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S18 RSG

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Posts posted by S18 RSG

  1. Posted · Report reply

    Not sure if this will help you, but this is a route I designed a while back for my previous club. This is a route we drove multiple times, usually over 2 or 3 days, staying at a few hotels along the way.

    There are a few other roads you miss out on by taking this route, but I think on balance you probably experience the most diverse routes this way.

    https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.4536713,-4.0807882,9z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!6m1!1s10kiEJIMl6CDKEP58a-uUJNNoE6g

  2. Posted · Report reply

    Depends how far into Wales you're willing to come, but all around Brecon Beacons there are some phenomenal roads (black mountains were used on old Top Gear hundreds of times). A little further north you can go to Elan Valley, which is perhaps a little trickier for passionate driving, but some epic scenery. Then of course up in North Wales you have Snowdonia, Evo Triangle, Llanberis and loads more.

    You could honestly spend 3-4 days just touring Wales and never get bored.

  3. Posted · Report reply

    30 minutes ago, Minion said:

    I'm looking at 'De-Bricking' my 86 but just looking to see if there was a guide on here how to do it. I haven't really looked into it much yet other than a quick browse on the search bar. I already have my 3/4 plate ready to put on but just need to take the big ugly brick off now.

    Thanks

    Jake

    It's pretty straight forward. Once you've removed the front plate, there are two screws holding the "brick" in place. Just undo them, then remove the screw thread clips and you're done.

    I drilled holes in my plate in the same locations as the holes for the brick, and used slightly larger white bolts to hold it. Works well.

    vanko25 reacted to this

  5. Posted · Report reply

    Welcome. Congratulations on having more self control than 90% of members on here. One year without any modifications is some achievement.

    The question is, did you join the forum looking for inspiration to start modifying? If not, I hope you realise that's one potential drawback :P It's very difficult to stop spending money when everyone else around you is :lol:

  7. Posted · Report reply

    Bought mine as a daily driver to keep the Porsche for weekends. Ended up completely replacing the Porsche and previous car, as I use the 86 on weekends too.

    For the first year of ownership (pre-turbo), I loved every day with the car, it would always make me smile or sometimes even laugh with it's handling characteristics. Since install of the turbo, I can still smile when going around a corner, but now gurn like a child whenever I touch the throttle, because of the screamer. Couple that with 35+ mpg average, and there's no reason for it not to be a daily, or a weekend weapon, so it's both :)

  13. Posted · Report reply

    There's been a lot of discussion about tyres in the past few days, and judging by that evidence, you'll struggle to get one definitive answer.

    It really depends on your budget.

    A good, relatively cheap and well tested tyre is the Yoko V105 as Jeff mentioned, in a similar price range are the Hankook V12 Evo 2 and Vredestein Sessanta's, both of which have great test results with magazines/online articles.

    On the more premium end, you have the Michelin PS4, Continental Conti6 and Goodyear Eagle F1 Asy 3. 

    All those mentioned above will be significantly better than what you have without doubt, and should have no problem handling all weather conditions.

    Mark-in-Stoke reacted to this

  14. Posted · Report reply

    @xxJaRxx I know I have a reason to be biassed here, given what choice I made, but I too looked at the Jackson Racing kit through TTS, as they had a special offer of £3,000 fitted and mapped when I enquired. I still chose to go elsewhere.

    Having tried the Harrop, Avo, HKS and TD Turbo, my personal ranking was TD > Harrop > Avo > HKS. I imagine the JR supercharger would drive similar to the HKS, which I found had a similar power delivery to what I'd expect of a turbo, but without the theatrics of the noise.

    The Harrop was a great example of what a supercharger should feel like IMO, and I imagine is similar to the Cosworth. Not a great deal of drama, just a faint whine and plenty or torque everywhere. It makes the car feel like it's got a bigger capacity engine, as opposed to forced induction. If that's what you're after, I feel like twin screw is the way to go.

    The reason I was initially against the turbo setups, was that I didn't want to spoil the stock power delivery. I didn't want a car with no power down low, and all power coming in one big lump at 5k, like the old school Jap turbos. Both the Avo and TD setups changed my opinion of turbo setups for these cars, as both gave similarly smooth power delivery to that of a centrifugal supercharger, with great top end power and equally useful low end grunt, with the added benfit of the great soundtrack from the external wastegate or blow off valves.

    Much like yourself (it seems), I was slightly put off by the lack of information and testing in the UK for the JR/Kraftwerks kits, and eventually wrote them off completely when I considered the potential nightmare in the case of an issue. I decided it would be much better to go with one of the 3 big GT86 tuners, for proven trust and support, and personally enjoyed the package TD had to offer, at an exceptional price point, and with potentially more future-proofing than any other kit (turbo or supercharged) on the market.

    Hopefully this helps in some way, but no matter what you choose, I'm sure you'll love it.

  16. Posted · Report reply

    11 minutes ago, Lauren said:

    Just take it on track as is, Ross. Get your confidence back. Or as other's have said have the throttle sensitivity adjusted. I had to re-calibrate my right foot to increase my foot's sensitivity after the remap, but now I've done that, it's fine. Sounds like to me you haven't really had a proper play with it yet. I'd say wait before going and changing things. It may not be what you want in the longer term. 

    Well I haven't had a proper play yet anyway, for multiple reasons. Weather, needing new brakes (Mike advised me to change them within a couple of thousand miles), and tyres being close to needing replacement (maybe 3mm left, which no doubt isn't helping the grip). But as I know I need new tyres soon anyway, I figured it was best to go for something that'll take the power well, rather than just assuming it's down to the weather or w/e.

    Throttle sensitivity might be something I'll chat to Mike about, but it's something I've gotten used to.

  17. Posted · Report reply

    12 minutes ago, rob275 said:

    @S18 RSG I prefer the lesser sidewall flex from a 225 on the 9" 235 gave too much for my liking and it felt over gripped. It'd take too long for it to step out. Maybe i could have got used to it i don't know.

    10 minutes ago, DanJ said:

    Mines supercharged with similar power to the TD turbo kit and 225s on 8" rims are absolutely fine for me. You have to be really aggressive with either steering, throttle or both to get the rear to break loose in the dry.

    Hmm, ok. Seems like a similar situation to that of Lauren's, and why she's stuck with a narrower tyre.

    What's worth mentioning though Dan, is that there is a difference in power delivery between yours/Rob's setups compared to mine. While the TD kit is, to my mind, a very smooth power delivery for a turbo, there's no getting away from the fact that there is a distinct "on" position for boost, whereas yours are both building boost from much lower in the rev range.

    I think Mark agreed with me when I last spoke to him too, that the throttle on the TD map is very sensitive. Seems like 80% of the power comes on with the first 30-40% of the throttle, so even the slightest movement of your right toe can get the tyres spinning.

    If I drive it like a sensible person, I absolutely agree that 225's are fine. It's only when I get on it and go for a spirited drive that I start to lose a bit of confidence, which I feel would have to be helped by a little more grip.

  18. Posted · Report reply

    10 minutes ago, Lauren said:

    Grip in a straightline is not the same as grip in the corners. For example, I tried two tyres. Firstly the Contisport Contact 5's which had really good grip off the line and in a straight line when accelerating. They were better than the V105's in that respect. But when it came to lateral grip the situation was reversed. Spinning wheels in a straight line is easy to control, but I preferred the better lateral grip of the V105's. Also remember it's harder to get the heat into big wide tyres than it is skinnier ones. I'll bet Rob prefers the skinnier tyres because of the better feel you get and the better response of pulling the sidewall to the rim a bit as it sharpens things up noticably. 

    Sure, there's nothing wrong with what you're saying, and for the most part, I agree, but as much as the theory carries over, it's still a very different story comparing 200hp to 275hp.

    Where I agree with what you've said, is that you're right saying a 235 tyre might be plenty, especially a stickier tyre like the PS4, however I still don't know whether it will be enough for what I want, given how small the difference is compared to my current setup. While it is, as you say, very easy to control straight line grip with the throttle, it's not something I want to have to do. If I can upgrade the levels of grip in such a way that makes the car as it was as stock, albeit significantly faster, then that's what I'll do (and certainly what I'm aiming for).

    It would be a bigger disappointment for me to spend £400-500 on a new set of tyres, and find I'm still having the same drawbacks as currently, than if I were to find the car had too much grip.

    If someone was to chime in and assure me that they have a setup that works in a way that it sounds like I would enjoy, I'd go for it, but so far the most relevant information I have to go off, is Mark's feedback, and experiencing Mike's demo car. Both cars with the same power as mine, both struggling to put down their power on 235 tyres.

  19. Posted · Report reply

    26 minutes ago, Lauren said:

    Having had the misfortune to endure those with exhausts reaching 110dB going past me whilst I've been stuck on the pitlane all day, I'm all for enforcing reasonable noise limits on track. When exhausts are that loud it actually hurts.

    And yet most tracks completely ignore their noise limits in order to have the F1 at their facilities. F1 cars, even after their turbocharging, are still well into the 120's or even 130's. 

    I remember the monumental headache I had after a day of F1 at Silverstone many years ago, although I believe that was in around 2008, when the cars were significantly less restricted than they are today.

  20. Posted · Report reply

    4 minutes ago, Lauren said:

    It's an interesting debate. I tried 225/45/17's on my 8" rims. I found there was some difference in grip, but it was the sidewalls moving around that I really didn't like. I've been in Kev's car with 235's on sticky Direzzas on track and well, it re-arranged my kidneys with the grip levels. It was hugely more grippy than mine, but I didn't like it at all as that's all it was. Whilst it was obviously quicker, Kev admitted that it wasn't as much fun. Rob was running 235's IIRC with his Sprintex. 

