RE: The Brave Pill: TVR Chimaera
Discussion
I only just noticed a major error in the article at second reading. I'm not sure what photos they were looking at but there is no pas fluid reservoir under that bonnet. It would be next to the plenum on the driver's side. It really isn't that bad without unless you're stationary or in a very tight car park. In fact, the 'on the road' feeling is better. All IMHO. 
The pas racks are unobtanium now anyway, wheras the manual unassisted ones can be had new. Refurb is an option on either of course.
The pas racks are unobtanium now anyway, wheras the manual unassisted ones can be had new. Refurb is an option on either of course.
As others have said half the battle is to get the car set up properly. My 4 was not well balanced and I had not much faith she would always stick, also could bite in the wet just popping over 3k revs could spin the rears in a straight line...... My 5 however had the geo fixed and can enter corners at a reasonable pace. And exit them even faster.....
fausTVR said:
The Griff and Chimaera both weigh in at 1060kg officially. The Griff predated the Chim and had 'bouncier' suspension so was a bit more of a handful on the B roads at speed. The two models are almost identical except for body style and interior design. The Chim has a bigger boot and so makes a more practical grand tourer. Although the Griff commands a greater price tag these days, the Chim, it can be said, is a development of the Griff, which of course is rarer car, due in part to the Chim being such a successful model over its ten year production life.
A note on chassis, they don't *all* need work due to rust, some have been done of course and some have never seen salted roads and are still fine (like mine
).
The problem with TVR's especially the Griffith/Chimera is the chassis stiffness. Basically there isnt any and the chassis tends to flex quite badly.A note on chassis, they don't *all* need work due to rust, some have been done of course and some have never seen salted roads and are still fine (like mine
).Gordon murray once worked on a friends brand new griffith in an attempt to improve the awful handling. After trying new suspension setups they finnaly put the chassis on a jig only to find it had little rigidity and there was no sorting the handling aside from constructing a completely new chassis.
I'm not sure how stiff any other sports cars are supposed to be then! There is no scuttle shake when driving with the top down, unlike many other cars such as MX5s, MGTFs and early Boxsters that I've driven.
Jacking the car at one side at the back on one side rail and the whole chassis comes up, very little flexing to my eye.
Jacking the car at one side at the back on one side rail and the whole chassis comes up, very little flexing to my eye.
If a £10k Chimaera requires a brave pill now I wonder what I was taking when I decided to spend £6.5k on one in 2016..
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Reading that back.. What a knob, what a blissfully naive knob. No idea what he's talking about or what he's got himself into.
To dispel some of the b
ks that's been touted, yes the cars are VERY sensitive to geo and tyre pressure. Keep on top of those and they're completely docile to anyone with a modicum of finesse behind the wheel. They're NOT dangerous, they handle no worse than most other pre-CAD sportcars of the time. In fact they're prone to boring understeer, but they communicate in droves when they're reaching the limit. Keep an eye on the road surface, progressive with the throttle (it has a long travel for a reason), and mine will happily burn rubber whilst tracking predictably straight and true. Refurbed Gaz Gold Pro shocks and geo and a 300mm front brake upgrade transformed it into a great track car, it can easily keep up with its contemporaries in the twisties and is far more predictable than any S2000 or Elise. On a standard Rover 3.9 pre-serp with LT77 gearbox (all the most chocolatey Chim specs) it's claimed plenty of more modern and expensive scalps needing no more maintenance than I can do on the driveway.
I can't think of a more exciting car that a clueless cack-handed twenty-something can keep going, and keep track-ready, on the driveway at home.
I've finally caved and decided to postpone the abuse in order sort out the general state of the bloody thing, so right now it looks like this-
Many more headaches to come I'm sure.
In summary:
Most of the handling myths are bks spouted by people who've been bitten and have taken a hit to their pride.
The fit and finish is appalling...
... On my car, which has had a long and arduous life that I'm now dealing with the consequences of all at once. Those which have been cared for properly, can be put together to an excellent standard.
The noise alone is worth the money.
Yes, the chassis rot is a real problem. Ask me how I know.
The standard brakes are ste.
They're mechanically extremely solid and well built. The quirks and idiosyncrasies are in the cosmetics and the electrics, but the Rover, Borg Warner, BTR, GKN greasy bits have been lashed together properly and are unlikely to cause much grief for what are now 20+ year old cars.
Ones which need work will be really time-consuming and need some love to get right. If it's not your bag, spend the money and get a nice one and it'll probably never cause you any hassle outside of the expected.
They're a sexy, noisy, two fingers up to the boring, the mundane and the play-it-safers. They're a tribute to simplicity and the raw pleasure of a motor vehicle with none of the bullst that 'the man' thinks we all need to put up with. They'll give you the most rewarding ownership experience you could hope for, IF you put the love in. They'll head-turn like nothing else for the money, stir the senses in every possible way, deliver classic car throwbacks with genuine modern sportscar performance, and all for less than you'd pay for either. They're the bargain of the century.
They're epic.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Reading that back.. What a knob, what a blissfully naive knob. No idea what he's talking about or what he's got himself into.
To dispel some of the b
ks that's been touted, yes the cars are VERY sensitive to geo and tyre pressure. Keep on top of those and they're completely docile to anyone with a modicum of finesse behind the wheel. They're NOT dangerous, they handle no worse than most other pre-CAD sportcars of the time. In fact they're prone to boring understeer, but they communicate in droves when they're reaching the limit. Keep an eye on the road surface, progressive with the throttle (it has a long travel for a reason), and mine will happily burn rubber whilst tracking predictably straight and true. Refurbed Gaz Gold Pro shocks and geo and a 300mm front brake upgrade transformed it into a great track car, it can easily keep up with its contemporaries in the twisties and is far more predictable than any S2000 or Elise. On a standard Rover 3.9 pre-serp with LT77 gearbox (all the most chocolatey Chim specs) it's claimed plenty of more modern and expensive scalps needing no more maintenance than I can do on the driveway.I can't think of a more exciting car that a clueless cack-handed twenty-something can keep going, and keep track-ready, on the driveway at home.
I've finally caved and decided to postpone the abuse in order sort out the general state of the bloody thing, so right now it looks like this-
Many more headaches to come I'm sure.
In summary:
Most of the handling myths are b
ks spouted by people who've been bitten and have taken a hit to their pride. The fit and finish is appalling...
... On my car, which has had a long and arduous life that I'm now dealing with the consequences of all at once. Those which have been cared for properly, can be put together to an excellent standard.
The noise alone is worth the money.
Yes, the chassis rot is a real problem. Ask me how I know.
The standard brakes are s
te.They're mechanically extremely solid and well built. The quirks and idiosyncrasies are in the cosmetics and the electrics, but the Rover, Borg Warner, BTR, GKN greasy bits have been lashed together properly and are unlikely to cause much grief for what are now 20+ year old cars.
Ones which need work will be really time-consuming and need some love to get right. If it's not your bag, spend the money and get a nice one and it'll probably never cause you any hassle outside of the expected.
They're a sexy, noisy, two fingers up to the boring, the mundane and the play-it-safers. They're a tribute to simplicity and the raw pleasure of a motor vehicle with none of the bulls
t that 'the man' thinks we all need to put up with. They'll give you the most rewarding ownership experience you could hope for, IF you put the love in. They'll head-turn like nothing else for the money, stir the senses in every possible way, deliver classic car throwbacks with genuine modern sportscar performance, and all for less than you'd pay for either. They're the bargain of the century.They're epic.
Equus said:
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.
Yes, all very well, however do they make it up hill climbs etc. With absolutely knackered suspension I have still managed to drive a 500 with no real problem. It’s a big pussycat and sounds epic. 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.
Equus said:
yonex said:
Yes, all very well, however do they make it up hill climbs etc.
Yes they do... slowly, and even then usually only after modification. They're not very competitive, even against very much lower powered cars.Looks just fine to me.
