I have had my 105 since 1995, and it is in 'new' condition still - I am very proud of it. It is my only (and 1st) car. I keep it garaged and use it only for holiday and fair weather outings - I cycle to work to prevent wearing it unduly and to ensure it lasts.

It has plenty of performance on the open road (cruises sweetly at 60) and it is completely standard and in excellent tune. HOWEVER, it is not very quick on the hills and when using uphill slip-roads (I dread them:(). In fact I think the problem is not the car at all, but other motorists who cannot spare a moment to let my 105 LUX get into it's stride before they start blowing their horn at me. I don't want to wear the engine by labouring it at wide throttle openings to attempt to pacify some impatient person behind! Traffic has gone baserk in the last few years I feel.

Also, as the car is entering the motorway at aroung 40 MPH, it makes me a little uneasy as lorries career past at breakneck speed these days.

So, without damaging my car by fitting non-authorised parts, I was wondering if anything is available that would make the car pick-up a little more?

Is there some spark plugs with a better spark, or perhaps a sporty air filter that would help?

Anyway, I thank you in advance for any help or ideas.

Ian

40MPH at end of slip road sounds a bit low to me.. What fuel does the car run - unleaded or 4 star?

There are a few little bits you can do..

I would start by making sure the timing is advanced correctly (use a timing light, a bit of tip-ex, and there are some marks on the crank pulley / surround).

Then I would look at the valve / tappet clearances (use a feeler gauge with rocker cover off).

As for uprating things, I would then look at the coil - is it in good strong working order? The coil and amp from the 130 estelle / favorit might be better - cheap from a breakers.

In my 130 I used to run NGK plugs, engine seemed to run cleaner with these.

Further steps from there would be to look at uprating the carburettor (ditch the Jikov), exhaust, cam, and increasing compression.

There is a bit of a guide here that may help.

Andy.

I have had my 105 since 1995, and it is in 'new' condition still - I am very proud of it. It is my only (and 1st) car. I keep it garaged and use it only for holiday and fair weather outings - I cycle to work to prevent wearing it unduly and to ensure it lasts.

It has plenty of performance on the open road (cruises sweetly at 60) and it is completely standard and in excellent tune. HOWEVER, it is not very quick on the hills and when using uphill slip-roads (I dread them:(). In fact I think the problem is not the car at all, but other motorists who cannot spare a moment to let my 105 LUX get into it's stride before they start blowing their horn at me. I don't want to wear the engine by labouring it at wide throttle openings to attempt to pacify some impatient person behind! Traffic has gone baserk in the last few years I feel.

Also, as the car is entering the motorway at aroung 40 MPH, it makes me a little uneasy as lorries career past at breakneck speed these days.

So, without damaging my car by fitting non-authorised parts, I was wondering if anything is available that would make the car pick-up a little more?

Is there some spark plugs with a better spark, or perhaps a sporty air filter that would help?

Anyway, I thank you in advance for any help or ideas.

Ian

Stop pussy-footing about, lets face it with a car as under powered as that you are going to have to give it full throttle!! Just to keep up with an average traffic flow.

Who ever said that full throttle hurts an engine anyway? As long as you maintain it and use good oil.

Labouring an engine is driving in a high gear at low rpm with a wide throttle opening. Make it rev in a lower gear and you won't labour the engine.

Yeah, I have only ever driven them in an 'all-or-nothing' way, on road rallies, sporting trials, and the like..

With oil changes every few events and general maintenance, we would get a couple of years worth of events out of the engine before having to change gaskets etc. It was very reliable.

Far from wearing out the engine, you may be doing it a favour by thrashing it a bit now and then. It's a tough old lump anyway, and you can make it fairly scream through 2nd and 3rd gears on those slip roads. As long as you don't drive at continuous very high revs you'll be fine - it's good for about 4200rpm sustained and while I can't remember the gearing in the 105 that's probably getting on for 70mph. Peak revs of 4500 are perfectly safe, which is going to be the best part of 50mph in 3rd, probably about 35 in 2nd. The odd blast like that helps prevent carbon buildup in the bores.

