Chimaera / Griffith - To Air Con or Not To Air Con
Discussion
Unfortunately I do not own a TVR at the moment
, but hope to have one within a year or so 
, I have been obsessed with them for many years and need one asap. I love ALL the models but I am looking at getting a Griff or Chimaera initially ( and then who knows? ). During my many years of reading up on TVRs in general, it appears that air conditioning is regarded as a MUST on a Cerbera as quote (from EVO buying guide) "these babies get hot", however I have not seen any reference to whether or not air con is regarded as attractive on a Griffith or Chimaera. I would like to hear views from owners of both as to whether it is regarded as worth going for and is it a reliable system? Also is Hydratrak worth having and how can vehicles so fitted be identified? Thanks for now all you LUCKY, LUCKY TVR owners ( I will join you soon!! ) all comments appreciated.
Andy.
, but hope to have one within a year or so , I have been obsessed with them for many years and need one asap. I love ALL the models but I am looking at getting a Griff or Chimaera initially ( and then who knows? ). During my many years of reading up on TVRs in general, it appears that air conditioning is regarded as a MUST on a Cerbera as quote (from EVO buying guide) "these babies get hot", however I have not seen any reference to whether or not air con is regarded as attractive on a Griffith or Chimaera. I would like to hear views from owners of both as to whether it is regarded as worth going for and is it a reliable system? Also is Hydratrak worth having and how can vehicles so fitted be identified? Thanks for now all you LUCKY, LUCKY TVR owners ( I will join you soon!! ) all comments appreciated. Andy.
whats the point of them avin a hood on them if u gonna have aircon
I've owned a 4.0 Chim with no Air Con since last July and have not missed it. My last two company cars an Alfa 156 (two engines in 40K miles, that's another story) and an Audi A4. Both had Air Con and it was necessary.
Chimaera's do run hot but if the cooling system works correctly it's not a problem. Lets face it in the summer when Air con is most needed the roof will be off.
My advice is to forget any add-ons and concentrate on a car that is physically and mechanically sound.
Regards
Brian
Chimaera's do run hot but if the cooling system works correctly it's not a problem. Lets face it in the summer when Air con is most needed the roof will be off.
My advice is to forget any add-ons and concentrate on a car that is physically and mechanically sound.
Regards
Brian
( even if I need to invest in a rolling road for the garage )I have no air con in mine (last 4 company cars did have!) and currently not really missed it. However, another chap at work also has a Chimaera, but with air con - he complains of a "cold draft" that "makes the fingers and hand slightly cooler" rather than the normal "brr" effect you get with some air con systems.... Might be not worth bothering with in the first place.
I guess the most important thing with a Chimaera in summer is the hair cut - something that can be blown around but doesnt look totally stupid when you get out after a blast! My customers would laugh if I turned up with a frizz-head....
Cheers,
Paul
I guess the most important thing with a Chimaera in summer is the hair cut - something that can be blown around but doesnt look totally stupid when you get out after a blast! My customers would laugh if I turned up with a frizz-head....
Cheers,
Paul
quote:
I guess the most important thing with a Chimaera in summer is the hair cut - something that can be blown around but doesnt look totally stupid when you get out after a blast! My customers would laugh if I turned up with a frizz-head....
My hair is slowly diminishing anyway so may as well see it off completely in true V8 style with a huge grin on my face
, its a good excuse for the comments "you seem to be going a bit thin on top"!! Cheers. Andy ( TVR Owner The Sooner The Better! )
Only ever wanted a/c in the Chim once, and that was when the sun was so intense that I had a choice between roasting with the roof up or having the skin blowtorched off my arms and head by the sun. From what I've heard the a/c is a bit limp wristed so it probably wouldn't have been able to cope anyway.
I had aircon in my chimp. 2 points
1) its on or off, theres no temp setting. it BLASTS *cold* air so you need to manually switch between on and off regulary, no hardship. (its part of the heater dial, as you get lower you here a click, thats it on.)
2) didnt use mine much, but when I needed it, I needed it. eg drove to the beach (140miles) on the motorway and its raining, but a warm summer day) so the roof is on. cant open the windows, get sprayed in the face! legs were roasting, so used the aircon.
same in traffic on a rainy/damp day.
same in traffic on a blistering summers day roof off, suntan lotion on, but legs sweating, so aircon on.
extra note: you can feel a powerdrain like on any aircon, and it sucks more petrol, not that the mpg is great anyway.
