Why are people Breaking their High Spec'd Starlets ?

[Monkfish]

I broke mine because I realised big bhp starlet tuning was a big anticlimax, that in the quest for pub figures the car had become undriveable to the point that I prefered taking my folks car out instead of the GT - It took me a year or so to realise that this was probably my main reason, but having driven some of the well setup GTs that Trevor imported, I realised that response tuning was the future.

I've been saying for a long ass time now that big power in a FWD Starlet was a pointless venture. Don't get me wrong, they're fantastic little cars and box way above their weight, but there is a limit to driveability and power deliver. The EP chassis is too light and too wobbly to shove big power through the front wheels. Keep the power sensible, keep the responsiveness high and spend the money making it turn and stop faster. That's where it's at. You hear that? That's the sound of lots of pennies dropping to the floor.

But yeh, I've always wondered why people spend an absolute fucking fortune modding a car to a given spec, then selling it. There was a Mk4 Supra posted some time ago (may have been on a different forum) and the guy had apparently spent what I earn in 3 odd years making this Supra run massive power. The engine had done about 100 road miles and he was selling up. What's the point?

 

[Phil]

what big power in a starlet though? or too big in your opinion?

Phil

 

[Monkfish]

what big power in a starlet though? or too big in your opinion?

250+, although torque would count too. The Focus RS just about manages to handle the 300 or so bhp that it slings through its front wheels and that's been designed specifically for it by a team of engineers using high powered computers with a massive budget. Expecting an EP to do that when it is significanly under-engineered compared to, and quite a bit lighter than, the RS is a bit much.

Like I said though, that's not to say the EP isn't a fantastic car, it is, but there are limits to what you can do before the Pub BHP Bragging War gets a bit daft. Feh.

 

[aaronw]

when i bought dantheman's 294bhp/300lbs gt off him,i honestly rarly drove it,i loved the idea of the power it had ect (which is why i travelled from montrose to london for it) but everything needed setting up or adjusting so i thought fuck it and sold it after bout 3months of ownership,altho i made money off it,that was the only gain.

didnt appreciate it cuz i didnt put any effort into the build myself either.

through that experience id never buy a high spec'd gt off anyone again ,id much rather put the extra time and effort into building one myself,id know it was done right and learn alot about my gt along the way.

 

[weakboy2]

nothing wrong with 250+ bhp in a starlet.

 

[wee-jo]

nothing wrong with 250+ bhp in a starlet.

x2, thats what i'm aiming for when I get mine back, dunno whether the 250 figure will be atf or atw, probably be too hard to control atw:drive:

 

[Animal GT]

x2, thats what i'm aiming for when I get mine back, dunno whether the 250 figure will be atf or atw, probably be too hard to control atw:drive:

nothin wrong with a 300+ starlet either:rockon: just haven another car makes it even better i suppose

 

[Captain Starlet]

250+, although torque would count too. The Focus RS just about manages to handle the 300 or so bhp that it slings through its front wheels and that's been designed specifically for it by a team of engineers using high powered computers with a massive budget. Expecting an EP to do that when it is significanly under-engineered compared to, and quite a bit lighter than, the RS is a bit much.

Like I said though, that's not to say the EP isn't a fantastic car, it is, but there are limits to what you can do before the Pub BHP Bragging War gets a bit daft. Feh.

Yeah i see what you mean but people spend thousands on upgrading suspension,diffs to bring the ep into times and sortof put the power down.

 

[Iain@CRD]

250+bhp certainly aint undriveable in a Starlet, its folk who havn't drove one at that power that jump to assumptions for some reason of the non-experience on that topic.

Its all about how u drive, i find 270bhp absolutely fine in the Starlet, yes it chews through tyres but thats all part of the fun and again how you drive it. In the dry im gripping in 3rd no worries with a stock lsd, so i cant see how its undriveable, it plods along in town fine also, yes the 550's make it kangeroo at lower speeds but if i was bothered i wouldnt of spent the money on her.

But i also have a second car that i use from time to time to run about in but love jumping in the Starlet after a few days.

 

[Monkfish]

250+bhp certainly aint undriveable in a Starlet, its folk who havn't drove one at that power that jump to assumptions for some reason of the non-experience on that topic.

Its all about how u drive, i find 270bhp absolutely fine in the Starlet, yes it chews through tyres but thats all part of the fun and again how you drive it. In the dry im gripping in 3rd no worries with a stock lsd, so i cant see how its undriveable, it plods along in town fine also, yes the 550's make it kangeroo at lower speeds but if i was bothered i wouldnt of spent the money on her.

