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Hi guys
I got the tax & registration number yesterday. The car was not inspected by DVLA and they would not let me use the donor registration for some reason but is still age related.
I have taken it out for it's maiden run and was absolutely delighted with the performance and reasonable ride.
I did not experience the bump steer & twitchyness the some of you have had.
The only slight problem was the front wheels rubbing on extreme bumps. This was quickly rectified by raising the ride height by about 10mm (the car had settled down a lot after it's first proper run) I am also running 17" TSW Catalunya rims an rather low profile Yokohamas.
I will do my best to post some pictures this week
Are you running the new rear suspension? Reason for asking is the even the old does not give me any problems until I get 75+ then throttle back or brake, then it gets very lively and unpleasant to drive.
Glad to hear your on the road now always a good feeling especially as you have the summer ahead.
DVLA will not give the old number to a kit car, as you said only age related, unusual though they did not check it, they normally insist on seeing the engine number and confirm its what you say it is.
It's all great stuff guys. Just been out in fantastic sunshine and gave it a blast down M4. I only took it up to 80 and it felt ok. I didn't have to brake too hard so have not yet experienced any adverse handling.
My chassis & suspension was bought late 2005. I don't know if this is old or new type. I have put the 1800 VVC motor in and it is a flyer. Very quick off the mark and was cruising at 80 with 2500rpm.
Having read all the comments about the poor handling I was very tentative when took it out first.
I am begining to LOVE IT despite all the heartache it has given me (a bit like kids really, you love them no matter what the do)
I am trying to post photos but am not having much joy. I am on talktalk broadband and am not sure what I am doing
Cheers
Paul, just use any one of the free photo hosts! photobucket etc and it is very simple after that as all you need to do is copy direct link to your post and this will link to the server of your choice
You have early suspension like the rest of us!
Mine is not on the road yet but I have been in a couple at high speed,
a honda type r and a turbo version and from what I remember when I drove the turbo car is that backing off the throttle suddenly at about 80 or above made the rear end feel very lively and loose.
All cars suffer from this and like everything in life the more you push it the more it will show it's ugly head
Hi Paul,
Well done another 5EXi on the road and the sun is shining for you too. I noticed that you were on the M4 giving it a blast what area are you in as i was also on the M4 with mine today, we may be quite close to each other.
Hi Paul,
I'm just off junction 16 of the M4 so not that close really. If you are down this way at anytime or want an excuse to give the car a run let me know and we can meet up.
Cheers Mike
Junc 16 is Swindon?
When I summon up enough courage to go that far I will let you know. Just keeping local until I get a few miles on the clock without any trouble. So far so good
Fantastic to hear that so many of you are getting your cars on the road or moving :-). In my experience, after Mark fitted the new style suspension onto the back of the demo, it virtually eliminated the back of the car having a mind of its own at those times when needing to brake hard at speed. I know this is quite a common thing in mid engined cars but after driving the Sportster (RWD) I found it quite unsettling. Now I can drive the car with total confidence.
Might be something you may want to consider later on, but for now, ENJOY.
Your previous comment interested me, is this the first public admission that there clearly was design flaw in the old suspension on the 5EXI, if this is so why was it not recalled. I for one, and I know other owners cannot enjoy their cars to their full potential due to the handling issues.
wow that looks great Paul, like the interior styling, it suits the car, although like Craig I was surprised there was enough room. Umm may have to consider fitting a centre console.
I really like the way you have finished the interior, also the way you have used the silver looks great. Hope you enjoy, should do with the summer looming.
Sorry for the delay in answering the console enquiries, and by the way, thanks for all the great comments.
The console is the Rover 200. I had to cut the front part away from the horizontal (gear stick housing). I made the cut at the lower curved part because it was to wide and encroached into the legroom area. I then fixed a bracket inside the console to bring both sides closer together, in effect narrowing it. I then reattached both parts with grp, sticks like and filled the joints. It is covered with red leatherete which was a real fiddle to do.
Make no mistake guys, this took some time to do but I am quite pleased with the result.
Oh, by the way, I am only 5'8" tall. I don't know what that is in new money
The tyres are 205/40/17 & believe it or not, they don't rub.
I mounted the front speakers under the dash on each corner, pointing down. I did this with brackets suspended from the frame before the dash was fitted. It could prove difficult if the dash is fitted and you may have to try something else.
