What should I do ???

[glow worm]

My 2006 Tuscan vert has always had noisey chains from new, but maybe getting worse. The two accessible chains have been adjusted and still rattles. I took the car to TVR Power earlier in the year for a bespoke re-map and after running the engine for awhile, Jason was reluctant to run it at 6500 for 15 minutes in case it threw a cog and caused major damage.So I decided not to have a bespoke re-map but the EPROM from another 4 litre S Mk2.

I think my options are:-

i) Do nothing and keep my fingers crossed, and wait for something serious and at worse put a new engine in .

ii) Get the front end sorted, new pre-stretched chains,new modified chain guide and new improved half time bearing. But this requires the engine out and about £2500 and no warranty.

iii) Get a 4 litre re-build costing £5,400 which gives no enhancement (but 3 year warranty)

iv) Get a 4.3 or 4.5 upgrade £8,400 (and 5 year warranty)

v) SuperSport Upgrade £9,500 (and 5 year warranty)

Anyone else had a similiar problem and dilemma

I do not drive the car particularly hard and don't track it.I will be keeping the car for ever , my cash is not limitless either!!!!

Editted to include 20,000 miles

Edited by glow worm on Thursday 21st June 10:19

[V8 GRF]

I'd go pre-emptive and get the rebuild now and choose which of the three options (iii, iv or v) fits the budget.

I wouldn't discount an RG FFF engine either, I've heard rather good things about those from someone who wasn't keen to go that route but is now more than happy he did.

[m4tti]

Would driving it over the summer then getting your hands dirty over winter be an option. You could remove the engine and re- install the engine which would save around £1500, then let the intricate bits be completed by a specialist.

[Don1]

Why not go for the RG simplex chain kit?

[Getsis]

I had my engine rebuilt even though it was working fine. I would get it re-built if you are intending keeping the car for a long time. I would advise you go for a 4.3 unless you are an avid track day goer. The FFF guys will be along to say go this route but for me it would only be an option when the VVT is up and running (I would have gone this route if it was availble) The 4.3 is the best value for money in my opinion, but if the money isn't an issue pay the extra for the 4.5 SS with the new MBE or Syvecs.

[Don1]

I'd agree on the value for money 4.3, but disagree about the rest!

[clive f]

[quote=Getsis]. I would advise you go for a 4.3 unless you are an avid track day goer.quote]

why is that??

[Getsis]

clive f][getsis]. I would advise you go for a 4.3 unless you are an avid track day goer.[quote said:

why is that??

The 4.5 is wasted on the road, it feels more at home on the track, the 4.3 feels better/safer on the road. When I switch TC off the torque catches me out on the back roads, The Tamora back end is a bit too light might be better on a Tuscan. bigger hp/torque doesn't mean the car will drive better than before. If I was to do it again I would not put a 4.5 in a Tamora (I don't go on a track anymore) I have still not got used to it, I'm not talented enough to use it as it should/can be driven. The 4.3 is more manageable for an average car driver.

[RedSpike66]

Getsis said:

The 4.5 is wasted on the road, it feels more at home on the track, the 4.3 feels better/safer on the road. When I switch TC off the torque catches me out on the back roads, The Tamora back end is a bit too light might be better on a Tuscan. bigger hp/torque doesn't mean the car will drive better than before. If I was to do it again I would not put a 4.5 in a Tamora (I don't go on a track anymore) I have still not got used to it, I'm not talented enough to use it as it should/can be driven. The 4.3 is more manageable for an average car driver.

Interesting post Getsis.. What tyres do you run ? D1AYS runs Toyo R888's all the time since the upgrade to a 4.5SS.... makes the world of difference apparently, as, due to what you said above, makes sense !

O/P - If your car is definitely a keeper, then you have to be looking at an upgraded rebuild imho.. The base cost of any of the work you need doing is £2500 by the sound of things, so it makes sense, if budget permits, to 'improve' the car as you will get your money back with all the 'smiles per mile'... Just a question of how much of an upgrade you go for..

