Remarkable effect of a new Cam on my 500
Discussion
I have a Chim 500 with 43,000 on the clock.. Very nice car, standard apart from a Mark Adams chip, to sort out the low revs "shunt" that 500's are known for.
Few weeks back, I suspected she wasn't pulling well - and was generally under the weather. Sounded "tappety". Also, oil pressure at 3000rpm was barely hitting 30psi, and barly 15 at idle. So I put her on the rollers at Austec, and they couldnt even get a power reading - aborted at 220bhp!
After umm-ing and ahh-ing about Taraka upgrades, and V8 Developments tweaks, I decided to "stay standard", and took her back to Fernhursts, where I got her. They fitted a standard TVR Power cam for a 500, plus followers etc.
OH - MY - GOD! the difference in the car is amazing. The car is pulling like the Flying Scotsman, willing to rev like a banshee. Even convincingly disposed of a Scooby STI in a straight line on the A31 this morning, up to 70 or so.
Also, I have 45psi at 3000rpm, and, despite "exploring my performance envelope" since I have had her back, even saw a 2-3 mpg improvement, on the first couple of tanks. Actually she now seems to prefer BT Ultimate to Optimax...
She runs as smooth as silk, no tappety noises at all. Cant wait to get her on the rollers at the Chim rolling road day. In all probability, she's probably only going to make what a good 500 should (260-270bhp), but the difference compared to where she was is just astounding..
So, to all of you with Chims with 30-50K on the clock, who haven't had a cam-job...you are probably experiencing seriously degraded performance - thing is, the fall off is so gradual, you don't notice it. After all, a Chim making 220hp, still has a power to weight of about 200hp/ton, which is not too shabby. I would advise you to get your car checked out on the rolling road, and if necessary, spend the dosh. WELL WORTH IT. And thanks again to Fernies, who, as ever did a great job.
Few weeks back, I suspected she wasn't pulling well - and was generally under the weather. Sounded "tappety". Also, oil pressure at 3000rpm was barely hitting 30psi, and barly 15 at idle. So I put her on the rollers at Austec, and they couldnt even get a power reading - aborted at 220bhp!
After umm-ing and ahh-ing about Taraka upgrades, and V8 Developments tweaks, I decided to "stay standard", and took her back to Fernhursts, where I got her. They fitted a standard TVR Power cam for a 500, plus followers etc.
OH - MY - GOD! the difference in the car is amazing. The car is pulling like the Flying Scotsman, willing to rev like a banshee. Even convincingly disposed of a Scooby STI in a straight line on the A31 this morning, up to 70 or so.
Also, I have 45psi at 3000rpm, and, despite "exploring my performance envelope" since I have had her back, even saw a 2-3 mpg improvement, on the first couple of tanks. Actually she now seems to prefer BT Ultimate to Optimax...
She runs as smooth as silk, no tappety noises at all. Cant wait to get her on the rollers at the Chim rolling road day. In all probability, she's probably only going to make what a good 500 should (260-270bhp), but the difference compared to where she was is just astounding..
So, to all of you with Chims with 30-50K on the clock, who haven't had a cam-job...you are probably experiencing seriously degraded performance - thing is, the fall off is so gradual, you don't notice it. After all, a Chim making 220hp, still has a power to weight of about 200hp/ton, which is not too shabby. I would advise you to get your car checked out on the rolling road, and if necessary, spend the dosh. WELL WORTH IT. And thanks again to Fernies, who, as ever did a great job.
Sharky500 said:
I have a Chim 500 with 43,000 on the clock.. Very nice car, standard apart from a Mark Adams chip, to sort out the low revs "shunt" that 500's are known for.
The "shunt" that many have experienced doesn't need a re-map to sort out,it can be due to many possible causes,and your worn cam could even have been one of them.
sharky500 said:I honestly can't understand how the cam would have given low oil pressure?can anyone out there shed light on this?
