6 or 8

[B'stard Child]

Hoping over the fence to ask a question

Next year I'll buy a TVR so as ever I'm starting my research early ;D

Which is better a six or an eight?

Reliability
Ease of maintenance

Are there any big downsides to either?

[pies]

Eight :

[macdeb]

Eight!!!!
[Prepare yourself for heated debate as it's a touchy subject for some]

[B'stard Child]

macdeb said:

Eight!!!!
[Prepare yourself for heated debate as it's a touchy subject for some]

I had wondered if it might be......

My gut feel says eight as they've been around for a while but TVR get some monster bhp's out of the sixes and I've had sixes for years so I also lean that way from a maintenance perspective

[DC53]

Can't fault either.

Eight - Very aggresive (all the time), Lumpy

Six - Smooth (but whe you put your foot down ) easier around town.


Dan

[touching cloth]

Which 8 are you talking about AJP or Rover?

[dvs_dave]

Depends which 8 and which 6?

Rover V8 (S series, Wedges, Chimeara, Griffith).
Relativley cheap and reliable though old a bit school. Classic V8 noise.

AJP 8 (Cerbera),
Pricey to run and I believe spares are starting to get thin on the ground. BIG BIG power.

Ford V6 (M-series and others?).
Cheap but only to be found in very old cars.

Speed 6 (Cerbera, Tuscan, T350, Tamora, Sagaris).
Medium running costs post rebuild, though 5k to rebuild. Many available secondhand with rebuild already done. Big power, big noise, big thrills.

[Bob the Planner]

Or go further back in time and get a 4 - much lighter but lower ptw (unless its a griffith but then thats an 8)

[BLUETHUNDER]

1.RV8
2.AJP8
You cant be the RV8 for reliability and the fact you can still by engine parts at a fraction of the cost of what TVR,s own engine parts are.

[B'stard Child]

dvs_dave said:

Depends which 8 and which 6?

Good point.....

dvs_dave said:

Rover V8 (S series, Wedges, Chimeara, Griffith).
Relativley cheap and reliable though old a bit school. Classic V8 noise.

Yep one of these 8's

dvs_dave said:

AJP 8 (Cerbera),
Pricey to run and I believe spares are starting to get thin on the ground. BIG BIG power.

Not one of them (Crosses Cerbera of his list)

dvs_dave said:

Ford V6 (M-series and others?).
Cheap but only to be found in very old cars.

Defo not one of those budget for purchase is £15K (or thereabouts)

dvs_dave said:

Speed 6 (Cerbera, Tuscan, T350, Tamora, Sagaris).
Medium running costs post rebuild, though 5k to rebuild. Many available secondhand with rebuild already done. Big power, big noise, big thrills.

Yep one of those 6's (adds Cerbera back to list in 6 Pot version only)

Edited by B'stard Child on Monday 9th April 07:09

[V8Cerbera]

B'stard Child said:

dvs_dave said:

Depends which 8 and which 6?

Good point.....

dvs_dave said:

Rover V8 (S series, Wedges, Chimeara, Griffith).
Relativley cheap and reliable though old a bit school. Classic V8 noise.

Yep one of these 8's

dvs_dave said:

AJP 8 (Cerbera),
Pricey to run and I believe spares are starting to get thin on the ground. BIG BIG power.

Not one of them (Crosses Cerbera of his list)

dvs_dave said:

Ford V6 (M-series and others?).
Cheap but only to be found in very old cars.

Defo not one of those budget for purchase is £15K (or thereabouts)

dvs_dave said:

Speed 6 (Cerbera, Tuscan, T350, Tamora, Sagaris).
Medium running costs post rebuild, though 5k to rebuild. Many available secondhand with rebuild already done. Big power, big noise, big thrills.

Yep one of those 6's (adds Cerbera back to list in 6 Pot version only)

Oi! Put that Cerbera back on your list.

I've not found any problem with spares supply. Once you get it sorted (or if you buy a sorted one in the first place) then they only need a yearly service and check over. And as for big noise..... A STRAIGHT 6 TVR???? You need re-educating sir. The S6 is far too quiet. A decatted AJP8 is one of the most monsterously noisy, beautiful creations on earth.

