V8S Coming up at Auction
Discussion
magpies and mk1fan thanks for both your very helpful replies, magpies i really appreciate the info that having done so yourself it is not that cheap or that powerful, i'll forget that idea then.
mk1fan, yes i always go for weight saving before tuning on all of my cars and bikes, but not sure how much else there is to get out of the s2 that is going to significantly going to improve performance without turning it into a roofless impractical track car. i already have no stereo or speakers as they are weighty and unecessary with the lovely motor/exhaust to listen to, no carpets or doorcards, yes i could loose the heavy door windows and roof but it is quite useful to be able to drive it in the rain sometimes, the targa panels are ridiculously heavy so i always leave them at home rather than put them in the boot if it's not raining! could go for a mini drycell battery or even a lithium ion one i suppose and save a few kg there. the exhaust weighs a ton too but can't afford to have a titanium one made, i suppose some of the brackets here and there could be swapped from steel items to alloy fabricated ones but remember this is supposed to be a relatively low cost fast road car.
wouldn't mind fitting an rv8 if that is feasible, as a bit of a caveman and not a fan of electronics, i'd be happy to put in a 3.9 converted to 4 barrel carb and performance cam, then electronics would be a doddle, had that set up in my old land rover and there were only about 6 wires to the whole engine bay! didn't realise fitting an rv8 to the s2 would be an easy option, would mean significant weight saving aswel as easy and cheap 200+bhp.... but at least the 3.9 i had in that land rover was all about low down power and grunt and not worth revving past about 4k, whereas i like revving the 2.9 (and even more so the 3.0 essex in my mk1 transit, that really flies!) but then i suppose a cam would sort that. any of you put an rv8 into a v6 car?
mk1fan, yes i always go for weight saving before tuning on all of my cars and bikes, but not sure how much else there is to get out of the s2 that is going to significantly going to improve performance without turning it into a roofless impractical track car. i already have no stereo or speakers as they are weighty and unecessary with the lovely motor/exhaust to listen to, no carpets or doorcards, yes i could loose the heavy door windows and roof but it is quite useful to be able to drive it in the rain sometimes, the targa panels are ridiculously heavy so i always leave them at home rather than put them in the boot if it's not raining! could go for a mini drycell battery or even a lithium ion one i suppose and save a few kg there. the exhaust weighs a ton too but can't afford to have a titanium one made, i suppose some of the brackets here and there could be swapped from steel items to alloy fabricated ones but remember this is supposed to be a relatively low cost fast road car.
wouldn't mind fitting an rv8 if that is feasible, as a bit of a caveman and not a fan of electronics, i'd be happy to put in a 3.9 converted to 4 barrel carb and performance cam, then electronics would be a doddle, had that set up in my old land rover and there were only about 6 wires to the whole engine bay! didn't realise fitting an rv8 to the s2 would be an easy option, would mean significant weight saving aswel as easy and cheap 200+bhp.... but at least the 3.9 i had in that land rover was all about low down power and grunt and not worth revving past about 4k, whereas i like revving the 2.9 (and even more so the 3.0 essex in my mk1 transit, that really flies!) but then i suppose a cam would sort that. any of you put an rv8 into a v6 car?
p.s. is there a box to tick somewhere or an option to turn on, on this site so i can get an email notification when someone has responded to a forum topic i have started or contributed to like the way there is on facebook so i don't have to keep checking periodically to see if anyone has responded even if they haven't ;-) told you i was a cave man ;-)
Well you could fit a mk1 MX-5 roof to keep the weather proofing and save some weight.
A few have done the RV8 swap - the thread I linked is one - and a few have come up on ebay recently. To be fair, the effort doesn't seem to warrant the overall improvement. There's a good mix of V8 and V6 cars on the S Club Tour and neither significantly out performs the other.
If you're really interested in weight saving and an engine swap then consider the Duratech 2.4 4-pot engine. 200bhp+. I'm sure can be run on carbs - if not the 2.0 Zetec 4-pot can - and weighs 100kg less compared to the V6/V8 if memory serves me correctly. The Zetec would produce less bhp and save 75kg, again iirc. You lose the V6 and V8 sound track but the still born S race car was a 4-pot so it's not something TVR didn't consider.
