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Simple but probably silly... I was told that torque is multiplied by the gear ratios and final drive of a powertrain. Is this true? If so, if a car has peak torque of 100 lb/ft with 1st gear ratio 3.6 and final drive 3.1, does that mean in 1st gear at full throttle there will be 1,116 lb/ft...

Hi Guys, I was wondering if anybody had any advice about something I am considering. I currently have a smart car, which I love and is in good condition. I'm eyeing up the Fiat X1/9 from the late 70s / early 80s. I've always wanted one and I am wondering about trading in my smart car for a...

Does anybody know what the most powerful 4wd car on the market is today? Nobody say Galibier :cheesy:

Hi guys, I'm doing some research into prestige / performance buying habits. Does anybody know of any cases where a supercar has been pre-sold before production? I.e. bought on manufacturer concepts rather than through testdrives / dealership viewing. Would you consider it? If so under what...

Hi Guys, Please tell me if I'm right or wrong. This is how I understand it. HP x 33,000 / C / (RPM/2) = T HP = Horsepower C = Number of Cylinders T = Torque in lb/ft Is this correct???

Hi guys, In my quest to know more I've been buffing up about anti lag. And I've soon discovered that 90% of people don't have a clue what it is, and the other 10% can't explain it very well. I'd just like to clarify that anti lag basically retards the ignition of an engine to the point where...

Hi guys, I've just been off the phone to a guy called 'Rick' from a company called CNC Heads (cncheads.co.uk) discussing heads for a 408 small block Chevy. I'd just like to set the record straight because he was possibly the rudest arse I've spoken to and from my experience he's talking...

I understand using Bio-Ethanol such as E85 has been discussed in earlier topics. But I put this to you; If you modified a (turbocharged) engine to take a higher boost and a lower compression ratio with appropriate ethanol friendly injectors... Assuming the rest of the engine was blueprinted and...

I have a small 700cc 3 pot turbo engine in the back of my smart. I love it... but I can't help thinking it has higher RPM potential. It cuts out at 6,500 rpm... what modifications would be needed to get it up to... say 10,000 rpm? As far as I can think... a better cooling system, stronger valve...

Is it possible to artifically lengthen your car... eg. elongate the chassis using wielded inserts so you end up with a longer wheelbase. I'm sure there's a whole plethora of complications I've overlooked... but is it possible?

If you were to do an engine swap on a car (I'm thinking about a 4L V8 Jag engine & auto box into a Nissan 300ZX) would you just shorten the prop shaft and use the existing diff or try to get a diff from the donor car?

In a Front engine mounted, RWD car is the differential connected to the chassis, or is it just held in place by the shafts? I know it's a really stupid question but it's been bugging me for a while and I've found no answer.

When I say "British Grand Touring Cars"... what cars do you think of?

What car would you say has the best interior and why? I would have to go with the '09 Mercedes SL 65. Seat comfort is off the scale and you're surrounded by lashings of buttons and dials and screens. I could happily live in one.

If you had, say a nice big V8, and you wanted better mpg... could you (with a bit of tinkering and remapping) get the engine to only use half its cylinders on partial throttle? So the pretence is good fuel economy when cruising, and excellent power when flooring it. Would it be damaging to the...

I've been pondering something. In Europe we have 6L V12 Aston Martins, 4.7L V8 Koenigseggs and 6.5L V12 Lambos... but in america they have these big 8L, 9L, and sometimes 10L+ V8 stroker engines. Why don't we have them over here? I know they're primitive as hell and they chew up the fuel and...

Hi guys, I bought an old 1997 Vauxhall Corsa with a blown head gasket for £150 off Autotrader about a week ago... just to fiddle around with. I'm willing to delve into the unknown with an engine transplant... and I was thinking about swapping the 8V 1.2 4IL with a 2.5L 24V V6 from a Mondeo...

Just a quick question that came to me whilst I was staring lovingly at my car. Big supercars have huge V12 engines in them while dinky MCCs have little 3 cylinder jobs pulling them along. So why has no supercar company turned round and made a big 6L 3 Cylinder engine. Surely it has benefits...

Hi Guys, I'm thinking of buying a cheap car with a faulty head gasket as a project car. What do you think would be the chance of being able to buy the car and replace the gasket then and there and drive it away instead of having to tow it?

