172 not as quick as I thought.

[viceroy]

Maybe its just me...
Maybe its the 93 octane fuel and 1500m altitude...
Maybe I got a dud car...

...but my mk1 172 isnt the monster I always imagined it to be.

Look I can get wheelspin in second, Ive toasted modified Honda Civic Vtecs (admit it wasnt a R-type but simply the 1.6 118kW version), ive taken Uno Turbos, ive even beaten a 540i (which most people tell me was impossible, but I was there and his wheelspin off the line tells me he was trying).

Apart from the 1st gear pull from about 4000rpm till the 5000rpm burst of power all the way till the gear change light comes on, Im just not too impressed with the car.

Maybe I need to try a track day, maybe I need a little piece of paper which will remind me of how quickly I can get the car to cover 400m, maybe I need to get down to a newly discovered hooning spot near me, but Im just a bit disappointed in the car. Even when I bought it I had this nagging thought that that yes, its much faster than my 1.4 16V Clio but its just not what I thought it was going to be.

Do I need a shrink? Do i need a V6? Maybe the power Im lusting after can only be found in a 5 litre V8 (but then again I like small cars so a V8 monster would be...well...would be just too large).

Sigh...what do i do? Im broke so I cant modify the engine. Im a motor engeneering nightmare (I open up the bonnet, look at the battery and say "Wonder what this thing is for?" )

I need help peeps and I need it now...

If every member could mail 1 pound to the "Help viceroy out fund" I should have enough banana leaves to get myself a decent decat zorst, a Unichip, a nice replacement air filter and maybe even a new fuel pressure regulator.

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[geordiepaul]

Youve just got used to it mate! I think exactly the same but all you have to do is drive something else. Got into my old Saxo the other day, it was like driving a tank!!!

 

[viceroy]

Maybe I should drive my gfs 76 1600L beetle for a while

 

[VR6man]

buy an Evo 5 / 6

that should help u with any definition of "fast" or slow...

 

[Steveold]

Na get a scooby P1

 

[VR6man]

true

but P1s are still $$$$$ expensive

u can get evo 5s for around £15 - £16.5 k.. lowish mileage.....

 

[RobFenn]

Chop off the roof and lose the doors, then youll ge the sensation of speed back, guaranteed!

 

[Steveold]

Yeah might be expensive but I dont like evos so a scooby anyday....

 

[VR6man]

well if cost didnt come into it, id have bought McClaren F1 !!!

 

[RobFenn]

I dont like scoobys orrrr evos, theyre ugly and such an obvious choice, and scoobys are especially a bit too easy to drive.

 

[rt172]

Surely that altitude and petrol has more to do with the car not being that quick than anything else. I think you need a car with forced induction.

I wonder if nitrous would help even things up a bit? Itd give your engine that bit more oxygen.

Rhys

 

[viceroy]

Ive thought about nitrous but Im not totally convinced it wont kill the engine a lot earlier because of the crappy fuel here

Toolmantim had nitrous and he was saying it wore the cogs very badly

 

[VR6man]

hmm

new scoobies i dont like... i think they are much less attractive than the original shape ones..

the P1 is very nice... dont think it can be called ugly to be honest..

Evos yes.. an acquired taste i would agree with all the bulges and vents etc. but i think "agressive" more than "ugly" is a better description

but each to their own etc. !!

 

[RobFenn]

Ok id probably agree the P1 and the 22B arent ugly, but theyre not good looking. Theyre thugish. Same with the EVO 5.6,7..7 being the best in my view as its a more clean look. The new EVO 8 is disgusting, as it had to be designed with US crash test laws in mind.

Maybe its because im an arty farty designer? lol. I like italian and french cars, flair is my thing and also these american concept cars, oh and the new Aston DB8, wow!

 

[VR6man]

fair enough

im just a thug (or want to be one!!)

i know where u are coming from though.... they do have a certain image....

 

[RobFenn]

Which makes it annoying when they toast me!

 

[rt172]

viceroy - can you not use octane boosters as well? Or is it that the actual quality of the fuel is poor?

