whats better 8V or 16V

[john]

i am looking at buying an 8V or 16V delta intergrale, what is better a good 8V or average 16V, is there much difference apart from the engine part?

Is right hand drives a pain to get parts and do they work?

Please help i can not decide. 8O

[Shant Fabricatorian]

As far as I can tell from having chatted to Integrale owners and frequented this message board, condition is critical with Integrales. Just as with most cars, the first lesson is to buy the best you can.

In any case, 8 valves are hardly inferior. It largely depends what you want to do with it. In stock trim, the extra power of the 16-valve is largely cancelled out by the extra weight. It's only if you want to chip it that the differences start to show, you can take an 8V to about 240bhp (?) but a 16V will go to 270bhp and beyond.

The other big difference is the torque split which was done to account for the difference in weight. The 16-valve has more torque sent to the rear, which means the balance is more set to oversteer and also means more have been pranged. I think 16Vs also have ABS as standard. For everyday use, there's no doubt the 8V is an easier car to live with. 16V cambelts are also weaker than 8V ones.

RHD conversions use a Fiat Regata steering rack which is geared slower than the normal Integrale unit and isn't as nice to use. This knocks a bit off the value and possibly may make it more difficult to sell. Parts shouldn't be any more difficult to find than for LHD ones but don't quote me on it.

[Hamish]

I'd go for a mint 8 valve as they are marginally cheaper to maintain and in the real world as quick point to point as a 16 valve..... 8 Valver is also easier to work on at home.
Each do require a substantial budget to maintain correctly - I've been told around £130 a month for an 8Valve and allow £200 a month for a 16/Evo.... anyone care to comment :?:

You'd need to be very careful with RHD conversions - I've seen some 'goodies' and some real horrors, but the steering feels OK if not as 'alive' as in a LHD original 8)

[A1.6HPE]

Hello John,
My everyday car is an 8V integrale. I bought an 8 Valver as I maintain my cars personaly so wanted ease of maintenance. There is no doubt that an "Evo" is a better built car, but the 16 Valvers are the same era and build as the earlier cars. The choice is dependant on the same factors as any other car. Remember that the 8/16 V cars are now virtualy 15 years old. A good 8V is far better than an average 16V the performance difference is negligible in practical terms. The torque split difference was required because the extra weight of the 16V engine made the handling hopeless, you can draw your own conclusions from that.

Left hand drive is easy enough to live with, biggest problem is that women passengers do not like being "out there" without a steering wheel to hide behind. Car park ticket machines are Ok as long as you keep your cool and walk around if solo and if you have a passenger they love to be involved. The brake pedal feel is much better on the lhd cars - for obvious reasons. Again as with all cars an umodified one is likely to be a better bet.

Downside is that integrales attract attention from young lads in Novas, best to avoid eye contact. A young lad once asked me if I had got my car from the rally team - after it occurred to me that he was probably well under 5 when Lancia last competed.

The stiff suspension can be a pain depending on the state of your local roads.

Last words - if you have not had a Lancia before then do not buy a cheap integrale - you will regret it.

Leo

[rossocorsa]

engine wise 8 valve much sturdier and much less prone to belt problems an early evo 8v gkat is probably a good choice IF you can find a nice one. cheaper to buy than an evo 16v but looks the part nearly as quick and more reliable. these cars originated in countries with strict emission control such as holland, germany and switzerland

[EVO92]

John,

You need to check out the FAQ on the evoforum:
http://forums.delphiforums.com/evoforum/start

To update you on a few comments on this thread so far:

"I think 16Vs also have ABS as standard" Nope it was optional but some importer/countries decided to add it (Pretending it was standard), as an example i beleive all Evo's imported in the UK had ABS and it was an option in Holland... anyway most late 16vs and almost all Evo's have ABS as most people want it...

"16V cambelts are also weaker than 8V ones" Nope there are just more valves to move.... Early 16v's had a fault in the pulley design, most received the recall message to have them exchanged for the newer style, maybe there are some still on original pulleys but it will be very few...

"big difference is the torque split which was done to account for the difference in weight" Somehow i doubt this as the weight difference is very little, the 8v is prone to understeer the change obviously helped this....

Dutch regulations are not that strict so they didn't get the 8v Kats Although i do know of at least 1 imported :?

It is indeed easier to tune a 16v, if you are happy with around 230hp then an 8v with just a chip will be OK (a chipped 16v is over 250hp easy..).

You should mention what kind of budget you have in mind....If its not a lot buy a 8v as they are much cheaper to run (there are plenty of cars been scrapped so engines etc are cheap...), oh and i certainly wouldn't buy an RHD unless it was cheap (personally i didn't find LHD a problem when i lived in the UK driving in an 8v Grale).

Regards,
Martin

[fritss]

Also , for me that is, your personal taste.

I love my 8V.

Frits

[Skufy]

What about the flexi front end that leads to sill/door pillar cracks? I was about to look at an 8v for my 'normal' car but looking at a site and seeing the gusset work required has put me off somewhat.

Anyone care to put prices up for 8v/16v average/good condt?