What have you done to your car today?

Soldato
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I made an RS3 "stuck" behind me for a few seconds a couple of weeks ago whilst I played with a golf R, unbelievable turn of pace once i got out of his way, find it hard to believe they're only 60bhp or so more powerful than the Golf
 

mjt

mjt

Soldato
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31 Aug 2007
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I made an RS3 "stuck" behind me for a few seconds a couple of weeks ago whilst I played with a golf R, unbelievable turn of pace once i got out of his way, find it hard to believe they're only 60bhp or so more powerful than the Golf
8P or 8V? The current RS3 has 400bhp v the 300bhp Golf R. The old-shape RS3 had to make do with 340bhp.
 
Associate
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Funny you mention Golf R, just got home from having a play with what I assume was a stock one, got the thumbs up which was nice as a few people get very salty.

Those new RS3's are very quick especially with the 4WD and a remap, would love one but a 'bit' out of my price range :(.
 
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Soldato
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Hard to tell with them really, they are so easy to add relatively large power upgrades you never really know.

I only really know mine was standard as it was much of a muchness with the focus (a bit quicker but hardly going anywhere really) which is running somewhere around 275/280.

Then again you need such a power difference to really pull away without reaching properly stupid speeds (hence the surprise at quite how fast said RS3 was) that it can be hard to tell.
 
Associate
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Hard to tell with them really, they are so easy to add relatively large power upgrades you never really know.

I only really know mine was standard as it was much of a muchness with the focus (a bit quicker but hardly going anywhere really) which is running somewhere around 275/280.

Then again you need such a power difference to really pull away without reaching properly stupid speeds (hence the surprise at quite how fast said RS3 was) that it can be hard to tell.
Running a 870KG, 304 Bhp @ 315ft/lbs Toyota Starlet with a Quaif Helical diff, you soon sort the men from the boys, especially on track. Lol I go into 4th and 5th and as you say, it starts go go into stupid speeds on an empty well known private road.

My mate has a Volvo T series 2.5L which is mapped with supporting mods to 307bhp and a **** load of torque with bigger injectors up to RS levels (without block mod) and since getting my car done; has no chance of keeping up when I go into 4th and 5th gear.

When I was running old 265Bhp map he closed the distance on me in 5th gear, now it's night and day, I leave him for dust lol in 4th and 5th. 3rd gear on my car is spin/grip happy due to the weight.
 
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Associate
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870kg. Half a car. Brilliant.
What do you need in a car for driving weekends and track days? Could drive the Starlet every day if it wasn't for salt on the roads and bad weather as it's a lot more economical off boost than my Corolla T Sport lol. £35 fills the tank and if you drive it sparingly it shreds the 2ZZ Yamaha engine on economy.

It's a much more pleasant drive as well regarding drive-ability even with the un-sprung 6 Puk SPEC clutch.

The face some people make when the screamer pipe opens at 1.5Bar is priceless, they know they picked the wrong car to play with. For people that dont know, watching their face drop when the learn that it's a 1.3 - 1.5L is priceless.
 
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Soldato
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13 Jan 2003
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Wife's Matiz has a flat battery with very slow turnover.. charged yesterday, showed 13.xV left in the conservatory overnight 10V this morning... must have a dead cell. £80 for a new 40Ah battery and just fitted it.
 
Caporegime
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Running a 870KG, 304 Bhp @ 315ft/lbs Toyota Starlet with a Quaif Helical diff, you soon sort the men from the boys, especially on track. Lol I go into 4th and 5th and as you say, it starts go go into stupid speeds on an empty well known private road.

My mate has a Volvo T series 2.5L which is mapped with supporting mods to 307bhp and a **** load of torque with bigger injectors up to RS levels (without block mod) and since getting my car done; has no chance of keeping up when I go into 4th and 5th gear.

When I was running old 265Bhp map he closed the distance on me in 5th gear, now it's night and day, I leave him for dust lol in 4th and 5th. 3rd gear on my car is spin/grip happy due to the weight.

That main thing with the new super hatches is that they are incredibly fast in a straight line due to the double clutch transmissions and 4wd but their weight is always their Achilles heel. Old Subaru's and Evo's quite easily do 7min runs on the ring but the newer cars really struggle to break into the 7's.

Even still you will struggle to beat a modern hot hatch in the sprint to 60 due to gearbox and launch. A starlet is never going to do a 3 second dash to 60 in a million years. Rolling start it will murder it obviously to bhp/tonne but the golf will make far better use of what it has.
 
Soldato
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8 Feb 2009
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Busy week! Prepped my R53 for it's MOT next week, definitely left it a little late but think it'll pass!

ABS went pretty much a month after I bought it, first it was speedo dropping, then none at all, then I got an ABS fault, and I've driven it all year in this state. So:
  • Replaced the rear right ABS sensor, as read this governs the speed reading. No dice, but probably had gone since the old sensor was worn away.
  • Couldn't pull either of the front sensors out, so rather than snap them, decided to look through the side - left front had also worn away. Replaced, after snapping it off, and digging out the old material with a screwdriver. Still no dice.
  • Took it to an autoelectrician to get a read-out. CAN fault, and historical faults with the two sensors I'd changed, as well as the front left ASB ring.
  • Pulled out glovebox, stripped and crimped two new wires to the CAN Hi and Lo wires between the ABS pump and the wires inside - lo and behold, speedo and MPG back! Fuel gauge is steady now, not sloshing around with the petrol in the tank. Still an ABS fault though.
  • Replaced the front left wheel bearing, boom, ABS fixed! Then driver's side headlight bulb goes...
  • Replaced the bulb, nope. Swapped the ballasts - problem switches side. New ballast being delivered tomorrow.
 
Man of Honour
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Even still you will struggle to beat a modern hot hatch in the sprint to 60 due to gearbox and launch.

It is kind of ridiculous these days - while pretty pedestrian by regular never mind performance car standards the gearbox and electronics on my pickup get it going crazy quick for such a vehicle - though it doesn't officially have launch mode people found out how to get the computer to essentially perform a launch as it shares a lot of electronics with the 370Z.
 
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