Any one read Practical Performance Car?
Any one read Practical Performance Car?
Author
Discussion

Luckyone

Original Poster:

1,091 posts

261 months

Thursday 20th January 2005
quotequote all
It's a great mag, I couldn't put the first one I found down.

The esteemed Dave Walker has a regular article in it detailing what he’s been up to. The other month he was talking about a Cerbera he’d re-mapped using his(?) emerald unit & the power gains he’d made. Very interesting reading it made too, although it does let the larger public know Cerbs don’t make any where near there supposed power.

In this months mag he talks about a Cerb that was alleged to have made an extra 60 bhp from just new injectors (& a re-map), which it would seem, he found hard to believe. His argument made good sense & seemed to reflect a debate I read on here some time ago. Does anyone know if it was in relation to the posts on here & if so was it ever resolved?

SXS 

2,068 posts

269 months

Thursday 20th January 2005
quotequote all
My engineers dont believe it either! But if anyone is willing to pay for something thats makes their ride feel faster and smoother, then fair play to them.

The only way the cerbera 4.5 can push 400bhp+ is by either increasing compression (Red Rose comes with a higher compression ratio) or forced induction.
Thats plain and simple, if Al Mellings (the word on horsepower, he is also known as Mr.H, he does a lot of BHP certifying for many car companies) even said no way, then I'd be willing to believe the likes of David Walker and Mellings...

rodentracing

1,502 posts

300 months

Friday 21st January 2005
quotequote all
It is an excellent read. In this months issue they feature a rather fetching red E30 318is in the Budget Blaster section. Worth picking up a copy just for that. The staff seem like top blokes too.

Luckyone

Original Poster:

1,091 posts

261 months

Friday 21st January 2005
quotequote all
You wouldn't be at all biased then, see as they said yours was the pick of the bunch.

But it is great for any one looking to increase there mechanical out look & don’t worry there isn’t a chav in site!

joospeed

4,473 posts

307 months

Friday 21st January 2005
quotequote all
Lol .. guess who the *independant TVR specialist* is that he's talking about??

PS look out for the up-coming Chimaera buying guide, contributions from the same Indie

methodwares

583 posts

273 months

Friday 21st January 2005
quotequote all
SXS said:

The only way the cerbera 4.5 can push 400bhp+ is by either increasing compression (Red Rose comes with a higher compression ratio) or forced induction.


i don't think that is entirely true. there are tricks that can be done with the heads and intake, changing cam profiles can also help. tho, given the lack of aftermarket parts, the cheapest way to achieve big power is probably with a charger. or dump a load of 110 octane av gas in the tank

SXS 

2,068 posts

269 months

Friday 21st January 2005
quotequote all
methodwares said:


SXS said:

The only way the cerbera 4.5 can push 400bhp+ is by either increasing compression (Red Rose comes with a higher compression ratio) or forced induction.




i don't think that is entirely true. there are tricks that can be done with the heads and intake, changing cam profiles can also help. tho, given the lack of aftermarket parts, the cheapest way to achieve big power is probably with a charger. or dump a load of 110 octane av gas in the tank



It is true bud, the cam profiles are already set at their optimum, confirmed by cam specialists who have had a look at them, trust me, been there stripped the engine, looked at all possible performance modifications, and typical 'road' engine cam changes etc., will not increase power any further, you can move the power band around, bring torque peak to a certain point etc, but no more power - MCD modelled these cams on their computers, and went through a fair bit of testing to come up with the current profiles....
There are many small jobs you could do, but there isnt a 50/50 guideline which says you will achieve more HP, you could flow the heads, you could remove restrictions in the throttlebody assembly by replacing the whole intake manifold with a ram intake of some sort but even then you cant increase the pressure higher than atmospheric unless you turbo/super it... you could do away with the headers and use a different set, but they will make sod all difference, the current ones are optimum for the output, any bigger and you will loose valuable backpressure which helps the way the engine operates. You could lighten the valves, but then you're throwing reliabiliity away, but you might not get more power as such, might rev higher quicker but peak torque comes in at just over 6000, you could change the camshafts to compensate for the lighter valves, you could alter the retard, maybe dump in more fuel...
but after spending loads a cash and time, you might only get a few horses. Its a well designed engine, and the good ones show the capability of the engine if tuned/mapped properly. If you want to break the 400hp flywheel barrier, you will need something short of a miracle or NOS/turbo/super, you could just bore her out further and increase the stroke, increase compression.... but again, you're talking BIG bucks...
quite simply, if you want more power, NOS for around 1500 will sort it out, any other route, and you're talking 5k+ territory.

I'm not being negative here, its just plain and simple. Plus all those who are putting down 50bhp+ drivetrain losses down, you're way off!, the flywheel figures flying around are not valid, this is why we need to get one of these on a proper hub and engine dyno... then we will know how out the rollers at different places are... F1 wouldnt touch rollers, the numbers crunched in like air temp adjustments etc etc... are just too out there... thats my view anyway. But if we can get Joospeeds TOP modded car, and Austecs TOP modded car, and both of them chip in the cash to get both these cars engine/hub dyno'd by pro's, only then can we settle the facts from fiction, otherwise there will always be this and that and that and this....

>> Edited by SXS  on Friday 21st January 13:45

methodwares

583 posts

273 months

Friday 21st January 2005
quotequote all
i know its not a rocker arm / follower setup on the cam to give a nice lift ratio, but is there no way to increase the lift / duration? must hand it to the factory then, cause in america all the car mags would have some engine upgrade article saying 'what the factory should have done'. must tip my hat to them.

oh yeah, number plate for your cerb 'NE55 MAD'

SXS 

2,068 posts

269 months

Friday 21st January 2005
quotequote all
You could use tuscan V8 racing cams, but they work a little more differently, due to the compression ratio difference and also they are dry-sumped, well vacuumed and tight piston ring sealing and no crankcase windage... again, you're talking 5k+ odd for the mods, and that doesnt include labour!...

>> Edited by SXS  on Friday 21st January 14:00

methodwares

583 posts

273 months

Friday 21st January 2005
quotequote all
just out of curiosity, do you know the specs for the cam profile? lift / duration / open and close event angles and such?

SXS 

2,068 posts

269 months

Friday 21st January 2005
quotequote all
methodwares said:
just out of curiosity, do you know the specs for the cam profile? lift / duration / open and close event angles and such?


Yes, but not on hand, at the garage, with all the other data, torque settings, blueprints etc.

Luckyone

Original Poster:

1,091 posts

261 months

Friday 21st January 2005
quotequote all
joospeed said:
Lol .. guess who the *independant TVR specialist* is that he's talking about??

PS look out for the up-coming Chimaera buying guide, contributions from the same Indie


I had a funny feeling that it was going to be you!

I'm we can't make it for the 12 March, I was looking forward to finally meeting you. Oh well…

One thing though Joolz – Dave did say TVRs don’t always make the factory power claims, we know that’s true of the Cerb, but I thought the new speed 6s were pretty much spot on? If it is the case, maybe you could point it out to him. It’s just that a lot of petrol heads will be reading the mag & TVR divers are loosing pub-boasting power!

kevin63

4,661 posts

282 months

Saturday 22nd January 2005
quotequote all
In the March issue My mates car is in but is is a Chimp, we both went down to the photo shoot in December when it was snowing but had a good day. He is not on the internet (PHer)so cannot tell you his Call name but keep an eye on the March issue.

kevin63

4,661 posts

282 months

Saturday 26th February 2005
quotequote all
March issue now out with Chimp buying guide and tips