4722 replies to this topic

[smiley]

photobucket.com

[mbes2]

The old "waiting for the AA Recovery service" photos are the best ones 

[Nev]

photobucket.com

 

Their site has been down for most of today, so the combo if this website not rendering images and the Photobucket image website being down means a mess.

 

God help us all, IT never bloody works reliably.

 

I used to sit next to a kid in school who's brother used to service Polaris missiles, he reckoned less than half would have ever got to their destination if fired due to complexity.   IT these days is much the same, over complex without enough emphasis on robustness and being fit for purpose

Edited by Nev, 04 November 2016 - 06:14 PM.

[Branagorn]

Just wanted to thank Nov for taking me out yesterday.

 

This was the first time I had been up close with a VX, and inside one.

 

I was totally taken aback by the brute force the car hard.  Like nothing I have experienced before.

 

What was perhaps even more impressive was how the car appeared to grip the road.  Each turn felt like it was hard set.  Ive seen the term 'drives like its on rails' before, and I'd say thats probably the best way to describe what I'm trying to say.

 

As this is the first time I've been in a car anything like this, its hard to draw comparisons.  But the power in Nev's car is colossal.  I might actually say I'd personally stay away from that much in whichever car I end up buying, as i'd want to build up a vast amount of experience before having it at my disposal.

[Bakazan]

photobucket.com

  Their site has been down for most of today, so the combo if this website not rendering images and the Photobucket image website being down means a mess.   God help us all, IT never bloody works reliably.   I used to sit next to a kid in school who's brother used to service Polaris missiles, he reckoned less than half would have ever got to their destination if fired due to complexity.   IT these days is much the same, over complex without enough emphasis on robustness and being fit for purpose

The lucky thing about that is that if we'd ever needed to use them they'd have failed in their primary purpose anyway.

[Mr Apex]

Just wanted to thank Nov for taking me out yesterday.

 

This was the first time I had been up close with a VX, and inside one.

 

I was totally taken aback by the brute force the car hard.  Like nothing I have experienced before.

 

What was perhaps even more impressive was how the car appeared to grip the road.  Each turn felt like it was hard set.  Ive seen the term 'drives like its on rails' before, and I'd say thats probably the best way to describe what I'm trying to say.

 

As this is the first time I've been in a car anything like this, its hard to draw comparisons.  But the power in Nev's car is colossal.  I might actually say I'd personally stay away from that much in whichever car I end up buying, as i'd want to build up a vast amount of experience before having it at my disposal.

If you fancy trying a milder VX, I'm happy to take you for a spin in my stage 2 SC.

[Nev]

Can anyone tell me what the Courtenay hourly labour rate is these days please (and mention if that included VAT or not)?

 

Thanks.

[Nev]

 

Just wanted to thank Nov for taking me out yesterday.

 

This was the first time I had been up close with a VX, and inside one.

 

I was totally taken aback by the brute force the car hard.  Like nothing I have experienced before.

 

What was perhaps even more impressive was how the car appeared to grip the road.  Each turn felt like it was hard set.  Ive seen the term 'drives like its on rails' before, and I'd say thats probably the best way to describe what I'm trying to say.

 

As this is the first time I've been in a car anything like this, its hard to draw comparisons.  But the power in Nev's car is colossal.  I might actually say I'd personally stay away from that much in whichever car I end up buying, as i'd want to build up a vast amount of experience before having it at my disposal.

If you fancy trying a milder VX, I'm happy to take you for a spin in my stage 2 SC.

 

 

I mentioned getting a passenger ride in your car to him several times Simon, as a nice easy to drive and silent/rattle free example (which I think is his personal aim). However, I think he is keen on a standard TC'ed car, though I did try and suggest a 250 BHP one (TC stage 2 or SC stage 2) would be much better.

 

 

Edited by Nev, 07 November 2016 - 07:46 AM.

[Nev]

Got in the car at 6.30 AM on Sunday and went for a drive and walk in the Black mountains (mid Wales) with Josh. It was pretty frosty and hard to get any temps in the tyres, but still good fun abeit at reduced speed. Took a few pics:

 

 

 

 

[The Batman]

Courtenay a dyno is £95 an hr Not sure on there normal hourly labour though

[Nev]

Courtenay a dyno is £95 an hr Not sure on there normal hourly labour though

 

Thanks, does anyone know?  

[The Batman]

Give them a bell What ya need doing?

[CHILL Gone DUTCH]

Come nev you can't plant a seed like that and not tell us what your doing

[smiley]

I'm still flabberguested that the key's will be handed over to a shop.

Regardess of what needs to be done.

[tibby]

Got in the car at 6.30 AM on Sunday and went for a drive and walk in the Black mountains (mid Wales) with Josh. It was pretty frosty and hard to get any temps in the tyres, but still good fun abeit at reduced speed. Took a few pics:
 

 

 

 

All terrain vx!

[Nev]

Come nev you can't plant a seed like that and not tell us what your doing

 

Ha ha, don't worry, I am not taking Nipper to them for any work, I just wanted a reference for charging other people if I work on their cars.

 

If anything they should pay me, as they got a hell of a shock/lesson when they dyno'ed Nipper and tried to map him 6 years ago. I distinctly remember Jon asking me about exactly what parts and work I'd done on the engine. And then him ringing me in a state of mild hysteria (when I was on the train home 4 hours later) telling me it was the most powerful 4 pot he'd ever known.

 

 

Edited by Nev, 07 November 2016 - 05:33 PM.

[CocoPops]

MBR is £60/hr according to his recent thread. However that probably includes public liability insurance, VAT, premises rental etc

[Nev]

MBR is £60/hr according to his recent thread. However that probably includes public liability insurance, VAT, premises rental etc

 

Thanks, are you sure it includes VAT ?

Edited by Nev, 07 November 2016 - 06:27 PM.

[The Batman]

It doesn't say it is plus vat so assume it's included

[Nev]

Today I shoved some 225 Lb springs into the front Nitrons on Nipper. The result being:

 

1. Better turn in.

2. Overall better grip at the front.

3. Noticabley less harsh ride.

4. More wheel wobble from my poorly balanced wheels.

5. Hard braking felt different, just something to get used to I expect.

 

Overall a great success, though the front has sagged a lot during the test drive (about 12 mm) and I need to wind the collars down again tomorrow to set the wishbone angles correctly. This will help ensure that the front suspension enters the bump steer curve at about 15% into the curve rather than at about 40% in.

 

My next step is to try reducing the rear springs a bit, though this will likely eliminate the turn in benefit and I might need to return back to the current 450 Lb springs. Having soft springs at the rear would also help with putting the power down more securely.

 

At the moment my spring delta is high (225 front, 450 rear), but with the 1" ARB adding a fair bit to the front springs this seems to work well.

 

My Nitrons seem to have good compliance and compatibility with these springs (4 clicks from soft on the fronts), though I still don't know what valving they have.

 

BTW, this is all in an effort to improve handling on bumpy/twisty B-roads, and reduce driver input as I used to get pretty tired after just an hour of driving.

 

Edited by Nev, 07 November 2016 - 10:47 PM.