Metro GTI 16v

Scott · Post by **Scott** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 9:53 pm

Well, i went and bought one didnt i!

These things should come with goverment health warnings! Its either nackered, or has rubbish tyres, or both, or i was just caught unawares! It has less grip than my 800, and anything above 70mph feels faster than 140 in the 800!

went to put a little bit of power on (in 1st) coming round a littel feeder road to this petrol station, and the car understeers like buggery! so much so that i very quickly found my self sliding on all 4 wheels sideways into a curb! Having revisited the bit of road again later, its still way slippery than anywhere else id been all day. Ill blame it on deisel, but man i sh1t a brick! just goes to show, it can happen to anyone!

Still, other than the rattles, the fact theres no thermostat in it, a bit of rust, 2 different sets of keys, i think im gonna get on with it just fine!

ITs a K reg, 59k miles, tax and mot , cd player, all for Â£330

In metalic grey, with red seatbelts, alloys, usual kit / rear spoiler etc.

scooby-slayer · Post by **scooby-slayer** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 10:00 pm

That ent a bad catch mate...

MGTurbo · Post by **MGTurbo** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 10:04 pm

Does it have pirelli p600's or camacs?

1796cc GTi Se · Post by **1796cc GTi Se** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 10:05 pm

Drive one that isnt on its last leg's which imo yours sounds like it is

vi turbo no.2 · Post by **vi turbo no.2** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 10:08 pm

Try driving one with 170 bhp then

lol on camac's :cry:

ian

fluke · Post by **fluke** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 10:11 pm

MGTurbo wrote:Does it have pirelli p600's or camacs?

If it's that bad it has to have Continentals :lol:

Edit: If it has P600's on the back they have probably been on since new

Scott · Post by **Scott** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 10:11 pm

I dont actually think its on its last legs! The engine pulls very well all the way to the limiter, although does have a slight metalic 'supercharge' soudn to it past 5k revs, but this could be normal, ill be checking the car over more thouroughly tommoz...

I do think there needs to be some attention to the steering/shocks etc , and maybe some new brakes. Definately some eagle f1 gsd3's goign on it aswell after payday...

I miss power steering

Still, i can see the attraction, and if i get used to it, im sure next eyar sometime a 1.8 will go in.... I fancy the idea of fettling a K series on the bench before it goes in...

Pictures to follow.

Post by **Punx0r** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 1:24 am

Go on, 1.8K turbo! Or perhaps just a mere VVC...

You know you want to :twisted:

vi turbo no.2 · Post by **vi turbo no.2** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 1:39 am

turbo

alot of work

ian

Bubble Turbo · Post by **Bubble Turbo** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 1:42 am

vi turbo no.2 wrote:turbo alot of work

ian

me's seconds tat ! :roll:

Ant 05 · Post by **Ant 05** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 1:59 am

Bargin at that price.

well im begining to think i brought more then i thourght, with my metro :cry:

Sheaf · Post by **Sheaf** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 9:09 am

I always say that there's a lot more to driving little cars than people think. They often tend to take more driver input to go anywhere, big cars are much more forgiving, little cars are more of a handful, but a lot of fun at low speeds.

Squaddiemodo · Post by **Squaddiemodo** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 12:50 pm

I had a GTi as a company car for a couple of months once, i thought it was an awsome little motor. loads of fun! you will prolly find that once she has been given a good service, checked the hydrospastic suspension for pressure and got some decent boots on she will be a different animal.

JamesCoupe · Post by **JamesCoupe** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 1:16 pm

Scott - is that garrage Esso in witney? the little slip road by the car wash is insane, I've had the back end out a few times round there :twisted:

114gta · Post by **114gta** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 3:21 pm

Check your tyres out, get some good 'uns! In the wet they're not clever but they're not that bad. Wait till its dry, then the fun will start! :twisted:

Short wheelsbase makes it easy to play around with understeer/oversteer in the dry, just a bit scary in the wet.

stuartm · Post by **stuartm** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 6:02 pm

I found dunlops were the best for mine, stupid size tyres used to cost a fortune :evil:

Mine would handle well when you let the suspension down so the front was on the bumpstops :twisted:

Had it off the clock( full janspeed exhaust & k&n filter, single point putting out 116bhp :thumbup:

)

symonh2000 · Post by **symonh2000** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 7:14 pm

A friend of mine who comes to karate with me has one of these. Lets just say his is "Past it's best". Its got 2 tone colour scheme, green and Red oxide. To be honest though it was a good car until he neglected it.

