Whats Best in your opinion

[moomin]

It's a personal choice really - try both, and see which one suits what you want to do with it, and therefore tickles your fancy.

moomin

[Mark Williamson]

A second vote for try both

I've started on a CEC, switched to BEC and now have a V8 CEC. I have loved all of them!

Not all car engines are the same, some of them I'd rather walk than drive them!

Again not all bike engines are the same, some are relatively low maintainance, and some are not.

Mark

[matt_c]

So, which one is best then?

[tex]

PEC - Plane engined cars, the future.

Now, I wonder if I can find a couple of Merlin engines on fleabay, I fancy building a twin engined car.  

how bout this one?

rover merlin

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Mmm, but that's only from a tank  

[Steven (WE51STE)]

Its simples +1 for CEC

[echoz]

eitherways! and cheers for the pringles

[JeffC]

to simplify things

best for road is Car engined  

and best for track is

car engined  

and thats from a bloke that has done 1,000s of laps in a Busa  

in saying that I still think on a budget pound for pound as a track car you will go faster in a bec due to the nature of the engine and the gearbox  

[Dibby]

Yes, either a car or a bike engine is best! Good luck with whatever you choose, no real right answer, it's your cash and up to you to choose how to spend it.

If you're anywhere near south Wales, I've got a Fireblade engine in mine and you're welcome to come and have a poke around.

IMO (and purely my opinion before it starts!), I like the lightness of the bike engine and the sequential box. Love the response and speed the engine comes alive and the noise at 12.5k rpm. It's tricky to get used to and gets a bit warm in traffic but when you're used to being very gentle with the right pedal it's a lovely feeling. Driving a diesel for a daily commute and changing gear at 2k rpm it's a bit strange on the first run of the year because it kangaroos below 4k and doesn't come alive until 8.

[8pots]

Depends on which bike engine and which car engine.  A friend of mine bought a XTR2 and all my friends who had been in it thought it would be quicker than my V8.  When we had a "test" on a "private"dual carriage way, we were similar up to about 60mph then mine flew past it.  On some circuits where there are really slow corners and shortish straights there probably would not be that much in it as the bike engines lack of torque help grip.

Mike

[Buzz Billsberry]

It' been said:try both.... and answer this question.Whats the car going to be used for most of the time? For me 'bike' is a no brainer on the road. Your for ever up and done the box(poor torque) noisy and does your head in when touring but its the only way to go on track or racing. So

BEC= Track the ultimate short road blatts

CAC= Road and track

Its down to you, you know what the parameters of your driving style & requirements are so try both.

Buzz

[GINGESEIW]

I was fairly set on a bike engined car so spoke to a few owners at Stoneleigh a couple of years ago (had a pinto engined car at the time). First thing I noticed was that most people with bike engined cars had lids on and ear plugs. They all said what a blast the bike engined car is but more than one of them said "done it now and going back to CEC". General views were - Trackday/race car=BEC. Road car for journeys/tours/longer blasts and occasional track days=CEC. On this I purchased a zetec engined car, changed the engine for a 2.0 modified engine with around 200bhp and revving to 7500 pulling all the way. I would say that it's plenty of power for the road, without the fear of blowing the engine or gearbox by using the engine for braking. (heard horror story!)

Adrian

[Dibby]

...First thing I noticed was that most people with bike engined cars had lids on and ear plugs...

Ear plugs are generally a good idea in any open-topper. I work with a fella who has developed glue ear from too much open-topping in his younger days.

I don't wear plugs for the noise, it's to keep the wind from whistling in one ear and out the other.

No reason to wear a lid unless you need it for a track day or you have an aero screen, lids are nothing to do with engine choice.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Good point from Dibby; I used to get mild headaches if I'd been out for about  3/4 of an hour or more. A combination of (in order of worst culprits!) Straight Cut Gearbox, Wind noise, Induction noise.

Now, regardless of whether I'm wearing a lid, (it's an aeroscreened, car engined car) I always wear ear plugs.  

The funny thing is, although they seem to kill most of the straight cut gear whine and a good proportion of the wind noise,  the induction noise is reduced, but it's also much more obvious over the other sounds. And it's a GOOD sound.  

[cast iron]

have a word with Stu Pickles, I'm sure there isnt a combination he hasnt tried