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So who really thinks their 260 is fast??
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It hasn't been started due to some pretty serious health issues, once I'm sorted I will be back on track with the conversion.
Its actually my wifes main car and i have already bought her a converible Mini so I can take the V8 off the road when the time comes.
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Still not started, I have everything waiting to go and the wife now uses her Mini all the time no so it wont be a problem having the car off the road. I want to wait another few months to make sure my health issues don't return, the big C is never predictable!
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although as much as a fan i am of the ZT V8, in standard form is a bit boring to be honest. Adding an accufab certainly liven things up with better throttle response. having removed mine to sell and returning it to standard its a little boring now. Although i haven't driven a zt 400 i imagine its much better and given the cars weight is more suited and should have been from the offset.
Now i own a cerbera which can't really compare to the zt as the power 420 compared to 256, and just over a ton compared to nearly 2 tonnes. I feel 400bhp in th zt should have been a bench mark from the beginning
Now i own a cerbera which can't really compare to the zt as the power 420 compared to 256, and just over a ton compared to nearly 2 tonnes. I feel 400bhp in th zt should have been a bench mark from the beginning
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Hi Guys I have owned my ZTT 260 for three months now and still love driving it. It isnt going to set the world on fire but its the best car i have owned. At 63 im no boy racer and most of my driving is motorway based so it fast enough for me. Just love driving it 
Hi all just picked my zt260 #439 up today and do i think its fast? in the past two years i have had a e55 amg 476bhp and a s55 same engine and a a8 audi. I think the question is a none starter can a 190 go sideways? 10 times round a roundabout? or a flick into a bend there are drivers and drivers,, is there a mod for the passanger door for a wiper... well it would need to be a little wet as its only 260..... lol
Am i wrong??
Have you ever drove a mk rs2000 sutch fun ,,,,, i may shock a few but have you drove a s type jag manual....? there so well balances just like a mk2 escort/////
I hope its a fun car we will cccc. well with some more power first.
Am i wrong??
Have you ever drove a mk rs2000 sutch fun ,,,,, i may shock a few but have you drove a s type jag manual....? there so well balances just like a mk2 escort/////
I hope its a fun car we will cccc. well with some more power first.
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As I'm the thread starter I guess those questions are directed at me?
Can a 190 power oversteer? No it can't but its a very capable car on track, you would be very surprised! In my line of work I get to drive several RS2000's, some with in excess of 400hp ;-) . No I haven't driven an S type but I do have a 700hp Escort Cosworth that I've driven in RWD mode (switchable sequential box) as you say ... There are drivers and there are drivers!! hahahaha!
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Martin - certainly not trying to pick a fight with you because I'm in the market for some Compomotive MOs for my ZT400, just fitted winter tyres to the OEM alloys and am interested in slightly wider rims for summer so I can fit slightly wider rubber and end up with tyres lasting longer than 3000 miles with my girlfriend driving.
But your thread title really does sound a bit of a troll doesn't it?
Saying 'who really thinks their car is quick' and then saying we all drive 'slugs' - when you're sitting there with a 700 bhp 4wd Escort... well yeah, most cars will feel like 'slugs' compared to what looks like a rallycross machine with monstrous power.
The ZT V8 is, what, 1800 kg? Yeah, that's heavy, but is it heavier than similarly sized large-engined sports saloons? It's got a lot of torque, but there are two main problems with the standard car.
1. The gearing is so long in the lower gears that there's little torque multiplier. I guess it's long because it's not a fast shift until you learn the gearbox, but the benefit of long gears is that they have a large range. With a big flat torque curve, you can leave the car in 3rd for any B road driving and 4th for anything up to very illegal speeds.
2. The standard engine can't breathe. Both intake and exhaust manifolding is tortuous, and the engine design itself isn't a high revver.
Calling the car a 'slug' though is flamebait, and it's testament to the maturity of the car's legion of owners that nobody has bitten. After all, it's not as if the majority of owners only bought them because they were cheap, and don't give much of a damn - most of the cars are owned by owner's club members, and are enthusiasts who love the cars.
The reason it 'feels' slow is the gearing and the rev range. Hence it's very deceptive and you only realise that it's a quick car when you actually *race* someone else. Forget standing starts and urban 0-50 dashes - even though the power-to-weight on my car (400 bhp, 430 lb ft) is reasonable, I can't get traction. Rolling dual-carriageway / motorway 'races' against other 'quick' saloons remind me that the Growler is actually pretty nippy.
