Rover V8 ETs and general history.
Discussion
I guess many of us still run Rover V8s and maybe remeber the good old days of the RVDRA (Rover V8 drag racing association). I do both and still have the t-shirt.
I have a modestly tuned 4.6 in my TVR that has run 11.6 @ 125 with a 150 shot of gas and am considering the options of a blower or twin turbo to add to my recent low comp forged piston engine build.
My question is... does anyone know ETs that were run in the past and present by Rover V8 powered cars and with what state of tune or induction method was used.
I am interested to compare between high spec NA, turbo, blown, nitrous and combinations.
All information will be of interest thanks.
I have a modestly tuned 4.6 in my TVR that has run 11.6 @ 125 with a 150 shot of gas and am considering the options of a blower or twin turbo to add to my recent low comp forged piston engine build.
My question is... does anyone know ETs that were run in the past and present by Rover V8 powered cars and with what state of tune or induction method was used.
I am interested to compare between high spec NA, turbo, blown, nitrous and combinations.
All information will be of interest thanks.
I think Tim Garliks rover powered cortina holds the record for a rover motor in a doorslammer
im sure it ran in the 7.7s or somewhere round there that was with race fuel and N20 on wildcat heads i think,
he changed for a smallblock for his last year or two and went 7.5s
Steve Green is still using rover power in his super modified cortina i beleive he will run the full season this year hes the man who knows,
im sure it ran in the 7.7s or somewhere round there that was with race fuel and N20 on wildcat heads i think,
he changed for a smallblock for his last year or two and went 7.5s
Steve Green is still using rover power in his super modified cortina i beleive he will run the full season this year hes the man who knows,
I won the 1993 Street Rover championship with a best of 10.68 (from memory!), which was at the time a record for the class.
The thing to remember is the Street Rovers were severely hampered at the time by having to use E marked tyres and the best 60 foot times I got were about 1.8 seconds, so performance figures are probably not representative of the potential the Street Rovers had.
Rules were changed later to allow slightly better tyres though. My car was also built to the 3.5 litre limit that was originally applied, which also was relaxed later on to allow bigger engines, but I didn't have the money to take advantage of this.
Rough spec was - 3.5 litre, Forged Ross pistons, 8.5 CR, shot peened group A rods, ARP rod bolts, ARP head studs, std head gasket, heads were ported on my home built flow bench, Cam was a Kent 256, solid lifter, Huffaker intake, 650 DP carb, roller rockers, heavy duty rocker shaft, hollow chrome moly pushrods, Cloyes cam drive. Car weighed 2100 lbs with driver. Approx. 120 HP of Nitrous was delivered by a plate system and the car would run 10.9s with gas turned on up to the 1/8 mile marker only. MPH at the 1/8 was about 109 but 1/4 mph was always hampered by the fact my axle ratio was too low and I'd run out of revs at a 1000 feet…
In hindsight, the carb was a bit too big, (but a 390 CFM is way too small for racing IMHO). Valve springs were a major issue and would only last 2 or 3 meets.
Unfortunately I gave up racing after 1993, so never got to correct these issues.
I still have some of the bits cluttering up my garage.
The thing to remember is the Street Rovers were severely hampered at the time by having to use E marked tyres and the best 60 foot times I got were about 1.8 seconds, so performance figures are probably not representative of the potential the Street Rovers had.
Rules were changed later to allow slightly better tyres though. My car was also built to the 3.5 litre limit that was originally applied, which also was relaxed later on to allow bigger engines, but I didn't have the money to take advantage of this.
Rough spec was - 3.5 litre, Forged Ross pistons, 8.5 CR, shot peened group A rods, ARP rod bolts, ARP head studs, std head gasket, heads were ported on my home built flow bench, Cam was a Kent 256, solid lifter, Huffaker intake, 650 DP carb, roller rockers, heavy duty rocker shaft, hollow chrome moly pushrods, Cloyes cam drive. Car weighed 2100 lbs with driver. Approx. 120 HP of Nitrous was delivered by a plate system and the car would run 10.9s with gas turned on up to the 1/8 mile marker only. MPH at the 1/8 was about 109 but 1/4 mph was always hampered by the fact my axle ratio was too low and I'd run out of revs at a 1000 feet…
In hindsight, the carb was a bit too big, (but a 390 CFM is way too small for racing IMHO). Valve springs were a major issue and would only last 2 or 3 meets.
Unfortunately I gave up racing after 1993, so never got to correct these issues.
I still have some of the bits cluttering up my garage.
Viva632 said:
I won the 1993 Street Rover championship with a best of 10.68 (from memory!), which was at the time a record for the class.
The thing to remember is the Street Rovers were severely hampered at the time by having to use E marked tyres and the best 60 foot times I got were about 1.8 seconds, so performance figures are probably not representative of the potential the Street Rovers had.
Rules were changed later to allow slightly better tyres though. My car was also built to the 3.5 litre limit that was originally applied, which also was relaxed later on to allow bigger engines, but I didn't have the money to take advantage of this.
Rough spec was - 3.5 litre, Forged Ross pistons, 8.5 CR, shot peened group A rods, ARP rod bolts, ARP head studs, std head gasket, heads were ported on my home built flow bench, Cam was a Kent 256, solid lifter, Huffaker intake, 650 DP carb, roller rockers, heavy duty rocker shaft, hollow chrome moly pushrods, Cloyes cam drive. Car weighed 2100 lbs with driver. Approx. 120 HP of Nitrous was delivered by a plate system and the car would run 10.9s with gas turned on up to the 1/8 mile marker only. MPH at the 1/8 was about 109 but 1/4 mph was always hampered by the fact my axle ratio was too low and I'd run out of revs at a 1000 feet…
In hindsight, the carb was a bit too big, (but a 390 CFM is way too small for racing IMHO). Valve springs were a major issue and would only last 2 or 3 meets.
