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147 2.0 not enough power!!!

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3K views 68 replies 10 participants last post by  Hoygaard 
#1 ·
Hey everyone.

I took my car, with 2 friends of mine (who are crazy about cars) for a nice drive yesterday. The weather was perfect (as it normally is in Sydney :) we drove north and headed to Palm Beach where there are VERY winding roads, forrest on either side and corners so exciting as you can't tell what's coming around the corner!!! Signs which suggested 35km/hr we were going no lower than 70km an hour around these blind corners.

I took the traction control off too and damn that car still sticks like superglue to the road. There is NO doubt about it. The 147 handles really nicely even without the traction control turned on.

Another thing. Without 2 pasengers in the car the car takes off a lot quicker!!!

But these 2 guys who I took fopr a spin. They love big cars like Skylines and Supras. They were shocked at how nice the 147 is. Both are BIG fans of the car now. They both couldn't believe the engine sound. And also the amazing Bose stereo (I had it up so loud I thought I was going to blow the spealers, the side mirroes were vibrating due to the bass... so damn sharp and crisp that Bose stereo).

I was slamming the car hard on the bends. At one stage I went into the redline on 1st gear and shifted the gear but the car went straight into 3rd. My guess is that redlining the car in a selespeed it automatically shifts into 2nd for you and thus when I shifted I shifted a second too late and it went into 3rd? Not 100% sure on this but seems logical that the Alfa shifted into 2nd for me as I bounced off the taco!

All in all. Was a really nice drive BUT I feel I need more power. The handling is SO DAMN GOOD I KNOW the 147 can handle more power easily. I want that throw you back in your seat feeling. You get a no kick back when you floor it at the lights but reving it hard and throwing it into 2nd gear you do get a bit of a kick but none in 3rd/4th/5th shifts.

So now. I dream of turbo :) One day soon one day :)
 
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#28 ·
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:<hr /><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Justin Fox:
Call me a non conformist if you like but I know I am by no means any kind of extremist or purist.[/QB]<hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Sorry Justin, I would never call U a non conformist. At least it wouldn't be the first thing that comes to mind. In fact, what I think of U is nothing I would discuss in this rather noble forum. Call me a flamer too, I dont care.

If U're reading this ZeroSeven, I am truly sorry that U have decided to part with us. :( I have to agree with you, this forum is declining into a boy racers club. Not with my approval, but what can I do to turn things around? Well, I try to ignore those boy-racer topics, and engage in more meaningfull post. In case U dont reconsider, have my best wishes for the future.

Cheers

Hoygaard
 
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#31 ·
I think I understand what the first poster is trying to say. I believe that, when is claiming for more power on his car, it is because there is some frustration indeed to drive the 147 by the fact that its behaviour on the road is really so "clean" that you don't have much sensation even when you drive off the limits.

In fact thats one of the drawbacks of such cars as the 147, whereas you have a thrill with a Mini at 40mph, you need to double this speed to begin to have the begining of a sensation with many modern cars.

This is surely why he unplugged the ASR so that maybe he could see the start of a "beyond control behaviour", but the truth is that its very difficut to appreciate that limit with all that on board electronics.

If you permit me to do a little parallel, its exactly like the old aeroplanes and the modern ones. The old where signaling very abruptly when you were not in the normal flight conditions, whereas in modern ones, electronics is supplying you so you should never be outside the normal flight, and even on fighters, the sensation in the stick is articially induced so that the human can still find a "logic" in all that.

So be careful on the open road, test your car on a closed circuit, and remenber that road sign are not just here to tell you that "your car will not pass the curve at that speed" but because sometimes, there is a dangerous crossing behind, a bus-school stop, or I don't know what else.
 
#32 ·
Not sure about this thread, I will admit that my own individual opinion is that we do have some bad eggs amongst us here, but the majority of us care enough about our fellow forum users, I know I do.

Zeroseven has gone! His login details have been deleted, he is outta here, his reasoning was he didnt fit in.

