[Choosing the best tyres for the typical British winter.]

IF you're going to have two sets of wheels, one should be a decent summer and the other a decent full winter rather than a all seasons.

I have run Nankang SV-2s on my Cordoba and they were pretty good, ran Vredstein Snowtrac2s on the Celica and they were better, but damp was their weakness (they got better the wetter it was).

Have just fitted Nokian A3s to my Fabia, but have not had a chance to test them properly yet, but initial thoughts are they are great in the dry with good stability and turn in.

My Celica from last year (camera is a little dark, I was in my sun glasses as the sun was quite bright, makes the snow look thinner than it was):

Sure you could 'drive to the conditions' as many suggest, but personally I enjoy the extra grip, passing stranded 4x4s on summers and being able to get to where I want to go

[Hello, just joined / bought a Gen 7, with a couple of questions]

Was it Bradford based before?

[tyres]

I've used MyTyres, TyreLeader and TyreFactors and never had any issues.

Delivery isn't next day as they ship from Germany generally.

Just got 2 Continental winters for the GFs Yaris for £30 each from tyre leader, late 2014 date on them. Even if I take them to the local Blackcircles garage and pay £10 fitting (should be able to get them down as they are lose wheels and no disposal required) I'll still save £10 a corner compared to Blackcircle Hankook winters!

Check prices regularly as you'll randomly find some cracking deals on branded/mid range tyres. Watch the deals that say DOT201x - this is the manufactured date. May not be such a problem in this country (legally anyway) but there has to be a reason tyre ages are taken in to account in some countries.

[super unleaded]

Tested the Tesco Momentum fuel this evening - rock solid 28 maximum knock after a good thrash. Based on that I'd go as far as saying it's better than the Shell stuff.

Just be careful with Tesco stations, don't assume they all have it! The most convenient one for me advertises it, has spare capacity for it (e.g. 2 petrol 1 diesel nozzle per pump) but doesn't sell it! Both petrol nozzles are standard unleaded.

[can you trust tyre ratings?]

I do remember on mu civic I once had a brand called Avor or something which my mechanics recommended and at only £40 per tyre low profile. It was like discovering the holy grail because they where amazing.

Avon? Definitely not Chinese.

The tyre labels are meaningless until they are generated using a standardized test procedure in a controlled environment by an independent body, imho. Until such a measure is in place I'll stick to reviews, experiences and known brands.

[Need some Wiper Blades]

I have also been thinking of ordering a longer blade for the rear.... I have no idea why its 20" oem size.

I threw my 24" I think from the front on the rear when I changed my fronts (passenger was shot so changed both to aero). Works very well, only when it gets down to the last 10% of the sweep does it leave the screen but at that point its wiping an area you can't see out of anyway.

[Self service, oil disposal?]

You're pretty close, want more for your collection? haha

I'll pop to my local one see what theyre saying

Check the website first, it will tell you there what they take. Although most take oil its worth checking before making the trip

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages/Recyclingsites.aspx

[WHAT GAUGE WIRE IS THE STANDARD POSITIVE BATTERY LEAD]

Sorry to hear about crappy seller, try this one on amazon little bit more but at least in uk http://www.amazon.co.uk/Boat-Battery-System-Circuit-Breaker/dp/B00H7088OQ/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1422577115&sr=8-14&keywords=150+amp

My original order arrived today, had already ordered another bigger one from that seller on Amazon as 100A turned out to be too small (another guy already tried with 100A...) so I can let you know how good that seller is too I think he may be a UK seller but the goods come from China looking at the delivery date.

If you are looking to extend cables, see how practical it is to replace... I've just had to extend my alternator cable by <10", but for the £7 of cable I will be replacing the lot...

[WHAT GAUGE WIRE IS THE STANDARD POSITIVE BATTERY LEAD]

Hi digs this is the breaker I was planning on http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/390999688324?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&var=660364630113&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I know a lot of folk hesitate with sellers from China, maybe hubby is lucky when choosing as always had good service and decent goods.

FYI I ordered that exact item from that seller and it didn't arrive, case opened a few days ago and no response from the seller as yet!

I'm still not sure it won't arrive, as an item bought in the UK and posted on the 6th just arrived last Friday... but the lack of response isn't good

I got this cable and is copper throughout: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261528822971?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&var=560404793974&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[WHAT GAUGE WIRE IS THE STANDARD POSITIVE BATTERY LEAD]

Thanks Limey, the circuit breakers look very neat in my eyes, and cheaper .

Waiting for hubby to finish the shopping list for everything and then to order some good weather for a few days, as if

They are also far more convenient if you manage to pop it when you don't have a fuse to hand! Not like 150A fuses are commonplace!

[Looking for a ridiculous place to fit the Beams....]

Prius.

Then turbo it.

[WHAT GAUGE WIRE IS THE STANDARD POSITIVE BATTERY LEAD]

Not sure of the gauge size but my sons BWM cable is 10mm thick (12mm over the outer covering). That is standard factory fit for a Beemer.

Sounds like its 2 gauge as my 4 gauge uses 6.7mm hole'd crimps, it is a diesel or petrol? Diesels going to be higher.

