Took delivery today!
Discussion
Picked my Chimaera up today and couldn't resist taking a few photos. 
Had a nice blast across the lanes of Hertfordshire and south eastern Bedfordshire, before jumping on the A1 for the trip home. Partly because it was getting dark, but mostly because there's a nice long tunnel en-route! It goes very nicely. It's not so much its speed off the mark, but the torque and the fact it just keeps going.
The oversize front wheels/tyres do need to go though. Even approaching motorway speeds they still require you too put too much force in to feel the subtleties of what's coming back. The ride's actually pretty good - it feels extremely stable and composed when pressing on along the lanes, although it does tramline quite markedly. With the right size wheels and tyres it should be a bit of a weapon.
Worth waiting for.
Had a nice blast across the lanes of Hertfordshire and south eastern Bedfordshire, before jumping on the A1 for the trip home. Partly because it was getting dark, but mostly because there's a nice long tunnel en-route! It goes very nicely. It's not so much its speed off the mark, but the torque and the fact it just keeps going.
The oversize front wheels/tyres do need to go though. Even approaching motorway speeds they still require you too put too much force in to feel the subtleties of what's coming back. The ride's actually pretty good - it feels extremely stable and composed when pressing on along the lanes, although it does tramline quite markedly. With the right size wheels and tyres it should be a bit of a weapon.
Worth waiting for.
GarethC said:
I bet you can't resist one last peek before bedtime!!
Enjoy
Enjoy
Funilly enough I've just come back from the garage. I haven't quite worked out the (after market) head unit's controls yet and it struck me I should probably check that it was off and not just turned down in volume, in case it drains the battery! This was clearly the reason I went out to check and it had nothing whatsoever to do with one more glance. Honest.
Chimpafrolic said:
Nice one Chris, she looks the nuts.
We will have to have a Herts/North London run out when Frenchie gets back from Nam.
Cheers Dave. I'm rather pleased with my purchase! I'll be taking it quite gently until the wheels are tyres are changed (I'm not sure how much faith I place in the Wang Tyre Corporation!) but a bit of a run out would be good. Look forward to meeting you and the other local TVR people. It's a shame I'm away for the TVRCC Meet this month and the next couple of Ace Cafe meets or I'd head over to one of those.We will have to have a Herts/North London run out when Frenchie gets back from Nam.
Edited by Chris71 on Saturday 13th November 18:19
adycole said:
Great colour combo chris, do love the wheels shame they
have to go. Are they 18in all round?
I have sp 17 front, 18 rear and have no ride issues or tramlining
even on the country lanes in which i live.
Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!
Yep, they're 18s all round.have to go. Are they 18in all round?
I have sp 17 front, 18 rear and have no ride issues or tramlining
even on the country lanes in which i live.
Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!
The ride's actually pretty good. It's a bit crashy on sharp ridges in town (the tyres are very low profile) but the bushes and dampers are all recent, so it soaks up the normal undulations nicely. The concern is more the steering weight (it's non-PAS and miles heavier than the other non-PAS cars I drove on standard width tyres and 15" front wheels) and the potential for rather sudden breakaway. I'm not driving it like that currently(!) and I have a huge amount of respect for powerful RWD cars (having spent quite a few years driving them as part of my job) but the intention is to track it next year, so I'm looking for something which will be suitably benign on the limit.
SILICONE KID said:
Why not go for PRO RACE 1.2 good for track days.I have 17" all round but if i had my chance again 16" on the front would be nice..
I am quite tempted. Although I do like the look of the Imolas it seems a bit wrong fitting them to a 500, and the Estorils are like rocking horse poo. The only full set I've seen are about twice what I was told to expect price-wise. The more I look at the car, the more I think I'd like to stick with black wheels too.I guess the good thing about Imolas is that they're plentiful, so I could pick up a set, try them out and move on to something else without losing any real money.
Chris71 said:
Cheers Dave. I'm rather pleased with my purchase! I'll be taking it quite gently until the wheels are tyres are changed (I'm not sure how much faith I place in the Wang Tyre Corporation!) but a bit of a run out would be good. Look forward to meeting you and the other local TVR people. It's a shame I'm away for the TVRCC Meet this month and the next couple of Ace Cafe meets or I'd head over to one of those.
get yourself to this - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...4Lmike said:
Chris71 said:
Cheers Dave. I'm rather pleased with my purchase! I'll be taking it quite gently until the wheels are tyres are changed (I'm not sure how much faith I place in the Wang Tyre Corporation!) but a bit of a run out would be good. Look forward to meeting you and the other local TVR people. It's a shame I'm away for the TVRCC Meet this month and the next couple of Ace Cafe meets or I'd head over to one of those.
get yourself to this - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...Random question, but how long do the batteries hold charge on average? I'm away a lot with work over the next few weeks and I probably need to invest in a battery conditioner sooner rather than later. I don't much fancy trying to jump start it, based on what I've heard from others!
I picked my chim up yesterday as well, not on the road yet as it has a major oil leak and the exhaust is blowing at the manifold which has new gaskets fitted. Might need to remove the heads for some welding for that but hope it will be on the road soon. Then a respray. My Chim has come home and in the right place to be looked after.
Great colour combo ! Everyone knows the yellow ones are fastest 
Battery Conditioner you may want to get the extension lead and cig lighter adaptor.
Cheers,
Jon
Battery Conditioner you may want to get the extension lead and cig lighter adaptor.
Cheers,
Jon
potato muncher said:
I picked my chim up yesterday as well, not on the road yet as it has a major oil leak and the exhaust is blowing at the manifold which has new gaskets fitted. Might need to remove the heads for some welding for that but hope it will be on the road soon. Then a respray. My Chim has come home and in the right place to be looked after.
Malcolm, check the welds on the manifolds at the four-into-one joint.The manifolds are prone to crack at this point, especially if the engine mounts are softened by an oil leak allowing the engine to move abut more than it should.
While they are off its also worth laying the manifold faces against a piece of glass, using a feeler gauge you can check for warping.
Thanks for the touch up paint by the way, the car looks amazing.
Dave.
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