Ekona

That's what I'm saying: The Zed came with 040 on from new, and was probably setup with those tyres on from design stage. Nissan then switched to the 050A with the HR car, and it's identical in chassis design. It's all about the money involved, don't get hung up on it. If you want outright wet performance, you need a winter tyre and accept they'll be hugely compromised in the summer. Otherwise the MPSS are as good as you can get. The reviews saying about sticking with OEM tyres are not worth listening to IMHO. Softer sidewall will give a more progressive feel and compliant ride, but you'll lose the immediacy on the turn in. Again, the MPSS are the best in the field here, and if budget is no issue then I wouldn't look any further. A tyre with less natural grip (FK452 or VUS) will have the TCS kicking in more often, but you can drive around that.

MPSS are better in the wet than any other non-winter tyre. They are the best performance tyres you can buy, full stop.

K-series is cheap as chips to work on, loads of room in the engine bay as well. Easier than the Zed to work on, no doubt. They may well get driven hard, but they're also owned by people who appreciate them and look after them more than other cars. You'll find sheddier 6-series than Elises. Try working on a Z32 TT, then tell me mid-engined stuff is hard to work on!

I said Elise, not Exige. :wink: And that's utter guff about Lotuses only ever being driven hard. And the location of the engine bearing any relation to maintenance.

There's no set way of doing it as such, but each car should be adjusted to how the driver wants it to feel which will be inside a particular envelope of settings for a given vehicle. Any place can get the wheels pointing straight, but usually the experts such as Abbey can understand that a Zed might feel better with more camber or toe at a particular point on the car.

I'd have an Elise over a VX if I was doing it again. Nearly bought an S2 Sports Racer before I got the VXR, wish I had really.

Yes, apart from the M6 which is a robotised manual. You can get one for £10K.

This appears to be catching: My letterbox is leaking from one corner this morning. Serves me right for laughing earlier

My choice: Designed by Lotus, engineered by Lotus, set up by Lotus, built by VW, priced by Dacia!

996 or 986.

New RS4 is lush, I'd love one as a DD.

I agree, but there's a reason they've sold so many and it's not because they're cheap. A Jag is fine if you don't want to be seen as a 'me too', but I'd rather just buy the better car and image be damned.

But it looks like every other XF instead.

Have another

XFR isn't a sports car though, it's the M5 competitor and the M5 is a much better car in either previous or current guise. Current Jag range look and ride well, but in terms of driving dynamics they're still left behind by rivals. I'd have an XJSS as a waft mobile happily though.

Doubt it, sounds fishy to me.

So. Much. WANT.

And as if by magic...! Graham's right, I'd probably stick with the RE050As in 225/45/18 and 245/45/18 fitments. Very good tyres, they do suit the car well and will last a while too without compromising on performance. Don't get too worried about what tyres come with which car from the factory though, as a lot of that will be down to which tyre company pays the most money to the manufacturer to put their tyres on the car. If we're talking very high-end stuff like a Zonda or a Veyron then yes, I'd absolutely stick with what they came out with, but anything else is fair game and down to the individual.

Pretty much. Assuming a perfect corner, you'd brake early to get the car nice and settled, come off the brake and commence the turn in. Once you're clear of the apex you can start winding off the lock and then apply the throttle: Imagine a bit of string connecting the steering wheel and throttle pedal. The more lock you have on, the less throttle should should be applying. As that lock starts to go, the string goes slack and you can push the pedal more. It's a bit hard to describe in text, but I hope that makes sense.

Very much tyre dependant. On something like the OEM RE040 you'll be struggling for grip, but with the Pilot Supersports you'll have more grip than you would expect. Again, this is condition dependant, but that's pretty much the crux of it. Keeping the car balanced on high-speed entry fast corners is critical, and you should be aiming for a later apex than normal to maximise grip and exit speed. Maybe more important for track driving, but the application is identical to good road driving.

If you nail the throttle mid-corner in FWD, you'll understeer into a ditch. Do it in RWD and you'll oversteer into a ditch. Same result, different end first :wink: Drive smooth, brake gently and early, keep a relaxed grip on the wheel and only accelerate when pointing straight. That'll work for any car, any condition to keep you on the black stuff.

More camp than a row of pink tents

It's easy to say because it's true. A crap driver is a crap driver, regardless of gender.

^^^ Bingo. Do it properly or not at all.

Who refused you? There's something in your other details causing that, because everyone does exactly what you did and has no issues. No idea what as surely they wouldn't be able to quote in the first place.