kazman

I'm thinking of driving my gf's Ka for a couple of days so I can really appreciate the driving package the Zed offers... Think I would miss the heated seats too much though!

Sounds about the same as mine. So these cars have a low fuel light?

Pm sent

I am inclined to agree, though i am not disputing that all 4 being matched from day 1 is even better.

Wow, that's crazy...

Nice approach speed there...

Thanks again mate, very kind of you

Yep, i covered a lot of ground....

Yep, reread it a couple of times, cheers. So item 11 (compression bar) is the banana bar right?

Thanks Crap, i thought the banana bar was the compression rod.... am going to have to do more research now!

Oh, one other thing - If i do change the banana shaped bar, will i need a full geo alignment? Only i am thinking of getitng one done anyway and dont want to pay for it only to have all the work undone again.

Thanks muchly

Thanks a lot. How driveable will the car be like this? I'm guessing more prone to oversteer? Obviously I won't be hammering around, just want to make sure there are no extreme handling characteristics I am not aware of!

Thanks guys, that's a usefull piece of advice. How hard is it to disconnect the front drop link? Any idea what tools are required? I have read that thread a few times already (thanks though), it's posts like that that strongly make me think it's the part at fault. Wonder why it always seems to be the offside one?

It's best not to compare everything as an out and out race, you will end up driving yourself mad. Instead, try to think about the overall enjoyment the car gives you on the right piece of road. If the sound, looks, smooth pull and handling (with the option of sideways action where approved) does not do it for you then you probably are in the wrong car. Vintage 911's etc are still incredibly desireable to enthusiasts, despite being nowhere near as fast a to b as a modern hot hatch... It's the overall package

Hi I have a clonking sound coming the front off side suspension, it does it when going over rough surfaces at slow speeds. Numerous searches have suggested it is either down to a drop link or the banana shaped bar. The later is obviouly more expensive (though good second hand options are available) but seems to be more typically the source of the problem. Bearing in mind I don't have the tools or brains to investigate this, can anyone tell me if there is a way of diagnosing between the two faults whilst driving along? Does one make a very different sound etc? I know diagnosing sounds is pretty futile, but if there is any good advise that may save me swapping components unnessesarily it would be much appreciated. Thanks guys

Thanks mate, appreciate it

My tyres are of some concern to me, they are continental contisport contacts... thats v.1... they are on sport contact 3 now...

Yes, ice display was on and it was showing 0°C... have to remember how to drive rwd again. I think the problem is partly that the zed is so relaxed at 50-60mph with no boomy exhaust etc that it lulls you in to a false sense of security. Thats not me blaming the Zed mind....

I think VDC is the JDM name for it on Zeds? Anyway thanks for all the kind comments guys, much appreciated. It was just a sweeping right hander, then i noticed the line of the car was tightening explonentionaly (sp) I wasn't stamping on the throttle etc i just think that as the bend tightened a touch one of the wheels slipped a bit and started the process. I am going to have to remember to drive to conditions (really dissapointed with myself tbh, 0°C, big ICE warning etc). But again, i highly praise the ESP for the way it dealt with it, genuinely impressive use of electronics

Thanks I would be interested to know if that is the case, it almost was like something was in the software telling it to kick the abs in if the esp is active.

I know lots here knock the std esp system, but this morning he undoubtedly saved me from binning my car. I must have hit a greasy frozen patch as the rear started trying to overtake the front at about 55mph (very scary). Have driven plenty of rwd cars before so am a bit suprised i got caught out... thoughts on what i should be checking would be appreciated... or is it simply driving too fast for the variable conditions? Anyway the esp kicked in strongly and i could really feel it kick in, pulling the car back straight. Unfortunately i must have been overcorecting as i then started swinging the other way. More esp and it eventually sorted itself out, despite my ham fisted inputs. I would say i was drifting for about 8 seconds and my heart rate probably doubled! I also noticed mid manouvre that my natural reaction had been to brake (i know this is wrong) The abs was kicking in constantly however. Is this because the esp was overiding the brake (doubtfull) or because i still had suc little friction underneath the tyres. Anyway, for those of you knock the esp system for being too nanying, you never know when it might save your p+j Im going to the bathroom now....

Great write up, really enjoyed reading that

Still a touch confused (dispite reading this a few times) as to when you are supposed to start using the NEW key in this process. Am I right in thinking that it is the new key used all the way through the process (after the origional key is used to unlock the car obviously)? Also, am I right in thinking that a fob with a previous code can be used without problem (as one of the steps in this guide states that previous coding is removed)? This is with regard to a 55 plate uk car btw. Just don't want to spend out on a key that won't work or worse still end up blanking my existing transponder!

It says supercharged mate