brillomaster

what width tyre are you thinking of running? a 245/45 will have a similar arch gap to a 285/40. also what diameter are the new wheels. willtheyfit.com should give you all the info you need.

actually, stole the nickname from my brother, as we both have hair that resembles a brillopad when it grows out a bit... added the 'master' bit cos I was a cocky so and so when I was about 14 and I came up with it. bit of extra info for you, my hair doesn't actually work very well as a scouring pad for washing dishes. I've tried.

£2!?! 6 pence is what it cost me!

Cripes, i'm on! It was a trackday back at Bedford Autodrome with the first track car, when on different sessions I had both Dan and Graham in the car while it got a bit (a lot) oversteery! I think (hope) it was my reasonable ability to deal with it and not spin out that earnt me the nickname.

doesnt seem that super to be able to bowl 50... normally i can get over 100 in a game? #deliberatelyignorant

are you aware of the previous owner having done any work to the clutch or flywheel? and how many miles has your zed done? And I know this might be teaching grandma to suck eggs, but how long have you had the car and what were you driving before it? the high biting point in a zed takes some getting used to, as with everything you might just need more practice at changing gear? The zed certainly isn't a particularly revvy engine, so unless you're changing gear really slowly I cant see how the revs can drop that much between changes.

opinions are like arseholes, etc... I think we're just looking at it in different ways... I can fully appreciate that a tuned 135i will run circles round an M6 on most tracks, but... if it was £35k of my own money it wouldn't be on a small BMW, no matter how good the chassis is or how much power the engine has. Luxury, badge, noise and looks (M6... ahem...) all factor in how desireable I find a car. im a similar vein I don't think I'd ever buy a elise or a VX220, unless it was purely for track work. of course they'll drive excellently and be mightily fast if you strap a supercharger on it, but it misses the prestige, the noise, the creature comforts. I don't think we actually know what the OP wants from a car yet - if its the ultimate driving machine at the expense of everything else then a 135i might be a good shout - but if there are other considerations a large GT car might be more the ticket. I suspect the best all rounder will annoyingly be some kind of porker.

but a 1 series just doesn't feel special enough... even a 1 series with 420bhp is still a 1 series, its still the bottom rung of BMW ownership - an M6 is way, way above that. don't get me wrong the lighter, nimbler 1 series would be an absolute riot to drive, but something you turn back to look at after you've locked it and started to walk away? I don't think so. same way they could make a ford focus with 500bhp and it still wouldn't interest me, cos its a ford focus. and I know an M3 is just a 3 series with a fancy engine and chassis, but at least the 3 series is the best small saloon car to start with!

sorry for your loss - but to be honest I have little sympathy for someone crashing due to excess speed on a public road, especially when another innocent vehicle was involved. Of course circumstances may be different, but from what you've put it doesn't sound like a simple accident that has unfortunately lead to a fatal crash.

if you're considering an M3 with a V8, get an M6 with a V10 £25k buys a minter, and leaves a £5k fund for servicing/sports exhaust. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201511218875453?model=m6&make=bmw&page=1&price-to=30000&sort=pricedesc&postcode=OX16%205DB&radius=1501&search-target=usedcars&onesearchad=used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew&logcode=p whats not to like, 5litre V10 revving to 8000rpm and making 500bhp. nothing short of a GTR will top that figure, but the beemer will be a far nicer place to sit, and sound better (unless you like tyre roar and turbocharger noises)

sheesh, I don't even think It looks very good, so the only redeeming feature for me is the price. but then i'd never buy a new car anyways! i'd predict that in a few years their value will drop like a stone.

surely you must have a preference for FWD or RWD? as great as a clio might be on track, I just cant see myself every wanting to track a fwd car. however when the beemer dies (which seems likely) i'm really tempted by an s2000, mainly cos of that engine! completely wasted as a road engine, but would be great on track, revving it out to 9000rpm with legendary VTEC reliability. and the instability of earlier cars doesn't bother me, nothing a decent alignment and some sticky tyres wont sort out. our beemers used to be very twitchy in the wet and can be provoked in the dry, but with decent tyres on its now stuck like glue on all surfaces apart from an inch of water.

welcome along! if you've got a full titanium exhaust that will be worth a small fortune... if its too loud for you then sell it on here and buy a milltek with the proceeds.

... any racetrack except Spa Francorchamps or the Nurburgring. cos they're too obvious!

Jetpilot - Pick any racetrack from around the world, and any car to drive around it... what are they and why?

Humpy, given the choice of all the other forum members, who would you 'snog, marry avoid? Actually, make that hump, marry, kill, since thats more interesting. And why...

Jetpilot, when are you going to get an avatar?!?

in basic terms, the area of the contact patch will stay the same - all the fitting a wider tyre will do is change the shape of the contact patch - it will be wider, but not as long. therefore better for lateral cornering, but worse for acceleration and braking. and in basic terms, the contact patch size is dictated (in simple terms) by car weight and tyre pressure. the total grip is simply a factor of the force acting on the tyre (the weight) multiplied by the coefficient of friction for that tyre. regardless of the width of the tyre. so yes, you would be better fitting a sticky tyre rather than a wider tyre, as a sticky tyre does actually have a higher coefficient of friction.

when am I going to see the MR2 trackpig? or the 645ci on track for that matter? and what do I have to do to get a drive?

heck if they can put quad tips on a Golf R they can go on a zed! if you like things a bit different then go for it

do all E92s have heated nozzles, or was it an option with some climate pack or other? if it was an option, I can guarantee my car doesn't have it

its not so much of an issue if you're just pootling around, but if you're pushing on and reach the limit of the tyres, PS3s will let go long before PSSs will, so the car will understeer. and even within the limits, PS3s will make less grip than PSS. personally, I don't corner my road car hard enough to notice bad front tyres - however it would be very obvious on a track car. I think Dan pushes his road cars quite hard... that said, if you're out for a drive and the corner you think is a fast 3rd gear sweeper turns out to be a 2nd gear hairpin, the car with mpss all round will make the corner, and the car with mps3s on the front will understeer into a hedge. and its when the unexpected happens that you need decent tyres.

great tyre the Federal 595 RS-R - its what we have on the beemer in 245/255 widths. though presumably we have the cheaper version... still runs rings around any road tyre though.

liking the eagle f1s I put on my beemer - really good price these days, seem to be handling 370lbft of torque alright and are wearing very well. No problems at all in the wet either. the MPSS might have marginally better dry performance, but in the wet i'd say the Eagle F1s are better.

or just be happy with the car you've got! most guys your age have to make do with a 1.2 corsa - the only reason you can afford the insurance on a zed is because you aren't yet paying any rent, food or bills. if you get a V8 when you're 21 then where do you go from there? V12 by the time you're 25? I suspect it'll be more likely at some point you'll have to downgrade, which nobody every likes doing. then again, if you are able to live with mum and dad, why not spunk £400 a month on a flash car for 3 years, then give it back when the deal ends? you'll be no better off than you are now, but you'll be no worse off either.