Ian W
Member
Registered: 8th Nov 03
Location: Wirral, Merseyside
User status: Offline
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I hope you are planning on washing that mitt now it has been on the floor 
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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Of course.
That's my microfibre cloth that's specifically assigned for photographing polishing equipment on the floor tbf.
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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Ian W
Member
Registered: 8th Nov 03
Location: Wirral, Merseyside
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Kyle T
Of course.
That's my microfibre cloth that's specifically assigned for photographing polishing equipment on the floor tbf.
Makes sense then 
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chris_uk
Premium Member
Registered: 8th Jul 03
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Kyle T
Chris are you Jons' new mechanic?!
yes.
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by chris_uk
quote:
Originally posted by Kyle T
Chris are you Jons' new mechanic?!
yes.
 Great news
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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Quick before and after of the scuff I "corrected" on my rollbar cover.
 WP_20160313_10_36_41_Pro by Kyle Townend, on Flickr
 WP_20160316_17_29_13_Pro by Kyle Townend, on Flickr
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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Wrighty
Member
Registered: 28th Feb 04
Location: Howden
User status: Offline
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looks crackin mate, no regrets selling the impreza?
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Wrighty
no regrets selling the impreza?
No not at all, at least not yet.
It's not a fair comparison though as the Impreza was weighed down with the pressures of being a daily driver, and the Lotus only comes out when I want to drive it.
Took it out for the Sunday breakfast Maccers run this morning, glorious day for it 
Lack of cupholders bit me though on the way home
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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VrsTurbo
Premium Member
Registered: 8th Jun 10
User status: Offline
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Did you ever find somewhere or someone that you can test the limits of the car as id like to do it in the m5
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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http://carlimits.com/
Booked on 12th April
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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Took the car on a run out to the seaside yesterday, along with what appeared to be a billion other people.
Lots of traffic but great weather and no roof there or back... lost my Red Sox hat though 
Some great roads on the way back over the North York Moors.
When crusing around Whitby at 2mph looking for a parking space, the fans kicked in with anger for the first time and they sounded a bit agricultural tbh Perhaps a rough bearing, but really doesn't sound healthy at all despite keeping temps in check no problem. It's a clam off job to replace, so will keep an eye on that one.
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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chris_uk
Premium Member
Registered: 8th Jul 03
User status: Offline
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oh its a clam off job alright.. lol
i have just had to swap a pro alloy rad from one Exige to another..
i hope you dont have aircon as if you do you have to de-gas that thing then get it re-gassed after you swapped the rad.
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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No aircon
Racecar innit
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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chris_uk
Premium Member
Registered: 8th Jul 03
User status: Offline
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you cant even begin to imagine how much work you just saved yourself by not having air con hahah
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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Essay Inc.
Shortly after buying the car I was in two minds about my approach to "track prep" modifications and in the end decided to remove some doubt and just get stuck in, ahead of my first track outing in a week or so.
The two go-to modifications not being performance enhancing as such, but for safety/reliability purposes.
The 2ZZ engine in my car is oil-surge vulnerable, so a baffled sump is highly recommended for track work with sticky tyres such as the A048's that I've got.
Upgraded toe-links for the rears, as the OEM ones are notorious for shearing on pretty much the entire VX220/Elise/Exige line since the dawn of time. (Youtube search for "toe-link failure")
I'd made myself some promises with this car after my experience with the Subaru. On some occasions with the Sub I was guilty of spending out a little over the top and beyond my requirements. Going straight in for external resevoir 3way adjustable coilovers for example when I didn't need the functionality at my driving/usage level and never really got my ££ worth out of the extra thousands that I spent. Same went for the engine work, I went the long/expensive way round of achieving ~400bhp with it by putting larger injectors, completely new fueling system and stuff like that... I coulda just slapped a bigger turbo on it and it would probably have been fine...!
With that in mind, I went out of my way to avoid some Gucci parts here... which has already sort of bitten me
First up, the sump:
There are a handful of fancy options available all in the ~£500 range. They've got little hinged flaps, extra oil capacity and takeoffs for oil temp gauges etc. I admit, they look sexy as hell but instead I went for an OEM sump with a baffle plate welded in for less than half the price.
I had an unexpected couple of days off this week (turned up to work to be told I was supposed to be on holiday ) so I got to work and got the car into position for the next couple of days.
Oil was drained out, all over the damn floor. I need a bigger drain pan and better fluid dynamics simulation software.
