SteveW

Thanks for the replies folks, I'm only lowered 15 and 17mm on Tein a tech so scrubbing hopefully won't be a worry. Interesting you had some scrubbing issues with less offset than I calculated would be ok. But then again I was basing that on narrow tyres, I.e 225 and 245 I was thinking of running 265/275 on the back and 245/255 on the front. I hadn't really given profiles much thought at this stage as was trying to work out which offsets were needed. Thanks

The kingpin axis is basically the point which the wheel pivots around when steering. There are other things to consider, like inclination, offset and angle. Ideally you want the kingpin axis through the centre of the wheel (thus a offset of 0) or you can get odd handling. However to get the kingpin 0 offset you need a virtual kingpin axis. This is the point of the joint that lives just above the tyre on the front suspension. It enables the car to have a virtual kingpin axis thus the tyre pivots arounds its centre resulting in no scrub and the best 'feel'. Most new cars try and have a virtual kingpin axis and offset of 0, its a fairly recent development in production cars as in the past a 5 link set up was needed which I beleive Audi had a first bash at in the 80's.

From doing some research I have found that the OE Rays wheel size is : Front - 18 x 8.0" - ET30 Rear - 18 x 8.5" - ET33 I've been thinking about getting some 19's that fill the arches better and don't sit inboard of the body but want to preserve the virtual wheel centre on the front due to the virtual kingpin axis set up of the suspension. So I want to move the front wheels out 20mm but keep the centre of the wheel in its current position give or take a mm or two to maintain the virtual kingpin through the wheel centre. Therefore, in theory, if I maintained the same wheel width and went to an ET10 wheel this would move the wheel out by the 20mm needed. However, this would then move the wheel centre 20mm outboard of the virtual kingpin, likely to lead to dodgy handling. So to maintain the wheel centre position I'd need to add 40mm to the inboard edge or as close as you can get. In wheel sizes the front wheel would need to increase to a 9.5" wheel. The changed offset of ET10 moves the wheel outboard by 20mm and the wheel centre. By then adding 38.1mm (1.5") to the inboard edge moves the wheel centre back inboard by 19.05mm. This would then result in the virtual kingpin being maintained, more or less. However whether a 19 x 9.5 would fit on the front without rubbing I don't know, I would have to do some measurements. There is also an additional issue potentially. The wheel studs are only a certain length and by changing the offset I'm not sure if you would need longer wheel studs putting in your hubs - proper ball ache! The bolt hole recesses may be more recessed on the bigger offset wheels allowing the OE studs to fit. If OE studs don't fit then the same can be achieved by running an ET30 wheel with a 20mm hub-centric spacer and a 9.5" wide wheel. On the rear I think the normal spacer width is 25mm...so in this case an ET8 wheel would be needed to move the wheel out by 25mm. This isn't as big an issue on the back because you don't have a virtual kingpin axis to worry about so the wheel centre can be outboard. The only problem is the track width front and back is different, whether you would notice though I doubt. The ET8 wheel has moved the wheel edge out by 25mm you can simply increase the width by 25mm on the inboard edge to maintain a similar set up. Again an ET33 wheel could be used with a 25mm spacer to avoid the potential issue with stud length. Again I'm not sure if this would come into it because the bolt holes could well be machined deeper so the OE studs fit. Other options , provided there was clearance on the inboard edge, again I would need to measure, would be ET8 and 10 inch wide or 10.5 inch wide ET 33 with a 25mm spacer. So In summary Front A 9.5 inch wide wheel at ET10 would move the front wheel out by 20mm and maintain the virtual kingpin in the right position relative to the wheel OR a 9.5inch ET30 wheel wheel with a 20mm spacer. Rear Not quite as important so an ET8 wheel could be used with a 9.5" wheel to maintain a similar set up. Hope this all makes sense and if anyone disagrees or I've counted wrong I'm more than happy to take a kicking and change it lol.

Good shouts on the door seal and electric flex minus the cores. I'd not thought of those lol, Definitely agree with your comment about stripping the dash, I'd definitely make it worse. I'm a bit heavy handed and good at over tightening, breaking things, stripping threads etc. Trip to B&Q at the weekend I think!

Well my dash board has been doing my head in for a while and this morning it wound me up so much I decided my sanity could take the creak anymore. So in full heath robinson mode I have fixed it with a wooly hat, not the greatest aesthetically speaking.... I can't work out how to strip the dash down to actually find what is creaking so does anyone have any suggestions of a more subtle permanent solution? I was thinking a couple of black erasers. Probably wouldnt look too stupid as would be pushed a fair way down where the dash meets the screen and may not be able to be seen.

I've got 2 squeaks and the dashboard rattles. I've isolated which bit of the dash rattles but can't work out how to dismantle the thing to tighten it up!!! No guides anywhere and can't locate any screws bolts or similar.

Especially black with black leather. Nightmare to find. I had to travel to London to find mine back in 2008.

