Thinking of leaving TVR

[tvrchim]

So what is the best bet to go to, i really want to keep it convertable, as its only a weekend car, MZ3 or M3, thinking about 11 to 13k or any other suggestions.

Steve.

[GTRene]

Z3M all the way, its lighter and faster en way more rare...and if you want something special choose a Z3 M coupe...
GTRene

[jezzaaa]

Hey mate - I had 2 Chimaeras, and then came to BMW via Porsche. I've got a Z4MC which I know is not something you're considering...but I can tell you that it's the nearest thing to a TVR in terms of rawness and power for the money that I've come across. But it's got BMW build, gizmos and safety too. I miss the TVR V8 noise....but that's the only thing missing for me. Everything else the Beemers do well. So M3, Z3M Roadster and Z3M Coupe should do you nicely.

Make sure you get a cast iron warranty...the TVR rover engines were relatively cheap to fix, but the BMW M Double VANOS ones are not.

J.

[spants]

had 3 x m3s, then cerbera, then a chim500 and now a 330ci clubsport coupe...

The m3's are great but watch out for vanos issues. Most of it is the "i have heard it will go wrong" but it doesnt (You know, as in TVR) but that can affect resale value.

[tvrchim]

Thanks for the replys guys. So million dollar question, which is the quicker? i know they are different cars in driveability, and rawness but it would be nice to know.
Also the Vanos is what? how much to replace, is it a common fault, and what would i be looking for.
Any other issues with these cars i need to look out for also.

Steve.

[GTRene]

You also can do the same as me, by A Hartge Z3 coupe 5.0 V8 420hp 530nm best of both worlds..problem is there's only one in the world and I have it...in time I sell it, its unique so it will cost a lot? not really about the same price as a new Z3 M cost in NL so its a bargain really

GTRene

[tvrchim]

GTRene said:

You also can do the same as me, by A Hartge Z3 coupe 5.0 V8 420hp 530nm best of both worlds..problem is there's only one in the world and I have it...in time I sell it, its unique so it will cost a lot? not really about the same price as a new Z3 M cost in NL so its a bargain really

GTRene

Thanks.

[jezzaaa]

tvrchim said:

Thanks for the replys guys. So million dollar question, which is the quicker? i know they are different cars in driveability, and rawness but it would be nice to know.
Also the Vanos is what? how much to replace, is it a common fault, and what would i be looking for.
Any other issues with these cars i need to look out for also.

Steve.

Comparing to a Chimaera...I'd say the Beemer would be quicker every time. Certainly through the bends, and not much in it in a straight line.

VANOS is the variable valve timing gear (I think)... it's does the usual stuff, but I gather it's complex and can therefore be horrendously expensive to fix.

[M5Dave]

tvrchim said:

Thanks for the replys guys. So million dollar question, which is the quicker? i know they are different cars in driveability, and rawness but it would be nice to know.
Also the Vanos is what? how much to replace, is it a common fault, and what would i be looking for.
Any other issues with these cars i need to look out for also.

Steve.

Z3M is the faster of the two in a straight line, and on a dry road, although they can be a bit of a handful in the wet.

The vanos is only really a problem in the earlier cars with the S50 engine, as fitted to the E36 M3 Evo, and it is a fairly common problem. The problem seems to have been solved in the later cars(from 2001)with the S54 engine from the E46 M3.

The vanos is the variable valve timing, and the unit sits at the front of the cam cover. If it's going wrong it will become noisy, like a heavy rattle, and may leak oil, and the car will lack top end performance

If the vanos does go, it's about £1,500-£2,000 to put right if the whole thing needs replaced, although sometimes you can get away with just replacing parts of it.

Edited by M5Dave on Thursday 19th April 02:54

Edited by M5Dave on Thursday 19th April 02:56

[tvrchim]

M5Dave cheers, don`t you sleep at nights mate.

[RichardD]

Not that people in here may be biased.. but ...

The BMW is over 300kgs heavier. This and the better developed suspension (rather than sticking any odd pair of dampers on the car as TVR would have ) obviously help stability.

As to straight line performance below 100mph Z3M would be quicker than a 5.0 RV8 car if said car was less than 255bhp, otherwise it should be the TVR.

If you think I'm making it up, I'm not, it came from :-

www.cartestsoftware.com/cartest2000/index.html

so uses same weight of driver and same time for changing gears etc. Of course it may not be correct, if the BMW power figure was understated..!

[tvrchim]

RichardD said:

Not that people in here may be biased.. but ...

The BMW is over 300kgs heavier. This and the better developed suspension (rather than sticking any odd pair of dampers on the car as TVR would have ) obviously help stability.

As to straight line performance below 100mph Z3M would be quicker than a 5.0 RV8 car if said car was less than 255bhp, otherwise it should be the TVR.

If you think I'm making it up, I'm not, it came from :-

www.cartestsoftware.com/cartest2000/index.html

so uses same weight of driver and same time for changing gears etc. Of course it may not be correct, if the BMW power figure was understated..!

