My 4.2 and the missing horsepower - is this the best now?
Discussion
When I bought my Cerb in January, I knew that the cats were on the way out - they rattled and my report from Rob Ingleby also highlighted this.
Took the car to Joo in Chesterfield (I think that I was the last non-race car in there before he closed and moved .... oooh about 50 yards!
) who sorted out loads of stuff for me, including new ProTechs which are brilliant.
Whilst it was in there, I asked Joo to run the car on the dyno, mainly just as a diagnostic to see how healthy the car was. Bearing in mind that this is my first TVR, it felt pretty quick to me - I just wanted to check that all was well, and the fuelling etc was OK.
Joo had mentioned that a "healthy" 4.2 Cerb should put out about 330 - 340bhp on the dyno, so I watched fascinated as he powered it through the first runs. I was f
g GUTTED when it came back with 269bhp...... 
Where the fk had all those horses gone?
He replaced the air filter for a new one, did a few more runs, and we just broke through the 300bhp barrier. Better, but still not what it should have been.....
The car is running a sports back section, and speaking with Joo he advises me to replace the cats. I was considering taking them out and replacing with straight though pipes, but as I often have my two small children in the back I didn't want too many noxious fumes coming into the cabin (Joo advised that there's a low pressure area at the side of the car that can draw fumes in - OK for me, not the kids). So, replacement cats duly ordered.
A week or two later Joo fixed the new cats. Unfortunely due to Joo's imminent move of premises, the dyno was being packed up. Ah well, out onto the road it is then. Straight away the car sounded better, MUCH better. It seemed to pick up much cleaner, and the pops, crackles and bangs on the overun down from 4k to 3k were MUCH louder and better!!
Been driving the car quite hard over the last month or so since they've been fitted, and I've got to say that the car felt quite a bit faster. Seemed to rev harder, pull more strongly, and sounded tons better. But had we cracked the mystery of the missing horses? Did I have a strong and health 4.2, or was I destined to hang my head in shame with a limp performance, the car all mouth and no trousers??
Fast forward to last Friday. The car has been with Joo to get the design of the oil catch tank and breather started (see another of my threads - will update as this progresses), and I called in to pick up the car so I could use it this weekend.
Did Joo have time this afternoon to run it on the dyno? I asked on the phone....... it was there on the ramp when I arrived to collect it.
I was full on anticipation as he warmed the car up whilst on the dyno. Did I have a "goodun", or did it have a small pecker??? We were about to find out. On the dyno is where the bullsht stops.......
FK ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
370bhp !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I couldn't beleive it! Joo said this was probably the strongest 4.2 he'd seen! Chuffed? You betcha.
That has to be one of the cheapest ways to get an additional 100bhp out of a Cerb?
So, moral of the story seems to be, get your car on the dyno and check all is as it should be. I now have a very rapid Cerb, which goes as it should do, and sounds brilliant to boot. It's almost unbeleivable how restricted the engine must have been, what with the original cats collapsing and the clogged air filter.
Thanks Joo!!!
Took the car to Joo in Chesterfield (I think that I was the last non-race car in there before he closed and moved .... oooh about 50 yards!
) who sorted out loads of stuff for me, including new ProTechs which are brilliant.Whilst it was in there, I asked Joo to run the car on the dyno, mainly just as a diagnostic to see how healthy the car was. Bearing in mind that this is my first TVR, it felt pretty quick to me - I just wanted to check that all was well, and the fuelling etc was OK.
Joo had mentioned that a "healthy" 4.2 Cerb should put out about 330 - 340bhp on the dyno, so I watched fascinated as he powered it through the first runs. I was f
g GUTTED when it came back with 269bhp...... Where the fk had all those horses gone?He replaced the air filter for a new one, did a few more runs, and we just broke through the 300bhp barrier. Better, but still not what it should have been.....
The car is running a sports back section, and speaking with Joo he advises me to replace the cats. I was considering taking them out and replacing with straight though pipes, but as I often have my two small children in the back I didn't want too many noxious fumes coming into the cabin (Joo advised that there's a low pressure area at the side of the car that can draw fumes in - OK for me, not the kids). So, replacement cats duly ordered.
A week or two later Joo fixed the new cats. Unfortunely due to Joo's imminent move of premises, the dyno was being packed up. Ah well, out onto the road it is then. Straight away the car sounded better, MUCH better. It seemed to pick up much cleaner, and the pops, crackles and bangs on the overun down from 4k to 3k were MUCH louder and better!!
Been driving the car quite hard over the last month or so since they've been fitted, and I've got to say that the car felt quite a bit faster. Seemed to rev harder, pull more strongly, and sounded tons better. But had we cracked the mystery of the missing horses? Did I have a strong and health 4.2, or was I destined to hang my head in shame with a limp performance, the car all mouth and no trousers??
Fast forward to last Friday. The car has been with Joo to get the design of the oil catch tank and breather started (see another of my threads - will update as this progresses), and I called in to pick up the car so I could use it this weekend.
Did Joo have time this afternoon to run it on the dyno? I asked on the phone....... it was there on the ramp when I arrived to collect it.
I was full on anticipation as he warmed the car up whilst on the dyno. Did I have a "goodun", or did it have a small pecker??? We were about to find out. On the dyno is where the bullsh
t stops.......F
K ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!370bhp !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I couldn't beleive it! Joo said this was probably the strongest 4.2 he'd seen! Chuffed? You betcha.
That has to be one of the cheapest ways to get an additional 100bhp out of a Cerb?
So, moral of the story seems to be, get your car on the dyno and check all is as it should be. I now have a very rapid Cerb, which goes as it should do, and sounds brilliant to boot. It's almost unbeleivable how restricted the engine must have been, what with the original cats collapsing and the clogged air filter.
Thanks Joo!!!
Another positive about Joo. More info needed about his move though. I had
a similar experience having only 308 bhp on the rollers. After a few days of
love and care the car made 348 bhp. This was with cracked and holed exhaust manifolds
and I was all set to return for a final set up with repaired and gas tight
exhaust but we all know the rest of the story.
Come on Joo the car is missing you!
a similar experience having only 308 bhp on the rollers. After a few days of
love and care the car made 348 bhp. This was with cracked and holed exhaust manifolds
and I was all set to return for a final set up with repaired and gas tight
exhaust but we all know the rest of the story.
Come on Joo the car is missing you!
It's made a real difference to how the car feels. Pulls MUCH stronger right through the rev range. I'd say we're pretty much getting bike quick now...... On Saturday I joined the M1 at J33, following a newish GSXR (new style tail piece), you can guess what had to be done. Quick squirt down the slip road together, we were both baulked by other (slooooow) traffic as we joined the motorway....... quick check in the mirrors and over the shoulder (old biking habits never die), then NAIL IT in 3rd following the bike, beeeeeeep of the rev limiter, HARD in fourth up to (ahem, this is a public forum) indecent speeds.... the bike had pulled out a few car lengths, but I've got to say I was well impressed with the acceleration.
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