Whilst I understand what triggered the insults, you must try to appreciate that 07 may have lived that little bit longer than us "Young Guns" and has probably seen or heard more than his fair share of deaths and fatalities whilst on the road, especially coming from a motor bike background.

I am speaking now as Ian Bowles not as AlfaOwner... I have mixed feelings really, if this thread is to be in any way constructive, just take a second to sit back in your chair and consider this:

If we were to put 10 of your close families names into a hat along with 100 random members of the public, then asked these 25 people to drive towards you whilst you did your run again, I wonder if you still would?

To say YES, I would still do it again would be foolish and very selfish, yet to say NO will also have a similar result, Justin we are all guilty of abusing other peoples trust whilst on the road everyday, most of us dont know that we have compromised some one elses safety, others do and dont feel so bad about this, but the positive thing is the next time you or any one else drives this way, I hope that this thread will be in the back of their mind.

We will never know because of the way life works, but by just reading this thread, this may have saved/changed yours or some one elses life.

Go fast if you must...
Undertake at your leisure...
But for god sake, dont do blind bends, the odds are you will lose!

I dont know you Justin, but I do get a perception of characters and there is nothing that I dislike about you, I want you to live so please just calm the lane swapping down.

I myself have been guilty of the above scenario at some stage of my driving life, so its not a dig at you in any way, I just hope that we can carry on doing what we all came here to do... Just enjoy the site, its tales and the people in it, thats all we ask of you, otherwise there is no point to all my late nights!

Whilst I am on this subject, I pulled a man once from his petrol dripping car that had been racing me along a 30mph limit road at 01:30am at over 80mph - He was (And I am allowed to say this in this context) Trully f-ucked up, the entire car was bent round a tree/bus stop and the bonnet was not far away from touching the boot, so I say bring on the crash photos, I am going to post up pictures of my MK1 Astra GTE that tragically hit a 7.5T tractor that was without warning turning right whilst it was being overtaken at over 60MPH.

If these pics dont scare you nothing will!!!
 
#33 ·
Well said Ian.

It's perhaps NOT obvious that I ofcourse do not drive like I did that day every day. It was infact the first time I have pushed my car and I liked how it felt. It gave me a buzz. But I refuse to be called a "boy racer". Sure, there's a boy racer in me and I AGREE that I was driving recklessly that day but having said that I know I am not a reckless driver and this thread has most definitely made me think about my actions that day more than a few times. I sure do not want to be a driver who puts other peoples lives at risk (although perhaps being a car driver automatically makes you put peoples lives at risk!) and I'm sorry for doing so that day.

I am 27yrs old. I've had my fair share of bad experiences in life and also on the road, driving or riding bikes (I too used to ride motorbikes and remember that everyone in a car was a threat as I was always in their blind spots, these people were not racers, they were ordinary drivers, elderly and business men, all the same yet and I still intend to buy yet another bike in future).

Forums are sensitive places. If anyone on a forum has something negative to say to one individual then it's best left as a private message and I wished that 07 would email me in private as opposed to getting all aggressive and heated up on a public forum. If there are young boy racers here, or something else you read that you do not like, then best to try to turn opinions in as constuctive a way as possible.

07 left and it's sad he did leave. You can't just pack up on something if it doesn't go your way 100%. He perhaps had some opinions which I would have valued. I just didn't like the way he was so aggressive in his posts. The world can do with less aggression and more patience and constructive critisicm.

The way I see it is that this Forum is built on individuals who all share a passion for their cars. These cars just happen to be Alfa Romeos. But within this group there are very very diverse individuals. All of which are entitled to have an opinion and also have something to say. Some of us perhaps like to have a nice loud exhaust sound, some of us are perhaps more environmentally concious. In the end of the day, each to their own. It's personal opinion against personal opinion, a forum is not a chat room, all one can hope for is to contribute a post which is as constructive as possible.