It's the rear suspension that is the overall limiting factor when it comes to power.
There's loads of other rubbish to remove from the car too. Deleting the fresh air intake hoses for one. Let in a naca vent on the side and serve the vents and the heater that way will save a few kgs. The wiring loom is too long. Stripping out the unused circuits will save too. Also, if you go 'racing' battery you can relocate it into the passenger footwell which will give space to properly mount the ecu and fuse box too. Plenty of room for a small racing battery behind an [ali] foot rest. That means you can lose the 2m of 16mm power cable and replace with 0.5m of 25mm or bigger and help with the slow cranking.
The seats are suprisingly light. My elise seats disn't save much weight - although they include heating elements now.
A few have done the RV8 swap - the thread I linked is one - and a few have come up on ebay recently. To be fair, the effort doesn't seem to warrant the overall improvement. There's a good mix of V8 and V6 cars on the S Club Tour and neither significantly out performs the other.
If you're really interested in weight saving and an engine swap then consider the Duratech 2.4 4-pot engine. 200bhp+. I'm sure can be run on carbs - if not the 2.0 Zetec 4-pot can - and weighs 100kg less compared to the V6/V8 if memory serves me correctly. The Zetec would produce less bhp and save 75kg, again iirc. You lose the V6 and V8 sound track but the still born S race car was a 4-pot so it's not something TVR didn't consider.
It's the rear suspension that is the overall limiting factor when it comes to power.
There's loads of other rubbish to remove from the car too. Deleting the fresh air intake hoses for one. Let in a naca vent on the side and serve the vents and the heater that way will save a few kgs. The wiring loom is too long. Stripping out the unused circuits will save too. Also, if you go 'racing' battery you can relocate it into the passenger footwell which will give space to properly mount the ecu and fuse box too. Plenty of room for a small racing battery behind an [ali] foot rest. That means you can lose the 2m of 16mm power cable and replace with 0.5m of 25mm or bigger and help with the slow cranking.
The seats are suprisingly light. My elise seats disn't save much weight - although they include heating elements now.
drak ula said:
p.s. is there a box to tick somewhere or an option to turn on, on this site so i can get an email notification when someone has responded to a forum topic i have started or contributed to like the way there is on facebook so i don't have to keep checking periodically to see if anyone has responded even if they haven't ;-) told you i was a cave man ;-)
I think there is an option in the settings somewhere. Easiest thing is to go to the drop down 'My Info' tab at the top of the page and select 'Contributions'. You'll see what threads have had replies in the last 24hrs by default - you can select longer periods by clicking the different tabs.mk1fan thanks again, i am busy reading up the long thread you gave me the link to, love it, but also love your suggestion of 2.4 duratec with carbs to save 100kg, that IS a proper weight saving! and serious power, bet that would HOWL at high revs with some big weber dcoes giving an induction noise as good as the exhaust noise. though i do like the grunt of the v6.
were you serious about mx5 roof? tell me more? is it a roll up type or with hard panels? does it fit our windscreen frame?
like the idea of battery relocate and loosing cabling.
already got rid of air pipes years ago as they were just so damn ugly!
any more weight saving tips keep them coming, will try the notification tip too, thanks again.
were you serious about mx5 roof? tell me more? is it a roll up type or with hard panels? does it fit our windscreen frame?
like the idea of battery relocate and loosing cabling.
already got rid of air pipes years ago as they were just so damn ugly!
any more weight saving tips keep them coming, will try the notification tip too, thanks again.
phillpot i love the old school drilling approach, done to all my old bikes in the past, and costs nothing but time, will defo do some of that where i can't replace steel with alloy! and thanks for the great pic's. have you drilled your discs?
here's another tip, transit open ended wheel nuts, big saving in most important place of all, unsprung weight in place of the big heavy closed ended nuts!
here's another tip, transit open ended wheel nuts, big saving in most important place of all, unsprung weight in place of the big heavy closed ended nuts!
