[Post your 1st celica owned pictures here]

My first photo of my first Celica, an ST182. I then went on to own a VVTL-i after.

 

 

[Michelin Cross Climate]

20 hours ago, Crazy Cat Lady said:

 

If your T-Sport still has the Fondmetal 8 spoke wheels in good order, and you like 'em, and want to keep 'em nice... then consider getting a nice but cheapo set of Gen 7 16 inch 5 spoke wheels to use for winters. You can always prepare and paint them yourself if need be.

 

I have one, in the boot as a spare.....

[Michelin Cross Climate]

1 hour ago, Crazy Cat Lady said:

 

Any speedo error  is so minor it's not a problem 

Thanks, thinking about it, my T-Sport has 205/40/17s on the front (no idea why) and the correct 205/45/17 on the back. The difference between the standard 205/45/17 and 205/55/16 is around the same as that, at ~2.5%.

[Michelin Cross Climate]

6 hours ago, Crazy Cat Lady said:

I use Michelin Cross Climate 205/55R16 on standard 5 spoke Gen 7 wheels during the winter months.

These tyres are actually a 'summer tyre' but adapted to accept a wide temperature range.

 

I really like 'em. They give a reassuring feel on cold wet roads, my limited snow driving experience with them [last week] proved to be okay, i'm still alive! 

 

Generally i find them an excellent choice for most typical British winters which tend to include a wide mix of conditions but what seems to be mainly milder 0 to 8 degree celsius where IMO the Michelin cross climate tyres excel.

 

Proper winter tyres are more suited for snow and freezing temperatures, and these tyres tend to be road roar noisy, less mpg, and may wear quick if used in milder conditions. My cross climates are fairly smooth and low road noise and i particularly like the extra height profile which helps to cushion the impact on those winter pot holes that are difficult to avoid.

 

Personally, i would highly recommend them for a winter wheel set, but there are many far more suitable tyres around for the summer.

 

IMO it makes a huge amount of sense to have a winter wheel set, and a summer wheel set. The summer wheel set can be preserved in the safety of the garage. Plus the twice a year change overs can give one the opportunity to clean them up, and clean & check over the brakes & suspension parts while the wheels are off.

 

Debs

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the reply, thats great feedback!

How do you find the extra size over the standard 205/50/R16, with speedo error in reality?

[Michelin Cross Climate]

3 hours ago, Kev 16v said:

No experience..BUT..the combination of price, plus having to make a compromise on the size, would put me off.

 

So, I'm going to suggest the Rainsport3 in 205/50/16. I think you would find a 55 series tyre looks like a balloon after running 215/45/17.

 

I had the RS3s on my ST182, great in the rain and generally but I did not find them at all great in snow or ice/slush, hence looking at alternatives.

I am not too fussed about the aesthetic, looking for improved ride comfort over ultimate handling/looks when moving down from 17 to 16.

[Michelin Cross Climate]

Hi, thanks for the feedback, may I ask what size you went for?

Cheers, Rob

[Michelin Cross Climate]

Has anyone any experience with the Michelin Cross Climate (or Plus version) on a celica?

I am interested in them due to their winter performance as well as all round genreal summer/wet performance. This week for example, with Continental Contisports on the front, I could not even get out of my parking space even though the main roads were fine...

 

Sizing wise, they only do a 195/55/R16 which is very close to the standard 215/45/R17 thats currently on my car, as I am looking to downsize to 16" alloys.

[Air-Lock(s) is Coolant System]

Hi again,

 

I have been having issues with air in the coolant system of my ST182, and the engine getting hot in places (while at idle, start driving again and it quickly comes back down) and more recently after bleeding the system it was fine for a ~300mile round trip on motorway/country roads, then after a few days back to the same problem.

 

Part of the problem was the Radiator Cap was siezed shut, so any pressure could not be released, and on one trip a month back, after some time on the motorway, stopped at some services and the car did a wee from the bottom radiator hose. Filled it back up, bled the system and seemed to be OK apart from sometimes getting air locks and getting hot, quickly coming back down again after though. This was replaced last week.

 

This week I have drained the coolant system, flushed it, refilled with some Wynns Radiator Flush heat up for 15-20min then flush again and refill with coolant. Been running for 20-min now and fine, no issues on getting hot at all.

