Dicky

Cheers Tricky, will do

I had mine fitted for cosmetic reasons F25/R20 they push the wheels out giving a wider stance which helps the wheels appear to fill the arches better Yep +1

Thanks Tricky, what you say makes sense, however went along to National Tyres this afternoon and they say the spacers would make no differance so long as the tracking is right. Problem is you just don't know who to rely on, go to three different tyre fitters and you'll probably get three different diagnosis.

Just been looking around on the net and find that lots of different cars suffer the same problem and their owners, like me are puzzled because all car components are oem, they've had tracking and wheel alignment checked and found to be ok. So what's going on? What's the point of having mechanical steering geometry settings adjusted spot on when the tyre itself is in the wrong position on the road! Is it possible to ignore manufacturer settings and make mechanical adjustments to get the tyre itself sat correctly on the road?

Thanks ianphampton for your reply. My tyre wear is on the outside of both front wheels and I'm concerned because it won't be long before I have to get new tyres and I don't want to scrub them off straight away. This wheel alignment malarkie is quite complex as far as I can gather and I can't find anyone in the Newcastle or North East who is expert in this field. If anyone in the north east knows of a place I'd appreciate it if you would let me know.

Can anyone say for sure when fitting wheel spacers if it adversely affects the wheel alignment causing uneven tyre wear, ie is it essential to have full wheel alignment carried out after fitting them? I fitted 20mm spacers all around some time ago and have noticed uneven tyre wear (wearing faster on the outside of each wheel) but not sure if it was there before I fitted the spacers (dopey I know). I've had the tracking checked recently at the main dealers and another tyre fitting establishment and both say the tracking is spot on. Would it be better to get full wheel alignment done. By the way the guy at the tyre fitters ( his own business) said you should have your tracking checked annually. Does that sound like good advice.

Well there you go,Im so much more cleavour than I was when I got up this morning! If knowledge is power then I'm just about ready to tell the wife I just won't wear my new pinny to do the housework ha ha

Interesting. But for the less well informed want are offsets and what do they do for you? I have considered new wheels and would never have thought about "offsets". Are they something to do with the hole to wheel nut alignment?

why not try cleaning the throttle valve. I did the this a couple of weeks ago and can't believe how much more eager and responsive the car feels and it seems to pull harder too. I also noticed an improvement after fitting a high flow K&N air filter.

Cheers both. Thanks for the advice.

Oh just a couple of additional thoughts. Can you get Hammerite in spray cans or is it brush on and did you need to rub down with something first to create a key ?

Thanks for that GIXXERUK. Hammerite sounds like a good choice, it's a harder paint I believe ? By the way how did you retain the Porsche logo. Was it a transfer added after painting?

OK There currently dark grey and she wants them sprayed Red

Going to spray my daughters brake callipers and need a little advice please. Her current callipers appear to be stove enamelled and in good condition, so does this sound like the correct procedure. My plan is to clean them first, then scuff them up a little with wire wool to provide a key, then spray them with the colour then finishing off with clear lacquer. Do you think I need to spray an undercoat as well?

What I can't get my head around is why the clean makes such a huge differance (did on mine anyway). I couldn't say mine was that dirty, certainly not full of crud? There was a small amount of crud just under the throttle plate at the closed position but not enough to cause closed position probs. Anyway the differance it's made to the drive is huge. How cleaning a small amount of crud off can make such a differance on what must be at least a 3" apature is beyond me, unless it causes turbulence to the air flow and hence reduced performance? Anyone know why the clean has such an affect?

My batt was flat after a 2wk Hol so measured the current drain with the alarm activated at 0.7A. So as far as I can see if the batt is a 52A/hr it will be flat in 52/0.7 = 74 hrs, not very long

Found this on You Tube regarding TB cleaning. You may have seen it but for the less well informed like myself I've posted it for those about to do the job. One of my fears was weather to move the throttle plate or not, I used my finger but the video suggests an alternative and possibly safer method. Hope the link works.

I would have thought any fumes from the filler cap would travel down wind of the driving seat as you drive along? Wouldn't it be more likely to be coming from the engine bay if you can smell it while driving, unless you only smell it when stopped?

PANIC OVER! Took the car to the local dealer (before attempting the socket manoeuvre) who brought out their lock nut set and job done. Got them to leave the locking nuts off and replace the original wheel nuts. Not going through this again. The guy said if thief's want your wheels, locking nuts won't stop them. Thanks to all who contributed, your all going on my Xmas card list!

Samsniss350/Rock-Steady..............does the socket tend to last out for all 4 wheels ie can you get it off again and use it again or would I need a couple of sockets?

Thank goodness the dealer can sort this. I had visions of maybe welding something to the locking nut to get it off but destroying the wheel in the process. Or having to drill into it and using extractors to get them out, costing big bucks. Once this is sorted I'm going to leave the locking nuts off and put the original wheel nut back on. The cars garaged all the time and I really leave it anywhere. Also everyone has alloys these days.

Anyway my panic level has dropped significantly following all your input and there seems to be options which I'll explore tomorrow so thanks all

Well I did disconnect the battery and of course the throttle motor, but as KyleR suggests above so long as your careful moving the valve plate is no problem as it springs back to exactly the same position. By the way the benefits of doing this clean are definitely noticeable. The car feels more responsive, seems smoother and pulls harder Well worth the the effort. It's an easy job and can be done in an hr or so. It took me longer cos I fiddled on a bit to much (retired you know)

Well tried the 19mm socket trick but no success. The locking wheel nut is round and the 19mm skt wouldn't go near it nor would the 20 mm. As far as I can see you would need to really hit it with some force to get the socket on. Anyone know if the RAC carry keys or some gizmo to get these off. There must be someone somewhere as daft as me!

But how would they get the old ones off and would It wreck the wheel ? I'm going to ring the dealer tomorrow.