In-Progress pics of the sump change are few and far between, I got very dirty and the timing was a bit critical (at least it felt it) between applying the liquid gasket and getting it bolted back up.
Getting the old sump off was a bit of a pig, smacked it with a rubber mallet for a bit then eventually managed to lever it off. I was less concerned about damaging the sump as I was replacing it, but didn't want to damage the block!
I did get a side by side comparison though:
The level of engineering that's gone into this compared to the gucci options is extremely underwhelming but for the sake of my engine (and wallet) I hope it's enough. It's tried and tested on racecars apparently, so hopefully will be OK for me trundling around Blyton.
I got it all cleaned up and dried, likewise with the mating surface on the engine block. Then applied a bead of Loctite 5980 and got it bolted back on the engine.
As I had a 24 hour cure time, I knocked off for the night.
Next day, and next job - my toe link kit. As above I went for a non-Gucci option and this ended up being a bit of a nightmare tbh. At first the kit arrived and the threads for the rosejoints were mismatched to the rods, so returned and got it swapped - mistakes happen and the vendor responded brilliantly.
In the meantime I got my old stuff off. Not many photos, left side came off easy but had to get a bit choppy with the drivers side.
The kits generally attack two areas of weakness. One being the materials used by the joints and the other being the addition of a double-shear fitment for the inboard connections.
The cars from the factory just have balljoints at each end, with the inboard side having a massive long skinny bolt to go through the trailing end of the wishbone too. The kits generally come in two formats, one uses a central brace to share load across the two inboard joints and the other involves drilling and bolting brackets on to create double-sheer connections.
Comparison pics below: (neither from my car/kit)
Brace type:
Bracket type:
I initially opted for the brace approach because I didn't need to drill (lazy) and in theory it braced by subframe too which can't be a bad thing.
The kit though was underwhelming even after getting the replacement with matching threads. First off the inboard bolts werent long enough to go through the brace, toelinks and subframe (probably from a kit without a brace?) and second the outboard bolts didn't have a cone shaped insert for the tapered hole in the hub. Third, the subframe brace didn't line up properly with the transmission mounting bolts that it was supposed to attach to for extra support. The vendor have been brilliant with me though and offered to get things sorted out but I really ran out of time, I've got geo booked early next week and track time booked very soon after that so we agreed I'd send the kit back for a refund.
Luckily, I came across a local resource who could sort me a kit very last minute that was due to be sent out elsewhere on very short notice and sell me it instead. This is in the form of the Spitfire kit which is positively Gucci in comparison.
Oh, this is also the bracket style kit too. I know I didn't want to drill, but I needed something quickly and Gaz@Spitfire explained that the brace on the Toyota subframe isn't functional anyway, just extra weight!
Key differences are that there's a cone insert for the hub, fittings generally look/feel better quality, the bolts are long enough and the actual toe bars themselves are significantly thicker/nicer but also lighter! The kit is more expensive though, and I'm sure the first kit would be fine and would have been fitted now if everything was the right shape/size in time for my install. I'm not going to badmouth the vendor because their comms have been excellent and I'm hoping that with my feedback they can respond and their kit will be spot on in future.
The Spitfire kit came with rivnuts and comprehensive instructions, so off I went drilling into my subframe. It took ages because I only had an air drill, and my compressor is tiny... but eventually, after a few hours I had 10 holes Only got a pic after a lick of paint and the rivnuts were in place. I had to bodge a rivnut tool but they were quite easy to work with.
It was then a pretty simple case of lining everything up, bolting up and torquing up accordingly. Dead easy really.
If the bracket mounting doesn't look straight, it's probably because it isn't 
Somewhere between all that, I got my oil topped off and happy to say I appear to be free of leaks.
The rods came pre-set to OEM toe measurements but obviously each chassis will be different so it definitely needs geo, which I'm booked in for on tues.
I had also ordered some brake pads, I did a bit of research and went for Pagid RS42s. They're a "fast road" compound (whatever Fast Road actually means?) but the RS14 alternatives for track/race work have the usual issues of being noisy etc. I can't be doing with noisy pads, another lesson learned from the Subaru.
The pads arrived, and of course were RS14s instead of the 42's that I ordered so they're on their way back. Hopefully will get those sorted early next week so I can get them bedded in before tracktime.
