I was a very strong yes on this one, although I'm not sure whether or not I'm right - yes to a high-powered (excessive is a good word
) LX, but is the V8 the way to go? Would we rather have something like a Caterham R500, as opposed to a Westfield SEight? The type of car isn't really made for a big, heavy, lazy engine like a V8. Yes, you could go for a race-spec V8 in the Caparo T1 vein, but if we do that we're looking slicks and wings just to keep it under control at pitlane speeds, never mind trying to race it.
*considers*
I reckon a high-strung four-pot - or maybe a straight-six - is going to be much better for it, not least so it sounds spectacular and maintains the urgent, hard-pushing nature of the other two LX cars. I'm thinking high revs, high noise, and high spirits. Yes, Caterham and Ariel have just put out V8s (the same unit for both manufacturers) - but that's two bike engines knocked together, it's a little supercharged 2400cc motor that revs stratospherically, for God's sake, and if we do that we are going to be seriously pushing the envelope. More power (outright as well as per tonne) than the Formula V8?
I don't think we can really get a Levante / Atom 500-a-like in LFS, it's just not terribly reasonable. But three hundred-odd horsepower, pushing road tyres about as far as we can without having to feather the throttle everywhere, why not? Yeah, it's probably going to be hard to drive, but so it bloody should be
Like
skstibi, I've been messing around with Tweak, but I made the LX6 up to Caterham R500 specification - 263bhp, 506kg, similar rev range, and the same old tyres - and it feels like it was meant to be like that. It's not snappy, it's not vicious, but it's sideways when you want it to be and evilly quick. Great fun. And the R500 would, by my reckoning, have more grip than the LX6 does anyway - so I think it's a manageable upgrade for LFS.
But hey, if I get overwhelmed by chants of "V8, V8, V8" then I'll sit down and roll with it. Just give us the excessive kit cars, that exist in reality, to play with in LFS
Talk to me
Sam