Buyers for supercharged T350 or Sagaris?
Discussion
I'm planning to uprate either my T350, or a Sagaris, to the power/torque to weight I was used to with my Ginetta ie. 430bhp giving 370bhp/tonne. It would be fun on the road but ideal for sprints, hillclimbs and trackdays, as the power output would be closer to the tyres' limits. 
It would be a professional installation by Autocraft, using the well-proven Pro-charger supercharger with big intercoolers, and a lower rev limit, which would all add little extra heat or stress to the engine with only 4psi boost as most stress to engine components comes from revs (it would also be running lower compression) and the transmission should be fine if I don't use full acceleration in 5th gear.
I would run it for at least another 8,000 miles, so it would be very well proven, but my worry is - do you think anyone would ever want to buy it?! It would have a warranty with the supercharger kit but not for anything else of course.
It would be a professional installation by Autocraft, using the well-proven Pro-charger supercharger with big intercoolers, and a lower rev limit, which would all add little extra heat or stress to the engine with only 4psi boost as most stress to engine components comes from revs (it would also be running lower compression) and the transmission should be fine if I don't use full acceleration in 5th gear.
I would run it for at least another 8,000 miles, so it would be very well proven, but my worry is - do you think anyone would ever want to buy it?! It would have a warranty with the supercharger kit but not for anything else of course.
Edited by tail slide on Friday 4th August 19:03
Mate you should do what my mate did get nos instead for a few reasons.
1. a hell of alot cheaper
2. More reliable, my mate ran his t350 for 20,000 miles using the nos probably everyday, i've been in the car when he's hit the button 3 times in a 10 miles journey.
3. once u come to sell u take it out (Very easy and cheap) and no one will ever know it's been on.
4. My mate ran 100 shot which works out at about a true 70 bhp extra on the road.
5. only cost him 550
6. Holy sh*t it was amazingly fast. I've been in a 500bhp cossie and the t350 made it feel slow. imagine if you put nos on a gris.
7. If u speak to the experts there are so many options u can choose from progressive, u can get it to come on in stages pretty much whatever you want.
1. a hell of alot cheaper
2. More reliable, my mate ran his t350 for 20,000 miles using the nos probably everyday, i've been in the car when he's hit the button 3 times in a 10 miles journey.
3. once u come to sell u take it out (Very easy and cheap) and no one will ever know it's been on.
4. My mate ran 100 shot which works out at about a true 70 bhp extra on the road.
5. only cost him 550
6. Holy sh*t it was amazingly fast. I've been in a 500bhp cossie and the t350 made it feel slow. imagine if you put nos on a gris.
7. If u speak to the experts there are so many options u can choose from progressive, u can get it to come on in stages pretty much whatever you want.
and have to fill the nos bottle up after every hillclimb event? nos is hardly practicle for the sort of use he is talking about, nos maybe for quarter mile drag events but thats about the only place its any use.
iv also thought about getting my t350 supercharged along with other head modifications but in no hurry so will wait and see what happens when others get the work done.
iv also thought about getting my t350 supercharged along with other head modifications but in no hurry so will wait and see what happens when others get the work done.
DJC said:
I havent a scooby what level of talks you have had with Autocraft about this, but there are some rather elementary issues your post raises! Yer going to have fun (and frustration) finding them out. Good luck and may deepish pockets be with you.
I've had fairly detailed advice from Dave, hope to visit them next week. They haven't yet had a later-model engine to dismantle and check the mods by TVR for oil flow, cam followers etc... but route I suggested SHOULD ensure a healthy margin of safety.
smithyl23 said:
Mate you should do what my mate did get nos instead for a few reasons.
Probably not ideal for my use as Hollowlegs suggested, but results sound impressive! NOs is quite kind to the engine too, as it cools the charge greatly. But I've always thought supercharging was the way to go (anyone remember Paul Tankard's supercharged Griffith years ago?) and the new intercooled pro-charger route loooks reliable & fairly low-cost if the boost is low.
I think smithy's suggestion sounds worth investigating. But aftermarket supercharging, while an enormously cool thing to do, will make your car very specialist. I guess the right buyer would appreciate it but it would need to be warrantied up to the hilt and most people find TVRs fast enough in standard form.
On the upside I've found that modding cars is the best way to get me to keep them and prevent me from getting bored of them. The car becomes unique, a creation of my own and virtually irreplaceable. The main reason I'd be put off buying your supercharged t350, maybe the only reason!, is the rev reduction as I love high revving engines. In fact my ideal engine mod would be for more revs and power up top and less bottom end low down. But that's just me. The typical rv8 fan would love the low end torque from the supercharger.
