How rough is rough

How rough is rough

Author
Discussion

zippy500

Original Poster:

1,883 posts

276 months

Wednesday 17th April 2002
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I know 500 High Compression engines feel a little rough but im sure mine is too rough, how lumpy should it feel at normal driving conditions at 30-40 for example. Any thoughts boys and girls

danwarner

188 posts

284 months

Wednesday 17th April 2002
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My 4.3 is rough at low speeds. My old S3 was too. I think it's just a characteristic of TVRs. They like to be driven hard ;-)

Dan.

zippy500

Original Poster:

1,883 posts

276 months

Wednesday 17th April 2002
quotequote all
Good, its not broken then, cheers my man

GarryM

1,113 posts

290 months

Wednesday 17th April 2002
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My Griffith 500 felt quite unhappy at 30-40 mph but as you say they are known to be like this. However, after a major service it now runs much more smoothly - still not as comfortable at those speeds compared to 50+ but not as immediately obvious as it was before. When was yours last serviced? I also wonder whether just disconnecting the ecu and then reconnecting - so that it can reset itself - would help?

rthierry

684 posts

288 months

Wednesday 17th April 2002
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Hmmm... as far as I know there are no such think as a 500HC Griff. I think only the Chimaera 400 had a HC variant. Anyway, it is widely acknowledged that performance can vary significantly from one car to another.

Edt

5,132 posts

291 months

Wednesday 17th April 2002
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Shell Optimax (perhaps) helps to get rid of the lumps...

Ed

GarryM

1,113 posts

290 months

Wednesday 17th April 2002
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quote:

Hmmm... as far as I know there are no such think as a 500HC Griff.

Yes there is... in fact all 500's are "HC" its just that some don't shout about it!

gerjo

1,627 posts

289 months

Wednesday 17th April 2002
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What I understand is that pre 1997 500's are rougher (and a bit faster) than later cars.
Mine's a 1996 Griff 500 but it runs quite well at 50 km/h (some 30 mph) in third; at speeds below that, I find it better to use second gear.
I do have a M Adams chip which helps, but even before that it was running o.k. at those speeds.
So: call Mark Adams, it will give you some extra power as well !

zippy500

Original Poster:

1,883 posts

276 months

Wednesday 17th April 2002
quotequote all
quote:

My Griffith 500 felt quite unhappy at 30-40 mph but as you say they are known to be like this. However, after a major service it now runs much more smoothly - still not as comfortable at those speeds compared to 50+ but not as immediately obvious as it was before. When was yours last serviced? I also wonder whether just disconnecting the ecu and then reconnecting - so that it can reset itself - would help?



I had a tune up last Friday with new plugs fitted. So it is all ok. The only thing that was mentioned was that the stepper motor was slow. I have now bought a new one but havent fitted it yet. And the exhaust manifold gaskets are blowing very slightly. The lads said it wasnt too bad and could wait until next service which is in august. Will the new stepper make a difference?
I wouldnt have thought so.

philshort

8,293 posts

284 months

Wednesday 17th April 2002
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Might sound silly, but one mod that almost always makes for a smoother engine is to replace the HT leads with some swanky new 8.5 or 10mm silicone leads. I fitted 10mm Magnecor leads and was staggered by the improvement. The 500 engines generate a LOT of heat, and the leads have a tough time of it living right next to the manifolds as they do. The thicker silicone leads are better able to withstand the heat.

New standard leads would probably give a similar improvement, but it would only last a few months I suspect. My 10mm leads should last a lifetime. Hey, and they look the b*llocks too!

RichardSteel

139 posts

272 months

Wednesday 17th April 2002
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My 93 500 seems fine at 30 in 4th. One of the great thing about the torque seems to be that there's plenty of pulling power in any gear. The only time mine seems "lumpy" is when the revs are falling towards tickover speed, and I imagine the engine starts fighting the gearbox. Have to jump on the clutch fast, which is a bit of a pain, but only a real problem in traffic jams.

Richard

cgibson

1,214 posts

291 months

Wednesday 17th April 2002
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I had a '94 500 which ran like a dog at 30, changed it for a '96 500HC with the serpentine engine and it was a completely different beast -sooo smooth! It may be either the serpentine is better or I was just unlucky the first time round. BTW changing the stepper motor on the earlier car made no differnce to top gear, low speed cruising?!

apache

39,731 posts

291 months

Wednesday 17th April 2002
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richard that seems exactly the problem mine has.......well put, it seems to get into a hiccup mode that gets worse unless you hit the clutch