LEE P

Whats this????

Anyone read February CCC magazine??

Phil Bennet was testting some 500 quid trackday bargains and passed and p11ssed off a scoob driver at Brands on a tracksense day!

He quotes :

"Wwe even overtook a Subaru Impreza WRX on the exit at druids.
The driver gave us the bird, but not as big as the one our litte metro was giving his impreza. Dear, oh dear.

In fact, balance wise, a 1992 metrro Gti is better han a 2002 impreza WRX.
Why? Well mainly because the metro was so much more adjustable with the minimum of input.

With the metro, however, a sligt ease on te throttle is enough to regain a balance and thats even after carrying more speed to the clipping point.
It was a big surprise!

It cant be true! is phil reading this and care to elaborate??

Who was the guy in the scoob??

This metro was standard and 500 quid???

This doesent mean im buying a metro for a track car LOL!

Lee

skiddus_markus

No it means spend the £500 on race tuition.I read that too.A race driver would pass most cars,no matter what he was in.

[Edited by skiddus_markus - 1/19/2003 1:31:49 AM]

LEE P

So the scoob aint invinceable against someone who can drive in an old banger!

Thing was he was saying its more adjustable than the WRX, presuming hes driven one, not the metro was quicker coz he was driving it??

How can that little piece of crap chassis be better on the handling stakes bearing in mind its 11 year old and its a rover?

Lee

chileanred

Try 23 yrs old!

Same platform as the 1st Metros just about

LEE P

Geez even worse!!!

they cant of got the chassis so right?? to be better balacned than a 4wd with a low mounted flat four motor??

Anyone owned or driven a metro gti?? i mean i take what phil bemnnet says as hes a bloody good driver!

Maybe i should of got one as a trackday project rather than my Golf Gti.

Mind it was a good article and shows you you can have fun on track for very little money

jim litten

I used to own a metro gti (taking cover) and you could really throw it around without really upsetting it, they changed the connections on the hydra gas suspension from being linked across each axle to being linked front to back, plus it was revalved over the standard setup with dampers fitted to the front as well. As it had 115bhp k series 16 valver in it you could light its tyres up at the slightest touch, quite a good laugh just a bit grandmaish in its image. To be honest I thought it handled better than my Clio RSI that I had after.


Jim

Dream Weaver

I used to run MG Metros when I was 17, and they really were a hoot to drive on the bends. I still reckon it was the most chuckable car I have had.

You could go into a bend at any speed, come off the throttle and it would just slide around - superb. The metro van I had was different though - no seats in the back meant I sun it about 5 times doing this

DW

skiddus_markus

Some of them have 4 pot AP calipers and vented discs up front as well!They certainly look VFM if you're after a cheap trackday toy and the stock series should ensure plenty of cheap parts.

chrisp

I wasnt there so apologies if I may be wrong but I thought overtaking on the exit of a corner (which is what the quote hints at) isnt great trackday etiquette and can cause you to get black flagged. So perhaps the imprezas drivers hand gesture was to indicate that it was a trackday/driver improvement day not a race

I always thought you overtake on the straights only for safety and only when you know the guy in front has seen you by the use of the indicator. This may of happened so again I may be wrong .


[Edited by chrisp - 1/19/2003 8:37:48 PM]

MowbrayWRX

Funny how its always the EX Subaru owners that find these snippets of wisdom. They must spend days trying to find articles out of Magazines, and then completely quote them out of context.

What the hell are these people doing on here other than trying to wind us up.

We all know the limitations and the good points of our cars.

SO, GO AWAY............ WE ARE NOT INTERESTED.

Rant over.

Tony S

hades

IIRC, he also passed an Elise and an Integrale, and hassled an Exige in his Citreon BX GTi. Just goes to show that on the track, driver ability counts for more than a bit of extra power.

Similarly, I seem to remember a story about John Felstead passing a load of turbos/STis etc on a track whilst driving a sport. Doesn't mean the sport is quicker than a turbo, more that JF was a better driver.

catflap

HEHEH i thought that was ace you could see the dismay on the scooby drivers face HAHAHAHAH

I think some of you have missed the point of the article, it was about track fun for 500 quid, something a scooby CAN NOT DO!! (unless its like a justy or something and then the metro would probably be more fun anyway)

The tyres and brakes it would cost for a couple of track days on a scoob would more than pay for a fun track day car (and as shown, and learn to drive and you’ll be faster than useless drivers)

MGJohn

Methinks traces of the old "All Rovers are crap" mindset here.

IIRC, and that's far from all the time, ALL METROS, yes even W reg 1980 1 litre ones ... have four pot calipers. Engineering overkill possibly .. Good old ARG ... Although I'm not certain about the later Rover 100 ones. How many pots (brake caliper pistons) has your'n got ?

For those of the mindset that believes if it doesn't cost an arm and a leg, it's not worthy of consideration, suggest you attend one of the Metro (or Maestro) club track race days. When you see these competent amateurs in action, you may just revise some of your opinions .....

Please keep an open mind. That's the way to all learning.

I once attended a Silverstone International Motorcycle meeting back in the mid-1960s. Some "unknown" on an old British Racing nail led for most of the race and won against much foreign exotica. Later I discovered that some machine and rider changes not given on the programme meant that the winning machine was ridden by a certain S.M.B 'Mike' Hailwood. No contest.

Another occasion, this time at an International Car meeting at Brands Hatch, some programme "unknown" easily won a supporting saloon car race in some 'lowly' vehicle. Later transpired it was the flying scot Jimmy Clark at the wheel.