Rhys

 

[viceroy]

The fuel is just plain rubbish...its ok for your 1.2 run around but for highly tuned engines is just not on.

I could get hold of some 102 racing fuel but I think that is leaded.

At the coast I could get 97 but the 0-60 time for the 172 there is only 7.78 which I can only attribute to fuel quality

 

[BenS]

Give your car a bit of thrashing in first 3 gears each week. Helps loosen the engine and keeps engine from becoming sluggish.

I do about 50 miles a day and sometimes find the Cup slightly slower one day but then extremely fast the next day.

Im sure these cars have mood swings!!

 

[teady172]

Viceroy,

Surely other cars must be affected accordingly. i.e. if the 540 over here runs 0-60 in 5.8(whatever) then over there it should run nearer 7 seconds.

Personally if I were you Id either cut my losses and go big, or ship yourself and your car over to bonnie Scotland. The 172 loves the cold dense air over here, it just flies. I gaurantee youll be shocked, cold, but shocked!

 

[viceroy]

The 540 does a 6.8 here, probably quicker as thats BMWs claimed time with a 68kg driver, 7kg luggage and a 90% full tank ,but whether thats at sea level or up here at altitude, Im not sure.

Hmmm, ship myself out to Scotland...my brothers there...you think he might let me sleep on the floor of his flat??...that way I might be able to bring the car with me and still be able to insure / run it

 

[Scudetto]

i think the 172 probably is fast, but it doesnt convey the sensation of speed that well. Sometimes from rest, I rocket away and Im soon hitting 80mph. I think, hmmmm, that didnt feel very special, but then I think, sheesh, how the hell did I get to 80mph so damn quickly! Its the perception of speed that the C172 lacks.

g

 

[172man]

?

 

[Scudetto]

what I meant was (and Im sorry to bring out that old chestnut) at 40mph, my Alfa felt like it was doing 60mph...may be its to do with noise, improved soundproofing, general increases in refinement over the years that sits between the driver and the car and sometimes dilutes the sensations - imagine how remote a Lexus must feel to drive compared to an Elise. As one of the mags said, the C172 lacks a raw edge. So it is fast, but for one or all of the reasons above doesnt feel as fast as it actually is. Hope that helps.

g

 

[scott8629]

I am feeling the same about my Cup.

The other night on a lonely dual carage way I was driving aroung this sweeping right hander at about 80 mph in 5th, in the left hand lane was a saab 93 (dont know if turbo or not) as the road straightens he boots it and so do I (still in 5th) he is really edginging forward now, so I put it in to 4th and he is now in front of me, I change up into 5th as I was running out of revs. Then he is about 3 car lenghts in front, he then comes off on to the slip road and I carry on home.

It was just me in the car hardly any fuel, my cup has done about 2900miles and he really whooped my arse.

I needs some mods to improve the breathing on this car as It feels strangled over 90 MPH.

Scott

 

[teady172]

Id hope it was a turbo Scott. Hell have more low down torque, so technically he accelerated first, so I would have thought there would have been no way you should have caught him, the down change to fourth would have lot you time also! I cant say Im surprised it pulled away from you though, those Saab Turbos are quick!

 

[scott8629]

Yeah, we will meet again on a twisty road!

However I still would like to improve the breathing at the top end.

Is there any of those ram style filters avalable like the ones for the saxo?

Scott

 

[rt172]

scott - my 172 was barely run in by 12000 miles (when I sold it ), every 1000 miles the engine felt looser and the car felt faster. I even got whooped from some traffic lights by an......argggh.....XR2!!!! That was when I had about 1500 miles on it. Dont worry.......it will loosen up. Until then, avaoid Saab turbos

Rhys

 

[RobFenn]

Youre always going to get used to speed in a straight line, thats why i question people for going mad on their engines when weight, suspension and brakes are the key. Going fast around corners is much more exciting because every bend is different, and you can gain confidence and skill to go faster round them.

 

[172man]

that engines tooo new saabs r fat