85 hp. An EFI 1.4 can make about 90-95 hp.

A full intake and exhaust job will net you about 10-15 hp... that's with good header design, already. Cut it short ("scav"), and you're looking at 15-18... which merely matches the horsepower of a stock 1.6... but you're not making as much torque as he is, so you're still left dead in the dust... I've met/raced guys who've gone as far as having racing cams and cam-gears installed in their 1.3s... 1.6s walk away from them on the straights at the race track. Hell, we once had a stripped-out 1.3 Sentra with an intake and a full exhaust. That GA13 could wail. But despite weighing 200-500 pounds more, stock 1.6s could walk away from me at any speed... ...it was fun trying to keep up, though.

Right now, I'm driving a 2.0 Lynx. No matter how loud a 1.6 is (scav and all that), they just can't keep up with me... guess the shoe is on the other foot...

Ghosthunter is right... there's more to being fast than making power... just get a proper exhaust... one with a muffler and a resonator, so it doesn't sound like complete arse on the highway... then spend your money on stuff that counts... good shocks, good springs, brake pads, tires... a 1.4, unless you turbo it, will never be powerful, but since it has a very light engine up front, it's quite fun to drive on a winding road with the proper modifications.