thinking about mods: advice please
Discussion
Its been said many times before, but the cheapest and most cost-effective way to upgrade a Chimaera 400 or 450 is to sell it and buy a Chimaera 500.
No, really. If you look at the total cost of modifying, including the cost of the mods themselves, insurance (most insurers don't like mods) and re-sale value (mods rarely command a premium and in many cases can make a car harder to sell), then upgrading is the more sensible option.
Not only do you get more power with the 500, but you get better brakes too. You'd have to spend a hell of a lot on mods to get a 400 up to the spec of a 500, so why not just get a 500?
Sorry if this wasn't the answer you wanted.
Regards
Jon
>> Edited by jonrb on Friday 8th March 14:39
No, really. If you look at the total cost of modifying, including the cost of the mods themselves, insurance (most insurers don't like mods) and re-sale value (mods rarely command a premium and in many cases can make a car harder to sell), then upgrading is the more sensible option.
Not only do you get more power with the 500, but you get better brakes too. You'd have to spend a hell of a lot on mods to get a 400 up to the spec of a 500, so why not just get a 500?
Sorry if this wasn't the answer you wanted.
Regards
Jon
>> Edited by jonrb on Friday 8th March 14:39
quote:
Its been said many times before, but the cheapest and most cost-effective way to upgrade a Chimaera 400 or 450 is to sell it and buy a Chimaera 500.
No, really. If you look at the total cost of modifying, including the cost of the mods themselves, insurance (most insurers don't like mods) and re-sale value (mods rarely command a premium and in many cases can make a car harder to sell), then upgrading is the more sensible option.
Sorry if this wasn't the answer you wanted.
Regards
Jon
D'oh! I've only just bought the damn thing! I couldnt afford a decent 500, and love the 4L to bits, and I'm not looking at spending a huge amount on the mods, maybe £1000-£1500. Just was interested in other peoples experiences in doing similar.
quote:Ah. Ok. Well in that case, and for that budget, a Mark Adams rechip (including rolling road time to fine-tune it to your specific car / engine) would probably be somewhere in the region of £600, leaving some money left over for a sports exhaust. You should also budget for a hike in your insurance premium (don't be tempted to keep quiet about it as your insurers could refuse to pay up if you have a prang with undisclosed mods) and don't expect to get any of that money back when you come to sell the car.
D'oh! I've only just bought the damn thing! I couldnt afford a decent 500, and love the 4L to bits, and I'm not looking at spending a huge amount on the mods, maybe £1000-£1500. Just was interested in other peoples experiences in doing similar.
Have fun!
Jon
BTW, you might be interested in the following articles:
www.t-v-r-services.co.uk/tvrs_engine1.htm
www.pistonheads.com/features/dyno.htm
Regards
Jon
>> Edited by jonrb on Friday 8th March 14:59
www.t-v-r-services.co.uk/tvrs_engine1.htm
www.pistonheads.com/features/dyno.htm
Regards
Jon
>> Edited by jonrb on Friday 8th March 14:59
I've been considering a Mark Adams tune-up - my point regarding insurance is we all know how over inflated official TVR engine outputs are i.e. 500 quoted 340 bhp, reality approx 270. Even Mark's tender loving hands are not going to squeeze 340 bhp out of it - in which case should I still have to inform the insurers as the power will not have been hiked above the supposed standard output anyway?
If you just want to measure it, you could just arrange a session with Power Engineering. But you probably want to make sure the car is basically working right (no duff sensors etc) first, and why not get it chipped while you're there? Suggest you talk to Tower View about arranging a 'Mark Adams' session. 0208 452 6922.
Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)
Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)
The best rolling road I've been to by far is Dave Walker's in Brixton (Emerald Cams). Its a pig to get to but he really knows his stuff and will get the maximum out of the car. This is about as far as I would go in tuning a 400 Chimeara - as previously stated the inlet anmd exhaust flow is already reaosnable so spending money on air filters and mainfolds would be a waste. I've never been that convinced by a modified chip on a non-turbo car either, gains can only be minimal.
The biggest improvement in 'real' speed would be in the braking department.
The biggest improvement in 'real' speed would be in the braking department.
quote:
I've been considering a Mark Adams tune-up - my point regarding insurance is we all know how over inflated official TVR engine outputs are i.e. 500 quoted 340 bhp, reality approx 270.
Even Mark's tender loving hands are not going to squeeze 340 bhp out of it - in which case should I still have to inform the insurers as the power will not have been hiked above the supposed standard output anyway?
Yes, tell them.
The insurers I spoke to (only two would insure a chipped car) knew all about the horsepower figures, they made an extremely accurate guess at the before and after figures (neither of them anywhere near the factory figures). Oddly, although it cut down the choice of insurers, it didn't hike the premium that much.
BTW, I'm insured with Sun Alliance through Sunninghill.
DrC
Does anyone know of a rolling road anywhere near Bristol? We have obviously committed some terrible past crime because it's always been a bit of a TVR free zone (it must be the only large affluent city without a TVR dealer in sight). We also do not seem to have any convenient specialists of this type who can ensure proper setup. As I don't get paid if I don't go to work, making long trips to somewhere like Tower View costs a fortune on top of the servicing costs.
Thanks, point about insurance taken. As I live in the North-West and don't get down south much so I've been in contact with Ric Wood in Stockport (Road / Race prep expert with some background in V8 TVRs). He recommends fitting a Dastek Unichip with rolling road tuning and altering the position of the distributor coil, and possibly going down the road of water injection.
Now, I'm not the most mechanically minded bloke around so has anybody got experience of either Ric Wood or this set-up or any strong beliefs if this would be a good idea or not (Pete H?)
BTW he reckoned about 75 quid for rolling road session,
270 for chip, 100 for distributor coil, 150 for labour.
Don't know how much water injection would cost!
Cheers,
Chris
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