5.0 detuned version a better experience?

[Midge]

Is there much of a difference between the 340 BHP 5.0 Chimaera vs the 320 BHP version in overall driving experience?

[david beer]

Ok iam the one to tell you, no 5ltr ever produced these figs, not in standard form. 275 if you are average and 300 if you are very lucky. So i think you will just have to calculate a percentage between the two. My Griff 500 was only average but it still does the performance it was supposed to.

[joospeed]

don't forget the very first 500 chims were rated at 290bhp, and for some reason they were turbine-smooth .. somehow the later cars never recaptured that

[2 Sheds]

The reduction in power was gradual and over a period, the pre 95 cars seem to be strongest but were slightly lumpy in traffic, latest cars have better fuelling maps but much softer cams so probably far more user friendly, 95-98 cars are somewhere in the middle.
Tim

[2 Sheds]

joospeed said: don't forget the very first 500 chims were rated at 290bhp, and for some reason they were turbine-smooth .. somehow the later cars never recaptured that

Thats a good point, they were also very torquey, i would like to bet they had smaller porting with softer cams.
Tim