Stevo135+ · Post by **Stevo135+** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 9:58 pm

Im starting to get a strong feeling that by the time i get a Metro and have finished tweaking it that there could well be several Metro 1.8T's around, in the hands of all the other lunitics out there!
Maybe il end up with a fuel injected MG Metro turbo, to be different, or i might just stumble across a MG Meastro Turbo, as ive got lots of silly idea's for mods to an 0-series motor too!

iainp · Post by **iainp** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 11:11 pm

I'm jealous, I've been lusting after this all week

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ROVER-METRO-GTI-1800-VVC_W0QQitemZ4594162944QQcategoryZ18262QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Iain

114gta · Post by **114gta** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 11:01 am

iainp wrote:I'm jealous, I've been lusting after this all week

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ROVER-METRO-GTI-1800-VVC_W0QQitemZ4594162944QQcategoryZ18262QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Iain

Matt parkers car, son of Roger Parker. Mint car, ace condition solid shell ad goes really well - buy it. :wink:

He lives a 2 minute drive from me.

114gta · Post by **114gta** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 11:03 am

Stevo135+ wrote:Im starting to get a strong feeling that by the time i get a Metro and have finished tweaking it that there could well be several Metro 1.8T's around

Very doubtful - too much effort for most to get running right, its a bit toight in the metro. Did you ever see the MGM pics of the turbo i took?

Scott · Post by **Scott** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 12:52 pm

Im back, no i havent crashed and burned.

Its got terrible camac tyres on it, which would account for a lot. Once they are well warmed up, and you are not in the damp, its a bit better, and it feels a lot better ballanced front/back. Also, the suspension has probably loosened up a little bit, as its seems to drive straighter also.

done about 2 tank fulls worth of miles, getting to know the car. Its actually a lot more fun now, and i will enjoy driving it in future (insurance now expired, untill pay day 3 weeks!).

If there was anything wrong with the engine, it would have died yesterday thats for sure. I gave symonh a quick demo, and its certainly doesnt fail to impress.

Will get a picture up, but since moving i have no internet access... if i can get the rest of the car upto standard, a 1.8 would always be considered...

114gta · Post by **114gta** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 3:00 pm

Nice to hear!

CAMAC - the absolute, no arguments please, worst tyre available for the metro atall, whatsoever. Unfortunately, tyres in 185/55/13 fitment are pricey as they're so rare. Try 175/60s next (or is it 175/65?) as they're supposed to be fine for grip and you could get a much better tyre for a much better price.

Before you work on the engine, sort the suspension - lower and individualise it it properly, about 450-500psi in the front with uprated dampers but only about 400 in the back (damping rates go out the window, counteracted on the front with uprated dampers). Replace all your bushes with poly bushes and it will be a new car!

Scott · Post by **Scott** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 4:19 pm

sorry for the poor qual, damn phone wouldnt email above 64k attachment.

it has a few dents , and a usual bit of rust, but as you can see, its not shabby!

As you say toby, i will be sorting to usual out before working on the engine (Although this will remain standard for some time), brakes / suspension / tyres / body work, before negine work...

gav2pac · Post by **gav2pac** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 4:29 pm

thats very nice, really like the colour too

symonh2000 · Post by **symonh2000** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 5:56 pm

Scott, I think the crappy tyres add to the fun factor. You can get it well out of shape at sensible speeds, instead of break your neck speeds. If you add more grip you will probably reach the limits of the suspension instead, which won't be good for your health.

Stealth213S · Post by **Stealth213S** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 8:46 pm

The best standard road tyre (185/55HR13) is the Toyo Roadpro R610. This is after "testing" at Curborough and over the past year and a bit on my own car.

Camacs are crappy tyres because they are so unpredictable, wet or dry. The grip level may be OK when they are warm but when they go it is very sudden. In the wet they have almost no grip at all.
The Toyos, on the other hand are more grippy and do have are alot more predictability at the limit and don't lose too much grip in wet conditions. They aren't a soft tyre so will last a fair amount of time. They aren't the last word in grip either, but as a balance of longevity/grip can't really be faulted.

Sorry to contradict the post immediately above, but crappy tyres don't just mean low grip limits, the manner by which they lose grip also counts. I'd say the Toyos are far safer as a tyre than the Camac, which isn't even a cheap tyre.

More Metros have probably died wearing Camacs than any other tyre.

Trevor@rover · Post by **Trevor@rover** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 9:54 pm

I had one of them new first in Cleveland, didn't like it at all H reg 1990 kept it 3 months and sold it lost 3k

symonh2000 · Post by **symonh2000** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 11:29 pm

I have never really liked metro's myself, but the price Scott paid for it, makes it a pretty good buy nowadays. Bit like a lot of new cars really, too expensive new, good buy when a few years old, and lost a lot in depreciation.