TVR Relablitiy and Safety
Discussion
When magazines talk about cars like the TVR Tuscan/Tamora, they always say that a Porsche Boxter will be more reliable.
But how unreliable are TVR's???
How often would you expect it to break down?
Every year?, Every month?, Every trip???
Also, what safety provisions does the average TVR have?
The fibreglass body in a 170 MPH+ car isn't going to stand up to much in an impact.
Probably just as well that most people stick to "posers cars".
But how unreliable are TVR's???
How often would you expect it to break down?
Every year?, Every month?, Every trip???
Also, what safety provisions does the average TVR have?
The fibreglass body in a 170 MPH+ car isn't going to stand up to much in an impact.
Probably just as well that most people stick to "posers cars".
I was talking to a friend of mine, who has a merc estate of some sort, 11000 miles from new. It has rquired new oil pump, all glow plugs replaced, ECU replacement, and a complete respray because various parts of the paintwork is peeling off spontaneously. Apart from some minor trim problems, my Tamora is rock solid mechanically. My previous Chimaera suffered a few niggles, but the only time it stopped was when the fuel gauge failed and I ran out of petrol...cost me £20.
I've had my current Griffith (2nd TVR) for over 4 years now and it has never let me down. So in my experience, reliability is excellent.
See above.
The basic frame of a TVR has been developed from the racing Tuscans. This has given all the later cars a very strong frame that can survive surprisingly brutal impacts. This tubular steel frame provides all the general structural support the car needs. However the glass reinforced plastic body which sits on top of this frame is also better at absorbing impact forces than thin steel IMHO. Crash helmets are also made from plastic not steel. It is just that the material behaves differently from steel in an impact and you had better bring along your dustpan and brush if you want to salvage bits. There has been talk about side impact; but frankly when you are sitting low down in a low sports car most other vehicles would be at your head height and no amount of door side impact protection would help much, again IMHO.
The most important element in safety though is the nut behind the wheel - if you don't respect a 170MPH car with more power than a lot of drivers are familiar with and without ABS or any other electronic driver aids to hold your hand or, you don't give it 100% concentration all of the time, or it scares you witless - then keep well away.
Mike
quote:
But how unreliable are TVR's???
Depends which one. I have driven S's for around 6 years as every day transport and found them to be very reliable and robust. There are a small number of minor common faults (radiators, Clutch master Cylinder, steering column bush), but being based on solid Ford drivetrain, the cars are fundamentally reliable. I have been luckier than most with electrics on both my cars, possibly due to regular use and airing, rather than winter storage.
Moving up to V8s, things are a little more stressed and apparently people have a bit more trouble with things like transmission, but with upwards of 250BHP (depending on model), this may be expected.
There is enough on these pages about the later models using TVR's own AJP engines so I won't comment.
Maybe I'm biased, but I've always thought the S is the best every day car TVR have ever made. Obviously down on power compared to later cars, but with drivetrain largely unmodified from those tried and tested in tens of thousands of Granadas and XR4's, they can be relied upon, and don't cost the earth to run.
I've recently been trying to find a potential replacement and have tested Elise, VX220, TT Roadster etc, and in each case, I've been glad to be back in the S! My heart says maybe a Griff, but my head struggles with the thought of running a 5 litre engine on my daily hack.
quote:
But how unreliable are TVR's???
How often would you expect it to break down?
Every year?, Every month?, Every trip???
Also, what safety provisions does the average TVR have?The fibreglass body in a 170 MPH+ car isn't going to stand up to much in an impact.
right..
1) I had 4 TVR's and never ever broke down in 24,000ish miles! Plenty of niggles and running repairs but never stranded, never failed to start or get me to where i was going.
Plenty of bits needed replacing but on the whole the bits are relatively inexpensive in comparison to other performance cars. Ie Porsche 996 gearbox £12k, TVR Griffith gearbox under £2,000 by example.
