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Diesel Kit Car

skinny - 10/8/04 at 10:23 AM

will diesel ever be common in kit cars?

maybe not for locosts but i wouldn't mind a bit of lazy torque in something else...

engine

twinturbo - 10/8/04 at 10:55 AM

No.

liam.mccaffrey - 10/8/04 at 10:59 AM

why the hell not i would defos do it, imagine the fuel economy

ned - 10/8/04 at 11:02 AM

i once saw a picture of someone who had mated a diesel engine to a rwd gearbox in situ in a locost, not sure whether it ever got built or not.

i'd prefer a pug/citroen hdi or vw group pd diesel engine if i was ever to be that way inclined. both tunable to over 200bhp with a bucket load of torque.

Ned.

theconrodkid - 10/8/04 at 11:17 AM

saw a ford 1,8 td in a seven once,bit smokey but kept up with the mid feild boys

stephen_gusterson - 10/8/04 at 11:19 AM

quote:
Originally posted by twinturbo
No.

try a 150hp (or 163 in the one seires) bmw 3 series diesel and eat your words!!!!!!!!!!

chipped they can make 180hp and even as std produce more torque than an impretza wrx turbo, and the 3 seires 3 litre

atb

steve

[Edited on 10/8/04 by stephen_gusterson]

marktigere1 - 10/8/04 at 11:29 AM

Not much fun if you like stirring the gearlever!!

Put it in 5th and leave it

stephen_gusterson - 10/8/04 at 12:29 PM

not necessarily.

the six speed on my car goes to 25 in first, 50min second and 75 ish in 3rd. Torque will keep you there once you are there, but its fast changes during acelleration!

atb

steve

quote:
Originally posted by marktigere1
Not much fun if you like stirring the gearlever!!

Put it in 5th and leave it

marktigere1 - 10/8/04 at 01:03 PM

Steve

What rpm are you pulling at those gear changes out of interest? Engine?

Cheers

Mark

locoboy - 10/8/04 at 01:04 PM

saw a comment in Auto Express a couple of months ago about we$tξeld helping a guy build a diesel car.

I dont mind getting out of mine and smelling a little of exhaust from a petrol engine but imagine honking of diesel exhaust - no thanks!

stephen_gusterson - 10/8/04 at 01:19 PM

quote:
Originally posted by marktigere1
Steve

What rpm are you pulling at those gear changes out of interest? Engine?

Cheers

Mark

Thats the issue!

maxes at 4,500 rpm.

As the engine produces max torque at 1800 rpm, you tend to inmost cases plonk along around 2,000 rpm.

country lane stuff in top is often around 1500 and you can toodle at 30 in 4th and pull away at 1000.

You have to be careful pulling away from tickover, as the turbo takes a couple of secs to spin up. No cutting people up pulling out for this car!

atb

steve

locoboy - 10/8/04 at 01:39 PM

Get the revs up and slip the cluth thats what i need to do in my 1.6 focus when i have the aircon on at junctions, its utterly naff.

in all honesty i have turned it off before now when i have to give it a bit of leather pulling out at junctions

stephen_gusterson - 10/8/04 at 01:44 PM

aircon has that big an effect!

The only car I have driven that showed aircon as an engine load was a daewoo matiz in majorca. You could hear the engine note change slightly as you pressed the button!

atb

steve

ps - you can rev it to 'prime' the power, but it seems a bit 'loutish' to do that with a diesel

locoboy - 10/8/04 at 03:13 PM

'loutish' good word Steve.

Yes it does have that big an effect

I nearly stalled it a few times pulling onto roundabouts before i realised what was going on - now it gets a reet good priming so to speak lol.

The rev counter takes a momentary dive of a hundred revs or so when its turned on.

And you should see the lights dim big stylee when you put the heated front screen on, and even moreso again when you put the back one on at the same time

Stuart Ainslie - 10/8/04 at 06:47 PM

You want a nice Paxman Valenta, you do....

2500 BHP at about 1000 rpm.

Might cause a bit of understeer in a Locost though but a turbo whistle to die for !

mad4x4 - 16/8/04 at 05:36 PM

Go for it.......

All i'll say is one word

TORQUE!

can't beat it- need to get the gearing right

David Jenkins - 16/8/04 at 07:05 PM

quote:
Originally posted by stephen_gusterson
The only car I have driven that showed aircon as an engine load was a daewoo matiz in majorca. You could hear the engine note change slightly as you pressed the button!

My wife has a Matiz - it's perfect for the local driving she does - and you're dead right. When she wants to go at a decent speed up a hill she has to turn the aircon off... mind you, she calls 85 a decent speed to get up hills!

David

TPAFKAMH - 16/8/04 at 07:37 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Stuart Ainslie
You want a nice Paxman Valenta, you do....

2500 BHP at about 1000 rpm.

Might cause a bit of understeer in a Locost though but a turbo whistle to die for !

Isn't that the engine used in the HSTs?

stephen_gusterson - 16/8/04 at 07:49 PM

dont tell anyone, but I actually quite liked the matiz.

dont think id want one every day, but it has plenty room for four, and it reminded me of my sports moped when I was 16. you could thrash it everywhere without actually going very fast!

atb

steve

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins

quote:
Originally posted by stephen_gusterson
The only car I have driven that showed aircon as an engine load was a daewoo matiz in majorca. You could hear the engine note change slightly as you pressed the button!

My wife has a Matiz - it's perfect for the local driving she does - and you're dead right. When she wants to go at a decent speed up a hill she has to turn the aircon off... mind you, she calls 85 a decent speed to get up hills!

David

Pseicho - 18/8/04 at 03:46 PM

how about the new BMW 535d?

Over 270 hp with a 3l diesel engine.
It's like a normal gas engine but with more torque, NO turbo lag, high revs for a diesel. The 535d is comparable to the 540

Graceland - 18/8/04 at 06:10 PM

quote:
Originally posted by TPAFKAMH

quote:
Originally posted by Stuart Ainslie
You want a nice Paxman Valenta, you do....

2500 BHP at about 1000 rpm.

Might cause a bit of understeer in a Locost though but a turbo whistle to die for !

Isn't that the engine used in the HSTs?

i was thinking just the same thing - as used in ye old intercity 125 DVTs

- mega power, mega whistle!!!!

locost_bryan - 19/8/04 at 04:02 AM

Which is the lightest, smallest diesel engine?

or why not go the whole hog - Caterpillar V16 6500hp , as used on American locomotives - might need a +40 chassis

or a Cummins 14 litre V8 with 15-speed road-ranger box - that should give plenty of gear changing

phelpsa - 19/8/04 at 08:44 AM

this looks pretty small and light, 163bhp boat engine.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=9883&item=2486781464&rd=1

Adam