AutoAndy, visors went years ago along with doorcards and carpets ;-) toying with idea of removing whole dash (would give me more knee room too as i'm 6'3") and making up a plain flat instrument panel just to hold clocks and switches. though the leather curvy dash is SO pretty, knee room might swing it in favour of getting rid!
drak ula said:
have you drilled your discs?
Nope! not sure that cross drilling vented disc's is a good idea?I've got the 887/888 calipers and bigger discs so lots more weight (those calipers are seriously heavy) but hopefully improved braking outweighs (no pun intended) any handling penalty?
drak ula said:
here's another tip, transit open ended wheel nuts, big saving in most important place of all, unsprung weight in place of the big heavy closed ended nuts!
Tuner nuts
ha, never heard of tuner nuts before, how does the star cope with the kind of torque a breaker bar or air powered socket gun puts through? bet they still weigh more than a short open ended transit nut, weigh one of your tuner nuts on a kitchen scale if you have one and i will do the same with a tranny nut ;-)
how big are your discs? do you have to fit bigger rims? i like the oz rims, they are very light but have thought about going to 16 or even 17 in cossie rims for the sake of low profile wider tyres, the grip from the 17" tyres on my old bmw 5 series puts the tvr to shame! wet or dry at any speed the car can do (over 130) the grip is amazing, was a revelation to me as the most modern car i've ever had (1995 e34 with 235 front and 255 rear).
how big are your discs? do you have to fit bigger rims? i like the oz rims, they are very light but have thought about going to 16 or even 17 in cossie rims for the sake of low profile wider tyres, the grip from the 17" tyres on my old bmw 5 series puts the tvr to shame! wet or dry at any speed the car can do (over 130) the grip is amazing, was a revelation to me as the most modern car i've ever had (1995 e34 with 235 front and 255 rear).
Discs are 278mm, see Joe's recent thread and wiki on bigger discs.
They fit within 15" wheels, might just catch a balance weight or two if they're stuck in the wrong place!
Going 16 or 17 inch is not a particularly popular option on the S, general opinion seems to be the car feels/handles better with a bit of tyre compliance.
They fit within 15" wheels, might just catch a balance weight or two if they're stuck in the wrong place!
Going 16 or 17 inch is not a particularly popular option on the S, general opinion seems to be the car feels/handles better with a bit of tyre compliance.
drak ula said:
...here's another tip, transit open ended wheel nuts, big saving in most important place of all, un-sprung weight in place of the big heavy closed ended nuts!
I seriously doubt whether a few grams off each nut will make any noticeable, or even actual, difference. If you really think it might, then just hack-saw off the closed end of the standard nut.Fitting bigger discs and calipers will mote than out-weigh (get it
) any weight trimming on a few wheel nuts.yes guys, i am sure the weight saved from halving the size of the wheel nuts won't make a 'massive' (pun) noticeable difference, but considering how much people are willing to spend on magnesium wheels and titanium bolts to save unsprung weight, and considering you can get an old set of nuts off a transit for pennies, seems like a very cheap and easy way to take a bit of weight off the wheels! as for bigger brakes, yes of course they will add a lot more weight than the nuts will save but that is all the more reason to save a bit where you can, but personally i have never found the standard-ish (apart from fiesta mastercyl' in place of the leaky old saab one and goodridge lines and fittings all the way from m/c to calipers loosing the old hard lines) to be a limiting factor in my fast driving, in fact when i first got the car i had thought one of the first things i would do would be a rear disc conversion to save weight if nothing else but soon realised the brakes were very effecting and the disc and caliper set up would not have been lighter than the drum anyway which was lighter than i had imagined. in fact when driving 'very enthusiastically' down the a10 some years ago and having a bit of a duel against a modern 911 (the sleeker water cooled type) it was on the brakes that i was able to pass him each time, the a10 at the london end is a series of straights and big fast roundabouts, and he would catch me and pass me on the straights and i would catch him approaching each roundabout, out brake him and 'out roundabout' him every time, i think the first time i scared the s
t out of him after he passed me the first time on a straight and i roared around the outside of him on the first roundabout (my car was VERY loud), gave him such a shock that he nearly drove into the green in the middle of the roundabout and then the chase was on! anyway, i always found power and grip to be the limiting factors not brakes but maybe i'm not as fast as you guys. ;-) my car can get sideways very quickly and easily if powering out of a corner too hard and then i find power dies away much too quickly when accelerating (or trying too) really hard through the gears.