2) Safety. I think in a TVR this is the responsibility of the driver. Lets see, no roof, no roll protection, no side impact, no airbags no abs, very powerful, very accelerative.
Chassis is proven to be strong, fibreglass is actually great at abosrbing impacts. But to put it in as clear as fashion as possible the driver is the key, due to the very high performance if you drive like a total idiot and dont respect it, you will be in danger. Perhaps more danger than a significantly slower, heavier, roll protected, abs and airbagged Boxster.
Correct Benno, except for one thing...... all the new TVR models ie; the Tuscan, Tamora have side impact bars and a proper roll bar, the Tamora has a big roll bar across the top of the windscreen (see picture) 
You can make out the roll bar as it's darker and goes all the way round from the chassis up.
The Tuscan has two- one over the screen and one behind the seats...
The Cerbera has a full race type roll cage and is the safest TVR of all.... Griff and Chimaera have bugger all side impact protection and nothing in terms of a roll bar.... I saw the pictures of the Griffith that crashed in Cambridgeshire last month (in which two people sadly died) and when that rolled it dissintegrated.... I always used to worry about the Griff on track days because of it not having a proper roll bar and I was very pleased when I saw the substantial roll-over protection in the Tamora when I watched them building it... I would say though that in general these cars are no more dangerous than any other sportscar...
You can make out the roll bar as it's darker and goes all the way round from the chassis up.
The Tuscan has two- one over the screen and one behind the seats...
The Cerbera has a full race type roll cage and is the safest TVR of all.... Griff and Chimaera have bugger all side impact protection and nothing in terms of a roll bar.... I saw the pictures of the Griffith that crashed in Cambridgeshire last month (in which two people sadly died) and when that rolled it dissintegrated.... I always used to worry about the Griff on track days because of it not having a proper roll bar and I was very pleased when I saw the substantial roll-over protection in the Tamora when I watched them building it... I would say though that in general these cars are no more dangerous than any other sportscar...
"I would say though that in general these cars are no more dangerous than any other sportscar... "
Well, no more dangerous than any other sports car with the same amount of power to weight perhaps! Main difference is that joe public could not buy anything for 12k upwards with such performance.
Surely a Tamora by its very performance is much more dangerous than a abs equipped 110bhp MX5.
I agree with flasher that the latest cars are the safest and have more protection than the earlier cars.
Bennno
Well, no more dangerous than any other sports car with the same amount of power to weight perhaps! Main difference is that joe public could not buy anything for 12k upwards with such performance.
Surely a Tamora by its very performance is much more dangerous than a abs equipped 110bhp MX5.
I agree with flasher that the latest cars are the safest and have more protection than the earlier cars.
Bennno
I think a lot of people come across this site to see what tiv's are really like. We've all heard the comments in the press anyway, so it's a case of checking if the problems can be lived with, from real owners, before parting with the green stuff. Any sensible person should investigate any car like this before jumping in. Trouble is if you've been on this site a while the same old questions keep arising from new members. Don't be suprised if a few people take the hump.
I had a '98 Griff 500 for 9 months. The car was a nightmare, cost me £1000's, something went wrong with it every week (I tried to use it as an every day driver) and in the end I had to sell it 'cos I couldn't bear getting in it and being disappointed that something else was going to go wrong with it even though it was main dealer supplied with full history etc.
Beware of threads like this, becuase the site is (quite rightly) dominated by enthusiasts, and in particular lovers of TVRs so some of the opinions will be not fully objective
. There's alot to love about these cars, they are great fun, but my own personal experience was disasterous.
Beware of threads like this, becuase the site is (quite rightly) dominated by enthusiasts, and in particular lovers of TVRs so some of the opinions will be not fully objective
. There's alot to love about these cars, they are great fun, but my own personal experience was disasterous. Tivs are no more unreliable than euroboxes in my opinion:-
1st TVR Chimera from new, no problems in 18 months about 12000 miles, nothing fell off nothing broke sold it in perfect working order.
