I'm looking at a set of BC's, I was impressed with them on a friends s2000 a few years ago. How do you find them on the road? What level of comfort do they offer compared to a standard r26 f1?
It's slowly becoming a racecar! Im not sure I'd be brave enough to run slicks! Any plans for a cage down the line?
There alot harsher on the road than std even when set to the softest damping. There fine once the car is up to speed but at low speed its harsh and very busy. If you do few road miles and like to track it id recommend them but for daily use id say cooksports are a better all round set up esp for a daily driver. Dave
From talking to john at cadwell who has a full cage in his what it mainly adds is weight as the megane is a very rigid car to begin with the benefits (other than added safety) is minimal. This was I can always go back to std and use the car daily if my circumstances were to change. Have booked blyton on 30th july to try the slicks out. Going to be a learning curve for sure so I'll let you all know how I get on. Dave
More than just the weight it adds. running slicks puts alot more stress on all parts of the car so the cage helps reduce this. You'll notice the car will need a lot more imput when it goes wrong and thats why people recommend cages when running slicks as it can go wrong fast, on a proper track with lots of grass you can pretty much flip the car.
took the car to blyton park yesterday for its first trackday on slick tyres. i was hoping to get to the circuit early to give enough time to get the slicks fitted before the breifing and sighting laps to first try them at low speed and to listen out of any signs of the rears catching. sadly due to bad traffic i had no time to swap until after the sighting laps when everyone was off like hell. once on the car they really did look like they would catch at the rear i kept the first few laps very steady indeed but after about 4 laps the tyres had started to get enough heat to work and by 6 - 8 laps were fully up to temp with no signs of catching or scraping at the back. it took me a while to get used to the amount of grip available and therefor the amount of lock needed to get round when you have almost zero understeer. im used to having to apply a touch more lock as you exit a corner to counter the car washing wide a touch which isnt something that happens on these tyres. you get the same level of grip from corner entry to exit. the most unnerving thing though was the speed in which you can enter a corner and holding the car on the throttle really allowing the diff to work. you just need to make sure your turn in and braking points are bang on due to the higher entry speed as i imagine hesitating when jumping between brake and throttle could seriously upset the car. after a while though i did get into a rhythm with the car and get more consistent as i slowly learnt to brake later and carry more speed. id need balls like baked potatoes to feel safer going much faster i think even with blytons lack of barriers. im also told that the car was constantly lifting the inside rear wheel though twickers and bishops which i though was pretty cool. i also got a real feel for the brakes this time. seems they just need a good firm stomp nice and late to work best. although i was one of the quickest car on the day i thought id share a picture of the car that definitely WAS the quickest. i should have a gopro video to post up in a day or two but heres some photos for now thanks for reading through hope the information is of use. any questions please ask. Dave
Awesome car, awesome pics, awesome read. Thanks again Dave. Your car is a real inspiration of how a car should be treated and looked after. Long may it continue.
Thank you very much powello mean a lot. Its going to take a lot of cleaning to get the car back to a high standard and im hoping to have the front bumper resprayed and a stone chip protector wrap fitted before anything else. Im also waiting for my 197 wheel to come back retrimmed. Dave
Thanks Naith they were used in the btcc at croft. Im about 1 hour 40 mins from blyton but there isnt much else apart from croft with its strict noise limits and Elvington doesnt have a proper surface. What date are you there? Dave
Looks brilliant, Ill be getting some new wheels and slicks soon seeing as Ive now got a trailer. Ill send you a wee PM to pick your brains on a couple of things about your suspension and wheels.
just a quick update, dave is actually Human as i saw his car last weekend nearly dirty and as he now is impersonating Lightening McQueen he goes by the name of "STICKERS"
thanks Chris. yeah if we get some decent whether a trip round snakes would be good. hope youll be taking your new 250 out on track at some point!
on board video from blyton. take a few laps to get the tyres warmed so please bare with it for a few laps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heG2X8-ympo&list=UUDZDPrBKuYGPZlveGuB6k5g
well i did give it the usual post trackday clean yesterday Mark so dont you be worrying about my OCD levels dropping to a near human level just yet car picked up some rubber marks from the tyres and needed a good general cleaning session. green AB foam after washing i removed the rubber with AF's all in one product as its abrasive enough to remove the rubber and also protects the paint again in one step rather than having to apply a separate layer or sealant. also give the engine bay a tidy up and the trim a coat of AF revive took a few hours but after a good clean you wouldnt tell it had ever seen a track. im hoping my retrimmed wheel turns up next week as im really looking forward to getting it fitted. Dave
Thanks dmn the brembos are really good once you get used to how to get the best from them. On track they need firm pressure and late braking. They do seem to work best with pfc 07 compound or ds1.11s dave
There ok mate. These seem to have had a bit less grip than the first set I had as theyve probably been heat cycled a few times but there a great around tyre for the money. Pilot sports are better for the road but the federals are a lit better on track.
have had the car in with Mark Black for a few other bits doing. firstly was to respray the front bumper which had bad stone chipping that hidden by a poor smart repair from before i got the car. mark removed the bumper to find a crack from when i left the track at oulton park a while back which his painter plastic welded back together before sanding back the chips and respraying the complete bumper and refitting it to the car. the stone chips always really bugged me so its great to finally have them sorted. whilst the car was down there mark also swapped my steering wheel for the 197 wheel id had retrimmed in alcantara really pleased with the feel of this. it feels much more special than the megane wheel and really looks the business. i may need some gloves on track though to stop my sweaty palms from ruining it! thanks for reading. i'll be sure to get some better pictures soon Dave
Looks nice wheel mate, I've just sent an R26 wheel off to snappy to get re-trimmed for my R, something a little different , can't wait to get it back
thanks steve. looking forward to seeing what you get done by snappy. sure he'll make a great job of it for you mate.
thanks Corey it certainly lifts the interior a bit and is a good combo with the seats. it has kinda got me wanting black headlining and A pillars now though!
thanks Rob they have done a very nice job. the quality of the stitching and materials used is better than i was expecting. even in the areas you cant see the stitching is a work of art. i'll get some more shots in daylight tomorrow with my DSLR to give you a better idea of the wheel.
