What to replace a TVR Chimaera 500 with?
Discussion
phazed said:
They all have LSD.
I’d be interested to hear what suspension it has at the moment that they reckon should be junked and what did they recommend?
Any car would benefit from a Geo set up, (if adjustment is needed!).
I will check the bills as have one for the suspension when it was bought by Mark Hunter in 2014/2015 when SD did the restoration. It has only done about 5k miles I think since restoration, gearbox/diff rebuild.I’d be interested to hear what suspension it has at the moment that they reckon should be junked and what did they recommend?
Any car would benefit from a Geo set up, (if adjustment is needed!).
Not sure what they would recommend as didn't get that far yet
Classic Chim said:
And what symptoms is the LSD Dif displaying that says it needs to be replaced. 90% of these difs are loose as w
e’s draws anyway!
Not sure to be honest what is wrong with the diff. It was fully rebuilt by Grantura in 2015 for a cost of about £545 I think.e’s draws anyway! I thought they were all LSD's but am no expert for sure. Just thought early cars were GKN and later cars were BTR's.
All are LSD
Early cars are GKN later cars are BTR and a few were Hydratrak
A simple test is to pull up on a nice flat bit of tarmac and do a racing start, if you leave two black lines the Dif lsd aspect works
That said it might be loose so adds to shunt effect at lower revs so is that the issue! Does it make noise!
Just saying it needs a new LSD without specific reason or effects seems a bit harsh!
Same with shocks really. Has anyone identified the actual spring rates used by looking at them. They usually have numbers to identify the rates on the springs.
It could be this car has been set up with a very sporty approach so it’s fast and probably feels a bit nervous and firm with edgy steering. Tyres might be off, lots of things, pity we can’t get together and the boys will sort it out.lol Take it to Peter’s Auto’s aka Phazed place and let him drive it
best advice you can get I bet 
Early cars are GKN later cars are BTR and a few were Hydratrak
A simple test is to pull up on a nice flat bit of tarmac and do a racing start, if you leave two black lines the Dif lsd aspect works
That said it might be loose so adds to shunt effect at lower revs so is that the issue! Does it make noise!
Just saying it needs a new LSD without specific reason or effects seems a bit harsh!
Same with shocks really. Has anyone identified the actual spring rates used by looking at them. They usually have numbers to identify the rates on the springs.
It could be this car has been set up with a very sporty approach so it’s fast and probably feels a bit nervous and firm with edgy steering. Tyres might be off, lots of things, pity we can’t get together and the boys will sort it out.lol Take it to Peter’s Auto’s aka Phazed place and let him drive it
best advice you can get I bet phazed said:
Hope they're not messing you about!
I can't imagine so or why. A car either has an LSD or not....fact....there is no interpretation of course.I understood the test to be to jack up the rear, pop it in first gear and spin a wheel. If the opposite wheel turns in the opposite direction there is no LSD. If the opposite wheel turns in the same direction there is an LSD.
Edited by rockits on Thursday 29th October 22:21
GreenV8S said:
I wouldn't spend money on suspension components or setup for a car I was selling that was in reasonable condition. You can't know what the next owner will want out of the car, and a setup that suits you perfectly might be completely unsuitable for them.
The old 'do we replace the tired kitchen/bathroom before we put the house on the market' dilemma.rockits said:
I can't imagine so or why. A car either has an LSD or not....fact....there is no interpretation of course.
I understood the test to be to jack up the rear, pop it in first gear and spin a wheel. If the opposite wheel turns in the opposite direction there is no LSD(*). If the opposite wheel turns in the same direction there is an LSD.
(*) This will also be the case if you have an LSD which is knackered, hence not acting as an LSD. Perhaps this is their point? ...it would only take a call to determine what they mean.I understood the test to be to jack up the rear, pop it in first gear and spin a wheel. If the opposite wheel turns in the opposite direction there is no LSD(*). If the opposite wheel turns in the same direction there is an LSD.
Edited by rockits on Thursday 29th October 22:21
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
What was Hydratrak. I seem to remember that being a speccable (
) option?
When I bought my Tuscan, I could see on the build sheet that the first owner had opted for Hydratrak and wondered what it was. I did a search on PH and a poster from 2007, whose name I unfortunately can’t find, posted a description which I have saved:) option?“... the difference between Hydratrack and a 'proper' LSD is more fundamental. An ordinary friction locker transfers a constant amount of torque from the faster wheel to the slower wheel, the amount of torque transferred is a constant (defined by the diff preload) plus a component that is proportional to total prop shaft torque (defined by the taper angles in the diff). This sort of diff is nicely predictable, transfers torque the instant either wheel starts to spin up, and makes power oversteer (relatively) predictable and controllable. However, it also means you get a significant torque transfer in normal cornering due to the variation in wheel speeds, so it suffers a little more push-on understeer in slippery conditions and tends to spin the inner wheel sooner when powering through a corner. However, the amount of wheel spin is limited due to the friction connection between the wheels, so niether wheel will spin up on its own.
Hydratrak is a viscous diff which beaves completely differently. With these diffs, the amount of torque transferred is propertional to the speed difference between the two wheels. Two consequences: (1) in cornering, there is no wind up between the wheels so no push on and no tendancy to spin the inner wheel, you can push harder before it starts to let go, (2) when either wheel slides, it has to spin up quite a lot before the torque transfers to the other wheel. This can mean that in slippery conditions or under hard acceleration you sit there smoking one wheel before the diff transfers power to the gripping wheel.”
Thanks all for your input and thoughts.
I have some thinking to do.
Just to clarify I don't think it drives badly or much wrong with the setup as far as I can tell. I can put power down no problem and it handles fine for fast road driving. I am a little confused and conflicted as I think my issues were more about it maybe had a bit too much power/torque for me or the way it delivered it. With the nature of a TVR/Chimaera being light, with little weight over the back end, the decat and raw nature of the car it was just 10% overwhelming and more than I want or need.
The brakes are good and I don't any inherent issues as such, merely it was a bit too much or more than I need. I'd likely be more happy in a lower powered car. I think I just went a step too far with this one. I always felt the 500 is suggested to be the pinnacle and many say it is much better than a 400 or 450. I'm not so sure it is for me. I drove a GEMS ECU'd Supercharged 450 Chimaera that delivered its power so differently and drove better IMHO with a more mild mannered smoother approach. Rather than a sledgehammer! So I don't personally think this car drives badly just not what I prefer or am looking for. Other more experienced TVR people may disagree with how it drives but I have to trust Bespoke's opinion and comments as they are far more experienced than me in this regard. They have looked after and driven lots of TVR's so will know what drives well or not.
The Chimaera 400's I had before were a little less intimidating and able to be explored and revved out much more so I felt slightly more enjoyable dialled down a bit. Some may love being scared in a car....I prefer not to be so scared I like a car to be confident and not so scary. Even a bad car that drives badly can give this I feel. It is more the fully intoxicating nature of this car that I'm at odds with more than it driving badly as I don't think it does at all.
Slightly confused and conflicted currently!
I have some thinking to do.
Just to clarify I don't think it drives badly or much wrong with the setup as far as I can tell. I can put power down no problem and it handles fine for fast road driving. I am a little confused and conflicted as I think my issues were more about it maybe had a bit too much power/torque for me or the way it delivered it. With the nature of a TVR/Chimaera being light, with little weight over the back end, the decat and raw nature of the car it was just 10% overwhelming and more than I want or need.
The brakes are good and I don't any inherent issues as such, merely it was a bit too much or more than I need. I'd likely be more happy in a lower powered car. I think I just went a step too far with this one. I always felt the 500 is suggested to be the pinnacle and many say it is much better than a 400 or 450. I'm not so sure it is for me. I drove a GEMS ECU'd Supercharged 450 Chimaera that delivered its power so differently and drove better IMHO with a more mild mannered smoother approach. Rather than a sledgehammer! So I don't personally think this car drives badly just not what I prefer or am looking for. Other more experienced TVR people may disagree with how it drives but I have to trust Bespoke's opinion and comments as they are far more experienced than me in this regard. They have looked after and driven lots of TVR's so will know what drives well or not.
The Chimaera 400's I had before were a little less intimidating and able to be explored and revved out much more so I felt slightly more enjoyable dialled down a bit. Some may love being scared in a car....I prefer not to be so scared
I like a car to be confident and not so scary. Even a bad car that drives badly can give this I feel. It is more the fully intoxicating nature of this car that I'm at odds with more than it driving badly as I don't think it does at all.Slightly confused and conflicted currently!
Maybe have a look at something like this, you may take a hit slightly on yours but if your happy with the car.
https://www.amoreautos.co.uk/car-listings/tvr-chim...
https://www.amoreautos.co.uk/car-listings/tvr-chim...
rockits said:
Thanks all for your input and thoughts.
I have some thinking to do.
Just to clarify I don't think it drives badly or much wrong with the setup as far as I can tell. I can put power down no problem and it handles fine for fast road driving. I am a little confused and conflicted as I think my issues were more about it maybe had a bit too much power/torque for me or the way it delivered it. With the nature of a TVR/Chimaera being light, with little weight over the back end, the decat and raw nature of the car it was just 10% overwhelming and more than I want or need.
The brakes are good and I don't any inherent issues as such, merely it was a bit too much or more than I need. I'd likely be more happy in a lower powered car. I think I just went a step too far with this one. I always felt the 500 is suggested to be the pinnacle and many say it is much better than a 400 or 450. I'm not so sure it is for me. I drove a GEMS ECU'd Supercharged 450 Chimaera that delivered its power so differently and drove better IMHO with a more mild mannered smoother approach. Rather than a sledgehammer! So I don't personally think this car drives badly just not what I prefer or am looking for. Other more experienced TVR people may disagree with how it drives but I have to trust Bespoke's opinion and comments as they are far more experienced than me in this regard. They have looked after and driven lots of TVR's so will know what drives well or not.
The Chimaera 400's I had before were a little less intimidating and able to be explored and revved out much more so I felt slightly more enjoyable dialled down a bit. Some may love being scared in a car....I prefer not to be so scared I like a car to be confident and not so scary. Even a bad car that drives badly can give this I feel. It is more the fully intoxicating nature of this car that I'm at odds with more than it driving badly as I don't think it does at all.
Slightly confused and conflicted currently!
My 500 is a pussycat. Just a bigger pussycat than the 400 I had. It could just be a matter of getting more used to it. I have some thinking to do.
Just to clarify I don't think it drives badly or much wrong with the setup as far as I can tell. I can put power down no problem and it handles fine for fast road driving. I am a little confused and conflicted as I think my issues were more about it maybe had a bit too much power/torque for me or the way it delivered it. With the nature of a TVR/Chimaera being light, with little weight over the back end, the decat and raw nature of the car it was just 10% overwhelming and more than I want or need.
The brakes are good and I don't any inherent issues as such, merely it was a bit too much or more than I need. I'd likely be more happy in a lower powered car. I think I just went a step too far with this one. I always felt the 500 is suggested to be the pinnacle and many say it is much better than a 400 or 450. I'm not so sure it is for me. I drove a GEMS ECU'd Supercharged 450 Chimaera that delivered its power so differently and drove better IMHO with a more mild mannered smoother approach. Rather than a sledgehammer! So I don't personally think this car drives badly just not what I prefer or am looking for. Other more experienced TVR people may disagree with how it drives but I have to trust Bespoke's opinion and comments as they are far more experienced than me in this regard. They have looked after and driven lots of TVR's so will know what drives well or not.
The Chimaera 400's I had before were a little less intimidating and able to be explored and revved out much more so I felt slightly more enjoyable dialled down a bit. Some may love being scared in a car....I prefer not to be so scared
I like a car to be confident and not so scary. Even a bad car that drives badly can give this I feel. It is more the fully intoxicating nature of this car that I'm at odds with more than it driving badly as I don't think it does at all.Slightly confused and conflicted currently!
They don't really fire you at the scenery if you don't want them to.
For the price of a phone call to someone like Powers Performance or Joolz from kits and Classics explaining your issue maybe they can offer a more GT chip but if this car is not your favoured colour choice Etc the post above seems a very good idea.
Lovely looking in that colour and the covered lights.The definitive Mk3 look with those wheels too. Obviously Covid is the problem here as I reckon you would have sold your car easy a few years ago and the car above with its spec was probably 20k a few years ago too.
I can see why many owners with cars that have had lots of love and care/ expense basically are unwilling to even consider selling right now.With doom and gloom on the horizon it’s not really a priority to buy toys so swapping with a dealer a far simpler way to resolve it maybe and you can have a proper test drive to ensure your buying the right car. Just the exhausts on your car though very desirable would annoy the hell out of me though others will be dismayed by that comment.
I understand exactly where your coming from. Nothing pleased me more than creating a smooth car with a fairly quiet sound and softer shocks with equally soft tyres.
My steering wheel doesn’t bounce over bumps, stuff like that are signs your getting it right to me.
I started porting some heads and inlet manifold,, I really enjoyed doing it at first but as time went by and I started to learn some basics about induction tuning and how wide trumpets And low air pressure plays havoc with atomisation of the fuel etc. It’s very obvious wider inlet ports etc will give more power higher up but how it manages low down is another matter entirely.
I concluded I would risk loosing all this drivability I have at the revs I always drive at which is 1500 to around 4000 Revs and far less if just commuting. I’d gain maybe 15/20 hp if I also went fully de catt but after hours of thinking as I slowly opened the ports on an inlet manifold to 5.0 spec came to realisation that extra power would be good for one thing only,, my 1/4 mile time on a timed race track and the rest of the time a total waste of energy.
I think this thread is kind of refreshing and brings me back to owners who have basically standard cars yet owned them 15 years or more and still happy.
As I’ve often mentioned it’s much more than a bucket of power. In all honesty if I wanted a really powerful TVR I’d go Turbo or supercharged so you can still keep a road cam in there and retain the smoothness at low revs.
Most of all if I wanted another Chimaera I’d look out for one on an after market ecu as that was the start of my car becoming a more manageable car to drive in all areas.
My car using two different chips on the old CUX reacted very differently to throttle action. One was smoother and felt less powerful at low revs but worked really well, the other it was on off power with even the lightest of touches on the throttle, felt urgent but in fact no more powerful once upto decent revs anyway. It was a nightmare at slow speeds so I had it removed for the earlier map. That chip Change alone made the car feel like two very different cars at lower revs.
I’m sure you have a full on power chip which is suited to the engine tune which is already extreme and exactly what the builder wanted to create. As others have said, these settings on your car might be someone else’s holy grail.
Lovely looking in that colour and the covered lights.The definitive Mk3 look with those wheels too. Obviously Covid is the problem here as I reckon you would have sold your car easy a few years ago and the car above with its spec was probably 20k a few years ago too.
I can see why many owners with cars that have had lots of love and care/ expense basically are unwilling to even consider selling right now.With doom and gloom on the horizon it’s not really a priority to buy toys so swapping with a dealer a far simpler way to resolve it maybe and you can have a proper test drive to ensure your buying the right car. Just the exhausts on your car though very desirable would annoy the hell out of me though others will be dismayed by that comment.
I understand exactly where your coming from. Nothing pleased me more than creating a smooth car with a fairly quiet sound and softer shocks with equally soft tyres.
My steering wheel doesn’t bounce over bumps, stuff like that are signs your getting it right to me.
I started porting some heads and inlet manifold,, I really enjoyed doing it at first but as time went by and I started to learn some basics about induction tuning and how wide trumpets And low air pressure plays havoc with atomisation of the fuel etc. It’s very obvious wider inlet ports etc will give more power higher up but how it manages low down is another matter entirely.
I concluded I would risk loosing all this drivability I have at the revs I always drive at which is 1500 to around 4000 Revs and far less if just commuting. I’d gain maybe 15/20 hp if I also went fully de catt but after hours of thinking as I slowly opened the ports on an inlet manifold to 5.0 spec came to realisation that extra power would be good for one thing only,, my 1/4 mile time on a timed race track and the rest of the time a total waste of energy.
I think this thread is kind of refreshing and brings me back to owners who have basically standard cars yet owned them 15 years or more and still happy.
As I’ve often mentioned it’s much more than a bucket of power. In all honesty if I wanted a really powerful TVR I’d go Turbo or supercharged so you can still keep a road cam in there and retain the smoothness at low revs.
Most of all if I wanted another Chimaera I’d look out for one on an after market ecu as that was the start of my car becoming a more manageable car to drive in all areas.
