I have just got back from having my new tyres fitted, I have kept the old ones for potential track use.

 

When the fitter handed them to me he informed me that there had been a puncture repair to one tyre, okay I thought, no probs. He then went on to say that it was a plug repair and that it is only legal for agricultural use in the UK, and he's very suprised that it hadn't blown!!!!!!!!!!!

 

If you haven't come across a repair of this nature before, it's basically a bit of impregnated rope that is stuffed in the hole, thereby stopping the air leak.

 

I trying not to think about what would have happened if it had given out on Saturday on track!

 

A lesson there for everyone I think.

 

Tim

 

------------------

Do you know who did the repair?

 

You have been v lucky!!!

 

Regardz

Without being accused of racism...

 

...a little oriental chap in Japan I guess.

 

The tyres were on the car when I got it and I'm the first UK owner. So these are the first set of UK sourced tyres.

 

Yes, I know, bl**dy lucky!

 

Tim

Tim,

 

Shouldn't that be Brudy Rucky?

 

All seriousness mate, you were VERY lucky, especially round the track, I couldn't begin to think of the pressure put on the tyre under load.......

 

Glad you got some 'Rope' Free tyres and damn fine they look too, may have me some of those when my boots get worn to my souls....

 

 

Matty.

here's the pic of offending item, as you can see I got VFM out of the tyre lol

 

 

Tim

 

------------------

Hmm...an intersting point Tim. I only mention this because I had a puncture repair done in my old car for about a fiver, and this was a rubber plug put in from the inside (after having drilled a hole through where the original puncture was). It lasted ages. I'm sure there was no legal issue with this (at the time). Perhaps I was being done a 'favour'

 

But like you say, taking such a tyre on the track could be a tad risky....since you have to drill through the steel belt to put the plug in - thus weakening the whole tyre!

 

And these coneheads - friends of yours??

 

------------------

Simon

Willy,

 

The Coneheads - I managed to obliterate 2 cones on Saturday whist trying too hard round Kemble! The scratches have polished out but there is a very small battle scar left on the nearside wheel arch. lol I was the only 300 to clip a cone, let alone 2!

 

Tim

thats a fine way of plugging a hol, it cannot fail becuase the unit expands from the inside causing a permanent seal.

the guy you spoke to today spoek through his ring hole.

willy, i have had punctures repairs like that before, and they are perfectly legal, and if done properly, are the best way to repair.

 

tim's was done with a bit of dodgy old rope and rubber before he got it...

 

tim, personally, i think a blow out on the track would have been much safer than a blowout on the road....

 

and didnt one of the other auto drivers clip a cone as well ? Mr I ? please confirm... lol

 

it was discovered on saturday that autos are cone magnets

http://www.xsystems.co.uk/machinehead/alien_cones.html

 

How to take on a cone:

http://www.captainsafetysite.com/fighttrafficconekick.html

http://www.captainsafetysite.com/fighttrafficconescare.html

 

Enjoy :P

 

------------------

Simon

 

[This message has been edited by WillyEd (edited 12-11-2001).]

Careful Craig, we're getting very close to the Blow Jobs in Autos debate again. lol

 

Tim

F###hell mate did you have the tread drawn on in felt tip! thats a seriously low tread depth for a car that has approaching 300 BHP as standard! you bad boy Jeff TT

There was more tread than that on Friday night lol

 

Tim

Less tread - more grip. Nothing wrong with slicks on the track, shame about the drive home though

What's even naughtier Tim mate is that you shouldn't have been driving that car on the road with Jap tyres on in the first place! Illegal!

 

Fuck me! Don't these people who import these cars do any of the legal stuff before selling them anymore?

 

Amount of people I've heard of recently who've bought Imports saying about fog light fitting etc.

 

How do you guys get MOT's with your cars when you buy them? Sounds dodgey to me!

 

[This message has been edited by Timmy_Turbo (edited 12-11-2001).]

Timmy m8,

 

How's life with the Z? Was it worth the wait? Hope it was. How's the garage extension coming along? lol

 

What's this about Illegal tyres, why can't you use Jap tyres?

 

Tim

It is extremely unlikley that the Jap tyres will be approved for use in Europe. Fortunately mine came fitted with a set of new, but cheap and nasty UK ones.

Can I assume that the tyres should be 'E' marked somewhere then if they're European approved.

 

F**k me you can't even fart in this country unless some beaurocrat (Sp?) says you can.

 

Anyway I've learnt something tonight

 

Tim

Not sure about illegal or not but I do know from experience Jap spec tyres are crap in the wet! probably a compound thing, first call if you buy an import zed is new tyres

 

Jeff TT

Car is fine Tim cheers mate

 

There's an import guy with a few garages in North Wales, he specialises in 4x4 mainly.

 

Anyway, me and the Mrs. Turbo took out a Toyota Surf and the guy hadn't done the speedo conversion to MPH. I mentioned it to him about it being done before buying it and he was like "naahh, most people don't bother with that" and I was like, eh?

 

I also found out from someone who knows him that he doesn't send his mate over to Land of Rising Sun to buy...he fuckin' goes to Ireland and buys them off the quay in Dublin for about 2K each!!! Probably all nicked aswell!

 

Jap tyres are illegal in the UK and should be changed before the cars are sold. Someone tell me how these cars get MOT's with no fog light and Jap spec tyres on?

Technically illegal, wont pass an MOT without E marked tyres

 

Incidentally, the spare isn't E marked either.. so guess what.. is illegal to use, and *technically* won't pass an MOT..

 

Bet nobody has ever been picked up on it tho!

My auto had no problems with grip or cones.

 

Maybe I just wasn't driving fast enough?

 

I like to think it was the fantastic tyres I had (Avon ZZ-1's on the front - great in the dry, not too sure about braking in the wet though, Brigestone S-03's on the back, very confidence inspiring so far).

 

Were the Cone destroyers using such good tyres I wonder?

 

On the subject of MOTs, they were trying to fail mine cos it had lap belts in the back. My cousin had to go to another garage and photocopy the correct pages to show them. I sometimes wonder if they know what the laws are.

 

Dylan

 

PS Andy Duff - how are the blisters?

 

 

------------------

Yup, I clipped one of the little cones

 

But as the instructor told me, if you dont hit any, you aren't trying hard enough I guess us autos are going round quicker and so there is more chance of cone collection.

 

I feel sorry for anyone who hit one of the big cones though, that could work out very expensive.

 

I was running Michelin Pilots btw. They still have very deep tread, I think these tyres are indestructible, they've lasted forever.

 

Andy

Andrew yu idiot you were the onyl person that day who hit a cone on a 1st gear 5 mph corner, (i suspect it had more to do with driver talent )

 

when i got my car i drove all around europe on jap spec bridgestones lol, they were very good i must say, now somebody tells me

Hi,

I had Japanese Bridgestones on my car B4 I changed them, and I must say the wet and dry grip was very good...I think they were VR rated , not ZR.

However, if you crash your Z on Jap tyres, your insurance company have an excuse to not pay out, as the tyres probably aren't legal in Europe.

JEZ

Originally posted by 300z:

Andrew yu idiot you were the onyl person that day who hit a cone on a 1st gear 5 mph corner, (i suspect it had more to do with driver talent )

 

Ah, but I took the aforementioned corner in 2nd gear at 25mph Would have made it if it wasn't for that little bastard cone at the end.