 

While waiting around, had a look at the damp patch that I thought was caused by the thread below, and it seems to be coolant under the passenger footwell, not oil as I first thought. The passenger carpet was damp, but underneath the wadding is sodden and there is a small pool of 'rusty' looking liquid on the bare metal footwell. No issues with rust anywhere, and no drips/smears down the side at any places.

 

I suspect this may be my cause of the air in the system, if coolant is in the cabin, not where its supposed to be!

 

Really at a loss now, took out the glovebox/speaker and there are no leaks anywhere other than a tiny bit of moisture at the location in the photo above (although now is clear liquid rather than oily.

 

The hole above, is located right next to the heater matrix temperature control lever, you can see the lever just to the left. So I assume its heater related, which might fit in with the coolant issue, rather than being part of the air-con system next to it.

 

Any thoughts?

 

[Gen-5 15" Tyre recomendations]

Thanks

[Gen-5 15" Tyre recomendations]

Excellent, thanks chaps. Seems the Rainsport 3s are the ones to get!

[Gen-5 15" Tyre recomendations]

Either - http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?dsco=110&cart_id=27260746.110.23374&Cookie=froogle&Breite=205&Quer=55&Felge=15&Speed=&Load=&kategorie=6&Marke=Uniroyal&ranzahl=4&tyre_for=&x_tyre_for=&Herst=Uniroyal&rsmFahrzeugart=ALL&filter_preis_bis=&filter_preis_von=&homologation=&search_tool=standard&Label=E-A-71-2&details=Ordern&typ=R-252851, which were the last fronts I had fitted

Or - http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?dsco=110&cart_id=27260746.110.23374&Cookie=froogle&Breite=205&Quer=55&Felge=15&Speed=&Load=&kategorie=6&Marke=Hankook&ranzahl=4&tyre_for=&x_tyre_for=&Herst=Hankook&rsmFahrzeugart=ALL&filter_preis_bis=&filter_preis_von=&homologation=&reifentest_com=4&search_tool=standard&Label=C-B-70-2&details=Ordern&typ=R-255937, which are very similar to what I have on the front now.

The Uniroyal just had the edge in the wet but the Hankook's are a little harder wearing but either of those would be my choice.

Thanks, the RS3 seem generally well recommended, although a lot of people complain at high wear levels?

[Gen-5 15" Tyre recomendations]

Hi all, another of those threads.....

I am looking for some new tyres for my ST182 with Autec 15" alloys.

I assume the standard 205/55/R15 is the best size for them?

I would be looking for something other than the Dunlop SP Sports that are on there at the moment. They are relatively progressive, especially with lift-off oversteer but wet grip is not great and its easy to get lots of wheelspin in 1st and 2nd, more so when pulling out onto busy roads.

I will need them to do at least 15k miles really, so I would only be changing once a year at the most.

Budget, I would have thought £60-£80 a corner.

[Why the poor fuel economy]

My first fill up in the ST182 and I got 32mpg with mixed motorway and town driving, roughly 300 Miles/40 Litres.

IIRC its a 60 Litre fuel tank, I am just not that brave to go much below the low fuel line....

[Local Members]

Hi All,

As as new member to the club, is there anyone based around Oxford/Swindon area that has a Gen-5 or Gen-6 Celica?

I would love to have a quick chat and look round one, to get a general feel as what to expect when I actually find one to look at.

Thanks in advance!

Cheers, Rob

[Who is the average Celica Owner?]

As a soon to be Celica owner, I'm a 27 year old who works for an Aerospace company doing Facilities Management (amongst a host of other things) and have a keen interest in cars. I have had an interesting car history, mainy owning a range of classic Triumphs from the '70s and '80s.

I will be honest and say that I never really paid much attention to the Celica range, apart from the GT-Four in Sega Rally on Arcade Machines at Bowling Alleys and Seaside Attractions!

Its only recently when I was starting to look for a new car that someone recomended me to look at the Gen-6 Celica as I was after a reliable and comfortable but slightly interesting/different coupe/hatchback to replace my evergreen Metro!

I'm usually quite a reserved driver but do enjoy a good rag every now and again!