Looking to build bike powered car

[plomagli]

I am looking to build a bike powered car. Its going to be front engine rear wheel drive. Thinking about converting a vw rabbit or corrado. Can anyone recommend a rear diff setup and a reverse box? Does anyone know anything about the gulf that hrengineering.net built? What kind of rear diff they used?

If anyone can point me in the right direction it will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[Paul Glavin]

I really think you'll struggle with weight on anything VW built.
The corrado and the golf are not light cars and I don't think you'll get
them down to the 600kg mark to make a BEC a worthwhile conversion.


On 11/02/2009 21:19, "plomagli" <paul.lomaglio@...> wrote:

>
> I am looking to build a bike powered car. Its going to be front engine rear
> wheel drive. Thinking about converting a vw rabbit or corrado. Can anyone
> recommend a rear diff setup and a reverse box? Does anyone know anything
> about the gulf that hrengineering.net built? What kind of rear diff they
> used?
>
> If anyone can point me in the right direction it will be greatly
> appreciated.
>
> Thank you

[plomagli]

I want to build an MKI Rabbit. Right now its completely gutted. As it sits it weighs around 1300lbs.

This is the direction I want to go in

http://hrengineering.net/8.html

Basically I am just looking for some pointers. I want to use a hayabusa engine.

Where do I get a reverse box?

What do I do about an alternator?

What is a good rear diff setup to use? What gear ratio.



Thank you

[Mike Lackey-2]

What's the big hangup at 600kg?

I'm using a RWD '86 Corolla with an R1 engine and expect the final weight to be about 1000kg (with cage and other safety gear).  I have a very specific goal which makes a 1000cc motorcycle engine the ideal option.  I'm just wondering if there is some major issue I'm overlooking here.  My biggest concern is the clutch, but I believe an upgraded clutch will be adequate even with the weight so long as I'm not abusing it.

This same type of swap has been done before in other, comparatively, portly cars.  Search for Situne Escort RR for example.

Back to the original poster's questions...  I imagine starting with a RWD platform would make things considerably less difficult.  It is this reason that I chose the Corolla (AE86 chassis) over a FWD. 

Mike



You wrote:

I really think you'll struggle with weight on anything VW built.
The corrado and the golf are not light cars and I don't think you'll get
them down to the 600kg mark to make a BEC a worthwhile conversion.

On 11/02/2009 21:19, "plomagli" <paul.lomaglio@ gmail.com> wrote:

>
> I am looking to build a bike powered car. Its going to be front engine rear
> wheel drive. Thinking about converting a vw rabbit or corrado. Can anyone
> recommend a rear diff setup and a reverse box? Does anyone know anything
> about the gulf that hrengineering. net built? What kind of rear diff they
> used?
>
> If anyone can point me in the right direction it will be greatly
> appreciated.
>
> Thank you

     

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Paul Glavin]

The reason that the becs get their acceleration is because they weigh naff
all.

You're pulling a darn site more weight than the engine was designed to cope
with, in my mind anything more than 700kg with the engine and fluids in is
just not worth the compromise of the bike engine.


On 16/02/2009 23:19, "Mike Lackey" <mike_lackey@...> wrote:

> What's the big hangup at 600kg?
>
> I'm using a RWD '86 Corolla with an R1 engine and expect the final weight to
> be about 1000kg (with cage and other safety gear).  I have a very specific
> goal which makes a 1000cc motorcycle engine the ideal option.  I'm just
> wondering if there is some major issue I'm overlooking here.  My biggest
> concern is the clutch, but I believe an upgraded clutch will be adequate even
> with the weight so long as I'm not abusing it.
>
> This same type of swap has been done before in other, comparatively, portly
> cars.  Search for Situne Escort RR for example.
>
> Back to the original poster's questions...  I imagine starting with a RWD
> platform would make things considerably less difficult.  It is this reason
> that I chose the Corolla (AE86 chassis) over a FWD. 
>
> Mike
>
>
>
> You wrote:
>
> I really think you'll struggle with weight on anything VW built.
> The corrado and the golf are not light cars and I don't think you'll get
> them down to the 600kg mark to make a BEC a worthwhile conversion.
>
> On 11/02/2009 21:19, "plomagli" <paul.lomaglio@ gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> I am looking to build a bike powered car. Its going to be front engine rear
>> wheel drive. Thinking about converting a vw rabbit or corrado. Can anyone
>> recommend a rear diff setup and a reverse box? Does anyone know anything
>> about the gulf that hrengineering. net built? What kind of rear diff they
>> used?
>>
>> If anyone can point me in the right direction it will be greatly
>> appreciated.
>>
>> Thank you
>
>
>
>      
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> bike-engined-cars-unsubscribe@...
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

[moospeed-288]

Referring to Mike's post, that situne escort mentioned below appears
to be around 740kg and also turbocharged. So not overly portly and
the turbo offsets some of the disadcantage of bike power I guess...

There used to be elise conversions from holeshot with the hayabusa
turbo engine didn't there ?  That must've had some kind of transaxle
arrangement to keep the engine in the back. Don't know how that
worked out in terms of clutch loadings, etc. Can't see why it
wouldn't work.

