Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

I’m doing the same. Getting a big estate. Not using the van as a van much now so will be better.

Sadly not rs4! More like mondeo. :(

If only we knew someone with a Volvo for sales

What a killer space - nice one. Decent value? Glasgow always seemed a raging deal for such a handsome city. Got to be impervious to rain, I suppose but it can't be any wetter than the PNW over here.

For the volvo owners:
https://www.facebook.com/chris.ng.9655/posts/1695471493822342

Had me worried there, glad you've still got yours. Thanks for all the info, the JR kit must have been pretty expensive back then. From what I've read the Eaton M45 seems the go-to supercharger, but I would like to know if there's a better choice nowadays as some info online is over 10 years old now. Probably got this horrifically wrong but do like the idea of

Stage 1: Eaton M45, Salon kit, crossover pipe
Stage 2: Me221 ECU, RX8 injectors, front mounted intercooler, sensors and dyno tune

After all that with yours good to know it didn't put you off the cars, and famous last words I know but 180bhp, plus the torque would make me very happy. Do want to visit a dyno soon to see what the baseline power (or lack of it) is, but can't help thinking that £80 could go towards something shiny or the blower eventually.

Impressive.

Excellent!

Yeah I had all the original receipts with that car and it cost a lot. The guy didn’t do things by halves, which is why I bought it!

The M45 is the go to kit, it’s cheap (relative) and there’s lots of options available.

Other options are there but it kind of depends on what you want from the car and how much you want to spend.

A rotrex will be more compact, and better performance by far, being a modern centrifugal supercharger, but it’s expensive.

The other option is an M62, I know of only one person who’s fitted this supercharger that was active on MX5Nutz, it’s a pain to install because it’s a bigger supercharger, but the result is more volume so more power.

The problem with the M45 is the same as all roots superchargers, you can spin them faster but they make a tonne more heat and you eventually over spin them so if you want to make lots of power then there’s no replacement for displacement and that counts even for forced induction!

Saying that, if you want a decent bump in power, and aren’t keen to constantly be upping it, then an M45 supercharger install is perfect. There’s a reason it’s so common, because it just works.

I would say that don’t do the 2 stages separately, mine was never on a standalone ECU and while there was nothing really “wrong” with it, and it ran pretty well, I’ve been in M45 supercharged MX5s on proper standalone ECUs and the difference was a lot more than I thought it would be. Mine drove like a standard car but sometimes it would stutter, it wasn’t a perfect map, and basically it drove like a tuner car rather than OEM. Whereas the M45s on Megasquirt 2 or 3 I’ve been in with a proper map by a pro tuner, drove like OEM cars. I’ve not been in an ME221 car but it’s my understanding it’s even better.

I’d say from speaking with other people who went from piggybacks or Bipes & RRFPR to Megasquirt, they picked up 10-15bhp after a proper mapping session with a tuner, so my 180-185 could have been more like 200 on a decent ECU.

An M45 kit with an ME221, maybe a slightly smaller pulley, RX8 injectors, and an inter cooler is all you need for reliable smiles per miles.

Your other option is turbo, which is “easier” to upgrade, start with lower boost, raise it as you feel you need it, until eventually you go for a bigger turbo but then you end up needing forged rods, and suddenly you’re spending the best part of 5k.

A turbo MX5 is a properly fast car on a track, and a supercharged MX5 is still very quick, the difference is how you like your acceleration delivered. My supercharged car always felt like an NA car but the big numbers just arrived there quicker. I remember the day I picked it up I thought, doesn’t really feel that quick, then looked at the speedo and I was triple digits and still piling on the speed.

The turbo car can be faster but it will always feel faster because you get that shove into the back of the seat when the boost kicks in. Because of that you have to drive it like a fast car, you have to be wary of that boost, but supercharged can be a little more forgiving. On the flip side again, a good tuner such as Skuzzle can map boost by gear with the ME221 ECU and ensure that you don’t have those hairy moment so often.

A lot of this is probably easier discussed over a drink so give me a shout if you want to talk about it further.

Oh and a power run won’t be £80! More like £40.

NICE.

Interested to see how this pans out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEKAWbn6gMw

I reckon he’ll fail to add as many subscribers as Tavarish’s Lambo which seems to be bothering him.

In other boring news. My A2 is still doing 60mpg. Had and oil and filter change in the last year and passed its MOT with no advisories or pre work done. With webasto, winter tyres and heated seats had a toasty "beast from the east".

But I dream of this
https://media.jaguar.com/news/2018/03/jaguar-creates-unique-greatest-hits-xj-iron-maiden-drummer-nicko-mcbrain

I’ve never watched Tavarish’s videos, are they good? I like him whenever he’s on The Smoking Tire podcast but I’ve just not got round to it.

Nearly new? A friend has a well specced Mondeo Estate and it is nice. If you’re not too bothered about how it drives then you can’t go wrong.

60mpg?! Is that around town or just when cruising. What year is your car? It must be good to know it won’t rust. Always like the A2 shape, what’s it like to drive?

Nearly broke! Just what I sell my van for 3-4K.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201802233998949?exclude-writeoff-categories=on&sort=price-desc&fuel-type=Petrol&postcode=n167tj&radius=1501&body-type=Estate&advertising-location=at_cars&price-to=4000&onesearchad=Used&page=1

Another option in your price range, ex gf’s dad had one when new and I really liked it. Very bright and airy inside.

60mpg?! Is that around town or just when cruising. What year is your car? It must be good to know it won’t rust. Always like the A2 shape, what’s it like to drive?

60mpg on my 25 mile ew commute, doing brim to brim, DIS actually reads low. 15miles A64 and A1 and the rest in and out of the city. Some owners get more. City driving, short runs this week, no commute and the DIS is showing 40 average so likely to be 43 irl, webasto runs continually and car never gets warmed up. £30 VEL on mine.
2002 on 155000miles. It's a harsh ride, you feel every pot hole and cats eye, that is its real failing. Owners try many suspension tweaks and tyre and wheel changes, nothing really makes it good. It is reckoned the chassis / box section is that strong there is no give. Someone is doing a change to make one a pick up. They took a saw to the roof behind the front door pillars and then level to rear and even with the rear doors open, the front doors still shut perfectly.

Its the 1.4diesel, best I can say is it keeps up with traffic, but does have a little punch. Handling feels secure, no suprises. Cant drive with a window open, the "helicopter noise when you do makes in intolerable in the cabin. Mine has superb climate and OSS so get around it. One of the extras is 4 electric windows, which is a joke when you don't really want one open.

Because of the 'no rust ever' there are a few engine changes happening across the VAG range mainly Seat and g/box change the 6 speed Passat will fit.

If it wasn't for the dreaded diesel scare, i'd look at investing. At the moment just driving it and saving money.

Finally got the drive shaft fixed on my shit-type but now it's developed an oil leak even though it's only been driven once since Christmas. That's weird right? it was fine when I left it

Seals can dry out when cars stand for a while

What was it?

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Nearly new? A friend has a well specced Mondeo Estate and it is nice. If you’re not too bothered about how it drives then you can’t go wrong.

Got any more details? Ta

Yeah, kinda, I can see why people don’t like them. He has a charming enthusiasm but his builds often don’t get finished. I much prefer B is for build and MCM.

Went to see the C55 today, nice car, well screwed together, smaller than the Volvo on the inside and despite very similar theoretical power outputs quite a lot slower.

Makes a good noise.