Standard battery cables for my VAG 1.8T engine were 4 gauge.

[WHAT GAUGE WIRE IS THE STANDARD POSITIVE BATTERY LEAD]

Hi Dan, it is a minefield knowing what to use, the amount of differing views on what size/ gauge cable is best. I was planning on getting the cable this week so may well take your advice and drop the size, many thanks

Know the feeling!

Mine boot relocation is on my Fabia and fortunately a guy has done the same and pretty much followed the same path as me... trying a 100AMP breaker first and finding he needed a 140AMP breaker.

I'd always put a fuse/breaker close to the battery in case the cable rubs or in an accident is damaged and shorts out, very easy to get a fire... and my cable is IN the car!

[WHAT GAUGE WIRE IS THE STANDARD POSITIVE BATTERY LEAD]

Yes the Toyota cable would be the weak link in terms of cable, but as long as its not weaker than the fuse it will be 'alright'. I'd replace it right up to the fuse box if possible.

0 gauge is over kill though I'm using 25mm2 which is AWG4 in 'mercan money and rated to 170AMPs (150AMP breaker at the battery).

[DIY Vehicle Tracking]

That will be the heat of the transformer changing 230v AC to 5v DC. An in car charger will only have to step 12v DC to 5v DC and will (should) generate very little heat.

I would make sure that the phone and survive weekends etc without running out of charge. If using an old phone root it and install a 'lighter' version of android, remove/kill anything that isn't required for your operation. Put a new battery in it and then make sure its linked up to the ignition only so should the car be left for a longer period it doesn't drain the battery (though with a good battery it should take the phone a long time to flatten a car battery).

Other ideas may be to set up some sort of 'auto answer' from your phone only so you can listen in on the car if it was nicked.

Apps like Torque can talk via a bluetooth ODB so you could log what the engine is doing etc. could be used to log journeys... but hit the battery quite hard (if the Torque app is running and the car is in range even turned off, I find it hammers my phone battery).

Maybe hook it up to your WiFi connection and setup remote control so you can talk to it from your PC when its parked up at home to review logs, make changes etc. Should be possible on a rooted phone.

[Low profile jack]

Second for SGS engineering, bought 2 + 2 axle stands from there (so I can use 2 at once, not one to replace the other because it was naff...).

Really need to get another 2 stands as they are much more robust than my Sealy stands, don't like working under the car with them after using the SGS engineering ones.

[Doing my own servicing...]

Basic:

Oil

Oil filter

Air Filter

Cabin Filter

Clean brakes / grease sliders

Spark plugs (or get Iridium and do it less often)

Every 2 years, above +:

Coolant

Brake Fluid

Aux belt

Oh crap its 10+years old and I have no idea whats been done when, above +:

Gearbox oil (normally 4-5 I think?)

Aux tensioner (no idea, maybe its not scheduled?)

Fuel filter ('for life', but why not change it, cheap as chips)

Should not need a garage for any of that... 2 people helps for the brakes but the rest is one man stuff.

[Falling out of love with the Celica]

nice work guys!

I was quoted £160 for full refurb of all 5 alloys (inc fullsize spare) and spraying in black

I might just do them myself, all the black parts on my car were done with rattle cans in the space of a day so I'm quite comfortable with spraying

Cas Coatings.... just sayin'

I did some OEM 16s myself in gloss black, bad choice of colour for a impatient newbie

[tyre dealer]

I normally check tyreleader/tyrefactors/mytyres. I don't find camskill or blackcircles have the range.

Recently got a good deal on some Conti Premium Contact 5 for my brothers car @ £38 a corner (14"s don't get excited ), few days later back up to £48 on tyreleader. Also got some RS-Rs for my Fabia project for a hair over £60 each which was pretty good from mytyres...

Pays to check all three and look out for deals, loyalty costs

[HID Headlights - Everything you need to know // Legalities of HID's covered.]

First MOT with HIDs in today, I was half expecting to have to argue my case. Used the Council depot as normal... not a word was said about the HIDs or LED side lights.

[Whats your plans for your motor over the winter ?]

Put my SnowTrac's on and go looking for 4x4s on low profile summers to harass

[It's a great Car... and other non-negative stuff!]

Seat slung back, Bling hanging off of each arm, baseball cap - on backwards, end each sentence with "innit bruv" and get to Colne... you'll be sorted

Dunno though - she was quite a classy burd! really well dressed, tanned, no visible tattoos, lazy eyes and/or webbed feet, she had a rather sexy looking summer dress on and really white teeth. Kinda girl I bet when she farts it smells like Chanel!

...and she was called Bridgett!

Meat and two veg between her legs... but don't worry, operation is booked in!

[It's a great Car... and other non-negative stuff!]

I need to get my self up to Burnley, they obviously have lower standards so I may be in with a shot

[How long have you had your Celica?]

6months... might last another 6 if its lucky :rolleyes:

[How long have you had your Celica?]

Pretty much bang on 2 years now. Cosmetically looking pretty sorry for herself at the moment, mechanically not too bad. There's a long list of things that could be done to make her more presentable but I wonder if it's really worth the time and money.

Mechanicals are the bit that makes it go, cosmetics... meh