Unfortunately I gave up racing after 1993, so never got to correct these issues.
I still have some of the bits cluttering up my garage.
Excellent, just the sort of details i am interested in.The thing to remember is the Street Rovers were severely hampered at the time by having to use E marked tyres and the best 60 foot times I got were about 1.8 seconds, so performance figures are probably not representative of the potential the Street Rovers had.
Rules were changed later to allow slightly better tyres though. My car was also built to the 3.5 litre limit that was originally applied, which also was relaxed later on to allow bigger engines, but I didn't have the money to take advantage of this.
Rough spec was - 3.5 litre, Forged Ross pistons, 8.5 CR, shot peened group A rods, ARP rod bolts, ARP head studs, std head gasket, heads were ported on my home built flow bench, Cam was a Kent 256, solid lifter, Huffaker intake, 650 DP carb, roller rockers, heavy duty rocker shaft, hollow chrome moly pushrods, Cloyes cam drive. Car weighed 2100 lbs with driver. Approx. 120 HP of Nitrous was delivered by a plate system and the car would run 10.9s with gas turned on up to the 1/8 mile marker only. MPH at the 1/8 was about 109 but 1/4 mph was always hampered by the fact my axle ratio was too low and I'd run out of revs at a 1000 feet…
In hindsight, the carb was a bit too big, (but a 390 CFM is way too small for racing IMHO). Valve springs were a major issue and would only last 2 or 3 meets.
Unfortunately I gave up racing after 1993, so never got to correct these issues.
I still have some of the bits cluttering up my garage.
What bits you got? Roller rockers required for 1.
My little 23T altered. Run a best of 11.14 at 124mph but I ran a manual box which was great for the launch but probably added 1/2 second to the ET.
This ran a 4.6 Rover lump, wild cam (forget the spec now), roller rockers, Wildcat inlet, 650DP, mildly ported heads, 3 angle valves etc etc nothing special.
Best 60 foot was 1.25 and always ran 6.80's-7.00's at 1/8th
Loved the car sold to buy my Bantam.
I run similar terminals in my Chimeara with a best of 125 but traction is my problem with poor mid 1.8s to 60 foot.
1.25 is an awesome time. You made that 1/2 second on me at that point!
I am hoping to get into the 1.6s on new suspension this year when the cars ready.
Mines a manual box too, a T5 which isnt too shabby on the changes.
See some of my in car clips on youtube under dbv8nos
1.25 is an awesome time. You made that 1/2 second on me at that point!
I am hoping to get into the 1.6s on new suspension this year when the cars ready.
Mines a manual box too, a T5 which isnt too shabby on the changes.
See some of my in car clips on youtube under dbv8nos
dbv8 said:
Excellent, just the sort of details i am interested in.
What bits you got? Roller rockers required for 1.
I've got more or less the complete engine and would consider selling the bits off. I also have a set of new, unused big valves that flow really well at low lift. Roller rockers are Kenne Bell...What bits you got? Roller rockers required for 1.
Viva632 said:
dbv8 said:
Excellent, just the sort of details i am interested in.
What bits you got? Roller rockers required for 1.
I've got more or less the complete engine and would consider selling the bits off. I also have a set of new, unused big valves that flow really well at low lift. Roller rockers are Kenne Bell...What bits you got? Roller rockers required for 1.
dbv8 said:
Viva632 said:
dbv8 said:
Excellent, just the sort of details i am interested in.
What bits you got? Roller rockers required for 1.
I've got more or less the complete engine and would consider selling the bits off. I also have a set of new, unused big valves that flow really well at low lift. Roller rockers are Kenne Bell...What bits you got? Roller rockers required for 1.
Just joined PH and found this thread. I have most of the race reports and CC reports for the RV8 series and the quickest times that I found were for Paula Atkins who was running 9.0's in 1995 and had a losing 8.87. Ian Hampstead ran 8.96 in 1996 and Murray Kinnaird ran a 9.00 in 1996 in the ex Kev Jenkins Rover 216. Steve Green ran into the mid 8's but not in RV8 rounds. Street Rover was very quick in 1993 - When Adrian Booth won the championship for Street, but then ran to an 11 second breakout rule in 1994.
Edited by Flying Phil on Friday 2nd March 16:58
I ran a 3.5 mated to a glide with 4,000 stall convertor ran 10.8 at 130ish mph gave it a little sniff of gas, no more than a 100hp and ran 10.35 at 138mph severely hampered by the C series axle so could only use the gas in 2nd gear would have been a mid 9 sec car if I had bothered to change the axle for something stronger than high tensile liquorice!
Steve
Steve
When I ran in the Comp Altered class, my first RV8 was a pre SD1 engine with standard valves and home ported heads. With a solid lifter cam and quad 40DCOEs it ran a best of 11.66 at 115mph in Aug 1980. I then spent years "improving it" going to big valve SD1 heads, Quad 45 Dellortos etc and finally got it to 11.45 at 120 mph in Aug 1984!It did run some good MPH figures (128 being best) but the ETs were always variable as I had a BMC "C" Series 4 speed manual column change box with a home-brewed vertical gate shifter. I also started in 2nd as it wheelied in that, so 1st wasn't an option - and it reduced the number of slow gearchanges! 
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