"It's an animal"

[Fen]

Not sure where this fits so I started a thread, not that it really warrants one. I called my indie today to check I could pick my car up at the weekend for the trip to ProMax rather than for it to be in bits (and that he's still alive as he's had the car for weeks but I haven't spoken to him). Apparently he took it out on Saturday last week to warm it through and get some oil to the top end after sitting for a while. It doesn't like ice, he says []. Now that is no surprise as it's got its 265/18's on the back just now and the suspension is still set to dry track settings from Oulton in mid October (very hard, then). I had thought he just meant it was tricky to get going and maybe went a bit sideways when he said it was outside his workshop (where the road doesn't get gritted), then he explained that he had been down the road, turned around and was on his way back taking it easy in third gear when it suddenly cleared its throat (it pops and bangs a bit when cold) and woke up the turbo, so probably around 55mph. It fish-tailed. A lot. I think he was almost just along for the ride as he said for a bit no amount of intervention would make it behave and he saw the yellow mark on the top of the steering wheel go past a lot of times. Anyway despite going up the verge there is almost no harm done, but one alloy has a "flat bit". He has obviously had it on the ramp and checked all the suspension angles and everything else is fine. Hopefully the rim is repairable as Mille Miglia don't make 10x18 Cup 2 replicas any more...

 

[Fen]

I'm sure Andy would have mentioned it right away if there had been more than just a slightly bent wheel. As it is I found it funnier that he had a brown trouser moment [] I don't want to start another thread, so on a fairly unrelated note: From this week's Sunday Times Driving section, page 29 at the bottom right there is an ad for a cracking registration; 6EX for offers in excess of £75,000! BTW mine isn't 6, it's 9EX. The guy who actually owns my plate bought 6 and 9 for £6k the pair and sold 6EX about 4 years ago for £5,000...

 

[sawood12]

Now I can sort of understand the shock and surprise he must have felt especially in your car. I've had two insidences of fishtailing today without hammering the throttle so I will have to strictly limit any accelaration to 4th and 5th gear. Lack of LSD certainly induces a bit of fishtailing action when one wheel breaks free and throws all the power to the spinning wheel! Great fun.