And yes, I still stand on my original post, which is: I feel that the 147 is a great car with great handling and although I am close to giving up on it... I'd still LOVE for it to have a little more power!!!
 
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#34 ·
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:<hr /><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Justin Fox:
It's perhaps NOT obvious that I ofcourse do not drive like I did that day every day. It was infact the first time I have pushed my car and I liked how it felt. It gave me a buzz. But I refuse to be called a "boy racer". Sure, there's a boy racer in me and I AGREE that I was driving recklessly that day but having said that I know I am not a reckless driver and this thread has most definitely made me think about my actions that day more than a few times. I sure do not want to be a driver who puts other peoples lives at risk (although perhaps being a car driver automatically makes you put peoples lives at risk!) and I'm sorry for doing so that day.
<hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Read the bit I highlighted in bold and tell me again how you were not being a 'reckless driver'.

P.S. I'm not reckless but only in my eyes. It depends on your defintion of 'safe' or 'reckless'.

Oh, and I ride bikes too. I now love 'em after taking my test. Can't get enough of them... :D
 
#35 ·
bugfix, simply put. Just because I drink a glass of wine every now and then doesn't make me an alcoholic! And yes. I do live life rather recklessly at times. For example. I have a flu at the moment. Damn, if I could eat the best healthiest foods in the world and do excercise every single day I am sure I would be close to being someone who is never reckless and unhappy. But I'm only human and I make mistakes!

In any case. ENOUGH ALREADY! I refuse to make more posts on this thread. For everyone reading it. I hope there has been some interesting opinions and thoughts in this thread to make you perhaps think twice when driving your car over the speed limit in the name of fun. I know it's made me think twice. I have just come back from a drive and YES. I did go over the speed limit a few times today, and yesterday in fact probably most times I am driving I will go over 60km/hr. If everyone on this forum is trying to tell me that they never go above the speed limit ever then by Jeebers I must be the only reckless driver here. :(

 
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#36 ·
Justin

They all own 900cc supermini type motors and are all lying about having Alfa Sports cars or I thought they were Sports cars but obviously I was wrong. Few probably have any idea what the roads are like in Australia in reference to traffic volumes or lack of it, as most come from the sardine tinned UK or Europe.

If this is what it has become **** all and Sundry, we have enough Traffic Police and Traffic wardens we don't need already. What a pathetic excuse for a nation the English have become especially seeing there isn't one person on this forum who isn't guilty of speeding every single day. If this is irresponsible I don't care there are still a few facts thrown in the pot with it.

Good on yah

M.
 
#39 ·
P.S. Mak, my post wasn't a dig it was suppose to be tongue in cheek. Dry English humour as usual.

It's funny sometimes how you read back posts and a lack of smiley icons make posts seem aggresive and insulting.
 
#40 ·
Hi all.

This has gone way out of proportion. One has to consider every step one takes. Last first, Chappy you are right, what is it with MAK. I do not believe we are all claiming to have cars we actually don't. I know what's in my driveway. And MAK, No matter how secluded a road is, being in Europe or in Australia, one can newer anticipate whets around the next bend.

Justin. Sorry if I initially was hard on you, but please consider what people might think of you when you boast about doing "recreational" drugs and your reckless driving style. Reading some of your later posts gave a more flattering impression of you.

As for Zero7, I think I understand what he feels. I have heard too many stories about the long term consequences of simple accidents (my old man is a General Practitioner), And I have seen too many smashed up cars (Being a lowlife mechanic), not to take my former reckless driving style under serious consideration. Never the less, most of the guys around here is younger people, and ZeroSeven is wrong in thinking he can turn their minds around in a day. That's not how the mind of youngsters work.

Finally, I wouldn't be posting here if I wasn't an Alfaowner, and being an Alfaowner means that your are driving, not exactly a sports car, but a sports saloon, and you are more or less bound to have a somewhat relaxed view on speed limits. And MAK, sporty driving doesn't mean that you cannot take other peoples health/lives into consideration.

One last thing. There is nothing wrong with styling/tuning. I like improving my car aswell, both for looks, handling and performance. No one says this is only to be used for even more reckless driving/topspeed, both handling and performance enhancement can be considered as safety factors.

If this is just rubbish, or you think that I'm an old fart (35 yrs actually), let me know, and I'll follow Zeroseven outta here. Ian "Alfaowner", if this is the case, how do I delete my Forum login details.

Cheers

Hoygaard
 
#42 ·
Yes Moderator, please close this thread. I don't feel that there will be any more positive messages here.

Hoygaard please do not leave the forum.

And for the record: "Lane swapping on blind bends" I NEVER ever said I did that!!! Sure, I was going fast on sharp corners which I could not see around, it was forrest/trees on either side but there was no lane swapping from me! I would NEVER do that!!!
 
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#43 ·
Would anyone be interested if I posted a thread about the joys of caravanning? Or should I leave the site now and take out a subscription to Practical Caravan?
"You're pathetic"
"Die soon"
"**** you"
Some people do need to get a bit of perspective. Everyone is different, has different values and views, but the personal insults that keep appearing on this site are actually what is pathetic.
I don't understand why anyone would consider a trip to Autodelta when they could buy a caravan - you can't go on holiday in a turbo!
Can't drive fast either, but you can be a real HOG and block beemer drivers.
 
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#49 ·
Better make it a cold one bud, you're seriously beginning to wind me up with your offensive comments. They really hurt. My stomach feels all knotted and twisted like a Terrier worrying a bone. I feel so isolated and depressed and its just not fair...I feel like...I feel like, well you know...just doing it, going away for a long weekend of towing and playing scrabble on some rainlashed campsite and its you Rapallo, you that pushed me towards it. So go, have your shower and just think about your actions next time you open your trap.
OK, I'm taking the p*ss and this thread is done surely.
 
#50 ·
How did this get blown so far out of proportion?
I can't speak for the other contributors to this but get the impression that 'advisory' speed limit signs must be a little more reallistic in other parts of the world.

In Australia an "advisory" sign is a suggested safe speed for a corner- not the area speed limit for that particular stretch of road.

This "safe speed" apppears to be arrived at by finding a particularly evil handling vehicle (such as a Mk3 Cortina 6 Cylinder Automatic on crossply tyres)hitch it to a caravan and find the fastest velocity it is possible for a blind 70 year old to conquer this road hazard without causing a marble to roll across the dashboard....

Even a modest 20year old Alfa Romeo is usually capable of doubling most Australian advisory cornering speeds on the correct side of the road without any undue passenger or vehicle discomfort!

I would have absolute confidence that any Alfa 147 could safely accomplish the above 'reckless' heroics, and in doing so would not be driving at a significantly slower pace than the majority of poorly maintained and evil handling vehicles that infest our roads!

Australia has some of the most highly policed roads anywhere- in Victoria a 3km/h tolerance is being introduced before fines (and demerit points) are applied. Maximum state speed limit is 110km/h and one conviction at 20km/h over the limit can result in immediate loss of your licence.

Somehow I don't think that many of the 'recklessness police' who are passing judgement in this forum have their pleasure and driving enjoyment so strictly controlled.
 
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#51 ·
Justin, I reckon you've taken quite enough stick for what may or may not have been Reckless Driving (which seems to depend a bit on people's interpretation of blind corners). What we should be getting stuck into you for is Reckless Analogies :p . If you only drink a glass of wine now and then - no, you're not an alcoholic. But if you only rob a bank now and then - yes, you are a criminal. And if you only shag a chicken now and then - yes, you are a very sick puppy. :D As for reckless driving? Well, an occasional glass of wine isn't going to hurt you much. An occasional head-on collision probably will. So if you only go f&%*ing berserk behind the wheel once a month - you're probably still a reckless driver.

That said, I suspect you weren't going as f&%*ing berserk as some people here seem to think. Maybe a bit of a misunderstanding or two?
Cheers. :)
 
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