EDITED TO ADD: There's a S6 Cerb that comes around Leven way from time to time, and no offence to whoever owns it, but you can't even hear it coming. Cerbs are all about the '8

Edited by V8Cerbera on Monday 9th April 12:03

[gazzab]

I would buy a Cerb V8 over a S6 any day if I was worried about running costs. Cerbs CAN be expensive to run but I dont see that on avg they are more expensive than a S6. Both are in the 3K a yr bracket. There are a LOT more S6s rebuilt than Cerb V8s.
If you want cheaper motoring then go for an old school Rover v8 (but they can cost as much if things go wrong!).

[YI8TVR]

B'stard Child said:

Hoping over the fence to ask a question

Next year I'll buy a TVR so as ever I'm starting my research early ;D

Which is better a six or an eight?

Reliability
Ease of maintenance

Are there any big downsides to either?

Depends which model takes your fancy, Once you know that the choice between a 6 or 8 should be fairly obvious, unless you choose a Cerbera then I would suggest you buy an 8.

[B'stard Child]

Hmmmmm it is an intersting debate

Thanks for the PM BTW - I'll reply to that later

I didn't come on this section to stir up trouble and I see no issue with either

What I wanted to know was if there was any major pitfalls with either a 6 or an 8

it appears both have their fan club as expected

Bottom line choose the car "shape/style" you like

[Jappo]

Blonde or Brunette, White Wine or Red, mellifluous or visceral. All TVR's engines sounded (and sound) fantastic, and they all perform fantastically too. I, for one, don't care, I love 'em all - even the Ford V6 in a TVR-S sounds fantastic. Having said all this I'd love a one hour CD of a pre-cat 4.3BV Griff lapping Brands if I was on a desert island.

[Uncle Bulgaria]

B'stard Child said:

Hmmmmm

I didn't come on this section to stir up trouble

[V8Cerbera]

Jappo said:

Mellifluous or Visceral.

Oi! Quit using words I have to look up in the dictionary.

[Fire99]

Well coming from an 'old school' RV8 owner here's my opinion.

It really is horses for courses. I love the RV8 noise and also the fact that there are a good number of people who know everything about them, though things are starting to move away from them a bit.. Also if you dont let them overheat they are a very forgiving engine.
One the road, also with big low-down torque they are a very easy engine to drive quickly. However, unless you go Turbocharging or Supercharging Ultimately its a struggle to get Huge BHP out of them. So if you want a fast road car, great.. If you want huge HP then perhaps pass on it.

AJP8 or Speed6? Well for me i just love the Cerb AJP8 engine.. Its a real animal. Sounds really angry and can give some fat HP. Yes the Cerb can bite your bum on running costs but i think overall the engine has been proved (with a few tweaks) to be a very solid engine with some running to big mileage.
Problem for me?? Its only available in a Hard-Top car. I love the Cerb but i want a convertible.

Speed 6? Well without getting into the Reliable or Unreliable debate yet again, It has had its fair share of bad press when it comes to reliability and i think its fair to say a good number of earlier SP6 engines have required 5k ish of engine rebuild.
But there are a good number of either recent or sorted ones out there..
However it just doesnt do it for me.. Im not sure if its the noise or just that i have V8 stamped in my brain (Even my boat is a V8) but for me its not what i'm after. However many love it and technically / HP output its a fantastic engine..

So it really is a no-win. Just buy with your eyes open.. Oh and get a test drive in a few of each because only then you will know if its 'Tomaatos or Tomaytoes'

[B'stard Child]

Uncle Bulgaria said:

B'stard Child said:

Hmmmmm

I didn't come on this section to stir up trouble

I didn't

I have pointed out to the person who messaged me that I did try to use the search facility to find if it had been discussed before but the search facility doesn't appear to be able to target a specific area of PH

I also said my other choice of question would have been

"6 or 8 - I'm sure it's been done to death

I don't want to drag it all up again can someone point me in the direction of some suitable threads!"

Would that have been OK?

[hugepiece]

If you are looking at Cerberas - you are already looking at the baddest, loudest of the lot so why not go all the way and get a 4.5 V8!