Chim upgrade, SC, brakes, geo???
Discussion
Hellooo, so had the Chim now for 6 months of trouble free joy, use it as my daily driver, taken it on the track... love it to bits.
But... it's a 4.0, and although initially it scared the bejesus out of me, I am now craving more power... I have always wanted a supercharged V8 and seems a sensible time to do it... and if I'm going to fit a SC, the engine's going to want some attention, I don't have the time to do it myself so means a garage, V8 Developments are pretty close, so get them to do the work... but, by the time they've overhauled the engine, might as well get a new engine, and if I'm going to buy a new engine, might as well go big.... so the current plan is a 5.3 with a SC, pure logic!
Anyways, the insurance companies won't touch me til I've had the car for a year... but in the mean time need to sort out brakes and suspension so...
Have found a 324mm with TVR / AP 4 pot calipers for the front... has anyone bought these from Hans? Any ideas on what to put on the back to restore some balance?
And probably most importantly, who's the dog's balls for sorting out the suspension / geo setup? The poor old girl's still got the original (& v. tired) shocks on... Gaz gold pro's found favour yet? or better spend a little more?
I'm based roughly in the south of England, currently working in London, but frequently Nottingham, Suffolk, Cheltenham, Lincolnshire... and am happy to travel.
So, it's a 99 4.0, pretty standard, 16,17 wheels and the prettier front end
Anyways, any input much appreciated, especially from anyone with specific experience of any of the above...
Cheers, James
But... it's a 4.0, and although initially it scared the bejesus out of me, I am now craving more power... I have always wanted a supercharged V8 and seems a sensible time to do it... and if I'm going to fit a SC, the engine's going to want some attention, I don't have the time to do it myself so means a garage, V8 Developments are pretty close, so get them to do the work... but, by the time they've overhauled the engine, might as well get a new engine, and if I'm going to buy a new engine, might as well go big.... so the current plan is a 5.3 with a SC, pure logic!
Anyways, the insurance companies won't touch me til I've had the car for a year... but in the mean time need to sort out brakes and suspension so...
Have found a 324mm with TVR / AP 4 pot calipers for the front... has anyone bought these from Hans? Any ideas on what to put on the back to restore some balance?
And probably most importantly, who's the dog's balls for sorting out the suspension / geo setup? The poor old girl's still got the original (& v. tired) shocks on... Gaz gold pro's found favour yet? or better spend a little more?
I'm based roughly in the south of England, currently working in London, but frequently Nottingham, Suffolk, Cheltenham, Lincolnshire... and am happy to travel.
So, it's a 99 4.0, pretty standard, 16,17 wheels and the prettier front end
Anyways, any input much appreciated, especially from anyone with specific experience of any of the above...
Cheers, James
Your logic seems sound to me! 
My Chim had a set of tired Avos when I bought it a year ago and I replaced them with some Gaz Gold Pros as they seemed to be a good 'middle of the road' option. I spoke to the guy at Absolutely Shocks (his name elludes me at the moment) and explained what I was using the car for (touring, a/b road blats and possibly a track day or 2 eventually) and he agreed that the Gaz Golds were a good choice and also recommended the spring ratings too, and suggested a 2nd stiffer set if I wanted to get serious about track days.
I fitted them myself and then got APM in Liphook to set up the geo, who did an excellent job. All-in-all I'm very happy with how the car turned out, it's a totally different beast - turns in faster, doesn't bottom out any more and generally just inspires a bit more confidence.
If you want to turn your car into a serious animal with lots of power and with the intention of doing track days you may be better of spending a bit more though. I believe Racing Reds and then Nitrons are the next 2 popular steps up.
My Chim had a set of tired Avos when I bought it a year ago and I replaced them with some Gaz Gold Pros as they seemed to be a good 'middle of the road' option. I spoke to the guy at Absolutely Shocks (his name elludes me at the moment) and explained what I was using the car for (touring, a/b road blats and possibly a track day or 2 eventually) and he agreed that the Gaz Golds were a good choice and also recommended the spring ratings too, and suggested a 2nd stiffer set if I wanted to get serious about track days.
I fitted them myself and then got APM in Liphook to set up the geo, who did an excellent job. All-in-all I'm very happy with how the car turned out, it's a totally different beast - turns in faster, doesn't bottom out any more and generally just inspires a bit more confidence.
If you want to turn your car into a serious animal with lots of power and with the intention of doing track days you may be better of spending a bit more though. I believe Racing Reds and then Nitrons are the next 2 popular steps up.
Opinions vary,and i can only offer my own experience on this, but i've run 330mm AP front brakes for nearly a decade on my Chim and had no problems with front to rear balance.
The rear's are standard (Granada IIRC) callipers with original dia discs albeit drilled and grooved.
The car has spent an inordinate amount of time on track days (hence the big brake conversion) and has been nothing short of excellent under braking - a massive improvement over the original set up - and very well balanced.
FWIW 235x40x17 front tyres/wheels (255 rear) were fitted to clear the discs which - being so wide - make the most of the available front braking effort without locking up (as i suspect thinner rubber would be more likely to do).
The car does tend to tram line more on the road - and is probably less a day to day proposition as a result , but is quicker where i want it to be.
Also, i fitted Nitron dampers at the same time and these have been trouble free over the years.
HTH.
The rear's are standard (Granada IIRC) callipers with original dia discs albeit drilled and grooved.
The car has spent an inordinate amount of time on track days (hence the big brake conversion) and has been nothing short of excellent under braking - a massive improvement over the original set up - and very well balanced.
FWIW 235x40x17 front tyres/wheels (255 rear) were fitted to clear the discs which - being so wide - make the most of the available front braking effort without locking up (as i suspect thinner rubber would be more likely to do).
The car does tend to tram line more on the road - and is probably less a day to day proposition as a result , but is quicker where i want it to be.
Also, i fitted Nitron dampers at the same time and these have been trouble free over the years.
HTH.
Definitely fit big brakes and better suspension, I went for the Wilwood 4 pot conversion from TVR Power along with a set of Nitrons and SH drop links and the car feels spot on. Then a charger is just about the best mod you can do - had mine on for 2 years now and it still makes me laugh when I open the taps right up - the sense of acceleration is unreal!
That said, a 5.3 built for a charger, plus the charger kit its self is going to cost a fortune - the charger kit alone would be £5-6K on top of several k for the engine, and then you'll want a new ECU, clutch and stonger gearbox so you may want to just blow a 4.6, then you can keep most of it stock and still leave any other TVR in your tracks.
That said, a 5.3 built for a charger, plus the charger kit its self is going to cost a fortune - the charger kit alone would be £5-6K on top of several k for the engine, and then you'll want a new ECU, clutch and stonger gearbox so you may want to just blow a 4.6, then you can keep most of it stock and still leave any other TVR in your tracks.
I'd rather spend my money on something better than Gaz Golds than on monster brakes (a mixed blessing given the combined weight of them and the big wheels you'd need to clear them, especially given the 324 mm discs are still single piece items...).
Nitrons as a bare minimum, but personally I'd go the whole hog and go for the top of the line Intrax'. Chassis may require some extra stiffness given your plans, too...
If you want to go silly on the brakes (beyond the AP + 2-piece 300 mm Hi-Spec disc option from Hans which is great value and will provide all the braking you'll likely ever need) you might want to consider some Tar.Ox six pots - if you order a kit for a Donkervoort D8 rather than a Chimaera they'll even fit behind the 15" fronts - which would give an optimum balance of lightness and untiring braking capabilities.
My overriding feeling, though, is that you need to step back and think about what you want to achieve. In fairness these cars are overpowered with anything much over 300 bhp (some would say they're overpowered the way they came from Blackpool) even with the best of current suspension thinking and I think by going for a 'my daddy's bigger than yours' sort of spec you may actually make it worse to drive while incurring the sort of cost that would have bought you a Sagaris in addition to your Chim. Just a thought...
Nitrons as a bare minimum, but personally I'd go the whole hog and go for the top of the line Intrax'. Chassis may require some extra stiffness given your plans, too...
If you want to go silly on the brakes (beyond the AP + 2-piece 300 mm Hi-Spec disc option from Hans which is great value and will provide all the braking you'll likely ever need) you might want to consider some Tar.Ox six pots - if you order a kit for a Donkervoort D8 rather than a Chimaera they'll even fit behind the 15" fronts - which would give an optimum balance of lightness and untiring braking capabilities.
My overriding feeling, though, is that you need to step back and think about what you want to achieve. In fairness these cars are overpowered with anything much over 300 bhp (some would say they're overpowered the way they came from Blackpool) even with the best of current suspension thinking and I think by going for a 'my daddy's bigger than yours' sort of spec you may actually make it worse to drive while incurring the sort of cost that would have bought you a Sagaris in addition to your Chim. Just a thought...
900T-R said:
I'd rather spend my money on something better than Gaz Golds than on monster brakes (a mixed blessing given the combined weight of them and the big wheels you'd need to clear them, especially given the 324 mm discs are still single piece items...).
Nitrons as a bare minimum, but personally I'd go the whole hog and go for the top of the line Intrax'. Chassis may require some extra stiffness given your plans, too...