I ran the engine for a bit while the car was on axle stands just to check oil leaks, levels, etc and it seemed to send my ABS into a bit of a spaz. 30 yards of driving on the road though cleared the fault and I've not seen it since.
Got the car back on the road and went for one of those tentatively terrifying shakedown drives that you have after you've spent a few days tinkering. Eagerly listening out for my subframe dropping off, or that impact socket bouncing around my engine that I left laying in the new sump. Luckily I got to the petrol station and back without dying, though I certainly didn't push the car on the damp roads with an untested back end which may well be pointing all over the shop.
Can't wait for geo on tuesday, then finally the following week I can lean on this car on a circuit and see what all the fuss is about!!
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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chris_uk
Premium Member
Registered: 8th Jul 03
User status: Offline
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Glad you got spitfire kit. Its the best on the market 
Gaz is a top bloke aswell, he will be dropping some toe links and a fuel pump off for a 2.2 conversion im doing.
Where you going for your geo?
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Wrighty
Member
Registered: 28th Feb 04
Location: Howden
User status: Offline
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shiny under car bits are always nice oil spill was also top notch 
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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Off to http://www.robbostonracing.com/ for Geo. My usual local place have a staffing issue this week so I had to shop around last minute and these guys could fit me in.
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Wrighty
shiny under car bits are always nice oil spill was also top notch
Had to roll around in that oil for the couple of days too, used about a gallon of shampoo last week
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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Had an afternoon out at Rob Boston Racing yesterday, turns out they're just a few miles from Blyton Park.
After finally finding their unit, it was like being a kid in a sweet shop. They'd just got back from the BTCC weekend at Brands and they were preparing/fixing/checking over a couple of the Ginetta cars that they support that had been running at the weekend.
Always thought Ginetta cars looked a bit rough and agricultural from a distance but when you get to look at them without body panels on, they're really cool looking bits of kit.
When driving my car there it felt like a death trap, the rear of the car was just constantly moving around. On each compression of the rear suspension the rear would wiggle a bit and it was horrific
Pulled it into the unit and explained how I'd be using the car, first up is a job I could have done at home had I known about it. The cars run pretty much 0 camber from the factory but the hubs are shimmed away from the upper wishbone so you can actually add a bit of negative camber front and back.
We removed all three of the shims in the front and removed 3 of the 5 that were in use at the rear.
That took a while due to stuck bolts and stuff like that, but then onto the alignment. I've had loads of alignment sessions before using fancy laser equipment but this is the first time I've had a car aligned with string
Out came some poles and some string, and after a few minutes of very careful measuring and lining up we learned that my rears were toed in by about 10mm either side! No wonder it felt so broken.
We finished up with about 1mm toe in at front and 2mm toe in at the rear (I think).
Needless to say, the car was an absolute peach on the drive home. 6 days till I get to lean on it round track
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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craig8
Premium Member
Registered: 31st Dec 04
Location: Glasgow
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Kyle T
I had to bodge a rivnut tool but they were quite easy to work with.
Bolt, nut, washer, some grease and a couple of spanners?
E36 328
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by craig8
quote:
Originally posted by Kyle T
I had to bodge a rivnut tool but they were quite easy to work with.
Bolt, nut, washer, some grease and a couple of spanners?
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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Tried to post this yesterday during the CS drought of '16 so where I say "today" I mean "yesterday" and where I say "tomorrow" I mean "today"
I finally got the right set of Pagids sorted so threw those in on Friday. No in progress pics but look! Proof!
The old pads had LOADS of meat left, infact they looked almost new. I didn't want to risk taking OEM grade pads on track though, been there before and it's a quick way to waste a day. Still, the OEMs will be kept aside for a rainy day.
Been and done 30miles or so, mercifully the RS42's don't squeal at all. Not really stomped on them yet, will see if I can get another 50miles or so done tomorrow then will give them a few hard stops from a high speed of a round number to make sure they're somewhat bedded in.
Was out early this morning, any excuse for a pic.
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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Had my first time on track this week, a CarLimits circuit driver tuition day at Blyton Park.
I'd been really looking forward to it more than I have any track day previously, because finally I'd get to knuckle down and focus on my weak areas (of which I have many).
I woke up stupid early, and had a heart sinking moment when I saw the small river that replaced the road through our village By the time I left, it had stopped raining but the roads were very wet so a slow drive to Blyton was in order.
Arrived in thick fog, no sign of the rain letting up and could barely see the first corner from the track entrance.
