1959grantura Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Had a rummage through the archive and nothing related to recent so thought I would pose the question. Budget for 2nd hand complete car is ideally 8k could go higher if must but not really wanting too Purpose is primarily track days , Sunday blasts and no doubt I will return to sprinting having done many moons ago, would like to be around the 180 to 200 bhp to begin then maybe Important factor is car will always be two up and nether slim jims! Don't really want high maintenance either. What I have found so far -Bike engines ? Busa is really out of budget though two currently for sale could be temping , would a blade cut it with 120bhp (esp two up?) have to say I am rather intrigued by the bike /sequential box mix -vauxhall red top? Seems like a good choice for power and tuning though maybe a little long in the tooth and are spare engines tuning parts become sparse yet? -Ford zetec 2.0 ? They don't seem to be as powerful for same bucks as the redtop but look to be super cheap to replace ? What you think then? Would like some some experienced thoughts as testing a new car round the block isn't really going to help me as I am sure all the above will be fantastic !! Cheers Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Loudon - Sponsorship Liaison Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 It depends if you want a ready to go car or are prepared to work a bit. My choice would be a cheap pinto car and convert to standard Honda S2000 engine. Also don't discount MX5 engine cars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1959grantura Posted July 14, 2015 Author Share Posted July 14, 2015 Deff on the button ready to go on initial purchase and happy to develop the lump in it but not converting to a completely different engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawrie Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 If you're after pure speed, then Suzuki is the way to go. They are just so much faster than an XE etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickmaster Andy Lowe Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FILFAN Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Love the xe 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingster Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Important factor is car will always be two up and nether slim jims! Don't really want high maintenance either. IMO that rules out most bike engined cars - if you are always two up and (ahem) of the more proportioned gentlemanly shape, then you will probably want a car engine as the speed you get from a bike engine comes mainly from the lightness it 'adds' (as Mr Chapman would have said). I have just built a Zetec powered car with around 170bhp - although it is yet to be remapped after more than a few changes, so likely to be down on that figure from previous mapping. I took my brother out recently and we are a good 80kg each and my car weighs about 570kg fully fuelled and when I was talking to him about engines, he commented that it seemed pretty darn quick as it was! Of course, you always want more once you get used to it - or if you get overtaken on the straights at a track I guess! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1959grantura Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 IMO that rules out most bike engined cars - if you are always two up and (ahem) of the more proportioned gentlemanly shape, then you will probably want a car engine as the speed you get from a bike engine comes mainly from the lightness it 'adds' (a Mr Chapman would have said). I have just built a Zetec powered car with around 170bhp - although it is yet to be remapped after more than a few changes, so likely to be down on that figure from previous mapping. I took my brother out recently and we are a good 80kg each and my car weighs about 570kg fully fuelled and when I was talking to him about engines, he commented that it seemed pretty darn quick as it was! Of course, we always want more once you get used to it - or if you get overtaken on the straights at a track I guess! Yep that's been my conclusion to be honest , So with the current market and budget going to be either Zetec or Vauxhall by the looks of it Do either of them suffer with circuit sound tests on regular set-ups (Carb intake racket!) ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup) Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Hello. I do not use my car on the track but it is always two up. I weigh around 17 stone so I am not tiny but my car is very "brisk" I have a 2.0 Zetec engine on bike carbs and it gives me all the performance I need and I have no desire for any more. I value the reliability of a standard engine and love the fact I can turn a key and just go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darve Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 duratec? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onliest Smeg David Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Do consider the 1.8 zetec as well. Well pleased with mine, on road, track and sprints. It's no slouch. They're cheaper to buy so are good value. Easy to get 155bhp to 175/180bhp without the escalating cost of some engines. A race spec near 220bhp also possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BudSlater Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 duratec? Wouldnt swap my Duratec for anything. Except maybe a hyabusa.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingster Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 If you can, try and hold out for one with injection instead of carbs. There's nothing wrong with carbs, but injection will give you more options to upgrade and probably better efficiency. Plus, it can cost a bit to change from carbs should you want to later. Your budget should get you a decent Zetec/XE on injection I reckon - but will also depend on what's in the 'package' - for example a nice gearbox can be a real bonus (and something I want to change on mine asap - std Type 9 gearing isn't great). One thing going for a std Zetec though is the cheapness of an engine if it goes pop - the ancillary components are the costly bit, the engines can be had for peanuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhutch Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 IMO that rules out most bike engined cars .... as the speed you get from a bike engine comes mainly from the lightness it 'adds'.....My understand is also that, driven hard and fitted to a car, a bike engine is typically higher maintenance and or less reliable than the car counter-part. Happy to be told I am wrong. Daniel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1959grantura Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 Interesting comment regarding gearbox, what is a ideal gearbox in the package as most I have looked at have been type 9 ? Haven't seen any duratec in my radar yet either with regards to that engine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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