I have recently just expired a set off Yellowstuffs and I think that for the money they really are a cracking pad. However, they do create a fair old amount of dust. I just replaced them with Feredo DS2500's on Alex's advice and they are even better but about £50 more. Well impressed by them though. On the split pin If I remember correctly from when I did my wheel bearing these is a gap between the castleated nut and split pin. The pin is only a last save. The torque the nut is done up to (215Nm IIRC) should keep the nut in place, unless your wheel bearing goes then the pin stops the nut coming off and your wheel going wayward.

I would never pay more than £1000 for insurance. Except the one year Directline screwed me over by telling me I was OK to buy A JDM GT-Four (Celica variety) at 23 then when I bought it telling me they wouldn't insure me on a JDM under 25 . . . .. In the end I had to pay £1200. I wish you all the best in getting a reasonible quote now though, the insurance cancellation will push it up even higher! I was very lucky this year and managed to get a good quote through Adrian Flux in the end.

My thoughts exactly!!!! I'll take a more side on picture with a better camera when I get home today. Currently on the phone at GF's. If I can't get it sorted with some type of polish, detailing product etc I might have a go at painting the roof trim bit before tackling the boot then if it all goes pear shaped I can take it to the body shop. have some confidence in painting after my recent interior projects. I wish we could electrocute our car panels! Or have fire coming out from underneath! Lol to the koi pond electric fence

Not impressed some little scrote has decided it would be fun to key my car If i could get hold of him I'd show him how fun keying can be Little f8j6!!!! Anyone any advice on how I can fix it myself or is it a body shop job? The scratch is through the paint to at least the primer, you can catch your nail in it so it has some depth to it.

Thanks folks, will aim to get some better pics up this weekend that don't look like they were taken by a child. Yes Chris its bloody filthy!!! It really does need a wash. It was on last weekends to do list but then the rain arrived and it never happened. Planning for Saturday if the weather is kind to me.

Well after my successful painting of the dash I embarked upon making the strut cover look a bit better. I never really liked the flat silver colour it was before. I always thought it looked cheap. So here is my new one: Please ignore my flashers mack in the first picture Apologies for the gashness of the pictures will get some better ones when I am at home and can find my digi cam . . .

No not yet but I had a quick look through Alex's sub forum and managed to locate the DS2500's. Regarding the EBC disks why do you say they are terrible? I've never had any issues with them, I know some people have in the past saying they warped but I wonder if this was actually DVT and not warping or people not bedding them in correctly and then warping. I've had two sets and never had any issues relating to warpage etc even after some heavy braking on track days. The only issue I experienced was excessive run out due to the disk carrier running out. It ideally needs replacing which I will do when the wheel bearing gives up the ghost next time around. It seems the Performance Friction pads are getting the biggest thumbs up of the two will see how deep my pockets will go, the PF disks do look Uber cool to be fair.

Mine lasted 6 years so nearly there, had to replace it last year. Got a Varta gold top I think. Good battery.

I can recommend the Megs metal polish works a treat, half did mine the other day

Well its a fairly simple question as I can't make my mind up and have found loads of recommendations for both of these by searching the brakes forum. So what are people's opinions? Best prices I can find on the internet are: PF-01 for £260 DS2500 for £183 I have been using yellowstuffs and think that for the cash they are an excellent pad. Really good bite from cold and can nearly last a full 10 - 12 minute session on the track, usually start to fade after 7 mins but the torque capability reduces as they get hotter lap by lap so initial bite drops. I do about 3 - 5 track days a year and a trip to the ring as well as some spirited country lane driving. My current set up is: EBC turbogrooves (to be changed for DBA when they die) EBC yellowstuffs (dead) HEL lines Brembo Calipers (OE type) Thoughts? Thanks Steve

So let me get this right (don't want to make them lower after all).......if I'm performing this alteration whilst standing leaning into the bonnet over the front bumper, facing towards the windscreen.....the bolt must be turned 1.5-2.0 turns clockwise? If you are stood at the front leaning over the bumper you would turn the spanner to the left i.e anti-clockwise. I did mine from the side of the car looking towards the front bumper thus turned the spanner to the right i.e. clockwise. HTH

Well winter is coming around again, cold nights, rain, wind, darkness and lots of dipped headlight driving. Well we all know how rubbish the dipped headlights are due to their height setting so here is a guide on how to raise the throw of your dipped headlights so you can see better where you are going. This may have been posted before but here it is anyway: Example is based upon the passenger light but it is virtually the same for the drivers light. 1) Pop the hood 2) Look at your light and just above halfway down on the inside edge this is the adjustor: 3) Now mark the original position of the 'click wheel' I used a permanent marker 4) Next using either an 8mm spanner (I used an 8mm halfords ratchet spanner) or a thin screwdriver turn the click wheel 1.5 to 2 full turns clockwise. This direction is relevant if you were looking directly at the hexagon of the bolt head it would be anti clockwise if you were stood at the front of the car and looking towards the windscreen. If using a spanner just put it over the head of the bolt. If using a thin screwdriver position it between the teeth on the click wheel and turn. It takes a bit longer if you use the screwdriver method but there isn't much space for a spanner so just use the tools you have. 5) Switch sides and do the same process to the other light. 6) test drive and enjoy being able to see where you are going. For information I have done 2 full turns which I think is the max you want to do. At 2 turns the light pattern gets to about the top of the rear bumper of cars you are following. Don't be one of those annoying drivers who has his lights shining in through the back window on dipped beam, that really gets on my nerves One other point you might want to note is that you may want to put setting back to normal for MOT time the adjustment might fall outside legal limits, you have been warned. As you can see in the second pick I have wrote 2 full turns on the inside of the light so I don't forget how much I've adjusted them by

Hi Mike, Yes you do get some reflection, its not much worse than the OE reflection but to be honest I don't really notice them.