Soon met up with Andy Walsh (instructor for the day) and the other three participants for the day. A lad in an S1 Elise, an M235i thingy and an Evora made up the participation list with me. We'd have the circuit all to ourselves for the day.... if the circuit would ever open.
Finally got on track for 10:30'ish, and started with each of us taking Andy for a handful of "evaluation laps". Probably the worst laps I've ever done around Blyton, not just slow because of the rain but lines all over the place, hand position on the wheel all awkward and generally just a crap 5 minutes on track. It must have been nerves or something, but nontheless Andy made some good observations about my mannerisms in the car and despite the very slow pace he identified issues that I can work on whenever I visit a circuit.
After we'd all done our eval laps, he split us up into different corners of the circuit to do some excercises. I started with a figure eight to get my hand positions right going from lock to lock quickly and accurately while two others did heavy braking on the straights and the final guy went to do oversteer/spin control round bunga bunga.
I soon got the hang of the figure 8 hand positioning, started having a bit of fun kicking the back out on the transition and then got so dizzy and car sick I had to come in
Next up, heavy braking. Andy set two cones out at an arbitrary distance apart and then instructed me to get to 70mph for the first cone and slam on, see where I stopped in relation to cone #2 and then work from there.
I stopped up about 3 car lengths AFTER cone #2 and then Andy had a go, first time ever in my car and he stopped 2 car lengths before the cone - and not a hint of ABS despite considerable standing water.
He explained the physics, I needed to relax brake pressure when I sensed ABS was about to activate and off I went - sure enough before long was consistently stopping before the cone - probably knocked 30m or so off my initial braking distance.
Back to the pits impressed, then off for lunch.
The rain worsened over lunch and the circuit was borderline lethal at this point. The format of the day was supposed to allow us free reign of the circuit in the afternoon to work on the full track and have Andy help us improve our pace, but we had no chance of that.
Confined to my final excercise of oversteer/spin control on Bunga Bunga. Andy put me on a line through the corner (which you would never take in the dry/normally) to specifically induce a spin at slow speeds - then taught the various approaches to "catching it".
First up, simply letting go of the wheel straightend the car from a near 90degrees angle and left me safely rolling into the runoff zone. Then tried to use my hands to control the slide AND keep it on the track, and that's when the spinning started 
A few corners later and I was reliably catching slides and keeping it roughly between the lines. Great fun and felt I was learning lots. What I was struggling to do though was catch the slides which required more than an armful of lock, by using the "correct" hand positioning. By letting go of the wheel a bit and controling it through my hands I did much better... but that's not the proper way! Must improve
I did a few sessions like this, only caught the first on GoPro as I guess one of my spins sent the gopro pointing to the floor at somepoint... but uploaded a few attempts of the corner here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohMraf-R7kc
After a visit to the bathroom, I was eager to get back out but was greeted with this
Looks like I picked up a screw at somepoint and ripped it out presumably whilst going sideways. The tyre would hold zero PSI and as such, had to await an AA man to come temp repair it and get me home! Luckily a chap arrived in a camper for an overnight stay before the Javelin event on the following day, so he invited me in for a cuppa while I waited! Hope you had a good day Martin if you're out there
Overall, the day was very useful. I wouldn't use the word "humbling" as many do, as I was already pretty aware of how crap I was . That said, due to the weather the day also felt like a massive wasted opportunity, I would have loved to have settled into my groove around a very familiar track and have a proper driver help me improve, and help me learn the limit of this new car at higher speeds in the dry.
With that in mind, I WILL book another day with Andy, and I'd really recommend that anyone else does the same. He teaches from utter novices to current F1 drivers so he can adapt his sessions from learning hand positions to shaving 10ths off depending on the capability of the participant.
I'm going to get the tyre repaired, it's smack in the middle of the tread and it's a front tyre which doesn't get quite as much abuse in the Lotus. Spoke to a few people who have run repaired tyres on track and nobody seems too scared of it.
Another "almost issue" I had with the car was my battery. It is clamped down in the boot by one of those base clamps that holds the flared base of the battery. The battery had shuffled towards the rear of the car and was about 1/2 inch from coming free of the clamp completely. That would have been a smashed rear clam and a few grand to sort... so need to research more substantial battery clamp options.
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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Stuart H
Member
Registered: 17th Jul 09
Location: lanark , scotland
User status: Offline
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Love reading your posts always so in depth. Cars looking good.
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