Blue-Lines

looks lovely . Perfect car for a dabble in class 4 of the club speed championship or perhaps chasing porker gt3's round cadwell 😬 Martyn

Glad to hear you are OK Richard! IMHO the venue should seriously consider replacing what looks to be a very effective launch pad for some armco. Martyn

Its Kumho v70's or Avon ZZR's in the sprint compound. Mel Williams is the man for Kumhos and BMTR for the Avons. Alternativly someone on here might have a nicely scrubbed up set they can flog you? Martyn

Adam, fitting the LSD did not help per se but when the diff was out to have it fitted, and subsequently rebuilt, the crown wheel and pinion backlash was set up with tighter tolerances than previously. When bumbling around on part throttle I still get a "clang" sound if I come on or off the throttle relatively abruptly, and this is as others have said the dog cut gears and two sliding propshafts winding up. Driving style plays a part and with some finesse you can smoothen out things out no end. Other than that perhaps some sound deadening in the transmission tunnel and/or a torque resiliant tube propshaft in the rear would help? I have done neither of these as my car is mainly used on the track, or for spirited road drives where the ear plugs are in and all you can hear is induction roar and the banshee wail from the exhaust The ATB diff just means I can do donuts and that I have one less excuse for being off the pace in sprints and hillclimbs 😬. In practice the car feels much more progressive on the limit and quicker coming out of the corners. I chose an ATB diff over a true LSD as plate diffs can themselves be noisy and a bit clunky when pootling. Hope this information helps? Sounds like you need another Fireblade pilot to determine it is a TADT’s or not! Edited by - Blue-Lines on 19 Mar 2012 19:25:59

Richard, all good YHM

Hi Richard. Yes please, subject to me getting the day off work. Can I confirm tomorrow? Martyn

As others have said, check the a-frame bush - although you might have a rose joint fitted in place of the bush? Check the reverser box mounts are all good and everything looks square. The chain in the reverser is a service item and a faff to change but there is a magnetic drain plug fitted so if you remove that and find a significant amount of swarf you need a new chain (£14 from nova). Check the rubber donut that the prop shaft attaches to the gearbox, I chewed mine up from tyre warming antics but gather it was one from a suspect batch and have had no problems since fitting a new one. Backlash on the CWP might be out, mine was, but only found that out when I was dropping the diff to fit a quaife atb in. Last but not least there is more driveline noise in a bec than a 'normal' seven Martyn

Chris, is it gopro footage? If it is what do you use to capture your engine sound as it works well. Nice footage btw. Roll on spring! Martyn

Hoyabusa in action Martyn

...anything that is a one off is likely to be costly, time consuming and result in more time off the road though. If your a Honda man perhaps arch motors still have the jigs to make some blackbird engine mounts etc. Engine off fleabay for circa 600 quid, dry sump and reverser off the shelf from nova, that and a few other bits and bobs and your away

A 1.0 litre 180+bhp screamer is what you want IMHO, especially if it is in a car with a circa 400kg kerb weight. The BMW S1000rr engine for example produces 193bhp stock, buzzes up to 14k and produces 83ft/lb torque . Don't know what it weighs but the latest blade engine is about 65kg's fully dressed, and remember that figure includes the gearbox. Add some lightness Martyn

Adrian, will try and find the old copy of low flying as that would be useful starting point before plonking my bum in a car or two. Richard, thanks for the info regarding side intrusion and tonneau clearance. Stu, thanks for heads up about half doors. Chris, does the roadsport cage use the petty strut mounts for the front mounting where the sill meets the scuttle? I've no intention to ever fit a windscreen, scuttle isnt even drilled for one, but this option looks to use less intrusive mounting points than the slr cage. Kevin, not far away at all so might take you up on your offer! Martyn

Having seen that off of a fellow competitor at Shesley andhaving somewhat scared myself following an unplanned excursion on a track day last month i am considering fitting a full cage for next year. The financial outlay to do this looks to be significant so if I do pursue this option I want to be sure that i go for the right setup from the off. I have therefore a few questions that I hope the more knowledgeable sprinters can provide some answers and insight... As I understand it the "SLR" cage offers the most headroom and the easiest entry/exit of the various different types available. Are these statements correct? What would head clearance be like for me with this type of cage? I am 5' 10" and the car has tillets bolted to a standard floor. In addition to needing a new boot cover are there any other hidden costs to consider? Would my half doors fit? My car is a JW Blade so I would need a 'special' making up but Caged have told me they could do this providing I could leave the car with them for a few weeks. Martyn Edited by - Blue-Lines on 30 Oct 2011 19:00:05

Given that both the kumho v70 and avonZZR's have broken all previous records set in our championship (and others), what are peoples thoughts on lifting the restriction on crossply tyres (acb10's)? Also, can I seek clarification on the bhp limits as they are at present - are we talking power at the flywheel or at the rear wheels? Finally, all things being equal I don’t think a standard Bird is going to trouble a Busa or super-duper Duratec, and I echo David and Will’s comments about encouraging new club members into the sprint championship. I’ve never troubled the front runners in my class but regardless of this, and indeed any changes to the reg’s that follow these discussions, a club sprint is an enjoyable day out and well worth a bash for those who have never had a dabble in clubman motorsport. Martyn

Hi Pete. I don’t think there is a best. It depends on how the car has been setup, what you want from it and what your budget is i think. What i will say is that my blade is very forgiving to drive on the limit but at the same time really requires a deft touch to get the very best out of it - something i am still working on!! When compared to my old man’s crossflow 7 it feels like you drive it with your tiptoes and fingertips. The steering and pedals are so light in comparison. In short it might not be to everyone’s liking as it is a bit noisy and clunky at low speeds on the road for example but clutchless upshifts @ 11k it is FUN and it definitely subscribes to Chapman philosophy of “less is more” IMHO. I often wonder what my car would be like with a 2010 blade engine in it...185bhp in a circa 400kg car Martyn