mystery machine

Coilies mate

Great that you found one that has already been converted – sounds like a fantastic upgrade, but no' cheap by anyone's standards! I had a look at Autotrader today and there are very few Elises on the market right now. I've heard that part of the reason is that a significant number are exported to Europe? Anyway, great car, very envious

Love it!

Welcome

Neil, the purple, dinnae do it mate - your car will look like an ASBO's training shoe

And there's me trying ma best to give a thoroughly inappropriate response

And the good news is it's a great workout for your biceps too.

Cheers Ryan, good to hear it's holding up too!

Cheers Ryan. Sounds like the parts have been reliable then? Just asking because some of the guys on NASIOC reported problems with bits breaking and/or working loose... although sometimes you do wonder what those guys are subjecting their cars to! (Autocross, etc). Also, by how much is your car lowered? Mine has been dropped 4cm front and 3cm rear.

Anyone have experience of this product? http://www.whiteline.com.au/product_detail.php?part_number=KCA313 "Designed to raise the front roll-centre geometry by using specially engineered ball-joints & tie rod ends while still maintaining original steering geometry. Front roll geometry actually encourages roll the lower you go. Testing proves that raising the front roll-centre resulted in a substantial increase to front roll resistance & a significant reduction in suspension compression of the outside front wheel during cornering (less roll). This improves weight distribution & maintains a better camber angle which ultimately improves front grip. The overall outcome is significantly reduced understeer through reduced front wheel compression as well as improved steering precision & vehicle stability."

The "Spec-C suspension" and slight power increase sound like nice additions to the standard STI, but even if I did have £36K to spend on a car, I wouldn't be spending it on one of those! Not even if I liked the look of it

It's all that practise dodging the potholes, Dave! (and the pensioners too, you bein' fae Crieff an at ).

Dougie, this is a very common problem - I've had three sets of rear struts replaced on two Hawkeyes, by Subaru, under warranty. As your car is warranted, you could push to have the rear struts replaced, but be aware that they will fail again - I've had as little as 10K miles out of a set, other Hawkeye owners have seen them fail much sooner! Furthermore, there is no cheaper or better third-party alternative strut (KYB only did replacements for models up to the Blobeye last time I checked*). In practical terms, the only longer-term solution (assuming you plan on keeping the car) is a good set of coilovers. The good news is that your car will handle all the better for fitting them. Choose carefully and it shouldn't ride too much harder either * Might be worth double-checking that KYB still don't make replacements for Hawkeyes.

As you don't use the car in snow or ice, it might be worth considering Bridgestone RE070s. I've been running these for a month or so now, including a few spirited runs down the back roads and the sheer level of dry grip they offer is pretty astounding. The stiff sidewall contributes to nice precise steering too. Compared to the Avon ZZ3s I was running before, the Bridgestones have less grip when they're cold and the road is damp/greasy. I haven't used them in the wet yet, but you only have to look at the tread pattern (or lack of one) to know they aren't going to be great! I only tend to really push the car in the dry once the tyres have had a chance to warm up, so the RE070s are great for me as a 'summer' tyre. Plan on fitting something different to my spare wheels for the colder/greasier winter months.

It's the thin end of the wedge, Alastair: