Alfa Pages

[Pimp_Dudu]

Hello, i got a couple of questions about accelaration and stuff. Since i got my alfa i just gotta race anywhere possible. Usually the races i compete in are small 500m races, so right accelaration is more omportant then your basic driving skills. And i just wanna pick on some tips about the "best" way to accelarate. Im mostly interested in speeds from 1-100kms, or 1-60miles. I've noticed that everybody has a different technique, some do the normal gear changing, other's keep on pressing the clutch and letting it go, others start with the handbrake on etc. etc. etc. I wanna know whats the "best" technique if there even is one. I wanna know is there some special "trick" about changin the gears. and since i really dont understand the technical details of my gear box, can somebody explain at what rpm do i reach the best performance. Under theory my alfa which is a 33 1,7 ie 92 model with 110hp should accelarate from 0-100 in less then 10secs, 9,4 to be precise. At least under manual. Now i havent, even once, gotten it below 10.5 sec. And its pissin me off, cuz i know it cant be from the alfa, but its from the driver. So instead of improving the car i wanna improve the driver. Thus i would be very, very, very thankgul if some of u could share your words of wisdom to me, a young boy trying to proove that alfa's are and always will be the greatest.
Thanx Dinko

p.s. even though i have won some races, its not enough, i want to win them all, and i know the alfa can. No civic, crx, golf or escort can even come close to it, but i still loose to them, and this is a disgrace. i even lost to my best friend's mazda 323 2 hours ago, and thats why im actually writing here.

[Gary UK]

Sounds like your car is not running properly.

The gearbox is close ratio so when u feel the power dropping off change up a gear and it will drop you right into the power band.

Get a 16v or a carbed 8v(easier to tune for more power) unit put in your car the 1.7ie is a bit sluggish as it lacks the torque of the 8v carb and the BHP .

The 33 is no drag strip car it will just go round twisty roads faster than most standard production cars.

If you want quick 0-60 times and an engine swap is not for you you can change the gearbox for a smaller engined 33 and this will give you faster 0-60 but lower top speed and poor fuel economy.

[James Granger]

Dear Pimp Dudu,

The 1.7 that you have should be able to beat most other comparable cars from the standing start, especially VW Golfs and Spazda 323s.

I don't normally compete in such races, but sometimes the temptation is too great - especially when the opponent has read my 1.3 badge. I have seriously never actually lost a drag race, and memorable cars that I have abolished include a Volvo 460 Turbo and a Golf 1.6 LPG . Also some local yob in an Opel GSI started, but eventually gave up.

Perhaps my best race ever was against an Alfa 156 Selespeed. I was on the motorway coming back home from a friend's house, sticking to the 120 km/h speed limit as one does. Just before my turn-off I noticed in my wing mirror a dark-blue 156 Selespeed with its mistlights on. It overtook me slowly, the driver checking out my car. As soon as he went past, I down-changed and was soon right on his tail. We turned off up the slip-road and came to a stop at some traffic lights. Unfortunately I was behind this guy. Anyway, to cut an already long story short. We started to have this incredible street race, turning off onto some seriously quiet country roads. I shall always remember going flat out on the wrong side of a tree-lined avenue gaining on this 156. It was a perfect spring evening with two perfectly turned-out Alfas - the adrenaline really felt good! And the sound...

Tips. Simply hold out for as long as possible. I have never actually gone right to the rev limiter, but you can surely feel when the maximum power is almost up. I never spin my tyres either (too expensive - and also a waste of traction). Double-declutching on the down and up-change can also have tremendous benefits. Obviously you also have a better chance if you are alone in the car with minimal fuel for weight reasons, although in the case of the 460 Turbo I had two passengers, some luggage and half a tank of fuel! Never race with a cold engine, and never take any chances especially on the open road. Being in control is being able to quit.

My 1.3 is faster than both the Alfa 147 1.6 and 156 Sportwagon 1.9 JTD.

As Gary mentioned above, your car is probably not running properly. You could also simply check your air filter to see if it is clogged.