as for tyre choice i did try going down from 205/60s to 205/50s when i first had the car and grip was much better, it was like a go cart on roundabouts but went back to 60s just because it made grounding even worse, and in north london, with sleeping policemen everywhere it is a nightmare even on the 60s which is why i thought going up a wheel size and down a tyre profile would allow for the better grip without loss of ground clearance, on the other hand the choice of wheels to fit the ford stud pattern that are bigger than the standard and not nasty aftermarket boat anchors is so limited, cossie escort 16x8s or sierra 17x7.5s seem the only options worth contemplating in terms of quality and weight and size, and they are so bloody expensive now on ebay i will probably just stick with the o.z. 15s which i think are lovely looking wheels anyway unless i can find some 15x8 minilites ;-)! what do you guys recommend as the stickiest road legal tyres to fit the standard wheels?
t out of him after he passed me the first time on a straight and i roared around the outside of him on the first roundabout (my car was VERY loud), gave him such a shock that he nearly drove into the green in the middle of the roundabout and then the chase was on! anyway, i always found power and grip to be the limiting factors not brakes but maybe i'm not as fast as you guys. ;-) my car can get sideways very quickly and easily if powering out of a corner too hard and then i find power dies away much too quickly when accelerating (or trying too) really hard through the gears. as for tyre choice i did try going down from 205/60s to 205/50s when i first had the car and grip was much better, it was like a go cart on roundabouts but went back to 60s just because it made grounding even worse, and in north london, with sleeping policemen everywhere it is a nightmare even on the 60s which is why i thought going up a wheel size and down a tyre profile would allow for the better grip without loss of ground clearance, on the other hand the choice of wheels to fit the ford stud pattern that are bigger than the standard and not nasty aftermarket boat anchors is so limited, cossie escort 16x8s or sierra 17x7.5s seem the only options worth contemplating in terms of quality and weight and size, and they are so bloody expensive now on ebay i will probably just stick with the o.z. 15s which i think are lovely looking wheels anyway unless i can find some 15x8 minilites ;-)! what do you guys recommend as the stickiest road legal tyres to fit the standard wheels?
drak ula said:
AutoAndy, visors went years ago along with doorcards and carpets ;-) toying with idea of removing whole dash (would give me more knee room too as i'm 6'3") and making up a plain flat instrument panel just to hold clocks and switches. though the leather curvy dash is SO pretty, knee room might swing it in favour of getting rid!
Whilst I was redoing the wood on my dash I had the main instrument panel held up with a couple of cable ties and the other gauges in a bit of cardboard, weighed a lot less but didn't look very nice 
if you *really* wanted to save weight then I'd look at making a new bonnet, the standard one weighs rather a lot.
yeah i know the bonnet and doors are bloody heavy as i had both off when i rebuilt the car years ago, had to have special door hinges fabricated that i could bolt into the body as the glassed in originals were crap and had broken away leaving the doors dangling. also had to make new bonnet hinges and rad mounts for my all alloy rad. did even consider loosing the body altogether!!!! having a sort of bare bones car like the atom type thing! that would be MUCH lighter! still may do that one day! though probably be better to start with something like an accident damaged wedge and go for a big out in the open carbed up v8 with no body ;-)
hi alan, what can be done to tune the engine? i've got a good strong low mileage (around 60k), so would love to keep it and tune it the old fashioned way but have not been able to find any info on tuning the 2.9 12v. burton power doesn't seem to cover it on their website, there's loads of info on the web about tuning rover v8 or essex v6 but can't find anything on the cologne 2.9 so any info or supplier would be gratefully received along with idea of costs, stuff like hotter cam or big bore kits or whatever... tell me what you know, would love tripple webers like you can do for the old essex motor but a manifold doesn't seem to exist for this motor, even considered getting inlet manifolds made up to run 6 bike carbs! cheers.
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