Yes, you could say that on occasions, the driver or rider is more important than the vehicle..... and then some.

Did I mention about the well driven 12 year Montego which not only outpaced the much more costly and exotic opposition on the straights, but outhandled them on the track's twisty bits too ... better not go there, you wont believe me .....

chrisp

Do you think if they had reverse cars the Metro would have kept up and overtaken the WRX ?? Or do you think the metro driver would have been quicker in the WRX ??

Yes I can see the point but surely the driver has made the difference not the car. So saying a metro GTi is quciker than a WRX or all the other cars mentioned is complete rubbish. Put a works WRC driver in the WRX and the metro wouldnt know which way it went. I cant see how you cant see that

MGJohn

Remember too. The Metro's not so humble heritage goes back to the all conquering Mini. The engine, gearbox and suspension being almost identical. BMC works Minis were winning Championship Rallies and sometimes finishing in most of the top places when Mitsubishi were ex Zero "warbird" makers and nobody had even heard of Subarus .....

MGJohn

If Concord and a WRX raced round Brands Hatch ... who'd win ... Horses for courses and all that!

MGJohn

might have been a 6R4 ...

chrisp

Are we talking flying or taxi-ing ? .
I reckon even I would be quicker in the corner down the straight I may not be able to reach mach 1 though . Interesting mach 1 to 50mph for the bend , gonna need 100 pots brakes .

Dyney

I'll admit it I had a Metro Gti for a couple of years!!!

I still think about getting another for the trip to work and leave the Scoob in the gaage

It was a great little car embarassed quite a few Nova's and Escort's in it's day
No it doesn't compare with a Scoob with equal drivers, but if you want a cheap track car it's worth a thought

Sparky1066

I had a go in a 130bhp Metro Turbo, on the motorway about 2 months ago and it was sh1te!

LEE P

Well Mowbray i dont spend days looking through mags to find snippets to offend fellow scooby owners as i dont have one anymore!

it was a article in CCC which is the only car mag i purchase now...monthly!

I was surprised for Mr Bennet to say its ws more adjustable than the wrx, not that he was quicker, or the wrx with works driver would be faster, just interested ii the fact he chassis dynamics may work better?

I aint driven a metro Gti so was a little intrigued.

as for bad track etiquette i dont know? and im not going to read more into what he said to try and decide.

its amazing though the cheap fun that can be had! im looking forward to this summer as i wont have the expense of trackdaying my old Scoob!

brumster

Just to be finickety but, hey, us ex-Metro owners are like that

A-Series Metros had the 4-pot calipers and vented discs on the front from about 1985 onwards, earlier models didn't enjoy such good brakes except on the turbo/MG models. Post-85 the 4 pots were standard across the range.

K-Series Metros, however, used single piston sliding calipers on the front, normally with solid discs but the GTi/a variants had vented discs. All had drums on the back.

The GTi (16v MPI model) sported about 103bhp in standard form. The suspension was indeed re-worked to operate how it was first intended - linking suspension front/back as opposed to side/side as on the A-series Metros.

Sure they're good little cars for what they were, standard tyres on them were useless though. Cracking engine, passable chassis but that's about it. Better balanced that a MY02? Well, maybe, but certainly not better balanced than a MY99 IMHO...

johnfelstead

LOL at this thread.

You can have a lot of fun in a shed on track, problems usually occur when you crash them. I wouldnt fancy my chances in a metro.

Phil doesnt think Impreza's are that bad, otherwise he wouldnt have asked me about buying a P1/TypeR a few weeks ago.

As always, it's about the nut behind the wheel, and Phil sure is a nutcase.

I used to track a Manta GTE and an XR4x4 years ago, they were great cheap fun on track. Hell, my first rally car was a hillman Imp, i used to blow RS2000's off in that for fun. Those were the days. LOL

I have only ever driven a Metro 110s, something like that, and hated every second of it, what a nail. I drove a Micra Diesel in monte last year and it was some of the best fun i have ever had, brilliant for handbrake turns coming down the col de turini anyway.

I still prefer my STi though.

LEE P

With all due respect john a 2002 wrx aint no P1, or type R is it??

i would have a type R, sti 5/6 over any bugeye or face lifted bugeye come to think of it!

Lee

johnfelstead

i never said it was?

LEE P

No but you said "phil doesent think imprezas are that bad or he wouldnt of asked me about a P1/type R.

doesent mean he likes all imprezas...just the well sorted ones!

Why the little angry face john? you abit uptight?

Dream Weaver

Lets not forget, there was no mention of the Impreza being "crap" or "slower than a metro", which is what some Scoob oweners seem to have got their back up about.

Phil simply said the Metro is more adjustable on track. Not adjustable parts, suspension etc, but just easier to place it where you want it as opposed to a WRX.

Stop getting wound up everyone - they are great fun track cars for £500.

John, I have crashed a metro (on private land) and they are not too bad actually Would have no probs taking one on track

LEE P

Thank you Dream weaver

i just hope i wasnt so **** about impreza's or any other car that ive owned!

sometimes you need to take the blinkers off!

I would own a impreza again, but it would be a Type R or RA next time!

Then again a Evo 6! but im totally off topic now and dont want to open a can of worms!

Diablo

Whats the problem here?

Why shouldn't a metro have better balance than a WRX??? Doesn't mean its not basically a pile of cack apart from that.

My old Mini had better "balance" than ANYTHING i've ever driven since. Including my MY99 scoob and Integra R Honda.

D

johnfelstead

its an not a [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]