A few questions???

[viniboy]

Hi.

Just some obvious questions really. I would be grateful for the following info:

1/. MPG of the Legnum as an average?

2/. Are there any big reliablity issues that a new owner should be aware of?

3/. Is there a large or small range of custom parts available ie. Body styling and tuning.

Many thanks

vini

[bradc]

25mpg will be average, you can get 30mpg if you are gentle

The auto boxes cause problems if they aren't maintained properly

Various body kits are available and with a few mods you can get them up to 350hp or so

[elnevio]

Brad is the King of Consumption! He will tell you how he can get his VR-4 from one end of NZ to the other on a thimble-full of petrol!

I average about 17 mpg, which is mostly made up of my 14-mile commute - a bit of dual carriageway (5 mins) some town driving (15 mins) and some queuing (5 mins) basically. Most folks seem to report in the region of 20 mpg. The manuals are a little more economical though. I have averaged 28 on a motorway run before, but normal motorway mpg is around 23-25. The VR-4s seem to like motorways and high speed, and you still get around 22 by doing 100mph on the autobahns.

Preventative maintenance is the key with these - especially the auto boxes (but keep the ATF under a watchful eye, and you shouldn't have any problems, although the torque converter seal is a known failure on them). Regular oil changes at 4,500 miles (some do them at 3,000), using Amsoil will keep the the engine in good nick. The hydraulic lifters are known to wear, causing a top end ticking noise - which is very common!

There aren't a huge range of bolt-on upgrade parts. A few more body-styling bits are becoming more readily available, as are some tuning parts - but there are nowhere as many engine tuning parts available as there are for the Stagea, due to it having the same block as the Skyline. Simple things like a decat pipe, freer-flowing exhaust and a boost controller can be added easily to the VR-4 though. Bigger turbos are not a straight swap, and require a fair bit of other supporting mods (such as creating more space for them!), but it has been done! Depends how much wedge you want to part with...

Anyway, listen to Brad, he knows what he's talking about (except realistic economy figure of course...) /pan

[Nick Mann]

What Nev said!

If you are going to buy one, imagine 17mpg and you shouldn't be upset. You may even be suprised. Brad drives everywhere at 50mph without accelerating hard or using his brakes, so ignore his consumption guide!!

Parts are available for tuning and styling, but not with ease. Lack of availability often means that the parts are not so cheap too. Parts like boost controllers are easy to fit as universal items, so not all is bad. And the drive train is VERY similar to the Evos, so wheel, diff and some brake upgrades are easy.

If you fancy a trip to Torque Developments tomorrow, you could see a few examples in the flesh and pick our brains!

[Roadrunner]

As Nev says, regular preventative maintenance is key to keeping these running reliably. I don't think the auto boxes are weak - some guys on here have put over 400bhp through them with no issues. I've run two VR-4s for a total of over 160k miles with no problems. I needed to replace the torque converter seal on the first VR-4 when I bought it (at 17k miles), then ran it with no issues for another 90k miles. My current VR-4 has 110k miles on it and the torque converter seal has never been replaced. I suspect failure of the seal may be related to high-rev launches /pan ;)

I average 20-21mpg with fairly spirited driving, best of 25mpg on a long motorway journey, worst of 5mpg on track :shocked: :happy:

[viniboy]

Thanks guys. It sounds more or less the same or very similar to my 300ZX. Fuel is somewhere between 10 and 20 MPG obviously dependant on your right foot. and maintenance is pretty much the same. Not sure about torque converter seals but yes they do need TLC or they go wrong.

Again thanks:chugchug:

[lee db]

i can vouch for the Gearbox thing, mine decided to pack up last sunday on the M25!!!, i dont have a VR4 (yet!) started with the baby, gonna move on to the adult later!

as a rough guide it is costing around 600 to get the convertor replaced and the box stripped and cleaned, i have only had the car 10 weeks, on 125K miles so i guess i can expect a few prob's but wasn't expecting that!

but after the fix i shall be keeping an eye on it and getting it looked after every few thousand miles just to make sure it doesn't happen again.

enjoy your new car when you decide what one you want, they are excellent machines and look the nuts!

[viniboy]

OK guys. I have found a potential for myself. The car is about £2500 and is looking very nice in black. Its a fresh import as far as it aint even reg'd yet but will be for the deal. Its covered 62000 miles and has a biege and black leather interior. The seller says that the car is very good in every aspect and has good feedback. I know I can get one cheaper but there is the possiblity of a swap with my BMW.

I am very tempted but a bit worried about the fuel consumption and was wondering if it would be feesable to get LPG fitted. I am not whinging about the costs of petrol but with me alrerady having the thirstiest car I thought I could get its a bit daunting.

What do you think?

Thanks vini

[martin_y]

There are a few around on LPG. One on here paid £1.7k for the conversion.

Ive been reading about this myself, and maybe a DIY job could make it a little cheaper. My annual mileage is about 8K. The system would take 3 years to pay for itself. But then I would be saving £600 / year, which sounds tempting to me. SOmeone posted, I think on here, complaining that for them, it would take a year for the system to pay for itself. I thought that would make it well worth it.