Jontysafe Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 Been out again today, lovely dry roads. Have never experienced wheelspin in 5th at 80mph before! Also went to overtake in 3rd and hit boost and was skewed sideways a little bit. The car really has to have the throttle fed in very gently. Car is possibly a little under tyred at the rear but very difficult to get heat into the A048s when it's only 3 or 4 degrees. I am REALLY enjoying the car, everything is so analogue. Brakes aren't the awful over servoed stuff you get in sports saloons from Germany. You have to press quite hard but ultimate power is phenomenal. The geometry was set up at plays kool and its made the car soooo predictable. Have spoke to Mark Shead ref final mapping and will be going there early feb. I wish I'd done this before! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 John ive been reading your posts over the last week or so nice to see you and the westfield have been geling yourselves ha ha Those tyres will not grip well in near zero temps to be fair in the summer i had them warm and with nice dry tarmac you could let rip no bother in the cold temps and damp they are **** mind if you give it big beans mind it will still spin the wheels and its predicatable and nicely set up but we all are different too, sounds like yous two are finding harmony though and i can say one thing just needed to ask it really.... IS IT QUICK ENOUGH ?? Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexander72 Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Jontysafe, AO48's will be dodgy, if not dangerous, at below 10 degree's... take it easy mate with all those horses under the bonnet :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jontysafe Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share Posted February 3, 2013 Hello Rob, nice to hear from you! Hmmm.....is it quick enough? Well let's put it this way, a fifth gear roll on from 70 to 120 and it pulls harder than the M6 did in 3rd or 4th! I reckon the odometer is now reading 700miles, just love driving it. My second set of alloys arrive next week, am going to get some colder temp rubber on them. What do you reckon, vredestein, Falken or ? How are you Rob? Any movement on new project? Oh btw my wife and I now have matching rosso red helmets!! Cue my mates ripping the p***!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jontysafe Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share Posted February 3, 2013 Thanks Alexander, I intend to. I know my limits! May see if I can find some pilot sport 2s anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 yeah i echo michellin pilot sports or sport cups or toyo proxes i would go for... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jontysafe Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 Have had a bit of a catastrophic day today. Went to start the westie and all was definitely NOT well. That horrible metal on metal sound. Absolutely gutted doesn't cover it. Have done about 450 miles in the last few weeks with absolutely no problems. Don't know what it is, possibly cam belt tensioner failure or a timing belt slip. I'm no mechanic though so could be something completely different. Whatever it is its going to be engine strip down time and investigation. Times like these I wish I had more mechanical knowledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveD Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 what sort of sound grinding noise ,banging ,tapping what , it could be summat simple dont assume the worst and start pulling the engine appart ,could be dropped spanner/screwdriver ,sticking starter could be anything worth checking the obvious simple things first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexander72 Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Jonty, what Steve D said but if it was my car i would simply hand it over to someone like Steve and Troy at Northampton Motorsport. With an exceptional car like yours I would not even put a spanner to it mate. Sorry to hear of the issue - lets hope it isnt a big problem. James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 What Steve said - do not assume the worst! Small things can make the most extraordinary sounds. It would be most odd that it was some serious if it ran perfectly when you shut it off and it made that noise the very next time you started it. Check small stuff first - oil levels, HT leads, belts, brackets, etc. Although there's no recourse, call the previous owner and ask if he ever had it happen, perhaps he has an easy solution. Does it run smoothly despite making the noise? As much info as you can give us will help. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jontysafe Posted February 17, 2013 Author Share Posted February 17, 2013 Hello guys, I have spoken to rob the guy that built it and its never done anything like that before. Before I started her I went over the engine, checking oil and water levels, connections, water and boost hoses etc. There was no warning at all, no funny noises. She started fine, she needs a few revs, say 2000 rpm for 10-20 secs from cold to clear the lungs, soon as I dropped back to idle, it happened, wasn't a clonking or tapping noise, bit difficult to explain. I took spark plugs out and turned it over after and it was very tight, car still starts but smokes like a b******* and is very rough. To be honest I think I'm just going to trailer it to a professional, I have heard very good things indeed about NMS but probably a bit far away. Mark Shead at MADevelopments was meant to be having the car in for post run in mapping/fuelling check next week. I know he's one of the best cossie engine builders but probably isn't going to come cheap if I take it there and it does need any work. Any other recommendations for Newbury/Marlborough/Andover area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FILFAN Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Really hope it's something simple and your up and going again soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jontysafe Posted February 17, 2013 Author Share Posted February 17, 2013 Thanks filfan, gutted isn't the word ! Weather is great for a blat today as well, going to console myself with beef and a very nice bottle of Rhone's finest instead. Somehow going for a blat in a passat isn't the same! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Ditto, hope it's very simple - do you have access to a compression tester? Might help point out something obvious. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexander72 Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Jonty, thats cool. I'm a great believer in getting experts in - thats why I have an accountant who looks after my money, a sparky who does my electrics and so on. You have a cracking car there with a highly developed engine. let's hope it isnt too serious and you are soon back on the road. If you need any help I have a trailer, insurance for £100k per car and I am 5 miles from NMS if you ever need car moving. I've had my westy for a year, well developed X-flow (obviously no where near as developed as your's) and whenever it's had an issue i hand it over and concentrate on my day job! Good luck James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.