pbura
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| posted on 25/6/04 at 12:52 PM |
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Syd,
You've missed the mark with your speculation about my sexual orientation, Syd  Father of four children and stepfather of two more, and I
don't even belong to a club where I could shower-peek  Not that there's anything wrong with that
I'd rather have a discussion than a slagging match anyway. For the record, I don't make any pretension of expertise in car design;
I've just been reading and thinking. and trying to relate to my own (limited) experience. So that's where I'm coming from.
I'm entirely open to learning.
When I said "bigger tires on the rear", I meant comparatively bigger, same as Mr. Jenkins, whom you've not yet called a wanker, or
questioned his masculinity  Tire selection would be the #1 consideration, BTW, though it wasn't my first thought. I don't advocate
big, low-profile tires on a 7, either, mainly because of weight and aqua-planing, so I don't know where you got that facet of your argument.
I also agree with you that springing should be lighter on a lighter car.
Really don't know why you stick at anti-roll bars, Syd. Seems like a legitimate next step in balancing a car (if a next step is needed). Could
you explain why not? BTW, I acknowledge that ARBs are going to act like a road spring on a one-wheel bump, so should be used sparingly.
I may have misjudged the front/rear weight distribution of a BEC, but it was just for discussion purposes. What are the correct figures?
Pete
P.S. I have a busy day and weekend coming up, so may not be able to trade barbs until Monday.
Pete
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 25/6/04 at 01:06 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by pbura
When I said "bigger tires on the rear", I meant comparatively bigger, same as Mr. Jenkins, whom you've not yet called a wanker, or
questioned his masculinity
What I wear or do in my spare time is entirely my own concern... and anyway, it was a misunderstanding, anyone could have made the same mistake, I
thought the curtains were closed... 
David
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pbura
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| posted on 25/6/04 at 01:15 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
quote:
Originally posted by pbura
... I meant comparatively bigger, same as Mr. Jenkins...
... I thought the curtains were closed...
I have an alibi!!!!!!
Pete
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Peteff
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| posted on 25/6/04 at 01:18 PM |
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The widths suggested would be far narrower than most are currently running.
I run 165/65x13's on standard Sierra 5.5"x13" rims. They look a bit narrow on the rear and don't fill the arches but they are
new tyres and I'm too mean to replace them. They still grip well and if they do let go I can catch it before it gets too far out of hand. I
would put a lot down to tyres and rims designed for heavy cars being used inappropriately and breaking away earlier due to the lighter weight.
Stickier tyres would be the obvious answer to my thinking.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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JoelP
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| posted on 25/6/04 at 01:57 PM |
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jeez, reading this thread you would think my car's going to be like a spinning top! it has the worst of everything suggested so far: 14s with
smallish tyres at the front, standard sierra steels at the back (to be replaced with the 14s when 2 pairs or original tyres are worn out), too stiff
at the front, too soft at the back, too much camber at the back, an almost rear weight bias, and a clown at the wheel! and no LSD...
this is going to be more fun than i'd anticipated!!
Beware! Bourettes is binfectious.
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mackie
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| posted on 25/6/04 at 02:50 PM |
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I plan to treat our car with plenty of respect, especially with all that torque.
I think we plan to make it a softly sprung as possible and the will be running it on Sierra 14in alloys with 195/60 tyres front and rear. I think we
may end up needing bigger tyres at the rear as suggested above.
Having read a little bit about suspension design we shall probably try and engineer a little toe in on the rear too.
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ned
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| posted on 28/6/04 at 08:57 AM |
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mackie,
i was thinking of adding some toe in on the rear on mine too, just a couple of spacers on the dedinon ears or something
Ned.
beware, I've got yellow skin
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Mark Allanson
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| posted on 28/6/04 at 07:46 PM |
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I came to Locosting after a long line of Bertone X19's, I still love the cars, I just got fed up with welding the damn thing every weekend.
I used to run 10mm of toe in at the rear (5-9mm as standard), it gave really balanced and predictable handling, oversteer so progressive I
didn't even pause the converation with my passenger when the back stated to move.
The tyres were 165 70 13's, I did try 185 60 14's, but this ruined the car, made it dead and uninteresting, also made the back end a bit
snappy.
If you can keep you head, whilst all others around you are losing theirs, you are not fully aware of the situation
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gjn200
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| posted on 28/6/04 at 10:16 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Mark Allanson
I used to run 10mm of toe in at the rear (5-9mm as standard), it gave really balanced and predictable handling, oversteer so progressive I
didn't even pause the converation with my passenger when the back stated to move.
The tyres were 165 70 13's, I did try 185 60 14's, but this ruined the car, made it dead and uninteresting, also made the back end a bit
snappy.
Maybe, but you had the power of a wet fart
<- Me!
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Mark Allanson
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| posted on 29/6/04 at 06:19 AM |
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The first one had the standard 85BHP, the last had a Lancia HPE 2.0 fitted, it used to 'fart' on everything!