Yes I suppose the orange is a bit love or hate, If I had a car that was another colour than black I would have colour coded them to match the paint. However, seen as black and the interior lights up orange I figured Orange would be a good trade off. The orange I've used is a 3 stage pearl and a right ball ache to work with! Nozzle gets clogged very easily from all the pearl!

Hey Folks, Does anyone know how to dismantle the dash ideally have a guide? I have some rattles which I have pin ponted but need to take off bits of the dash to sort it out but can find no guide in the service manual (hopefully I haven't missed it and am being stupid )or on the internet. Specifically my rattly bits are the two sections at the very end of the dash that meet with the A pillar trims and have the vents with the Z logo in that lead to the door air vent Both rattle like buggars on UK roads and its driving me crackers. I've had a look and a fiddle and can't work out how they come off, I managed to get the Z logo mesh off (Just clipped in). I think a bit of self adhesive felt would sort the rattle if only I could get in! Any ideas anyone? Thank you Steve

^^^^^^^ Yes I find exactly the same. My K1 is permanently bunged up due to the headache inducing noise it gives with them out. With them in I think it is a perfect noise, maybe a touch too drony on the motorway though. I also have had comments at trackdays asking what exhaust I was running and a few people saying I have the best sounding car on track. I the bunged K1 sound.

Next time the sun is shining, if ever, on it I'll try and remeber to get a pic the pearl paint looks even better in the sun!

Thanks mate, I am pretty happy with it Thank you for the info mate but I already knew. I took the button out first before painting it, was hoping it would look OK but not sure yet I might try going for brushed aluminium effect... Thanks mate I think its a trick of the camera or light, you do get a little bit of reflection from the orange on the screen of teh gauges but nowhere near as bad as it looks in the photo. But when its all lit up at nights it looks cool. Yes you have to sand the rough finish away before priming and painting. I think I used P240, into P400, into P600, into P800 and then a quick run over with P2000 wet and dry (all rubbing down done wet) to get it smooth. Also Halfords wet and dry paper is rubbish its not waterproof in the slightest and falls apart in a matter of minutes. In my experience paints4u.co.uk do the best wet and dry. It is awesome. To smooth off the centre console I used wet and dry and a lot of elbow grease! It took 2 hours to rub down the cubby door prior to painting and the rest took even longer. For the pre painiting rub down see above. Afterwards I used the following method for getting the glossy finish: 1) Rub down as described above 2) Wash part thoroughly ensuring no bits of cloth or dust on the part 3) Apply a thin coat of grey plastic primer (should still be able to see the base plastic colour through the primer but only just) 4) Hold upside down whilst it drys to prevent dust and crap getting stuck in the primer 5) When dry apply a thicker coat of primer 6) Again hold upside down until touch dry 7) Leave to cure for 24 hours in a warm environment, I stuck mine on top of the combi boiler 8) Rub down with 2000 grit wet and dry using luke warm water and detergent to get rid of any surface oils 9) Wash thorughly and leave to dry 10) Spray thin coat of paint on top again leaving it so you can just see the primer through. 11) Allow to dry upside down or until touch dry to avoid getting dust stuck in the paint 12) Build up coats of paint in thin layers until you have 3 - 4 coats applied. Now it depends what kind of paint you were using as to next steps. I used pearlescent paint so the next steps are: 13) Allow paint 24 hours to dry and give it a good wash to get rid of any rubbish on the surface. 14) Allow to dry 15) Apply thin coat of laquer 16) Leave to dry 17) Apply thick coat of laquer, make sure not to apply so much that it runs and buggars up all previous hard work. 18) Allow 24 hours to dry in a warm environment 19) Wet rub down the laquer with 2000 grit wet and dry paper until the laquer is flat and doesn't have any 'shiny' high points on the surface. You'll see what I mean as you do it. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO RUB THROUGH THE LACQUER you will have to start again!!!! 20) Once rub down flat wash thoroughly and then break out the T Cut or rubbing compound again be very careful not to go right through the Lacquer the part will start to become very shiny and the fine scrathches will disappear. 21) Wash part 22) Polish and wax. 23) Install your new shiny bits If you are using a solid colour then you need to wet rub down with 2000 grit wet and dry between coats and after the final coat to get the paint super flat before Laquering. Apart from that its just the same. I haven't used any metallic paints but think I would follow the pealescent instructions for metallic unless anyone else knows differently. I am by no menas a pro and have done all this with rattle cans and no spray booth. Having no spray booth is the biggest pain because dust gets everywhere!!! Alsways give your part a dry wipe right before painting to get any dust off, there will be plenty!