View Full Version : 2ltr = sh#t handling
fastcar1cars
10-05-05, 09:49 PM
does throwing in a 2ltr into a nova (turbo or normal) screw up the handling? :roll:
Aragorn
10-05-05, 09:56 PM
yes
if u fit proper shocks and springs rated for a 2.0 then it will handle better
still wont ever handle as well as a small block tho
as aragorn said.
if you want handling + power, try sticking a smallblock XE in there.
the 1.6's are good for 200bhp.
No!
If you just fit a 2l in to a std Nova then your going to hit problems with BOTH the breaks and suspension, because of the weight difference (amongst other things). That HAS to be expected! But then saying that 2l Novas have crap breaks and don't handle is just rubbish.
When you fit a 2l you need up upgrade the breaks and suspension. After that they handle just like any other FWD drive car I have driven.
Keep going with the suspension setup and you can make them handle extreamley well.
As for the argument that they don't handle as well as a small block Nova. I have no comparison but it should be the case. However by the same token a small block Nova will not have the power of the 2l...... and saying you can mod a small block Nova to go faster than a standard XE is true. But also by the same token you can make a 2l Nova handle better than a standard small block Nova.
It annoys me that people say the 2l Novas don't handle becuase if they don't then who ever built it has done a rubbish job.
The small block novas are more nimble and take less effort to throw around corners.
The 2L are obviuosly a bit heavier, and take a bit more concentration around the country lanes!
Not to say they are any 'worse', just different. A Poorly set up 2L can be a death trap though!
Aragorn
11-05-05, 11:34 AM
i would also say that if u spent the same moolah on a small block or big block be it ?200 or ?1000 on suspension the small block would still be a better car to drive simply down to physics
u cant get round the fact uve got all that extra weight sitting infront the front wheels (due to the diff position the weight is actually forward of the front wheels)
MARTIN KELSON
11-05-05, 12:28 PM
I have a 2ltr nova with chassis strenghening kit, lower tie bar brackets,
Harry Hockly front struts and adjustable top mounts etc etc, and trust me it handles more than well enough for the average driver.
One thing that makes an absolute massive difference to a 2ltr nova is fitting a Quaife ATB diff, not cheap at 500 quid but the best money you will prob spend and the amount of grip it generates is awsome. No more understeer.
So if you do your homework at whot products are for sale out there you can make them handle and trust me it will put a smile on your face.
IMO Its swings and roundabouts. With the bigger engine you get more power and with a smaller engine you get better handling.
However the smaller engined car can be made to go faster and the XE engined car can be made to handle better. Simple!
Im also intrested in seeing how much better a small block Nova handles than a XE Nova. I would guess not alot.
What annoys me about this subject is that people read about it and come to the conclusion that an XE powered Nova does not handle. Which simply is not the case.
Philsutton
11-05-05, 01:40 PM
What annoys me about this subject is that people read about it and come to the conclusion that an XE powered Nova does not handle. Which simply is not the case.
my thoughts exactly a 2lt nova will handle shit if you do a piss poor conversion for about ?200 then its going to be shit, if you do it properly then it can handle near very well and not much difference between the small block. But most people do the conversion for as cheap as possible then wonder why it handles crap, and go back to a small block.
fastcar1cars
11-05-05, 06:57 PM
so a properly done conversion will handle as well as 1.6 gte
peester
11-05-05, 11:25 PM
tyres too. get goodens = more grip in bends, underbraking AND less likely to wheelspin. 'remember cole, tyres is what wins a race'
Yes, you'll need tyres. Be pretty knackered if you didn't have any! :lol:
Don't forget wheel geometry can affect handling too (size, offset, width etc as well as factors defined by the suspension such as camber and toe-in)
Austin_Nova16
12-05-05, 11:32 AM
What annoys me about this subject is that people read about it and come to the conclusion that an XE powered Nova does not handle. Which simply is not the case.
So true! Like Nick I guess!
as the saying goes ' you get what you pay for '
mine used to hadle shite. but with coilovers, (and cheapo AVOs at that too)
poly bushes. lowered tie bars, strengthened shell and lower suspension arms. the car will out handle most things now,
rodgerq
13-05-05, 12:22 AM
No!
If you just fit a 2l in to a std Nova then your going to hit problems with BOTH the breaks and suspension, because of the weight difference (amongst other things). That HAS to be expected! But then saying that 2l Novas have crap breaks and don't handle is just rubbish.
When you fit a 2l you need up upgrade the breaks and suspension. After that they handle just like any other FWD drive car I have driven.
Keep going with the suspension setup and you can make them handle extreamley well.
As for the argument that they don't handle as well as a small block Nova. I have no comparison but it should be the case. However by the same token a small block Nova will not have the power of the 2l...... and saying you can mod a small block Nova to go faster than a standard XE is true. But also by the same token you can make a 2l Nova handle better than a standard small block Nova.
It annoys me that people say the 2l Novas don't handle becuase if they don't then who ever built it has done a rubbish job.
here here!!! too may folk jump on the band wagon and say the dont andle and half them havent been in a big block noa :roll:
rodgerq
Wicked, I've just read what dar has said and that has really really made me smile... I was always under the impression Big engine, big weight at the front would cause iffy handeling But always thought about coilovers, rose joints and generally preping the shell well enough for the 2.0l.
Dar, do you track your nova?
I was opting for a 1600 Xe as there a direct fit small block with potential, But The red top's rule.
might look into a well set up red top now then :D
Oh anybody know the weight difference between a small block XE with box and a Redtop?
Philsutton
13-05-05, 11:09 AM
Oh anybody know the weight difference between a small block XE with box and a Redtop?
its not going ot be a great deal, a lot less than carrying a passager
G-T - Yes I built my car for trackdays and video my runs from inside the car. I haven't had a fully dry track to test my new setup yet but it felt really good on a drying track. Roll on 11th June. I just hope its dry :twisted:
its gonna cost atleast ?800 to get decent coilovers, decent tyres, decent bushes or even RJ them, and the anti dive lowered tie bars. infact its probalby more like ?1K
then again decent suspension is only the beginning lol
Aragorn
17-05-05, 03:54 PM
its around 50kgs of a difference iirc
the problem is the position of that weight, its all infront of the wheels, carrying a passenger your weight is distributed reasonably evenly across the car
with the engine all that extra weight is infront of the wheels and its that that causes the problems
and i'll state it again, if u spent what u did to make your bigblock xe handle, and spend the same on a small block xe, it would handle better.
rodgerq
17-05-05, 05:09 PM
horse for courses Kev and yes you are right if you spend the same on both cas te small block xe will handle better but not by a great deal. the handling claims are wildly overexagerated.
i'd rather have a trade off of slightly worse handling of a valver but have the much much faster car, than have a slower car with slightly better handling.
rodgerq
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