Edited by RedSpike66 on Thursday 21st June 10:09

[Getsis]

I'm going to put the 888's on next time but these are sh!te in the wet, it will improve traction in the dry but make wet weather even more scary? If I was a dry weather only driver I would have them on now.

I have goodyear Eagle F1 asymetrics which I find a good balance for dry and wet.

[Sevenman]

RedSpike66 said:

Interesting post Getsis.. What tyres do you run ? D1AYS runs Toyo R888's all the time since the upgrade to a 4.5SS.... makes the world of difference apparently, as, due to what you said above, makes sense !

888s would certainly help in dry / warm conditions, but if the car gets used all year and for some longer trips it may be better to fit something less summer / track oriented other it could be much harder to drive in some conditions.

Update as Getsis posted at the same time - 888 drivers' opinions seem to be that they are ok in damp / wet conditions as long as there is no standing water. Standing water and cold conditions are where they perform worse than less exotic tyres.

2 sets of wheels & tyres is the way to go...

Edited by Sevenman on Thursday 21st June 10:39

[NCE 61]

V8 GRF said:

I'd go pre-emptive and get the rebuild now and choose which of the three options (iii, iv or v) fits the budget.

I would also go with this, do not leave it as could cause a much bigger bill!!

My choice would be the 4.3 as it would have more than enough power/torque plus having a billet crank & five year warranty.

[Zippee]

Interesting thread. My engine prior to a couple of weeks ago was strong as an ox, perfect compression, zero adjustment ont he valves etc. Saturday just gone my half time bearing went leaving me stranded in Northant and with the same options as the OP.
A new half time bearing and ancilaries as the OP states, around 2.5k with the engine out.
I know I have a strong engine, do I just get this done or opt for a full rebuild? The fact the HT bearing went I guess means there could potentially be further unseen damage or wear to other parts of the engine.
I am also planning to sell and whilst an extra 2.5k on the rebuild is a lot I could easily gain this back by the increase in value as a result of the rebuild and associated warranty.
However, if I decide not to sell do I go for a 4.3 or even just a standard rebuild but with a 4.0l crank?
Decisions.....

[Getsis]

I would suggest 4.0 in your case

[jcpgasoline]

Getsis said:

clive f][getsis]. I would advise you go for a 4.3 unless you are an avid track day goer.[quote said:

why is that??

The 4.5 is wasted on the road, it feels more at home on the track, the 4.3 feels better/safer on the road. When I switch TC off the torque catches me out on the back roads, The Tamora back end is a bit too light might be better on a Tuscan. bigger hp/torque doesn't mean the car will drive better than before. If I was to do it again I would not put a 4.5 in a Tamora (I don't go on a track anymore) I have still not got used to it, I'm not talented enough to use it as it should/can be driven. The 4.3 is more manageable for an average car driver.

Getsis, which diff + gearbox combination are you running? The reason I ask is that I just changed my standard box to a CR box to reduce the torque at the wheels in 1st, 2nd and 3rd as I found that the 4.5's torque was a real handful in low gears with the standard box. (I have retained the 3.73 diff.) The performance is still ballistic, just a bit more usable.

[glow worm]

Thanks everyone for your inputs... I think you have all told me what I wanted the hear .
When I looked at the parts used by Power in the 4.3/4.5/5.0 , chain sets,half time bearing, cam shaft, con rods and pistons all looked superior pieces of engineering to those originally used by TVR.
I just need to find the cash now and talk to my insurance company .

[grigio alloy]

Sevenman said:

888s would certainly help in dry / warm conditions, but if the car gets used all year and for some longer trips it may be better to fit something less summer / track oriented other it could be much harder to drive in some conditions.

Update as Getsis posted at the same time - 888 drivers' opinions seem to be that they are ok in damp / wet conditions as long as there is no standing water. Standing water and cold conditions are where they perform worse than less exotic tyres.