Otherwise, change up to a 120!

Same as Skodamart and Richard black, you have to give it a bit of boot now and then. my first car was a 105s boggo base model of a 1978 vintage, the only way to drive it was on full throttle and it stood by me for over 2 years

GO ON BOOOOT IT !!

Some good thoughts there - I will go through what has been said. My car has the Jikov carb, so perhaps I could try a Weber.

Concerning straining the engine, I used to take out an employee of Skoda and he chastised me if the rev counter passed 3500 - he had an ear for revs and even 3600 caused a rebuke!:orb_no_no

I use genuine 4 star - nearly £1.20 a litre! Points/valves are all set. Timing I will check - I usually do it 'static' to 3 degrees advance.

If 4200 RPM is OK I will try running the engine to this speed on a quiet road and see what happens. Perhaps it will blast forward like the DeLorean from Back To The Future? I will let you know what the car does after I try.

Thank you,

Ian

Rev it till the valves bounce

Then change gear!!!!!!!

Rev it till the valves bounce

Then change gear!!!!!!!

I used to work on an elderly chaps 105 LUX back in the early 90's when I worked at a Skoda specialist.He used to pootle about in it to the shops and back at no more than 30 mph.When it was MOT'd and serviced by me once a year, at the owners request I'd take it for a damn good thrashing round the dual carriageways that circle peterborough, revving the nuts off it and getting an indicated 90mph.Did it the world of good and was much needed to blow the cobwebs away.

90 MPH:eek: - well it is good to know that the 105 will reach such dizzy speeds. I will conduct an oil change tomorrow (have a day off work) and check the timing. After this has been carried out I will 'open her up' and see what happens. Live dangerously for once, eh?

One question. How do I know when valves bounce? Is this at 4000 RPM or more? It is not mentioned in any literature I have you see.

Cheers, Ian

:)I see you live in the South East, whereabouts? Call in and see me at Royston, Herts if you like and I'll have a look.

7000 rpm should have the valves bouncing nicely!

4500 is nowt, but she is an old girl! Why do you think manufacturers quote max power at say 5500 or 6000 rpm? you have probably only been using 20bhp at 3000 rpm!!

90 MPH:eek: - well it is good to know that the 105 will reach such dizzy speeds. I will conduct an oil change tomorrow (have a day off work) and check the timing. After this has been carried out I will 'open her up' and see what happens. Live dangerously for once, eh?

One question. How do I know when valves bounce? Is this at 4000 RPM or more? It is not mentioned in any literature I have you see.

Cheers, Ian

Skoda speedometers are notoriously inaccurate - 80mph is Skodas claimed top speed for the 105.I regularly had one of my 130 Rapids past the 110mph mark, but was probably only doing 90-odd. (Not that I condone speeding on wide open public roads:mischief:).

Valve bounce is when you reach the max limit in the gear you are in.Believe me, when your valves start bouncing, you'll hear it! I revved my Rapid so hard in 2nd gear once whilst racing my cousin in his Rapid Sport - reached 60 on speedo in second- that I actually bounced a tappet off the pushrod - scared the cr*p out of me cos I thought I'd blown it to bits:eek:

I have had my 105 since 1995, and it is in 'new' condition still - I am very proud of it. It is my only (and 1st) car. I keep it garaged and use it only for holiday and fair weather outings - I cycle to work to prevent wearing it unduly and to ensure it lasts.

It has plenty of performance on the open road (cruises sweetly at 60) and it is completely standard and in excellent tune. HOWEVER, it is not very quick on the hills and when using uphill slip-roads (I dread them:(). In fact I think the problem is not the car at all, but other motorists who cannot spare a moment to let my 105 LUX get into it's stride before they start blowing their horn at me. I don't want to wear the engine by labouring it at wide throttle openings to attempt to pacify some impatient person behind! Traffic has gone baserk in the last few years I feel.

Also, as the car is entering the motorway at aroung 40 MPH, it makes me a little uneasy as lorries career past at breakneck speed these days.