Thanks Rich, my 500 is 285bhp and iv never had trouble with an M3 before, only the other night i out accelerated a new M3 with ease, but iv never had the chance against a Z3M, i know they are the same engines but i did`nt know about weight and gearing.
Obviously i must add when racing the M3 the other night, it goes without saying when we approached the first set of bends at about 100 leptons he was all over my ass.

Steve.

[tvrchim]

Another question will i fit in a Z3M im 6`5` and a little on the large size

[RichardD]

tvrchim said:

...
Thanks Rich, my 500 is 285bhp and iv never had trouble with an M3 before, only the other night i out accelerated a new M3 with ease, but iv never had the chance against a Z3M, i know they are the same engines but i did`nt know about weight and gearing.
Obviously i must add when racing the M3 the other night, it goes without saying when we approached the first set of bends at about 100 leptons he was all over my ass.

Steve.

With my dyno graph (93 Griff 500 pre serp, 283bhp at 5000rpm) fed into Cartest I get a 0-100 time of 11.95 vs 12.95 for a Z3M (321bhp) and that's with my SD1 gearbox which won't even do 100 in 3rd! If you can manage that by having a T5 then that's another 0.5 seconds or so saved.

This is all theoretical though and I do think older TVR's suffer from hot air (and I don't mean the mad power claims for the older cars :hehe), but too much engine bay heat resulting in power loss...

[GTRene]

RichardD said:

tvrchim said:

...
Thanks Rich, my 500 is 285bhp and iv never had trouble with an M3 before, only the other night i out accelerated a new M3 with ease, but iv never had the chance against a Z3M, i know they are the same engines but i did`nt know about weight and gearing.
Obviously i must add when racing the M3 the other night, it goes without saying when we approached the first set of bends at about 100 leptons he was all over my ass.

Steve.

With my dyno graph (93 Griff 500 pre serp, 283bhp at 5000rpm) fed into Cartest I get a 0-100 time of 11.95 vs 12.95 for a Z3M (321bhp) and that's with my SD1 gearbox which won't even do 100 in 3rd! If you can manage that by having a T5 then that's another 0.5 seconds or so saved.

This is all theoretical though and I do think older TVR's suffer from hot air (and I don't mean the mad power claims for the older cars :hehe), but too much engine bay heat resulting in power loss...

hm..strange, my Z3 coupe does 0 to 160km/h(100mph) in around 8sec and can do over 300km/h but then I have best of both worlds with my Hartge coupe a big 5.0 V8 and a six speed gearbox quick shift...420hp and 530nm torque
GTRene

[RichardD]

GTRene said:

...my Z3 coupe does 0 to 160km/h(100mph) in around 8sec and can do over 300km/h but then I have best of both worlds with my Hartge coupe a big 5.0 V8 and a six speed gearbox quick shift...420hp and 530nm torque
GTRene

Send me a PM and other stats and we can create a new car model in Cartest2000 for your car then.
As many numbers as you can think of - i.e. power/revs, torque/revs, redline, gearing (gearbox and diff), overall weight, wheel/tyre sizes - should do it !

The sim allows 0.5 secs (shift) + 0.2 secs (engage) times for manual gearboxes, so let me know how much you think yours is quicker and that will help the hypothetical 0-100...

Not wasting time shifting really helps the F430 and Veyron 0-100 mph acceleration times

[GTRene]

you have mail Richard

[bad company]

I have a TVR Chim 500 and previously an M5.

I think giving up the Chim for an M3 will leave you feeling slower than Captain Slow. The BMW is great in that it is more of an everyday car but take the tiv out now in the sunshine and tell me it does not put a big grin on your face.

I'm off to hide for cover from disgruntled Beemerites

[tvrchim]

bad company said:

I have a TVR Chim 500 and previously an M5.

I think giving up the Chim for an M3 will leave you feeling slower than Captain Slow. The BMW is great in that it is more of an everyday car but take the tiv out now in the sunshine and tell me it does not put a big grin on your face.

I'm off to hide for cover from disgruntled Beemerites

I might just do that when i get home from work.

[Trellis]

I've owned a Chim 400 & 450 (and driven a couple of 500's), Griff 500HC, Cerbera 4.2, E36 M3 & EVO, E46 330Ci and E39 M5, and I reckon my Griff would have had a Z3M in a straight line no problems! - in fact from a standing start in the dry I'd fancy my old 450 (had uprated heads) and the Cerb too. The straight six Beemers sound 'nice' but don't quite stir the soul like a TVR soundtrack. I found the E36 M3's a pretty 'sterile' experience vs my old Tivs.

A V8 M5 with sports boxes, remapped to 400bhp+ WILL keep up with TVRs at pace, AND sound great - but sadly ain't 'top off' motoring!!! - old Chims/Griffs do deliver a lot of bang for your buck!