Whats a valver like against today's hot hatches??

This is why we were given the almightly 20v engine ! I know they are in almost every Mk2 nowadays but it gives the Mk2 that power which is needed to compete with todays hot hatches. So classic looks and modern power ! All good in my book.

But even the feel of a standard Mk2 GTI whether it be an 8v or 16v is an experience to be had by everyone who loves driving.

 

Speaking of french cars breaking down and parts braking all the time...

My friends dizzy died, and apparently they dont make them aymore. The starter motor has given up as well. The car has been sat on his drive for 2 weeks as he has given up on it. Expect him to sell it soon.

 

its hardly like our cars are bullet proof, just look at the engines forum. in fairness though, its not like we are all struggling to keep them running, just trying to make them perfect.

 

Which is why the SaxoVTR won best hothatch year after year in various polls, and the golf..........didnt!

 

Wondering what hot hatches will be like in 5 years.
300bhp and two tonnes?!

Not enough of todays hatches make an effort to be light - CTR has put on 150kgs, the Focus ST is not far off 1500kgs, the mk5 GTi is 1400kgs, etc.
Of course we need safety but there are such things as LIGHT materials out there.

Have a feeling performance cars are going to get increasingly hard to run - With high emissions, nasty insurance and running costs, running one is getting to be a headache.

My R32 cost a bleeding fortune to run!

I had a Saxo VTR from new (1998 before they became Chav!) and although very flaky and near torture to sit in, it was MUCH more fun to drive than the mk2 GTi 8V it replaced. That however was on 180k miles when I traded it in -I was suprised the VTR got to 18k miles!

 

feckin hate french cars , they doe get the power to weight ratio right its just everything else that sucks , i would agree the 1.9 205 was a monster basically made to compete with the golf but you can keep the rest

the mini cooper S is probably my fav but it will be 10 years befor one of them is in my price range had a battle withone wen i had my corrado 16v(kr) he couldnt get past me and cried off at 130 the type R honda is fairly tasty but i ddont really dig jap styling

i think if it was all about speed just get a impreza STI and slay everyone

now i run a 2.0 16v in mi mk2 think most cars would struggle to keep up , bare in mind the new mk5 gti is rated at 150 bhp per ton same as valver ,

i think mk2's especially and corrados too are great to drive, they handle well look the nuts wen done right and are built to last , yes they need some TLC but once you have replaced (at very reasonable prices!) worn out ancillaries you got a good car that wont let you down VIVA LE MK2

 

My mate had a modified (heavily) valver Mk2. It was still an 1800 but it was on forged crank, rally cams, etc, etc, etc... Had about 2.5k's worth of engine trick bits in it. Was putting out 191bhp and it would stick with his mates BMW Z3 M Roadster. Wouldn't pass it but it couldn't get away.

He did end up rebuilding it as a 2.0. This was the built up motor...



...unfortunately family circumstances conspired against him and it never got ran in the car as a 2.0.

I'm sure it would have been a monster though.

 

My friends paxo vts died on 28,000 miles. Gear box gone, dif gone, panels falling off - and the scary thing is he looked after it. Now driving a BMW instead.

Oh and his rear caliper just fell off one time too.....

 

Theres not as much as a following for french cars either.

Dubs rock end of

 

Joined the convo late but Focus ST shot past me a while ago... i was in my 16v which is standard but well set up... i was in 3rd foot flat down at around 4000 rpm i pulled all the way up to 6.5 where my power starts to fade and straight to 4th but had to pull in as he was flying past me... so a 16 yearold valver does not hold its own against a Focus ST suprise suprise..

 

Focus ST does go well, but I was suprised to read in evo's test they only do a 1/4 in 15.3 0-100 in about 17 secs ... which is about as quick as a mk2 16v with a 2.0 bottom end....

Nice cars to drive though. We've sold loads at work

 

I had a mk2 valver which regrettably the engine died in, but that was as much fun as you could have with your trousers on! Bloody hard work with no PAS though. When it died I repalced it with what I saw was a modern day equivalent that was in my price range - a pug 306 GTi-6. This was a step that surprised a lot of my friends as I generally don't think that much of french cars, their hot hatches aside, but I thought I'd chance it as it seemed like a great package - nice size, good equipment (climate control, 6 speed box, electric everything, front & side airbags, etc).

Up to about 70 the performance was the same as the valver, after that the pug is a bit stronger. (The pug is 1215kg and 167bhp, 142lb-ft). The pug lift off oversteers a bit more, but is really balanced in the way it does it. The golf on the other hand felt planted, I never really had to worry about the back end too much. They're both great fun to drive and I still have the pug, but I've since bought a mk2 2.0 16 on coilovers, ARB's, light stripped etc for trackday use. Unlike my first valver it has PAS, and while the rack is nice and quick, it has absolutely no feedback compared to the pug's PAS. Actually the steering feedback is one of the pug's strongest points (along with the brakes). The golf is running at 178bhp (according to stealth anyway lol) and feels frantic on the road with a nice amount of torque (excentuated by the low weight), though once up to about 80mph it isn't really any faster than the pug to be honest, though that's partly because the pug's 6 speed box is very short (70mph in 6th is 3200rpm), so the gearing helps put more torque to the wheels helping performance. Both great cars, shame peugeot have completely lost it design wise nowadays, as well as making carp overweight cars.