hairdo2001

Is this going to be a touchscreen in the dash/pc in the boot or an all in one head unit that's built into the dash? If it's an all in one unit will it be running XP and a front end or does it have it's own Linux based OS and front end? I've done the same as Joel and got a touchscreen in the dash and PC in the boot running XP and Centrafuse as the front end and it works well but setting it up can be a pain. Also getting datascan and conzult to work is a bit of a nuisance and they still can't be integrated properly with Centrafuse on XP (although that might change with the next datascan release) so with a non XP setup you've got almost no chance. Dave PS : Joel, are you going to be fitting a transreflective display? Also i assume that the idrive thing you're referring to is the Space Navigator. I'm hoping to do that next month. Let me know how it goes.....

Sorry Kirbz but the TH42PX70 is a 720p set which means that it the max resolution it can display is 1024 x 720. A 1080i TV have a resolution of 1920 x 1080. I was thinking of getting one myself as they got rave reviews but the 720p thing put me off. To be honest, i've been told that unless you're going to about 50" you can't really tell the difference between 1080 and 720. The reason you can see a 1080 picture on a 720 tv is cause it reduces the number of horizontal lines from 1080 to 720 before it displays them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1080i Dave

The "i" or the "p" at the end of the number means interlaced or progressive scan. The number is the number of horizontal lines on the picture. A picture on a UK tv updates 25 times a second or at a rate of 25Hz. Reason for this is that our mains frequency is 50Hz and TV's used to get their timing from the mains. Back when TV was young the technology wasn't good enough to update the picture at 50Hz so what they did was take the even numbered horizontal lines and the odd number horizontal lines and update them both at 50 times a second one at a time so you end up with a complete picture at 25 times a second. This practice of doing a set of lines at a time is called interlacing. Progressive scan is a term that comes from computer monitors and means that the all the lines are updated at the same time at whatever speed the signal is updating. Progressive scan requires better equipment as more is happening at the same time but the picture is better. So 720p is progressive scan at 720 horizontal lines of resolution (HD-ready) 1080i is interlaced at 1080 horizontal lines of resolution (Full HD) 1080p is progressive scan at 1080 horizontal lines of resolution (Full HD and better than 1080i) 720p Televisions can normally play 1080 signals but the signal is down-scaled to 720p or 720i Xbox, PS3, Bluray and PC/Macs can do 1080p Freesat and Sky HD do 1080i Nintendo Wii is 480p or 576i Regular TV is normally 480i Dave

Worth noting at this point that the inverter frequency is important too. You need an 12v to 100VAC 400Hz inverter for EL panels to work properly. If you walk into maplins and ask for a 12v to 110V/220v inverter they're going to think you mean a domestic one which will have an output frequency of 60Hz/50Hz. Dave

I always thought these things were great, although it's probably not exactly what you're looking for. It's based on a Starlets running gear so the mechanical parts are easy enough to find. Just don't break any of the windows..... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Toyota-Sera-1991-Silver-1-5-Petrol-Manual-SWales_W0QQitemZ130298873966QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAutomobiles_UK?hash=item130298873966&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A7%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

The only ones on ebay are second hand 17 inchers with the wrong stud numbers/PCD's. Maybe i'm being over cautious but i'd worry about buying 2nd hand alloys on ebay...

I just glanced at the pics of the Black Z and one taken from front to back looked like it had a wide arch on, which it obviously hasn't. Sorry i don't really like your choice of wheels FunkySi, but i still prefer the Kahn ones. I've been doing some searching on here and i've found threads with Dan from DTA recommending the Kahns as they're made by Antera. Is the general feeling that they're poor quality as they seemed to priced around the mid range of what i've been looking at? Also i didn't really mean the saxo thing to be taken seriously which is why i put one of these guys ;) at the end. I'm sure that the wheels on the Black LWB non-widearch are fantastic wheels and worth every penny, but I personally find them too busy so they're not on the list.

