mystery machine

IMHO...

The many-spoked Tarmacs would suit the Wagon best. The Redlines are quite nice too. Don't think the untapered spokes of the Force 10 would work on your car.

What a blinding example of a classic car in classic form!

Yes they did take notice !

We had quite an interesting forum debate which involved Whiteline HQ going away and doing some specific testing, then coming back slightly sheepishly to admit that it did infact promote lift, not dive !

I have used them and they do help to reduce understeer but there are other more effective methods of doing this.

But then in fairness their white paper (above) provides a more detailed product technical description than most mfgs would offer their 'internet punters'.

I have used them and they do help to reduce understeer but there are other more effective methods of doing this.

put simply i had a choice between e46 m3 and my hawk sti uk and i chose the impreza because i drive the A70 langwhang road for my commute and were i to drive the M3 along it in the winter i'd most likely be found in a ditch

Decided the answer was to stick some KW coilovers on the Hawk - hoping that will help hold its appeal a bit longer

I'd always had FWD cars, till i got (a year or so ago now lol) a Capri

But now, on the odd occasion that I see one, I can't help but feel a little envious... and RWD has to be part of the reason! Don't get me wrong, I'm not harbouring any misapprehension that yer average Capri is going to handle anything like as well as yer average Scooby - RWD or not - so I suppose nostalgia is the biggest part of the appeal for me in this case

But I cant help feel that 4wd is now so developed that you just dont need to learn to drive well.

Reminds me of this TopGear video (4.23)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YAUXvnuN00

Your never over confident when your head is the same height as a 206's rear bumper

Hugely desirable cars though - saw an Elise today and felt the urge again

I think the reason people swapped to other cars was nothing to do with the drive setup. People have been swapping to things that aren't as powerful/fun etc. For me it was simple - I'd had my fun and the running costs and future maintenance were outweighing the enjoyment by a large factor at the end.

The bad winter we had was one of the reason I would have stayed Subaru when I was weighing it up! I certainly didn't change because of 4wd.

Hi Stephen.

I wasn't so much suggesting that people were trading cars because of the drivetrain in either new or old... just that I'm left slightly bemused when I hear someone announce that they've replaced their Scooby with, say, a FWD hot hatch and then go on to suggest that it's "just as good a car in every way" (paraphrasing). This tells me that:

a. They didn't have much appreciation for the benefits of 4WD in the first place (fair enough - it doesn't float everyone's boat).

or

b. They're lying

So I'm certainly not looking to bash anyone who's gotten rid of their Scooby for perhaps very valid personal reasons, or imply that a good FWD car can't be a lot of fun too. Really the point was to stimulate some chat on Scooby 4WD, which I find quite interesting

If anyone's interested, I ended up going for the Brembos as I'm quite happy with the way they perform (when there's material left on the pad, that is!).

Was tempted by the Mintex items, but someone who fits a lot of brake pads to a lot of Scoobies advised me they can be prone to squeal... YMMV.

Cheers again for all the input

I'm good - glad to have you back Frank

How far do you have to drive to get there?

Put it this way - if we get enough cars on the convoy, the front will be arriving before the back has set off

Who's with me?

The plant tripped and all the inventory was being burned as normal but the steam line that is used to control the smoke ruptured meaning we weren't getting enough to the flare tip. Thankfully I was off that day as it's not a pleasant place to be during un upset.

Nasty effect, but interesting to know what was behind it!

And I wonder who it was, many years ago, that enlightened Whiteline as to the true function of their mis named product

But they didn't take any notice?

I'd be surprised if it wasn't a deliberate misnomer - I mean 'pro-lift kit' doesn't sound very appealing, does it? OK, the kit alters the car's anti-lift geometry, but why not give it a name that reflects its primary function, i.e. 'pro-grip kit' or 'anti-understeer kit'? (OK, a certain very nice chap in Bonnybridge might object to the former! ).

Anyway, I mention it only because I've read so many posts stating "the Whiteline ALK reduces lift and dive" that I thought it was worth setting the record straight on here - I'm certainly not holding out hope for Whiteline renaming one of their most successful products

Used this kit yourself Andy? Any good?

Appopligies for the large flares and noise of late we have been having some problems but as for the glowing worms no comment!

That was some plume on Friday afternoon, BTW! What are you boys up to?

how would you feel if your ass started lighting up every night, or maybe it does.........

Not since I left the Mini Cabriolet Owners' forum

Under soil lighting

Pisses the glowworms off something rotten

Far from it mate. Grass is deffo greener in this part of the world

Och no, glad you're still liking it

Nor me!

From: Edinburgh & Lothians ( Exiled in Falkirk)

Funnily enough it was a c*ck in a white classic who tailgated and overtook me - within a couple inches of the side of the car - a couple of months ago.

Not Graeme, I'm sure!

I'd rather spend the £400 on the car and not putting Chantelle and baby Chelsea up in a lovely Riverside flat while I'm replacing tyres due to the state of the road, no longer being replenished by what I pay.

If you think that 'car tax' is funding lavish lifestyles for single mothers then you really have been reading too much Daily Mail...

No, you see, it is spent on the roads - e.g.:

- Traffic calming islands.

- Speed humps.

- Bus and cycle lanes.

- Endless other schemes that don't represent the interest of the people paying for them...

Good choice on the coilovers and ALK, you won't be disappointed. Derek if you have a shot in a properly set-up car with KW's it doesn't leave you any option. Definately well worth the money

Cheers Craig.

Mod-wise, the KWs are a bit of an extravagance for the likes of me, but I was out for a brief blast on the twisties last night and it's absolutely clear that the stock handling could be much improved upon! (still enjoyed masel, mind)

Anyway, the KWs seem to get a good write-up - so here's hoping they'll live up to their reputation

Derek - there's a slim chance I'll have them fitted for the FW meet... that would certainly be a good time/place to test ride quality - the road that leads up to the back of the wheel is one of the most uneven in the Falkirk area! (tree roots trying to escape from under the tarmac).

Is your hatch still on the stock suspension then? I remember you were asking about coilovers but can't remember if you bought some...

Dunno yet, only done about 50 miles on them so far.. But on rock hard setting it's bloody lovely on roudnabouts. I've never felt the car so neutrally balanced.. Booting it roudn a empty roundabout 2 or 3 times in 2nd gear and it just kept gripping!!!! Not been out on a "fast road" yet, but need to bult up confidence with the car again, not properly driven it for months

Did have prodrive springs on it before.. For hte drop I just stuck them on the way they came but felt hte rears were sitting too low to raised it abotu 15mm and it looks prett event front and rear now.. Need more miles before giving judgement on them and need a bit more camber on front right wheel. With the damper adjustment you really can switch it between floaty to rock hard! Also quit elike the idea of being able to make the rear that litlte bit stiffer than the front SHould but out some of hte understeer

Looking grand, mate!!!

How are the BCs performing?

What kind of suspension did you have before?

How did you decide how much of a drop to go for with the coilovers?

I'm having coilovers fitted soon and am trying to decide how much to lower mine.

Cheers!

If anyone's interested, I ordered a set of KW Variant 3 today. I went for KW over Bilstein because I decided adjustables would be better and the KW adjustables are a couple hundred cheaper than the Bilsteins - couldn't find any reason to pay extra for Billies.

In addition to the coilovers, the place doing the supply & fitting persuaded me to augment the new suspension with a Whiteline Anti-lift kit* and rear camber bolts.

Just need to book a slot for fitting now - quite excited

Thanks everyone for all the useful input - will post a review after the new kit is fitted

* An apparently little-understood fact...

Did you know that the Whiteline ALK actually increases front-end lift under acceleration and increases front-end dive under braking? Therefore, it should correctly be referred to as an 'pro-lift' kit, or 'anti-anti-lift' kit, if you prefer . The increased lift/dive is a side-effect of the softening of the suspension that the ALK introduces under accel/decel, the purpose of which is to increase front-end grip and therefore reduce understeer during these conditions, making the car's grip characteristics more neutral. Don't take my word for it:

http://www.whiteline.com.au/articles/Effec...0WL%20ALK_b.pdf

Nevertheless, I am assured that, in combination with the stiffening effect of the new coilovers, I shouldn't experience an increase in lift/dive compared to the stock setup (hopefully less!). In any case, I wanted the ALK more for the positive effect on steering feel brought about by the increased caster angle... any reduction in understeer is more of a bonus, I don't generally find the car too understeery (the opposite in fact, given enough throttle at the right point in a bend!).