Raced a Fiat coupe Turbo

[Tomcat]

Coming home from work tonght one of the guys from work decided to go the same way home as me. Once we got the the east lancs dual carriage way he put his foot down and so did I. His car being a manual, he got the jump on me and started to pull away by about 5-6 car lengths But as I got up to steam I started to close the gap but only very slowly.

I know that his car is standard bar a dump valve and mine only has a K&N filter, how quick are these cars really?, or is it just that mines well over due for a damn good service?.

I'm dreading going back into work tomorrow as he'll be braging saying he left me for dead(which he diidnt). Bloody Fiat as well!, the shame of it, oh the shame!

[Andrew]

don't forget what no doubt is a significant weight difference.

[DONKEYT5]

i had a play last nite on the lancs with a 3.0i bmw Z4, he couldnt shake me, it was so funny, at the lights he edged away, but once the turbo kicked in, i gained on him well, and passed him at 120 (kmh honestly) when we got further down he turned off and flashed his lights at me and waved.........gracious in defeat!!
I looked at the spec, 231bhp,0-60 6.2 secs, 31 grand!!
bring on my rica upgrade!!
don

[After_Shock]

Nice kill Don, bet he wasnt happy!

Tomcat as andrew mentioned theirs a big big weight difference between them and its also a 5cyl turbo which from memory were capable of over 150mph so not slow.

I raced a heavily moded one a long time ago on the M6, it was spitting and puffing blue and black and all sorts of coloured smoke out the back, I just stayed behind waiting for it to blow up!

[dave]

tomcat - which turbo was it?

there's a 4pot turbo, with 190bhpapprox and a 5pot 20vt with 220bhp, my wife had one, it was very fast between 60-100.

dave

[Tomcat]

Er I'm not sure, but I think I would go for th 220bhp one as thats the figure he's been bandying about alot lately.

[Ross9]

Not as light as you all seem to think.

over 1300kg anyway, pretty much the same as a T4 IIRC, if not heavier.

220 bhp, 60 in 6.0-6.5 depending where you look, a shade over 15.0 to 100, decent cars.

5 tuned ones lining up against me and 4 other Rovers at totb, along with other fwds, decent cars, a guy I know had been tuning one up, pulled 13.5 @ Elvington a month or so ago, unfortunately cracked a piston during mapping recently....forged ones on their way lol.

Ross

[BlackBeast]

If you are a nice chap you could tell him about www.fccuk.org , tell him to pm a guy called GrahamL and ask for one of chips for around £30. Once fitted he will have 250bhp with a bleed valve and hardly any overboost! Or in your own interests you might just keep schtum! :haha:

[BlackBeast]

a guy I know had been tuning one up, pulled 13.5 @ Elvington a month or so ago, unfortunately cracked a piston during mapping recently....forged ones on their way lol.

Ross

That would be Fergie!

[Ross9]

indeed it is. Shame for him, he was putting a lot of effort into making TOTB, both him and myself had been shooting for it for a while, have always had a bit of rivalry from the days of his Nova and my Rover 214 lol. It'll come good though, his car is quick, it was pulling 107ish mph terminals before he got the bigger turbo, none to shabby.

Ross

[M44K TS]

tomcat, the coupé turbo's are quite quick, a friend of mine had one and he took me out in it, i was impressed by it, and they sound very nice aswell.

[BlackBeast]

indeed it is. Shame for him, he was putting a lot of effort into making TOTB, both him and myself had been shooting for it for a while, have always had a bit of rivalry from the days of his Nova and my Rover 214 lol. It'll come good though, his car is quick, it was pulling 107ish mph terminals before he got the bigger turbo, none to shabby.

Ross

Yep, over the last year or so the tuining capabilities of the Coupe 20vt have come on leaps and bounds. If i didnt need the space of a large estate, i would be driving a 20vt now instead of going to buy a T5 estate.

Steve

[dave]

220 bhp, 60 in 6.0-6.5 depending where you look, a shade over 15.0 to 100, decent cars.

my wifes 20vt was standard, i managed a 14.5@100 on the 1/4mile, which does mean a shade under 15! lol

dave

[spesh]

Those 20v turbo's are something for a standard T5 to be very worried about, been out in one and had a race with one, flying machines!!!!