2nd TVR Cerbera second hand, 3 engine rebuilds, new rear screen heater, and light bulbs.
1st Golf GTI from new, 1 new turbo, 2 new airconditioning units, 2 new sets of carpets through flooding of previous, 2 new fron "recaro" seats as stitching failed, 3 new window motors and catches.
1st BMW from new, new window motors, new rear brake discs 1000 miles due to warping.
All in all the moral of the story is dare to be different with a TVR and expect the same problems you would get with any manufacturer but with the performance and looks to die for.
1st TVR Chimera from new, no problems in 18 months about 12000 miles, nothing fell off nothing broke sold it in perfect working order.
2nd TVR Cerbera second hand, 3 engine rebuilds, new rear screen heater, and light bulbs.
1st Golf GTI from new, 1 new turbo, 2 new airconditioning units, 2 new sets of carpets through flooding of previous, 2 new fron "recaro" seats as stitching failed, 3 new window motors and catches.
1st BMW from new, new window motors, new rear brake discs 1000 miles due to warping.
All in all the moral of the story is dare to be different with a TVR and expect the same problems you would get with any manufacturer but with the performance and looks to die for.
quote:
Beware of threads like this, becuase the site is (quite rightly) dominated by enthusiasts, and in particular lovers of TVRs so some of the opinions will be not fully objective
mmmm, I'm not so sure about that... most of us tell it the way it is, particularly Benno who has owned 2 Griffs and 2 Cerberas. I never had any problems with my Griffith, my Wedge was always breaking down, my Cerbera was almost perfect and my Tamora has been fine so far, apart from needing the ECU re-programmed when the dash went funny on me...
Benno and I were having a discussion yesterday about this and we both agreed that you would be mental to use a TVR every day. It's definitley a weekend/ best car and you wouldn't use a Ferrari every day so why would you do it to a TVR? They then have problems and people then whinge... Had a good look when I took Ben to fetch his new Ferrari yesterday (lucky b**tard!!) and not one of the 20 or so cars they had for sale had over 14,000 miles on them and they were all between 5 and 10 years old.... I take mine out every weekend, whatever the weather and batter my Vectra to death during the week. Funny you had a dodgy Griff ap, that's one of the first times I have heard about a bad Griffith....
quote:
Tivs are no more unreliable than euroboxes in my opinion:-
1st TVR Chimera from new, no problems in 18 months about 12000 miles, nothing fell off nothing broke sold it in perfect working order.
2nd TVR Cerbera second hand, 3 engine rebuilds, new rear screen heater, and light bulbs.
1st Golf GTI from new, 1 new turbo, 2 new airconditioning units, 2 new sets of carpets through flooding of previous, 2 new fron "recaro" seats as stitching failed, 3 new window motors and catches.
1st BMW from new, new window motors, new rear brake discs 1000 miles due to warping.
All in all the moral of the story is dare to be different with a TVR and expect the same problems you would get with any manufacturer but with the performance and looks to die for.
The 3 engine rebuilds strike me az more serious than seats and brakes (more serious than the new turbo on the Golf as well)
How long was the Tiv off the road compared to the others ?
Regarding the question of safety and lack of safety devices in TVR's, I wonder how many TVR's got caught up in the multiple-car pile ups on roads such as the M40 during the recent early morning foggy/misty weather. 
I'll wager a months worth of open-top, carefree and safe driving in my beast that they were all eurobox mundano, vexers, VW borings, bummers and the like loaded up to the gills with ABS, Traction control, ABC, BBC, ITV, and the kitchen sink. These safety devices are all well and good, but dont add up to a toenail clipping if you leave your brain at home before travelling, then drive taking calls on your mobile, checking your makeup (one for the ladies), and ignoring the fact that there are other drivers around you and in front of you, particularly when you decide that it is safe them being only 2" in front of you and you're doing 95mph.
>> Edited by s_willy on Sunday 21st April 18:06
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