BrianGT

I don't have a Gen7 so my post is a bit off topic but i do use good quality oil in my car. I want the engine to last another 40 years and I change it far more often than I need. When I built the engine I spoke with Millers Technical department and said I planned on using their fully synthetic racing oil but he advised me it was over the top for my needs and suggested a lesser oil..this threw me a bit but we then had a good long chat about oils and I ended up using one of their products at half the price! As keef-b above says.....it all depends on how you use the engine. Cheap oils break down when they are thrashed as they can't cope with prolonged heat. Then again if you only occasionally thrash the car they are adequate. Our cars are very personal and some want to pamper them and some just want to use and abuse......different strokes!

Haaaaa! That explains why that road was shut yesterday and the detour! Lucky man to survive that but at least the car will polish out.........

I'm still using a Toyota touch up that I bought well over 2 years ago and it is still working fine....maybe they have to cover themselves if anything goes wrong but I wouldn't worry about it. It's not like you are trying to pain a bonnet with it!

When I re-built my car a couple of years ago I was desperate to get it running. I filled it with Millers synthetic racing oil (5-40 i think) which was the only oil in bulk in the garage and used that to run it in. When I changed the oil and filter after about 1500 miles I filled it with the correct Millers 20-50 and I swear to this day I could feel the engine "slow" up.....a bit more lethargic. Maybe I was right after all looking back on it..........hmmm.

I can't comment on that product but every oil or additive I have used from Miller's has been top notch. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend their oils.....I use Classic Sport 20/50 semi synthetic. it has all the ingredients older engines need. They make quality stuff so maybe there is something in it!

A set of strut tubes from Ozzyland to complete my big brake saga! Tomorrow is fitting day.....hopefully!

This thread made me look at the wife's Rav 4 plugs! We've had it 20 months and 16k miles so they deserved a shufty. Denso iridium's were fitted, they looked great so they went straight back in!

To be honest.......the loudest part of my car comes from the induction noise! It really roars when the carbs open up and drowns out what comes from the exhaust........at least from the drivers seat. It's passed two MOT's since I restored it, one by a mate though....and one by my local garage. Neither commented on exhaust noise. It's worrying though that Plod can pull me up like the OP and then I'm done for!

Glad it's in great nick mate! Always a relief when you find out it's sound.

That's me scuppered later this year then!

This is an interesting read for me.......I now have calipers that are catered for with upgraded pads and I've been wondering which way to go! Always used Mintex racing pads back then and never had any problems but these days there is much more choice....decisions, decisions!

my first thought also was diesel! I don't want to alarm you but the same thing did happen to me. I filled up with petrol at a motorway service station and got about 6-8 miles down the road when I heard an engine rattle on acceleration....I immediately thought I had put in 95ron instead of 99 but I too checked my receipt. Turned out to be a big end bearing picking up. Just threw me that it happened immediately after filling up when it had been ok before I pulled in for fuel! Hope your works out ok mate.

I do remember that conversation Dan and it made me research the whole tyre thing! Cheers! At a track if it rains really heavy and you have the wrong tyres on you can choose not to go out but 350 miles away from home and you have to get back on slicks in the rain is another matter....worries me. When I decide to have a play in the car on moorland roads it really handles and turns in well but I need stiff sidewalls because of the hard suspension and most road going tyres have soft walls...I would be scrubbing the name off the sidewalls! I think as this discussion progresses the OP will have a bit of an idea where he wants to go.

Just as a bit of reference.....my car needs better tyres than the normal road tyres I can get in 14" and so for the last month I have really, really been researching List1B tyres like the Kumho and others. i just can't get the road tyres I would really like in 14" and after reading thousands of posts and opinions I have come to the conclusion that it's not really a great idea to have super grippy road legal track tyres for everyday road use. Some do use them all the time and others have had very scary moments with them......as in my instance and we were only doing 30mph in a village. I travel the motorway south to do all major work on my car and a few times I have returned in monsoon conditions and I think i would be really frightened trying to do 40mph on a motorway with wagons up my arse and spray everywhere! I'm either going to go up to 15" wheels which isn't my preferred option or go with Yokohama AO21R's....still a list B tyre but with tread and used by the road rally guys in the dry and wet. Only downside is around 4-5k miles but that's about 6-8 months motoring for me and worth it........my car is really my only indulgence these days! Good luck mate!

My pal uses them on his 260bhp Corolla on track and sometimes on the road. Great dry grip but not at all good in the wet and with standing water they are lethal....you become a passenger. I've been in the car when it's happened and it's very, very scary when you suddenly cross over to the other side of the road!!

Loved them on my wife's Focus......good in the dry and in the wet they are very progressive and predictable.....in fact I can't remember ever making allowances for it raining!

Well done mate! Still.......be careful out there!

I don't know about anyone on here that has done brushed steel but when I was having my dash wrapped I was torn between brushed steel and brushed aluminium. I chose aluminium because it was closer to a genuine period GT dash.....It looks good if it's done right! Good luck! I think because of the brushed effect it looks "deeper" than normal vinyl...kind of less wrapped looking if that makes sense!

1/2" wider no problem at all....you will hardly notice.

Ray....that's what I meant about frost....the cold weather then the sun the heat cycles cause the water to bubble....

Frost can do that if the top layer of paint hasn't keyed to the one below.......it makes the moisture in between shrink and expand with the heat/frost cycle.

hi David....the thing about a basic run up is that it only tells you what power you have. You need to know how it is fuelling and where the ign and mapping are to know how to increase the power. They are not interested in tuning for the basic run cost so you come away with not knowing what to do to rectify things. Motorscope in Northallerton does all John's rally cars old and new and they are a demon at sorting things out.....they can map and tune and test.....very professional but not cheap. John took his AE86 there and they re-mapped it and changed jets etc. and sorted a long standing problem with the car...parts and over 2 hours labour and the dyno runs came to about £180.....but he went away with a better running car!

I was working as a Toyota mechanic when the Ta22 was out (Gen1) and people were quite mesmerized by it's curves and sleek looks...compared to what other car manufacturers were putting out it was from another world. Then they face- lifted it and we all thought it had lost a little... they were trying to crack the american market and hence the longer bonnet and mini Mustang look....which they really did go for with the RA28GT. When the TA40 came out (Gen2) it had lost it's uniqueness and sportiness and was starting to look more like a saloon than a coupe and for me it's one of the first cars that i remember it's rallying image helping sales as the rally version looked sporty again! What they were really gaining with was a reputation for reliability........I remember one quarter's figures for warranty rate being 7% when British Leyland's same quarter was 74%.......!! There one downfall was that the steel was re-cycled and the process was not as good as it is today and panels rusted but they hardly ever broke down! Also the dealers could never get enough yo sell. It's a shame for me being in at the beginning that the Celica name has been dropped from the line....it's engraved in my very fibre!

It fluctuates between taxed cars and Sorn cars........so 8 people could have put their cars back on the road in 2012.......but it's not that accurate anyway.

Well.... the mile and a half Cresta run from my dirt road to the main road almost thawed today and I got really excited! If it continues tomorrow she will be brought out of hibernation and thrashed mercilessly........I have withdrawal symptoms!