anyone got a vx 220?? durham/tyneside

[insanojackson]

well the run out on sat has got me hankering after a more exotic toy, whilst an elise appeals i am scared of big bills and think a vx220 might be a cheaper to run alternative??

Have any of you north east ph'ers got one?? experiences??

Also i wouldnt mind having a poke around one or a drive/passenger ride to see what they are like. yes i know i could find one at a dealer somehwere and test drive but a real life enthusiast who likes a bit of hoonage might be a better option?

[SeanyD]

insanojackson said:

well the run out on sat has got me hankering after a more exotic toy, whilst an elise appeals i am scared of big bills and think a vx220 might be a cheaper to run alternative??

Have any of you north east ph'ers got one?? experiences??

Also i wouldnt mind having a poke around one or a drive/passenger ride to see what they are like. yes i know i could find one at a dealer somehwere and test drive but a real life enthusiast who likes a bit of hoonage might be a better option?

Good debate, but I'd question the Elise scaring you of big bills over the vx. If you want a chat about Elise being affordable, or want to have a play in one, give me a buzz sometime, you've got my mobile from the recent run out.

[Hedgetrimmer]

I think the VX also suffers from expensive running costs (gearbox and turbo issues). Tony on where might pop along soon and respond as he has had a few problems with his.

EVO recently did a buying guide on the Elise S1 which may be of use.

[JTBUSH]

Wouldve thought the Elise would be cheaper or the same to run. VX 220 uses many of the Elise parts so if its expensive to replace on the Elise, it will be on the Vauxhall. You wont find a cheaper engine to keep running or replace than the K Series, and the gearbox can also be had for peanuts, so personally, i dont think there would be much in it.

[insanojackson]

amate has just threw an s2000 into the equation now, hadnt really considered them before but i know from having ctr's that i love vtec and i suppose they will be bomb proof being a honda.

[SeanyD]

Elise doesnt really cost much at all, good mpg means saving money day-in day-out, balances out the odd minor thing need doing. An independent warranty takes care of most major things.

All in all it costs less to run than MrsD's Clio dci.

[Hedgetrimmer]

JTBUSH said:

Wouldve thought the Elise would be cheaper or the same to run. VX 220 uses many of the Elise parts so if its expensive to replace on the Elise, it will be on the Vauxhall. You wont find a cheaper engine to keep running or replace than the K Series, and the gearbox can also be had for peanuts, so personally, i dont think there would be much in it.

K series is pretty cheap and a lot of the reported problems are specific to layout and cooling. Eg Rover, MG and Landrover were poorly designed in terms of cooling. Stay clear of some of the original high spec Lotus k series engines as they were badly made (Sport 160, 190). The base engine is pretty good anyway. It does become expensive when you start to mod the engine though.

[JTBUSH]

Hedgetrimmer said:

It does become expensive when you start to mod the engine though.

I got mine to 163bhp from 120bhp for under 1k. I did have to do all the spanner monkeying myself for that though!

[Hedgetrimmer]

JTBUSH said:

Hedgetrimmer said:

It does become expensive when you start to mod the engine though.

I got mine to 163bhp from 120bhp for under 1k. I did have to do all the spanner monkeying myself for that though!

DVA power also pretty good for upgrades at reasonable prices but you have to travel to Milton Keynes.

[JTBUSH]

Dva ported my head. It was a work of art when it came back. That was the
most expensive mod but was well worth it!

[Hedgetrimmer]

I wont let anyone else touch my engine. Dave Andrews is a top bloke and knows the K series like no one else. His top spec engine runs 286 bhp from a 1.9 block at 9300 rpm (using a Judd touring car head)

[JTBUSH]

Jesus Christ. That's mental from a k! Is that in his caterham?

[steveavxt]

I'm in Teeside and I have a VX Turbo which i'm happy to take you out for a spin in. As for running costs they are uber reliable and are certainly cheaper than the Lotus equivalent for servicing etc. When it comes to replacing major parts you will find that most parts are shared between the models so the cost is the same. The main non cosmetic difference is the power plant. It's either a Z20let Vauxhall engine or a 2ZZ-GE Toyota engine. One has bags of low down torque the other has load of revs, its up to you to decide which one you prefer.

And to answer the above post, i've had mine for 4 years with 70K miles and have never had a problem with a GB or Turbo failure. I'm also a long term member on the VX forum and have never heard of any real GB or turbo issues. Mine is also a track beastie, so it gets plenty of heavy driving.

ETA - The K is a great engine but as far as I know they not great when modified and need a decent amount of maintanence when used heavily on track.

Edited by steveavxt on Monday 26th July 22:39

[JTBUSH]

Why aren't they great when modified?

[Hedgetrimmer]

JTBUSH said:

Jesus Christ. That's mental from a k! Is that in his caterham?

I cannot remember whether it is in a Caterham or Elise but its a stonking motor. The block was an original unused race block made for the Rover touring cars and has solid liners. The head is a different cast from a normal K series and therefore doesn't suffer from the flow rate issues associated with the original design.

In a Caterham this would be animal of an engine. There are a few Duratecs runing more power but they lack some of the character of the old K series.

[steveavxt]

JTBUSH said:

Why aren't they great when modified?

I have driven a K but have no experience of running them TBH. Speaking to someone who races them he said that once decently modified the cooling system is not really up to the job and a usual symptom of this is head gasket failure. Not sure if the new engines have addressed this problem. Didn't Caterham start using Duratec Cosworth engines to enable them to tune more reliably?

[JTBUSH]

You can reliably run a standard K up to about 170 on standard plenum and mems ecu. Much more than that, the bottom end starts destroying itself as you need to really look at increasing the revs.

Re head gasket failures, that isnt a function of the poor cooling system as much as slapdash liner heights and soft or porous heads. The head gasket isnt so much the issue, only a symptom of something else thats gone wrong.

If you build a k with correct liner heights, a head of known hardness with no porosity and with good components such as good quality stretch bolts, steel dowels, high flow water pump etc plus fit a PRT, then you will be ok and probably wont suffer HG failure.

The head gasket thing isnt really an issue. Even if you arent building an engine from scratch in order to do the above, if the HG does go, its a £500 fix or £35 for a gasket and a weekends work to do it.

[steveavxt]

In comparison you can run a z20let at 300bhp without replacing any internals (pistons etc) with no issues.

With internal modifications Chris Randal is now seeing 450bhp from his z20leh

Edited by steveavxt on Tuesday 27th July 13:08

[JTBUSH]

Hence why mines getting a Honda!

K series takes a lot of bashing which to be honest, is a bit wrong. For its weight, the power it produces is good, and with a bit of tuning, it is a fantastic engine. Suits small sports cars very well.

The reason the VXT engine can take such power is down to the fact it is a piece of Brunellian pig iron compared to the K Series. The k series was developed from materials and technology used in F1 and when it was developed, it was a long way ahead of anything else. The VXT engine is about a sophisticated as a sledge hammer.

Im not knocking the VXT at all. I absolutely love them to pieces and came so so close to buying one because it put a huge smile on my face. I just prefered the look of the S2 Elise.

[steveavxt]

TBH i'm quite a fan of the K and I'd choose it over the Yota everytime. The only S2 I would own is a sport 190 (if it came with VXT reliability that is )

I've got a soft spot for 340r's too.

Edited by steveavxt on Tuesday 27th July 14:54