I suppose overall its not worth it, but if you have a choice of with or without for little price difference, take it, it will help resale also. Unless your buying new?
a bigger question is PAS - loved mine, any thoughts people?
1) its on or off, theres no temp setting. it BLASTS *cold* air so you need to manually switch between on and off regulary, no hardship. (its part of the heater dial, as you get lower you here a click, thats it on.)
2) didnt use mine much, but when I needed it, I needed it. eg drove to the beach (140miles) on the motorway and its raining, but a warm summer day) so the roof is on. cant open the windows, get sprayed in the face! legs were roasting, so used the aircon.
same in traffic on a rainy/damp day.
same in traffic on a blistering summers day roof off, suntan lotion on, but legs sweating, so aircon on.
extra note: you can feel a powerdrain like on any aircon, and it sucks more petrol, not that the mpg is great anyway.
I suppose overall its not worth it, but if you have a choice of with or without for little price difference, take it, it will help resale also. Unless your buying new?
a bigger question is PAS - loved mine, any thoughts people?
s2ooz,
Yes, PAS is a good thing to have if you are using the car in traffic or for slower journeys. I know that it takes away some of the feel from the steering, but that is a small penalty to pay for the ease of use at lower speeds.... (which are all too often these days).
Mine has PAS and it can be a little too overassisted. But in general it is nice to have. In fact the last TVRCC Sprint magazine indicated that PAS seems to be an advantage when selling Chimaeras - improved specification and slightly higher resale values. Not sure if this is exactly true, but PAS is relatively unusual.
Worth getting one with if you can.
Cheers,
Paul
Yes, PAS is a good thing to have if you are using the car in traffic or for slower journeys. I know that it takes away some of the feel from the steering, but that is a small penalty to pay for the ease of use at lower speeds.... (which are all too often these days).
Mine has PAS and it can be a little too overassisted. But in general it is nice to have. In fact the last TVRCC Sprint magazine indicated that PAS seems to be an advantage when selling Chimaeras - improved specification and slightly higher resale values. Not sure if this is exactly true, but PAS is relatively unusual.
Worth getting one with if you can.
Cheers,
Paul
Have air con on mine. Its a on-off thing linked to the heater dial. There is also a little clicky switch on the side of the transmittion tunnel which i think is suppose to regulate something-getting air from outside or recirculating from inside?- but seems to make no difference and cannot tell which setting its on. The air con only blows cold air out- no temp regulation.
Only had the car a few months and so far its not been any use as its cold enough already. Did try it to demist the windows that seem to be permanently steamed up, unless you have a window slightly open. I heard that air con-ed air is drier and therefore better at this. However did not notice any difference. In the summer i intend to get the top down, so probably no use then either. It did seam like a strange thing to have on an open top car.........
Only had the car a few months and so far its not been any use as its cold enough already. Did try it to demist the windows that seem to be permanently steamed up, unless you have a window slightly open. I heard that air con-ed air is drier and therefore better at this. However did not notice any difference. In the summer i intend to get the top down, so probably no use then either. It did seam like a strange thing to have on an open top car.........
I had no aircon in my Griff 4.3 and I have one now in my Griff 500.
It's a definite must-have for me:
1. to de-mist during rain and cold (which is most of the time in Holland)
2. in the Summer when it's really hot and the engine is also really hot (traffic jam): to stop you from getting roasted (this was a big problem in the 4.3)
3. long highway journeys in the Summer: without aircon you get roasted again and driving with the top off for 6 hours or more at 120 mph is not ideal either, unless you can accept to do it at say 80-90 mph but where's the fun in that
regards
Gerjo, Holland
It's a definite must-have for me:
1. to de-mist during rain and cold (which is most of the time in Holland)
2. in the Summer when it's really hot and the engine is also really hot (traffic jam): to stop you from getting roasted (this was a big problem in the 4.3)
3. long highway journeys in the Summer: without aircon you get roasted again and driving with the top off for 6 hours or more at 120 mph is not ideal either, unless you can accept to do it at say 80-90 mph but where's the fun in that
regards
Gerjo, Holland
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