I've not driven a 250bhp+ one, I have no desire to. My 180bhp GT was handful enough. The chassis just isn't up to the job of taming large power and putting it to the ground. You've just said yourself that you have no worries putting power down in third when it's dry. Third! So basically, it's fast as hell once you've got it to 50 and found some grip? Fuck that. Go and drive something with properly sorted standard suspension (Puma, MX-5, MR2 etc) down a twisty A/B road, you'll see exactly where I'm coming from.

 

[sx_turbo]

the people that say 200bhp or 180bhp is a handful really get on my nerves, i have had 2 gt's at that sort of power and quite frankly it wasnt a handful at all.


when i had my car tuned on the td04 hybrid (albeit a bit down on power) it was 256bhp @ fly and it had absolutely no problem putting the power down in 2nd and 3rd

if you sort out the chassis with the relevent bushes roll bars suspension and lsd it's really not an issue.

imo monkfish you shouldnt comment unless you have personal experience of a starlet with over 200bhp, i was highly dissapointed when i fitted my hybrid ct9 with 200bhp@ fly because i listened to people like you who said it would be a handful bla bla bla and quite frankly it wasnt, yes it was fast but certainly not a handful.

i have driven an mx-5 and a puma and quite frankly was very unimpressed, i'm not a starlet lover and on a mission to poo poo everything else out there like the majority of this site, as there are much better handling cars like evo's imprezas, set leons, golf gti's the list is endless.

but....

you can with a few choice mods get a starlet on a very good par with the above.



back on topic,

there are many different reasons why people break there cars, some are personal, some are just cos there bored, some are because they got themselves stuck financially, some to pay for the next project, some end up having family's some decide to get a place of there own and have to sell to fund for the deposit on a flat/house, some decide there to old to play boyracers, etc etc etc etc

 

[Monkfish]

A Seat Leon and a Golf GTi handles better than an MX-5?

Oh deary me. :haha:

 

[sx_turbo]

A Seat Leon and a Golf GTi handles better than an MX-5?

Oh deary me. :haha:

i bet my bottom dollar the new shape ones do,



you compared the mx-5 in the same league as a puma and there worlds apart.

the mx-5 is a great car in it's own right, as is a starlet gt/glanza etc,

but just because you own one doesnt make it the best thing since sliced bread,

 

[Dane_Bristol]

Well i have driven my starlet in many different stages 140 atf, 190 atf, 200 atf, 220 atf, 270 atf and now 323 bhp atf and i wouldn't swap the power i have now for a lower powered setup i love the power i have at the moment and want more to be honest its like an addiction and you do get bored of the power and want more, perhaps that's just me but i have experienced it in majority of hp categories.

 

[Animal GT]

Well i have driven my starlet in many different stages 140 atf, 190 atf, 200 atf, 220 atf, 270 atf and now 323 bhp atf and i wouldn't swap the power i have now for a lower powered setup i love the power i have at the moment and want more to be honest its like an addiction and you do get bored of the power and want more, perhaps that's just me but i have experienced it in majority of hp categories.

x2 am the exact same,but theres only so much ya can do to these engines

 

[Dane_Bristol]

x2 am the exact same,but theres only so much ya can do to these engines

Yeah you are right but its like a money pit i have not even done headwork, inlet manifold, throttle body, CAMS etc the list can go on but you have to draw the line somewhere lol but i cant !! .

 

[Animal GT]

Yeah you are right but its like a money pit i have not even done headwork, inlet manifold, throttle body, CAMS etc the list can go on but you have to draw the line somewhere lol but i cant !! .

shouldnt be sayin this ,but see i have all that my road is finished now.. time to enjoy it now am been told..
ps: i dont tink its needed tbh mate..way to much money for nowhere near the gains you tink youl get..thrust me

 

[Dane_Bristol]

shouldnt be sayin this ,but see i have all that my road is finished now.. time to enjoy it now am been told..
ps: i dont tink its needed tbh mate..way to much money for nowhere near the gains you tink youl get..thrust me

Yes, i do agree matey hence why i have not really rushed to do it instead i can cope with a few 100 rpm loss and stick a slightly bigger exhaust housing on the turbo instead if i wanted more power.

 

[Phil]

shouldnt be sayin this ,but see i have all that my road is finished now.. time to enjoy it now am been told..
ps: i dont tink its needed tbh mate..way to much money for nowhere near the gains you tink youl get..thrust me

quoted incase you delete this post at a later date LOL

some more of the spec outa the bag rofl

i really wanna run in your gt sean. see what a 4e can do.

Phil

 

[Animal GT]

quoted incase you delete this post at a later date LOL

some more of the spec outa the bag rofl

i really wanna run in your gt sean. see what a 4e can do.

Phil

wasnt going to delete it mate!! who knows i could be talkin utter crap an widin you guys up???
LOL

spin??no probs at all phil..