lights on rev counter

At last a couple of mature sensible owners on here who enjoy driving in a responsible manner
i had a lovely race prepped xflow [forged pistons etc ] which went bang and was uber expensive to rebuild -so i guess i'm a bit wary as i get older now of abusing my engines - ok so i know an S54 is inherently a lot stronger and better designed than a xflow but i would hate to see my engine let go if i was revving it to 8k all the time ,especially when you can enjoy it keeping on the boil in nicely <7k .
I mean ask your self this -to be honest what more do really you get by taking her >7k in each gear -you're into the realms of diminishing returns in terms of enjoyment -my S54 sounds truly epic at <7k without needing to thrash it more .
 
AZ4MW said:
I know all the Orange lights go out way before I see the oil temp start to rise on mine I keep it around 2000rpm until it's fully fully warmed up, I like you MP very rarley screem it up to the red line, 6 to 6.5k is ok for most of what I w,ant it to do, did once hit the limiter in 3rd (very briefly) and that was popping on a bit, as mine is a keeper I'm no way going to thrash it unnecessarily, I just know it's there if I ever need it :D
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Hold on are you saying even the last orange light at 7.5 also goes out when its warm because i don't think mine does?
 
Mad Professor said:
AZ4MW said:
I know all the Orange lights go out way before I see the oil temp start to rise on mine I keep it around 2000rpm until it's fully fully warmed up, I like you MP very rarley screem it up to the red line, 6 to 6.5k is ok for most of what I w,ant it to do, did once hit the limiter in 3rd (very briefly) and that was popping on a bit, as mine is a keeper I'm no way going to thrash it unnecessarily, I just know it's there if I ever need it :D
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Hold on are you saying even the last orange light at 7.5 also goes out when its warm because i don't think mine does?
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No the last orange stays on :thumbsup:
 
Bing said:
To be honest Prof, I'm mostly with you, as I drive the car as a daily. I only short shift whilst the engine is warming up, keeping it well below 3k revs until it's at 80 degrees plus oil temp ; after that though when I'm not out on a hoon I find I rarely have to go about 5k revs in any gear. Now, that's not short shifting, but it's just not necessary and there's more than enough torque for it to still pull very nicely indeed. On the motorway I rarely drop it out of 6th, even when traffic slows down to 50mph - I love that, almost like having an auto :lol:

However it's gets used properly on weekends like this one past in Wales, and it's great to have the 3k 'fun' revs that I don't use daily, rarely going any higher than 4th and using alllll that power an torque. There's plenty of the latter for me - as Perry pointed out when I very lightly toasted my clutch at the weekend :oops: , once it's rolling in first it's dead easy to light the back end up in 1st and 2nd :driving: :evil:
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Out of curiosity Bing might i enquire if you felt the need to cane your 3.0 roadster more than the M -ie on the basis that it doesn't have the same amount of reserve at the top end .Never driven a 3.0 so i'm interersted to know how it might compare .I drove a 2.5 which to be honest i actually thought was plenty enough for day to day enjoyment on our shoddy B roads . I honestly cant recall the last time i thought i should have given my S54 the beans to enhance the experience -and bear in mind i had the same engine on my Z3 .
 
Before I answer your question, I should point out that whilst I'm not a mentalist, the Z does bring out the hooligan in me even on my commute sometimes. Just can't help myself, 2nd at >7k sounds like hell has been unleashed, it's ace :oops: :evil:

As for the 3.0, I didn't feel the need to thrash it, and still got it nicely warm first (bit harder to judge - no oil temp gauge)... However it was easier to redline it as it was an auto, so when on a hoon I frequently did push it all the way, in the knowledge the box would keep everything from breaking. Usually in a straight line acceleration though - the changes were so smooth it pulled relentlessly, it was awesome fun. Round the twisties I'd use the paddles or the stick depending on what else was happening, and didn't need to be on the edge the whole time, plenty power and torque all through the range. The torque curve really flattens out on the 3.0 from about 2.5k to near the limit, so it all there most of the time.

The rewards from pushing it hard on my current car are mainly noise related beyond a certain point - it's soooo addictive.
 
Day to day I drive well within the boundaries, probably maxing at 5k revs. When I'm hooning I'm more than happy to give it the berries, but in 6 years of ownership I've still never hit the limiter
 
flimper said:
Day to day I drive well within the boundaries, probably maxing at 5k revs. When I'm hooning I'm more than happy to give it the berries, but in 6 years of ownership I've still never hit the limiter
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But you're obvioulsy holding a bit back if you've never hit the limiter
 
Interesting - torque'y is not a characteristic i'd use to describe the S54 - it's famously a revvy engine, hence the high redline and BHP.

I don't think anyone has advocated sitting on the redline anywhere, or being immature with it, but i think to say you're getting maximum enjoyment from the car by shortshifting 24/7 is bs personally.


EDIT: Following other threads today, i've decided to add an 'Opinion' Disclaimer: this is my opinion, it is not intended as an insult or direct threat to your masculinity.
 
jimmybell said:
Interesting - torque'y is not a characteristic i'd use to describe the S54 - it's famously a revvy engine, hence the high redline and BHP.

I don't think anyone has advocated sitting on the redline anywhere, or being immature with it, but i think to say you're getting maximum enjoyment from the car by shortshifting 24/7 is bs personally.


EDIT: Following other threads today, i've decided to add an 'Opinion' Disclaimer: this is my opinion, it is not intended as an insult or direct threat to your masculinity.
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Well it's all relative at least for NA engines eg S54 cf say F20c it has a lot more useable torque . Cf to a big V8 or v10 then not so .
 
