RichardS

Now then, I currently have a Rav-4 as my daily drive. I bought it last year so I could still get to work in the ice and snow (and pick up my pretty young assistant as she won't drive in such conditions ;) ) as I have a 50 mile round trip through the Chilterns each day. I have decided that nothing is a worthy replacement for the ZX so i plan to keep it and replace the Rav with something newer instead - it is an old shape model. Now I actually quite like the Rav so was planning on buying a new-ish one, say 1-2 years old but then I thought, what about a 4wd car? It cannot be too big as Julia may want to drive it sometimes and I don't fancy the Scooby/Evo route so as well as a new Rav I thought about the Golf VR6 4-motion or Audi S3. Any thoughts? Cheers, Richard :smw:

LOL :rofl: Richard ;)

My dad's not into cars anymore and stopped driving after his first heart attack back in 1988. However as an engineer and general "mad professor" he has always taken a keen interest in some of my cars and he was fascinated by the ZX when I bought it. Richard :D

Sounds like a nice break for you mate. Get some pals round for a party or go out with the lads ;) I do know what you mean though - I've got so used to Julia always being around that I hate it when I wake up and she is not there. Thankfully it doesn't happen often - just the odd business trip abroard or my office Xmas party in a strange hotel far from home...... Richard :D

Bit of an extreme accusation there mate.... .......Vini was just expressing an opinion and enjoying a bit of banter. This forum is generally light hearted and should not always be taken too seriously. If you want to have a dig like that at a subscribed member then pay your sub and do it by PM. Richard :x:

Second that - don't use the sealer as it does just that so you can't just remove the targas at will. Use the silicone oil - rub it into the rubber to rejuvinate it. That way it softens and expands the original seals to make them do their job properly. Richard :D

Interesting thought there Rebel - but as a 300zx driver I'd have said it was the petroleum industry ;) :rofl: Richard :D

Hey Si, IIRC you will need the insurance certificate only if applying for a tax disc. Otherwise best take the certificate for your own car just to be on the safe side. You know what government agency desk-jockies can be like on the "jobs-worth" front :headvswal Richard :smw:

Uncontrollable Butt??? There's me thinking you were talking about flatulence ;) :rofl: Richard :D

Oh and Dave, Keep the jokes coming mate - we need them :hyper: Richard :D

Anyone British, with a sense of humour should not IMO take offence at any joke. Even bad taste jokes about death, disasters etc etc. After all having a sense of humour and joking about such things is how us British deal with and come to terms with shit when it happens. I for one did not take offence but I guess if there was a complaint that person's point of view must also be respected. I am not racist (my wife is actually Asian by birth/appearance. She was however adopted by English parents at 6 months old so is in all other respects totally English) but I stil happily crack jokes about all other creeds and cultures. In fact I can say I'm not prejudiced as I will take the piss out of everyone ;) However in my experience it is not people from ethnic minorities who take offence at such jokes, but the white so-called do-gooders of the PC brigade. In the words of the late, great Kenny Everett "We should round them up, put them in a field..........and bomb the b@stards!!!!" Richard :D

IMHO too mate :bow: Rock rules as far as I'm concerned :bow: :bow: Richard :D

The wear rate of F1s is not that bad. I got around 10k miles from the rears (just) which for a 300zx is probably reasonable. I don't do smoking standing starts but I often do hard overtaking and cornering on the rural a & b roads. The fronts have been on for around 15k now and aren't showing signs of serious wear yet. In view of that I'd say they were the perfect choice for the front at least - because when they hit standing water at 80mph, they disperse the wet stuff sooooo well and there is not even a momentary loss of grip. Richard :smw:

Have to say I only like them with the clear lenses. Richard :smw:

Heh heh, neither did I until I went back to the start and saw the "Brunel" thread about Greatest Britons :nelson: Who keep digging up old threads, give them a big :mac1: Richard :headvswal

Amen Brother :bow: I seriously thought I was alone in the world for hating the scheming, media attention grabbing, manipulative bitch-slapper! :x: I should have known better as we are (mostly) like minded folk here ;) Richard :D

A good point there Mark - I believe the same was said about Toyos 10 years ago now they are highly regarded. Richard :D

Coke AND polos - a sure fire way to having no teeth...... ;) :rofl:

Sure made me laugh :rofl:

I did like the Mk1 - I seem to remember there was a 3.1 version......... :bow: And the last 280 in that blue/green was pretty nice too. There were just too many 1.6 and 2.0 versions that were driven by twats (a bit like the BMW 3 series today :D ;) ) which spoilt the image of the Capri for me. Richard :smw:

That might explain it....... :D ;)

Interesting test there Andy but they are all based on "ordinary" car tyres of 185/60/hr14. When you compare high performance Z-rated, wide low profiles the results are very different compared to how those brands scored against each other. Manufacturers invest much more time and costs into their flagship tyres as grip and safety is far more relevant in a tyre that is designed to sustain speeds in excess of 160mph. So where Vredestien scored a first in that test I would guarantee it they tested, say 255/40/zr17 tyres on a sports car that Goodyear, Michelin, Toyo etc would trounce the budget brands. Richard ;)

Between my previous Supras and my 300zx I have tried many a performance tyre - the following brands from memory: Avon ZZ1, BF Goodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop SP9000, Fulda Extremo, Goodyear F1, Michelin Pilot Sport, Pirelli, Uniroyal. The best by miles and miles is the Goodyear F1. With these all round on the ZX grip and road feel were nothing less than outstanding in the dry or extreme wet. Michelin Pilots were very good but pricey compared to the others and the BF Goodrich gave excellent grip in most conditions but lasted 5 minutes. I currently have Dunlop sp9000 sports on the back of the ZX as I needed 2 tyres in a hurry and they were all I could get before I went on hols. They are good but not in the same league as the Goodyears. Bridgestones are not bad either but cannot compare to Goodyears in the wet. All the others I've mentioned are IMO nothing short of crap and as for the cheepo brands - DON'T! HTH Richard :D

13/14 for me :hyper: Fekking lines on a weather map :rant: Richard :D

Certainly do - Belgium :D Julia & I spent 4 days in Brugge earlier this year and I have to say the beer selection was fekking ace :bow: Leffe Blond is indeed very nice - my local pub sells it by the bottle but there were several other beers over there that made Leffe look crap. Beer is pretty cheap in Belgium and the food is very good though just as pricy as here. Take a trip there, you'll not be disapointed mate. Richard :smw: