Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

righto

and for the love of god, please don't be tempted by smoked or clear lenses. They look shite.

Don't worry I won't be! Red on red looks good :)
Shitting bricks now, driving test at lunch time!! Argghhh!!

Good luck! Relax and you'll be fine.

Its for sale! Somewhat out of my price range though.

Car is through its MOT - 17 years old, parked outside, needed a number plate bulb.

It's also had a new fuel pump and compressor wheel and is now, according to the mechanic, "producing as much power as the suspension can handle", which is ~335bhp.

It'll give more, but would just lead to wheelspin everywhere.

I'll settle for usable power over unusable I guess.

...or spend your dough on suspension upgrades, instead of moar powa!

front end for me, over the next couple of weeks. woo.

We did discuss that, the list was:

• 888's
  
• Gripper LSD
  
• Coilovers
  
• ARB's
  
  

Then we could bump the power up, which would involve

• Water/meth injection
  
• Charge pipework
  
• New larger intercooler (more boost would pop mine)
  
  

That lot would be 2-3K.

I'd rather buy an MX-5 for 1/3rd of that and rag the fuck out of it round a track, leaving my car as a refined express.

@Dooks car suggestions -

Nissan Micra - Handle abuse, and the 1.2 (i think) I drove was a gruff, yet fun little engine.
Followed by a Citroen AX/ Peugeot 106 in some petrol guise. Don't understand wheezy, old tech diesels in small cars. Although, I know not of the UK insurance implications. These cars handle well, have many a cheap spare part. Maybe a little less fuss free than the micra.

Don't worry I won't be! Red on red looks good :)
Shitting bricks now, driving test at lunch time!! Argghhh!!

Did you pass???

We did discuss that, the list was:

• 888's
  
• Gripper LSD
  
• Coilovers
  
• ARB's
  
  

Then we could bump the power up, which would involve

• Water/meth injection
  
• Charge pipework
  
• New larger intercooler (more boost would pop mine)
  
  

That lot would be 2-3K.

I'd rather buy an MX-5 for 1/3rd of that and rag the fuck out of it round a track, leaving my car as a refined express.

Sounds like a lot of effort to ruin a perfectly good, and already rapid car.

How would that ruin it? Ever?

888s can be swapped out in winter
LSD would mean better grip, turning, and power transfer to the road
Coilovers would allow adjustment depending on the roads being traveled
ARBs would reduce roll, and the resultant increase in stiffness can be counteracted by dialing down the coilover dampers
Water/meth isn't very involved, a lot of people install at home, given the size of the load area in the Volvo, a small tank could be installed easily behind a side panel in the boot.
Stronger pipework has no downside other than it costs
Larger intercooler could be a space issue but that's the only issue I forsee.

There's literally no downsides to what Dammit posted other than the costs involved.

888s aren't going to last very long though with that much power in a heavy car. I killed a pair of rears in less than 3k miles of vigorous Alpine driving, and that was in a car weighing less than 500kg.

Also, I've never been a fan of plate diffs in FWD cars. Gear-based LSDs like a Quaife ATB are far better in a front driver IME due to their more progressive action.

Well, of course I can see the benefits of the mods. But I don't see the point overall.
Given average road conditions, you're not going to be any more rapid and without silly money being spent you'd still get destroyed on a track. Save the cash and buy something faster/better to start with and keep the volvo as a fasti-sh comfy practical car.
Only my opinion mind you. And it's only something I learned after ruined a perfectly good car chasing moar power.

888s aren't going to last very long though with that much power in a heavy car. I killed a pair of rears in less than 3k miles of vigorous Alpine driving, and that was in a car weighing less than 500kg.

Also, I've never been a fan of plate diffs in FWD cars. Gear-based LSDs like a Quaife ATB are far better in a front driver IME due to their more progressive action.

I don't think Dammit was suggesting a locker, I assumed a Quaife style too, you need serious committal to counteract the understeer that would be caused on a FWD car with a 1.5 way.

Well, of course I can see the benefits of the mods. But I don't see the point overall.
Given average road conditions, you're not going to be any more rapid and without silly money being spent you'd still get destroyed on a track. Save the cash and buy something faster/better to start with and keep the volvo as a fasti-sh comfy practical car.
Only my opinion mind you. And it's only something I learned after ruined a perfectly good car chasing moar power.

I do agree that a better car can be bought for cheaper specifically for track, I just don't agree that it would be ruined. If you had money to burn, then you could end up with a hoot of a car.

I do agree that a better car can be bought for cheaper specifically for track, I just don't agree that it would be ruined. If you had money to burn, then you could end up with a hoot of a car.

Yeah, fair enough. I know what you're saying. Not denying it would be fun. Just had my sensible hat on. I haven't actually owned a car for 5 years since being in London so maybe I'm forgetting the feeling of being whalloped up the road by killer-watts

I don't think Dammit was suggesting a locker, I assumed a Quaife style too, you need serious committal to counteract the understeer that would be caused on a FWD car with a 1.5 way.

I assumed that the reference to a Gripper diff was a reference to these and they're plate diffs.

Quaife ATB diffs are great though - I've got 3 at the last count, and am seriously contemplating a fourth to go on the Piglet. They're near as damn it (put intended) bullet-proof - even when my diff exploded at Snett, with bits of crownwheel and pinion all over the place, the ATB was fine.

Oh I see, if that is the case, I'd say stay well clear! For racing application only, unless you want to slide into corners sideways just to counteract the understeer on every corner.

I've been impressed with the Quaifes on the high powered Minis, definitely enjoyed driving on track with them.

I PASSED!'!! Two minors :D

Well done!

I assumed that the reference to a Gripper diff was a reference to these and they're plate diffs.

Quaife ATB diffs are great though - I've got 3 at the last count, and am seriously contemplating a fourth to go on the Piglet. They're near as damn it (put intended) bullet-proof - even when my diff exploded at Snett, with bits of crownwheel and pinion all over the place, the ATB was fine.

Correct- Gripper is a plate type diff.

Johan did his sub-eight minute Nurburgring lap with a Quaife, but he was (relatively speaking) not running huge power- he was using a GT2871R if memory serves.

The Quafe's are great, but they can (I've not seen this mind) still allow all torque to go to one wheel- 400 horsepower vs one tyre.

So- the higher powered 850's have swapped from Quaife to Gripper over recent years.

You can alter how aggressive the Gripper is, but to be honest I'm with Lowpug here I think- I'll stick with my (viscous coupled) LSD and existing suspension.

To make my car into a credible track machine I'd need to lose the interior and cage it, and I'm not doing that with a front-driver.

Well done V-L

I PASSED!'!! Two minors :D

Well done fella! At the risk of sounding like an old git keep in mind you'll still be learning to drive for a good while yet.

I passed my test first time 2.5 years ago and have continued learning since.

Of course! I am gonna really try and stick to the rules at least or the next two years!!
My girlfriend is well pleased as well!! Just got a new driver :P

You'll never stop learning.