Good luck

James

[Pimp_Dudu]

thanx, i will check the filter, but for now im totally broke and cant afford to buy anything new, since i just wasted 3000eur on my alfa, i live in finland so consider a cheap price. But for now thanx alot

[Pimp_Dudu]

just a couple of more questions. You mentioned Double-declutching, but how does that help if im just racing from0-60 and i wont change more then 3 gears?? And how can u get a good start without spinning your wheels. OF course by not letting the clutch too fast, but then dont i loose valuabel starting time?? How can i start powerfully without spinning my tires.
thnx again

p.s. sorry about these stupid questions, but aint got nobody to ask from, since my dad refuses to even talk about speeding. and my mates know about as much s i do. and i love racing

[Errol]

I can understand what you mean, because i went through that. If you dont get a good start, the 33 doesnt have enough power to gain on other cars so a good start is crucial. You should get the car looked at to see if its running properly. But for the best start, you dont want a burnout, but you want slight wheel spin where you can feel the tyres grabbing. My series 3 16v which is running near perfect can beat this cars ( as ive done it ) with a good start:

Astra 2.2 Auto
Mazda SP20 2.0 Auto
Nissan Pulsar SSS Manual
Merc C220 Auto
E32 BMW 735i Auto
Stock Commodore V6. ( Only just )

Who says the alfa is slow?
_________________
91 Alfa Romeo 33 16v * SOLD*
Lowered 45mm
15 x 7 inch advanti wheels
Falken 195 low profile
K&N Pod filter
Cannon 2inch exhaust from cat-back with 3inch tip.

[James Granger]

Hi Dinko

Double declutching fast will take some practice, but once mastered I find that you can shift gears much faster without the worry of wearing your syncros. If you race all the time, you will probably appreciate this tip in the long run .

For the ideal start you really need to find a balance between torque and traction. Spinning your wheels may have some initial benefit, but I have never bothered to do so. Simply set off fast without any wheel spin or clutch slip and as soon as the clutch is completely out, nail it!

I remember when I was pitting against a Golf Mk III; I was moving forwards and he was simply stuck spinning .

There are many websites that cover these sort of questions, e.g. moderndriver.com.

Other simple and low-cost methods of improving your performance include changing your clutch fluid and bleeding its system. I have recently done this and gear changing is really improved. The gears are better selected as the clutch now fully engages.

Are cars expensive in Finland?

Best regards

James

Ps My 1.3 even saw off a new Merc C200 (CDI)

[Black Vegetable]

I've understood that the fastest/easiest way to launch your car from the line is to set the rev to the point where the best torque is and then simply release the clutch, and let the wheels spin. Okay, if you have 150+bhp and front wheel drive, this obviously isn't very effective, but since I'm running with 107 bhp..... Okay, stupid question, but since I've had my license only for 1½ years, I think I'm entitled to ask stupid questions: explain double-declutching for me?
_________________
It's an Alfa thing, you wouldn't understand it...
Alfa Romeo 33 1.7ie
www.alfaromeo33.tk

[ak8635]

personally i have to say that if there is one thing that goes well for the alfa that is speed..the car does not want to slow down, but only accelerate all the time.

usually up to 3000-3500 all is quite and boring, so when i press hard to 5500 6000 all hell breaks loose..
i did a 2nd-3rd-4th fast loading like that on a1 and it was amazing (move from 30-40mph to 80mph in 2-3sec) .

ps. i had a peugot 306 1.6, before it was fast as a tractor comparing to alfa...
_________________
A112

[ak8635]

http://www.tcsracing.org/doubledeclutching.htm
check it out
_________________
A112

[alferr]

The best way to do a start is to find out for your self try different ways, by your self, etc..

btw what i do for a start, it trashes out the clutch a bit, but i do is rev, it to 4500 - 5000 rpm range get it to the point where the clucth grabs and you start moving forward slowly, then when the lights go green dump it fully up, you only get a tiny squeal that way then i grabs, a good way to get a look of grib, is to do a bit a rallying on winding roads before racing , it warms up the tyres a bit, and gets rid of rubber off the top layer, and any debree, also always chose the side of the road with less bumps, all 33 driver knowns what happens when you boot it off at the lights and there is even a tiny bump there.
_________________
-=alferr=-
goto #alfa33_net on DALnet

[Pimp_Dudu]

Thanx alot, really many of the thignu guys said helped me ALOT. I got my 0-60miles time down by 1 sec, and, even though i still cant get it under 10secs, ill still change at least the air filter. The only only thing i dont unerstand...still is hoe double de-clutching helps IN accelarationg from a line. I understand thats it useful if you're already doing some speed and want to accelarate faster, from lets say 4th gear to 3rd. But how is it possible to use if you're only accelarating from 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear up to 60mil?Anyways thanx alot. And the to the person that asked me are cars expensive here in finland, the answer is YES. They are. I paid 3000eur for my alfa 33 1,7 ie year 92, and it this was considered a cheap price. I got with a pair of 200w speakers on teh back, a cd player, no rust, the usual little bonuses as elecrtical windows, power steering etc. and the car had only 1 previous owner who drove it for 160 000km, thats about 100 000miles. Even though the miles are a bit much for an alfa, the price i paid is still very cheap, since the same alfa only 91 and driven 120 000miles was being sold at 5000eur. Oter cars can value between:
Mazda 323F year90-92 5000-7000eur, Honda civiv 90-92 3000-6000eur, honda prelude 90-92 6000-8000eur and etc. etc etc id tell u te prices of the newer cars but they're just as bad...even worse. So i dont know what teh prices are in england and other parts of the world, but if i compare them to russia, germany and other countries they COST

[James Granger]

Hi

Crazy prices (tax?). Our 120.000 km 33 cost 1875 euro - average in Holland.