Those do look pretty good on the car jaffa. I've got another fortnight or so to make a decision so i've still got some time to think about it. At least i've got some options now :) As far as the stock wheels thing goes, there are 2 reasons why i don't want to stick with stock. First one is that the stock wheels 16 inches just don't really fill the arches enough, as has been mentioned before. The second and main reason is that my Z is a 96 with the BBS alloys on. They do look better than i thought they would but i've been dreaming of 5 spokes ever since i got the car. Dave PS: If anyone fancies a set of the OEM BBS alloys there might well be a for sale thread some time next month.....

Cheers for the pics Jaffa. More to think about..... I think you've got a point about the wheels not being dished. Probably best sticking with 18x8's and putting wider tyres on the rear. I do sort of see what you're saying when you say that they're dull but i suppose that i'd counter that by saying that look classic or refined. I don't want the wheel to stand out from the car. I'd prefer that they enhanced the existing look of the car without trying to overpower it. If there's one thing i've noticed about these cars it's the huge smorgasbord of opinions on what makes a Zed look good. There's a dizzying array of bodykits available so there really is any amount of ways to improve (or ruin, depending on your taste) your car. I think that is one of the main reasons why modded Zed's are a nightmare to sell. People want to start with a blank canvas rather than someone elses opinion of how a Zed should look. My personal taste goes down the "less is more" road so i'm trying to keep mine as subtle (dull?) as possible. When i see the alloys on the Black SWB i think "19 year olds with Saxos in a supermarket car park on a friday night doing burnouts". But that's just me ;) Dave

Wow, those Kahn's are perfect. I had a look at the Kahn website before and i thought they only did wheels for 4x4's so i just moved on. Ta very much Joel. I never even thought about the 350z. Am on the nissan website now. Now i need to figure out do i get 2 18x8's for the front and 2 18x9.5's for the back or just 18x8's all round.

Cheers for the ideas. My problem with the alloys on the Black SWB is the allen bolts round the rims. Unfortunately, for me, they just make the wheels look too busy whether they're real or not. Never really been a fan of the wide arch look either. I always thought that the real design strength with the Z was that it looked quite aggressive but fairly subtle at the same time which is why i'm trying to keep away from too much fine detailing or "look at me" features on my car. I'm trying to get the whole car to look right without any one bit standing out. I do quite like the Jade R's but i'm trying really hard not to go above 18". I've always thought that 19's just fill the arches just a little too much and I've got the Tein Flex shocks and some Whiteline ARB's that will (hopefully) go onto the car sometime next month. Put those and some 19" wheels together and i'm worried that it'll develop a fairly bone shattering ride. I like sporty handling, but the car is my daily driver and i don't want to end up feeling every cigarette butt i drive over. Dave

I was following your previous threads and i really share your disappointment about the Cruize 135's. They would have been perfect. I'd definitely consider the 136's if they came in 18" but i've only found them in 19". Also on the maybe list is the Rota GTR's and the Kei D1's. I like them all but for me they're just not quite as good as a nice clean plain set of 5 spokes like the Silver SWB in the zcentre shot has. The one's on Silver streak look like they might be a winner. Now all i need to do is find a company that stocks them. Thanks for the help Dave Edit : In my searches continuing theme of "so near and yet so far" the alloys on the Silver streak are from a company called MasItaly which are now out of business and aren't available any more. Even on ebay.

Hi, As the title says i've been trying to find my perfect alloys for my Z for what seems like an eternity. All i want is some plain 18" 5 spoke wheels without any of the flares or twiddely bits or fake allen bolts that seem to be on every other wheel out there. Going on an earlier thread by FunkySi i was thinking of getting a slight stagger with the fronts being 8.5" wide and the rears being 9.5" wide. I assumed that as 5 spoke's seem to be the most common alloy's about i'd have no problems finding some, but almost all the wheels on the many, many websites i've looked at are way too over designed with all the plain 5 spokes being too small or too narrow. I've attached a pic i nicked from the zcentre website of pretty much exactly what i'm looking for. Anyone have any ideas what the alloys are on the car below? Cheers Dave

Don't know if this has been mentioned before, but at the start of the 3rd video when he's accelerating down what looks like a straight the angle of the steering wheel is way wayyy off centre. Dave

I've got them on mine. Can't remember what the value is but it's pretty low and has to be very high power to deal with the big currents that will be passing through it. The resistors need to be wired in parallel with the LED's indicators. If you get them from this lot http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/ then you get the resistors with the bulbs. Dave