Nice to see someone cherishing an old Estelle.

However, I'm really rather worried for your safety,

if you're trying to join Motorways at just 40mph!!

I try to be sympathic to people in older cars,

(I've got some myself), but most motorists simply aren't

expecting someone to be so slow.

I'd certainly echo some of the advice previously given,

I know both Rigsby & Daverapid personally &

they've been running rear engined cars for years &

they both get paid to hold spanners!

I would frankly pay money for the spectacle of someone getting a standard 105 lump, with standard carb to rev until the valves bounce.

Thanks all. Dave, I will be coming over to see you in the not too distant future so that you can do an unleaded conversion on my 105 - I look forward to speaking with you.

Well, concerning entering the motorway at 40, that is only on the uphill sliproads - it can manage 50-55 on others (with a fair wind) and that is easier on my nerves.

In fact I don't like driving on motorways at all - the other cars come past so fast and close that it makes my car rock with the draft. Why are people hurtling all the time? Why cannot they just slow the pace and enjoy the journey? Travelling at 55 is muh less stressful and it makes the journey seem faster in the long run.

Anyway, I have rummaged and found a NOS Jikov in one of my tote bins - I will try this and see if a new carb helps pick up the pace.

Remember: More haste, less speed.

Ian

Dave, I will be coming over to see you in the not too distant future so that you can do an unleaded conversion on my 105 - I look forward to speaking with you.

Oh, it's you! Hi, hadn't realised who you were till just now!

I'm guessing a bit, but (assuming valve bounce happens before points bounce and the resultant timing scatter) or the carb runs out of fuel or airflow, I'd expect valve bounce to happen somewhere around 6_500rpm (but don't expect a 105 to pull those revs except in neutral, or possibly first and second).

On the "enjoy the trip" point (Mods note, raised by the OP), if you find me on a motorway I'm normally going a long way, and want to get there quickly. I'll be on more interesting roads if I want to enjoy an afternoon drive out!

Travelling at 55 is much less stressful

I you've the patience (I'm afraid I haven't) you can save a barrel of petrol by travelling at exactly 56mph (90kmh) in the slipstream of an HGV. Obviously you need to be sure your brakes and reflexes are in good order, but since all HGVs are fitted with 90kmh speed limiters by law, and the limiters are pretty accurate, you'll find them all trundling along at that speed. If you're within about 50ft (4 times the height of a typical artic) of the rear end you'll get a noticeable boost in aerodynamic efficiency.

I you've the patience (I'm afraid I haven't) you can save a barrel of petrol by travelling at exactly 56mph (90kmh) in the slipstream of an HGV. Obviously you need to be sure your brakes and reflexes are in good order, but since all HGVs are fitted with 90kmh speed limiters by law, and the limiters are pretty accurate, you'll find them all trundling along at that speed. If you're within about 50ft (4 times the height of a typical artic) of the rear end you'll get a noticeable boost in aerodynamic efficiency.

Mythbusters did a fuel economy myth about tailgating a truck. I don’t recommend anyone do this of course but here are the results using a Dodge Magnum as the test car traveling 55mph:

baseline of 32mpg

Distance from truck xxMPG xxxx% Diff

100’ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx35.5xxxxxx11%

50’ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx38.5xxxx xx20%

20’ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx40.5xxxx xx27%

10’ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx44.5xxxx xx39%

2’ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx41xxxxxxx x28%

I am well aquainted with the rear end of trucks. It seems that once behind a truck, the 'pull' it gives offers a real help to me. My 105 can even feel quite frisky when slipstreaming, however when pulling out to overtake, I am faced with a stiff resistance from the air itself and I usually pull back in behind the truck. When taking my family on holiday, I find tucking in behind lorries (safe distance of course) a good way to help my car along on some of the motorways - saves dropping to third gear on some of the heavy inclines. I find travelling east easier than travalling west - the wind usually blows from the west and slows me down further. I travelled south once to Brighton, but no more - the hills are savage down that way :eek: I and I am lucky I made it back without damaging my car.