If you want to go silly on the brakes (beyond the AP + 2-piece 300 mm Hi-Spec disc option from Hans which is great value and will provide all the braking you'll likely ever need) you might want to consider some Tar.Ox six pots - if you order a kit for a Donkervoort D8 rather than a Chimaera they'll even fit behind the 15" fronts - which would give an optimum balance of lightness and untiring braking capabilities.
My overriding feeling, though, is that you need to step back and think about what you want to achieve. In fairness these cars are overpowered with anything much over 300 bhp (some would say they're overpowered the way they came from Blackpool) even with the best of current suspension thinking and I think by going for a 'my daddy's bigger than yours' sort of spec you may actually make it worse to drive while incurring the sort of cost that would have bought you a Sagaris in addition to your Chim. Just a thought...
That depends what you've done to up the power... With a blower on, my car with over 400bhp does not feel overpowered at all, in fact I certainly think that it could take more with the chassis staying stock (maybe a stonger gearbox & driveshafts though). With a charger, the power stays very much progressive, so you really have to want to spin the wheels to make it misbehave (even my girlfriend with a 1.6 saxo finds it very easy to drive!). And having driven various T cars and a few Cerbs, I have to say that I much prefer the power delivery of the blown RV8 - It makes the AJP/speed six stuff just feel gutless.Nitrons as a bare minimum, but personally I'd go the whole hog and go for the top of the line Intrax'. Chassis may require some extra stiffness given your plans, too...
If you want to go silly on the brakes (beyond the AP + 2-piece 300 mm Hi-Spec disc option from Hans which is great value and will provide all the braking you'll likely ever need) you might want to consider some Tar.Ox six pots - if you order a kit for a Donkervoort D8 rather than a Chimaera they'll even fit behind the 15" fronts - which would give an optimum balance of lightness and untiring braking capabilities.
My overriding feeling, though, is that you need to step back and think about what you want to achieve. In fairness these cars are overpowered with anything much over 300 bhp (some would say they're overpowered the way they came from Blackpool) even with the best of current suspension thinking and I think by going for a 'my daddy's bigger than yours' sort of spec you may actually make it worse to drive while incurring the sort of cost that would have bought you a Sagaris in addition to your Chim. Just a thought...
Yeah, I think you guys have made some fair points....thanks
I am far more interested in driveability than bragging rights, I need to give some serious thought to all this and hence why opening it up to you lot... I did consider selling the car and buying something faster, but the obvious choice would be a T350, but I just the love everything about a torquey V8 and the noise it makes, and as I said previously, I have always wanted a SC V8... and I love my chim, roomy interior, huge boot... the looks...If I could afford a LS Sag, I would, but I can't, so I think I'm fairly committed to keeping the car for some time, and I know all the mods will add little value and make it extremely hard to find a buyer... but I'm not planning on selling anytime soon so it's not so important. I have considered a cobra rep, but don't really think I could use it as a daily driver.
The things I really want to get right at the minute are the suspension and brakes, I won't be doing the engine mods until June or so...
Treat me like an idiot, as I know not enough currently to make the decisions... The car will be used daily and see the track several times a year,
I saw Hans' advert for the 324 AP 4 pot kit, and it seemed like pretty good value, are those disks on the heavy side? He seems to know what he's on about and advertised them as Chim/Griff upgrades... the car's only fairly light so does not need a huge amount of stopping power I guess, but I would like a bit more feel than the current setup of standard with decent pads, I did find they faded after some anger on the track too.. They're 16" Fronts, 17"rears atm and I see no reason to change them.
As for dampers, there seems to be every opinion about every damper on this site, I like to buy quality, and for my mind dampers have got to be pretty damn important, especially for a car with not the best chassis in the world... my question really was are Gaz Gold Pro's up to the job, and I think I'm getting the feeling that considering all the mods that will be coming her way, they are not... so any out and out recommendations for who's best to go to?
As for engine, I had expected to need a programmable ECU to make the most of the SC anyway, chassis concerns me as I'm not really up for the time involved in a full body off and stiffening excercise, not at this point anyway...
And although I would expect at some point to need to sort out the rest of the transmission, I wasn't really wanting to do it at the same time as the engine... hmmmn much deliberation needed, need to try and come to some sort of compromise between out and out power and sympathy for the rest of the car.. perhaps a 4.6 would be a step in the right direction.
I do like the idea of a new / rebuild engine specifically set up for the SC and have a good idea (/an accepting denial!) of what it's all going to cost..
I guess overpowered is a matter of opinion to a certain degree, to my mind she's crying out for some more power, how much she can handle is hopefully something I can figure out before spending a load of cash...