You know that it's not just the voltage that's important, it's the frequency too. Typically EL panels need a supply that is 130Vac and 800Hz, so a special inverter is required. It sounds like you've just got a 12Vdc to 110Vac 60Hz mains inverter. Problem is that if you've plugged that into the EL panel you might have damaged it. Dave

I've got one on the roads of NI. If you see a silver LWB around the Lisburn Road area that'll be me.... Dave

Sorry Jeff but i've got to disagree with you on this one. My other car's a camper van and i've spent many many months researching split charge systems (you'll find a post of mine on the Club 80-90 wiki under "Heavy duty charging"). The regulator on the alternator holds the voltage output at 14.4v regardless of the load and is set at that voltage cause that's over the fully charged open circuit voltage of a battery enough to charge it quickly but not high enough to damage it. If you flatten the battery a bit before you start the engine then the open circuit battery voltage will drop and so when you start the engine they'll be a bigger difference between the alternator output and the battery voltage. This voltage or potential difference is what causes current to flow from the alternator to the battery to replenish the charge. If you have a fully charged battery connected to a running engine and you suddenly connect a battery that's only half charged then the current output of the alternator will rise but the entire amount that it's risen will go to the second battery. The amount going to the engine battery won't change at all because it's open circuit voltage won't have changed. Only issue is if you connect a dead or damaged battery the current going to it would exceed the max current output of the alternator and then the voltage would drop enough so the duff battery would steal some charge from the engine battery. The ebay item that you linked to would be the same as connecting the battery to the cigarette lighter socket, but would do it automatically instead of having to physically plug it in. How that works is, it is just a voltage switched relay and when it senses the voltage rise above 14v it assumes that the engine is running the alternator as battery voltage wouldn't get that high on it's own. When it switches it connects the second battery to the engine battery so both are charged at the same time. (These relays don't really work though. Just check on the Club 80-90 forum and you'll see the trouble people have with them). All that being said, connecting a second battery to the cig socket has some problems. The cig socket fuses are normally rated at 15A so if the battery is under about 2/3 charged there's a good chance you'll blow the fuse. Also if the battery isn't a sealed type it could give off gases when being charged which isn't great inside the car. If it's something that's really important to you the best way to do it is run a fused bit of decent sized cable from the +ve terminal on the battery through a split charge relay as shown in the Club 80-90 link and from there to where the battery will be charged. This is the second post in a row where i've contradicted what someone has said but i hope you don't think i'm trying to start an argument. It's just this is the first time when i've felt i've known a bit about a subject that's come up. Dave

I know that it seems to be an unpopular opinion but i also think that ABS for road use is a safer option than no ABS. A few years ago a friend of mine had an accident in a brand new Golf GTi. It was winter and he was driving down an icy road towards a junction. There was already a car at the junction and when he tried to slow down the ABS cut in and no matter how hard he pressed on the pedal the car wouldn't slow down in time and he rear ended the other car. When he arrived in work we were all treated to the story of how the ABS had caused him to hit the car as he was trying to stop and the brakes almost didn't seem to come on. It turned out later that he was traveling far too fast and all the ABS did was give him an opportunity to retain a little bit of steering to maybe avoid a crash in these situations. In a standard braking system the ABS is always going to be a far better judge of when you're losing braking than any driver. It continuously monitors the rotation of all wheels and adjusts the braking in milliseconds so it'll always be faster than you. Do you think Lewis Hamilton or any of the Formula 1 "best drivers in the world" would be as fast without the electronics in their cars? If your ABS kicks in then the chances are that you've already locked a wheel without realising it, which only goes to show that you've put yourself in a position that you didn't mean to and it's now down to the ABS to sort out your mess.... And a small note to Dunk300zxtt. I'm bet that almost all accidents happen cause people aren't giving their full attention to their situation and the car you're driving is almost irrelevant. I know that these cars can bite you big time but there are plenty of times when it's late on a motorway and you're ploughing on and someone stops suddenly in front of you when you'd normally panic and lock up where ABS would save your life. Dave

