RE: TVR Chimaera: PH Buying Guide
Discussion
rtz62 said:
And the handbrake was pretty useless too.
Oh yeah, the handbrake. The only noticeable difference in mine when applying the handbrake is that a small dashboard light comes on.Also the fuel gauge, at least according to my dealer (Fernhurst), who made a point of saying "This is the fuel gauge, DO NOT TRUST THIS". Not that I mind, just gives me more excuses to pull into garages and confuse the hell out of people by opening the boot to refuel.
WillS
900T-R said:
Depends completely on the state of fettle of the specific car. Sadly, loads of cars on the market are mediocre at best. Back in the Spring of 1999, I drove the Dutch importer's demonstrator and out of hundreds of road test cars I drove in period, that one had me hooked. Had my first experience been a random car out of the PH classifieds now (or a few years ago when their values were at their lowest), I'd probably had wondered what all the fuss was all about.
A proper one feels solid, comfortable and in all honesty, a fair bit heavier than it really is. The chassis feels pliant, balanced, the front end will feel a tad lazy by 'modern' sports car standards and from a certain point - beyond seven or eight tenths or so on a typical country road - it will progressively run out of composure as standard, but it should feel stable, grippy, fairly progressive (on std wheel and tyre sizes) and properly involving away from the extremes. Non-PAS steering is heavy, but gives wonderfully meaty feedback and should never leave you in doubt of how much grip you've got left. 500s are a bit lairy because they pack a lot of fairly brutally produced grunt in a fairly narrow rpm band (revving much beyond 5K is an exercise in futility on standard ones), 450s and in particular 430s feel more in tune with the car itself.
The driving position is excellent (at least for my long-legged frame), unlike the T-cars the pedal positioning and spacing feels completely natural when coming from a regular car, and the brakes respond pretty much perfectly as you'd expect from a given pedal pressure. As long as you're not pushing it, you can jump in a Chimaera from any normal shopping trolley or saloon car and be comfortable with driving it.
You might hear the odd squeak - but a good one should not be overly rattly. It also should track straight, brake in a straight line, and not throw its tail about without being provoked. In general, it feels more at home at wide open bends than really tight stuff and it's not the sort of car you'd throw about with abandon. Acceleration should be strong, pulling the car on a big, seemingly endless wave of torque between 2-5K rpm (and beyond on the smaller/higher tuned engines) without flat spots. Lots of cars have slightly to severely compromised driveability at low rpm and small throttle openings, this can and should be rectified to the point that it's barely noticeable, regardless of whether it's on standard management or not. Don't let anyone tell you they all do that, sir and you should 'upgrade' to aftermarket management - the 400 I drove back in 1999 was perfectly tractable in town and heavy traffic.
In general, a good one should make you savour every mile travelled and will command respect and focus on your driving, but not attract undue attention to itself when driving with quirks and petulant behaviour. You should feel comfortable and confident to enjoy the experience to the fullest.
It's fair to say, though, that any car you buy now will have a couple of things that need sorting before you get at that stage. Which, by the way, can be a fairly pleasurable experience in itself, allowing you to really bond with your steed.
Wow- what a fantastic post! I want one now A proper one feels solid, comfortable and in all honesty, a fair bit heavier than it really is. The chassis feels pliant, balanced, the front end will feel a tad lazy by 'modern' sports car standards and from a certain point - beyond seven or eight tenths or so on a typical country road - it will progressively run out of composure as standard, but it should feel stable, grippy, fairly progressive (on std wheel and tyre sizes) and properly involving away from the extremes. Non-PAS steering is heavy, but gives wonderfully meaty feedback and should never leave you in doubt of how much grip you've got left. 500s are a bit lairy because they pack a lot of fairly brutally produced grunt in a fairly narrow rpm band (revving much beyond 5K is an exercise in futility on standard ones), 450s and in particular 430s feel more in tune with the car itself.
The driving position is excellent (at least for my long-legged frame), unlike the T-cars the pedal positioning and spacing feels completely natural when coming from a regular car, and the brakes respond pretty much perfectly as you'd expect from a given pedal pressure. As long as you're not pushing it, you can jump in a Chimaera from any normal shopping trolley or saloon car and be comfortable with driving it.
You might hear the odd squeak - but a good one should not be overly rattly. It also should track straight, brake in a straight line, and not throw its tail about without being provoked. In general, it feels more at home at wide open bends than really tight stuff and it's not the sort of car you'd throw about with abandon. Acceleration should be strong, pulling the car on a big, seemingly endless wave of torque between 2-5K rpm (and beyond on the smaller/higher tuned engines) without flat spots. Lots of cars have slightly to severely compromised driveability at low rpm and small throttle openings, this can and should be rectified to the point that it's barely noticeable, regardless of whether it's on standard management or not. Don't let anyone tell you they all do that, sir and you should 'upgrade' to aftermarket management - the 400 I drove back in 1999 was perfectly tractable in town and heavy traffic.
In general, a good one should make you savour every mile travelled and will command respect and focus on your driving, but not attract undue attention to itself when driving with quirks and petulant behaviour. You should feel comfortable and confident to enjoy the experience to the fullest.
