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GravelBen

Otago/Southland Member
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Posts posted by GravelBen

  1.  Rex_in said:

    end of the day, you can only go so fast on the street, so why stress about big heavy rims on car, end of the day if you're happy with your car then thats all that matters,

    Its not just about speed/acceleration, overly heavy wheels also tend to screw up handling and ride quality - ie the rock solid thump over manholes (also made worse by the incredibly low profile rubber on the oversized wheels ;) ), or the suspension struggling to keep wheels planted on bumpy roads at speed. Basically the more unsprung weight the harder the suspension has to work to do its thing.

    Its much more apparent on a lighter car, ratio of sprung vs unsprung weight is probably more relevant than the absolute weight.

    Agreed that its up to the owner to choose how they want their car though.

  2.  1CE said:

    I think the older generation subaru motors are recommended for 10w40 but the newer gen motors are best with a thinner oil

    Yep thats right.

    I'm using valvoline 5w40 in the (02) GTB, I found Edge 5w30 gave noticeably more turbo noise.

  3.  555v7sti said:

    I've had FWDs and this is my first 4WD. Kinda similar, power off oversteer

    The ABS was constantly on under brakes (Brembos)

    Might need to brake slightly earlier and ease the brakes on (rather than slam them on), that uses the forward weight transfer to your advantage instead of triggering ABS too early. Then fade off the brakes as you turn in rather than releasing completely before turning.

    Hard to say just based on a description, but most often major understeer is driver induced, sometimes its as simple as being overenthusiastic and trying to carry too much entry speed.

  4. That should help, or a pointier alignment spec should help too - more front camber, less toe-in etc as standard alignment specs are generally very conservative.

    Other than that (and this is just speculation as I've never seen you drive) but the issue could be due to driving style as well, especially if you're used to Rwd cars.

  5.  collaboration said:

    i never even heard of rev-d until now... lol

    so e-tune is just interior changes..

    i think i will look for something gtb.. or tsr if i get desperate.... funny i wrote tba... lol

    Rev-D refers to the final revision, made from mid '01 onwards. Rev A, B and C were before that. ;)

    TSR is 160hp from memory so a bit faster than the basic 2.0 as well as having a nicer interior and better suspension etc. But once you go turbo its hard to go back!

  6.  aim']

    [quote name='Volcanix said:

    the e tunes are like 280hp asfaik

    /quote]

    like every other twin from 1997 onwards? :P

    Except the autos, which are only 260 ;)

    The Rev-D is very good for responsiveness and lack of lag etc though, and more economical as well.

  7. Depends on what sort of track car you're after - if you're wanting to have fun on track days etc then a road car with a few tweaks is fine, and to have a track-only when you only do a few track days is a bit of waste because you'll never get to enjoy it on the road.

    Its only if you're entering time attack or racing or something that making a car competitive will compromise it a lot for road use.

    And then there is the angle (which I suspect plenty on here might disagree with) of starting out with a more suitable car for track use instead of using a relatively big/heavy/practical road car then spending your money working against those characteristics. Everything is a compromise!

  8. ::) This thread really is a load of... what others already said.

    If you're worried about costs (including the potential result of aiming for ultimate lap times on your first few track days in your $25k car, after buying sticky tyres to try and make up for your lack of experience/ability) then I suggest...

    Sell the expensive car and buy something older and cheaper to own/run/thrash, at least until you actually have some experience.

    If you want to keep doing track days and learn how to drive properly then I suggest a lighter, more involving sportscar like an early MX5 or MR2 - they're pretty bulletproof, parts and tyres are cheap, and they're bloody brilliant to drive. There is a tidy looking Mk1 MX5 on TM at the moment for $3k, buy that and go nuts.

    Seriously, a lot of people have given you some good advice on here, might be worth listening to...

  9. Running a different offset will affect handling too whether its done by spacers or different wheels. Exactly how much and in what way will vary depending on details - I haven't tested it on a Subaru but going from ET45 to ET35 on an MX5 you could feel the difference in scrub close to full lock, and slightly more tendency to follow bumps.

    Depends how fussy you are I guess, and to be fair many drivers wouldn't even notice.

  10.  Garryg said:

    Boosting 18psi is a dam sight better than what I'm getting at the moment (7 rising to 8psi).....

    If you're only getting 7-8psi then chances are something is wrong and switching to different turbos isn't likely to change that. MAP sensor maybe, when mine cut to 7psi but otherwise ran smoothly as usual that was the culprit.

  11.  DRFVDR']

    [quote name='GravelBen said:

    Agreed, I'm quite happy buying cars without it but wouldn't go removing it from a road car that does have it.

    Much better off without ABS on gravel, snow etc though.

    /quote]

    As a person who does more miles on gravel/snow/ice than most I prefer ABS

    As a person who does many more miles than most on gravel/snow/ice I'd prefer not having it on gravel and snow, it tends to get confused - I'm sure the newer systems are better, but most of us aren't using those.

    I've had ABS make cars accelerate driving down snowy hills, not a good feeling! Off the brakes and back on gently enough to prevent ABS trigger, slow/stop no problem. Slowly increase pressure to the point where ABS triggers and I get the old ABS pedal vibration but the car accelerates again. (the pulses are too sharp and just lock/release each time whereas I can modulate more gently myself)

    Similar story on gravel, it pulses at you but won't bite through the loose stuff to the harder layer underneath, I can stop much more quickly without it.

    Corrugated gravel is the worst though, many times I've had ABS trigger coming downhill into a tight corner and give me no braking whatsoever, sometimes its early enough to slow the car with the handbrake without sliding, otherwise you handbrake it round the corner. (every time a wheel is momentarily off the ground on the bumps the ABS thinks its locked and releases it, then before it reapplies useful pressure its off ground and released again)

    On those surfaces its something I really have to drive around rather than benefiting from.

  12.  WRXER said:

    They are a semi-slick..... Designed for trackwork

    yes.gif

    This. They are not designed to be used as a normal road tyre - they will be noisy, not grip very well when cold and aquaplane much more easily on standing water.

    If its between those two options go for the RE11 no question.

    Out of interest what other tyres have you tried to make you decide you don't want anything less sticky than the RE11?

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