AdamR28

Cos that's when the clutch is doing the most work - maximum torque going through it and maximum resistance to said torque...

I obviously did Yeah, very cheap... I think partly the reason was that it had a remap - narrowed potential buyers down to those with a little more driving experience (insurance) and those who fully understood what it was. I still believe that car was worth more than that, but it wasn't much good sitting doing nothing, or 2 miles a day not even getting up to temperature and costing me ~£1000 a year on insurance, tax and servicing. Managed to get an MX-5 and a year's insurance for that Do it, well worth a drive of one anyway I say. Oh, and an update on the cambelt thing... fitted a new belt, exactly the same brand as before (Gates Powergrip) - wobble is gone

Naahh. Mine went for £3600. 06, the only colour (blue), FSH, recent cambelt and tyres, cruise control, 110k miles. Example... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2006-Skoda-Octavia-2-0T-FSI-vRS-/181141080984?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item2a2cd98b98

Get a Skoda instead

Pic 1. http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Tech/The-Ultimate-Guide-To/i-xgj2s9j/0/O/roll_couple.gif Pic 2.. http://image.modified.com/f/17363212%20w750%20st0/0508_sccp_02_z_%20suspension%20roll_center.jpg You also need to consider the front and real roll centres and couples in relation to each other if you want to maintain 'nice' 'handling'. They are both in inverted commas because they are fairly subjective, but the general consensus is that a small account of corner entry understeer (which is a stable condition, therefore giving you the best chance of making the apex cleanly without any drama), followed by a gradual shift to slight oversteer on exit (allows you to wind lock off to reduce tyre scrub, and means you can get power on rather than having to take it off to quell understeer) is fastest. This is achieved by having a slightly higher roll couple at the front (I think that's the right end... Robin?!), which of course all sports car manufacturers know and build into the car, so by us messing about with it we are usually undoing their years of testing As always there is more to it, but it's worth reading up on if you are serious about getting the best out of your car. Took me quite while to get my car sorted but it's completely different now just from a few relatively minor and inexpensive tweaks (tyre sizes mainly!).

The roll centre is related to the angles of the wishbones, and the intersections of where they would cross if you extended their length. Roll couple is the distance between the roll centre and the centre to gravity. This value increases when you lower the car (broad statement...). A higher roll couple means there is more roll in the car when the cornering forces act through the centre of gravity. So, lowering the car often gives more body roll if everything else stays the same. However, most people will fit stiffer suspension or anti roll bars at the same time, so they don't notice it. This does make the car stiffer (loose term) though, obviously, which actually reduces the amount of grip across an axle during cornering (again if everything else is the same - in reality you'll add camber, sticky tyres etc). Too soft a car doesn't give enough feedback to the driver though and it feels all sloppy, so there is always a balance to strike... I'm on my phone so it's a bit awkward, but I'll try and find a link with diagrams explaining roll centre and couple.

Missed Alex's question before... but yeah, what Robin says. Personally - looking at the sort of terrain you are thrashing through and given that you're getting new shocks anyway - I would look at raising the ride height a touch, as that will raise the roll centre and give you more travel to play with too. Always a compromise though... A decent book I have read (and now Prawn has it) is Tune to Win by Carroll Smith. I might have mentioned it before but it does a really good job of helping you understand the considerations of suspension design (and a few more bits too). After setting up my car(s) using the book as reference, there has been a huge difference. Something that seems common is people setting their cars up too stiff and too low believing that is fast, but in many cases it has the opposite effect...

Should have been doing it now but retards on eBay can't put bolts in jiffy bags haha Bloody wiring eh. At least it's not a new car :wink2: Your idea of car cleaning sounds like mine - I like it. Similar thing with the radio too! Japanese spec radio only picks up 76-90 FM... so that leaves me with only one choice, Radio 2

Very strange, never heard of that either! Where did the test say you are meant to hold the wheel? I got bored after 11 questions, 8 of which I had got right.

Nah it just goes absolutely mental haha. Yeah I doubt it'll come off, but going to change it anyway for the sake of under £15. Car looks quality by the way, lucky chap winning that competition! I remember my dad having a Capri, 2.8 I think it was.

Anyone seen anything like this before? The place I bought the cambelt from (SBD - who are well-regarded in tuning circles) reckon it's fine, but I'm not so sure...

This topic got big, quickly! To answer the title, because it's hard.

That's what a roll cage is for

You can buy a GT3-batterer for half that, but it would be totally impractical

No.

Haha, all Welshmen are mad Yeah, although bikes are quicker in a straight line I think a car like this is about the same or quicker from A to B down country roads, due to the increased feeling of safety and much greater tyre footprint.

Cheers! Haha, yeah it is. 3rd gear at 90 will spin the rear wheels if its not bone dry... About 430bhp/ton at the moment.

Built so many wheels, 'normal' dishless rear hubs with ~45mm flange and an ERD of this value (548-550 depending on if it's eyeletted or not) are usually 266, then larger flange means a slightly shorter spoke

Obligatory photo-whoring (but not as bad as Prawn). Clean cars are baaad, mkaay.

You're right, I mean 0-60 in about 9s, pretty much rips the tarmac up behind it.

I was gonna guess 264 or 266 so that sounds good to me if you still want a calculation doing just shout...

Ah I thought it wasn't opening fully You will not beat an MX5 for a cheap track car, it's actually impossible

So, cars. Is your throttle broken Prawn? Just been out for a drive, was fun.

Happy to build it if you like, but know some people like to do their own If you fire us a pic of the rim and the hub, we can work out and email back the lengths no problem.

I'll grab a few pics of ours later if I get chance.