Speed 6 - am I asking for trouble
Discussion
OK...the cunning plan is coming together of building a garage and filling it with a cerb. Had always thought it should be a 4.2 (not a bad start for a first TVR I reckon 
) but 
maybe a speed 6
Trouble is I have heard that the SP6 engine on early cars is gonna break...often... So am I mad to even consider it???
Would appreciate some experienced advice on this one
) but maybe a speed 6 Trouble is I have heard that the SP6 engine on early cars is gonna break...often... So am I mad to even consider it???
Would appreciate some experienced advice on this one
Speed 6 is a sensible car, loads of horses come into play smoothly and not like a sudden shock like the AJP's.... but the general understanding that seems to fly around is, they're put together a little weaker than the bigger brothers.... so if you can get one thats sorted from a reputable guy, then you should be fine... but I'm sure you already know, TVR ownership isnt like BMW or Porsche ownership, your baby will need as much TLC as your lady does... so keep that in mind, jealousy between the two can rip a big hole in your pocket if you're not prepared....
IMO:
I'd recommend you get yourself a sorted 4.5 late '99 or newer if possible, bought from a guy who knows more about his car than the car knows about herself is usually a good start (also ask who services it, and speak to the service'rs for reference)....
Just for typing's sake:
Speed 6 - future routes seem to be printed on TVR minds... so parts etc. are a lot easier to get hold of now and in the future to come it seems....
Speed 8 - future seems bleek, even though the factory hasnt said they will stop supporting it, many have already been waiting weeks on end for replacement parts.... it'll only get worse one thinks...
Speed 10 - oh, they aint done that model yet, damn.
Hope I helped in some mundane way.
IMO:
I'd recommend you get yourself a sorted 4.5 late '99 or newer if possible, bought from a guy who knows more about his car than the car knows about herself is usually a good start (also ask who services it, and speak to the service'rs for reference)....
Just for typing's sake:
Speed 6 - future routes seem to be printed on TVR minds... so parts etc. are a lot easier to get hold of now and in the future to come it seems....
Speed 8 - future seems bleek, even though the factory hasnt said they will stop supporting it, many have already been waiting weeks on end for replacement parts.... it'll only get worse one thinks...
Speed 10 - oh, they aint done that model yet, damn.
Hope I helped in some mundane way.
I have had mine now for 6 months (1999/T) and done around 3000 miles. I had a few niggles to sort out when I got it and had Andy at APM take a look but these were all symptomatic of the car having just been a little neglected for a year or so (or owned by someone with a tight budget) - worn bushes, brake disks, leaky shock, etc. The car has done over 36000 miles now. I'm fairly sure it had an engine rebuild early on but haven't invested the £35 to confirm. As Andy pointed out to me, at 36000 miles and running fine, it's either had one by now or doesn't need one.
Touching everything wood I can find (insert knob gag here), I have yet to have any problems related to the fact that I have a Speed 6 rather than a V8, but as you will see from reading this forum, there are many on here who have a different experience. The difficult question to answer, and I don't claim to know, is which experience represents the majority of owners. I suspect (but am sure to be corrected) that there are a number of owners of Speed 6 Cerbs of a similar vintage/mileage to mine who have had the engine issues sorted out a long time ago and who, like myself, are enjoying largely troublefree motoring.
But then again ....
Touching everything wood I can find (insert knob gag here), I have yet to have any problems related to the fact that I have a Speed 6 rather than a V8, but as you will see from reading this forum, there are many on here who have a different experience. The difficult question to answer, and I don't claim to know, is which experience represents the majority of owners. I suspect (but am sure to be corrected) that there are a number of owners of Speed 6 Cerbs of a similar vintage/mileage to mine who have had the engine issues sorted out a long time ago and who, like myself, are enjoying largely troublefree motoring.
But then again ....
Kernow67 said:
OK...the cunning plan is coming together of building a garage and filling it with a cerb. Had always thought it should be a 4.2 (not a bad start for a first TVR I reckon
Trouble is I have heard that the SP6 engine on early cars is gonna break...often... So am I mad to even consider it???
Would appreciate some experienced advice on this one
Trev is also up for sale. Pics at www.cerbera.org. Drop me a mail if you require any more info
If it's an early S6 it most likely had a dodgy set of finger followers. If it's not gone pop, there's every chance it will do at some point. If it's a newer car, or has had a recent rebuild then that's not a problem. Next issue...
