Wing mirror to wing mirror...

[zebedee]

How wide is a TVR S?

I know there were two types of mirrors used (one of a Citroen model I believe) so what is the widest measurement.

The reason is not that I am totally retentive (although I am in fact (see above comment re: Citroen)) but I am buying a new house and want to know the minimum width of the garage - because as soon as all those fees and bills are paid, I'm on the hunt for a 1994 V8S. Of course, I need a garage wide enough to put my baby away nice and warm don't I??

PS - this forum is amazing - it will no doubt help me with the purchase/insurance/niggles/service. Keep it up lads - get your tape measures out...

cheers
Zeb

[GreenV8S]

quote:How wide is a TVR S?

I know there were two types of mirrors used (one of a Citroen model I believe) so what is the widest measurement.

The reason is not that I am totally retentive (although I am in fact (see above comment re: Citroen)) but I am buying a new house and want to know the minimum width of the garage - because as soon as all those fees and bills are paid, I'm on the hunt for a 1994 V8S. Of course, I need a garage wide enough to put my baby away nice and warm don't I??

PS - this forum is amazing - it will no doubt help me with the purchase/insurance/niggles/service. Keep it up lads - get your tape measures out...

cheers
Zeb

Off home soon, and when I get there I'll measure it up. Forty miles or so ... back to you in half an hour.

Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)

[JSG]

About 98 inches inc door mirrors (they are Citroen) from memory / handbook. My garage is not the new (therefore designed for small cars) and the V8S fits in ok, you shouldn't have any probs - if its that tight on the mirrors, you'll never open the door to get out.

Cheers,
JSG.

[GreenV8S]

quote:How wide is a TVR S?

I know there were two types of mirrors used (one of a Citroen model I believe) so what is the widest measurement.

Citroen mirrors, garage doorway is roughly 86 inches wide (seems to be a standard size?), roughly ten inches clearance altogether. Call it 76 inches wide roughly? Garage is a couple of feet wider internally so no problem getting in & out of the car.

Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)

[JSG]

Interesting, I would assume Peter is more accurate as my info came from the user manual which show 90 inches without mirrors. Still, in line with BHP figures then...

[zebedee]

quote:

Citroen mirrors, garage doorway is roughly 86 inches wide (seems to be a standard size?), roughly ten inches clearance altogether. Call it 76 inches wide roughly? Garage is a couple of feet wider internally so no problem getting in & out of the car.

Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)

cheers peter,

there is no standard size for garages - I was always dubious whether one would go in the current garage - which Ive just measured at 77" at the door opening (although its a folding door - up and over would be nearer 80".

JSG's comments have worried me though

a)if its 90" without mirrors looks like I'll need a double garage ! (not many of those in the area I'm lookinG). Am I safe going off a minimum garage door width of say 80" provided the garage space is wider inside??

Also, whats your comment re:horsepower, do they tend to be significantly less than the claimed horsepower - if so, how much and does this affect most V8 S's?

Thanks again for your help

[JSG]

Zebedee,

Ignore the 90 inch comment - I read that in the owners manual, I will measure up the garage door and post a more accurate measurement. I had a new garage door fitted and it was a 'standard' single door and there is plenty of room to get the car in.

Sorry to have caused you any worry.

[M@H]

quote:
- if its that tight on the mirrors, you'll never open the door to get out.

Cheers,
JSG.

I used to have to leave the roof off my 914 and climb out of it when I put it in my "compact" Westbury Garage for this very reason, you wouldn't get a Tiv in it much easier either..

[HarryW]

Had to get my garage re-built before I got the V8S, not because it wasn't wide enough, just that I was a bit concerned that it might fall down on it with all the noise . It's now 18' wide, big enough for his and hers and room to poke and prod about.


Re the claimed bhp of V8S's, standard is supposed to be 240, realistically nearer 200, mine I've subsequently found out has a HC lump in it, rated at 275, so that will probably have a figure nearer the originally claimed 240

Incidentally spoke to Harrogate HC today to find out the original customer spec for my car and got speaking to the service manger about customer spec's for the V8S's, it seems that the elusive 500 spec one came through them in 94! Have to see if that one can be traced, must be very hairy!!

[paceracing]

Anyone remeber that article in Car & Car Conversions, 'Car Clinic' feature I think (it was around 1997 sometime). They had Steve Lyle's V8S on the rollers and the true power was something like 194 BHP. I've heard of other 4.0 Tivs quoted at the 195-200 BHP mark as well so the claimed 240 BHP seems a bit optimistic.

Jas.

[zebedee]

surely it depends if these 'low' readings of 200bhp are taken at the wheels - ie a rolling road test. There is less power there than at the flywheel, which is where ALL manufacturers get their quoted figutres from. I would guess 240 bhp at the flywheel would amount to about 200 at the wheels?

[GreenV8S]

quote:
surely it depends if these 'low' readings of 200bhp are taken at the wheels - ie a rolling road test. There is less power there than at the flywheel, which is where ALL manufacturers get their quoted figutres from. I would guess 240 bhp at the flywheel would amount to about 200 at the wheels?

There are plenty of reasons why a rolling road measurement of a standard car could reasonably differ from the official figures, and a difference as large as 20% is unusual but not outrageous. The 200 is the calculated power at the flywheel based on a (much lower) measurement at the rollers. The figures I've seen are typically around 200 bhp (flywheel) pre-cat and low to mid 190s catted. But it does vary considerably from car to car, and also with exhaust changes, re-chipping and so on. It takes a considerable amount of work to bring this up to an actual 235-240 bhp (been there done that) and I would be impressed if you got this from a standard HC - which is basically just a cam change after all. In fact I wouldn't be impressed, I'd be extremely skeptical!

Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)

[paceracing]

Don't even ask about true flywheel power on a 500!

Jas.

[HarryW]

quote:

There are plenty of reasons why a rolling road measurement of a standard car could reasonably differ from the official figures, and a difference as large as 20% is unusual but not outrageous. The 200 is the calculated power at the flywheel based on a (much lower) measurement at the rollers. The figures I've seen are typically around 200 bhp (flywheel) pre-cat and low to mid 190s catted. But it does vary considerably from car to car, and also with exhaust changes, re-chipping and so on. It takes a considerable amount of work to bring this up to an actual 235-240 bhp (been there done that) and I would be impressed if you got this from a standard HC - which is basically just a cam change after all. In fact I wouldn't be impressed, I'd be extremely skeptical!

Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)

Peter

I bow to your superior knowledge and experience on that, I was working on the rough premise that if 240=200 i.e. 40 down then 275=235 i.e. 40 down!

Simplistic I know, but not an unreasonable assumption, may just take it along to a rolling road one day to actually see what is there
I understand that a little more work than changing the Cam profile went in to upping it by the 14% or so to 275, but then again what do I know about anything I only bought it a few weeks ago so I'm on the TVR learning curve, it may be a down ward curve though as the mechanics seem to be pure 70/80's.

Post when you are bringing your beast down this way so I can see and hear it in the flesh

Harry

[zebedee]

I have a house in mind which I need to put an offer in on very soon.

I have measured up and it has got a stupidly sized garage (why is it so hard to find a normal house?)

It is 205.5cm wide (6' 8.5"), but its quite short at only 480cm (15' 9") I reckon its only slightly wider inside as well, at 2m 15 (slightly over 7')

What does anyone with an S reckon - can I get it in, if so can I open the car door and finally can I shut the garage door without taking the front of the bonnet?

Or should I find another house (going for a narrower car is NOT an option)

[GreenV8s]

quote:
I have a house in mind which I need to put an offer in on very soon.

I have measured up and it has got a stupidly sized garage (why is it so hard to find a normal house?)

It is 205.5cm wide (6' 8.5"), but its quite short at only 480cm (15' 9") I reckon its only slightly wider inside as well, at 2m 15 (slightly over 7')

What does anyone with an S reckon - can I get it in, if so can I open the car door and finally can I shut the garage door without taking the front of the bonnet?

Or should I find another house (going for a narrower car is NOT an option)

As you will have seen from this thread, my V8S is roughly 76 inches wide including the wing mirrors. So that gives you something like two inches each side. Too close for comfort IMO. If it's only another four inches or so wider inside I reckon you stand no chance at all of getting the door wide enough to get in and out. At a pinch you could take the roof down and hop over the side (breath in you've only got a six inch gap to stand in). Lengthwise I think the wheelbase is about 2.5m with something like a meter overhang at each end. If it fits, it'll be *very* tight on length.

Altogether, it sounds like it may simply not fit, and if it does it'll almost certainly be a royal pain to get in and out. Perhaps you could drive it in on two wheels and get more space that way?

Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)

>> Edited by GreenV8S on Wednesday 6th March 19:51

[zebedee]

cheers Green

I am slim and we aren't intending to keep the house very long, so I'm prepared to hop in and out.

4.5 metres seems hellish long - I could get my Mondeo estate in a 4.8m garage - surely an S is a fair bit shorter?

Is the man who wrote the bible out there - surely he has the figures down to the exact mm - it looks like thats I need!

So, width from mirror tip to mirror tip and length from bumper to bumper please. Then if alls OK, all I need is the right V8S!

[GreenV8S]

quote:
cheers Green

I am slim and we aren't intending to keep the house very long, so I'm prepared to hop in and out.

4.5 metres seems hellish long - I could get my Mondeo estate in a 4.8m garage - surely an S is a fair bit shorter?

Is the man who wrote the bible out there - surely he has the figures down to the exact mm - it looks like thats I need!

So, width from mirror tip to mirror tip and length from bumper to bumper please. Then if alls OK, all I need is the right V8S!

Correction, length bumper to bumper is a mere 160 inches. Also bearing in mind the mirrors stick out 6" beyond the side of the car, you have something like a foot each side to swing the doors open. Might just be enough, especially if you're prepared to drop the windows and put up with a bit of contortion to get in and out.

Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)

[JSG]

Zeb,

I'm the one that quoted 90 ins wide from the handbook, this is way out. I've just sussed the problem, its a typo. The following may help ;

Original V8S handbook - width 65.55 ins (conversion from metric wrong in text), length 155.8 ins.

S Bible (copy of TVR spec sheet)- width 57 ins, length 156 ins. Note this is generic S and may refer to the track of S1 / S2 rather than tip to tip V8S.

Autocar and Motor V8S road test - width 65.5 ins, length 155.8 ins

It looks like 65.5 and 155.8 are the ones to use, I'll put me shoes on and go out to the garage - back soon.

Cheers,
JSG.

[JSG]

Zeb,

Actual tip to tip is 72 ins (6 feet), my garage door is just under 84 ins (7 feet) wide and its fine for a S series.

Buy the house, buy a V8S and invite us to the housewarming.

Cheers,
JSG.