Ekona

It's no use on track unless you're doing massive speeds on tracks with fast corners, and you've got the datalogging to prove it's doing something other than just adding weight over the rear end. A lot of the time, you can achieve the same effect by sticking a breezeblock in the boot. Don't get me wrong, that black car above looks amazing (apart from the bonnet) and on track it'll look superb, but unless you've a wind tunnel to work out the angle or can do an awful lot of testing with data loggers to back it up, you're just guessing.

I just don't see the point in putting something on your car that makes it slower, but then I'm not into the whole big wheels and big bodykits scene either so there you go.

Anybody fancy a go at the beta for this game, PC only, this weekend? I have a spare key available if so, first to shout up gets it.

This is also true

Yeah, lower power stuff is a lot of fun on track as you can really wring its neck without worrying too much about overcoming grip at silly speeds. That said, I'd love to track a GT-R just to see what one is really capable of, but I suspect the 'Ring is not the place for that!

You'd be surprised. On my list last time around were a Clio 182, DC5, E92 M3, GT-R and the 911. Okay, so I ended up buying the most expensive one anyway, but honestly they were all considered. This time round when the 911 goes I'm torn between an RX8, a 350Z, and an M6. It's looking likely that the RX8 will win, despite being the cheapest and technically most inferior car. But yeah, I do tend to agree with you that most people go up the chain when buying cars, they rarely come back down. I'd love a Caterham as well, but like you say they're just too impractical to do the other weekend things.

You'd need to set it higher to account for uncertainty. Right now, the coffers get a guaranteed income from VED regardless of mileage, and you cannot predict how many miles someone will do in a year. I reckon I alone do 25K miles, 15K for work and 10K for pleasure, but some years I've done much less pleasure miles than others. The system might be in place, but you need to pay for all those clever people to do all those clever sums to work out the exact amount, plus you need to pay for advertising to let people know what's happening, plus you need to adjust legislation to make it legal: Big figures, right there. It wouldn't be any less than an extra 50p a litre. A box of Curly Wurlys to you if I'm ever proved wrong. All they'd do is say that fuel is being taxed extra from Jan 1st, and everyone is entitled to the standard refund on their VED up to that point once they send it back (oh look, more admin costs!). Slice of gateaux.

Same way every one else in the media does: I made it up I bet it wouldn't be too far off that, though. You'd need to make up revenue from those folks that don't use their cars very much, plus you'd need to pay for the paperwork to switch the system so a good few million quid there, plus might as well chuck a bit more on top to fill the coffers... Yeah, I'd be happy at that figure as a guesstimate.

I wasn't necessarily referring to spending more: Put it this way, you may have a budget of £10K, but I'd move down a grade in car to get the experience I'm after. Say, from maybe a 350Z to a mk1 MX5. Not on the same league performance-wise, nor comforts nor looks, but you may consider the cheaper car to be the better drive so that's what you go for.

Don't blame the governments, blame the people. If they got rid of VED and put it all on fuel, despite it being a much fairer system, there would be riots in the streets. Petrol above £2 per litre? Heaven forbid! Hauliers would have an especially tough time of it, and everything would increase in cost because of the extra transport costs. Truth be told, for most of us the system is weighed in our favour.

I'll sacrifice most things for the driving experience. Build quality, comfort, styling, cost, all up for compromise. A decent drive isn't.

It's a bit like asking do you want a Yank V8 or an Italian V8.

Drive both, make up your mind.

No probs

They're good, for what they are. I've tried them on a VXR220, and they do offer more grip than normal tyre with better water displacement than the 888, I found them to be a bit compromised tbh. The dry grip isn't good enough to warrant picking these over a really good road tyre (MPSS, obviously), and the extra wet grip isn't spectacularly better than the 888. They do have a lot of feel though, something the 888s aren't massively good at by nature, and are certainly a decent tyre in their own right.

Only the Yanks could take a car so perfectly set up for corners, and turn it's USP into going quick in a straight line

If you haven't had an alignment in the last 6-12 mths, then I would definitely get one. I'm sure one of the more local members here can help point you somewhere decent

I know, I was agreeing with you. In a backwards kinda way.

I've bought cars without driving them. Great fun! Did the VXR220 and the 911 that way. Balls = kahunas.

It's not about the value of what you're insuring, it's about the value of what you can crash into

Lols, just checked and found this from a biking site: VFR actually emits 158.8 g/km, so if they did that in line with cars that bike would actually be paying £175 instead of £78! :lol: Hope no-one signed that petition...

Spot-on attitude, fair play to you fella

I'd be keeping my mouth shut if I were a motorbikelist. All they'll do is re-do the bike taxes in the same vein as the car tax, but they'll reset them like this: 0-5gm = £0 5-10 = £50 10-20= £100 etc So actually, that Honda VFR is now paying MORE in tax than before. Just like how top limit for cars used to be £200 on the old system, now it's touching £500. Keep your gob shut and be thankful

The most important thing is that the OP is happy, and I believe they are. What the rest of us think is pretty inconsequential.

As far as the strut brace goes, there's no benefit having it over a stock one unless you want something prettier. Might be a bit lighter, but I honestly can't remember now. In terms of performance, I wouldn't bother.