LeSinge.org

A pipe dream - 26/06/2008 - 13:47 GMT - [Link]

This is going to come across a bit Max Power, but I'd love to change the gearbox on my 1.2l Corsa from the standard issue close-ratio one to the wide-ratio box that I think is fitted on the 1.7 diesel. My reasoning is that I clock up most of my miles commuting on the M7 at 100-120km/h and I hate that, at 120km/h, the engine is screaming at 4000rpm like it's going to jump out through the bonnet.

The Scenic has the opposite problem; it's too big and heavy (and brick-shaped) for its little 1.4 (especially going between 50 and 80km/h) but its 5th at least is noticeably longer - 3500rpm at 120km/h.

Their respective kerb weights are 1024kg and 1235kg, so surely the Corsa has enough grunt to handle the bigger gaps between gears, especially since it's usually only me in it? I don't care if it takes me a little longer to get to 120km/h, as long as I'm not thrashing the engine as much when I get there.

According to this page, the wide-ratio box has a top ratio of 0.71 compared to 0.89 on what I have now, but it also says there's only one box you can fit on an X12XE engine. As standard, anyway...

So yeah, like I said, a pipe dream and probably far too costly in the short term to justify what I might save in petrol down the road. It's just that my last fill-up cost me €60 and fuck knows what the next one will be in a couple of days. I could just drive at 57.6mph, I suppose.

• jules said:

  I just want a pony. Wif a pwetty mane & tail I can comb & plait & put wibbons in. But you know, whatever floats your boat.
  
  [cars are EVIL, evil I tells ye!]

  [2008-06-28 13:26:46 GMT] [Reply to this comment]



• deadmoan said:

  dave, mess with your car to put in non-standard parts and you'll never be able to sell it again.
  Why not try a gas conversion instead.
  

  [2008-06-29 08:48:33 GMT] [Reply to this comment]



• Dave said:

  It's a seven-year-old Corsa with over 70000 miles; how much do you think I'd get for it anyway?
  
  If I could do this I would keep the car.

  [2008-07-01 15:19:08 GMT] [Reply to this comment]



• deadmoan said:

  In that case, add an afterburner.... it'll get you up to speed faster!
  And...erm not be efficient.
  
  And 29" wheels...

  [2008-07-05 06:21:27 GMT] [Reply to this comment]



• Dave said:

  A pony would be superfun but I don't think it would like the daily 50 mile round trip to work.
  
  And no there is no realistic public transport option for me. This is Ireland, after all.

  [2008-07-01 15:20:18 GMT] [Reply to this comment]

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This is LeSinge.org v3.0. It's on its sixth* server since I registered the domain name in November of 2000 and it has gone through several drastic facelifts in that time, usually prompted by some cataclysmic event like someone deleting a load of files they shouldn't, or a server being shut down. This is the maddest layout yet; I'm trying to fit the entire weblog (apart from diary archives and the gallery) into a single loading page using all sorts of PHP-generated DHTML jiggery-pokery. The idea is to make it more inviting to look around since there's no loading between "pages". It's still a work in progress (more a proof of concept than anything), so be patient!

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