When I think of the word 'fast' though, I think of insane acceleration, immediate transients, cricket-bat-to-face braking, and snap-snap-snap gearchanges, along with a screaming engine that revs high. You can have a 'fast' car with a top speed of 120 mph (some Caterhams won't go that fast flat out). My other car feels 'fast' to me - it's nothing like your 700 bhp Escort but it's fast compared to virtually everything else on the road, and can also drive to Switzerland in a day without being uncomfortable to the driver and passenger. It's a 240 bhp Lotus Exige PP. It feels fast.
The Growler doesn't feel fast but it's not far off the power-to-weight and well above the torque-to-weight. The difference is that the Growler feels like a passenger jet. Aeroplanes (of the passenger variety) don't feel 'fast' to me either. But they hold a steady, substantial acceleration and hold it for a long time. The Lotus is a short series of violent snaps of acceleration, the Growler just pushes hard. By the time I've made 5 gear changes in the Lotus, I'm still in 4th in the Growler (and at 80 mph, the Lotus has trouble staying ahead of the ZT, by 100 mph the ZT is continuing to pull and leaves the Lotus behind).
It's a different experience. But I wouldn't call it 'slow' or a 'slug'. The standard car simply hasn't got the power to be compared with M-division BMWs, you have to look to the supercharged cars (the popularity of which proves the point).
I'd love to see your project come to fruition, it's always great to see creative work and other options, but the reality of the situation is that I'm probably going to uprate the brakes, get slightly wider wheels for wider summer rubber, then ask Brian nicely for a smaller pulley, a remap and see what we can do with breathing to get more power without destroying the transmission. It's torque that limits gearboxes, not power, and since my engine torque drops off a cliff before the magic 5252, I've got more torque than power (in lb ft and bhp) - the transmission seems fine with the torque from my engine, so just getting the thing to breathe and rev another 1000 rpm (holding the same 430 lb ft) would give me more power...
Only *then* will the engine feel *fast* - give the Ford V8 a longer rev range, so you can stay in a lower gear and howl up to high revs with torque multiplier acceleration.
Anyway I love my car and it's only now that I'm going to be using it a LOT more than I'm considering more modifications What about those Compomotive MOs, Martin? Got any photos of 18" wheels on a car without bodywork modifications? I absolutely ADORE Brian's race car but I can't go that far...
But your thread title really does sound a bit of a troll doesn't it?
Saying 'who really thinks their car is quick' and then saying we all drive 'slugs' - when you're sitting there with a 700 bhp 4wd Escort... well yeah, most cars will feel like 'slugs' compared to what looks like a rallycross machine with monstrous power.
The ZT V8 is, what, 1800 kg? Yeah, that's heavy, but is it heavier than similarly sized large-engined sports saloons? It's got a lot of torque, but there are two main problems with the standard car.
1. The gearing is so long in the lower gears that there's little torque multiplier. I guess it's long because it's not a fast shift until you learn the gearbox, but the benefit of long gears is that they have a large range. With a big flat torque curve, you can leave the car in 3rd for any B road driving and 4th for anything up to very illegal speeds.
2. The standard engine can't breathe. Both intake and exhaust manifolding is tortuous, and the engine design itself isn't a high revver.
Calling the car a 'slug' though is flamebait, and it's testament to the maturity of the car's legion of owners that nobody has bitten. After all, it's not as if the majority of owners only bought them because they were cheap, and don't give much of a damn - most of the cars are owned by owner's club members, and are enthusiasts who love the cars.
The reason it 'feels' slow is the gearing and the rev range. Hence it's very deceptive and you only realise that it's a quick car when you actually *race* someone else. Forget standing starts and urban 0-50 dashes - even though the power-to-weight on my car (400 bhp, 430 lb ft) is reasonable, I can't get traction. Rolling dual-carriageway / motorway 'races' against other 'quick' saloons remind me that the Growler is actually pretty nippy.
When I think of the word 'fast' though, I think of insane acceleration, immediate transients, cricket-bat-to-face braking, and snap-snap-snap gearchanges, along with a screaming engine that revs high. You can have a 'fast' car with a top speed of 120 mph (some Caterhams won't go that fast flat out). My other car feels 'fast' to me - it's nothing like your 700 bhp Escort but it's fast compared to virtually everything else on the road, and can also drive to Switzerland in a day without being uncomfortable to the driver and passenger. It's a 240 bhp Lotus Exige PP. It feels fast.
