Search results

Sounds like a good plan. Experience is everything. You'll still have good fun in a 1.2. I'm an ex-prop so weight is against me as well. It's all about maintaining momentum, no matter what car you're in. Handbraking is fun but you lose a great deal of momentum. Driving round corners, not huge...

Wish I could delete this individual post! The editing went wrong!

If you can run a 172/182 then why did you go for a 1.2? I can only assume cost/availability/convenience. I started at Uni, but a few years ago. If I were choosing a car for Targas, 12 Cars and Road Rallies I'd look seriously at a 172/182. The Rover was acquired (already prepared, a much cheaper...

Where did you find that? As a Targa is run under Road Rally Regs, you have to have the interior. Specifically: Section R 18.1.6. The trim, including the rear seat may be cut to allow the fitting of a safety cage. As James said, do you need a cage? It adds weight and you won't be going very fast...

James, how did you find the Nankangs at Wethersfield? Probably great on the clean parts. I had some old A048 on the front and old Uniroyal RainExperts on the back. I wondered why I was over-shooting some junctions on the third set of tests - no rubber left on the front, but plenty of canvas...

Good check list. The only other things I can think of is are the rear shocks, I've blown a few. You'll see if oil is leaking. Check the brake pipes as well, but the MOT man will pick that up if there are issues, same with the shocks.

TBH I wouldn't put tyres high on the list. I've seen a car roll on a rally due to too sticky tyres combined with too soft suspension. I've had some great results with old, random tyres. I've only ever encountered one pair of tyres which were truly awful. I still have them for Autotests as it's...

We're going way beyond the OP. We're now on to the legality of tyres on the public highway. I've spent a LONG time talking to the MSA about this as competitors don't know what tyres to run where and when. There is no "blind eye" in the eyes of the Law, but there is a great deal of scope for...

All of your questions regarding what can and can't be done for various disciplines can be found in the MSA "Blue Book". It's a book and it's blue! Every licence holder is sent a copy (it's £33 to buy!) but I bin mine and have the PDF on my phone if there's an issue on an event. I didn't know how...

I've just searched for "autosolo" in the Play Store and Autosolo UK is the first one which comes up. This has the same content as the web site, but the app is far easier to navigate.

https://sites.google.com/view/autosolouk Or you should be able to find it in the Apple or Play Stores. It's worth joing the "Autosolo" and "Autosolo Forum" Facebook Groups.

Thrashing the 500s was good fun at the Autosport Show. I'd finish one of my demo drive sessions on the Autosolo demo then nip over to Fiat for a drive if there was no queue. If the car was mine I would have played with settings and started to pull fuses to turn things off, but the Fiat guys...

What will you be using the car for? I'm assuming there's a price differential as well, not just a straight swap. Like McGherkin, I've only driven a 500 Competizione at the Fiat timed test at the Autosport Show (I'm assuming that's where you drove it Callum). The toys were nice but I wanted the...

Agreed, but people need to understand the reasons why the use of the likes of the A048 can be an issue. They can then make their own informed decisions, not just listen to the opinions of others which can be incorrect. There is no definitive answer, depending on how/when/where the tyre is being...

CV joint.

Think of wider use cases than just asphalt tyres. Most gravel tyres are marked "For Competition Use only". I have piles of them and I use them on tests, regularities and road sections for road rallies, historic rallies and Targa rallies. Most competitors in Historic road rallies use these tyres...

I don't know exactly where you are in South Wales, but Kidwelly used to run a Targa at Pembrey. Then there's the Classic Tracks, Ystwyth, ... For Autosolos, take a look at the Autosolo app which has dates for most events around the country.

Another grey area. If you're using a tyre with this marking for road use then it's probably not suitable. However I've had cars pass the MOT with such tyres fitted as they were just about to go to a rally. The Welsh Police consider these tyres as inappropriate for use on the road (despite them...

Sorry, not correct. Non-E marked tyres ARE legal to use on the roads, in fact many Police vehicles use non-E marked tyres. It's back to Construction and Use and suitability for use. It IS illegal to sell non E-marked tyres for pure road use in the UK. However you can buy non E marked tyres for...

We have the same components and problem! Mine is a 2003 172. So did the cleaning fix yours? I cleaned mine out yesterday but it didn't immediately fix the problem. Maybe something needs time to reset as mine is fine now? Will have to see how long it lasts. I don't normally run with the climate...

No, nothing to do with competitive advantage or spirit of the event (which isn't defined anywhere). This is all about safety in its widest context. I never said list 1C tyres were illegal, that's the grey area, some tyres cannot be considered suitable for purpose dependant on use. A tyre may be...

Just to make sure that I'm looking at the right thing, the temp sensor is in the black tube with in-built fan, top left in this picture? The sensor itself is the blue "blob" at the end of the tube?

I have this intermittent problem. Yesterday it happened for the first time this year - on manual, temp settings not changed from the previous day when everything was fine, only high temp hot air coming out. Back in the car this morning, no problem. None of the climate control settings have been...

An E marked tyre can be generally considered as a road legal tyre, certainly that's the way the Welsh Police consider the situation (they've been heavily involved in defining what a road legal tyre is on road rallies). However there are always exceptions - the DMACK DMT-RC tyre is E marked but...

The law is very vague. The MSA believes that some people have been prosecuted for driving to track days in the rain, using tyres described as for "dry track use". It's the "suitable for purpose" interpretation which is one of the major grey areas. As an extreme example, if you're on an asphalt...

This is a hot area with the Motorsports Association (MSA) right now - are list 1C tyres road legal? The A048R is on the MSA's List 1C (Google for the latest list). The marketing blurb from some manufacturers state that these tyres are for dry conditions on track. If you have an accident on...

This is what I'd like to test - will the rear end imbalance still enable me to brake harder than having the ABS active? The car felt imbalanced under braking but nowhere near swapping ends. With ABS I fear that I'd still be trying to slow sufficiently when I've reached my turn in point. With ABS...

I travelled from Maidenhead down to Rentech for cam belt, dephaser, etc They did a great job and fixed a few other issues as well. Recommended.

Having thought about this area, I was suffering from the back end locking up at Castle Combe at the weekend under braking. I put it down to soft front shocks unweighting the rear, but maybe it is a brake bias issue with the fuse removed. I've had similar at other Sprints. The car is fine on the...

I just take the fuse out to disable ABS and ESP on my 172 for Autosolos and Sprints, no problem. Two Championships won last year. The previous owner did the same with great success.