oms v jedi v force

[steve88]

hi am new to forum
have just finished first year hillclimbing and want to upgrade car to bike engine single seater ( currently running old van diemen circuit car ) thinking maybe about new oms hornet but coming across a lot of forces and jedis in ads . can anyone help me out with pros and cons of each. also any recommendations about best engine to run in 600 - 1100 class

[blackx]

From a marshals point of view.........



OMS

Seen quite a few have fairly major shunts and come away pretty much intact....
Handle well and are versatile.
Presume wide range of engines will suit this chassis


Jedi

Not seen too many of those in shunts but they seem to handle quite well..
Again presume a wide range of engines will fit this chassis.


Force

A relative newcomer compared to the other 2
More often than not use a 1300 forced induction or 1600 engine (Blackbird )


Any of the above will most likely stand you in good stead(sp?)


Hopefully a racing type person will come along and give you their viewpoint..


Whatever you choose have fun

[Steve Wilkinson]

The three chassis that you have picked are probably the most commonly seen in Speed Events.

Agree with Blackx about the OMS. Very strong, will take a variety of engines, if buying second-hand I would go for the 2000M.

Likewise the Jedi look strong and resilient. Again if buying second-hand go for a Mk 4 or newer. Seen Jedis with Honda, Suzuki & Yamaha engines so choice of engine isn't limited.

Have to disagree with Blackx as the vast majority of Force chassis that I have seen have been fitted with either 1100 or 1300 standard engines. There are a few forced induction cars about but again the 1.6 Hayabusa units seem to be popular.

In the 600cc to 1100cc class the choice of engine really comes down to either a Yamaha R1 or the Suzuki GSXR.

The most important factor is your budget. You may be able to buy an OMS 2000M complete with 1300 Hayabusa for less than a new OMS Hornet with an 1100 engine on-board. The other thing to consider is the resale value; buying new always leads to a downward valuation of your car whilst some second-hand prices seem to stay unaffected over the years.

At most club events the 1100 class is probably the most well supported followed by the 1600 class. Dependant on your budget I would have thought either class would be a good move forward.

[Woolley]

Looking from the outside, they seem to suit different driving styles. The Forces get there best times when there's obvious commitment to the corner - Rob Kendrick and Phil Cook are obvious demonstrators of the technique. OMS seem quick when driven more smoothly, Jedis somewhere between the two. That may be simplistic and may not be reflected in the actual experience.

As a marshal, if I were to have a big shunt, I'd want to have it in an OMS. As blackx says, I haven't seen any serious impacts in the other two so can't comment - I'm sure they'd perform just as well - it's just that I know an OMS can handle it.

[steve88]

ideally looking for 2000m but ones have seen for sale seem excessively priced , when you can find them that is,hence why looking at hornet. have heard nothing but good about the oms which i suppose is why you dont see many for sale. re engines R1 and GSXR seem to be the norm have also had ZZR 1100 mentioned but dont actually know anyone who runs one. want something fairly quick as standard but can be easily tuned once get to grips with car. dont really want to go in 1100 to 1600 class as you start getting up against the big money boys . (my budget is 12-14K)

[rescue dude]

Come to Shelsley this weekend and talk to people. There is quite a good entry of upto 600-1100 cars so you can see for yourself.

You'll find most of them more than happy to chat about what to buy and more importantly what not to buy.

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by steve88

... have also had ZZR 1100 mentioned but dont actually know anyone who runs one.

There's Dave Banner & Neville Thomson who both run the ZZR in OMS spaceframes.

Personally I would go for either the Yamaha R1 or the Suzuki GSXR as both are commonly used and readily tuned.

[Cynic]

I have been unfortunate to see Jedi's come to grief. IMO the side pods seem to be more fragile than on some other cars. From the outside I reckon they need to be driven more aggressively than the others to get the best out of them.

[steve88]

would love to go and see more events but live in channel isles so dont get to see much except when the national boys come over. done a couple of events in france this year but they not really into bike engine cars over there,all run f3000 cars or osellas and the like, did get to see the oms hornet at harewood in sept and it seemed to hold its own against the CF04s and the 2000m in the 1600 class . only thing is like steve w said got to consider resale value and with hornet being a new car and at the budget end of range will it hold its price like 2000m ? ,suppose only time will tell on that. would like to think so.

[hillsprint77]

If you are in the Channel Islands then there's a Jedi for sale over there.

[steve88]

have seen it ,its your old car . thing is is about same price as brand new hornet and not sure if ready for 1400 busa ,would rather start with upto 1100 class initially especially with the unforgiving hills here and in guernsey

[hillsprint77]

It's a 1370 GSXR oil cooled actually Yes the Hornet looks a nice car, but be careful when looking at prices.

You are usually better buying something good second hand rather than buying new, as you get all the extras with a 2nd hand car, set of wets, various spares, trailers etc. Buying new and you get a basic car with a std engine, which when you want to go quicker will cost some money to get it tuned.

My old Jedi also had a reasonable 1100 GSXR engine with it, so if you got it you could fit it in until you are used to the car and then jump up to the 1370 It's a reasonably good option, 2 cars in one so to speak

The debate has been had on this website before between these 3 chassis. One comment I'd make again is that a tube chassis is a heck of a lot cheaper and easier to fix.

As has been said above, it all depends on what you are prepared to spend, and what you want to do when you decide to move on.

Good luck

[steve88]

fair comment, might be worth a trip over to see it ,cheers for advice.


would still like to hear from someone who has a hornet or who knows a bit about it or knows where any 2000m for sale

cheers all

[b1ackcr0w]

I'm having a job thinking of a chassis that has sold in quite the numbers that the Hornet is selling in. That more than anything else would indicate to me how good it is.

[SteveSlowboy]

Hi All,

I've been lurking on this forum for a few months now, and have finally got round to registering.

I drive an SF2 OMS fitted with a ZZR1100 engine. It's my first season in a single seater but some of my observations on the whole purchasing / owning / driving an OMS might be of interest.

I chose an OMS primarily on it's apparent performance in the class and it's looks. Having side pods, floor and engine cover to me makes it look "complete"

The Jedi's certainly appear to be lighter than my SF2, but I beleive the 2000M's are similar to the Jedi's.

The ZZR1100 is a good engine, but getting old and quite heavy compared to a modern GSXR K7 or the like, and even with a decent state of build have less power than a standard K7

Price wise, I found the older OMS's, Jedi's and converted formula fords appeared the best value, but it depends how competitive you want to be....

Anyway, for a first post I think that'll do!

[bentimingstrut]

Speaking as a lay man. I would go for the OMS.Steve Owen is usually present at most hillclimb events and a nicer,more helpfull guy you would struggle to meet.

[steve88]

put plans for new car on hold for this year. have put 2.0L in the formula ford and put it on throttle bodies and put diff in it so hopefully see some big improvements . thanks to all for advice hopefully will be put to good use in near future when make the move to bike engined car

[steve88]

so much for putting plans on hold. put a 2.0L in van diemen and it did massively improve it,but have recently purchased a 2000M with a GSXR 1370 in it so looking forward to having fun in that

[b1ackcr0w]

I think you'll have an awful lot of fun with that combo. Wise Choice.

[steve88]

hope so will find out at harewood in july

[twisted]

My old PR Oms is great!
Can't wait to update it so I can have two....one for the wife.....means I can spend more money on hillclimbing