What Most USA7ers think of BECs

[BusaLoco]

 

 

 

 

 

or ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yours very truly,

 

Rodney DangerfieldBusaLoco2007-01-01 14:45:43

[slngsht]

That car is pretty badazz... I'd love to take it for a spin. I wonder how the steering feels with the AWD.

 

 

 

I wouldn't mind having a BEC as well. It's fun in a whole different way - especially winding it up.

 

 

 

You and I have to trade rides sometimes.

[rv-4mike]

Busa,

 

 

 

The sound alone on the video clip on Deman's website very nearly sold me on the BEC setup. Love the sequential shifting too. A 7 that sounds like an Indy car as it goes by is pretty appealing.

 

 

 

But since my goal is a street driver the lack of low end torque and lack of reverse are ultimately what changed my mind. Not that the S2K is exactly a torque monster.

[BusaLoco]

I couldn't really help myself, could I?

 

I just had to get a second opinion. You see, in the UK a BEC 7 is considered a perfectly fine streetable car option, so I posted (on Locost Builders UK) some of the feed back I have been getting "stateside" about BECs on Streets .

 

 

 

Here is a copy of some of the acrimony   ...   enjoy   ...

 

 

 

I recently joined a Sevens Enthusiast Forum (USA7s) and have become more than a little confused as to why the "average" North American 7 owner thinks that a BEC 7 is not a streetable car.

 

 

 

Based on the feedback I am receiving I get the impression that in the USofA this is what most owners think of when they think of a BEC.

 

 

 

http://www.usa7s.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=447 [/url]

 

 

 

http://www.usa7s.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=409

 

 

 

 

 

Location Oldmeldrum Aberdeenshire Scotland

 

 

 

 

 

MY, YES I DID SAY "MY" personal opinion is (and yes I know im going to get flamed for it but hey ho I tread where Devils and Angels fear to..) is that most Americans are too tied up in straight line "hot rods" that guzzle "x" amount of gallons to the mile, anyone can cruise a brute for 10miles in one straight,the sad fact is they dont know any better, thats not their fault its just the way they have been brought up.

 

 

 

ding ding let battle commence

 

 

 

The skill (again only IN MY opinion mind you) comes in mastering a series of twisties, that gets your pulse racing and your sphincter clenching, while nudging the back bumper of a Porsche all the way through the corner..... only for him to feel smug in the fact that he gallops away from you in the straight, and you can smile even wider to think that you can run with more expensive machinery you built yourself for less than a quarter of what the guy paid for the porch

 

 

 

Kindest Regards

 

 

 

Mark

 

 

 

Thinking........ Always Thinking....

 

 

 

 

 

Location Birmingham

 

 

 

I drive my BEC on the road. It was built for road use. I have no problems with it.

 

 

 

Location colchester

 

 

 

when i built mine it was going to be for road use,

 

 

 

i didnt care what is was like to drivein traffic, as you can avoid it most of the time,

 

i built it just for the sound track ,

 

heard one near london and that was it, got the bug !

 

 

 

they can be as wild as you want or as tame as you want it to be,

 

just take a while to get the clutch right,

 

then your away,

 

 

 

im building another at the moment,

 

spoke to calvinx as i was looking at a zzr or zetec,

 

my head is saying bike engine, the wife says car ( as she want to use it for work )

 

and dont like the reverse in a bec

 

 

 

i have never looked back after building a bec,

 

but if i build 2 bec, the fastest one will be the one you would always drive so one wouldnt get used !

 

 

 

 

 

Location west mids

 

 

 

 

 

To be honest Im sicking of telling/advising people about Bike engines and torque etc

 

 

 

Im no expert but I know the basic because although I try and explain what I know is true another 5 ARM CHAIR EXPERTS ARRIVE who have never been in a BEC and know everything on the subject.

 

 

 

a Bike engine has Primary reduction it is a torque multiplier

 

 

 

Im sure the usual one is x1.6

 

 

 

A BEC due to gearing will happily cruise along and pull if you put your foot down

 

what do you want to compete against in 5th or 6th gear at low revs anyway

 

 

 

obviously the revs are higher

 

and the car goes up to 12,000rpm

 

 

 

no ones doubting a nissan turbo engine or v8 is quick in a car

 

 

 

but Ive been in them and they are very quick

 

 

 

but you just dont get the fix you get from a paddle shift and the feeling of 8,9,10,11,12,12.5krpm

 

 

 

060 in first gear helps

 

 

 

ta chris

 

 

 

Location Maryland,USA

 

 

 

quote:

 

    MY, YES I DID SAY "MY" personal opinion is (and yes I know im going to get flamed for it but hey ho I tread where Devils and Angels fear to..) is that most Americans are too tied up in straight line "hot rods" that guzzle "x" amount of gallons to the mile, anyone can cruise a brute for 10miles in one straight,the sad fact i

[xflow7]

When I think BEC I usually think of something along these lines:

 

 

 

http://fsae.mae.cornell.edu/

 

 

 

Those things are unbelievable to drive.

 

 

 

But really, the idea of a bike engined Seven also really appeals to me. It's just that the car I fell in love with on the pages of a magazine lo those many years ago was a crossflow-powered Caterham in polished aluminum.

 

 

 

I'd like to build a bike-engined car someday. Maybe I'll convert the Seven or maybe I'll tackle a from-scratch build of a lightweight mid-engined roadster.

[slngsht]

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gif fanning the flames...

 

 

 

I see the satisfaction in keeping the revs in the stratorsphere. I had some seat time in FSAE cars, and will never forget the experience. There is also alot of satisfaction of being at any speed and any gear, and being able to push the tires to the limit. I had a guy drive my car in an autox, and he accidentally started in 3rd gear and ran in 4th instead of 1 and 2, and only noticed the sound being different http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smile5.gif

 

 

 

As for the comment about letting a porsche pull away in a straightaway, then getting enjoyment out of catching it in the twisties, all I can say is that it's also satisfying to catch up to it in the twisties, and then make it a little dot in your mirrors after the last turn http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/biggrin5.gif

 

 

 

Fact of the matter is that some of the cars here are just too fast to drive anywhere near their limits on the street. Not that I ever street race, but if there came a car worthy of a race, triple digits would come so quickly for both cars that it would be pretty wreckless to even consider racing.

 

 

 

Even with big V8s, you can still use the shifter http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smile5.gif The challenge is just a little different. With the BEC you have to be careful not to fall off the power curve. With a big V8, you have to treat the go pedal with ALOT of respect.

 

Also, even big engined Sevens will get decent gas mileage.

[slngsht]

I'll tackle a from-scratch build of a lightweight mid-engined roadster.

 

 

 

That'd be the way to go.

[Birkin42]

Check out the dp1 on this site http://www.dpcars.net/ on someone who decided he'd like to design and build his own bec mid-engined car.

[rv-4mike]

That DP1 is a cool car, but the BEC is only an interim engine. It will ultimately be V8 powered with a custom engine made from Suzuki Hayabusa parts. 375+ HP! http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/eek6.gif

[BusaLoco]

Hey rv-4mike!

 

Haven't you seen the cost of one of these babies.

 

I emailed Powertech for a quote and to my surprise they actually emailed me back.

 

Did you know that you can get one of these (2.6L) 430BHP Screaming Strokers (Engine Only) for just $44,868.68 (US) and for an additional $5,916.75 US they will even throw in a 30 hour warranty!

 

 

 

http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/20070103_195901_Busa_V8_Quote_P.jpg

 

 

 

http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/20070103_195933_Busa_V8.jpg

[slngsht]

That's just insane.

 

 

 

for that kind of money, you can easily put out 1000 horses out of a regular V8, AND have a sequential gearbox. This one is designed for 900 horses - sitting behind a supercharged LS1.

 

http://www.californiaperformance.com/images/Tatum5.jpg

[Birkin42]

The V8 Busa end he is planning on using in the dp1 is from Hartley Enterprises and the estimated cost for the engine is $28k. Definitely not cheep, but a lot better then the PowerTec option from a cost perspective.

 

Yes you can build a domestic V8 to some very high power levels for that kind of money, but if you want to keep weight in check for a very light car, that really isn't a great option. His V8 dp1 will be under 900 lbs. Pretty good for a car with 375 hp.

 

As intriging as it is, the cost will stop most people cold I'm sure.

[roll a 7]

When my life improves to the point where I have three 7s, instead of just one the third will be a BEC.

 

 

 

It's a great idea and what they give up in HP/torque they get back through adding lightness. Fantastic performance. One UK showcar BEC weighed 769 pounds ready to go. CC would approve!!!