Thanks again
I am far more interested in driveability than bragging rights, I need to give some serious thought to all this and hence why opening it up to you lot... I did consider selling the car and buying something faster, but the obvious choice would be a T350, but I just the love everything about a torquey V8 and the noise it makes, and as I said previously, I have always wanted a SC V8... and I love my chim, roomy interior, huge boot... the looks...If I could afford a LS Sag, I would, but I can't, so I think I'm fairly committed to keeping the car for some time, and I know all the mods will add little value and make it extremely hard to find a buyer... but I'm not planning on selling anytime soon so it's not so important. I have considered a cobra rep, but don't really think I could use it as a daily driver.
The things I really want to get right at the minute are the suspension and brakes, I won't be doing the engine mods until June or so...
Treat me like an idiot, as I know not enough currently to make the decisions... The car will be used daily and see the track several times a year,
I saw Hans' advert for the 324 AP 4 pot kit, and it seemed like pretty good value, are those disks on the heavy side? He seems to know what he's on about and advertised them as Chim/Griff upgrades... the car's only fairly light so does not need a huge amount of stopping power I guess, but I would like a bit more feel than the current setup of standard with decent pads, I did find they faded after some anger on the track too.. They're 16" Fronts, 17"rears atm and I see no reason to change them.
As for dampers, there seems to be every opinion about every damper on this site, I like to buy quality, and for my mind dampers have got to be pretty damn important, especially for a car with not the best chassis in the world... my question really was are Gaz Gold Pro's up to the job, and I think I'm getting the feeling that considering all the mods that will be coming her way, they are not... so any out and out recommendations for who's best to go to?
As for engine, I had expected to need a programmable ECU to make the most of the SC anyway, chassis concerns me as I'm not really up for the time involved in a full body off and stiffening excercise, not at this point anyway...
And although I would expect at some point to need to sort out the rest of the transmission, I wasn't really wanting to do it at the same time as the engine... hmmmn much deliberation needed, need to try and come to some sort of compromise between out and out power and sympathy for the rest of the car.. perhaps a 4.6 would be a step in the right direction.
I do like the idea of a new / rebuild engine specifically set up for the SC and have a good idea (/an accepting denial!) of what it's all going to cost..
I guess overpowered is a matter of opinion to a certain degree, to my mind she's crying out for some more power, how much she can handle is hopefully something I can figure out before spending a load of cash...
Thanks again
I know I will be slated for this, but if I wanted to keep reliability and running costs at a bearable level I would stick with a 4.6(ish) as a base for supercharging, and forego the extreme 5.x litre variants that may offer 'some' justification in big-cube N/A applications of the RV8 in that a wild camshaft effectively behaves like a milder one in a bigger capacity lump (although they'll be strangled at the top end as long as the heads are still based on Rover castings) but with bore/stroke dimensions like that and the ways they're being achieved (overboring beyond 94 mm, off-set grinding crankshafts) you're at the ragged edge of what you can do within the confines of the architecture. With a supercharger on top you'll be using a fairly modest cam and static C.R. anyway.
jmsgld said:
I guess overpowered is a matter of opinion to a certain degree, to my mind she's crying out for some more power, how much she can handle is hopefully something I can figure out before spending a load of cash...
In fairness, you're probably running about 210 'real' bhp right now which is less than half of what the spec you've been drawing up in your mind would need to achieve. Personally I'd go for something in the middle, make it the most responsive and driveable 300 (or so) bhp that can be achieved today and concentrate on the bits that really need all the help they can get on these cars, predominantly suspension/geo and some reliability/durability-related things. Life with a Chimaera can be fantastic... you just need to make out for yourself what 'mods'/conversions add something worthwhile to the experience and which are more trouble than they're worth... to you!
SILICONE KID said:
As a replacement for tired old HBEs, maybe. As an 'upgrade' I wouldn't expect too much if anything.Some people really should revise their budget for suspension in relation to what they spend on engine mods...
Having done this trackday/road set up I would recommend Nitrons every day, with AP racing calipers 325 mm discs. 17' wheels and Toyo R888, followed by some decent tutoring (maybe Steve Guglielmi, two times Tuscan challenge winner), in fact get Steve to set the car up, you won't belive the differnce
http://www.guglielmimotorsport.co.uk/
http://www.guglielmimotorsport.co.uk/
macdeb said:
Fully appreciate your views mark and agree, but cannot back-up the referral. Had a quite dismal experience myself with set-up and could not believe.
Sorry to hear that, my experience was very positive, set the car up followed by half a day one to one tution at Bruntingthrorpe, great day car was great and I learnt how much I didn't know!Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff