120 bhp from 1.4?

[JAMIEP]

I remember reading a thread a while back saying u could get around 120bhp from a 1.4 with t40s, manifold n good cam, is this true?

[Stuart]

for a clue see the 1.4 guide in my sig link

[johnny27]

I remember reading a thread a while back saying u could get around 120bhp from a 1.4 with t40s, manifold n good cam, is this true?
I'd reckon you'd want more mods than that to see 120

[womble sri]

a lot of people doubt thr rolling road i used but mine read 125bhp in january then 134bhp in march and its a 1400 rr cant of been out that much

[Adam]

I remember reading a thread a while back saying u could get around 120bhp from a 1.4 with t40s, manifold n good cam, is this true?
A 1.6 yes, but a 1.4 no.

[johnny27]

would'nt be to difficult with a 1.6. 100bhp to start with, you might not even need to convert to T40s to get that far

[Ste L]

a lot of people doubt thr rolling road i used but mine read 125bhp in january then 134bhp in march and its a 1400 rr cant of been out that much

rolling road's almost always enhance the figure's to make the customer happy, etc etc

[valverguy]

cant be out by that much though id say itd have to be at least 110-115 they cant exagerat more than more than 20hp

[Stuart]

petes rollers are old and a little inaccurate, but ignoring the numbers and looking at the gain... hes an extra 10bhp up on what it was, and it wasnt exactly slow. a 120-125 is perfectly fessable in my eyes

[Adam]

a 120-125 is perfectly fessable in my eyes
What on, Wombles 1.4?

[Stuart]

yep..

[Adam]

yep..
I was going on Benjis spec, he got 108 iirc?
For a very similar spec.

[Stuart]

thought it was 115ish.. on the "milder" cam.

[Adam]

1400se nova sri head, skimmed, gasflowed and modified to suit a 1300 Irmscher inlet manifold, and fitted with new seals, followers and lifters.
Twin 40 dell'orto DHLA carbs running 30mm chokes.
Piper 285 camshaft.
Producing 108bhp @ 6300 rpm (http://www.trackdaynova.co.uk/images/carspecs/108%20bhp%20graph.jpg)

According to his website.

[Stuart]

furry muff. worrying that he didnt fit the right inlet lol

[JAMIEP]

Still sounds good tho cos thats the spec im kinda goin for but i think im gonna use a gte cam....

[Adam]

Standard 1.4SR cam is better than a GTE one.

An aftermarket cam will give good gains with T40s tho.

[womble sri]

you gotta get a cam if your gonna use fortys otherwise you just get a small increase in power nice noise and an empty wallet. my sr was 89 bhp with fortys on a standard engine not that fast at all really. go for a kent ast2 or piper fast road. mine isnt really very drivable as an everyday road car as your for ever up and down the gears waiting for it too come on cam.

[Dan]

womble alot of drivability is down to the tuners personal taste. i have used numerous different rolling roads over the years (9 to be exact) and they all have different idea's unless you know exactly what you want. Some tune them for absolute peak power which makes the car as you describe, where as i wanted mine done to allow a good spread of power from right down low until the limiter which is what i specified and is far more beneficial in performance terms which i showed with only an 'alleged' 140bhp.

I say alleged as the variations i have seen during my time would make most people cry when the performance maintains the same. Interpro rolling road quoted me as having 139bhp and yet when i finally got to velos it was shown to only have 120bhp after a far better tune lol. So theres a difference of 20bhp straight off. with some working along with velos the same rollers gave me that increase back due to certain changes made to the engine. These were 'recommended' to be done either by myself or another, and taken back to them so they had no financial gain from it at all.

120bhp from a 1.4 is certainly possible with a decent head, cam and carbs, but the key imo is to get it tuned for a good strong spread of power to enjoy the most from it.

[womble sri]

yeah i understand what you mean mine is tuned for max power and has no grunt lower down the revs because the peak power is at 7000rpm you really have to rev it. as i say im always up and down the gears cant hold 70 in 5th but goes like stink when you want it too. it depends what you want it for its almost an art trying to drive mine sometimes! but alas it is smoking like a beauty and its gonna have to come off the road for a rebuild. its lasted longer than i thought it would though because i didnt touch the bottom end. but it has been fun :cry:

[JAMIEP]

Is it worth getting just a cam because the full cam kits are quite expensive! what cam wud u recomend for good driveability around town but also will work well when i want to go fast? cheers guys

[Stuart]

Kent AST2 is a nice cam for general torqe spread. but for "balls out power" a piper BP300 is good (and if setup right can be as driveable as the ast2)
A cam kit isnt vital, but id defiantely atleast rebuild the lifters and renew the cam followers (cheap from AV or get a cheap std cam kit off ebay with them in)

[JAMIEP]

Theres a guy off ebay who is selling a 270 degree fast road cam brand new, will this be any good?

[Adam]

Its ok ye.
Something 285deg and above would be better with 40s tho.

[CP]

For "120hp" out of a 1.4 you need to get a big valve conversion along with some decent porting done on the head. You can swap heads but its still worth getting larger valves in and getting some porting done. This means that whatever else you bolt on you stand a much greater chance of getting the upper end of the power increases they are supposed to get. At the same time its important to match the inlet and outlet manifolds and gaskets.

Once you have sorted this you can then make a decision on the cam. This will dictate what sort of "120hp" you will get and IMO you have 2 main choices:

1. A " general road" cam. By this I mean a cam that suits your style of driving, the gear ratios and the general use. Usually most peeps will have a std g/box fairly wide ratios and a longish final drive and top gear. Most will want power available from low down and spread evenly over a wide rev range. The times when they are rattling up and down the box or maxx/d right out are few and far between. A 270/280 type of cam usually delivers this - peak power is usually down a few hp in the "120 category" but the torque band is wide and delivery smooth - ideal for most road driving.

2. A " competition or rag about cam" This is for where there is a short close ratio box and short final drive - usually heavily modded. The driver knows this and is prepared to get the revs up and keep them up with frequent gear changes. Its about pretty much flat out driving to get whats available out. They are still fine to drive around town but if you plant your right foot at low revs in a high gear nothing much happens for abit cos the engine has little low end torque. A 300 type of cam usually delivers this - peak power is up quite a few hp up in the "120hp category" but it all comes in a relatively narrow rev range from about 4500 upwards.

When out on the road there isn't a lot between the 2 TBH - its about driving preferences really