[Pimp_Dudu]

yeah well thats is holland, the taxes here are really high, plus holland is now, after germany, the cheapest place to buy cars. I cant bring any cars here also cuz if i buy a car for 1500eur from holland it will cost 2-3000 eur to get it past the border, taxes here are FUCKING high. but what to do. I was planning to buy an alfa 147 when i get back to bulgaria, they have some pretty ncie ones for 5-9000eur. Anyways if i where u id buy as many alfa's as i can since they're only 57 registered 33's in finland, which is very little.

[Black Vegetable]

I'm a Finnish chap owning a 33 1.7ie-91 and I paid 1300e for it. Okay, it's far from mint condition and okay, it's not a 16v and okay, it has 200000km on it, but still I'd say that the 3000e you've paid for your's is far from average... Don't know about the condition of your car, so I'm no-one to say did you pay too much or was it a good deal. According to my information(http://www.abarth.to/Fiat/autokanta-italialaiset-99.htm) there were over 500 33's registered between the years 83-94, so I highly doubt that only 50 would have survived the Finnish winter and road salt. In comparison, there are 25 Ferrari's fegistered before the year '99, which makes your number sound even more incredible..... But hey, let's find out?! Anyway, the number of 33's is quite small compared to the number of Fiat Uno's in our country(over 21000...... ).
_________________
It's an Alfa thing, you wouldn't understand it...
Alfa Romeo 33 1.7ie
www.alfaromeo33.tk

[James Granger]

I'm saving for an Autodelta SZ .

[Pimp_Dudu]

hi, well i dont know what ive checked but i guess ive checked it wrongly. My bad, i also thought that 57 sounds pretty small. I got it off a friend who works in SAMPO insurance company. Maybe only 57 are registered to sampo. anyway, i did pay 3000eur, and maybe i did pay too much, but i still havent seen an alfa, in the condition mine is, costing under 3000eur. Like i said mine has no rust, but then again i maybe did pay a bit too much. But i still love it plus i got a lot of bonuses with it.
Anyways olis ihan kiva puhua joskus alfoista, kun ei kuka mun tuttuista omistaa alfa. ja en tiedä onx tääl niin iso alfa mania.

[James Granger]

Sampo is also Finnish for shampoo? I guess they only cover cars that go bubbly...

Valittaa

[Pimp_Dudu]

no, good guess though, its an insurance company in finland!!

[TimoJ]

Hi

I'm located in salty Finland too. Check suomi24 discussionlist--> alfa.
We had a promising start for a boxer alfa club, I seem to be only one left after some accidents etc.
Need more boxer alfistis to chat with.

TimoJ 33 1,5ti -89 (project)

[Pimp_Dudu]

Timo hi, i'd love to join this discussion list but 1 problem, en tiedä mis suomi24ssä se foruumi on, voitsä ohja?

[TimoJ]

hi

http://keskustelu.suomi24.fi/?ac=group&gid=31

Autot ja liikenne---> Alfa


Just link to a Finnish discussiongroup, in Finnish only.

TimoJ

[Georgios Terziakis]

Hi, I'm from Finland too.
I have 33 ti -87, bought it about year ago, only 550euros, 136 kms driven.
And I have 33qv -85, owned it about 5 years now, but it's kind of project.

Georgios Terziakis

[Jas]

I have 1.7 8v with very lumpy cams, the valves are either open or closed. 36mm carbs (greater bottom end hp) with custom K&N filters. Team this engine up with a 1.3 gearbox and you get a much closer ratio and maximum standing start torque. You go through the gears very quickly with this set up and top speed is less, but i guarantee that you will get there very very fast. directional tyres will help with traction off the mark, as will shocks and springs, camber set up etc.
My car explodes off the mark. It looks relatively straight, but certainly is not.

Jas

[Dicko]

harder shocks at the rear should stop the car from squatting so much on fast take offs. Keeping more weight at the front of the car during acceleration..... equals... less wheel spin. Dont expect your gear box to last too long if you flogg it all the time... I try to use lots of revs and some clutchriding to wind my car up... can get a fast getaway without so much fast gear bashing... I think the 33 clutch on my 1985 QV is fairly tuff and I plan on keeping the car roadworthy for a while. Being stuck with no second gear syncro and no money aint fun. (From Experience).

Dick