[Ross9]

my wifes 20vt was standard, i managed a 14.5@100 on the 1/4mile, which does mean a shade under 15! lol

dave

lol, I direct you to my disclaimer in my initial post "done from memory, excuse errors lol"

Ross

[TEAMWAYSIDE21]

i was driving round in leicester and at the traffic lights,there was a gti-r nissan 4x4.
thought i would give it a go,and i beat it by 4 car lengths!!

mainly because i know how to start in a race,some people sit there putting there foot down on the accelerator revving it intermitently,but the trick is,(and this is true,i have been told by jason plato)to sit at the right revs,which in a volvo is about 3 1/2 to 4 thousand,and bring the clutch pedal up to the bite,and then this means you don't get any wheelspin at all.try it see what you think.

the gti r couldn't catch up after the start,and he was trying,the front of his car was lifting up badly.stopped with him staring at me,cool feeling.......

[BagR]

Some ejet in an imported Evo II lancer blasted pass me last night with the dump valve going 10 to the dozen.

Have to say... on a dual carridgeway, i went past him again realatively easily. It seemed to have no top end! Dunno whether it was limited to 112 or just nearing the end of its life span! lol.

[dave]

lol, I direct you to my disclaimer in my initial post "done from memory, excuse errors lol"

Ross

ok i let you off then! lol

[elliot]

i have a friend with a Graham L chipped 20v turbo,the more agressive of the two he offers,and its a quick car.I can take about 4 lengths out of him from 40 to 100,and past that upto 120 i pull on it a bit more never had a play beyong that no point as there turbos run out off puff up the rev range.I bet they realy do go with a hybrid etc.I would have thought a chipped t5 vs a chipped fiat would be very close and just down to the driver.I like there website and forum quite informative and busy.I personally think they look awfull lol

[dave]

I personally think they look awfull lol

thats quite funny coming from a volvo owner! lol

dave

[mraldonnelly]

Tomcat,

Don't feel too down in the dumps about it. IIRC, a cambelt change on the Fiat Coupe Turbo is a full engine out job and costs somewhere in the region of £500-£600. That figure is from a few years back too so it may be more now with increased labour rates.

So, when the time comes for his cambelt change you can laugh at him even more.

Regards

Andy

[DONKEYT5]

and the insurance group varies between 17 and 19! its a bloody fiat, who is gonna steal it!? :haha:

[juggernaut]

I had a modded Cosworth, around 300bhp, a few years back when the Fiats were a bit newer and had a dual with a 20v turbo and was somewhat surprised that it almost keep up with me from a rolling start in 2nd gear.Only managed to pull around 5 car lengths on a mile long dual carriageway.Back then Cosworths were King and to have a mere Fiat almost keep pace with it was almost embarrassing.They are fast cars and not to be underestimated, so be careful out there!!

[BlackBeast]

Tomcat,

Don't feel too down in the dumps about it. IIRC, a cambelt change on the Fiat Coupe Turbo is a full engine out job and costs somewhere in the region of £500-£600. That figure is from a few years back too so it may be more now with increased labour rates.

So, when the time comes for his cambelt change you can laugh at him even more.

Regards

Andy

Stop spouting crap! :troutslap Cambelt changes are not an engine out job and one of the best specialists charge £399 to do it all!

And to those people who say its JUST a Fiat :haha: you drive a volvo, enough said! :sinner:

[DONKEYT5]

what does fiat stand for???????????????? Fix It Again Tony!! at least volvo's are known for reliability and longevity!! :haha:

[BlackBeast]

Shut it Don :D Im tired and i cant think of anything clever to reply with. I will be owning both makes as soon as i get the volvo in a couple of months so there will be no its JUST a Fiat comments anymore from now on! :D Keep those sort of comments to Rover's, sorry Ross :D

[DONKEYT5]

lol, fair enough, then u can comment on both makes!! there is a chav near me who owns a punto turbo, in sky blue with a horrendous body kit on it, with a massive dump valve, and everytime im behind him, he tries to prove a point that its quick(admittedly it is) but its only ever been around town, the other day, i was in my car with sizzlechest/chris from the forum and i was behind him a a decent stretch of road.....so i proved a point and nailed it past him and the 4 cars in front of him, i have yet to see him since, but it was good to prove my point!! credit where its due tho, it is nippy 0-60 but nowt left after that!

[Ross9]

Shut it Don :D Im tired and i cant think of anything clever to reply with. I will be owning both makes as soon as i get the volvo in a couple of months so there will be no its JUST a Fiat comments anymore from now on! :D Keep those sort of comments to Rover's, sorry Ross :D

Hehe, no worries mate, I can take the banter, it's easy to soak it up when I know the Rover is faster than any car on the site :p ;) ( Disclaimer - to the best of my knowledge ;) )

Ross

[John Ret.]

Do the beaded seat covers and tartan blanket on the back seat slow it down any? ;)

[DONKEYT5]

rovers are great as long as they dont stink of p*ss and biscuits!!
i used to own an mg maestro turbo, that was pretty quick and didnt smell like old people!