On the upside I've found that modding cars is the best way to get me to keep them and prevent me from getting bored of them. The car becomes unique, a creation of my own and virtually irreplaceable. The main reason I'd be put off buying your supercharged t350, maybe the only reason!, is the rev reduction as I love high revving engines. In fact my ideal engine mod would be for more revs and power up top and less bottom end low down. But that's just me. The typical rv8 fan would love the low end torque from the supercharger.
tail slide said:
DJC said:
I havent a scooby what level of talks you have had with Autocraft about this, but there are some rather elementary issues your post raises! Yer going to have fun (and frustration) finding them out. Good luck and may deepish pockets be with you.
I've had fairly detailed advice from Dave, hope to visit them next week. They haven't yet had a later-model engine to dismantle and check the mods by TVR for oil flow, cam followers etc... but route I suggested SHOULD ensure a healthy margin of safety.
You can have all the detailed advice from Dave you want, but it wont be the engine you need to be worrying about!
Im already several months down the line on this!
Fabulous idea, but of course you'll never get back what you spend on it. There'll always be a buyer for something unusual, but they'll be worrying about transmission failures (etc) on top of the 'regular' problems...
Guys out there are splashing £100k plus on Mitsi Evos, so a T350 is more than deserving of a substantial power hike. Personally I love the Speed Six and how it revs, so in dream world a pair of turbos would be rather appealing.
Oh, and would you ever want to sell it? What else could possibly compare??
Guys out there are splashing £100k plus on Mitsi Evos, so a T350 is more than deserving of a substantial power hike. Personally I love the Speed Six and how it revs, so in dream world a pair of turbos would be rather appealing.
Oh, and would you ever want to sell it? What else could possibly compare??
Paul I assume you are thinking of the T350 equivalent of this ?
www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?carId=19548
www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?carId=19548
Spoonman said:
Fabulous idea, but of course you'll never get back what you spend on it. There'll always be a buyer for something unusual, but they'll be worrying about transmission failures (etc) on top of the 'regular' problems...
Guys out there are splashing £100k plus on Mitsi Evos, so a T350 is more than deserving of a substantial power hike. Personally I love the Speed Six and how it revs, so in dream world a pair of turbos would be rather appealing.
Oh, and would you ever want to sell it? What else could possibly compare??
Guys out there are splashing £100k plus on Mitsi Evos, so a T350 is more than deserving of a substantial power hike. Personally I love the Speed Six and how it revs, so in dream world a pair of turbos would be rather appealing.
Oh, and would you ever want to sell it? What else could possibly compare??
I know I'd never recoup costs, don't think warranty willbe possible. If I kept mods within bounds maybe could sell if I need to, but may never part!
I would love a roadgoing TVR to beat the Evo's/Skylines/Westfield V8's in sprints & hillclimbs for once, like the Tuscan did in the slicks category a few years back.
Edited by tail slide on Friday 4th August 16:57
RichardD said:
Paul I assume you are thinking of the T350 equivalent of this ?
www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?carId=19548
www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?carId=19548
but at a rather more conservative level! Graham's Tuscan did flag the idea up for me. tail slide said:
DJC said:
You can have all the detailed advice from Dave you want, but it wont be the engine you need to be worrying about!
Im already several months down the line on this!
Im already several months down the line on this!
Pray tell more? I must have missed it if you've told us....
I havent done a general release of the news yet. It is all part and parcel of the general questions and stuff Ive been mentioning over the last few weeks & months. The Supercharging aspect is known to a few ppl on here who have dealt with me, esp those who are "booked" in for the bodywork and aero mods. Ive deliberately not released more details because I didnt want to get into the Arash/general small Brit car company stuff off press releases, etc. I was just going to show the finished product and let the work do the talking. Even the more intimate details of the supercharging I havent released to my initial customers yet, the specs were only decided a cpl of weeks ago and even they may change subject to the development work.
DJC - OK, thanks for sharing a preview snippet with us then.
Presumably other related spec development will be the normal transmission & cooling issues. I've been down that long and expensive route before with several cars inc. turbo's, which is why I want to peg it way back below the apparent potential to start with. I'm keen to share ideas, & buying of wheelarch mods etc if I go the Sagaris route!
We live in interesting times.
Presumably other related spec development will be the normal transmission & cooling issues. I've been down that long and expensive route before with several cars inc. turbo's, which is why I want to peg it way back below the apparent potential to start with. I'm keen to share ideas, & buying of wheelarch mods etc if I go the Sagaris route!
We live in interesting times.
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