Also, I have 45psi at 3000rpm, and, despite "exploring my performance envelope" since I have had her back, even saw a 2-3 mpg improvement, on the first couple of tanks. Actually she now seems to prefer BT Ultimate to Optimax...
sharky500 said:Dont want to burst your bubble,but a std 500 should make between 240-255bhp on an honest RR,and the chim RR day is at Charlies,which is an honest one.If it makes any more than that,you can start looking for what upgrades have been carried out
She runs as smooth as silk, no tappety noises at all. Cant wait to get her on the rollers at the Chim rolling road day. In all probability, she's probably only going to make what a good 500 should (260-270bhp), but the difference compared to where she was is just astounding..
sharky500 said:
So, to all of you with Chims with 30-50K on the clock, who haven't had a cam-job...you are probably experiencing seriously degraded performance - thing is, the fall off is so gradual, you don't notice it. After all, a Chim making 220hp, still has a power to weight of about 200hp/ton, which is not too shabby. I would advise you to get your car checked out on the rolling road, and if necessary, spend the dosh. WELL WORTH IT. And thanks again to Fernies, who, as ever did a great job.
Top advice that,a worn cam can really let your car down,and a RR is a great and inexpensive way of checking out your P&J'S health.
Really glad for you,that youve obviously had a great job done and seen the benefits
to all involved.Great to be able to go out and enjoy the new found performance now
>> Edited by mongoose on Friday 31st March 20:49
mongoose said:
I have a Chim 500 with 43,000 on the clock.. Very nice car, standard apart from a Mark Adams chip, to sort out the low revs "shunt" that 500's are known for.
The "shunt" that many have experienced doesn't need a re-map to sort out,it can be due to many possible causes,and your worn cam could even have been one of them.
sharky500 said:I honestly can't understand how the cam would have given low oil pressure?can anyone out there shed light on this?
Also, I have 45psi at 3000rpm, and, despite "exploring my performance envelope" since I have had her back, even saw a 2-3 mpg improvement, on the first couple of tanks. Actually she now seems to prefer BT Ultimate to Optimax...sharky500 said:Dont want to burst your bubble,but a std 500 should make between 240-255bhp on an honest RR,and the chim RR day is at Charlies,which is an honest one.If it makes any more than that,you can start looking for what upgrades have been carried out
She runs as smooth as silk, no tappety noises at all. Cant wait to get her on the rollers at the Chim rolling road day. In all probability, she's probably only going to make what a good 500 should (260-270bhp), but the difference compared to where she was is just astounding..sharky500 said:
So, to all of you with Chims with 30-50K on the clock, who haven't had a cam-job...you are probably experiencing seriously degraded performance - thing is, the fall off is so gradual, you don't notice it. After all, a Chim making 220hp, still has a power to weight of about 200hp/ton, which is not too shabby. I would advise you to get your car checked out on the rolling road, and if necessary, spend the dosh. WELL WORTH IT. And thanks again to Fernies, who, as ever did a great job.
Top advice that,a worn cam can really let your car down,and a RR is a great and inexpensive way of checking out your P&J'S health.
Really glad for you,that youve obviously had a great job done and seen the benefits
>> Edited by mongoose on Friday 31st March 20:49
Good points all - however, previous owner that fitted the chip specifically asked Mark to map it to correct (or at least reduce) the shunt and low-fev lumpiness. Compared to two standard 500s and one 450 I drove before buying mine, he certainly succeeded.
Also, for what it is worth, at that time, the dyno (Power Developments) was showing 268bhp and 307lb/ft
Sharky500 said:I can see where your at Sharky.I've had 3 500's now,and all of them experienced 'shunt' to some degree,one much less than the other two.In all cases they were sorted without the need for a re-map though.When your at a mapping session,if a fault can be found that might be causing shunting it would normally be sorted at the same time,so the end result should be better.
Good points all - however, previous owner that fitted the chip specifically asked Mark to map it to correct (or at least reduce) the shunt and low-fev lumpiness. Compared to two standard 500s and one 450 I drove before buying mine, he certainly succeeded.
Also, for what it is worth, at that time, the dyno (Power Developments) was showing 268bhp and 307lb/ft
I have no knowlege of Power developments RR,where are they?All RR's read a little different,and that is by no means as high as some would read for instance(yours will be higher than std.anyway with the chip),personally the lower they read the better imho.The end figure isn't really the relevent point,but if you stick to the same RR at least you can make meaningfull comparisons,to some degree
>> Edited by mongoose on Saturday 1st April 09:44
mongoose said:
I have no knowlege of Power developments RR,where are they?
Sorry, my mistake, they are called Power Engineering, and are in Uxbridge.
www.powerengineering.co.uk/
Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff