How does a gt compare to a mg zr 105?

peter · Post by **peter** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 9:51 pm

just wondered if anyone knows thanks

Krupa · Post by **Krupa** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 1:32 am

The MG ZR is pants with the 1.4, my GT could beat my mate's one easily, they're slow.

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 8:12 am

mate's chavvy cousin (with his just-16 girlfriend in tow in the pub last night) is swapping his fully rude-boy'd 1.1 fester for a ZR --- that should be argument enough against it surely?

the 1.4 should be quite sparky on paper - it's got 104hp (almost as much as a G) to the GT's 75hp.... however i think it's lacking in low end torque, and even stripped down the body is probably quite heavy.

it's the same motor thats in my mums rover 25 and it seems to have terrible trouble on hills, from the number of back-breaking 3rd-to-2nd changes (with the tacho jumping up hard as she hits the clutch) i've had to endure as a passenger... on inclines where both the astra and the polo would, with a run up to hit the torque band, just manage in 4th, and very easily in 3rd if having to go a little slower. (and the thing has a close ratio gearbox too, so 3rd isnt astoundingly tall)

revs nicely though, even little miss tedium has had it flying towards 7000 on a couple of occasions
best was where i was bored sh*tless and started pretending to drive an f1 car... she was waiting for me to "change" before doing it herself... they use paddle shifts of course! 65mph in 2nd, good lord

minis84 · Post by **minis84** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 3:17 pm

They are fitted with the Rover 'K' series engine. The same engine as used in the Metro GTi, the Rover 100 (in 1.1 form), and the Land Rover Freelander (in 1.8 form).

They can suffer from problems, but are neither very powerful nor very torquey, as Tahrey1043 says, very underppowered when fitted in the (relatively) small Rover 25.

Nice looking car the ZR, but doesn't go for anything.

Tom

Krupa · Post by **Krupa** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 3:40 pm

They're fragile, the headgaskets go easily, my mate's had a new gearbox about a year after he bought it, the trim falls off/stops working after a while too.

And as I said before, they're slow.

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 8:56 pm

really? i thought one of the things the K had going for it was reliability....... and they are *supposed* to be powerful, least thats what i've heard bandied about before (which is why i was so surprised at it's gutlessness). the throttle's bloody awful as well, you may as well make it a switch and be done as there's little fine control.

this gives me one more reason to quietly laugh at my mother's choice of car... she got it cheap but hey... thats no excuse!

at 20k miles, how much longer til the gasket blows?

(already had some of the trim problems... and both the boot lock and one of the gas struts for the tailgate went crappy-wrong)

minis84 · Post by **minis84** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 9:30 pm

My Dad is an AA Patrol, all he has to do is come in from work and say "K series" and I immediately go "head gasket" and he goes "yep!".

They have a bad reputation. They're ok when working well, but the reason for the problems is because the head is cast from different aluminium to the block, and the head waterways tend to silt up very easily over time because the aluminium is poorer quality and corrodes faster. So when they go, they tend to go big time, head warping, hose melting kind of big time.

They're ok when they're working, but they don't need much to send them over the edge. Its often the reason for a lot of late Rover 100's being scrapped early and why they're worth so little money (compare a P reg Rover 100 to a P reg MK IV?) compared to other cars in their class. The engines go and they're deemed BER.

Sorry, waffled on a bit there really

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 12:46 am

damn..... dont suppose you have a general mileage on that, or is it just random? i'll file that away under "things to check for when miss clueless next asks me to fill her washer bottle (AGAIN!)"...

ie funny oil leaks, mayo under the oil filler etc

ps - "BER"?

minis84 · Post by **minis84** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 9:49 am

it seems to be quite random, although is related to the failure of components such as the fan switch, low coolant, anything that is likely to cause overheating really. Its also usually people who never look at their temperature gauge that it happens to!

(BER = Beyond Economic Repair)

peter · Post by **peter** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 11:15 pm

now is the time to tell u i have a zr 105!! hee he.

i have had two polo coupe s' and they were great nippy cars - so much fun. was looking for a gt but couldnt find a good one. either breadvans or rusty white coupe's. always wanted slate grey one.

anyway, head gasket a major prob on any but the 1.4. that is the least stessed engine apparently. anyway i can stay with vtrs, so if u gt drivers can u can have a pop at zrs that have 30 more bhp....but weight well over a tonne, that why not that quick.

im on this forum cause i love vws....if ur wondering. but wanted new/sporty/fairly quick car and couldnt afford a sporty new vw so opted for a mg (its a rover!!!!!!!!!)

lord_sharpy · Post by **lord_sharpy** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 11:55 pm

i raced a saxo vtr the other day (on my own private test track of course

) was neck and neck till a small incline and it just got by, as soon as we were over the other side he didnt pull away and was only a cars length in front. he braked really early and i went by him, well chuffed. i thought it would beat me hands down.

long live the polo!!

peter · Post by **peter** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 7:59 pm

people underestimate the power of vws. they always understate power figures, cause i had a nova sri which had 82 bhp (vauxhall bhp lol) and that didnt get that close to my zr. however, with gts equaling vtrs and zrs with 75 (german bhp) it just goes to show that they understate power for sure. my 55bhp coupe s was well nippy also

lord_sharpy · Post by **lord_sharpy** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:56 pm

my mate had a mk4 1.0 polo as a hire car was fairly nippy obviously my gt wasnt bothered by it but we had 105mph out of it and really hurled it round some corners.

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 11:43 pm

tends to happen to people who never look beyond the temp guage

what of those who never look at the temperature guage...?

hell its surprising it isnt run dry or bumbled thru speed cameras at 15-over on a regular basis with the hazard flashers and no lights at midnight given the usual amount of attention the owner pays the instruments... lol

because i call "afraid to refill your own washer" an easy 11 on the incompetence scale. (unfortunately i know "many" people with this phobia.... at least three... coincidentally the page of owners guide which covers this simple operation. "open bonnet, open pop-cap, add watery stuff until full, close both")

guess i'll soon be steering a certain someone towards a second-hand golf... polo... midsize vaux... rusty old ford... hell, anything thats not based either on 20 year old hondas or rubbish indian/chinese imports!
(might hold onto polo as emergency banger for just such a motoring emergency!)

is the 1.4 really all that non-stressed though, with the hi-tune one kicking out over 100 horses (allegedly) from a relatively small, naturally aspirated block? and towing a good thousand kilos behind it (before passengers, luggage, fuel, fluids and spare tyre)?

DelG40 · Post by **DelG40** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 12:59 am

Drove a MGZR 160 at Knockhill a few weeks ago. Was quite pleasantly surprised, very tight little car and plenty of oomph! Not an exciting car but enjoyable none the less!