Mad Professor said:
At last a couple of mature sensible owners on here who enjoy driving in a responsible manner
i had a lovely race prepped xflow [forged pistons etc ] which went bang and was uber expensive to rebuild -so i guess i'm a bit wary as i get older now of abusing my engines - ok so i know an S54 is inherently a lot stronger and better designed than a xflow but i would hate to see my engine let go if i was revving it to 8k all the time ,especially when you can enjoy it keeping on the boil in nicely <7k .
I mean ask your self this -to be honest what more do really you get by taking her >7k in each gear -you're into the realms of diminishing returns in terms of enjoyment -my S54 sounds truly epic at <7k without needing to thrash it more .
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Sort your attitude out fella. Instead of insulting those of us that like to use our car's how we see fit maybe just except that we like to use the car how we believe the M guys designed which is to rev up to 8k safely. No-ones saying they bounce their cars off the limiter every time they go out, not in the slightest. What we said was we have taken it into 7k plus on occasions, and why the hell not?? But that's our choice and yours is not to, well that's fine, but basically saying we are immature and irresponsible drivers is stupid and out of order. I can only assume your one of those people that believe your a better driver than pretty much everyone else you see on the road while we're making assumptions?

I look after my car to it's every need, oil change every 6 month regardless, not because it needs it but because I like to do it along with various other bits of preventative maintenance that many others wouldn't think of doing because I like to keep it in tip top condition. Being an enthusiast (geek?) I also read the manual for my car to find out if there's anything I might need to know specific to the car. If you had done the same both recent questions you posted regarding your car would have been answered in the manual, had you read it. Does that make you irresponsible for not reading the manual on how your new car functions/quirks?

Sorry to rant, but comments like that get my back up, you don't know me or Tom, you don't know how we drive, our experiences or anything about us, so maybe best not to infer people are irresponsible/immature before you know anything about them as it makes you come across as a bit of an idiot to be honest. A guy above you posted on this thead he revved his car up to 8k in 3rd gear, which I'm pretty sure would take you over 100mph on a public road I'm guessing, is he irresponsible as well?
 
Looks like I'm clearly an outlier here wrt my particular driving style and my opinions .
You're right of course I don't know how any of you drive and I was not meaning to cause any upset .
If you're driving at 100mph on public roads that's Ok as long as you don't get clocked and you take full responsibility for your actions ie if there isn't a tractor ,dog ,or old lady pulling out without looking .The safe place for that is obviously on a track where there aren't any unexpected obstacles or idiots going in the opposite direction .
 
Mine regularly gets a regular 'Italian Tune Up', but it also spends a lot of time at 3000-4000rpm cruising on the motorway.

Regular trips north of 7,000rpm doesn't seem to have done any damage in my 122,000 miles of ownership.

But ask anyone who's been on a drive/meet with me and you'll see I'm a long way from mature :P
 
mmm-five said:
Mine regularly gets a regular 'Italian Tune Up', but it also spends a lot of time at 3000-4000rpm cruising on the motorway.

Regular trips north of 7,000rpm doesn't seem to have done any damage in my 122,000 miles of ownership.

But ask anyone who's been on a drive/meet with me and you'll see I'm a long way from mature :P
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totally agree.
 
Interesting comparisons with the S2000 from MP. I regularly rev my ///M out to 8K rpm and my S2K to 9K, and I've hit the limiter several times in both. Whilst the ///M has a soft limiter that gently closes the throttle, the S2K has the fiercest limiter I've encountered on any car. It behaves as if the ignition has been cut for a fraction of a second repeatedly, with a violent, cyclic loss of all power then immediate return of full throttle. The first time it happened when I was cornering, it induced a momentary lift-off oversteer so now I consciously try to upshift by 8.5K rpm.
 
Well the F20c is I reckon one of the best engines ever built in terms of being a sheer technical tour de force ,right up there with the BDA and S54 IMHO ,at least wrt what was acheiveble at that moment in time for a NA engine .
While I might not take my S54 to the limit its still a lovely thing to own .Its like having a wee bit of history right there in your garage .
Now whenever I have driven the S2k i have found it needs to be kept right at the limit of the Rev range to be on cam otherwise it feels a bit limp to be honest ,and that gearbox just feels epic ,maybe the best box ever . The handling is to say the least interesting if not perhaps conference inspiring in the wet .
For me the S2k in say twenty years will be a sure fire classic cult car . People will look at that in then same way they now look at say a Fulvia or GT junior or an Elan sprint . Three of my all time favourite classics right there I would dearly love to own one day .
 
I find the handling to be really very good. Turn in is immediate and it will carry surprising amounts of speed through corners. The feedback from the electric powersteering is a little lacking though. It can be extremely tail happy in the wet and even on a dry road if you grab it by the scruff of the neck. Off cam (below 6K or so) it's a bit underpowered, especially driven back to back with the ///M, but snicking though the gearbox with heel and toe downshifts up at 9K makes up for it :D
 
Yep I can def see the attraction on the S2k . On my to own list at some stage for sure . It's kind of what the MX5 should have evolved into .
Now then anyone for a Caterham 21 -got a real soft spot for those as well . Really nice VX red top powered one for sale at Classcis and Sevens at the moment . Bomb proof torquey engine and epic handling and really light . Want one .
 
I'm not so keen on the Caterham 21 but I'd quite like a Westfield 11

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Based on the Lotus 11

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Or a Westfield XTR4

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We're not - we're totally off topic now and discussing race cars apparently :D
 
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