Hey all, first off sorry if i'm asking lame questions but i couldn't seem to fing the answers using the search.

first off i come from a background of hot hatches ie R5 turbos, 205 gti's etc and wondered how driving these sort of cars compares in terms of performance? i'm not looking to build a motor that requires superhuman skill to drive just something a bit different.

i bought the book and have been reading it for some time and i'm still trying to figure out how long the build time take for a amature with passion to build (i dont have a trouble and strife and/or sprogs to hold me back)

does anybody have a recomended "simplist" build?

many thanks

arghghgh a chav builder might see the first burberry interior lol

hello and welcome, regards to your question, i've been out in many 7 style cars becs and cecs and as of yet we've never been left at the lights, if that answers your question. kits weigh much less that corsa'a with big stereos

hi mate depends what engine you want
but all have superb handling and have a low centre of gravity etc etc

my r1 MK does almost 60mph in first gear and gets there inbetween the late 3's early 4's

I was driving it round yesterday and had some powerful cars try and keep up with me for about 1 second

and when I say these pull away from most modded cars I mean pull away

up to 100mph it would take one hell of a super car to beat you

you have to respect the car otherwise it will be in control and its a bit phsyco at times

You don't have to be superhuman to drive one of these cars but it helps.

Seriously these can be very fast cars and they dont have much in the way of protection for their occupants so they should be treated with respect.

If you are used to driving hot hatches fast and safely then you are probably going to enjoy one of these cars too. You will have to get your head round rear wheel drive, and understand that these cars are very much more sensitive to suspension setup, tyre pressures etc, etc

As for time, if you want a quick build get a kit. I believe a lot of the time in building your own chassis etc is taken up with thinking and planning time, so the ususal supspects MK, MNR, MAC#1 etc are worth considering.

HTH

Cheers

Mark

Welcome to the madhouse. To answer your first question, there really is no comparison between a hot hatch and a seven. They're not in the same league.

If you have the necessary skills to build your own chassis, then you may want to go down that route. Alternatively, if you want to get on the road a bit quicker, you could always consider buying a kit. It really depends on what your skills are and how much you want to spend.

Lastly, have you ever considered a bike engine?......................

First of all - the driving experience will be absolutely nothing like a hot hatch! At the moment I am driving a Golf GTi turbo, which is a very nice car, but it doesn't give the raw excitement of my '7'. The low weight gives tremendous acceleration, even with a small-ish engine like mine (around 100bhp), and it has incredible road-holding. Think street-legal go-kart.

On the flip-side, it's nowhere near as comfortable, you get wet when it rains, wind will batter you about, and you will spend more time fiddling with the car. None of these factors stop me enjoying the driving of this car!

I can't speak about build time, but to keep it to the shortest possible, buy a decent kit from the range of suppliers that many will recommend here. Some have finished their builds in under 6 months of part-time work. If you're prepared to pay a heap of money for a Westfield kit you could do it in 7 or 8 days, if you put 8 or 10 hours in per day.

The MOST important thing is to realise that a car like this is a big boy's toy to play with now and again, rather than an every-day runabout (although a few do).

David

" chav builder might see the first burberry interior" an inspired idea but no! i wasnt that kind of hot hatch driver, the reason i drove car like that was so that i could get to work but also take it to castle combe ( i lived about 5min away) at the weekend. Now i'm starting to get a bit older i think its time for a more dedicated track car and a shed for getting to/from work.

Mookaloid mentions MK, MNR, MAC#1 as a good suppliers of kits, do you knowlagable folk agree with him

i know is gonna be months away but i have to ask a sensible question how do you go about getting insurance for these types of car? do you have special deals with insurers?

many thanks again

Hi, welcome to the nut house

Any of the manufacturers listed on this site are good places to start. Luego recently went bust, so might be wise to steer clear of them at the moment...

Get in touch with a few of the manufacturers, take rides in their cars. Speak to them and see who you get along with. Everyone on here is biased to a certain opinion as to who the best manufacturer is.

Take your time deciding. If you have any questions, ask and someone will be able to help. We are a helpful bunch really!

David

PS dont listen to Hellfire...he tells everyone to fit a bike engine....

Thanks for the warm welcome people

a bike engine sounds fun prob goes like stink and is gonna wee the neighbours off something rotten when i fire it up (all good things)

but due to living in Nottingham atm (speed camera city) anything too quick is gonna reduce me to pedestrian status again

yes mate sorry if my burberry comments come across as rude, i have a mk indy very nice cars if there built right, however mmr mac one etc etc are all in my opinion are all as good/bad as each other. i love my indy and had the 1st drive in it wednesday, loved every min of it. might be worth seeing if anyone local to you will let you have a ride along in there kit

So whats the betting that a certain person posts an MK advert in this thread?

Even a 1300 crossflow would out accelerate the vast majority of hot hatches on the road, so your licence is in serious jeopardy!

Come to Newark next month, have a ride, dont' jump into anything without researching.

Marcus

i think he's busy getting someone to pump his tyres up or he'll be eating donuts whilst watching.

If you're in Nottingham, then the Newark show is just up the road - well worth a nose around, even though it's not a big venue for kit suppliers.

David

On a more serious note:
We don't know where in the country you are but a strong consideration for many is location of the manufacturer relative to the builder.
It's no fun if you have a 2 or 3 hundred mile round trip if you need to visit!
This was one of the deceiding factors in my choice.
Remember you will not have the luxury of being able to pop to your nearest main agent when you have a problem.
You either sort it yourself (with help from here) or go to the manufacturer!

insurance on a kit car is mega cheap

age 22 nissan skyline GTr and 300zx swb tt

=£3000

now r1 indy would wee on my above old cars up to 100mph

£400


explain that one to me

"yes mate sorry if my burberry comments come across as rude"
No worries i thought i was funny! i just have a dark side to me which wishes a slow and painfull death to all chavs hence the disgust at being included in their ranks!

thanks again for pointing me in the right direction for good kit producers, i gonna hunt round them for some ideas, then harass you guys for more information when i have a better idea of what my plan is

the newark show looks spot on i think i'll be going to that is anybody else going?

Most of the major manufacturers will be there, as will a good selection of cars.

Living in Nottingham would make you quite close to MK...........

Pop round on any Saturday morning and take a look.

Disclaimer - Other manufacturers do exist (so people say)

PS - Have I mentioned bike engines??

LOL

let me guess you work for MK?? Are they likely to be at the show?

as for bike engines, i think i might fit a lawn mower engine so i can keep my licence for now

No I don't work for MK Just another satisfied customer Yes, MK will be at the Newark show.

You can drive slowly through speed cameras, even with a bike engine.

[Edited on 19-5-06 by Hellfire]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Hellfire
No I don't work for MK Just another satisfied customer Yes, MK will be at the Newark show.

You can drive slowly through speed cameras, even with a bike engine.

[Edited on 19-5-06 by Hellfire]

---

^

Has anyone mentioned bike engines yet !

This came up this morning.

Cl ick Here

If I wasn't already building I'd take a serious look.

Plenty of parts at a knock down price, alot of the hard work done and looks a nice job.

Possibly well worth collecting from London too. User is on here as Reck you could U2U him also.

[Edited on 19/5/06 by pajsh]

Wannabe,

Welcome.

I'm going to be the first and say have a look at Luego. They had probs last month which resulted in them closing. The co now has new owners/management who I think are going to need a mention or two.

There's a few on here who are building/have built, so if quality can be matched......

ATB

Simon

After all this time an arguments I feel I have to ask the question

where abouts do you put the pedals in a bec?
how have you all gone about converting the shimano gear system to the axle?
do you replace the steering wheel with the handlebars?

CEC's rule especially XE's

Oh and by the way welcome to the site mate. Ask as many questions as you like even the stupid ones will get a reply on here (usually from the bec crowd)

The problem with the bike bars is that the bell catches the dash board !

LOL I waited all day yesterday for someone to take the bait and no one did.Reminds me of when I went fishing