Search results

  1. jont-

    Anyone owned a VX220?

    They can be boring unless you're /really/ on it. Even more so than the 197. There's also a torque dip between 3 and 4k RPM which exacerbates this feeling. Unless you get a friendly salesman or a solo test-drive, you may not really get to explore that range. A friend whose run one from new says...
  2. jont-

    Anyone owned a VX220?

    MX5? :laughing: Or Mk3 MR2? Both are probably more pleasant spaces to spend the winter. Then again, one mans practical is another ones insane. I've done 500 miles in a day in the Caterham, and 900 miles over a long weekend to the Isle of Man. So compared to that, a VX is definitely civilised...
  3. jont-

    Anyone owned a VX220?

    Not VX, but used to own an S1 Elise 160. Was my only car, but wasn't a daily as I used public transport for commuting, and SWMBO had a hatchback for practical stuff. Let's see, practicalities wise (apart from the obvious of 2 seats, no proper boot) - at this time of year, water ingress and...
  4. jont-

    Best place to take your meg engined Clio

    Mark Fish in Harlow :thumb:
  5. jont-

    Your previous cars and their mods!

    Are you looking at the newer model? They only did an 'M' variant on the E85, and it was manual only. No idea what the newer E89 is like. On the E85, the 3.0 is almost as quick (most of the M's power is right at the top end), and it's much more economical. On the downside the non-M cars have...
  6. jont-

    Your previous cars and their mods!

    It's an utterly epic engine, but the gearing means top end of 3rd is over 100mph, 4th good for about 140. 6th is geared for just over 200mph. The ride is appalling. On the fen roads around me, the 306GTi I had at the same time was faster A-B. The Z4M was fine on billiard table smooth tarmac, but...
  7. jont-

    Your previous cars and their mods!

    309 1.3GL - learned to drive in it, then bought if off my parents. Cavalier 1.8. Lasted 3 months then written off 205 XS. Brilliant buzzbox. Renault laguna - tedious barge 309 Gti - road rally car. 306 TD - cheap to run, nice handling, a little dull 405 Mi-16. Lovely q-car. Superb ride, epic...
  8. jont-

    MPG

    Sounds abysmal. You can see my long term tracking on Fuelly here: http://www.fuelly.com/car/renault/clio/2007/jons160/372572 - remember it defaults to US units! I found the MPG counter was on average a couple of MPG low (ie I was actually doing a little bit better than indicated). Commuting...
  9. jont-

    Heel and toe

    2nd and 3rd are similar. So while braking, cover the throttle - as the clutch goes down, squeeze the accelerator - revs might drop slightly as you clutch in before you get on the gas, but time it right and it's not so noticeable. With the revs raised to the right amount for the next gear (but no...
  10. jont-

    Heel and toe

    I disagree that it's use on the road is limited - I habitually use it, even when driving gently. It's use is to rev match for mechanical sympathy, not because you're worried about weight balance. There are 3 approaches to changing gear sympathetically, ignoring DDC. 1) Separate braking from...
  11. jont-

    Low entry jacks

    I've just chucked mine away. The locking mechanism broke. (It's a popular jack with Elise owners too, but again there are anecdotal reports about longevity being poor). Also I was forever having to tighten up the bolts holding the front roller in place. I've replaced it with this...
  12. jont-

    Wandas review with rubbish photos

    I quite liked it when I had the Z4M - the unclued public just thought it was another hairdressers car :lol:
  13. jont-

    Belt noise when car is cold.

    Recently gone through a similar experience with mine. Belt allegedly changed at 72k by dealer selling to the previous owner. I then bought privately at 86k (car now at 96k). Was due for aux belt anyway (which came off in a terrible state, so I'm skeptical it was done at 72k, which then made me...
  14. jont-

    Discs and Pads - better option than MTEC?

    The car will be insured on the basis that it's unmodified. If you're knowingly fitting kit that isn't OE or equivalent, then you should declare it. I'd imagine many uprated brake pads are marked "not for road use" which they may well be interested in if you have an accident. Tyres are harder to...
  15. jont-

    Well I've not driven mine yet this year!

    Done 1900 miles since last Weds (long weekend in Scotland) :lol: It's my daily, so expecting to do ~15k/year.
  16. jont-

    Popped out for a wee drive

    Nah, done them on plenty a time too (used to live in Bristol). Thing is, in Wales, you get 5, maybe 10 miles if you're lucky. Up there, it's more like 40-50 miles on a loop :lol:
  17. jont-

    Popped out for a wee drive

    Not really sure if this should go in here, or good driving roads, since it's mostly about the driving... Anyway, popped up to Scotland for a few days recently - it's such a lovely part of the world to drive. Bit of a long day up, but staying with a friend he very kindly insisted in getting all...
  18. jont-

    keyless entry

    More like 3s before it re-opens. Put it this way - if I lock it at the boot, usually by the time I pass the door to check it's locked and pull the handle, it unlocks again :lol:
  19. jont-

    197 main beam adjustment (Xenons)

    Had a quick look over lunch as I'm WFH today. The main beam doesn't appear adjustable independent of the xenon - the reflector is a single piece unit. There's a white 6mm hex grub screw that's visible through the top of the slam panel - this appears to adjust both main and dipped up and down...
  20. jont-

    197 main beam adjustment (Xenons)

    It's not the autolevel on the Xenon's - they're fine. It's whether the main beam is independently adjustable - at the moment it's throwing the light a bit short of where I'd expect (and shorter than the offside).