Cortina vs Sierra

[pyrovee]

Hello all,

I was wondering if someone could point out the differences between the Sierra based and Cortina bases Berlinettas for me? Of course the donors are different so components will vary, but is either preferable to the other? I have been told by some that the Cortina is superior and others say it's the Sierra. Would like to know your thoughts.

Cheers

[danny_nelson]

Re: Cortina vs Sierra

The main difference in the two is the Sierra rear diff and drive shafts to the Cortina rear axle, also the Marlin derived top wishbone and coil over front suspension, also the Sierra steering column when fitted in the Berlinetta allows the switch gear to be forward of the dash. Bodily the two are the same . The front bumper brackets are different . and that is about it.
However the numbers produced are very different. I only know of 14 Sierra based cars. The ride with the Sierra based car, especially the rear must be a little more compliant. There are very many well built Cortina examples .

[scott h]

Re: Cortina vs Sierra

I own one of the Sierra based Berlinetta's. It drives very well but I have no experience of the Cortina based car to compare it to.

I expect that the Sierra rear suspension will be heavier than the Cortina live axle, due to using the complete rear suspension including the subframe, although with less unsprung weight.

One thing is that the Sierra rear geometry needs a bit of modification for the wheels to sit right, especially the camber. The front suspension is the same as the Cabrio, and so has adjustable coil overs which will be an advantage over the Cortina.

I believe there were 17 Sierra based cars but that is counting one hybrid which had Sierra rear but Cortina front suspension.

[terryrscott]

Re: Cortina vs Sierra

i have owned 2 cortina based berlinettas and one sierra based berlinetta, in my opinion the sierra based car gives a better ride, especially on the front.
the real biggest difference in addition to what Danny has already said is the cortina based car uses the front subframe from the cortina , if you think about that set up the engine sits in the cortina subframe over the centre line of the wheels, but on the berlinetta the engine sits much further back, this layout gives the cortina based berlinetta a harder ride on the front , in my opinion.

[J_Irons]

Re: Cortina vs Sierra

i I have a Sierra based Berllinetta , I find the ride very compliant especially at the back. i think the fronts could do with softer springs and of course the geometry of the steering is interesting,. If i can dispense with the anti roll bar it will be a lot less crashy over uneven surfaces. I would be interested if anyone has modified the geometry of the fronts of the Berlinetta (or Cabrio)and how they overcame the rake issues.

[Dane_Rescueman]

Re: Cortina vs Sierra

I've no idea why my message was deleted.
I fitted adjustable top wishbones supplied by YKC. I now run my Cotina berli with only a tiny amount of neg camber; about -10 minutes of arc. The car's weight is now spread over the entire width of the tread (wheels straight ahead). The handling and braking are very much improved. I'm sure that this was covered in Pitstop and the web a few years ago.