THE ROVER SD1 FORUM

K5 · Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 11:31 am Post subject:

10mpg wrote:

The only bit i belive is the 'indicated' speed as i've run my Vitesse off the clock, once last week on the M4 (ooh err, now watching post very carefully Confused

) so i know theyre capable of indicating it if you have enough clear road and not enough fear of plod..

I have to say though at anything over 110 the SD1 is very flighty and feels unstable you really have to drive it with your fingertips, if you know what i mean!! which is not great when you consider that I had a tuned Saab 900 Aero Turbo before the SD1 of a similar vintage which on a holiday to France would and did cruise all day at 130+with occasional bursts up to 150 when someone else wanted to play.... and felt stable as a rock which is unsurpising when you consider that even the cars manual gave tyre pressures for 130+mph driving so it was obviously designed with it in mind.. and the rover is definatly a 'performance car' maybe the aerodynamis are a bit rubbish at high speed?? (worth it for the looks tho)

My Saab did have the Carlson Bodykit and whaletail rear spoiler but then my Vitesse is the Twin Plenum with both front and rear spoilers so i am really comparing like with like... Question

If you're car feels like that then i would change all the bushes to polyflex and change the suspension. My car feels nothing but planted at high speeds.

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Drives a 4.6 300 BHP TP Vitesse! Wink

SD1 Club Member. Car of the Month Dec 06, winner of Car of the year 2007!

10mpg · Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 5:17 pm Post subject:

that is definatly advice i am doing to take K5 new suspension has been on the cards for a while... still debating wether to go coilover or not... i have heard both good and bad things...

Dont' get me wrong the car dosn't feel unsafe at high speed and it dosnt 'wander' it just seems to lose its great poise that it has under 100ish

also it feels fine at any speed on the motorway where there is nothing to unsettle it its just when your hammering down an a road or similar and actually using the steeing at high speed that it begins to lose confidence...

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"A child of five could understand this. Fetch me a child of five."
Groucho Marx

londonbabe · SD1 User Joined: 05 Jul 2006 Posts: 81

10mpg wrote:

I have to say though at anything over 110 the SD1 is very flighty and feels unstable you really have to drive it with your fingertips, if you know what i mean!! which is not great when you consider that I had a tuned Saab 900 Aero Turbo before the SD1 of a similar vintage which on a holiday to France would and did cruise all day at 130+with occasional bursts up to 150 when someone else wanted to play.... and felt stable as a rock which is unsurpising when you consider that even the cars manual gave tyre pressures for 130+mph driving so it was obviously designed with it in mind.. and the rover is definatly a 'performance car' maybe the aerodynamis are a bit rubbish at high speed?? (worth it for the looks tho)

My Saab did have the Carlson Bodykit and whaletail rear spoiler but then my Vitesse is the Twin Plenum with both front and rear spoilers so i am really comparing like with like... Question

The aerodynamics of the SD1 are pretty good in the first place, but S1 (and 2000/2300 s2) models without the front spoiler do wander in crosswinds more, and my 2300 between 60-80 or so did feel very light at the front. Above 80 it seems to be more planted. The black plastic valence is supposed to counteract lift

The S2 front spoiler is a proper lift-reducing item, not just cosmetic - I think there is 20% less lift with it, I fitted one to my 2300 and it's vastly less susceptible to crosswinds and much more planted at any speed. The Vitesse rear spoiler was also designed to reduce rear-end lift significantly (not got one on my car though). I don't know whether they go into the realm of positive downforce to any great extent, though.

Does anyone know what the late Vitessse front spoiler adds over the standard one?

savagewidearch · Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 9:47 pm Post subject:

I will second what K5 says Smile

Upgrade the suspension and bushes mate.
Will feel so much more planted,the 5.2 Clarkson SD1 was extremely scary Shocked

Standard suspension in a car apparently capable of 180mph Shocked

Been at 150mph in a modded SD1 and it felt spot on Wink

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K5 · Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 10:33 pm Post subject:

savagewidearch wrote:

I will second what K5 says Smile

Been at 150mph in a modded SD1 and it felt spot on Wink

It does indeed or past 155! Wink

_________________
Drives a 4.6 300 BHP TP Vitesse! Wink

SD1 Club Member. Car of the Month Dec 06, winner of Car of the year 2007!

10mpg · Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 2:44 am Post subject:

I dont think mine could muster a real 140 anyway, as i said it'll wind past 140 on the speedo but its anyones guess how fast that is actually..

Has anyone done an experiment with a GPS or similar to establish what kind of a margin of error we are talkinh about? i know its within a couple of mph of my girlfriends old Saab 9-3 up to 100 but she has never followed me above that and I'm sure thats when the big discrepancies begin to start...

Does anyone have any reccomendations about supension i live out in the sticks with some very bumpy roads and a long potholed driveway so i dont want it silly low or boneshakingly hard, the plan was to go for a 30mm drop over vitesse, konis front and rear, medium grade polybushes and a homemade fatter front anti roll bar, and a home made rear one too....

_________________
"A child of five could understand this. Fetch me a child of five."
Groucho Marx

K5 · Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 11:21 am Post subject:

10mpg, i thought you were selling yours again? Confused

_________________
Drives a 4.6 300 BHP TP Vitesse! Wink

SD1 Club Member. Car of the Month Dec 06, winner of Car of the year 2007!

10mpg · Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 12:49 pm Post subject:

I dunno I'm a permenant state of two minds about it.. i have 2 MAJOR restorations going on that are soaking up a load of funds and for the thousand (if that) miles a year it does, it dosn't on paper make much sense, however i feel so sad everytime i decide to flog it that i never bite the bullet and do it proerly.

Can't help it i just love the car!!

The one time i put it on ebay some chap came and waved the full (OTT) BIN asking price under my nose and i turned it down... Shocked

I'm planning to go to uni next year to study automotive engineering (if they let me in) so it will see even less use but i think its here for the long run....... (famous last words)

_________________
"A child of five could understand this. Fetch me a child of five."
Groucho Marx

Chris P · Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 4:06 pm Post subject:

londonbabe wrote:

Does anyone know what the late Vitessse front spoiler adds over the standard one?

An inability to get over speedbumps!

I believe these were added to road cars for racing homologation reasons - at the time (mid
80's) I seem to remember aerodynamic aids (on touring cars) had to be as per road cars.

The larger 'scoop' on will aid cooling, and presumably downforce at higher speeds?

savagewidearch · Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 9:30 pm Post subject:

They generally say you lose 1mph for every 10mph over 100mph ish.

Me and a load of mates went to Elvington top speed day and my mate was reading 175mph on his Fireblade but his run was 160.7 Shocked

Another mate was reading 168 and getting 157 on his GSXR750 Rolling Eyes

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