Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) ARP4 "Handbook", and other useful information

Watch the heart rate, Adrian -- the upper ranges of the tachometer causes the HR monitor on my Fitbit to climb in sympathy!!!!!! Pity as I've had to take some of my favourite road sections somewhat more sedately!!

Enjoy the new car!

Adrian

Sorry to be a bore but do you have a used oil analysis of a similar car using Fuchs oil and Halfords oil and that showing less FE in the wear metals when the Fuchs was used and that would have to be after a few oil changes as for the first two changes you will be flushing out the newness of the engine which will be showing extra Fe in those first few changes.

In my experiance of checking used oil analysis this has not proved to be the case when only changing an oil for another in an engine that is run in .

I would be delighted to see the evidence of what seems like a factual comment on your part.

Sorry but when I challenged Opie Oils' guys about a similar comment when they said Fuchs would be better they could not provide quantitative evidence to back up their similar claim.

This is something that is very hard to prove. It's the same as claimed improvements in suspension configuration. Very difficult to measure and very subjective.

My long standing 'Oils man' from my days in the MG clubs had a very different view on lubrication to most people, but that was his job. All I ever used in my Rover V8's was Valvoline 20/50 and with regular changes I had no problem with black sludge and the inside of the engine stayed clean.

I had a long e mail exchange with him about oils for my V6, and the impact on oil pressure, and his advice was basically to yes, use decent oil, but not to worry too much about the detail. I use fully synthetic, but always buy from Halfords - usually Mobil.

Yup, this is what I do too. So long as oil changes aren't neglected, and cheapo supermarket type stuff is avoided, I can't see that it makes much difference in real world terms. I've certainly never read or heard of any adverse comment about Mobil One.

Now for the next 500. I was thinking of speaking to Cosworth directly to find out why the bottom end torque is so paltry, has anybody else done this yet?

I'm 99% sure the pops and bangs on the overrun are built in when the car is mapped, they don't have to be there, but if anyone wants them removed they will have to find someone who can unlock the ECU first, then remap it. They might even find a few more torques below 3000 revs? [Paul J / quote]

Reply from rid967
I have booked a place at the Williams Open Day in a couple of weeks - see ad in Miscellany. Mike Costin, of Cosworth fame, will be in attendance. If I don't find out more beforehand I may seek him out and obtain his views on this issue.

Incidently, on the subject of the "Handbook", my car was handed over with a printed ARP4 handbook!
So, they are available if you ask.

Go easy on him. He has been retired for 26 years from what is now Cosworth Technologies (Part of Mahle Powertrain group).

Mike won't have a clue about current projects, but I'm sure he will have a jolly good laugh when he hears that there are people who are surprised that a highly-tuned normally aspirated 2.0l 4cyl engine may be "a bit down on torque" when used 4-5,000 rpm below its red line.

+1

I can't think why people should be surprised at a lack of torque when using a tuned engine. Torque needs cubes or forced induction. Tuned engines need revs to breathe.

Maybe it's a matching expectations thing..?

+1. Actually, if it's only 'a bit down' compared to a 4.0l V8, then one would think that Cosworth have done a very good job, with half the capacity and half the cylinders, one would expect that the available torque at low rpm would be also around half

I reckon tuned naturally aspirated 4-valve engines should have the red line at the other end of the revcounter dial - you don't need one at the top end, the rev limiter will do its job there, but there ought to be one at around 2.5k rpm below which one should not go under any circumstances, and a big green sector between say 4k and 6k representing the 'sweet spot' to be aimed for whenever possible

I think it probably is an expectations thing Steve, and the question is have Morgan helped to create a mismatch?

With a Baby Doll, the car is clearly a road-legal track racer and this is consistent with the expectation of a very cammy power delivery.

With the ARP4, the messages are more mixed. Sub-woofers and box-weave carpet are strange bedfellows with that engine. I wonder if people think Cosworth=torque on the back of their work with Ford, Subaru etc - all turboed of course - and are surprised that this is something very different?

Still, once above running-in revs and with that fantastic MX5 gearbox to keep the ARP4 engine on the boil, I can't think people will be disappointed