Kevin Bacon

What I was getting at is the 205 tyre can be used on a broad range of rim widths, including the 7.5. But using a 205 on a 7.5" width rim looks a little stretched in my opinion. Hence suggesting a 215 for that size rim. Kev

Yep my mate has the 210bhp R. Leon's labeled 20V T are 180bhp. If he'd waited a few more months he'd have got 225bhp :?

If the bulb packaging doesn't say EEC Legal on it, probably wise to avoid. Basically you cannot exceed the car's standard wattage, which in the majority of cases is an H4 60/55W, plus a H1 55W in the case of the Corrado. The police will pull you over if they think you're running suped up bulbs. Incidentally, how many of you retrim the lights after lowering? Kev

Osram SilverStar bulbs are the best of the Xenon 50% type, the Phillips a close second. For £39 inc delivery and VAT, you can get (Osram SS) 2 x H4, 2 x H1 and 2 x Phillips Blue-white sidelight bulbs. http://www.powerbulbs.com You do need the loom though. The only thing illegal about modding your lighting is fitting 'Rally' 100/80 or 150/100 type bulbs. They're just too bright for road use, even on dipped beam, And more importantly, they don't last long. I've used them in the past and ended up driving home on the side light bulbs because they blew. One after the other in the space of 10 minutes. Unless you are driving at a continuously sufficient speed to cool the lights, they blow. Kev

Is that an Orange sized turbine or housing? :D I personally think comparing the modern multivalve 1.8T with an effective capacity of 2500cc+ with a crude 2.9 2 vpc engine is quite valid actually. Again, I take issue with you there. My standard VR6 easily sticks with my mate's Leon Cupra R in all conditions. And they're not too dissimilar weight wise. Actually, it's more like 370bhp with 405lb/ft if you use an EIP tuning kit. At the end of the day, any engine can be made more powerful than the next. It's all down to how big your wallet is and how much time you can spend doing it. Kev

If you substitute a SS box for one of their link pipes, it does become very loud. As a rule of thumb with SuperSprint, if the car has 3 boxes as standard, a link pipe replacing one of them is fine but if the car only has 2 boxes as standard, then losing one basically doubles the noise, maybe more. Kev

Remove sump, remove pump, replace O ring, refit pump, refit sump. The sump is very close to the pulley side chassis rail, so you may need to move the engine about a bit to gain clearance. 310KW VR6? That's well over 400hp.....How many Turbos have you got on that thing??? Kev

An indicated 146 in mine. Shot up to 140 very quickly and then crept up to 146 as tyre and air friction took their toll. Felt like it had a wee bit more to go. I reckon a standard VR6 can top and indicated 150 on a slight decline. Kev

The MX-5 is in the top ten list of "Best handling cars - ever". They are an absolute hoot to drive and a power slider's dream. 1600 is weedy. 1800 (146bhp) is best of the NA ones. The blown ones were done in the UK by Brodie Britain Racing (BBR) and endorsed by Mazda, meaning the car's warranty isn't invalidated. You don't so much as drive a MX-5, but wear it. It's too small for my liking and has questionable status on the street. If you can live with that, it's the car for you. I'm sorry but the C is just too much of an enthusiast's car and it's foibles will drive you nuts if you're the sort of person that just likes to get in and drive. Kev

If the rim section is 6.5 to 7", then you can use 205 section but if the rim section is 7.5, then a 215 section tyre is more suitable. I prefer the Santa Monicas myself and they are 7" wide, so I would imagine the Longbeachers are too. Just depends if you buy replicas or originals. Kev

The reason VR (and others) clutches get heavy is because of the pressure plate springs. Once the friction disc wears beyond half, the pressure plate fingers are pressed in further [by the release bearing] and for longer. This is gradual thing and progressively gets heavier until the owner calls Time out, and replaces it. So although your friction disc probably still has 20-30% life left in it, your left leg won't thank you for it if you ride out the remainder of it's life. Kev

All the Z series Rovers are quick for what they are. The 2.5 is 'only' about 170 brake and the K series 4 pot engines have always been potent, if prone to popping head gaskets. Kev

I've never seen a B reg MK1 GTI though! A was the absolute last of them. They were obviously all snapped up and registered straight away! Kev

Bl@@dy tea leafs. I lost count of the amount of BBS centre caps I had nicked from my old Beemer, and at £30 each, it gets expensive. At least they only took the valve covers and nothing else, no consolation I know, but it could have been worse :? Kev

Less that £500 if worn. About double that if in good condition. Kev

It's the belt that drives the power steering, water pump and alternator. It's next to the airbox. A serpentine belt is basically several small V belts in one wide belt for improved grip and longer life. They last about 40-50K on average. If the belt is cracked or missing bits of rubber, then it's time for a replacement. They cost £25 from VW. Kev

VR6 clutches are light, if it isn't then it's worn out. About £350 ish for a change inc parts. Kev

i'm a bit sceptical about this later mk3 Golf (apart from the LHD-only synchro)more than 174bhp power figure...........afterall why didn't VW broadcast it :?: To not upset of 174bhp owners, probably?! The Highline is OBD2, 2.9 throttle body and manifold. Vince says the Highlines put out 185bhp all day long 8) Kev

I will upload some pics of them on the car when there is enough daylight! Prolly at the weekend. Yeah the lights are OEM jobs. They cost 90GBP each. Kev

Yeah you should be able to blow through it as easily as a normal water radiator. Try flushing it out with petrol and then leave it for a day to dry out thoroughly. Kev

Hmmmm, so did I.... Yeah that's quite true. The main weakness is the diff rivets. Replacing these with bolts is a good start. If you use an open diff, the power can spin away safely but if you use an LSD, then you load up the box more and increase the chance of breaking it......but with an open diff, you obviously lose the traction advantage. Kev

Well said that man. Some people seem to forget the G60 and VR6 are actually both versions of the same car...the Corrado. At the end of the day, what makes one Corrado faster than another is money, nothing else. Kev

I bet he skimmed the head which has mucked up the CR and cam timing. Kev

For someone that has little or no experience of powerful FWD cars, then yeah, but if you're an experienced driver then 250bhp or maybe more, should not prove to be beyond control. I used to have around 200 Wheel HP on my old MK2 Golf 16V Turbo and felt the chassis (and me) could handle more. It felt more civilised and controllable than my old E30 BMW 325i, which only had 170bhp going through the rear wheels. If you're mad on thrashing away from the lights in 1st gear, then any amount of power is going to cause spin. If you're more into mid-range thrust than traffic light Grand Prix, then you need lots of torque and power. It's all relative. 200bhp is NOT the limit for FWD. Certain people say it is but then they can't speak for everybody, can they? Nobody waved their fingers about having more than 600bhp in a Mclaren F1 that weighs less than a Corrado did they? Yes it's RWD, but it's the same principal. Give a boot full off the lights and it WILL spin and squirm down the road. Give a FWD car with 200+ hp a boot full of the lights and the same happens. What's the difference? Kev

The gear ratios might be the same but the final drives are different. All corrados have the same 02A gearbox but each has it's own model number, which determines the gearset and FD ratios. Kev