Performance upgrades

[Rodddimus]

Accepting that the Wedge is an old car (89) and that even when new it wasnt lightening quick i cant help feeling mines a little bit on the slow side. I feel like its difficult to place but i have had very fast cars sub 5 second 0-60 but i have also had a fair few slow cars and just feels like the wedge is a bit on the flat side.

I know modern turbos mean even slow cars feel faster but my daily is a 1.0 tfsi Arona so 115bhp and 0-60 of 9.8 yet it feels lightening quick in comparison to the wedge.

so other than obviously increasing then engine size are there any other mods/improvements that people have done that have returned a fair gain?

again i'm not expecting miracles just maybe a slight improvement

[spitfire4v8]

You can take some of the guesswork out by running the car up on a rolling road which has run other tvrs before and see how it compares.

[BlueWedgy]

Hi,

You haven't stated what engine you are running? OK sorry just looked at your profile, so seems to be the same as mine.

My 350i seems to me to be pretty quick, many moons ago reported to be nearly 185BHP back in circa 2000, a bit down on reported factory numbers that I have seen. I have no doubt that a fair few horses have bolted since then as well after some 22 years. Certainly, I have had the distributor in and out a few times since my ownership and oil return valve issues, plus a recent bottom-end shell replacement. The last time the distributor was out I just static timed to get it running. I have not strobe timed it since as I wanted to take in the nice weather, but it is no slouch by any means away from the lights.
Is the car rolling freely, i.e.no binding brakes?

I have read that the reported 0-60 was 6.5 secs and 0-100 16.8 secs were probably a bit off the mark and optimistic, but probably not by a lot, unless you have the higher capacity engined versions.

I have recently removed the engine-driven PS and installed an electric PS pump, so that may free up a couple of horses lost and weighs up the steering better as well I found, making the car more fun to drive.

Ray

Edited by BlueWedgy on Wednesday 10th August 19:27

[s m]

I can’t comment on your 350i but here are some recorded road tests with timing gear

1983 test 350i



1986 test 350i




1987 test of the 390SE



No axe to grind or horse in the race but the only thing I would say is that all those cars seem slightly under par performance wise for the quoted power compared to other cars of similar power and weight
The factory demo 390SE never felt like the quoted power to me

[Rodddimus]

All fair points thanks for the reply

i went out today and it felt quick today - i think i had skewed my performance measure by driving my brothers TTRS which considering its 3.8 0-60 is going to make most things feel slow for a while - although i still maintain that SEAT Arona feels proper spritely considering the figures

Funny i think a lot of the issue is the sound - most quick cars ive had have been a lot quieter and it takes you by surprise how quick they are, but this is so loud it sounds like you should be doing 100mph when really you're just at 40

its a great problem to have like i prefer it this way round, i might just give it a once over new plugs/oil/leads/dizzy etc and see if that makes a difference if for nothing else but the placebo effect

[spitfire4v8]

Judging by the speedo inaccuraccy in the bottom road test you might be worse than you think seeing as 60mph on the speedo is only about 50mph true road speed!

[BlueWedgy]

I would tend to agree, The speedo bounces a fair bit on mine, as well.
Get a GPS app for the phone that will give an indication of the speedo accuracy.

I tend to judge things by how quickly I am passing people

[colin mee]

I run google maps all the time and shows your speed and where speed cameras are (some tines)

[300bhp/ton]

Rodddimus said:

Accepting that the Wedge is an old car (89) and that even when new it wasnt lightening quick i cant help feeling mines a little bit on the slow side. I feel like its difficult to place but i have had very fast cars sub 5 second 0-60 but i have also had a fair few slow cars and just feels like the wedge is a bit on the flat side.

I know modern turbos mean even slow cars feel faster but my daily is a 1.0 tfsi Arona so 115bhp and 0-60 of 9.8 yet it feels lightening quick in comparison to the wedge.

so other than obviously increasing then engine size are there any other mods/improvements that people have done that have returned a fair gain?

again i'm not expecting miracles just maybe a slight improvement

The RV8 is a nice engine, but prone to wearing the followers (and sometimes the cam). If they are original on yours. Then it probably will feel flat tbh.

Lots of upgrade options, although in reality the RV8 will never be a monster power house HP wise.