It's fair to say, though, that any car you buy now will have a couple of things that need sorting before you get at that stage. Which, by the way, can be a fairly pleasurable experience in itself, allowing you to really bond with your steed.
Edited by 900T-R on Wednesday 11th January 15:47
Squirrelofwoe said:
WillS66 said:
Also the fuel gauge, at least according to my dealer (Fernhurst), who made a point of saying "This is the fuel gauge, DO NOT TRUST THIS".
I was given pretty much the same talk 
I was told to treat the quarter-of-a-tank marker as a good time to find a garage...
Every TVR is different. The knack is know the quirks of your car.
The S under-read
The Chimaera over-read
The Griff is bang on
... at least in relation to the fuel gauge. Other gauges vary...
WillS66 said:
rtz62 said:
And the handbrake was pretty useless too.
Oh yeah, the handbrake. The only noticeable difference in mine when applying the handbrake is that a small dashboard light comes on.Also the fuel gauge, at least according to my dealer (Fernhurst), who made a point of saying "This is the fuel gauge, DO NOT TRUST THIS". Not that I mind, just gives me more excuses to pull into garages and confuse the hell out of people by opening the boot to refuel.
WillS
Podie said:
Squirrelofwoe said:
WillS66 said:
Also the fuel gauge, at least according to my dealer (Fernhurst), who made a point of saying "This is the fuel gauge, DO NOT TRUST THIS".
I was given pretty much the same talk I was told to treat the quarter-of-a-tank marker as a good time to find a garage...
Every TVR is different. The knack is know the quirks of your car.
The S under-read
The Chimaera over-read
The Griff is bang on
... at least in relation to the fuel gauge. Other gauges vary...
I do have to tap on the tachometer every now and then to wake it up after starting the car... did that ever since it went round the clock due to a sticking throttle cable
I've had three - though all a few years ago now. They're nice cars and they sound great. I found them very 'agricultural' though - so oddly not sporty to drive (discounting the sound and the driving position). I also found that neither 400 I had was nearly as quick as I'd expect.
The best one I had was a 1999, 1 previous owner 450. The 450 was noticeably better than the 400. Fair bit of variation on the spec too - my later one was full leather (not leather and vinyl), with factory alumiunim dash and the later (Estoril?) wheels.
As others have said, outrigger rust is a big one. they also tend to leak!
The best one I had was a 1999, 1 previous owner 450. The 450 was noticeably better than the 400. Fair bit of variation on the spec too - my later one was full leather (not leather and vinyl), with factory alumiunim dash and the later (Estoril?) wheels.
As others have said, outrigger rust is a big one. they also tend to leak!
The Estoril wheels (flat 7 spoke) were standard on the Griffith 500 and then the Chimaera 500 models (with 5 litre engine). An added option on others. The standard 5 spoke are known as Imola wheels. The Estoril wheels fetch many £100s second hand so seem to be more desireable.
Quite a few owners replace the 15" front & 16" rear wheels with 16" / 17" combinations or even 18". Partially because a front 15" wheel looks a bit out of date. But also, as explained, it is very difficult if not impossible to get Z rated 15" tyres. The last Chimaeras (2002/03) had 16" wheels all round.
Quite a few owners replace the 15" front & 16" rear wheels with 16" / 17" combinations or even 18". Partially because a front 15" wheel looks a bit out of date. But also, as explained, it is very difficult if not impossible to get Z rated 15" tyres. The last Chimaeras (2002/03) had 16" wheels all round.
ianwayne said:
The Estoril wheels (flat 7 spoke) were standard on the Griffith 500 and then the Chimaera 500 models (with 5 litre engine). An added option on others. The standard 5 spoke are known as Imola wheels. The Estoril wheels fetch many £100s second hand so seem to be more desireable.
Quite a few owners replace the 15" front & 16" rear wheels with 16" / 17" combinations or even 18". Partially because a front 15" wheel looks a bit out of date. But also, as explained, it is very difficult if not impossible to get Z rated 15" tyres. The last Chimaeras (2002/03) had 16" wheels all round.
Which was a bodge to get them out of a bind because they were running out of 15" tyres. They simply put rear wheels on the front. The rear wheels have an ET of 35, the fronts have ET26! Quite a few owners replace the 15" front & 16" rear wheels with 16" / 17" combinations or even 18". Partially because a front 15" wheel looks a bit out of date. But also, as explained, it is very difficult if not impossible to get Z rated 15" tyres. The last Chimaeras (2002/03) had 16" wheels all round.
These are light cars and while putting on bigger wheels with lower profile tyres will drift the overall set up further from the optimum. Even Caterham says they put wheels on their cars that are too big for the cars' weight because customers won't accept the 13" wheels and comparatively high profile tyres that are 'right' for the application...
Methinks that if you feel the looks of a 1990s car are 'too dated', you might be better off with something more modern to start with.
BTW the first thing I did when buying the project Tuscan was telling the seller that they could keep the 18" Spiders it ran on. As Peter Wheeler said back in the day "we set up a car, and then buyers will pay good money for us to ruin them!" No question, ours will run on the 16" that was specced as standard and which no one wanted.
