RE: The Brave Pill: TVR Chimaera
Discussion
BJWoods said:
Augustus Windsock said:
Mine didn’t leak at all. Not a drop.
Not sure if people are doing the pub-talk story or have real experience of such, but mine didn’t leak at all
All I did with the roof and window seals was to coat them with Gumi-pledge (think that’s how it’s spelt) which kept the seals nice and pliable.
The battery was in a joke position to be fair, tucked behind the passenger footwell.
I bought a kit to cure potential hot-start issues and upon removing the board in the footwell was not surprised to see a veritable rats nest of wiring. and it was just all shoved in with no finesses at all.
Would I have another? Oh yes, but probably with a Powers Performance engine upgrade, unless I could convince myself that a Tuscan or T350C would be a better and more reliable car...
Why is the battery in a 'joke' position.. because not that accessible.Not sure if people are doing the pub-talk story or have real experience of such, but mine didn’t leak at all
All I did with the roof and window seals was to coat them with Gumi-pledge (think that’s how it’s spelt) which kept the seals nice and pliable.
The battery was in a joke position to be fair, tucked behind the passenger footwell.
I bought a kit to cure potential hot-start issues and upon removing the board in the footwell was not surprised to see a veritable rats nest of wiring. and it was just all shoved in with no finesses at all.
Would I have another? Oh yes, but probably with a Powers Performance engine upgrade, unless I could convince myself that a Tuscan or T350C would be a better and more reliable car...
(Why do you need to access it, I've +ve terminal under the bonnet, and have a battery conditioner)
I'd prefer the big heavy battery to be as low in the chassis as possible, for a low centre of gravity, on the passengers side, counter balancing driver slightly. in an already light sportscar..
Or you could stick it high up under the bonnet, so people can look at the terminals.
(I've never changed my battery (someone at the garage does that, on my third in 20 years of owning the car.
It was put where it is, for a good reason.
Edited by BJWoods on Saturday 23 March 15:54
And yes I suppose I could have had the kit fitted that allows charging etc from points higher up but it doesn’t help if the battery needs changing (other than getting someone else to do it)
I suppose there must be an excuse for ramming all the wires in behind the footboard too, rather than it looking like an explosion in a wiring factory.
That makes it sound like I didn’t like mine but on the contrary I loved it, every minute of it.
GAjon said:
Augustus Windsock said:
GAjon said:
baconsarney said:
soad said:
Do these leak?
In my experience, only oil, coolant, petrol, and rain water 
Absolutely nothing wrong with these cars. If you have a sense of humour..
Not sure if people are doing the pub-talk story or have real experience of such, but mine didn’t leak at all
All I did with the roof and window seals was to coat them with Gumi-pledge (think that’s how it’s spelt) which kept the seals nice and pliable.
The battery was in a joke position to be fair, tucked behind the passenger footwell.
I bought a kit to cure potential hot-start issues and upon removing the board in the footwell was not surprised to see a veritable rats nest of wiring. and it was just all shoved in with no finesses at all.
Would I have another? Oh yes, but probably with a Powers Performance engine upgrade, unless I could convince myself that a Tuscan or T350C would be a better and more reliable car...
Touched a nerve or just being arguementative? Take a pill and have a day off fgs (for goodness sake)
swisstoni said:
Equus said:
Esceptico said:
As there was some traffic far ahead and I was already going a bit too quickly I came off the throttle and brushed the brakes. Bloody thing went from lane 3 to lane 2! Fortunately the road was empty. The salesperson said I had upset the car by the “sudden” shift of weight from full throttle to braking. Strange that I’ve never experienced that again in any road car.
Every now and then - not often, and very unpredictably - mine would try to kill me under hard acceleration, as you crossed the crown of the road when pulling out to overtake.I did a computer analysis of the rear suspension that showed, under certain circumstances, the rear roll geometric roll centre (which is one of the things that governs weight transfer characteristics) would jump from one side of the car, across and up to the other side. In terms of forces, it's a bit like a latching mechanism going over-centre, causing an instantaneous shift in the loads on the tyre contact patches.
TVR's look nice, make a lovely sound, and go well in a straight line, but their engineering would make Ralph Nader have a dicky fit.
I still mourn the sale of my Griff 12 years later, and to date, it is the most rewarding car I have ever owned (though I hope my newly acquired Alpine may change that).
For those considering whether a TVR is right for them, there is a simple question: If you want to actually learn how a car works, learn its characteristics, read what is going on through the seat of your pants, at speeds which won't scare you to death, and then learn how to exploit those characteristics, then a TVR is worth considering. The handling limits are quite low, therefore doable in relative safety, but frankly this nonsense about a computer modelled roll over latching effect which is going to turn me round and spit me out, its bull. I'll put my 100k miles in crap Scottish weather against a computer model any day. On a dry road, my Griffith was very predictable, and loss of grip in the dry was progressive, unless you failed to read the road correctly. In wet weather? Well you just don't exceed 2000rpm, but with so much torque available you don't need to.
If on the other hand you want the ultimate speed in a road car, then there are plenty of cars which no doubt such a computer model would show have geometry perfect to the tenth of a millimetre, and build by robot to match. Such a car, lets call it the Caybox MXZ4, will get you from A to B much quicker than a TVR because its limits are higher, and you will learn nothing. You will learn nothing because (a) the limits of grip are so high you will scare yourself before you get anywhere near or (b) You won't know when you are getting near the limit because there are 6 layers of electronics isolating you from what the car is doing, or (c) As you approach the limit, another 6 layers of electronics will step in to save you.
Augustus Windsock said:
Really, any need to reply like that?
Touched a nerve or just being arguementative? Take a pill and have a day off fgs (for goodness sake)
Do these leak?Touched a nerve or just being arguementative? Take a pill and have a day off fgs (for goodness sake)
No TVRs manage to keep the water in.
Is clearly a joke, not a good one, but clearly a joke.
No nerves touched.
It’s not me being argumentative.
I don’t need pills for anything.
It is my day off.
The 'hot start' fix mentioned earlier is nonsense. It's a sticking plaster because the 2 x immobiliser circuits were reversed by TVR on Meta alarms and the relay contacts get pitted. A new immobiliser box (about £125) fixes it. Many have a complete system upgrade to introduce a boot lid release function, to avoid having to turn the ignition on and fumble for a button under the dash.
I've had 3 of them. Love them to bits, but they take a LOT of attention. But it's all reasonable stuff, as opposed to Porsche Boxster part prices
Ask me how I know 
.
I've had 3 of them. Love them to bits, but they take a LOT of attention. But it's all reasonable stuff, as opposed to Porsche Boxster part prices
Ask me how I know .Griffiths and Chimaeras are very sensitive to misaligned suspension and wheels.
Buy one, spend £100 having a four wheel alignment and suspension check done by a TVR expert, and you have a car that is a joy to drive.
Mine is.....and has almost 400 bhp, not a claimed 240.
Buy one, spend £100 having a four wheel alignment and suspension check done by a TVR expert, and you have a car that is a joy to drive.
Mine is.....and has almost 400 bhp, not a claimed 240.
Edited by QBee on Saturday 23 March 17:33
rick.e said:
I find these "I drove a TVR once and it nearly killed me" stories absolutely hilarious. Sure, I knew a few people who put them backwards through hedges, but the common factor is they were all crap drivers, and 340(?) BHP through the rear wheels of a 1050kg car with no electronics, and a crap driver, does not make a happy marriage.
Well, all I can say is that I've driven cars with a very much higher:weight ratio than my Griffith, and they were much more benign and predictable. Don't get me wrong: it wasn't beyond my capabilities as a driver, and I never had an accident in the thing, but there were times when my experience and knowledge of car handling made me think '...it shouldn't have done what it's just done', and that it would have caught out even a decent driver who wasn't paying full attention....Which is why I went to the trouble of measuring up and analysing the suspension geometry. It's a field I used to specialise in, for competition cars.
It continually astonishes me that owners persist in making excuses for the things, when the truth is that they are simply an ill-handling, unreliable P.O.S... albeit one that looks pretty and makes a nice noise.
Oh, and 340bhp?
...My Griffith 500 was one of the alleged 340bhp models, and it made a genuine 270bhp, on a good day.
Edited by Equus on Saturday 23 March 18:23
Ten grand for a V8 sportscar, when you could have a magnificent 4 cyl 4 door Mk2 Escort resplendent in Gold for similar money !
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Escort-mk2-2-0litr...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Escort-mk2-2-0litr...
Lovely. Would love one in those colours to. Sure there are things to go wrong but nothing compared to that Maserati in terms of unexpected bill fear factor. A well sorted Chim doesn’t seem a horrifying prospect, from my non-owner armchair opinion of course. I’m seeing pub2pub challenge as evidence of this! Being in the UK will no doubt help with spares and specialists. It’s not exactly a daily (
if you do daily one) but would make a perfect high days and holidays sportscar IMO... time for some man maths!
if you do daily one) but would make a perfect high days and holidays sportscar IMO... time for some man maths! QBee said:
Griffiths and Chimaeras are very sensitive to misaligned suspension and wheels.
Buy one, spend £100 having a four wheel alignment and suspension check done by a TVR expert, and you have a car that is a joy to drive.
.......suspension bushes and ball joints need regular replacement. My first TVR, an S2 really did have a "latching problem", which turned out to be a worn ball joint.Buy one, spend £100 having a four wheel alignment and suspension check done by a TVR expert, and you have a car that is a joy to drive.
Edited by QBee on Saturday 23 March 17:33
J4CKO said:
Ten grand for a V8 sportscar, when you could have a magnificent 4 cyl 4 door Mk2 Escort resplendent in Gold for similar money !
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Escort-mk2-2-0litr...
Sooner or later the crack will wear off and the price of these will lose a 0 off the end of the price. I had a 1976 MK2 1600 Sport in 1980, the front suspension tops had to be plated, the bottom of the doors were rotten and had to have the gearbox replaced. Some of these Fords advertised are seriously overpriced junk.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Escort-mk2-2-0litr...
ianwayne said:
Many have a complete system upgrade to introduce a boot lid release function, to avoid having to turn the ignition on and fumble for a button under the dash.
Ooh, that's worth knowing... I'll mention that to Himself as it's one of very very few things I find awkward on our Chim.
(apologies for dire picture quality - Ally Pally classic car show, circa 2008)
Loved mine dearly - never had a car with such a sense of occasion ever time you drove it. Bought at 64000 miles and sold at 98000, so I guess you might say I already took the brave pill and survived. It also had the same interior colour as the feature car and it's actually a lot nicer in the flesh than the pics (IMO). I think the 0-60 in 4.7 secs is a bit optimistic but its was still plenty fast enough - happy days
Had the use of two 350 Wedges a few years ago for a few months. Great, great noise from the V8, but it wasn't fast. The first one liked to leak petrol and the second had even more interesting handling than the first.
I learnt quite a bit about throttle control to the rear wheels when turning as even a gentle prod could result in violent oversteer.
Fond memories though. Suspect this one is a bit more civilised, but still loud in a good way?
I learnt quite a bit about throttle control to the rear wheels when turning as even a gentle prod could result in violent oversteer.
Fond memories though. Suspect this one is a bit more civilised, but still loud in a good way?
swisstoni said:
Equus said:
Esceptico said:
As there was some traffic far ahead and I was already going a bit too quickly I came off the throttle and brushed the brakes. Bloody thing went from lane 3 to lane 2! Fortunately the road was empty. The salesperson said I had upset the car by the “sudden” shift of weight from full throttle to braking. Strange that I’ve never experienced that again in any road car.
Every now and then - not often, and very unpredictably - mine would try to kill me under hard acceleration, as you crossed the crown of the road when pulling out to overtake.I did a computer analysis of the rear suspension that showed, under certain circumstances, the rear roll geometric roll centre (which is one of the things that governs weight transfer characteristics) would jump from one side of the car, across and up to the other side. In terms of forces, it's a bit like a latching mechanism going over-centre, causing an instantaneous shift in the loads on the tyre contact patches.
TVR's look nice, make a lovely sound, and go well in a straight line, but their engineering would make Ralph Nader have a dicky fit.
The Griff wasn't that bad, not compared with my first car anyway.
Polski Fiat 1500. RWD with floating handbrake.
Having taken the brave pill myself approximately a year ago I can confirm that it is medication well worth taking! Coming from a 987 Cayman, it was of course a complete change in every possible way but overall leaves a much more lasting impression IMO. The noise and sense of occasion alone for a ‘high days and holidays’ car as a previous post put it is surely hard to beat at this price point. Sure, it’s handling and refinement are rather out dated even compared with some of its contemporaries but seeing this type of car as a modern (ish) take on the British classic is probably the best way to view it.
Other than a few minor issues at the beginning of my ownership (which were bound to occur having been SORN for a number of years prior to my purchase) the car has been fantastic since, flying through its MOT and service at my local TVR specialist. Although servicing isn’t exactly cheap, other factors such as classic insurance (mine is <£200, 30yrs old) and reasonable tax make overall running costs for the type of car relatively affordable. I appreciate costs of rebuilds and chassis restoration could well change my mind about that though!
So far, a wonderful ownership experience, fantastic TVR CC for those interested in that kind of thing and a great network of dealers and mechanics who seem like genuine car enthusiasts.
Other than a few minor issues at the beginning of my ownership (which were bound to occur having been SORN for a number of years prior to my purchase) the car has been fantastic since, flying through its MOT and service at my local TVR specialist. Although servicing isn’t exactly cheap, other factors such as classic insurance (mine is <£200, 30yrs old) and reasonable tax make overall running costs for the type of car relatively affordable. I appreciate costs of rebuilds and chassis restoration could well change my mind about that though!
So far, a wonderful ownership experience, fantastic TVR CC for those interested in that kind of thing and a great network of dealers and mechanics who seem like genuine car enthusiasts.
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