2 sets of wheels & tyres is the way to go...

Edited by Sevenman on Thursday 21st June 10:39

With regard to tyres:

I originally had 225/255 Goodyear Assymetrics on my 4.3 Tam with 18 inch SP12/Nitrons/3.71Diff/CR gearbox and thought the set up was good.
Now I have Toyo R1Rs and even with a quite torquey engine the grip/traction/steering feel is massively better than the 4.3/Goodyear combo.
Never had the R888s but the R1Rs did not let me down even in a particularly haeavy downpour with lots of standing water on the A5 autobahn.

[sidpinup]

glow worm said:

Thanks everyone for your inputs... I think you have all told me what I wanted the hear .
When I looked at the parts used by Power in the 4.3/4.5/5.0 , chain sets,half time bearing, cam shaft, con rods and pistons all looked superior pieces of engineering to those originally used by TVR.
I just need to find the cash now and talk to my insurance company .

I have gone the 4.3 route with mine, didn't need a rebuild but had a lot of chain noise, not bad but noticeable. After talking with Dom it was an obvious choice for me. 5 years unlimited warentee is very confidence inspiring too. I also went up during the rebuild and all the parts are absolutely top notch. Can't really say how it goes yet as I pick it up tomorrow.

Edited to add try MSM insurance £380 including 4.3 and Nitrons

Edited by sidpinup on Thursday 21st June 17:27

[Getsis]

jcpgasoline said:

Getsis, which diff + gearbox combination are you running? The reason I ask is that I just changed my standard box to a CR box to reduce the torque at the wheels in 1st, 2nd and 3rd as I found that the 4.5's torque was a real handful in low gears with the standard box. (I have retained the 3.73 diff.) The performance is still ballistic, just a bit more usable.

Standard G'box and Diff, I have no problem with this set up it works well on the track and when you want to go sideways. The traction control works well on the road it's just that I forget to switch it back on after "playing" with the car and this is when I get caught out. Most people wont put TC on a TVR so as you say you might have to play around with gearing to make it more useable on the road, which is more cost to an already expensive upgrade. With the 4.3 I drove (T350) It was almost perfect to drive on the road. The 3.6 engine lacks torque, the 4.0 has the torque but lacks the reviness of the 3.6. The 4.3 is great balance for a quick track day car and an everyday road car. The 4.5 is just too wild without the traction control. I would say it's a must on a 4.5! you need to drive my car with and without TC to see how it transforms the handling on country B roads (mountain roads in my case) It's too unpredicatable and scares the crap out of me. It's the only fast car I have driven that I have thought could kill me. And the "grin" factor changes to an "oh my god" factor. Great fun though. I'm not trying to knock the 4.5 SS only my abilities and it's best people understand what they are potentially in for if they go this route.

[ShiDevil]

Getsis said:

Standard G'box and Diff, I have no problem with this set up it works well on the track and when you want to go sideways. The traction control works well on the road it's just that I forget to switch it back on after "playing" with the car and this is when I get caught out. Most people wont put TC on a TVR so as you say you might have to play around with gearing to make it more useable on the road, which is more cost to an already expensive upgrade. With the 4.3 I drove (T350) It was almost perfect to drive on the road. The 3.6 engine lacks torque, the 4.0 has the torque but lacks the reviness of the 3.6. The 4.3 is great balance for a quick track day car and an everyday road car. The 4.5 is just too wild without the traction control. I would say it's a must on a 4.5! you need to drive my car with and without TC to see how it transforms the handling on country B roads (mountain roads in my case) It's too unpredicatable and scares the crap out of me. It's the only fast car I have driven that I have thought could kill me. And the "grin" factor changes to an "oh my god" factor. Great fun though. I'm not trying to knock the 4.5 SS only my abilities and it's best people understand what they are potentially in for if they go this route.

Great insight mate, definately a post to favourite!