Burgerbob Posted August 30, 2019 Posted August 30, 2019 Hi All I'm looking for my first Westie, primarily for road use with the very occasional track day. I'm no mechanic hence reliability is a key requirement, but my question relates to how much power should I be seeking? My current car is a 270bhp hot hatch with c. 220bhp / tonne. Hence it is not slow, and I very rarely get to use the performance it offers, but doesn't have the rawness that I'm looking for. Would a 1.8 zetec on throttle bodies leave me disappointed once the new car novelty has worn off? Appreciate that the only person who can answer that is me - but what are your experiences on the need for more power? Cheers Rob Quote
AdamR Posted August 30, 2019 Posted August 30, 2019 Welcome! 1.8 Zetec IN A LIGHT CAR will be absolutely more than you need. If you get a big heavy lardy thing with crap (really long) gearing then it'll probably feel slow after a while. Quote
Trevor Little (Trevturtle) - Treasurer Posted August 30, 2019 Posted August 30, 2019 Where are you based. There may be a area meetings near you you can join You can look a car options, talk to other members ..who will be more than happy to give you a passenger ride so you can gauge performance 1 Quote
BigSkyBrad Posted August 30, 2019 Posted August 30, 2019 220hp per tonne is equivalent to 154hp for an average 700kg Westfield, and there is plenty of Zetec Westfields lighter than that, and gruntier than that. For 270hp, what is the 0-60 for your current car? What a given Westfield may lack in top speed, sure makes up for in throttle response, noise and drama! 1 Quote
NigelO Posted August 30, 2019 Posted August 30, 2019 My other toy is a 488bhp Fiat Coupe - roughly 360bhp per tonne. It is utterly ballistic and frankly a bit too quick for the public road (0-100 in about 9 seconds and a top speed somewhere north of 180mph). It's a proper adrenaline rush though, although to get a buzz, it has to be travelling at speeds that would definitely result in a hefty ban and quite possible a stint at Her Majesty's pleasure.... However, once I got the Fiat to the point where it was finished, I got bored with it. It was the journey, rather than the destination that was keeping me interested. So - I decided I wanted a car with a bit of "fizz" with ample opportunity for tinkering and also the ability to enjoy myself at speeds that will only result in 3 points or a bit of a bollocking if I get pulled. My Westie is about 170bhp and 600kg, so about 280bhp per tonne. However, I get far more enjoyment from the Westie than from the Fiat. I also reckon that with 170bhp, I'm just a little bit shy of the "sweet spot" - much more than 200bhp and you'd have to be careful where you use full throttle, but with my power and some good tyres, I can give it full throttle without worrying that it will swap ends. Your choice will be how "raw" you want the experience to be. I have no screen, heater roof or carpets and I love it. Others prefer padded seats, fluffy carpets, heaters and even a stereo - that's the beaty about Westies - the range of options is extremely wide. If you're anywhere around the Midlands / Staffordshire, you're welcome to come and have a look at mine Quote
Kingster Posted August 30, 2019 Posted August 30, 2019 As above you don’t need huge power for huge fun in our light cars. Mine is 183bhp and 565kg (324 per ton) and on the road is much more than you’d ever need. On track it’s also more than my meagre skills can handle and thus (as yet) I’ve never hankered for more! As @AdamR will testify, light weight is the key to a ballistic weapon! edit: in fact I recall talking to @Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Secretary at Silverstone about how he was really enjoying the light responsive nature of a Sigma powered car with less than 150bhp. It’s lightness really made him smile - but he’s currently fitting a supercharger to his s2000 Westy so will be able to give a very good comparison I’m sure! Quote
Kingster Posted August 30, 2019 Posted August 30, 2019 Funny enough a Sigma powered car has popped up for sale. It’s been tuned to 165bhp so would be a pretty quick car! Quote
B.RAD Posted August 30, 2019 Posted August 30, 2019 180bhp in a light westie is the sweet spot. I had 220bhp in a 500kg car (440 bhp per tonne) - it was awesome, but difficult to enjoy on the public roads. You were either bimbling along (at which point the power was pretty pointless) or massively in excess of the speed limit! My car had started out as a 105bhp crossflow, which then became a 130bhp crossflow, and that was the point I had most enjoyment on the road. Sounded epic, went quicker than most other cars (still 260bhp per tonne) but was a delight to drive at the limit. If I were to buy a westie again, I think a sigma or 1.8 zetec with around 180bhp would be the way to go. Quote
Dommo Posted August 30, 2019 Posted August 30, 2019 I'd echo that - my car was most 'fun' with around 160bhp on throttle bodies. Quote
Burgerbob Posted August 30, 2019 Author Posted August 30, 2019 Thanks all - really helpful! I've always enjoyed getting the most out of a car (I should say trying to get the most - I'm not the best diver!) and in many ways my most enjoyable car to drive was my first car, a very slow metro. But that metro was driven to an inch of its life every day! 1 Quote
Kingster Posted August 30, 2019 Posted August 30, 2019 42 minutes ago, Burgerbob said: But that metro was driven to an inch of its life every day! Sometimes that’s where the fun is! Quote
AdamR Posted August 31, 2019 Posted August 31, 2019 12 hours ago, Chris King - Webmaster and Joint North East AO said: Sometimes that’s where the fun is! Exactly. Slow car fast > fast car slow! 1 Quote
Kingster Posted August 31, 2019 Posted August 31, 2019 One thing I really like about the way my car happens to be mapped, is that there’s a real “sweet spot” at around 3500-4500 revs where the engine just seems really, well, “sweet”. And that is where it seems be when playing around the twistes in third and occasionally fourth. Just makes for very enjoyable driving while out having fun. Quote
Simon Waterfall Syman84 Posted August 31, 2019 Posted August 31, 2019 My car is now sub 500kg and 185bhp. Until I get in😫 but my weight saves having to buy fancy electronic launch control 😉As above you don't need massive power in these things and the mad chap behind the wheel can make the difference. I'm not the best driver by any means but on your average track day bar your porkers, prancing horses and the like you will be quicker than most things 1 Quote
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