chrispazzi

DOT4 is a higher boiling point than DOT3 (etc, etc), and therefore is better in terms of the brakes not fading under hard use BUT DOT 4 absorbs water more quickly than DOT3 (etc etc) and therefore goes off sooner (boiling points plummet, and corrosion gets worse as water gets into the system) and the fluid needs changing more frequently. On my motorbike I use DOT4 in the rear brake and clutch which is changed every 2 years, and DOT5.1 in the front brake which is changed every year at least. On the subject of broken bleed nipples the most likely time to snap one is when loosening it at the start if it's "bound up", and if it was broken at that point the mechanic would notice. They only need tiny amounts of torque so it would take a real ape to break one when tightening it back up!

I don't know if a 17" spare is legal with 16"ers but the important issue in terms of the car sitting flat on its tyres is that the rolling radius of the front tyres and back tyres respectively are the same, and that is not simply down to the diameter of the wheel rim, it depends on the depth of the tyre that's on the rim too. I assumed (I could be wrong) that the rolling radius of a stock 16" tyre was the same as for a 17", i.e. a 17" wheel simply has a slightly lower profile tyre?

I measured my mpg a couple of weeks ago - here's the info... 22mpg doing a fairly even mix of normal, fast, slow, town, mortorway, a-roads although I would say on average I was making "more progress" than I usually do. ;o) ('93 RZ de-catted exhaust, approx 1.2bar, hks induction kit, and 275&235 tyres).

Brake judder is almost certainly going to be warped discs. Because the j-spec brakes are small they can't get rid of the heat so easily when you cane them, and therefore go through more extreme heat cycles which is what warps (and can even crack) them.

The other issue with WD40 is that it is a penetrating oil and when you spray it at one thing it will manage to creep all over the place into other bits that you didn't want it to. I don't know what benefit it would do penetrating past the piston seals and into your brake fluid!

My Supra originally had low hard springs (there was 3cm of ground clearance at the front). I got it changed for softer springs with more ride height. The car is not as good looking now as it was, which is slightly dissapointing, but it is fair to say that it is more comfortable to drive, the handling is better, the extra ground clearance means you don't keep hitting the deck, the wheels don't hit the arches on full lock, and you don't have to u-turn at the slightest hint of a bump in the road. I think you just have to decide whether you want looks or handling and practicality on real roads.

I've got 18" wheels with 275's on the rear and mine steps out in the dry in a straight line in 2nd gear too. p.s. I think the rear rim is 10" or 10.5"

At 180mph you're going to travel a further 85 metres (roughly) for every second you delay your braking! I wonder if it's better to go for it with your brakes stone cold or warmed up a bit? I would worry about putting a 180mph emergency stop through cold discs, from a cracking/warping point of view as well as performance.

I remember this topic coming up a long time ago on another forum I belonged to. IIRC bearings all have identification numbers, which can be used to build replacements from scratch. There are specialist machinists who can make up new bearings from these numbers or simply from you giving them a bearing to copy. However, wheel bearings are critical and I've got my own view on whether I would want to use anything other than factory standard.

I like my exhaust valves "medium rare", but if you like yours "well done", backfiring is the way to go!

That means I should have got bored a month ago!

The engine will wear out in less miles, as an inordinate percentage of engine wear is in the first few seconds/minutes after each cold/dry start. Proper warming up, avoiding putting loads through the engine on cold oil, and more frequent engine oil changes are all you can do to minimise this. You'll also get through your battery in fewer miles. I would be more concerned about your future private health treatment costs after you get a heart attack from lack of activity.

I'm no expert on Supra brakes, but here's my thoughts (which could be completely wrong!)... Most brakes have piston seals designed with a slight "lip" that holds a bit of tension as the piston pushes the pad onto the disc. When you lift off the brakes, it is this lip that pulls the piston back. The brake pad itself is not pulled back (it's not attached to the piston), it just gets brushed off by the disc. Maybe the pistons are ok and the brake pads are just sticking in their rails until the disc punts them back against the retracted pistons after you've lifted off the brakes? It might therefore be a case of just cleaning up the caliper and not having to replace the piston seals?

I'd like to go But I count me out of the track-action, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to imagine what it'll be like

I had to get quite physical with the Polo door lock tonight to get it open. I'm going to try squirting a load of WD40 into the lock and see how it goes tomorrow. If money is no object, get one of those fancy alarms that will pre-start and warm up your car before you even get out of bed. That should sort it.