My MG ZR 160

[clio_andy]

Do admit I miss my 1.2 clio a lot, but have gone for a little bit more power
Got some lowering plans in mind, Janspeed manifold and sports cat with remap which should push it up to around 180-190bhp

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

Exhaust

 

[clio_andy]

It should have an Oval 6x4 one on there, that's going to be part of the Janspeed package too probably

 

[Tez.]

Should have kept the 1.2 Clio ha

Had my fare share of tomcats and zrs I have nothing positive or negative to say about them for some reason

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

Head gasket.

 

[Adam G]

I like them but in all fairness, I think realistically you'll be lucky to get over 175 with those mods. Mate of mine has a BRM so essentially same block. He's spent thousands and is in the trade. He's got throttle bodies, ditched the VVC for uprated cams, steel crank, serious headwork etc etc and only got 200 bhp.

 

[RDH]

Never drove one but I hate how they look.

 

[Craig.H]

Used to have the 120 version, decent enough cars!

Best thing about them is the chassis though, they handle brilliantly! Good choice IMO

 

[alex-avfc]

I quite like them too, doubt I'd own one though.

 

[VeinAST]

You went from an unreliable French car to an unreliable British one?

 

[Daniel]

The chassis and the steering on these is superb, great cars to drive. (I've had loads of them, I love Rovers!)

But the build quality is non existent, the engines are usually a pile of crap after some chump has attempted a HG repair and the seating material would appear to be designed to wear out faster than the cars can accelerate.

I still like them though oddly enough. And if the person replacing the headgasket knows what they're doing, then the engines are pretty robust in my experience.

 

[Steven103]

To all those who think Mk6 Fiesta Zetec S are "propa chav chariots" - what does this make the ZR?

 

[Daniel]

I'm sorry, I must have missed the post where someone mentioned a fiesta??

Have you been drinking?

 

[Alastair.]

Ultimate chav chariot!

 

[Ash']

Ultimate chav chariot!

This. Screams Jeremy Kyle.

 

[Russ_16v]

Agree with Dan, if the headgasket is done correctly then it wont need to be done again.

Great fun cars, chassis are brilliant but as said you will be lucky to get 175bhp with breathing mods.

 

[Christopher]

I can't think of a less appealing hot hatch, but then it's not my car.

 

[kpowell911]

You went from an unreliable French car to an unreliable British one?

A Clio 1.2 is one of the most reliable cars ever!

 

[BREMBO]

To be fair what you can get them for (£) they are a bit of a bargain?

 

[Alastair.]

A Clio 1.2 is one of the most reliable cars ever!

lol wtf

 

[Danith]

I like em. Cheap as chips and I think they look good in this colour. Was tempted to get a ZS V6. The build quality isn't great and reliability not too good either, but bang for your buck you would struggle to get anything similar. Nothing Chav about a std one, no chavvier than a renault sport!!

Nice car mate, get it lowered though.

 

[not normal dan]

i think there great cars for the money, mate of mine swears by them. He's just stripped his 400+hp one (made spec tomcat engine) which was an absolute rocket, he's good mates with andy nicholls who runs one that i dont think is far of 4 figure bhp!

 

[kpowell911]

lol wtf

Ive had 2 over 7 years and never had a single issue with either, other than consumables!

 

[SamP]

Chav Charriot? Maybe? Mind you that can be said of all hot hatches no? If you want serious power without changing much then you've bought the wrong car. Stick a T series in and the sky is literally the limit.

Also, lol @ 180 - 190bhp. The physical limit set by the limited valve lift available puts you at 186 or so bhp. Realistically the most you can screw out is about 183, thats with the reprofiled exhaust cam, remap headwork and ITB's.

 

[andywa]

Cracking car. I had the 105 some years ago and loved it. All you need is get it lowered and stick a 6 x 4 exhaust on as previously said. Its easier to mod the 120 than the 160 due to the VVT on the 160's but still non to shabby on performance.

 

[clio_andy]

Agree with Dan, if the headgasket is done correctly then it wont need to be done again.

Yeah the headgasket has been done correctly, had that checked out right away as I know they're an issue and my trusted garage said its perfect condition.

To be fair what you can get them for (£) they are a bit of a bargain?

Picked this one up for £750 but needed a new cambelt, themostat and water pump so in total fixed up for around £1200

I like em. Cheap as chips and I think they look good in this colour. Was tempted to get a ZS V6. The build quality isn't great and reliability not too good either, but bang for your buck you would struggle to get anything similar. Nothing Chav about a std one, no chavvier than a renault sport!!

Nice car mate, get it lowered though.

This in my opinion is why I got it. Cheap quick fun little car, needed a bit of work but it's good. Does a 300mile all round journey every few weeks and doesn't let me down and personally like the styling. Once it's lowered & new exhaust I'll be happy with it.


Was basing the power output on the fact the remap claims a rise from 160 to 175. and apparently the manifold & cat produces extra 10-15 but not sure

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

A remap will not offer 15bhp on an n/a engine.

 

[Gaz.]

Lol you'll never get 175bhp from a standard VVC K with a map flashed to it.

 

[NFox]

These are so cheap, a friend of mine once had a 160 facelift one. It handled and performed generally really quite well, I was quite shocked.

 

[chris_p]

You're dreaming with the power increases, the vvc limits the 160 as it is.
Should have got the 120 if you were planning on moding, or ditch it all for a t16 lump for proper power.

I used to love the zrs, they do look a little bit chav now though shame, iirc the chap that designed the mclarren f1 styling did the Mgs!

Keep it for what it is: a good handling fairly quick cheap hatch! As for build, they're no worse than Renault, probably better.

The zs180 is my fav, not too keen on how it looks but the engine/chassis are fantastic

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

I wouldnt agree with the build quality.

HG Failure almost a certainty, ive never heard of an F4R suffering this!

 

[alanc1000]

The chassis and the steering on these is superb, great cars to drive. (I've had loads of them, I love Rovers!)

But the build quality is non existent, the engines are usually a pile of crap after some chump has attempted a HG repair and the seating material would appear to be designed to wear out faster than the cars can accelerate.

I still like them though oddly enough. And if the person replacing the headgasket knows what they're doing, then the engines are pretty robust in my experience.

Exactly this!

I had one when they were brand new out on a 51 plate, the handling really does feel fantastic and the damping was spot on - however the rest of it was pap and i got rid of it with less than 11k miles on the clock at just over 18 months old for 60% depreciation (ok, it was a yellow one). I had to literally beg the dealer to take it PX!! It used to smell of hot rubber and metal and clutch when accelarating onto the motorway, and the mirrors would whitsle at me non stop.

To me, it just felt like a 15 year old cars technology stuck in a new-ish shell.

 

[JCC]

Badly needs put back to standard on the outside, including silver wheels.

 

[chris_p]

I wouldnt agree with the build quality.

HG Failure almost a certainty, ive never heard of an F4R suffering this!

Thats not build quality as such, more a design fault. The same could be said for Lotus/Caterham etc using the K series (which otherwise is a quality piece of engineering!)

 

[Will.]

Sometimes I like, sometimes I don't.

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

Thats not build quality as such, more a design fault. The same could be said for Lotus/Caterham etc using the K series (which otherwise is a quality piece of engineering!)

Its still unreliability though, isn't it?

 

[chris_p]

Its still unreliability though, isn't it?

Yes, nothing to do with the build quality.
Mgs are just as reliable as Renault there's no real issues other than the Hgf. To get it done properly it's no more expansive than getting your cambelt changed on an f4r...

 

[Gaz.]

The K isn't not unreliable, really, My ZR never left me stranded anywhere for the 2 years I had it.

Yes the headgasket failed but I caught early enough not to be sat at the side of a road with a warped cylinder head and a massive bill. It's people that cane the f**k out of them from cold and don't maintain them that find the headgasket pops a lot.

 

[DanielJames]

I love ZRs Great cars, handling is supreme!

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

I still think they're garbage. In my opinion ofcourse.