1993 Vauxhall Cavalier SRi 16 valve from UK and Ireland - Comments

Hi friends, I'm Paulo and I live in Brazil.

Here was produced the C20XE Vectra-A (Cavalier) with Bosch M2.8 (there was not a M2.5 here).

Also was produced a X20XEV and X20XE and a C22SEL (different from C22SEL made in UK).

This C22SEL is a variation of X20XE with motronic management. It is a 2.2 litre with 16 valves. It produces 138bhp and 20.7 mkgf (203 Nm) at 4000 rpm. The torque curve was improved in comparison to X20XE engine, 85% of the torque are now available from 1500rpm until 5400rpm. A very good engine to drive. Very silent and smooth.

Here was produced only Vectra A and B as made by Opel (here they was made by Chevrolet).

We doesn't have the opel vectras made after it, but a model made in Brazil (based on Opel Astra, but bigger) with a 2.4l 16v (flexfuel) with 146bhp at 5200rpm and 23.1mkgf at 4000rpm. It can work with alchool fuel and produces 150bhp and 23.7mkgf at same engine revs. This engine was designed based on Brazilian C22SEL as explained before.

Well, this was just to give more updates about these GM engines.

Bye.

Many people fail to mention the underestimated 20SEH engine. This 8v engine was the one that came out of the legendary mk2 cav. It was fitted with fuel injection and went into the pre-facelift mk3 cavs '88 -'91.

The only engine with a healthy 130 bhp, totally bulletproof and with no catalyst made this a winner before the emissions legalisation came into force. It had a bunch more usable power down low than any other of the engines (redtop included) it does really pull well. On a good day it can match a Redtop 16v to 60mph, I have a totally standard car apart from a k&n panel filter, and managed 0-60 in 7.98 seconds at Trax. With a top speed of 128mph (only 6mph down from the gsi redtop), you can keep your 16valvers and your ecotecs, This is the Cav to have... The only point is the GSI does handle better.

Right guys, thought I'd add my views, as a trained Vauxhall mechanic.

Firstly my 1990 Cav GSi 2000 had close to 200,000 miles on it, 198,000 before it was stolen and burnt out. 0-60 I had timed with the stop watch fitted in car, from the same start were 5.9, 6.0 and 6.1 with a friend in the car. I whipped a Civic Type R, had chip, courtney cams, head rebuild, race manifold, straight through stainless system, power cap, breather mods, panel filter. That's no crap either guys, was pushing 186 hp, used to rev the nuts out of it, still the only car I've never blown an engine on.

Focus RS owner, Zetecs are worse than Ecotecs, believe me I've had enough apart, redtop had sodium filled exhaust valves when new in 87-88 when GTE 16v came out, the same time as Cossie, why? Cosworth made the head for the xe, redtop, and Vauxhall mated it to an uprated 8v seh block for experimental testing.

Also if you read the test figures when new, the Cav turbo 4x4 was quicker in both top speed and acceleration over the Escort Cosworth, same again with those awful looking Focus STs with the 5cyl 2.5 ltr Volvo engine, only putting out 222 hp, whilst the Astra VXR will easily beat it at 240 hp from a 2.0 turbo. It's also a later variant of the ecotec, and fundamentally the infamous c20xe 'redtop' engine. Sell the Focus, get a Vaux mate.

Sorry to go on, but 4x4 Cav or Calibra platform shell kicks ass with independent rear suspension, ask John Clelland, he beat the e30 m3's all day long round the track in late 80's, early 90's.

Ecotec's rule.

I'm sorry, but if you're saying that Vauxhall Cavaliers and Calibras handle really well, then you have never been in a car that can handle. They are very poor, Vauxhalls always have been bad on handling, they are well known for it.

And as for whipping a Type R, you said yourself after all that work you had done, you still only had 186bhp compared to the Civic's 197bhp. Now I don't care how much torque advantage you had over the Civic, you would not have whipped him. I'm not denying you might have beaten him, but not by as big a margin as you are making out.

Hi, I have a Cavalier SRi Ecotec and an Astra GSi with the late Red Top engine, being the coil pack, and in terms of power, the Ecotec doesn't come close. I have put the early flywheel on it off the early GTE, and it revs for fun. It makes hundred an eighty six brake, and as one hundred and sixty pound ft of torque. The Ecotec is pretty poor and a liability. The Red Top is a very fast engine, even by today's standards.

In standard form, the redtop is a better engine than the ecotec, you can keep a redtop standard and it will still be good fun.

You have to work harder to make the ecotec fun, that manifold has GOT to go, it is an asthmatic, heavy and pretty useless lump of pig-iron. A LexMaul manifold coupled to a sports cat and LongLife system and you have just brought the ecotec an awful lot closer to the redtop.

You could go on and lose that lard-arsed flywheel and re-map the ECU; with a pair of fast-road cams comparable to those of the redtop you've got a very decent redtop competitor.

You might want to remember this, the ecotec was designed to punch mid-range whilst the redtop punches top-end; it's a lot easier to make an ecotec do what a redtop does well, than it is to make a redtop do what an ecotec does well (£££££s).