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Diesel kit car
matty h - 8/4/11 at 06:30 PM

Anyone had the same thought as me,which is to fit a modern diesel engine into a kit car get performance and mpg.Thinking bmw, vag or vauxhall engine.

big-vee-twin - 8/4/11 at 06:36 PM

Somebody built a MEV rocket that was diesel powered it was at Newark Last year.

tegwin - 8/4/11 at 06:45 PM

The only "acceptable" diesel is a V10 TDI!.. :p

chrisxr2 - 8/4/11 at 07:00 PM

No, no,no,no i like the noice my kitcar makes an awful lot so a diesel is just a no for me thanks

Mark G - 8/4/11 at 07:02 PM

it has been discussed on here before a few times. Generally speaking if you want to give it a go then I say go for it.

But...

It will smell bad and sound awful.

morcus - 8/4/11 at 07:04 PM

I'm sure I read something in a magazine about a diesel westfield.

I don't think you'd get much economic benefit and as above the sound would be awful.

MikeRJ - 8/4/11 at 07:11 PM

quote:
Originally posted by morcus
I'm sure I read something in a magazine about a diesel westfield.


The original was built by Westfield and christened the "Weasel" (Wiesel?). It used the horrendous Ford 1.8 lump (known as the Endura in later years).

Someone in PPC magazine won a Westfield kit and put a VAG diesel engine in it, don't know if it was ever finished but the pictures of bit of wood etc. being used for brackets didn't exactly point to a quality build.

Why on earth would you want to fit a heavy, noisy, smelly, low revving engine into a lightweight sports car?

FASTdan - 8/4/11 at 07:30 PM

quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
quote:
Originally posted by morcus
I'm sure I read something in a magazine about a diesel westfield.


The original was built by Westfield and christened the "Weasel" (Wiesel?). It used the horrendous Ford 1.8 lump (known as the Endura in later years).

Someone in PPC magazine won a Westfield kit and put a VAG diesel engine in it, don't know if it was ever finished but the pictures of bit of wood etc. being used for brackets didn't exactly point to a quality build.

Why on earth would you want to fit a heavy, noisy, smelly, low revving engine into a lightweight sports car?


Here here!

matty h - 8/4/11 at 08:17 PM

I run a kit car as my every day car so was just thinking of the fuel savings.
Is this the westfield in question,I did also see the mev rocket with the diesel.
WESTFIELD DIESEL RED | eBay UK
Matty

David Jenkins - 8/4/11 at 08:48 PM

Diesels worked quite well for Audi in the recent le Mans races...

greglogan - 8/4/11 at 09:02 PM

A guy over here in Ireland built a Westfield (as mentioned above). He used an Audi lump (110 BHP variant, methinks). I know he got it driving and took it to a track day but not sure if he ever registered it.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of diesels, so I say go for it!

............. I'll go now

DRC INDY 7 - 8/4/11 at 09:17 PM

Before i fitted the nissan turbo engine i did think about fitting a turbo diesel thats as far as it got thinking
it's not like these cars are used everyday so much so i getting shut of my focus tdci and getting a VXR corsa instead then that will make 2 turbo petrol cars for me

austin man - 8/4/11 at 10:07 PM

the VAG units will push out 190 bhp with a bucket full of torque. I run a 1.8 petrol turbo remapped to around 200 and it has a fig on its hands againdt the tuned diesels that give 45mpg against my 25 when pushed

owelly - 8/4/11 at 10:28 PM

Crispin who won the Westy kit in PPC and fitted a DERV lump drove it over from Ireland last year to PPC in the PARK (track time selling out fast, loads more attractions. Book now to avoid dissappointment!!). He drove it fast (but within the speed limits officer) all the way (with the exception of on the ferry) and still got 1,000,000 miles to the gallon. Or over 80mpg IIRC!
Still sounds a bit wrong though!

Doctor Derek Doctors - 9/4/11 at 11:24 AM

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
Diesels worked quite well for Audi in the recent le Mans races...


Thats aren't actually running on anything resembling pump Diesel.... at all.

The only relation those cars have to road car diesel engines is that they use compression ignition.

coozer - 9/4/11 at 11:38 AM

I thought about for a while for my latest, but then thought a petrol V8 made much more sense

[Edited on 9/4/11 by coozer]

iank - 9/4/11 at 12:12 PM

quote:
Originally posted by big-vee-twin
Somebody built a MEV rocket that was diesel powered it was at Newark Last year.


That would be dinosaurjuice on here.

FASTdan - 9/4/11 at 12:57 PM

Its not just the performance (yes I'll admit, diesels can perform reasonably well these days).......they're just DULL!! DULL DULL DULL!

Half the enjoyment of our MK is hearing it scream through ALL the 6-7k revs, up to the redline pinning you into the seat as it does. I run a mondeo ST TDCI (so a 'performance' diesel) and whilst it can keep a nice pace it still totally lacks 'character' in the engine department.

Ninehigh - 11/4/11 at 07:36 PM

quote:
Originally posted by austin man
the VAG units will push out 190 bhp with a bucket full of torque. I run a 1.8 petrol turbo remapped to around 200 and it has a fig on its hands againdt the tuned diesels that give 45mpg against my 25 when pushed


That would make it the anti-bec then?

Iirc from previous arguments there are some issues:
1. Rumbly old engine with p-poor performance vs newer engine with ecu problems (exactly what those problems are I can't remember.
2. Getting the same amount of performance because of what is essentially a heavier engine (also torque vs bhp comes into this one I think)
3. People who are going to laugh at you because it sounds like a van.

Now it would be interesting to put to identical cars together, with a busa engine and a diesel one, both tuned to the same fuel consumption and weight. Then we'll see how well they do