Richf

Not sure there will be a new zed , not a strong enough seller

Looks right to me

This is a video of my old 370z on the drag strrip it didnt make 400hp ATW's though about 470hp at the flywheel, think the run was a 12.4@117

Thats really nice , i like the wing , truth be told probably quicker than the Camaro with better handling and brakes

http://www.johnkleisaudio.co.uk/

These guys in Reading have done one , you cant just change the speakers you need an amp and sound processor to change the signals that the speakers currently get , its probably worth doing the rears as well and changing the sub, same as most things it depends on how far you want to go

Yeah the Bose system does complicate it somewhat , plenty of people have done the GTR though and thats similar , recommendations might be more forthcoming if you can give an idea of location

Aye no argument about the cost of running it - cost of entry is highly prohibitive though which is why Norway Denmark etc throw huge amounts of the countries budget at overcoming that. As GZ said he spent £250 on electricity on the leaf in 18 months or something which is great.

 

I think the arguments are clearly there, the real world though sits outside a theoretical debate on the pros and cons. The UK is still selling 2m new vehicles a year of which 98.5% are ICE, its likely that many of these cars will still be on the road in 5-10 years time. EV growth in the UK has gone from a market share of something like 0.5% three years ago to 1.5% now - yes it will grow, but to be a majority in say 15 years time they need to be selling at 50% market share now.

 

Rich I get what you are saying, I know EV will become massive, but the time scales are unrealistic unless something big happens. The UK is not going to give the incentives that Scandinavian countries do, there are no companies putting their hands up to put in the infrastructure at scale to get EVs to huge proportions right now (the mobile phone example is irellevant as cost of entry is nothing like the cost of entry for EV cars, phones were made free in some cases, cars will never be).

 

If I were going to stick money on it, EVs to overtake ICE in market share (without any large scale event i.e. oil, government turning hugely green like Scandinavia etc) - 2050?

So its trebled in 3 years over here ? You seem to think there is no infrastructure but they are growing rapidly with already more charging points than there are filling stations many companies have a financial model and are investing heavily ( yet most people charge at home)

I'm talking about 30 years not 10 , but as i said twice you don't need incentives, they will tax the worst polluters off the road and give benefits to low polluters like they have in recent years ie congestion charge, tax breaks for company cars, parking permits, use of fast/bus lanes, road fund licence and fuel duty

There are many ways to change behavior incentives are a carrot , taxes are a stick they will use both.

Phones are a good analogy as once a technology becomes more widespread it becomes cheaper, they were never free they were sold as a part of a contract , the cost was hidden , bit like a car lease .

Probably due to many cars being designed to draw air in at the front over the engine and exhaust and down the back of the engine under the car , start fitting bonnet vents and you can disrupt that air flow

Incentives are no new thing even here hence the scrappage scheme but it works both ways look at whats happening in France ie Paris, Lyon and Grenoble with emissions , schemes like this will pay for other incentives

Electric cars have been around since the 1880's but the Tesla roadster was 2008 (Thats NINE years) but look how quickly things have developed they alone have a massive infrastructure

I would think that countries like Norway have plenty of charging points as these are used during winter to keep engine blocks warm, when I lived in Canada most parking spaces had hook ups

Things will take time but people will be shocked , you only need to look at the mobile phone industry , my mum had a car phone in 1990 , you could barely use it there was no infrastructure and the battery lasted less than 1 hour , with 10 years MOST people had a mobile phone, the battery lasted 4 days and there was a nationwide network.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-39350942

Be sensible when modifying your exhaust people !

snip "Modifications to car 'led to the deaths of two young people'

Modifications to a car led to the deaths of Thomas Putt, 20, and Nikki Willis, 23, from carbon monoxide poisoning, an inquest has heard.

The carbon monoxide levels produced by Mr Putt's car were 1,000 times higher than a factory standard vehicle.

Exhaust fumes had leaked under the bonnet because of the modifications, which included vents being cut into the bonnet and the catalytic converter being removed"

http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/115006-exhaust-spacer-mod/page__hl__exhaust

As in you like them, or you don't?

 

Dont! Still, they are "different" i guess!

You and me both. Suicide doors I can live with, but gullwing on a van? Not sure what they were thinking.

Its called understanding their market , they will largely be bought by soccer moms , getting a child/children into child seats is going to be made significantly easier with these doors

I'm quite a fan of Tesla and I'd love a p100d, I don't necessarily think they are the future i can see other companies coming forward with a more practical option and I dont think that Tesla will be around in 15 years as the mainstream manufacturers will force them out , they are making everyone think though .

 

What with the pace of development with batteries i reckon within 20 years ICE will very much be in the minority

 

Interesting I hear this from people, but the numbers don't stack up as well. Something like 40m cars in the UK and around 2m sold new each year - around 3-5% sold new are EVs. Around 5% of the 40m are currently EVs. So to get to a majority you have to physically sell lets say 30m EVs over the next 20 years. Given status quo of the current situation that would mean selling 1.5m EVs per year for the next 20 years out of the 2m new cars being sold annually at the moment, every year, starting now. This is just not going to happen. I cannot see it personally.

