View Full Version : N/A or Turbo!??
nitrousnova
13-05-10, 10:33 PM
thinking of fitting a c20let to my nova or do i stick with the xe and mod that?!:confused::confused::confused::confused::con fused::confused::confused::confused::confused:
craig green
13-05-10, 10:33 PM
keep the XE.
You might end up getting some use out of it......
auzzy2000
13-05-10, 10:35 PM
Turbos=£££££/hassle.go for tuned XE
craig green
13-05-10, 10:45 PM
Turbo's rule man, but getting a LET in a Nova is feck loads of work & $£$£$£.
You may aswell be out enjoying Xe power, not scouring ads for mechanical drive F28's, equal length shafts & chopping gear linkages to clear steering racks & scratching your head over pipework blah blah.
nitrousnova
13-05-10, 10:46 PM
BIGS lol loving your sig lol.
nitrousnova
13-05-10, 10:48 PM
would a f20 box **** it self if i put a let on the back of it !?
Turbo's rule man, but getting a LET in a Nova is feck loads of work & $£$£$£.
You may aswell be out enjoying Xe power, not scouring ads for mechanical drive F28's, equal length shafts & chopping gear linkages to clear steering racks & scratching your head over pipework blah blah.
But the sound of a set of carbs or throttle bodies is just orgasmic :p
would a f20 box **** it self if i put a let on the back of it !?
Not for a month or so ...................
I'm in the same boat but every time I think about the hassle involved putting a LET in I change my mind.
N/A is the expensive way of going slow btw. lol
t45_ste
13-05-10, 10:55 PM
N/A is the expensive way of going slow btw. lol
We shall see :p
nitrousnova
13-05-10, 10:59 PM
let's do look like a lot of work, but could a lot of fun as a result!?
I'd say LET as XE's really aren't all that but I expect to be shot down for that comment. Spend £300 on Phase 2 and fmic on the LET and have power and torque that an XE will never match!
I'd say LET as XE's really aren't all that but I expect to be shot down for that comment. Spend £300 on Phase 2 and fmic on the LET and have power and torque that an XE will never match!
or spend £300 on an XE thats ready to go in....lol
General rule of thumb I go by is if your building a fast road or 1/4 mile car, go for a LET, but if you're building a track car, a tuned XE is the better option due to the thrashability and higher revs.
Purely my opinion :)
craig green
13-05-10, 11:34 PM
Thats how I see it Lee.
Turbo's always FTW when it comes to traffic light GP's.
XEs aren't that slow tbf, but once you own a car for a while you always want more power.
LET would be crazy on track if you can make it go round corners, watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP_Pvi0ZEIk
General rule of thumb I go by is if your building a fast road or 1/4 mile car, go for a LET, but if you're building a track car, a tuned XE is the better option due to the thrashability and higher revs.
Purely my opinion :)
I agree with that too, but in my opinion its also down to how you set it up, if you set it up purely for the 1/4 mile then that's were it will succeed, set it up for track racing and it'll show its colours on track. But I'd go for a good spec XE on track personally.
3.2 v6. best of both.
Is that before or after you drive through the corner and the xe/let goes round?
i honestly belive, if it is set up correctly and is done right, a v6 will handle as well as a let/xe
lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol
blue_peg_16v
14-05-10, 12:13 AM
let had a tuned xe and the let is on a different planet, but agree with lee for track the xe was better
i honestly belive, if it is set up correctly and is done right, a v6 will handle as well as a let/xe
I cant remember who said it but either Dave or Linden Dixon said to me that the white V6 Nova was actually just as good (maybe better) handling than a valver (this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWbRAt7NiBs))
and tbh if that came from dave dixon, i believe it.
Like I said, it was either him or his brother Linden. Both of which have had plenty of experience with Nova XE's LET's and V6's.
Danny s-p
14-05-10, 12:23 AM
Like I said, it was either him or his brother Linden. Both of which have had plenty of experience with Nova XE's LET's and V6's.it was dave on here the other week mate think he on a mission to show v6 are just as good or even better than let's but say that he on building another let now lol
ste porter
14-05-10, 12:35 AM
i wish i never took the xe out of my blue nova and put the let in it may still be on the road if i didnt
for every hours road use it will spend 5 hours in the garage beeing worked on (if you drive it to the limit and if you dont theres no point in having it)
There is another option!!
450 bhp let
space framed kit car inspired chassis
4 wheel drive:thumb:
it was dave on here the other week mate think he on a mission to show v6 are just as good or even better than let's but say that he on building another let now lol
I'm sure I remember Linden telling me before we got into the Vectra to go to York, but at 7:30 am I don't really take much in. Either way the point has been made, V6 Nova's are teh fewcha y0!
MattBrown
14-05-10, 12:36 AM
Simple, c20let, only cos it goes "Wrmmm Wrmmmm, Wrmmmmm, tshhhhhh"
YAYYY:d:d:d
blue_peg_16v
14-05-10, 12:38 AM
chav valves get annoying at times tho
chav valves get annoying at times tho
Big filter + wastegate chatter ftw:thumb:
But then again, nova + good mate + chav valve and lots of limiter + lots of torque steer + angry guy with spade = epic LOL
Danny s-p
14-05-10, 12:42 AM
Simple, c20let, only cos it goes "Wrmmm Wrmmmm, Wrmmmmm, tshhhhhh"
YAYYY:d:d:dyou been watching fast and the furious
MattBrown
14-05-10, 12:42 AM
Spud, check your rep.
And yhers, chavvy dump valves FTMFW:)
blue_peg_16v
14-05-10, 12:43 AM
the spad was a scary one but then was on your side lol
chav valves get annoying at times tho
True that, I was stood at the bus stop a few months back when my car failed its M.O.T and I heard a car coming up behind me, just as he got next to me he let off the gogo pedal, TISHHHHH, I thought, awesome mate you have a dump valve +50 BHP fo sho y0, now if that wasn't enough he drove past someone stood at the bus stop on the other side of the road and did it in front of them.
I hope the old man at the other bus stop was impressed with the sound as I wasn't.
ste porter
14-05-10, 12:49 AM
i had one on mine but that was because the standard recirc had to be welded up as at 22 psi it used to leak and i didnt fancy stalling an 18 year old turbo at a over a thousand degrees and spinning at over 100,000 rpm
not when its attached to a block ect that has cost over 6k to get to the spec its at
smart man /\
peg, yours was mint at scarbroooo that day, the noise was epicly ftw.
Spud, check your rep.
How very rude i aint a taker :p
One question, has anyone ran a F20 on their LET?
What would kill them? Hard launches?
ste porter
14-05-10, 01:18 AM
i went through about 20 f20 clusters i used to strip all the teeth of fith gear also i snaped 2 input shafts cracked a casing and abliteraited a diff which resulted in parts of it making a swift exit and embedding itself in the floor plan and lower bulkhead
it was usualy hard acceleration from about 50mph in fith that did it its when its using full torque
Even on a standard engine?
If I get a LET I want F20 so whats the things you need to avoid to make box last longer.
Walden Engineering Had A 6 Speed F20 For £250. Fully Uprated.
ste porter
14-05-10, 01:34 AM
my firs box lasted 2 months on a standard engine then when it went i went phase 2 a big intercooler saab reds 2.25 inch boost pipes enlarged top hat and vxr actuater and after that i was fitting boxes as often as i filled with fuel then after i spat a rod i went silly steel rods woosner pistons 22psi with 28 psi overboost 9k rev limit hybrid turbo reshaped combustion chambers over sized valves bronze guides arp's everywhere multilayer head gasket ported head bigger throttle boby 2.5 inch boost pipes even bigger cooler ect ect and to be honest i was scared to use it properly as i was scared of it just shattering in the end i think it was only the fact the clutch was slipping that the box didnt go at pvs i even took a spare cluster with me ther though and about 3 days after it let go again lol
it doest realy matter what you go mate they let go when they want to i have raged hell out of it and its been fine and then on other ocasions they will let go under normal conditions if you want my advise get an f28 get it rebuilt and a diff fitted and put it all in together as you will only regrett it at a latter date if you want to up the power and you will lol
blue_peg_16v
14-05-10, 10:07 AM
ive had an f20 in mine since it was built and its been fine, so far touch wood lol
let_nova
14-05-10, 10:12 AM
mee too. no problems here aswell.
i dont want the box to when im driving somewhere lol
let_nova
14-05-10, 10:26 AM
i gave mine death for around six months.
this is the box now on nobbyz v6 lol
blue_peg_16v
14-05-10, 10:31 AM
tbf when i rebuild it i think it will get an f28 but thats mainly cos i want the 6th gear on the motorway
i honestly belive, if it is set up correctly and is done right, a v6 will handle as well as a let/xe
You could get it close, but you'd need to load the back up with ballast to offset the amount of engine thats in front of the front wheels, so ergo you'd need plenty of power to offset the extra weight, which then renders it a bit pointless imo. You could get one to handle well yes. Handle as well as an XE? Im not so sure.
End of the day, porsche managed to make the RR setup work, even though it really shouldn't, but then again they have a bit more money than us lol
Big_Chap
14-05-10, 01:07 PM
Dump valves were briefly cool in the 90's.
No doubt the turbo is more powerful and cheaper (initially, before breakages etc) but I personally would be half thinking about it sh!tting it's pants every time I gave it shoe. When I decided to go tb's over turbo I said I wouldn't rule out going let eventually but after two years and no probs I'm still content with the way things are.
I ain't slating lets, just my view. But also some of the best cars on here are lets which tells you something.
surely if a LETs looked after properly it will only be as realible as any other engine looked after properly
you cant give an XE death/high revs etc everywhere and it will last, it will last longer (unless it lee lol) but it wont last
indeed. imo lets have a bad name for reliability as people expect to take them out of a 100k plus cally and fit straight into there nova and give it death straight away.
A conversion done properly with a full engine rebuild etc 'shouldnt' give any problems. Most common thing to go wrong is old sensors
Walden Engineering Had A 6 Speed F20 For £250. Fully Uprated.
lmfao
that would have been a quaife 6speed kit then.... NOT designed for big torque ;)
and at £250 I'd expect it to have stripped teeth since the kit new is £2Kish
is this the replacement for the Big/Small debate. booost vs Atmospohere lol
Despite no mech speedo, cable shift and hydro clutch, I'd really look at F23's
They are cheap, UBER strong and less likely to be shagged than an F28 (which even the newest one is going to be a minimum of 10years old, if not more)
You could get it close, but you'd need to load the back up with ballast to offset the amount of engine thats in front of the front wheels, so ergo you'd need plenty of power to offset the extra weight, which then renders it a bit pointless imo. You could get one to handle well yes. Handle as well as an XE? Im not so sure.
End of the day, porsche managed to make the RR setup work, even though it really shouldn't, but then again they have a bit more money than us lol
Nail head, same money to same money the lighter car with better weight distributions and moments of inertia will handle better on a similar suspension set up, spend more, or push more expertise into a V6 and you can get it to the point of a lesser XE, etc etc. then once the money runs out and you're down to direct competition, it unlevels the playing field again.
I was looking at an f23 on a mates astra the other night. I like the idea of the linkage. are they 5 or 6 speed stuart?
5speed.
Cable shift is great imho. Less problems with floppy engine mounts lol, easier to route as you can put stuff where the rod would go etc.
Rickardo
14-05-10, 05:20 PM
This question has been asked a million times.. I had a Let for over 12 months as a daily, the gearbox (F20) lasted, no problems what so ever.
Mine was running a stage 1, with a FMIC..
Rolling roaded @ 245.5 bhp.
Now i have an XE Egg, i would swap it in a heartbeat for a Let.
blue_peg_16v
14-05-10, 05:30 PM
do it then ya plum and forget about getting carbs you wont be happy with them once youve had a let
Rickardo
14-05-10, 05:47 PM
do it then ya plum and forget about getting carbs you wont be happy with them once youve had a let
lol lol. i know.. :thumb:
dj_wudgey
14-05-10, 06:43 PM
its your car mate go for what you want! Id like both but first id carb up a xe would sound the sh*t!
blue_peg_16v
14-05-10, 06:58 PM
its your car mate go for what you want! Id like both but first id carb up a xe would sound the sh*t!
but to buy a full carb kit new with everything needed is around £1200 for 45s so might as well just get a let wish i had years ago
david dixon
14-05-10, 07:09 PM
v6 with 75 shot of nitrous!
David.
craig green
14-05-10, 07:35 PM
In all my years messsing with Novas, the n/a smallbock C16XE with a mantzel inlet & mild cams has been the most bonkers vs VFM winner.
dj_wudgey
14-05-10, 08:06 PM
but to buy a full carb kit new with everything needed is around £1200 for 45s so might as well just get a let wish i had years ago
fook that bud id get it all 2nd hand lol
blue_peg_16v
14-05-10, 08:15 PM
still about 500 for decent stuff with manifold pump regulator and linkage
dj_wudgey
14-05-10, 08:18 PM
i know but its allot beter than over a grand and id be happy paying that!!
blue_peg_16v
14-05-10, 08:23 PM
ye but would get 300 for the xe so thats 800 so might as well get a let imo
dj_wudgey
14-05-10, 08:24 PM
depends what you want really but i love the sound off the carbs that much id probs rather have that and a let in another lol
blue_peg_16v
14-05-10, 08:28 PM
had carbs sounded good but let peformance is on another planet in comparison, and rick has sampled it and wants the carbs as he says the egg is slow compaired to the nova it still will be even with the carbs so imo hes better off getting a let
dj_wudgey
14-05-10, 08:36 PM
it depends what you want though bud!! some people cant afford a let like myself at the moment!! but the carbs do sound beter than a let!!
mk1nova_rich
14-05-10, 08:41 PM
carbs all day long for me just for the sound!!
krobinson
14-05-10, 08:59 PM
LET all day.
You must do it right though. Big shafts (equal length of possible), hubs and c.v's. F28, Diff. Rebuild the engine, get a very good condition loom, make sure all the sensors are up to scratch and you should never have any major issues.
I tend to give mine a good thrashing when i'm out and it's the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Performance is superb, most cars just never come close.
Another question, is there any point having a LET without a diff? In the straights it should be alright but what about corners?
I've also heard a diff'd F20 on a LET wouldn't last 20 miles, is this true?
Another question, is there any point having a LET without a diff? In the straights it should be alright but what about corners?
I've also heard a diff'd F20 on a LET wouldn't last 20 miles, is this true?
Depends on the box. You either get a goodun or a crapun. Jack has had a bad run of boxes recently, but my last F20 I had before I split the car just kept going, and Dave Marshalls Stage 2 LET was running an F20 with an ATB and as far as I know its still on the car after quite a few track days.
krobinson
14-05-10, 10:09 PM
Another question, is there any point having a LET without a diff? In the straights it should be alright but what about corners?
I've also heard a diff'd F20 on a LET wouldn't last 20 miles, is this true?
I've driven my friends Nova Turbo which is on an F20 with no Diff, and its not really any use until your in 4th gear. It "one wheels" and pulls you to the left.
I'm not sure if a Diff in an F20 would cause it to fail anymore than without.
I think it would cause it to fail quicker as an F20 will never break while the cars wheelspinning. If it has grip due to the diff it will put more strain on the gearbox, shafts etc.
N/A can be fun but pound for pound an let wins all day long for me. ;)
Nick.
blue_peg_16v
15-05-10, 08:03 PM
N/A can be fun but pound for pound an let wins all day long for me. ;)
Nick.
me and nick have both done both and come to the same conclusion
me and nick have both done both and come to the same conclusion
I think between us we've almost talked Phil into it too! lol
Nick.
blue_peg_16v
15-05-10, 08:09 PM
well when i reeled him in the other day on the way to scarborough with full leathers and stereo think i made his mind up lol
went down the other night
the new house is ripe for nova building
and hed been using a shed as a spray booth lol
well when i reeled him in the other day on the way to scarborough with full leathers and stereo think i made his mind up lol
went down the other night
the new house is ripe for nova building
and hed been using a shed as a spray booth lol
Doesnt change does he...... it used to be his mums garage for the paint jobs! lol
Nick.
dj_wudgey
16-05-10, 11:09 AM
carbs all day long for me just for the sound!!
Carbs do sound the bomb dont they ha ha!
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