ohms69

Hi all,

I'm currently looking into buying a sapph cossie but am unsure about which variant would be better suited to my needs. I plan on concoursing the potential victim and as a result only using in fine weather. that's not to say I don't like giving it stick, afterall these cars are built to be driven!

I would like 350BHP, in your opinions which is more fun and relaible? 2WD or 4WD?

Thanks in advance.

CossieRich

iTrader: (1)

do u like givin it death down twisty roads. if yes then get 4x4. If u prefer a car that rips the tarmac once it gets movin and can come out of roundabouts completely sideways then get a 2wd

gurnE

Run and Reliable??

Easy, 2wd, much livelier to drive and far less fragile transmission!!

Sticky.

iTrader: (4)

Depend on your driving style you can have as much fun in both 2wd & 4wd

But some will disagree

Let the arguments being

wimwerf

4wd is a far better allround car. check the weather in the UK. it rains more then the sun shines. and a 2wd is horrible to drive in the rain. especially with a lot of BHP/torque.

ohms69

I enjoy a good b-road blast as much as the next man, but do fancy a bit of arse-end-out action into the bargain. Can the 4wd cossies powerslide, a'la lancer evo?

wimwerf

yes it can. but is it good for the transmission.....i'll think not.

but like sticker paul said...you can have fun in both.

ohms69

A mate of mine is selling a 4wd saph, and it is going cheap, but I think really I'd prefer a 2wd given the type of use it will get and the fact that I desperately want to learn the black art of controlled power oversteer.

How difficult is 4wd to convert to 2wd? Exactly what will need changing?

Also, does anybody know the whereabouts of any good cosworth specific books/manuals, I desperatly want to find out how everything works before I part with my hard earned.

thanks chaps

wimwerf

if you want 2wd you better buy a 2wd then. much cheaper then converting it from 4wd to 2wd.

Martyn

I went for 4wd, there are alot of pros and cons for each.
I often wish I could get the back end out but its not the end of the world!
Both are just as good as each other but in slightly different ways

wimwerf

thats right

ohms69

When I say the 4wd is cheap, I mean real cheap. He's going to OZ for 12 months and is basically selling it to me for half of what it's worth. I would just like an idea of what's involved in converting the car.

Would the car be much lighter in 2wd guise?

Martyn

If its that much of a bargain buy it anyway, even if you REALLY want 2wd.
You then get the chance to try out 4wd, if you dont like it sell it and get a 2wd

RWD_cossie_wil

iTrader: (9)

buy it and sell it on for a profit then?

ohms69

Haven't the 4wd's got stronger engines? Surely I'd be better converting the drive train to 2wd. I've looked on Ebay and T5 gearboxes look to be cheap enough. Do any steering componenets have to be changed?

Does anybody know???

The Gravedigger

Yep it's a no brainer innit mate

wimwerf

yep they have 200 engines standard. but its not only another gearbox you need then.

ohms69

what else?

Dilly

stick with 4WD.....it's much better

ohms69

So what goes wrong with 4wd transmissions? Can they take 350BHP all day long?

Dilly

it's the torque that kills them. i'm running my standard 4WD box at 2 bar....dunno how long it will last for though

wimwerf

if you drive normally for once a while it will last. but if you drive it like your stole it

RWD_cossie_wil

iTrader: (9)

IIRC to swap you will need a T5 box, 2wd prop, diff, not sure about the front cradle, but deffo a 2wd sump, I assume you can leave the 4x4 steering rack on etc?? just run the 4x4 stub-axles on the front wheels and remove all the driveshafts/diff etc I am doing this at the moment so any more info would be great

Matt

http://www.derbyshire-rsoc.co.uk/cosworthmanuals/

the 2wd or 4wd thing is an age old debate and to be fair has no right/wrong answer

350 in 4wd will break the box and diffs if launched continously/hard

390ish in my rwd has broke the diff and box after say about 10 full bore launches in the 3 3k miles of road use

Mike Rainbird

iTrader: (3)

The chances of finding a mint 2wd are VERY slim, whereas the 4x4 is newer and so should be easier to find a good condition one. Going by the amount of newbies to powerful rwd cars who have subsequently crashed them, I would suggest a 4x4 might be a better bet for that reason as well... .

The majority of the T5 gearboxes on ebay will be shot and needing a full overhaul at the very least. The MT75 box is on it's limit with the amount of torque that is normally produced with 350bhp....

Reliability is mainly down to age, condition and power, so go for the best example you can afford. There is NO such thing as a "cheap" Cossie . You will either be putting right all the problems or become addicted to modding it. Either way is extremely hard on the wallet .

dumped

dont be GAY - rwd LOL

deleted

pros and cons to both i have a 2wd and the mrs has a 4x4 i love both for different reasons
if i was doing a longer journey i would use the 4x4 the gearbox is better suited to normalk driving its more comfortable and seems to be better on fuel
if i wanted to tear up the tarmac sideways out of every corner i would use the 2wd

when putting ur foot down on a motorway and for launching i prefer the 2wd, but a lot of people say you cant have fun in a fourby well i know that i can and have held traceys fourby sideways out of roundabouts and turning and it is great fun

but overall 2wd does it more for me

ohms69

The 4x4 in question is a '93 so pretty much last of the line, it's got to be a better option than a '89 2wd. I'll see how it goes and then convert look into converting if it's not providing the kicks I'm after. As I say the car will mostly hibernate in the garage being tinkered with until the sun comes out.

How difficult are engines to rebuild. I get the impression that most people on here entrust the work to specialists...Does anybody rebuild there own? As i say I like to get stuck in and suss how the damn thing goes together myself.