The Growler doesn't feel fast but it's not far off the power-to-weight and well above the torque-to-weight. The difference is that the Growler feels like a passenger jet. Aeroplanes (of the passenger variety) don't feel 'fast' to me either. But they hold a steady, substantial acceleration and hold it for a long time. The Lotus is a short series of violent snaps of acceleration, the Growler just pushes hard. By the time I've made 5 gear changes in the Lotus, I'm still in 4th in the Growler (and at 80 mph, the Lotus has trouble staying ahead of the ZT, by 100 mph the ZT is continuing to pull and leaves the Lotus behind).
It's a different experience. But I wouldn't call it 'slow' or a 'slug'. The standard car simply hasn't got the power to be compared with M-division BMWs, you have to look to the supercharged cars (the popularity of which proves the point).
I'd love to see your project come to fruition, it's always great to see creative work and other options, but the reality of the situation is that I'm probably going to uprate the brakes, get slightly wider wheels for wider summer rubber, then ask Brian nicely for a smaller pulley, a remap and see what we can do with breathing to get more power without destroying the transmission. It's torque that limits gearboxes, not power, and since my engine torque drops off a cliff before the magic 5252, I've got more torque than power (in lb ft and bhp) - the transmission seems fine with the torque from my engine, so just getting the thing to breathe and rev another 1000 rpm (holding the same 430 lb ft) would give me more power...
Only *then* will the engine feel *fast* - give the Ford V8 a longer rev range, so you can stay in a lower gear and howl up to high revs with torque multiplier acceleration.
Anyway I love my car and it's only now that I'm going to be using it a LOT more than I'm considering more modifications
What about those Compomotive MOs, Martin? Got any photos of 18" wheels on a car without bodywork modifications? I absolutely ADORE Brian's race car but I can't go that far...
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Did you actually read the first post on this thread? Anyhow....Martin - certainly not trying to pick a fight with you because I'm in the market for some Compomotive MOs for my ZT400, just fitted winter tyres to the OEM alloys and am interested in slightly wider rims for summer so I can fit slightly wider rubber and end up with tyres lasting longer than 3000 miles with my girlfriend driving.
But your thread title really does sound a bit of a troll doesn't it?
Saying 'who really thinks their car is quick' and then saying we all drive 'slugs' - when you're sitting there with a 700 bhp 4wd Escort... well yeah, most cars will feel like 'slugs' compared to what looks like a rallycross machine with monstrous power.
The ZT V8 is, what, 1800 kg? Yeah, that's heavy, but is it heavier than similarly sized large-engined sports saloons? It's got a lot of torque, but there are two main problems with the standard car.
1. The gearing is so long in the lower gears that there's little torque multiplier. I guess it's long because it's not a fast shift until you learn the gearbox, but the benefit of long gears is that they have a large range. With a big flat torque curve, you can leave the car in 3rd for any B road driving and 4th for anything up to very illegal speeds.
2. The standard engine can't breathe. Both intake and exhaust manifolding is tortuous, and the engine design itself isn't a high revver.
Calling the car a 'slug' though is flamebait, and it's testament to the maturity of the car's legion of owners that nobody has bitten. After all, it's not as if the majority of owners only bought them because they were cheap, and don't give much of a damn - most of the cars are owned by owner's club members, and are enthusiasts who love the cars.
The reason it 'feels' slow is the gearing and the rev range. Hence it's very deceptive and you only realise that it's a quick car when you actually *race* someone else. Forget standing starts and urban 0-50 dashes - even though the power-to-weight on my car (400 bhp, 430 lb ft) is reasonable, I can't get traction. Rolling dual-carriageway / motorway 'races' against other 'quick' saloons remind me that the Growler is actually pretty nippy.
When I think of the word 'fast' though, I think of insane acceleration, immediate transients, cricket-bat-to-face braking, and snap-snap-snap gearchanges, along with a screaming engine that revs high. You can have a 'fast' car with a top speed of 120 mph (some Caterhams won't go that fast flat out). My other car feels 'fast' to me - it's nothing like your 700 bhp Escort but it's fast compared to virtually everything else on the road, and can also drive to Switzerland in a day without being uncomfortable to the driver and passenger. It's a 240 bhp Lotus Exige PP. It feels fast.
The Growler doesn't feel fast but it's not far off the power-to-weight and well above the torque-to-weight. The difference is that the Growler feels like a passenger jet. Aeroplanes (of the passenger variety) don't feel 'fast' to me either. But they hold a steady, substantial acceleration and hold it for a long time. The Lotus is a short series of violent snaps of acceleration, the Growler just pushes hard. By the time I've made 5 gear changes in the Lotus, I'm still in 4th in the Growler (and at 80 mph, the Lotus has trouble staying ahead of the ZT, by 100 mph the ZT is continuing to pull and leaves the Lotus behind).
It's a different experience. But I wouldn't call it 'slow' or a 'slug'. The standard car simply hasn't got the power to be compared with M-division BMWs, you have to look to the supercharged cars (the popularity of which proves the point).
I'd love to see your project come to fruition, it's always great to see creative work and other options, but the reality of the situation is that I'm probably going to uprate the brakes, get slightly wider wheels for wider summer rubber, then ask Brian nicely for a smaller pulley, a remap and see what we can do with breathing to get more power without destroying the transmission. It's torque that limits gearboxes, not power, and since my engine torque drops off a cliff before the magic 5252, I've got more torque than power (in lb ft and bhp) - the transmission seems fine with the torque from my engine, so just getting the thing to breathe and rev another 1000 rpm (holding the same 430 lb ft) would give me more power...
Only *then* will the engine feel *fast* - give the Ford V8 a longer rev range, so you can stay in a lower gear and howl up to high revs with torque multiplier acceleration.
Anyway I love my car and it's only now that I'm going to be using it a LOT more than I'm considering more modifications
I can't reply to all of that!!!! Way too much.
My reply to you was in response to you asking me if I'd driven all those cars. I was originally saying that the V8 isn't a fast car compared with say a 190 V6. I like the V8 and we still own it but it isn't a fast car. It does have low down grunt but struggles badly as the revs rise, I certainly wouldn't try my luck against a modern diesel at the lights!
Our car has 18" Comps, what width were you thinking of?
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Widest that will fit without rubbing or need bodywork modifications.
My car is the same colour (grey) but is a saloon - if the wheels on your estate don't rub and didn't require any mechanical / bodywork changes, then I'd like the same as you.
I'd go for a silver or dark silver finish, *trying* too keep the car reasonably 'Q'.
Assuming your wheels don't need any other modifications (i.e. you can send me some wheels, I bung on some tyres and fit them to the car, job done), what size have you got there?
And what width tyres are you using (and what aspect ratio to avoid confusing the ABS computer)?
Sorry for all the questions but they're my favourite wheels on the market, and it sounds like I can go a little wider than the OEM 7.5" wheel and get a wider tyre more suited to 430 lb ft torque.
And I've ALWAYS loved the MO design
PS. Martin - this is my first post on this thread - I haven't made any comments earlier so haven't asked you if 'you have driven all those cars' - you must have been thinking of someone else? My rather long post merely stated that IMO the car doesn't *feel* fast, due to the long gearing, but actually *is* fast compared to most road machines. Obviously not 'fast' compared to 700 bhp rallycross race cars or even trackday sportscars like my Exige, but compared to cars built for road journeys. I'd definitely take my chances against a turbodiesel at the lights, assuming I had tyres on the back that could get traction
My car is the same colour (grey) but is a saloon - if the wheels on your estate don't rub and didn't require any mechanical / bodywork changes, then I'd like the same as you.
I'd go for a silver or dark silver finish, *trying* too keep the car reasonably 'Q'.
Assuming your wheels don't need any other modifications (i.e. you can send me some wheels, I bung on some tyres and fit them to the car, job done), what size have you got there?
And what width tyres are you using (and what aspect ratio to avoid confusing the ABS computer)?
Sorry for all the questions but they're my favourite wheels on the market, and it sounds like I can go a little wider than the OEM 7.5" wheel and get a wider tyre more suited to 430 lb ft torque.
And I've ALWAYS loved the MO design
PS. Martin - this is my first post on this thread - I haven't made any comments earlier so haven't asked you if 'you have driven all those cars' - you must have been thinking of someone else? My rather long post merely stated that IMO the car doesn't *feel* fast, due to the long gearing, but actually *is* fast compared to most road machines. Obviously not 'fast' compared to 700 bhp rallycross race cars or even trackday sportscars like my Exige, but compared to cars built for road journeys. I'd definitely take my chances against a turbodiesel at the lights, assuming I had tyres on the back that could get traction
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Widest that will fit without rubbing or need bodywork modifications.
My car is the same colour (grey) but is a saloon - if the wheels on your estate don't rub and didn't require any mechanical / bodywork changes, then I'd like the same as you.
I'd go for a silver or dark silver finish, *trying* too keep the car reasonably 'Q'.
Assuming your wheels don't need any other modifications (i.e. you can send me some wheels, I bung on some tyres and fit them to the car, job done), what size have you got there?
And what width tyres are you using (and what aspect ratio to avoid confusing the ABS computer)?
Sorry for all the questions but they're my favourite wheels on the market, and it sounds like I can go a little wider than the OEM 7.5" wheel and get a wider tyre more suited to 430 lb ft torque.
And I've ALWAYS loved the MO design
PS. Martin - this is my first post on this thread - I haven't made any comments earlier so haven't asked you if 'you have driven all those cars' - you must have been thinking of someone else? My rather long post merely stated that IMO the car doesn't *feel* fast, due to the long gearing, but actually *is* fast compared to most road machines. Obviously not 'fast' compared to 700 bhp rallycross race cars or even trackday sportscars like my Exige, but compared to cars built for road journeys. I'd definitely take my chances against a turbodiesel at the lights, assuming I had tyres on the back that could get traction
Whoops!!!! Really sorry, I was confusing you with someone else!!! Please ignore most of my reply.
Our car has 8x18 all round and at the moment has 235/40x18 tyres , we have had it fully loaded up and no fouling at all. If you want to order some just give me a call on 0121 458 6010.
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Martin - really that easy? What sort of lead times and is the price on the eBay site of £900 a set of 4 around right (or is this for smaller wheels)?
Lead time is the issue - I don't need the wheels until I swap off the winter tyres and wheels. If it's a 6 week wait for the wheels, then I'll order some 6 weeks before the end of April when I fit the summer tyres (winters on until end of ski season, y'see).
Presumably I don't need to know about offsets and PCDs because you already know the correct settings for your car?
I had a set of 235/40 on the back of my OEM wheels but they were the widest I'd comfortably go. What's the next size up I can fit on the 8" Compomotive rim - or should I stay with 235/40? I'm eating tyres every 3000 miles and a fatter set of rears should last me some more time...
I'm very pleased now - not only are my favourite wheels available for my car, but slightly bigger width and they don't spoil the Q-ness of the car *that* much. Damn brilliant. Looking forward to ordering them
Lead time is the issue - I don't need the wheels until I swap off the winter tyres and wheels. If it's a 6 week wait for the wheels, then I'll order some 6 weeks before the end of April when I fit the summer tyres (winters on until end of ski season, y'see).
Presumably I don't need to know about offsets and PCDs because you already know the correct settings for your car?
I had a set of 235/40 on the back of my OEM wheels but they were the widest I'd comfortably go. What's the next size up I can fit on the 8" Compomotive rim - or should I stay with 235/40? I'm eating tyres every 3000 miles and a fatter set of rears should last me some more time...
I'm very pleased now - not only are my favourite wheels available for my car, but slightly bigger width and they don't spoil the Q-ness of the car *that* much. Damn brilliant. Looking forward to ordering them
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Lead time is around 4 weeks, they'd be £870 all in for a set of four. We have used 245/40 tyres but 235 is better on an 8" rim. There is the posibility of fitting 9" on the rear, that's what I'm thinking of doing with our car.Martin - really that easy? What sort of lead times and is the price on the eBay site of £900 a set of 4 around right (or is this for smaller wheels)?
Lead time is the issue - I don't need the wheels until I swap off the winter tyres and wheels. If it's a 6 week wait for the wheels, then I'll order some 6 weeks before the end of April when I fit the summer tyres (winters on until end of ski season, y'see).
Presumably I don't need to know about offsets and PCDs because you already know the correct settings for your car?
I had a set of 235/40 on the back of my OEM wheels but they were the widest I'd comfortably go. What's the next size up I can fit on the 8" Compomotive rim - or should I stay with 235/40? I'm eating tyres every 3000 miles and a fatter set of rears should last me some more time...
I'm very pleased now - not only are my favourite wheels available for my car, but slightly bigger width and they don't spoil the Q-ness of the car *that* much. Damn brilliant. Looking forward to ordering them
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Forgot I was a member of this forum!! I've read most of these posts over the last hour (shows how bored I must be!). All I can say being a regular driver of MG ZT190's and MG ZS180's and owning a MG ZT400 SE is this... Think the comments highlight just how good that KV6 engine is. My ZS180 I still think was as good as it gets, but would I swap my MG ZT400 (or even my previous MG ZT260) for one now? NO WAY! The sound, the comments, the torque and people saying "really?-a Mustang engine?". I'd love to see the finished LSD or whatever it's called, I reckon the drive will be awesome, but the standard MG ZT 260 is just such a well balanced and underrated car. Oh and like most of you guys, I just lurve to lose Audi,BMW and Merc drivers!!!
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