[dave]

Hehe, no worries mate, I can take the banter, it's easy to soak it up when I know the Rover is faster than any car on the site :p ;) ( Disclaimer - to the best of my knowledge ;) )

Ross

not in the twisties!, and not in the wet!,lol

dave :bricks:

[Ross9]

I've yet to see a 4wd prove me wrong yet, in the wet you might have a point, but I still would still require proof.

As for the dry, its a fallacy, I've never had a 4wd get away from me yet, as long as I am not exceeding grip levels then why do I need to split the power over 4 wheels when 2 will grip, and put more down ;)

I see the theory, but I always live and die by experience, and experience tells me I can match if not better a 4wd in the twisties, be it driver or car related, them is the facts :p

Case in point is my old Rover 214, 116 bhp, 102 lb/ft, fwd, round Knockhill in the wet on a SIDC (Subaru Impreza Drivers Club) track day, they admitted on their own forum afterwards that I was just as quick in the twisties as the subarus, with 100 bhp, 100 lb/ft more, and 4wd, yes I shouldnt have been, but again, the hard facts are that I was.

I'll be looking to attend a track night at Knockhill in September Dave after TOTB and USSC, I'll send you the details if you fancy a shot, maybe it will rain..;)

Ross

[dave]

yep, send me details on knockhill thing, might be interesting!

i think it all comes down to driver, the facts are 4wd = more grip, higher lat g figs, etc, like ive send before it comes down to "big balls".

dave

:)

[Ross9]

Shall do, they are run by a garage called Dreadnaught, usually quite a few mg's, the dreadnaught garage have a 520 bhp MG ZT race car which is supposed to be a bit of a monster. TVR's porsches etc as well.

Don't get me wrong, I know 4wd cars produce more grip, though this doesnt necesarily mean better handling, Subaru's and Pulsars for example, 4wd, but if left with standard suspension tend to just understeer like a fwd when their grip limit is reached, when its the back you want to go first for fast cornering on the edge.

However, all that aside, I was relating my reply to yours where you quoted me, saying I take the banter well cause I know its faster than any volvo on the site, to the best of my knowledge, I included the twisties in that assumption, yes in the wet a 4wd R would be able to get on the power more exiting the bends as the power is split 4 ways, lets not forget, 4wd only gives more grip in a corner when exiting it under throttle, it makes no odds when there is no acceleration being applied, then its just 4 tyres on the road same as any other car, and mine is light and with a full upgraded suspension kit. Once out of the corner, the Rovers torsen diff means it gets traction 90% in 2nd even in the wet, and fully in 3rd, so it would have to be a road with very little or no straights for it not to very quickly make up any ground it lost from being a second or two later onto the power, case in point, vs a VX220 Turbo round some roundabouts the other week, a car with much better handling than any volvo, and my own car, yet the Rover was still faster overall due to the added speed on teh corner exits and on the short sprint to the next bend.

I feel we have been down this road before with this topic lol, you'll never believe it till you see it, so fingers crossed I dont blow the car up at TOTB so you can lol. Be good to see the R on track vs some good metal, Jacq will no doubt take some vids as well if we are both there. I shall keep you informed nearer the time. Might I also suggest trying www.scottishcarclub.com, a new track day club just started, that should be having a few events regularly.

Ross

[After_Shock]

Ross a very good friend of mine owns an Evo 8 and was recently at an Evo track day, unfortunately I cant remember which circuit it was but he was watching and didnt take part.

Their was a variety of Evo's their ranging upto about 400bhp, nothing silly but still quick enough, at the end of the day all the track times were compiled and the quickest one announced and it was :

A Renault Clio 182 sport!

Admittedly it was driven by a touring car driver so could well have came down to the driver, well im sure it came down to the driver but the fact he managed it a FWD hatch with upto 220bhp less than some of the cars on the circuit is certainly an achievement!

Ive owned a high powered FWD car and yes it can be driven very quick once you learn how to which took me a while but it always has its limits which can be reached far too easily, off the line traction was none existent if trying to get away quick and it was far too easy to just push the pedal a bit too hard going around a bend and making the wheels spin. Then came the winter and the car remained in the garage for nearly all of it as in the wet it was useless so they do have downsides!

[Ross9]

Indeed, all cars do.

I dont find it hard to drive on the road though in my own experience, and drive it hard in the wet as well, yes theres less traction but such is life, the car seems happy with its set up, it's nowhere near as scrabbly as you would expect from a fwd with its straight line speed, and as long as you know the car then you dont go to far on the extis, if you do simply ease off again, perhaps a wee jig of the wheel if that throws any lift off oversteer in, but it shouldnt if done progressively, np.

Ross