goofballs Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Before I begin with questions, I will give you a bit of background. Used to joint own a Radical 1100 clubsport, very good indeed, fantastic handling. 1m 20secs on Donnington National, err... I am sure people have gone a lot quicker in the same car, but it felt quick to me. Currently have a vx220 turbo, great handling, I go on a spirited drive once every 4-5 weeks (due to missus restrictions), this does not justify the expenditure. What I am looking for is a car that is easy to maintain, reliable, and has a great engine noise (this was missing from the soul of the VX). The appeal of the V8 is dampened by the fact that it is a heavy engine --> but it has lots of nice torque for road driving and a nice noise, and it is probably cheap to maintain The appeal of the 2.0l 4cyl engine is dampened by the fact that it will sound...like the engine I already have, but it will have good torque levels that will make it good for road driving, and it will be cheap to maintain. The appeal of the bike engine is the light weight and the noise (this is my current favourite choice), the only downside is the fact that I am looking at it for a lot of road use, and maybe only 2-3 track days a year. Q1 - Is the bike engine hard to drive in traffic ? Q2 - Does the lack of torque in the bike engine affect road driving, or is it geared accordingly that this is not a factor ? Q3 - Does the bike engine need regular rebuilds or servicing...and is therefore more money to maintain ? Q4 - I want to start maintaining, or even building my own westfield, which engines are the easiest for a beginner ? Q5 - The RAC roll bar seems to be the roll bar of choice, does this give good side impact protection ? Q6 - Are there any meets around the north west/manchester, where I can come along and get the odd passenger ride, to get a feel ? I am sure I have got another boat load of questions, but I will hold back for now. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonlewis Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Hi, Welcome to the Club (Hint) Q1. Quite a few people say the clutch is tricky, The may people who have BECS, think it is something you get used to. Q2 - Get a Busa, Plenty of torque Q3 - If it is a blade, replacement engine £800, If a Busa £3000. They dont seem to require regular rebuilds unless modified. Busa needs a Dry Sump system. Q4 - Bike engines are easy to put in cause they are smaller, but probably alot more technical help is available for Zetec, VX, X-Flow etc... Q5 - The RAC Roll bar gives no side protection at all. For that you will need a full cage. Caged do them for Westfields. Q6 - Manchester meet second Wednesday of the month in Oldham... great bunch of lads.. Regards Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Hurdsfield - Joint Manchester AO Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Q6 - Are there any meets around the north west/manchester, where I can come along and get the odd passenger ride, to get a feel ? Like Jon says come along to our next meeting, details will be posted here about a week before, if its a dry night expect to see at least 2 Westfields, possibly many more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark B Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 And also the Cheshire group meet near Knutsford on the first wednesday of the month 8pm onwards btw the V8 engine isn't quite as heavy as you may think as they are an alloy block, apparently weighs about the same as a X-flow so I'm told? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goofballs Posted February 21, 2005 Author Share Posted February 21, 2005 Another two questions.... Do you think that a heavier engine such as the V8 is more stable for road driving on B-roads, because the engine weight brings better stability to the westie...is the bike engined westie unstable ? What is the difference in weight between a zetec/duratec and an alloy V8 ? thanks for everyones replies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark B Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Although I've not driven a V8 westy I should imagine it would feel more planted on the road than a bike engined car, purely from peoples comments on here, as one or two guys have mentioned that becs do feel twitchy on the road, but you get used to it. On the other side of the card though, it wouldn't be quite as nimble with the extra weight. The duratec is lighter than the zetec by around 30kg I think whereas the V8 is the heaviest westfield of them all, but makes up with it in sound and torque Best thing is to either go to westfield & have a couple of test drives (don't forget your driving license) and/or come along to the meets to get a drive out & talk to the owners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Q5 - The RAC Roll bar gives no side protection at all. For that you will need a full cage. Caged do them for Westfields. Not any more (I think). Caged now have an exclusive deal with the factory. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadrego Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Don't discount "normal" 4 cylinder engines on account of the noise. Whilst a VXT might not make the most inspirning noise, I think you might pleasently surprised by the bark that emits from just about any four cylinder with carbs or throttle bodies and a side exit exhaust! On another note, I'm not sure that a V8 will be any better planted just because of its weight. It depends on many more factors e.g. tyres, dampers, springs, anti roll bars etc... The list goes on. Like others say, best to try as many as you can at the factory or a local meet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goofballs Posted February 21, 2005 Author Share Posted February 21, 2005 I have been spending all afternoon looking up on the internet. It seems as if I would favour the blade engine (due to costs/weight/engine noise), and if I want to upgrade the blade maybe I would go for a lightly turbocharged upgrade, this seems a good compromise between weight/price. On the other hand, I will take up everyones advice and experience all the different configurations before I make a choice. thanks for all your inputs guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrell O'Neill Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 thanks for all your inputs guys. show your thanks by joining the club..... Best twenty five quid you'll spend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrell O'Neill Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Have you seen this? dont know much about BEC but seems a good price http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws....29&rd=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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