My car using two different chips on the old CUX reacted very differently to throttle action. One was smoother and felt less powerful at low revs but worked really well, the other it was on off power with even the lightest of touches on the throttle, felt urgent but in fact no more powerful once upto decent revs anyway. It was a nightmare at slow speeds so I had it removed for the earlier map. That chip Change alone made the car feel like two very different cars at lower revs.
I’m sure you have a full on power chip which is suited to the engine tune which is already extreme and exactly what the builder wanted to create. As others have said, these settings on your car might be someone else’s holy grail.
Edited by Classic Chim on Friday 30th October 11:59
Agreed, driven sensibly they don't to want to stick you in a field. I don't find that with this car. I guess I am so used to driving either older analogue cars with much less power such as my GTi-6 or Alfa GT 3.2 V6 or more modern cars like the XJL Supersport that is pretty fast but disconnects and shields you from the rawness on purpose. So the TVR especially a 500 feels so very very different.
I think if it were a nice blue as my favourite colour I would spend some money and keep it. Funny how a colour that is really so superficial in reality can make such a difference. However I guess we have so many historic issues with colour in the world/life over the years it does happen to an extent. On a human level colour is irrelevant to me but on a car it carries more weight.
I think if it were a nice blue as my favourite colour I would spend some money and keep it. Funny how a colour that is really so superficial in reality can make such a difference. However I guess we have so many historic issues with colour in the world/life over the years it does happen to an extent. On a human level colour is irrelevant to me but on a car it carries more weight.
rockits said:
Agreed, driven sensibly they don't to want to stick you in a field. I don't find that with this car. I guess I am so used to driving either older analogue cars with much less power such as my GTi-6 or Alfa GT 3.2 V6 or more modern cars like the XJL Supersport that is pretty fast but disconnects and shields you from the rawness on purpose. So the TVR especially a 500 feels so very very different.
I think if it were a nice blue as my favourite colour I would spend some money and keep it. Funny how a colour that is really so superficial in reality can make such a difference. However I guess we have so many historic issues with colour in the world/life over the years it does happen to an extent. On a human level colour is irrelevant to me but on a car it carries more weight.
I never ever considered the colour of a car as important as most were work horses I suppose. I had an old XJ6 Jag in Silver and dark blue leather interior, I fell in love with its colour combination. I think if it were a nice blue as my favourite colour I would spend some money and keep it. Funny how a colour that is really so superficial in reality can make such a difference. However I guess we have so many historic issues with colour in the world/life over the years it does happen to an extent. On a human level colour is irrelevant to me but on a car it carries more weight.
So the only time in my life I went along and bought a car because of the colour was my Chimaera
Wtf!
The colour said to me this is a car I can develop so yes in these circumstances it does matter to some extent. The colour also reminded of my fathers 1966 S type Jaguar from around 1970 so full of emotional sentiment.
Me old Pa won’t be happy it’s not working right now but hopefully I will redeem myself at some point and finish rebuilding it lol
Thanks Alun.....all very useful and appreciated.
I understand Jools had my 500 in just after it was finished to map/tune it. Judging by the dyno chart it seems in fine fettle/health making good power. It isn't particularly shunty at low speeds and has no real peaks or troughs in the power band. Just seems strong from moving off all the way through mid to top end. I can't fault the car too much really. More that it isn;t quite what I want or am looking for. I am sure it might be bang on for someone who wants what it gives.
Not much out there that fast, raw or as unique for well under £20k. I know because i have looked constantly for many years!
I am nearly there and close to what I am after but not hit the nail on the head yet. I am sure it hits you like a 4x2 when you get it.
I understand Jools had my 500 in just after it was finished to map/tune it. Judging by the dyno chart it seems in fine fettle/health making good power. It isn't particularly shunty at low speeds and has no real peaks or troughs in the power band. Just seems strong from moving off all the way through mid to top end. I can't fault the car too much really. More that it isn;t quite what I want or am looking for. I am sure it might be bang on for someone who wants what it gives.
Not much out there that fast, raw or as unique for well under £20k. I know because i have looked constantly for many years!
I am nearly there and close to what I am after but not hit the nail on the head yet. I am sure it hits you like a 4x2 when you get it.
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