mystery machine

http://www.southsomerset.gov.uk/ Alive and well apparently, if a little low on road salt In all seriousness - aye, it has become quieter and quieter around here of late. Seems this can have a spiralling effect on a forum - the quieter it becomes, the less interesting it is, the less inclined people are to participate... Perhaps we lost a few to ScottishScoobies.net aswell? A bit like the PDC/BDO split in darts back in the early '90s The majority of people still here I reckon make a decent contribution

Thanks for posting - had its funny moments, but don't you think that some of the Plato supporters came across just a wee bit sycophantic? "Oh Jase, you're so funny and so right too!" Read a similar thread once on a guitar players' forum where a guy from down south approached the legendary Jimmy Page (a real star, unlike C-lister 'Pluto') in a pub to shake his hand and was disappointed to be dismissed in no uncertain terms. That thread attracted a similar range of responses from "Page - what a sanctimonious tosser" to "OP was totally rude to interrupt his dinner and thoroughly deserved to be told to eff off"... Seems that most of the posters on the PH thread were on Plato's side, but unless you were there I think it's hard to make a fair judgment one way or the other

Must take a look... having a think about replacements for the current tyres when the time comes. You'd be invincible! "Out of the way, Zonda! Eat my anti-lag, Veyron!"

What kind of rubber were you running, Chris?

But this is exactly the point, Kenny... it's how thick the back is relative to the front, which is why I'm interested in knowing the OEM front thickness before I upgrade the rear only. I'd imagine - as I think Jac's suggesting - that 24mm on the back with the stock front bar probably would make the car a little on the loose side, but that 24mm will work well with 22mm on the front, as per your setup What make of bars did you go with, Kenny?

Sounds like fun, and a very respectable time too!

The only thing I've been able to find so far is some banter on an American forum, where a poster claimed that the standard ARBs are 20mm front & rear. Sounds fairly believable, assuming the US cars don't use different spec Johnny Marrs. Funny thing was, the guy posting was looking to upgrade the front only to 27mm... and someone else chimed-in to recommend 32mm on the front (with standard rear)

1) £20000 for an RB320. 2) £18500 for an STI of the same age/mileage, tastefully modded to go faster and handle better. I'll go for option 2 You're right, the insurance might be a little dearer for the latter, but last time I checked it was in the order of 15% per annum (not much more than £100 extra for me). Not a big deal - I expect to pay a little more to insure a more powerful car. It's horses for courses, I 'spose - being a limited edition the RB320 definitely has a strong appeal for some people. I tend to see a car for what it is in terms of its mechanical features - therefore a few orange stickers, some leather trim and a chickenwire grille don't make an RB320 any more desirable to me than a STI that has been modded to handle better and accelerate faster than the former. Residual value can't be ignored of course - a well looked-after RB320 will almost certainly continue to hold its value better than a standard STI. And of course you generally don't recover money spent on mods when you sell a car. The RB320 is a really nice Scoob that I'd be very happy to own - I just don't think they're worth the premium over standard STIs, but I can understand why not everyone would agree with that.

Oh b0ll0cks, and I was hoping that you were going to tell me that it's a bag of nails! Sounds great, TBH - pity I missed my window of opportunity for owning a two-seater sports car

+1 for the Litchield Regarding the RB320... they are lovely cars but at ~£20K for a lowish mileage example, I'd far sooner buy a regular Hawkeye STI of the same age and mileage for around ~£15K, then spend around £3500 modding it into a faster and better-handling car than an RB. That leaves £1500 to spend on whatever other customisations take your fancy (paintwork, stereo?). The only caveat being that an RB320 will hold its value better than a modded STI. And as much as I think the 18" RB320 wheels look nice, I prefer the 'safety' of standard STI 17" rims on our potholed highways... JMO!

If I didn't need four seats, I'd probably trade the STI for a 350Z-313 (or a Lotus if I felt brave enough)... how do you find it compared with the Scoob?

You sold the GB340, Bobby?

I have coilovers, but not BCs, so can't comment on those - just to say that you're on the right track - upgrading from the standard Hawkeye STI suspension has improved my car in a big way!

It's easier than you would think, eh? That was about ten years ago when I was done - I reckon the stationary T5 must've been obscured behind some lorries travelling in the left lane. To be honest, I don't hold any grudge against the polis who stopped me - they're never going to let you off with three figures! However the fine and points that the local sheriff court rammed up me were excessive - I believed at the time as I still do that I was driving safely, and was perfectly aware of my speed and the road conditions, endangering no-one... Ach well, you live and learn eh? So does removing this limiter affect your insurance then? A wee bit off-topic, I know - just curious

Ah, OK - didn't realise. Don't bank on it - my license took a royal humping after I was clocked doing 100mph - on a quiet & dry three-lane motorway, no less... C'est la vie...

at your sig, Jon!

Welcome - nice wagon I've seen a car matching that description around west Edinburgh several times...

Limiter?

Thought you were after one for the car there, Kobayashi

Thanks again for sharing your experiences GB. As mentioned above, I already have the anti-lift kit and KW coilovers. If your experience of the AL kit was that it induced understeer, then that's bad news indeed because its primary function is (supposed to be) to reduce understeer, which it claims to do by softening the front suspension under accel and braking. The increased caster angle also increases dynamic negative camber - another plus for front-end cornering grip, surely? Here's the explanation from Whiteline: http://www.whiteline...0WL%20ALK_b.pdf It's hard for me to say what effect the AL kit's had on my car, as it was fitted at the same time as the coilies. Certainly the car handles miles better than before, the steering is weightier and sharper, and it doesn't understeer any more than before. YMMV! I'm considering the bar as fine-tuning, to try and balance the front/back as much as is practical - not so much to dial-out understeer as such, but because I think it'll feel more pleasant to drive. Probably will end up going for a 22mm, TBH... Cheers again.

Also, is an adjustable bar set to its highest tension equivalent in performance to a bar of (some) greater thickerness set to (some) lower tension?

Do you know the diameter of the OE ARBs, Geo? I'd like to know how the front/rear balance would be affected by any replacement bar(s). I had KW coilovers fitted recently, which have improved the car's handling no-end, but I think that - when pushing the chassis - they're showing up an imbalance between the front/rear ARBs (at least that's how it feels). To some extent I can remedy this by increasing the rear damper compression power, but I don't really think that's the best solution... reckon that I need to make sure the ARBs are better balanced too, at least by stiffening the rear relative to the front. I already have the ALK - but I'm interested in the diff control bushes... how do you think harder replacements for those might improve handling? Also, do you have any experience with WL steering bushes? I'm interested in anything that could increase steering feedback. BTW, do you still do supply & fitting of WL products? Sorry for all the questions - cheers in advance for any reply!

Absolutely.

Oh, ma ribs! That was a belter - quality piss-take without being mean-spirited about it Very poetic people, the Oirish...

Thanks for the comment GB. I noticed that Whiteline do 22mm and 24mm... trying to decide between the two. Cheers.