    Manufacturers commonly seem to stick on the widest tyre on the narrowest rim it seems. 

    I think I conceded that the car was never going to be as fun to throw around when I went for the turbo. Part of the fun of the stock car is that it's fast enough to have serious fun, but "slow" enough to drive it almost flat out most of the time without getting in too much trouble (I know it's not slow, hence the " ").

    Admittedly, since I picked up my car from TD, it's been Autumn or Winter, so I've not had chance to try it in decent weather, but I have no doubt it's going to require a lot more concentration and effort than it used to, to have even nearly as much fun. That's one downside I feel to increased power (not that I would change my decision).

    1 minute ago, rob275 said:

    I've ran both 225's and 235's on my 9" wheels and I am currently making my way back to 225's as I prefer it. After my blowout on the rear I got 2 more tyres so I am running the new 225's on the front and 235's on the rear atm to wear them out.

    Interesting. In what way do you prefer it? 

    Don't get me wrong, I find it entertaining how easy it is to spin the wheels, however, knowing how easy it is to overwhelm the tyres in a straight line has made me less confident in the corners. I feel like with an upgrade in grip (something in line with the upgrade in power), I'll have the confidence to start having fun in it again.

    It's a bit of a fine balance really. Too far, and it becomes a sticky track car (which is fine if that's what you want), but not enough, and it becomes a little lairy. I feel like I'm closer to the latter than the former.

  21. Posted · Report reply

    24 minutes ago, Lauren said:

    Good, I'm glad it's not just me. I like handling over grip and you can still go fast enough, it's just more fun. :) 

    You gotta remember though, tyre sizes aren't just about handling. Running a 225 with nearly 50% more power than stock means I can barely enjoy the power, as it's spinning up 1st through 3rd (sometimes even 4th in damper conditions) when I get on it.

    Going to a 235, I would say, is hardly gonna make a difference. In fact, I know Mark is running 235's and I'm sure he said he had some traction issues at that size.

    A 245 I feel would be ideal. The problem is, a set of PS4's in 255/35/18 are cheaper than a fair amount of tyres at 245 (only Yoko V105's and Vredestein Sessanta's are cheaper, of those I would run anyway), perhaps due to the more common size, so while it may be a little wider of a tyre than I had planned, I feel it's justified.

    Also, 255/35/18 and 255/40/18 are what BMW, Mercedes and Audi all run on OEM 8.5J wheels. Now I'm not saying that's all the proof we need, but it shows that it's clearly a fine setup.

    Ade reacted to this

  22. Posted · Report reply

    17 minutes ago, Ade said:

    Mine are 35 offset front, 30 rear, but obviously half an inch narrower, so we're probably in a similar situation.

    Well raising 5mm was all I needed to stop it so it might be enough well 6mm less poke.

    You've got me thinking though as £130 for ps4 in 255/35 looks tempting. 4dB quieter too

    Malvern Tyres (not sure if they're Nationwide, or just Wales) can do them for £135 fitted. Gonna pop by on my way home and see if they can't knock that down to £500 for a set of 4 (£125 each). If so, I'll probably get a set on order.

    Ade reacted to this

  23. Posted · Report reply

    11 minutes ago, TTR said:

    Likewise, just worried it's too much grip. Can still get sideways on my Vredestein 255's. Don't think that'll be the case on PS4's :lol:

    Might shoot for some Hankooks. 

    On stock(ish) power, I think you're probably right. A sticky 255 will probably take away some of your ability to steer the car with your right foot. With FI, I think a sticky 235-255 is probably about right to get back towards OEM levels of fun, without uncontrollable fear of death.

  24. Posted · Report reply

    Just now, Ade said:

    I think im only about 20mm at the front. My wheels are 35 offset though, so if it rubbed where I think it was rubbing (I couldnt see any signs) a larger offset closer to stock will help too. 

    Mine are 35 offset front, 30 rear, but obviously half an inch narrower, so we're probably in a similar situation.

    Ade reacted to this

  25. Posted · Report reply

    3 minutes ago, Ade said:

    hmmm It might be okay. I had a bit of rubbing  under hard tight cornering at the track. I think it was rubbing somewhere on the inside plastic lining when the wheel was at a sharp angle.

    Had to raise the front 5mm to stop it. The 235/40/18 have a diameter 20mm bigger than stock though, whereas a 255/35 is only 10mm more than stock so might be okay. 

    I would guess I'm probably not running as low as you either, due to having the HTAutos lip kit. If I run anything more than a mild drop, I hit everything, so I kept it at a sensible height (no more than 20mm lower than stock almost certainly).

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