(Tag and subject changed - not that I ever understood what the previous one had to do with spinach anyway!) Russell, On Mon, 22 Aug 2005 14:42:36 +1200, Russell McMahon wrote: >...< 1989 Supercharged MR2. >...< > When they were new (many moons ago) no production car on earth was > faster 0-30 mph. > Above that ... > (A supercharger works magic off the line). Indeed, unlike a turbocharger, that gives almost nothing at the line, but works better the faster you go (well, the higher the revs, but it amounts to the same thing). I had to learn a new driving technique when I got mine (Rover 620ti) because if you give it lots of welly from the line, it sets off fairly normally, but then as the turbo spins up it starts to run away with you, like a racing stallion! You don't notice a "turbo lag", it feels more as if the throttle has an exponential action. Even with a fairly normal set-off from the lights, you tend to have to lift the throttle gradually as it accelerates - if you do the more-normal technique of pressing down more as it accelerates, there's a chance of running into the car in front... You can't really pre-spin the turbo by revving it at a standstill, because all that happens is that the wheels spin and you don't move off! It has a limited-slip diff, but that just means that the wheels both spin, although they take it in turns to take the most torque, giving an axle-tramp-like oscillation. Someone once said that the practical limit for a front wheel drive car is 230BHP, above which you can't get the power onto the road. Since mine is 200BHP I can well believe it. There's also signifiant torque-steer, which makes it interesting when you're driving like a vandal. But given all that and the other less-than-ideal characteristics (spares expensive and hard to find, wears out front tyres remarkably quickly, etc) I wouldn't swap it - it's the most fun-but-practical car I've ever owned. It's a great shame that Rover discontinued it without any replacement, and I'm going to be hard-pressed to find something else that I like when this one finally dies. Cheers, Howard Winter St.Albans, England -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist