V8 Seight First Drives - A Few Issues.....

[Kingster]

Might be wrong, but I think our cars might "look" like they toe out up front due to the optical illusion of the pointy nose!

 

Only way to know is to measure it I reckon - mine needs a geo so will be off to PlaysKool when I get time.

[Nicks100]

Absolutely have the geo set up properly. It will transform the car and should feel solid at any speed. I also find that if suspension is too soft at the rear it causes very alarming squirming under acceleration!

[D7PNY]

If quite an 'aggressive' set up then they can tramline a little on the roads! I like an aggressive set up on mine as I do track work but it IS a compromise for the road miles.

 

I have a standard rack with the shorter competition steering arms fitted so pretty much acts like a quick rack.  If everything else checks out ok, worth checking if you have quick rack and shorter steering arms as that would not be pleasant to drive on the road!

 

First port of call would be geometry though as my money is on that being out.  You won't believe how much of a difference it can make!

 

For example, when I got my previous westy and took it out on track I could hardly keep it pointing the right way!  Suspension setup correctly and I could hold it sideways for as long as I cared.

 

Dave

[Terryathome]

Has it got rear wishbones? Check the rose joints for any movement as you may be getting a bit of rear steering. A bit hard to spot maybe put you thumb/finger over the part and feel for any movement rather than see it. Get a helper to move the wheel side to side and up and down, take your time and dismiss that you have any problems in this area. Lot of people miss this one and suspect all sorts of things. Thats if you got wishbones on the back.

[Terry Everall]

With a V8 it will be independent rear end with wishbones

[B.RAD]

Agree with everyone on getting the geo done, when I first bought mine (crossflow back then) it drove exactly as you described and I suffered it for about a year because the seller had recently had corner weighting done by a local company (there was an invoice to prove). I was slightly disappointed by the whole Westy driving experience, as I say it was just as you describe, jittery and felt like it was going to ping me off the road at any slight camber change or uneven surface, until I had the full geo and corner weighting done by a professional, Jon at Lynx AE, who found that the front wheels where pointing in different directions with all sorts of odd alignment going on! Completely changed the car, it is now an absolute beauty on both road and track, completely addictive and I love it. I only have 169bhp at the moment and often have good drives against much bigger machinery, so I'd suggest your V8 beast would be a match for almost anything, just get the geo done!

[6carjon]

Everything earlier is correct but you did say on the motorway at 70mph. A long shot but if you were on the inside lane the trucks create tramlines which seem well suited to dragging our cars side to side.

 

As for not feeling fast - well its all about torque and they dont rev as standard very high so tend to gather speed deceptively easily rather than lunge ?

 

Its also probably an optimistic seller who claims 270bhp from a 3.5 Rover engine.

 

dont worry on horsepower, enjoy the sound and keep fitting sump gaskets every year to keep your garage floor clean :-)

 

Cheers Jon

[SJLB]

I've had this with two Westfields,

 

both were bought with low mileage but the steering did not want to keep the car straight, on the motorway it would weave in the lane slightly. The second time around I pinpointed the problem quickly.

 

Lift the front of the car up and feel the travel on the steering wheel, chances are it will be ok, undo the track rod ends and check the ball joints can move freely, do the same with the ball joints at either end of the upright, with the track rod ends removed you can check if the wheel moves easily. You can now check the steering rack travel is smooth and isolate the problem.

 

With the first car I replaced the lower ball joint on one side that was almost impossible to move and found the bearing in the steering rack pinion was also almost seized, I upgraded to a 2.4 quick rack and the car was fine at well over  100mph. The other car (that I bought last week) needed a new pair of track rod ends but I'll also change to a 2.4 rack too but only in preference. Both cars had done less than 1000 miles and were in good condition. The ball joins are very cheap around £10 - £15 each.

 

Hope this helps.

[MrPid]

I tried taking the track rod ends off the hubs but you get half way and they just spin in the socket - nice high quality from Westfield there!

 

Gonna try and get tracking/toe checked first and then maybe geometry depending on what the guys at New Engineering recommend.

 

That is of course if I can get the damn gauges to work......

[pete g]

place a jack under the track rod end if your undoing it. they some times need some pressure to stop them turning

[SootySport]

My car was a bit wayward likes yours when I bought it. 

  'Tigger' and 'Pete g'  helped me out and it was the simple things that cured it's stability at speed,  1deg. toe in at front 0.25deg. toe at rear,  correct chassis height front & back, level front wishbones.

Tigger's website http://westfield-world.com/suspension.html  will help you out for free.

[Dodgey]

I read your comments on the lack of sensation of speed and your suprise you were not all over the Jag (550hp at 1700kgs). You should be around 750Kg (less than half the weight) with fuel, with half the power (perhaps ........ I'm also surprised to hear a 3.5V8 over 250Bhp).

 

I've a moderately tuned 4.3 V8 with Rhodes lifters - pulls cleanly to 6200. I have a dyno'd 250 Bhp with 260Ftlb of torque - and they are very "normal" figures for my size of engine. a 3.5V8 should be more in the 160-190ish bracket. But I'm no expert (by far) and you may have a wild 3.5.

 

When I drive mine (and I used to thrash an R6 on the roads and track - so I know "fast") it is "insane". There is no doubt that it's madly fast. I can no way pull away hard in 1st without sliding. Second will light the tyres, as will 3rd if I'm heavy on the clutch. Acceleration is hard and unrelenting. I seriously have to be careful not to fishtail when hard overtaking on single carriageways - i.e. dropping a  gear and flooring it.   It keeps pulling though I'm not a high speed fan on Westies. I just don't want to die! After 80ish I back off as it gets too loud too (wind). Handling is predictable, not wild. Doesn't corner or drift as well as my previous narrow 1600 4Age, not by a mile, but my god, it's poweful and that makes up for it.

 

Some info there that hopefully helps you to get an idea of what you should expect.

 

Below - you can hear 2nd gear spin at 0:30 and you can hear the revs go to 6200 at around 1:20

 

[Kingster]

Just had mine geo'd by Luke at PlaysKool and it has gone from wallowy at the back and skittish at the front to "planted". Solid at speed, yet precise into the corners.

 

Has to be a good idea!

[AdamR]

Agree with previous postings - check front upper wishbones and geo setup asap!

[MrPid]

Front wishbones are all good, fitted correctly and all solid. It had two new track rod ends about 3000 miles ago, but at around £10 each I may just replace anyway before Geo set up.

 

I called a few places and they are asking about getting the corner weights sorted etc, no one could give me an estimated price on Geo set up though? What did you guys pay?

 

I have very limited info on the engine tbh. Its had a lot of attention though, its been painted, short baffled sump, remote filter, Breather firetraps, electronic ignition, Holley 4 barrel 390 carb and a few other bits. I have three A4 folders rammed full of receipts and parts etc so its like trying to revers engineer frankenstein's monster! lol

 

I guess I am spoiled from being used to my race spec SP2 - which leaves my mates 200hp BMW 1000RR standing through the corners. You just twist the throttle and things get incredibly fast instantly.

 

I did feel the same in all the M3's I've been in and owned, we all know they're fast, but they never quite feel it, if you know what I mean? ;-)