Also don't commit the cardinal sin of confusing 'fast' with 'fun'. A Nissan GTR is fast. A TVR is fun. I think I'd fall asleep driving the Nissan
Equus said:
Yes they do... slowly, and even then usually only after modification. They're not very competitive, even against very much lower powered cars.
Well, I think you’re taking bks quite frankly. My Griffith handles predictably in the dry, it brakes in a straight line and when it looses traction it’s quite progressive. I was actually quite impressed, especially as the first drive was with very broken shocks and poor alignment. Perhaps I just realistic and don’t use computer simulations to work out why I’ve bought the wrong car? CanoeSniffer said:
The standard brakes are ste.
I'm not sure I agree with that. Mine (a later car with the bigger front rotors) has standard brakes. They were rebuilt last year with new rotors, pads, rebuilt calipers and master cylinder. And new fluid, obvs.te.It stops fine. The brakes do need a bit of a push, but the pedal is rock solid and feel is great. It might be a different story after many 10/10ths laps on a circuit, but mine are fine for road use.
The only thing brakewise that is s
te is the handbrake, which only holds on a hill if you stand on the brake pedal whilst hauling on the handbrake lever to set it.yonex said:
Equus said:
Yes they do... slowly, and even then usually only after modification. They're not very competitive, even against very much lower powered cars.
Well, I think you’re taking bks quite frankly... Why don't you have a look and tell us the best result you can find by a Grimaera?
I'll give you a starter for 10: check out 71st position (out of 95!) in the 2009 Championship.
When the flag drops, the bulls
t stops...Edited by Equus on Saturday 23 March 22:50
CanoeSniffer said:
If a £10k Chimaera requires a brave pill now I wonder what I was taking when I decided to spend £6.5k on one in 2016..
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Reading that back.. What a knob, what a blissfully naive knob. No idea what he's talking about or what he's got himself into.
To dispel some of the bks that's been touted, yes the cars are VERY sensitive to geo and tyre pressure. Keep on top of those and they're completely docile to anyone with a modicum of finesse behind the wheel. They're NOT dangerous, they handle no worse than most other pre-CAD sportcars of the time. In fact they're prone to boring understeer, but they communicate in droves when they're reaching the limit. Keep an eye on the road surface, progressive with the throttle (it has a long travel for a reason), and mine will happily burn rubber whilst tracking predictably straight and true. Refurbed Gaz Gold Pro shocks and geo and a 300mm front brake upgrade transformed it into a great track car, it can easily keep up with its contemporaries in the twisties and is far more predictable than any S2000 or Elise. On a standard Rover 3.9 pre-serp with LT77 gearbox (all the most chocolatey Chim specs) it's claimed plenty of more modern and expensive scalps needing no more maintenance than I can do on the driveway.
I can't think of a more exciting car that a clueless cack-handed twenty-something can keep going, and keep track-ready, on the driveway at home.
I've finally caved and decided to postpone the abuse in order sort out the general state of the bloody thing, so right now it looks like this-
Many more headaches to come I'm sure.
In summary:
Most of the handling myths are bks spouted by people who've been bitten and have taken a hit to their pride.
The fit and finish is appalling...
... On my car, which has had a long and arduous life that I'm now dealing with the consequences of all at once. Those which have been cared for properly, can be put together to an excellent standard.
The noise alone is worth the money.
Yes, the chassis rot is a real problem. Ask me how I know.
The standard brakes are ste.
They're mechanically extremely solid and well built. The quirks and idiosyncrasies are in the cosmetics and the electrics, but the Rover, Borg Warner, BTR, GKN greasy bits have been lashed together properly and are unlikely to cause much grief for what are now 20+ year old cars.
Ones which need work will be really time-consuming and need some love to get right. If it's not your bag, spend the money and get a nice one and it'll probably never cause you any hassle outside of the expected.
They're a sexy, noisy, two fingers up to the boring, the mundane and the play-it-safers. They're a tribute to simplicity and the raw pleasure of a motor vehicle with none of the bullst that 'the man' thinks we all need to put up with. They'll give you the most rewarding ownership experience you could hope for, IF you put the love in. They'll head-turn like nothing else for the money, stir the senses in every possible way, deliver classic car throwbacks with genuine modern sportscar performance, and all for less than you'd pay for either. They're the bargain of the century.