900T-R said:
BTW the first thing I did when buying the project Tuscan was telling the seller that they could keep the 18" Spiders it ran on. As Peter Wheeler said back in the day "we set up a car, and then buyers will pay good money for us to ruin them!" No question, ours will run on the 16" that was specced as standard and which no one wanted.
Even from a purely aesthetic point of view I've personally never got the trend for the large wheels / low-profile look. I can understand the need to fit bigger wheels to accommodate larger brake setups in some instances, but after a point they just start to look a bit comical in my eyes. 18" spiders on a Tuscan are a case in point, to me they look out of proportion to the rest of the car.
I understand I'm in the minority these days mind!
My wife and I have had a 450 and a 500.
In fact the 500 we had is up for sale; half tempted to buy it back as it is a good one and very sorted.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
In fact the 500 we had is up for sale; half tempted to buy it back as it is a good one and very sorted.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
ianwayne said:
But also, as explained, it is very difficult if not impossible to get W rated 15" tyres.
I'm pretty sure I remember reading in the TVRCC magazine that one of the parts suppliers has commissioned Toyo to produce the correct size W rated tyres for the 15" front wheels.This is one of the great things about the marque, the car club, and the whole 'scene' there isn't much you can't get, or can't find out.
Edited by raceboy on Friday 13th January 12:15
Edited by raceboy on Friday 13th January 12:16
ianwayne said:
The Estoril wheels (flat 7 spoke) were standard on the Griffith 500 and then the Chimaera 500 models (with 5 litre engine). An added option on others. The standard 5 spoke are known as Imola wheels. The Estoril wheels fetch many £100s second hand so seem to be more desireable.
Quite a few owners replace the 15" front & 16" rear wheels with 16" / 17" combinations or even 18". Partially because a front 15" wheel looks a bit out of date. But also, as explained, it is very difficult if not impossible to get Z rated 15" tyres. The last Chimaeras (2002/03) had 16" wheels all round.
Mine (a '99 4.0) is on the Estoril 15" front and 16" rears. The car is, design wise, a bit old school, and it just looks right on those wheels and comparatively high aspect ratio tyres. I think they look awful fitted with enormous wheels and ultra low aspect ratio tyres. But, each to his own.Quite a few owners replace the 15" front & 16" rear wheels with 16" / 17" combinations or even 18". Partially because a front 15" wheel looks a bit out of date. But also, as explained, it is very difficult if not impossible to get Z rated 15" tyres. The last Chimaeras (2002/03) had 16" wheels all round.
I use Toyo Proxes 225/50/15 91V's on the front. OK, they aren't Z rated, but the theoretical top speed of the car is 152mph, so a tyre rated for 149mph continuous is going to be OK. That added to the fact that mine is a PAS car with the fast rack, so anything over about 120 and the car starts to feel a bit 'lively'. It is missing the chin spoiler off the front though, which supposedly makes a difference to high speed feel.
900T-R said:
The TVR-specced W-rated Toyos are a recent development, mind. However the Bridgestone RE002 is available in the correct 205/55/15W, too - and seems well matched to the characteristics of the S-02 and S-02PP tyres the cars came with from the factory
I have put Uniroyal Rainsport 3‘s on the front of my 450 in the correct 15 inch size. However the Bridgestone RE002 is available in the correct 205/55/15W, too - and seems well matched to the characteristics of the S-02 and S-02PP tyres the cars came with from the factory The Uniroyals are rated to 149MPH (V rating) so I feel that's plenty and my insurance company are fine with that as well. They feel and grip much better than the T1R's that I've used before.
Best cat I've ever owned, and far more reliable than the Z3M that replaced it. I used it every day, summer and winter, and even in the snow. Narrow tyres and light weight made that easy. At 6'8" I fit in easily and was very comfortable. The high profile tyres have a lovely smooth ride. The only trouble I had was the very occasional hot start issue, and the stepper motor doing its own thing. Some days out would start and idle at 500rpm, then the next it would hold at 2000rpm. It's the one car I'd buy back of I ever could. 
![](http://thumbsnap.com/sc/PiF0lBwk.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/Opt5VB05" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/Opt5VB05.jpg)
Beautiful cars, and hats off to anyone who has the confidence /cash/ enthusiasm to buy one. Sagaris is my fave.
Regarding the power output questions, its also the case that manufacturers quote Flywheel measured BHP figures whereas of course a rolling road will measure at the wheels, so a significant difference is not unexpected between these 2 figures .........but obviously some manufacturers are more capable and consistent in engine production......
Regarding the power output questions, its also the case that manufacturers quote Flywheel measured BHP figures whereas of course a rolling road will measure at the wheels, so a significant difference is not unexpected between these 2 figures .........but obviously some manufacturers are more capable and consistent in engine production......
2strokejunkie said:
Regarding the power output questions, its also the case that manufacturers quote Flywheel measured BHP figures whereas of course a rolling road will measure at the wheels, so a significant difference is not unexpected between these 2 figures .........
No no, the 'average observed' numbers mentioned (as opposed to the factory quoted ones) are corrected back to the flywheel. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff