RE: Westfield Megabusa

[dudfieldjp]

Davids 11.9 second quarter was done is a westfield that weighed close to 900kg! (I have a 200kg lighter car) Traction is also real problem when the torque is high.

The SEight performance comes into its own when you are moving, not when you do standing starts.

Trouble is my car is better than my driving ability. On a track (or road) I would not be able to use the cars full power (bit more practice perhaps) but down the staights a 300+bhp seight would out drag most other cars and performance bikes (thats the bit I enjoy).

There are certainly some fantastic Westfield Vauxhall/ford setups out there, but these cars are normally track cars that are occasionally used on the road.

It would be great if someone could organise a Sevens meet at a drag strip to test the standard bike engine cars against the modified cars.

I fancy nitrous at some point in the future - that would be interesting (400+bhp?)

BTW: There will be Westfield Seight 4.3 with Nitrous being run next year (auto box, live rear axle etc) This car should run about 10 secounds. Apparently the car was originally designed for drag racing and its previous owner was running 9 second quarters (I don't know the engine spec but it must have been at least 400 bhp)

[smeagol]

joost said: Smeagol, For sprinting power to weight is very important. I agree with you that there are some very fast BEC. But a stock Megabusa is not that fast (for sprinting). To do a 10.x time you need a special (in fact a very special).

Agreed but there are other factors for example the gearing and differential. I also don't see the BEC as a sprinter its more a very fast track/weekend car. I think you're right that a stock megabusa isn't going to break the 10sec 1/4 mile but I think it would be still quicker than a standard V8. Obviously race tuned/nitros injections excepted.

[joost]

I think you are right! But IMO a V8 is no option for a seven! I have driven several V8 sevens even a 380Bhp one and i was never impressed. It is like a hotrod. The only option for a V8 in a seven is for cruising (nice sound!) but if i want to cruise there are better cars (not sevens).

smeagol said:

joost said: Smeagol, For sprinting power to weight is very important. I agree with you that there are some very fast BEC. But a stock Megabusa is not that fast (for sprinting). To do a 10.x time you need a special (in fact a very special).

Agreed but there are other factors for example the gearing and differential. I also don't see the BEC as a sprinter its more a very fast track/weekend car. I think you're right that a stock megabusa isn't going to break the 10sec 1/4 mile but I think it would be still quicker than a standard V8. Obviously race tuned/nitros injections excepted.

[phil.cavanagh]

Juat want to make a couple of comments on the artical.

I have run a MedaBusa for the last 3 years (MOT now due, scary), with a stage 1 engine from TTS performance pushing out 220BHP attached to around 420Kg.

I disagree with the town driving thing. It's a pussycat, and you can happly slip it into 6th at 30mph and dordle around town all day long.

Yes its quick, but I dont think 10 second quick. I've pulled mid 11's at Santa Pod this year with standard road tyres and no special prep. With a good set of low pressure sticky boots I aiming form mid 10's next summer, but we'll see.

Having said that, round a track I've never come up against anything quicker (in the dry, I also drive a 450BHP Nissan Sunny which will pants it in the wet !). Its awsome, never mind the acceleration, it will brake from 100-0 in 3 seconds and has huge grip and balance.

Great fun, but dry use only. In the wet (even mildly damp) it wants to kill you.

[williamball]

Dunno if this helps, but as the owner of an '84 GPz1100 [and Cerbie and Megablade] I collected quite a lot of period material on the bike. The GPz1100 was famous as the first production motorcycle to be road tested and officially timed at a 10 second 1/4 mile [high 10s, 10.9ish] a kind of holy grail of motorcycling at that time. The road test bike was dynod at 120 BHP at the crank, and I think they weigh in at around 270Kg. Add a rider etc., so 370Kg and 120Hp give you a 10.xx second pass. Presuming BEC and driver weighs in at 550Kg, then you'd need 178Bhp for the same power to weight...and I beleive the hyabusa does 180bhp. Should be theoretically possible to get into the 10s then I'd guess.

WB

[dan_busa2002]

Cheers WB, I Believe I mentioned "around" 10's in the article. but it seems to have set something off in this post. The Standard Hayabusa pushes out 175BHP, and does the 1/4 in mid to high 9's. The westfield has a completely different exhaust and filter setup and pushes out 185BHP. This coupled with a 3.21:1 diff and 13" wheels/supersoft yoko's gives it the quickness but lacks in topend speed. dropping out at a calculated 135mph. 60mph shy of the bike due to overall gearing. With that you have clutchless fullpower gearchanges. All this makes for very fast sprints just ask the EVO VI

[ultimaandy]

phil.cavanagh said:[/i
I've pulled mid 11's at Santa Pod this year with standard road tyres and no special prep. With a good set of low pressure sticky boots I aiming form mid 10's next summer, but we'll see.

Having said that, round a track I've never come up against anything quicker in the dry.

Great fun, but dry use only. In the wet (even mildly damp) it wants to kill you.

---

Each of these statements are true for my car (1000kgs V8, over 500bhp).

I think you need over 500bhp per ton to get into the 10's, and some of these bike engined things are quoting well over that.

However I saw a hugelly fast caterham which was doing 10.4's, it had a car engine (Alloy BDA I believe), slicks but weighed about 415kgs and made 700+Bhp per ton.

Unless you build a drag car (ie won't handle) I don't think your going to beat that car (NOS excluded).

Saying that I'm planning to build a bike engined car..... well it would be rude not to give it a go!