They're epic.
Spot on. Agree with every word.https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Reading that back.. What a knob, what a blissfully naive knob. No idea what he's talking about or what he's got himself into.
To dispel some of the b
ks that's been touted, yes the cars are VERY sensitive to geo and tyre pressure. Keep on top of those and they're completely docile to anyone with a modicum of finesse behind the wheel. They're NOT dangerous, they handle no worse than most other pre-CAD sportcars of the time. In fact they're prone to boring understeer, but they communicate in droves when they're reaching the limit. Keep an eye on the road surface, progressive with the throttle (it has a long travel for a reason), and mine will happily burn rubber whilst tracking predictably straight and true. Refurbed Gaz Gold Pro shocks and geo and a 300mm front brake upgrade transformed it into a great track car, it can easily keep up with its contemporaries in the twisties and is far more predictable than any S2000 or Elise. On a standard Rover 3.9 pre-serp with LT77 gearbox (all the most chocolatey Chim specs) it's claimed plenty of more modern and expensive scalps needing no more maintenance than I can do on the driveway.I can't think of a more exciting car that a clueless cack-handed twenty-something can keep going, and keep track-ready, on the driveway at home.
I've finally caved and decided to postpone the abuse in order sort out the general state of the bloody thing, so right now it looks like this-
Many more headaches to come I'm sure.
In summary:
Most of the handling myths are b
ks spouted by people who've been bitten and have taken a hit to their pride. The fit and finish is appalling...
... On my car, which has had a long and arduous life that I'm now dealing with the consequences of all at once. Those which have been cared for properly, can be put together to an excellent standard.
The noise alone is worth the money.
Yes, the chassis rot is a real problem. Ask me how I know.
The standard brakes are s
te.They're mechanically extremely solid and well built. The quirks and idiosyncrasies are in the cosmetics and the electrics, but the Rover, Borg Warner, BTR, GKN greasy bits have been lashed together properly and are unlikely to cause much grief for what are now 20+ year old cars.
Ones which need work will be really time-consuming and need some love to get right. If it's not your bag, spend the money and get a nice one and it'll probably never cause you any hassle outside of the expected.
They're a sexy, noisy, two fingers up to the boring, the mundane and the play-it-safers. They're a tribute to simplicity and the raw pleasure of a motor vehicle with none of the bulls
t that 'the man' thinks we all need to put up with. They'll give you the most rewarding ownership experience you could hope for, IF you put the love in. They'll head-turn like nothing else for the money, stir the senses in every possible way, deliver classic car throwbacks with genuine modern sportscar performance, and all for less than you'd pay for either. They're the bargain of the century.They're epic.
vixen1700 said:
Love my 500, and for a 25 year old car I reckon it's aged pretty well.
Sounds glorious, reasonably practical as five litre two seater sportscars go and bags of power on tap which you nowhere touch on the road.
Terrifies my wife when it accelerates.
Loved it but developed problems from a little neglect so let it go for less than £5k.
What a fool I was.
Still, made space in my garage for my Noble.
CanoeSniffer said:
46.82 at Wiscombe?Woah, that's big league stuff! He'd have been mixing it with 1275cc Minis and Vauxhall Novas!
Not quite up there with the Audi A3's, but then what can you expect with only 4 litres to play with?
Equus said:
Well, [ur]here|http://speed.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/results.asp?Year=2009|[/url] are the results for the last 10 years of the HSA Speed Hillclimb Championship.
Why don't you have a look and tell us the best result you can find by a Grimaera?
I'll give you a starter for 10: check out 71st position (out of 95!) in the 2009 Championship.
When the flag drops, the bullst stops...
Very few TVRs compete in the HSA Speed Hillclimb Championship. Contrariwise, I've seen one take FTD at Prescott.Why don't you have a look and tell us the best result you can find by a Grimaera?
I'll give you a starter for 10: check out 71st position (out of 95!) in the 2009 Championship.
When the flag drops, the bulls
t stops...Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff