something i've always wondered...

[lj]

why are ppl putting a cav gsi engine in a nova? surely it wheel spins like a whore and handels like shit?

wouldn't a corsa 16 twin cam be better?

don't get me wrong i have both a nova and cav gsi, and yeah i guess the car would be funny with the cavs engine but just can't see that the red top is the best solution for getting a fast nova?

so if theres ppl reading thi please infor me on how they drive with the red top in?

[NickWalliams]

were you born yesterday?

[Adam]

150bhp+800ish Kg car= :D
lol

[mowgli]

for years, so called 'experts' have been ridiculing the idea of sticking big motors in novas.
there would be several hundred people on this site alone who have them, and as long as they do some simple shell strengthening, ,they are good cars, and bloody fast.

I'll give you a bit of a history lesson. 'red tops' were the original 16v engines from the late eighties & were actually designed to get GM into formula three racing. They were a cosworth design & they do go porous & need serious work with age. The new Ecotec version is a developement with 10 years more knowledge. it is also a production head.......

Personally I stick with a fairly standard 1.6 8v engined nova, because I have survived two fairlly serious accidents, one really nearly fatal, and I know what I can do with a 1.6 & I want to live for a lot of years

[lj]

no i weren't born yesterday which is why i asked...and none of u commented on the wheel spin factor....u can only pull away as fast as ur car can gain grip....so with a over powered car its gonna be a nightmare, i know full well that my 1'3 nova would beat my cav gsi in and around town due to the fact i pulls away smoothly and gains grip where as my cav fights for grip, yeah i understand thats loads of ppl have done the conversion and often thought about doing it but for the work involved is it really worth it? more horse's doesn't always mean faster car. theres that power to weight ratio and the grip factor to think about

[Jack]

LSD

[NickWalliams]

Well mine is 180bhp and i dont get any spin when its dry, also my old nova is now a 220bhp turbo and ive driven it in the dry there aint much grip problem with that either if u drive it properly.

a 1.2 will spin if u want it to.

[Riggy]

they can be a bit of fun to handle mate


but if you spend your money in the right places i.e proper suspension and decent tyres etc

and go for a diff , you can get them handleing a dream

and will scare most std production fast cars aswell :lol:

[lee 16v]

but if you spent the same mone yon geting it to handle but with a 1600 8or16v would it not handle even better
i was told that the 1600 16v was a very good engine and can easy be made as fast as the 2lt 16v
what about the 2lt 8v there cheap not as heavy and only 20bhp down lol

[Stuart]

its swings and roundabouts really

personally i "dislike" the 2.0 conversions as most kids who see novas will be led to belive that the nova was fitted with one as STD lol.

pound for bhp the 2.0 16V is a sensble conversion and apparently can return awesome MPG when driven gently so its kinda good in that respect.

[Ste_Nova]

cav spins like a nova towing a trailer.... it's all a weight thing...

also... what about other 2.0 cars??

pug 205 mi16
clio williams
etc etc

[lj]

its really down to the user i guess.... personally i think its loads of work with the xe conversion and is it really much more work to put the engine in the rear for better take off..? i guess its down to how much u want from ur nova.... and if u want a quick car then u really need to be looking a 4wd...

i want a semi fast nova... what engine do i base the tuning from?

1.3 1.4 or 1.6...i've got carbs and wanna do some head work, going to be using it for track days and town driving....want a pokey little number!

[Jon_nova1]

Personally i think if its straight run speed you want a 2L, if you have factors like handling etc a 1.6 or similar might be worth considering

[Philsutton]

a 2lt nova will only handle shit if you use the 20 year old rubber mounts and 40mm g-max springs on standard shockers.

[draper]

its awseome !! it only wheelspins like a whore if you make it :lol: just dont do what i did, bought a converted 1 and didnt check it properly, ended up wiv a cracked cross member as it hadnt been strenghtend, let my heart rule me head but its an excuse for a re-build a suppose !!!! a 2ltr 16v nova is amazingly good fun !!!

[SRimon]

a 2lt nova will only handle s**t if you use the 20 year old rubber mounts and 40mm g-max springs on standard shockers.

I agree...

Its a falicy that big block nova's don't handle...my mates track prepped one handles awesomely well