GTA's Achilles Heel ( Devils Advocate )

.... I still maintain that £300 spent on a decent driving course will make you go a lot quicker than any mod...

wise words

how was your drive home? you defrosted yet

.... I still maintain that £300 spent on a decent driving course will make you go a lot quicker than any mod...

Sage words indeed

rupert, I tend to agree, mostly.... we have heavy feet and adopt the full throttle/brake "style", and still every one says"be smooth" especially in the wet.
So, any suggestions of suitable/recomended schools?

It's the engine isn't it ................ 280 bhp out of a 2.5L TURBO

But rememeber, truely engine capacity has nothing to do with brake horse power..

It is all valve size and lift, flow though the head, and how fast you can turn the engine.

An old 2.5l engine with a volumetric efficiency of 50% will flow no more than a tuned 1.4 with 80% VE.

I have no reservations about getting up to 400bhp. The methodical route of cams, manifolds, larger turbo, chargecooling and aftermarket management will achieve this with a high level of boost, but it will feel completly different to how a normal GTA feels, and cost a shed load of money.

I love low end torque, I often hear of people in older cars (often turbo Renault's!) making mincemeat of newer multivalve, high revving cars, simply because of the abundance of natural low end torque that single valve turbo motors make.

Rupert, does this "look" like a good school........ ??????
Oh, Renaults too......

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/k.strauss/keepyour%20eyeon%20the%20road.wmv

Classic

the 2nd place driver's girlfriend looking after her man's interests

[Alpineandy]

Fuego mega nutter ... in another mag

Track and race car the one with the CCC style cover.

Nothing beats a bit of experience with a car.....some of the people who do the speed series have had fairly ordinary cars for years and produce astounding results because they wear their cars like gloves and know what theyre doing. The low down torque of the GTA is worth a bit too....as I said at the beginning dont get hung up on power....handling, brakes, balance and knowing your car can overcome big power differences....unless you are racing chavs on the road outside MacDonalds (and I'm beginning to worry Clee!!! )

Racing Chavs You must mean the old Vauxhall chavette Don't see any of those, mostly Novas these days Grandad ................

I noticed on one of the track day vids with your GTA there was a strange noise in the background OK my dad was quick to point out it was a TR7 V8, I have to ask How did the GTA go against the TR7 V8 at that venue? i know with the TR's there is such a difference with each cars spec i.e. 3500 v8----5000ccV8 +, Stage 1,2,3 heads n so on, i ask because he has a 4.6 in his soon to be 4.8, just wondering has you mentiond what the GTA looses on power can it make up on its high spec (compared to a TR) suspension ect, im sure you must come up against them a lot
Ill have to come n watch next year

It was indeed a TR8.....think he came 3rd about 4 seconds down. It was fairly tatty but he has had the car for years and is a seasoned campaigner......he was also running illegal sticky tyres (they are legal in Scotland but not in the class in England and the event was meant to be run to English rules) but I didnt have the heart to complain....once it was obvious I was going to beat him!! His car was midly tuned running cams carbs and exhausts....so he probably had just over 200bhp a few les than me.

Forget all the above and get yourselves on a motorsport data acquisition short course - fit some wheel speed sensors, engine rpm and throttle, dash display and logger. Plug in lap top down load, lay laps over each other and see where you are losing time on track days etc, will soon get your speed up when analysing the data. I work for the National College for Motorsport as well as having a passion for Alpines/Renaults - we even have some formula renaults at the college at Silverstone. A 2 day course with top experts supplying and working with top Moto GP/Super Bikes and F1 will sort you out. Our next course is December 6th and 7th and costs £430 each. Our course is in partnership with a company who supplies the top MOTO GP riders and F1 teams with sensors and loggers - cant get this course anywhere else - we'll sort you out!

Cheers

James - www.nc4m.ac.uk - jpowell@tresham.ac.uk

Was that an advert??

I think so..... had the looks and contents of one
and he obviously doesn't know what the for sale and wanted section is for

and..... he could at least halve the price to make it attractive! I think he should have a look at the logging system I have in the spider and give some free consultation to wet our appitites first