Hi Guys, I want to throw out a question just to gauge how viable a plan of mine is. I'd like to take an old car and completley recondition it before stripping it down and turning it into an unusual one off performance car (I'm thinking ariel atom style). I'd like to get it Q Plated on the road...

What are your feelings about buying Q Plate cars? Does it put you off or would it not bother you? EDIT: By Q Plate I mean if it's got a Q Plate because it's been heavily modified for performance or completley transformed. Sorry should have made that clear!!!

Hi guys, I'm looking for a car to mess around with, take apart and generally learn from. I'm after a cheap manual petrol RWD saloon. It doesn't have to be road worthy... what car would you suggest? Just something that could be picked up off autotrader for under £400.

Hi guys, With some wiring and DIY bits and bobs could you convert an automatic gearbox into a semi auto? My reasoning is that surely the only difference between auto and semi is whether you or a computer chooses the gears. My little smart car has an option for putting the gearbox in semi or...

Hi guys, I'm looking into making a one-off comfort cruising car. Very slight cabin noise, luxury seats, wooden dashboard, cruise control for the long roads and a crisp sound system. I was also thinking about double glazing the windows to stop misting and noise levels. Are there any companies...

Hi guys, I'm looking into buying a gorgeous Porsche 928 in need of a little TLC. It's a 4.7L Automatic... wondering how difficult it would be to turn it into a manual?

I've been doing my first bit of digging into engine tuning, and I have a question. What would be the problem with fitting a head with disproportionatly large combustion chambers and fit a huge supercharger to make up the compression ratio figures? Many thanks, Richard.

For the love of God, can it be done? I have spent so long looking for an answer. Can you run a CNG engine on British LPG? Or if not is there at least a way of converting it to something that can be used. I understand that CNG is natural gas used in various household applications, while LPG is...

CNG / LPG Engines. I know as much about these things as George Bush knows about global economics. What kind of noise do they make? Can they be easily modified and how? How to do they stand up to their petrol / diesel counterparts? Richard.

Hi guys, Bit of a stupid question... I'm looking to build my own car from scratch and I'm wondering if it's possible to have a chassis mounted engine chain driving a transaxle? Any ideas? Richard.

Hi guys, I've been wondering this for a long time now. I've seen old minis pootling around with 10" and 12" rims... and equally I've seen Chrysler 300Cs cruising with big 20" rims. What are the performance benefits of fitting big / small wheels? I have a 69bhp Smart Fortwo and I'm wondering...

Would it be safe to build a car with a chassis that just bolted or screwed together rather than being completley welded together? Has it been done? Is it being done? Should it be done? What are the complications? :P

Hi Guys, Does anyone know where I can purchase made-to-measure vehicle chassis? UK Preferably. Many thanks, Richard.

Hi guys, Due to the overwhelming response I had on the first survey I posted (which I am incrediably grateful for) I was wondering if you might help me once again with this last one. http://www.stellarsurvey.com/s.aspx?u=8EAE75E1-2E9E-4C6A-8E9E-8E47982F4D4A& 7 easy questions. No longer than...

Hi Guys, Just looking for as many people possible to fill in my short survey! There's cookies at the end (I think) :amuse: http://www.stellarsurvey.com/s.aspx?...-097D9EF6C863& Many thanks, Richard

Hi Guys, Just a quick quiz for you to reply to... In order of importance to you (1 being most important and 5 being least), put these aspects of cars in order. Exterior look of the car Interior look of the car Engine Performance Engine Sound How the car makes you feel

...Engine Block? Could it be done? Or am I completley out of my mind? Or both?

Hi Guys, I have a 2003 Smart Passion and I've been thinking latley into turning it into a 1/4 mile car. I was thinking about investing a lump sum into it... strip out the car completley, fit carbon fibre seats, remove all luxuries etc. And also take the original 700cc engine and replace the...

Hi Guys, The other 3/4 and I were looking on road tripping somewhere where we could buy a crappy banger out there and breakdown constantly from point A to point B. Does anybody know of any breathtaking countries that have no compulsory car insurance or vehicle standards? Much thanks in...

Hi guys, New to the forum, so sorry if this question is in the wrong place. I'm planning on buying a 2.5L V6 and fitting a cold air induction kit. This might be a bit of a simplistic question... but the manufacturer is selling me a 2.5L V6 Cold air induction kit. Could I not just fit a kit for...