 

The only way it could happen is if the major manufacturers turn their sales/R&D policy around in the next 2-3 years to be EV first because some major world event means EV has to be prioritised over petrol/diesel (which could happen).

 

Just some thoughts anyway...

Well I reckon diesels will be more or less priced off the roads within 7-10 years no doubt supported by a scrappage scheme like last time. Hybrids are the stop gap at the moment offering the best of both worlds but the technology is still expensive and people need to be encouraged ie taxed to make the right decision

If you think where electric cars were just 10 years ago and where they are now , all the big players either have electric vehicles in their range or hybrids, people would not have predicted that 10 years back, with major developments in battery technology just around the corner, EV's are so much more of a possibility than anything else

If you look outside of the UK countries like Norway have vehicle sales dominated by EV's or Hybrids thanks to various perks for those who bought them, which is pretty much the same tactic that fueled the massive surge in diesel cars 10 years ago, is this carries on then within 10 years ICE will be in the minority there, things will move much faster than many people can believe

Are we talking transmission cooler here ? If so you wont need a big one probably 9 rows or so , if engine oil provided you have a thermostatic sandwich plate then size doesnt matter

I'm quite a fan of Tesla and I'd love a p100d, I don't necessarily think they are the future i can see other companies coming forward with a more practical option and I dont think that Tesla will be around in 15 years as the mainstream manufacturers will force them out , they are making everyone think though .

What with the pace of development with batteries i reckon within 20 years ICE will very much be in the minority

Are we mixing up 'definitive' with 'defining' though? The Golf GTi defined the hot hatch, but is it currently the definitive hot hatch? Definitive by its definition is effectively a final solution that ticks every single box, as the hot hatch will always be evolving what is definitive? The mk1 Golf GTi was definitive, now its the Focus RS, next will be...

Why ?

Current Focus RS will be forgotten reasonably quickly, certainly not going to be a classic or the definitive anything imho. It might be the quickest hatch, but so what? Next year the new Golf will come out which will be even quicker.

 

I'd say the Clio 182 Trophy has a great shout of definitive hot hatch too, much more so than any Focus. Still think the Golf GTi mk2 nicks it though.

 

 

It's not about being the fastest. Think of it more as showing something to an alien and he has to understand that's exactly what you mean. I used the 911 as definitive sports coupe as that's what every single competitor would love to have, something that defies age and always drives spectacularly whilst having a USP and room for the kids. Doesn't matter what 911, just compare it through the ages.

 

Hot hatch was an invention of the '80s really, and it's a car that carries the family at a brisk pace with perfect controls and steering feel.

Yep surely the definitive hot hatch is the Golf GTi , love them or hate them they define the Hot Hatch.

AM Vanquish for sure

Two cars probably a R35 GTR (The 34 is simply too old and ownership is tedious) and a Jag XJ-R

Nissan are very generous with the loctite when fitting these bolts, you need a lot of torque to remove them and they are meant to be one use only but i reused mine ok

Best bet is getting some decent drill bits as its likely stainless steel and you will ruin quite a few before that gives up

I've seen this car and its a good honest example. GLWTS

I spoke to a lot of owners as I very very nearly bought a LS3 VXR8 , most get mid 20's driven sensibly backed up by this thread http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1320688

Parkers reckons 23mpg for my Jag and I'm easily getting 27

Cars are definitely getting bigger nowadays, came back to mine in the car park and honestly looked like mine was some toy car next to a tank

 

I know what you mean , took a pic when shuffling cars around at home and the wifes Prius dwarves the 370z which is NOT a small car

I think you must've been having a lot of fun in it as 18mpg is pretty poor for a LS3 they normally do a fair bit more than that in other cars like the VXR8 etc

If you run the car on vpower you shouldnt notice any difference as its heavy with cleaners anyhow , it wont do any harm though so its worth a try

I've heard that Michelins turn you into a less fun person

 

Then they make you buy a Porsche, which leads down a really slippery slope

I've heard that Michelins turn you into a less fun person

well they would do that they are French

SupePro poly all the way mate, I went for the increased castor ones and very pleased with them. And don't go buying the £250 arms the £60 jobs are spot on as it's as basic a ball joint as you can get. I did both mine and then hammered the pants off her for 3000 + miles in two weeks through the Alpes taking 7 of the top ten Alpine passes. Not to mention the daily commute and mad country road runs out since. I would suggest as above get new arms, if your going to the expence of SuperPro bushing fit them to mew arms. If the old bushing has been gone a while it may have put the existing ball joints under a bit more stress. You wouldn't want to fit SurperPro bushes to old arms and a month later have the ball joint go down.

I take you mean the £60 chinese ebay arms? We had super-pro bushes fall straight through those as the hole was machined too big, some are ok and some are hopeless , you pays your money and you take your chance