Whats the 3 best things about your Puma

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1 Handling.
2 Fantastic looking car I wanted one ever since the first time I saw one, a red 1.7 on Guide roundabout Blackburn.
3 Acceleration, brings a big grin to my face.
 
best: 1. driving sensation (steering, gearbox/gearchange, go-kart feel) :grin:
2. looks
3. fuel consumtion/running costs

worst: 1. visibility from drivers point of view (rear, sideways) :x
2. space in the back /accesibility
3. I will never feel as good driving another car (which I can afford to own) in my life besides another Puma! :cry: (I've owned various Fords, other sports versions of different brands, driven more than 50 different cars (work related), and just got out of an Focus St (mk2) and sat back into my Puma and felt good again - about the seats, gear change, "slow" corners etc...
 
Comfort and safety compared to motorcycles, without feeling awkward like most of cars do no matter their value.

I have a question for those of you who have MR2, Lotus, etc: How good are your Puma's tyres compared to your other cars? Do you think it is an important difference?
 
Thunderpuma said:
I have a question for those of you who have MR2, Lotus, etc: How good are your Puma's tyres compared to your other cars? Do you think it is an important difference?
Click to expand...

For me tyres are arguably the most important part of your car's handling - I always pay top dollar for branded tyres. But do you mean do I have the same level of grip in my Puma as in my MK1 MR2? Well yes and no but it's not a fair comparison at the moment as the tyres on my Puma are not the same as I've had previously on my MR2's and will be changed soon.

What I would say is that the cornering ability up to 2nd gear corners, up to say 40mph, is better in my Puma than my various MR2's. But higher speed corners 50mph+ I'm finding that I'm getting tyre squeal earlier in my Puma than my MR2's. But this could all change when I replace the Puma tyres with a tyre spec I use on my MR2 for direct comparison.
 
The Arch Bishop said:
1. Handling - from another ex-Mk1 MR2 and 205 GTi owner - it's a better set up for road use than both.
2. Drivetrain - lovely perfectly weighted clutch and the best/quickest gearbox I've ever used.
3. Engine - Not powerful, but perfectly matched to the handling and gearbox and a great spread of torque and tractability. Better than the 4AGE in the MR2 (also a decent unit but more peaky and not as smooth).
Click to expand...

As a long term MK1 MR2 owner (9 years now, personally owned 3 and driven 3 others) I would generally agree with everything you've said.

The MK1 MR2 is a fab car, no doubt about it, but I've never driven two the same as they all age differently and have differing states of repair, maintenance and suspension/steering component replacement. A well set-up MK1 is formidable on the back roads or track but can be tiring to live with as can be stiffly sprung to achieve the best out of it. The standard Puma set up on the other hand is a great compromise of handling and comfort!

I've tried softening up my adjustable Koni's on my MK1 MR2 to match the ride quality of my Puma and I have found the MK1's handling is compromised just too much if match the Puma's comfort level. So for general 'sporty' handling comfort levels which you can live with, the Puma is probably the best compromise I've ever driven.

However, I really miss the the MK1's 4AGE engine. The Puma unit is all very nice but I really miss that extra 1500 revs my 4AGE has before it redlines just before 8000rpm.
 
A direct comparison would be unfair to both the Puma and the Exige.The Exige runs on Toyo 888 235.40 on the back.You cannot reach the limit of lateral grip on the road in the dry unless you were driving at rediculous unsafe speeds(lateral grip is about 1.2 -1.3g).Bends that would require a lot of bottle at 70 mph in the puma could be taken at 120 mph in the lotus .If it was wet the Puma would be quicker because the lotus would aquaplane on standing water even in the straight!. Yes the tyres are an important part of the equation with regard handàaling but so is the geo ,and dampers and springs.To put into perspective I spent £2k on the dampers/springs/geo on the Exige which is double what I payed for my whole Puma.The Puma is a fun road car on a budget .The lotus is a track car that can be used on the road which on some circuits can outperform so called supercars.
 
In order,

1. The look, it looks so awsome :)
2. The way it goes (and stops) it handels awsome :)
3. The Limited numbers sold, I enjoy having a rare car :)
 
Hmm difficult. It's technically cheating to say handling as that covers a lot so I'll go for:

1. Chassis
2. Gearbox
3. Cheap as chips motoring (given what it can do)
 
I remember being impressed by

- the looks
- FRP seats being so mush more comfortable than the standard ones
- The way it drives, well ahead of its time
 
Jimbo_Jet said:
But this could all change when I replace the Puma tyres with a tyre spec I use on my MR2 for direct comparison.
Click to expand...

That'd be interesting. Also, I realized the old Pilot Exalto2 mine has don't squeal when sliding, it just does quite a low frequency noise, very nice. I've read about it too somewhere too. I suppose not squaling is a good thing.

I do not what would be faster on a very twisty road, the car or the bike. I'm pretty sure the Puma's speed at the apex at hairpins is quite higher -more even if the surface is uneven- but between corners the acceleration and tireless brakes of the bike are much better (0-120mph in 9.3 secs). If the road opens it's a different story.

Driving it fast at bad roads make me feel like a rally driver. Great for a car that was intended at the beginning to be just a cheap cute thing for the wife!

So that's why I have three broken vertebrae and no bike right now, kids :(
 
Jimbo_Jet said:
As a long term MK1 MR2 owner (9 years now, personally owned 3 and driven 3 others) I would generally agree with everything you've said.

The MK1 MR2 is a fab car, no doubt about it, but I've never driven two the same as they all age differently and have differing states of repair, maintenance and suspension/steering component replacement. A well set-up MK1 is formidable on the back roads or track but can be tiring to live with as can be stiffly sprung to achieve the best out of it. The standard Puma set up on the other hand is a great compromise of handling and comfort!

I've tried softening up my adjustable Koni's on my MK1 MR2 to match the ride quality of my Puma and I have found the MK1's handling is compromised just too much if match the Puma's comfort level. So for general 'sporty' handling comfort levels which you can live with, the Puma is probably the best compromise I've ever driven.

However, I really miss the the MK1's 4AGE engine. The Puma unit is all very nice but I really miss that extra 1500 revs my 4AGE has before it redlines just before 8000rpm.
Click to expand...

Yes, they do scream and the extra revs are good, especially with a decent intake system and a Mongoose exhaust system (god I miss the noise it made when the TVIS switched over!). I also miss the seats - surprisingly comfortable car over long distances!

Sorry - off topic! :oops:
 
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