Tony C

It was probably me 😬 BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

My understanding of the Watts Linkage as fitted to the 7 is that it's a parallelogram that allows each wheel to move up and down with no significant forward and aft movement. With a radius arm the wheel would move fore and aft as it moved up and down, significantly altering the geometry and handling of the rear end. BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

Link doesn't work BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

Welcome - nice site. If the new ones are the same as my 2003 SV, try levering open the clamp. Best advice I can give is to slather every joint with Copper Grease BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

NACA duct? BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

15 at the front, 16 pax rear and 17 driver rear Gives nice even wear on the road, but the front pax side wears quicker - roundabouts I suppose BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

Nice one here BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

Sorry Rob, not trying to be big or clever, it just so happens that I teach Aircraft Performance to ATPL students and braking efficiency is part of the sylabus, so I happen to be familiar with the physics involved. It's a free country and you can go on believing that bigger brakes, in and of themselves, will decrease optimum stopping distance. I'm not disputing that big brakes improve brake efficiency from the point of view of brake pad fade, but if standard brakes don't lose efficiency due to overheating and you don't run out of foot force, fitting bigger brakes won't help. We all "believe" some things to be true, but you can't beat cold hard facts. BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

Perhaps we are approaching the problem from opposite ends here. Optimum straight line braking is achieved when the wheel is retarded by 5%, so it is slightly skidding - maximum kinetic energy transfer to heat in the brakes, once this state is achieved you cannot improve the efficiency of the brakes. The heat generated in the brakes must be dissipated to the atmosphere at a rate sufficient to prevent the maximum operating temperature of the pad material from being exceeded. If the pad temperature exceeds their maximum they lose efficiency - brake fade. Big brakes can dissipate more heat - QED If a brake fade problem occurs with standard brakes, big brakes will reduce that problem. But if you can achieve optimum braking with standard brakes, big brakes will make no difference to the stopping distance. See, we agree'd all the time BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

Physics, just physics The friction of the wheel against the road drives the brake disc and you apply friction between the rotor and stator of the brake. The weight of the car, and to a certain expent, the grip of the tyre on the road is the driving force. If you apply too much friction in the brake the wheel can no longer rotate the disc and the tyre skids - end of story. D = V sqrd / d, where d = F/m (D = distance, V = speed, d = deceleration, F = net deceleration force and m = mass) BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

That's a potentially misleading Indeed you can get the same braking with less pedal pressure with 'bigger' brakes, but no significant increasing in overall braking efficiency. If you grab the disc harder for more friction you'll lock the wheel and the heat generated between tyre and road is less than within the brake. The wheel must be driven by its friction against the road to generate the heat in the brake - a function of weight. Maximum straight line braking is achieved when the wheel is going round about five percent slower than it would be if the brakes were not applied - any more skidding than this will decrease braking efficiency. The only advantage of 'bigger' brakes on your 7 is the improved ability to dissipate heat. BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

Agree with Gambo. Brakes work by converting Kinetic energy into heat energy - the trick then is to dissipate the heat back into the atmosphere (Global Warming). Ventilated discs help with heat dissipation. The cooler the brakes when being used the more heat they can generate. If they get too hot they can't convert as much kinetic energy (fade) and you might physically damage the discs or pads or boil the fluid. BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

When I filled my tank after the kit build it took 40 litres from empty. I too can only get about 25 litres in when the gauge reaches the red, so the gauge is pessimistic at the low end. BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

Carpet BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

I'd estimate about 1 litre, but to be on the safe side just add a 'glug' at a time. BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

The Raceline wet sump takes just about 5 litres and I check my oil with the engine cold. BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

When you say you missed a gear change do you mean you rev'd the engine with the throttle while out of gear or that you let out the clutch in a gear too low for the speed and the road wheels over rev'd the engine? BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

I'm just down the road from you in Aston Abbotts. I have a collapsable engine crane that will fit in the back of a hatchback and you're welcome to borrow it if you pick it up and drop it off. Blatmail me BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

I first connected my Emerald power feed to the radiator fan circuit and the fuse blew after about 20 minutes BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

here you go BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

here BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

Point taken Dave, but if it's merely a few mm for tyre clearance and the wheel nuts retain sufficient grip length, thin spacers are IMHO no big deal. Particularly if using different wheels which might not be available with the appropriate offset and stuff BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

That's what I had to do with mine. Demon Tweeks sell various thickness spacers. Be aware that the wheel studs aren't that long. I fitted longer studs as well, but don't make them too long otherwise you can't get the nuts to seat when fitting the other wheels without spacers

A418 to Leighton Buzzard. Neat towing bridle

You can if you want, but it's not essential BRG Brooklands SV 2.0L Ammo Duratec 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)