If someone thrashes it from cold every time they drive it, show no mechanical sympathy, and treat it like they would a Toyota, again, the engine'll go pop. If they treat the new engine the same, it'll go pop too. This will keep happening until either the owner runs out of money/patience, or TVR run out of engines. Probably including whatever they replace the S6 with in the future (Speed 10, anyone), too.
Now, if it's a newer engine, and is treated well... there's still a chance it'll go pop, but nowhere near as high at all. Personally, having had a 4.2 V8 & no problems with it, I've bought an S6 (Tuscan) that's had no real problems in the last 12,000 miles. It may need a rebuild yet (based upon when the original one was done - I'll know in a few thousand miles, no doubt), but I'd be surprised if it needed a second after that.
If someone thrashes it from cold every time they drive it, show no mechanical sympathy, and treat it like they would a Toyota, again, the engine'll go pop. If they treat the new engine the same, it'll go pop too. This will keep happening until either the owner runs out of money/patience, or TVR run out of engines. Probably including whatever they replace the S6 with in the future (Speed 10, anyone), too.
Now, if it's a newer engine, and is treated well... there's still a chance it'll go pop, but nowhere near as high at all. Personally, having had a 4.2 V8 & no problems with it, I've bought an S6 (Tuscan) that's had no real problems in the last 12,000 miles. It may need a rebuild yet (based upon when the original one was done - I'll know in a few thousand miles, no doubt), but I'd be surprised if it needed a second after that.
I've owned a 2001 SP6 from new. Had a top end rebuild (complete new head) at 17K, 8K miles ago now. The valve guides were worn, thus using excessive amounts of oil.
I have no regrets buying the SP6 rather than an AJP. They're different kinds of beasts. The SP6 is a bit more GT. Make no mistake though, although the SP6 is (on paper) slightly less powerful than a V8, rolling road figures on here indicate that your typical SP6 will produce at least, if not more, power than a 4.2 and many 4.5s. For the "softer" Cerb, tt is still a frighteningly fast car.
As said already, try both and buy what you think is suitable for you. In either case, go for an example with a decent mileage on it - low mileage examples may not have had all the gremlins sorted out. For a SP6, either the owner or the factory should be able to advise you on the rebuild history.
>> Edited by admiral on Friday 30th April 09:52
I have no regrets buying the SP6 rather than an AJP. They're different kinds of beasts. The SP6 is a bit more GT. Make no mistake though, although the SP6 is (on paper) slightly less powerful than a V8, rolling road figures on here indicate that your typical SP6 will produce at least, if not more, power than a 4.2 and many 4.5s. For the "softer" Cerb, tt is still a frighteningly fast car.
As said already, try both and buy what you think is suitable for you. In either case, go for an example with a decent mileage on it - low mileage examples may not have had all the gremlins sorted out. For a SP6, either the owner or the factory should be able to advise you on the rebuild history.
>> Edited by admiral on Friday 30th April 09:52
Performance wise unless you're on a track you won't notice the difference. They deliver the power in different ways and I believe it's just up to personal preference as to which you should go for.
I drove all varients before buying mine and although it is now up for sale, I believe I will buy another speed six TVR, but maybe without a roof next time.
I drove all varients before buying mine and although it is now up for sale, I believe I will buy another speed six TVR, but maybe without a roof next time.
pdavison said:
Performance wise unless you're on a track you won't notice the difference.
Depends..whether you leave the engine as it came out of the box (i.e. I agree with your premise, but there is such a thing as tunability): weakest Cerb without a serious fault I've seen is about 310 bhp, strongest 438, and that I think is without Nitrous (Washy can you mail me with what you've actually done to that thing?!).
You'd notice that difference even on a driving test.
Thanks for all this info - i feel like I'm going in to this a bit wiser now! Still not entirely sure of what the outcome will be, but I definitely will test drive both. I suspect now that the SP6 will be more suited to what I'm looking for (GT rather than pure BHP), but we'll see. At least I know what to look for, so thanks again people.
Oh, by the way, my partner wants to know how big a dog she can get in the back of a Cerb
Oh, by the way, my partner wants to know how big a dog she can get in the back of a Cerb
kevin63 said:
if the car has got a 2003 spec head on it then i would say that you should be ok with the engine. look on the passenger side of the head and if it says "reworked" then walk away.
Why walk away if the engine's been rebuilt to the latest spec? If an engine has dodgy finger followers which cause it to give up the ghost, then these get replaced with brand new ones - and you know the exact date it happened, hence have a good idea whether it's sorted. This is a far better position than not being exactly sure when the engine was built (given that the new engine build date was probably well before the new car it was dropped into), hence not knowing if it was 2002/2003/whenever.
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