That's probably what the diodes were for. If you moved the output of the timer to the ignition side of the ignition cut then the diodes could be used to stop the feed from the turbo timer back feeding into the ignition cut and making the alarm think the ignition was still on. With the Sigma maybe you could use a relay and a diode on the turbo timer output. The relay coil could be across the output of the turbo timer and ground and then after the relay the diode could be fitted to stop anything from back feeding to the relay. The contacts on the relay could be used to bridge the fuel pump cutoff while the relay was getting a signal from the turbo timer. When the timer switches off the relay would release the contacts and the fuel pump would be isolated again. Dave

I think you're best bet is to contact your local sigma fitter and see what he can do. An Auto electrician might be able to do it but the circuit diagrams for alarms seem to be harder to get than the Magna Carta and, like Mario says, there's more chance of voiding your Thatchams if you get a non-qualified fitter messing with it. Dave PS: Heavy duty diodes are normally more expensive than wiring 5 or 6 lower current diodes in parallel.

There's still tons of jobs open in the Merchant Navy. Cruise ships and passenger vessels are seriously understaffed and always looking for good engineers/electricians. Moneys good and the best bit is that you don't pay any income tax meaning you don't feel obliged to get furious at the government doing things like funding 15 years of ludicrous salaries and bonuses for bankers.... I'm currently working on a private yacht that is owned by a member of a middle eastern royal family and spends 10 months of the year in the south of France. Dave PS: The electrician route is the easiest way to go as you don't need any extra qualifications. Engineers need to do a 3 year course to get a qualification from the MCA but you can normally find company to sponsor you.

I've got a clifford 850 and was having the same problems with my turbo timer. I got in touch with my local clifford fitter and they were able to fix this problem using a diode (actually a bunch of diodes to deal with the current). The frustrating thing is that i'm an electronic engineer and was literally begging them to tell me where they were putting the diode, or at least give me a look at some circuit diagrams so i could see what was going on, but they were having none of it. It was fitted at the back of their garage which is separated from waiting area so i couldn't see what they were up to. All they would tell me is that it was fitted in a way to stop the feed from the turbo timer going to the alarm so when the key is out the alarm things the engine is off even if it's being kept on by the turbo timer. I did try and have a closer look one day but it's installed all the way up behind the dash and i couldn't see it. My curiosity didn't extend to pulling out a working system to see what it was doing and possibly breaking it. And it doesn't invalidate the Thatcham because there is no special inter-connecting of the units and it doesn't affect the functioning of the alarm unit. Also i'm pretty sure that the Thatcham cert is only an issue if your car is nicked, not if you have an accident. Dave

Cheers Dan, I'm afraid that the de-cat option was never really there for me anyway. Along with the highest insurance in the UK and couriers charging the earth to deliver things here, another perk to living in Northern Ireland is that our MOT stations are all run by the government in special facilities. All the equipment they use is state of the art and if your car emissions aren't up to scratch they will certainly fail you for it. Our local ferry company has a special offer to allow motorists to go across to Stranraer on a day return specifically to get their motors MOT's in Scotland at some local dial-an-MOT garage. Putting it back on for an MOT might only be a couple of bolts but they're bolts underneath the car and i don't have access to a ramp or a lift and i despise working under cars that're only supported with axle stands. This plus the whole back pressure issue is enough to make my mind up. If you can't find any, or it's looking like it's going to be a pain to get some made up i can just get some sent over from Z1, but i'd rather the money went to a local company. Cheers Dave PS: The Z1 one's are by a company called Random Tech. Don't know if that helps....

Afternoon, Now i've got the bits to do the suspension and brakes i think it's time to get a bit more out of the engine. I've already got the ECU upgrade, EBC and an Apexi filter so it seem that the only things to get me up to 14psi would be on the exhaust side. I was planning on getting some divorced downpipes and a Mongoose exhaust but i can't decide what to do about the cats. I've found some Hi-Flow cats on Z1 but was wondering if they're worth the money. I don't want to de-cat as the car's a 96 and it would mean sticking them back on once a year for the MOT and there's also the issue with the turbo seals. Does anyone know if Hi-Flow cats much better than the stock ones and can i buy them in the UK? Cheers Dave