Personally when/if I build another BEC I'd still be focussed on
weight but would try not to get overly obsessed about every last kg.
But I wouldn't start a build if I thought it would be around 1000kg
at the end...


--- In bike-engined-cars@..., Paul Glavin <paul@...>
wrote:
>
> The reason that the becs get their acceleration is because they
weigh naff
> all.
>
> You're pulling a darn site more weight than the engine was
designed to cope
> with, in my mind anything more than 700kg with the engine and
fluids in is
> just not worth the compromise of the bike engine.
>
>
> On 16/02/2009 23:19, "Mike Lackey" <mike_lackey@...> wrote:
>
> > What's the big hangup at 600kg?
> >
> > I'm using a RWD '86 Corolla with an R1 engine and expect the
final weight to
> > be about 1000kg (with cage and other safety gear).  I have a
very specific
> > goal which makes a 1000cc motorcycle engine the ideal option. 
I'm just
> > wondering if there is some major issue I'm overlooking here.  My
biggest
> > concern is the clutch, but I believe an upgraded clutch will be
adequate even
> > with the weight so long as I'm not abusing it.
> >
> > This same type of swap has been done before in other,
comparatively, portly
> > cars.  Search for Situne Escort RR for example.
> >
> > Back to the original poster's questions...  I imagine starting
with a RWD
> > platform would make things considerably less difficult.  It is
this reason

> > that I chose the Corolla (AE86 chassis) over a FWD. 
> >
> > Mike
> >
> >
> >
> > You wrote:
> >
> > I really think you'll struggle with weight on anything VW built.
> > The corrado and the golf are not light cars and I don't think

you'll get
> > them down to the 600kg mark to make a BEC a worthwhile
conversion.
> >
> > On 11/02/2009 21:19, "plomagli" <paul.lomaglio@ gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> I am looking to build a bike powered car. Its going to be front
engine rear
> >> wheel drive. Thinking about converting a vw rabbit or corrado.
Can anyone
> >> recommend a rear diff setup and a reverse box? Does anyone know
anything
> >> about the gulf that hrengineering. net built? What kind of rear
diff they

> >> used?
> >>
> >> If anyone can point me in the right direction it will be greatly
> >> appreciated.
> >>
> >> Thank you
> >
> >
> >
> >      
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > bike-engined-cars-unsubscribe@...
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
>

[Dan Bromilow-495]

Above 600kg or so you lose the benefits you get from a bike engine - i.e a
lightweight engine/gearbox package, and you may as well put a car engine in.
That's the general principle, but  there may be other reasons why a bike
engine in a heavier car would be worth doing (capacity limited racing class,
or just because you like the noise).


  _____  

From: bike-engined-cars@...
[mailto:bike-engined-cars@...] On Behalf Of Mike Lackey
Sent: 16 February 2009 23:20
To: bike-engined-cars@...
Subject: Re: [bike-engined-cars] Looking to build bike powered car



What's the big hangup at 600kg?

I'm using a RWD '86 Corolla with an R1 engine and expect the final weight to
be about 1000kg (with cage and other safety gear).  I have a very specific
goal which makes a 1000cc motorcycle engine the ideal option.  I'm just
wondering if there is some major issue I'm overlooking here.  My biggest
concern is the clutch, but I believe an upgraded clutch will be adequate
even with the weight so long as I'm not abusing it.

This same type of swap has been done before in other, comparatively, portly
cars.  Search for Situne Escort RR for example.

Back to the original poster's questions...  I imagine starting with a RWD
platform would make things considerably less difficult.  It is this reason
that I chose the Corolla (AE86 chassis) over a FWD.  

Mike

You wrote:

I really think you'll struggle with weight on anything VW built.
The corrado and the golf are not light cars and I don't think you'll get
them down to the 600kg mark to make a BEC a worthwhile conversion.

On 11/02/2009 21:19, "plomagli" <paul.lomaglio@ gmail.com> wrote:

>
> I am looking to build a bike powered car. Its going to be front engine
rear
> wheel drive. Thinking about converting a vw rabbit or corrado. Can anyone
> recommend a rear diff setup and a reverse box? Does anyone know anything
> about the gulf that hrengineering. net built? What kind of rear diff they
> used?
>
> If anyone can point me in the right direction it will be greatly
> appreciated.
>
> Thank you

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Gavin Scott-271]

There is also the torque issue - a bike engine develops very little torque.

To get a heavier car moving you would need to gear down to get 1st gear working to such an extent that your top speed would be minimal.

Gavin

----- Original Message -----
From: Dan Bromilow
To: bike-engined-cars@...
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 12:17 PM
Subject: RE: [bike-engined-cars] Looking to build bike powered car


Above 600kg or so you lose the benefits you get from a bike engine - i.e a
lightweight engine/gearbox package, and you may as well put a car engine in.
That's the general principle, but there may be other reasons why a bike
engine in a heavier car would be worth doing (capacity limited racing class,
or just because you like the noise).

_____


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]