Probably the most cost effective power upgrade is to buy a 4.6 out of a p38 Range Rover (or buy a whole vehicle and sell the rest on). A mildish cam upgrade with the right sort exhaust/intake and tune should see you somewhere around 230-250hp with ease, maybe a tad more. But the biggest difference will be the low and mid range grunt. Which will make it feel far more peppy.

But a simple refresh of your current engine with a new cam & followers and a good service might well be worthwhile for even less outlay.

[KKson]

BlueWedgy said:

I would tend to agree, The speedo bounces a fair bit on mine, as well.
Get a GPS app for the phone that will give an indication of the speedo accuracy.

I tend to judge things by how quickly I am passing people

I had a rebuilt gearbox fitted last year in my SEAC and was keen to check speedo reading against accurate sat nav. Speedo over read 2 mph, at 100mph, on a private road obviously.

[s m]

KKson said:

I had a rebuilt gearbox fitted last year in my SEAC and was keen to check speedo reading against accurate sat nav. Speedo over read 2 mph, at 100mph, on a private road obviously.

Looking at those 3 tests above ( and a few other Wedge tests ) you’d have to say all those cars were ‘individuals’

That first 350i tested was only 5mph out at 100mph which was pretty good for most cars in 83 whereas TVR100 ( the factory 390SE demo ) was a lot more optimistic.
To be fair I remember it being a bit of a fibber out on the road as regards speeds

[adam quantrill]

The 350i should be doing 0-60 in 6.1s, so much quicker than your 1l jobbie.

It should still be pulling well into 5,500 rpm where you change up.

I suppose the temptation is to not rev the nuts off it and use the torque, which is fine, but not where the max power is.

[LLantrisant]

if your engine feels "lazy" check ignition timing (and try more advanced), also check for cam-wear.

a tired Rover V8 is mainly caused by a worn cam.

[300bhp/ton]

LLantrisant said:

if your engine feels "lazy" check ignition timing (and try more advanced), also check for cam-wear.

a tired Rover V8 is mainly caused by a worn cam.

Worn and badly tuned ones make bugger all power. I remember going on a dyno day. There was a lovely looking and awesome sounding yellow Cobra replica running a “tuned” 3.9 RV8. Is made all of 120hp on the rollers at the flywheel.

Edited by 300bhp/ton on Monday 15th August 14:27

[adam quantrill]

True,

ignition relies on the gear on the cam driving the dizzy shaft for timing, over time this wears and it retards from the optimal place.
Also mechanical and vacuum advance need checking.
Before you start fiddling, mark positions with a blob of white paint on the dizzy body and block.
Also take a reading of the current timing and mark that on the pulley (or take a photo).
There are plenty of threads on here about setting up the ignition timing.

For the cam take off the rocker covers and observe rocker lift, if you have a dial gauge use it. Usually it's the end lobes that wear 1st due to lack of oil and people letting the engine idle "to warm it up".

[Rodddimus]

Cheers for the replies ill do some tinkering and see what i can see

[rev-erend]

A quick session on a rolling road will help. As you are in the north west give Jules at kits and classic cars a call. He really knows his TVR's. It's best to resolve any issues and identify under performing worn parts first.

http://www.kitsandclassics.co.uk/Contact-Us-/-Work...

Edited by rev-erend on Thursday 18th August 12:03

Edited by rev-erend on Thursday 18th August 12:13

[BlueWedgy]

So took out the car with my son yesterday and decided to find out how the 0-60 faired against the speedo.
The first attempt was a bust due to much exuberance on the loud pedal (wheel spin), which also followed through into second gear.

The second attempt further up the road was on a slight uphill gradient, obviously with 2 bods in the car was around the 8-second mark.
Not overly bad being as a few horses have undoubtedly bolted over the years, so you could use that as a benchmark if you want, anything under that is trending in the right direction I would say.
At 60+ the car is still pulling well.

[Rodddimus]

i would say mine feels around a 8 second car

think is i know on British roads in modern times its probably as fast as you need and considering it comes with that glorious sound its really a good package

I had a M140i and that thing was bonkers quick but youre doing 40 in first gear so its not long at all before you are at license losing speeds

i think i prefer the slower but more theatrical TVR tbh