Lauren

Church, I'm not interested really in changing my wheels. I hacw 17x8 Volk Racing TE37. They are the perfect wheels for me and are light enough at 7.4kg per rim. They are also a very strong forged wheel and I love how they look, so I won't be changing anytime soon! Also a 16" rim would mean a higher profile sidewall which I don't want. I've got the setup I really like, so I'm staying with it. Good enough to win my class by a big margin last time out at the TSS.

I don't suppose you fancy coming to Japfest at Castle Combe on Saturday? It's not that far from you. We'll have 68 cars on our stand, so every colour will I suspect be well represented and it'd be a great opportunity to speak to numerous owners.

How much were they for a set Rob? I only ask as my second set of OEM discs and pads are nearing renewal. I'm thinking of at least a pad upgrade, but if discs are comparable to OEM in price, I'd consider it.

Some great info there, Church. I should point out that F1 wheel size is dictated by regulations over anything else. Also F1 cars use the sidewalls as part of their limited suspension travel, so quite a different application. Large or soft sidewalls make the car vague on turn in and during transition of weight transfer mid corner. I run a lightweight racing 17" wheel an inch wider than standard at 8" but use the standard tyre size of 215, to pull the sidewall a little to remove the flex from it. This makes the car much sharper and when the tyre starts to slide at and beyond the slip angle it makes the car react more quickly without having to wait for the tyre sidewall to flex one way and then the other. It's personal preference of course, but in comparison I competed in the TSS last year and ran 225/45/17, but I didn't like the extra flex in the sidewall as it took away the accuracy of placing the car. I'm sure though it's not for everyone as many may well find my car a bit too sharp for their tastes with less progression to over or understeer (though I've dialled out much of the understeer), but once sliding a little it has a better balance I find. It also depends upon driving style of course. I favour a fast drift as a rule.

Stock wheels are pretty heavy though at 9.2kg

That's about the same as an NA mpg wise. Which is pretty good. I get around 37mpg day to day.

Wow, lots done. Is there a reason you went with a six paddle clutch over a simply uprated one? I've tried the Helix one (IIRC) and though it was heavier it was okay and obviously no juddering, just a heavier pedal. I get that auto blipping is for those who can't heel and toe, but if you can it's surely far more satisfying to do it properly? I experienced flat foot shifting in Jay and Jamie's car and I admit, I just don't like it. Just thought it was too harsh in the car and changing 1st to second gave me a neck injury! Still it all sounds good. Will you just put the cat back in for the MOT then?

I didn't realise Instagram was anything more than making your photos look crap. I admit I don't get it. I post everything on FB as that's what it's for, if people don't like it they can unfriend me etc.

Wow you have been busy! Do you know what the spring rates are for the Teins? Guessing 6/6kg. It's coming together nicely by the looks of it. Just out of interest have you used those tyres on track before? I only ask because with such big tread blocks I wonder if they will suffer the same issues as the old F1 GSD3's did whereby the tread blocks overheated and delaminated due to moving around too much. I'm not familiar with the tyres you have chosen I do admit.

Seriously, learn to drive properly. Please do it for the sake of your engine. Habits are much cheaper to change than engines.

You may want to bear in mind that you should never 'slam the throttle' at such low rpm. Never do this to an engine. Feed it in until you are at least over 3500rpm before going wide open throttle.

I know Nigel sold his leather/alcantara seats for £300 IIRC. I doubt the rest of the interior is worth much. Guessing cloth seats have little desirability as it's not an upgrade, so probably not much unless the front seats fit another car another car easily and it's an upgrade that way.

Pics please.

Please put some pics up Stephen.

I think anything helps, depends upon the format of the day really. If it's driving the car on the track obviously that's ideal for exploring the limits etc. Enjoy.

Welcome aboard, Simon & Claire. The 86 'Bible' is certainly an interesting read and great coffee table fodder. Long wait till July though!

Great job! Just out of interest did it make much difference to your insurance?

I thought we was talking about NA tuning? The cost of the GPRM inlet manifold means its simply not worth considering.

Must admit, I'm not too worried about mid-range torque. More power at the top end is what I'd enjoy more. Higher revs too if it can take it.

Fair comment. I would add that stock brakes are fine on the road, but if you start pushing, they do get too hot. I found this out on the EVO Triangle last time I went. But the other 99% of the time they are absolutely fine. FI will mean you work the brakes harder, so maybe a pad upgrade is all you need.

When I was speaking to Cosworth they reckoned that cams weren't doing it, but if you can find some proof then it's a consideration. Cams normally mean higher revs as you move the powerband up the rev band. Not sure how this would work with a stroker kit.

Do let me know what you find out. I'm a bit worried that a stroker kit will reduce the revs as increasing the stroke normally does.

I found 280bhp or so to be a good balance. Think Mas's HKS SC is close to 300 now. It's quick enough I think. It's worth bearing in mind that you will want bigger brakes if you go the forced induction route. That adds to the cost. You will need an oil cooler if you are going to take it on track as well. The more power you have, the more these additional mods will be important.

Welcome aboard. I too would love the option of a high revving 250bhp NA, but alas, no-one seems to be doing it. It's hard to beat the FI options, but it's going to be expensive I feel to NA tune past 230bhp or so.

I spoke to a lot of people at JAE, trying to remember! The uprated clutch feels heavy initially after getting out of a standard car, but my feelings are that you'd get used to it pretty quickly, then not really notice it as much.