If you can keep you head, whilst all others around you are losing theirs, you are not fully aware of the situation
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type r1
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| posted on 9/7/04 at 06:37 PM |
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dudes,
quote:
Originally posted by Terrapin_racing
A number of incidences I have read about were due to the drivers unfamiliarity with the power curve of the bike engine - now fitted to there car. One
guy was happily accelerating around a bend when the motor came on cam and he did a pirouette act writing the front end off!
This was his first run in the car 
is mr. terrapin referring to me?
if he is, allow me to set the record straight. (no offence taken and none meant).
first of all, i was not driving the car for the first time, it was the fourth time in this particular bec. i had already spent 5 - 6 hours driving
this car, in various conditions and at various speeds. it is not the first bec i have driven, either, as i have also driven a fireblade-engined
indy.
secondly, i was not accelerating around a bend. i was overtaking two cars (tin tops) that had just negotiated a 90 degree bend and which had slowed
down to about 30 mph. i was driving in a straight line, no faster than 45 - 50 mph. there had been a couple of showers during my journey and the road
was a little wet. i was not accelerating furiously, as i did not need to. overtaking two slowly moving vehicles on a mile long piece of straight road,
with perfect visibility and with no other cars coming in the opposite direction, did not demand an overly zelous right foot.
i did not leave the road at a huge velocity, and if the field next to the road had been flat, the incident would have been no more severe than an
excursion in to the kitty litter at a race track.
unfortunately, i happened to be driving past a field that had a ten foot dyke, running along the edge of the road. it was driving the car into the
dyke that caused the damage to the front end.
i had a look at the road surface afterwards, as i couldn't figure out why the car had spun at all. i noticed that most of the tar had been worn
away and i was basically driving on wet stone chippings that were protruding from the surface.
the other thing to remember is that the car had 17" rims with ultra low profile tyres, with very little give in the tyre wall, designed for a
car weighing between 1000 and 1800 kg.
take a look at a toyo proxes t1-s and you will see that they are rated for a maximum weight of 450 kg each corner.
as the car i was driving was 480 kg total, you can see that they were an entirely unsuitable choice of tyre and wheel.
you need a higher tyre wall, 50 percent minimum, as the car is so light the tyres never reach operating temperatures, and a much softer compound, to
enable the tyres to have any amount of adhesion.
the insurance assessor actually said that the tyres were unsuited to a car as light as this. he has seen kit cars running on 8 year old tyres that are
hardly worn. the compound has completely gone off and the tyres are a great danger to the driver.
my advice is to use the softest compound you can afford, avon acb10s, yokohama a032r, yokohama a042r, and such like.
ultimately, of course i accept responsibility for the accident, but i do not believe that i was being reckless or immature (i'm 43 with 2 big
teenage children), or that it was purely because of my inexperience. there were contributing factors that made what happened a lot easier to happen
than it might, otherwise have been.
don't foget, this car had an lsd as well. all well and good under perfect operating conditions, but extremely unforgiving in the previously
described scenario.
so, drive carefully peeps.
thanks again for all your well wishes.
i am more-or-less recovered from my injuries, just a slightly niggly rib and a that's about it.
take care,
kindest regards,
dom.
[Edited on 9/7/04 by type r1]
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Jasper
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| posted on 9/7/04 at 06:51 PM |
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Not sure that I agree that Toyo Proxy's don't reach temperature. I run 195/50/15's and often check how warm they are when I get home
from a drive, and they are nearly always nice and warm and sticky.
A would agree that stickier is best of course, but you could be in as much trouble running the soft cut slicks like the Avons and Yoko's when it
starts to rain and they can't shift the water out.
If they ain't hot enough, you ain't driving hard enough
BTW - Toyo have brought out a new range of sticky road legal tyres at a good price for the large wheel sizes.
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Aloupol
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| posted on 9/7/04 at 07:24 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by type r1
is mr. terrapin referring to me?
No, with all these differences it must be somone else ;-)
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 9/7/04 at 09:12 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by type r1
unfortunately, i happened to be driving past a field that had a ten foot dyke, running along the edge of the road. it was driving the car into the
dyke that caused the damage to the front end.
I'd guess from your location that this was on the fens somewhere... I've driven past these ditches many times, between Ely and Bury St
Edmunds - and often thought that I would NOT want to drive into one of them!
For anyone who's never seen them, imagine a nice flat country road with quite a severe camber. A foot or so after the tarmac runs out the grass
curves down into a 10 foot deep ditch, often with 6 foot of icy water at the bottom. No crash barriers, walls, posts or anything like that.
Several times year people drive off the road and don't get found for a day or so....
David
[Edited on 9/7/04 by David Jenkins]
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Terrapin_racing
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| posted on 12/7/04 at 02:47 PM |
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Never heard of you Dom??
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type r1
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| posted on 12/7/04 at 10:31 PM |
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mr terrapin,
cool.
who are you talking about, then?
dom.
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Terrapin_racing
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| posted on 13/7/04 at 09:41 AM |
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Better not say after your reaction ... 
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