TR Mitch
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Posts posted by TR Mitch
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I wonder why we call them torque wrenches and not torque spanners? All our other wrenches are called spanners
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All sorted now, many thanks everyone.
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I'm restoring an old Victorian street lamp similar to the pic below and need two pieces of stainless steel, both to go inside the body, one as a reflector for the top of the lamp, the other I'll paint matt black to use as a closure for the base. The dimensions are 17cm square and 36cm square. Thickness is not important but it will need to be rigid so I reckon 2mm would be good.
Does anyone have a source? I've looked on Ebay but couldn't find anyone that sold exact cut sizes. Any advice where to get this from? Can someone supply/cut those two pieces for me? I'm in Surrey near Woking. Thanks in advance!
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Conrad is right, the narrower 165 tyres look great. XAS are the most expensive but I went for 5.5 inch Minilites with 165/80 Vredestein classics. This is copied from my post on the What tyres on 5.5 Minilites? thread.
Here are some comparisons for anyone else thinking about a swap. The old wheels were 6" Minators with 195/65s.
Old
New
Side by side
Side by side
Old
New
Since changing, the feel of the car is completely different, the steering extremely responsive compared to the tramlining of the 195/65 tyres, the chassis doesn't creak and groan it's way round corners any more. -
One thing that annoys me about the Sealey/Draper ones is that they are nicely calibrated in NM, ie 5/10/15/20 but the adjacent imperial scale, which could have so easily been scaled and etched linearly is instead a direct conversion of the metric scale so it reads something like18/25/32/37/42/49 ft lbs and is a pain to set.
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There are loads of posts on the forums about this very topic. I went for the Richard Good ones. Just put "uprated drive shaft" into the search window above and you'll see lots of comparisons.
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I suppose all things are relative!
They are, I meant not much cost between his 20 or 19" wheel options. Be kind, he's already suffering £400 a week depreciation on an X6
By contrast, 4 Audi supplied steel wheels, a set of Continental Winter Contacts for them, fully fitted & balanced cost me just £350.
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Trigbush, although you're sorted now at not much cost, anyone else with the same question about wheel size, the manufacturers website is a useful guide, and if it's a German car, then the .de website will have the winter wheel/tyre combo for your car as this is a regular option in Germany.
If your car is not a current model, the original brochure, if you still have it, or a call to the dealer will get the answer. I have an Audi A4 estate (B6 to 2004) which the base model had 15" steel wheels which I bought from Audi for not much money to fit the winter tyres to. The next model though has a min wheel size of 16" and Audi don't do a steel wheel in that size so my colleagues with that car have bought the cheapest Audi alloys to use with winter boots.
For anyone needing a method of storing wheels with tyres, I found this on Amazon to be great value for £25.
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It might be worth reducing the wheel size down to 19" or less (if the car allows) to benefit from a higher profile (and cheaper) tyre. Those are huge bits of rubber in any case, but I think oversized wheels are more of a fashion statement (by the car makers) than practical. I have used pneusonline for my tyres in the past. Very pleased, fast delivery and the tyres weren't 3 years old when I got them (a complaint common to some online suppliers who shift old stock).
(Check DOT code to see the manufactured date)
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Man made damage, I agree, but look at it this way, the shafts must have been worn in the first place and the bodge could have been there for some time. You're in the process of fettling the car and you may have treated yourself to new drive shafts in any case.
There are plenty of choices, including uprating the shafts and hubs from original spec. Search the whole forum (to include the TR6 and tech sections since the forum got moved around recently) for "drive shafts" and you'll find plenty of information and experiences. I changed mine for Richard Good items which quietened the car down hugely.
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My experience is that they are also much quieter. My Audi was always noisy, particularly on concrete roads with the original Continental Sport Contacts and as I replaced the with the same tyre, it was always that way. When I then triedcwinter tyres several years ago, I chose Continental Winter Contacts. They were extremely quiet but I put this down to the narrower tread and higher profile of the size I fitted to the steel rims I bought from Audi.
When it was time to replace all the summer tyres together, I sought out a quieter tyre and found the Goodyear F1 Assymetrics I bought to be very quiet compared to the old Contis.
In my case, winter tyres were quieter and drove my mission to keep the car like that all year. Winter Contis, summer Goodyears have done that for me. -
I've read with interest comments from people who have correctly set up the geometry on their cars (not only TRs) and have a couple of questions for those in the know as I'm interested in getting my local place with the Hunter gear to look at the TR after they've tweaked my Audi and the missus' Boxster.
My understanding for the TR5 is that:
Rear Set Up
The toe in is set using a shim between the trailing arm outer bracket and chassis and this is Moss part number 139363. The numbers in the Bentley & Haynes say the rear should be within 0 to 1/16th inch (0-1.58mm).
The camber should be plus 1 degree to minus 1/4 degree (Bentley) or negative 1 degree +/- a half degree (Haynes) but would only need adjusting if the springs had sagged/settled and this is by way of a packing piece between the top of the spring and the rubber collar? Bentley mentions part number HAC104 but I don't see this part in the Moss catalogue. Am I correct in assuming if the springs are relatively new then this does not need "adjustment" and any error may be the construction of the body/chassis/trailing arm interface?
Front Set Up
Toe in adjusted in the standard way with the track rod ends and the tolerance is between +1/16th and +1/8th inch (1.6-3.2mm) (Bentley) whilst Haynes says between 0 and 1/16th inch.
Camber is adjusted with a shim in the wishbone bracket (Moss 139727) and should be biased plus 0.5 deg plus/minus 1 degree (kerb) and 0 degrees plus/minus a half degree (laden) [bentley numbers] or minus 1 degree plus/minus a half degree (Haynes)
Castor should be 2.75 degrees plus minus a degree (Bentley) or minus half a degree (Haynes). This is not adjustable on the car.
Summary of Settings
Rear Toe In : 0 to 1/16th +/- 1/32nd (Bentley & Haynes agree) [trailing arm shim]
Rear Camber : -0.25 to +1 degree (Bentley) or -1.0 degree +/- 0.5 degrees [spring shim]
Front Toe In : +1/16th to +1/8th (Bentley) or 0 to 1/16th degree [spanner on track rod end]
Front Camber : +0.5 degrees +/- 1 degree (Bentley) or -1.0 degree +/- 0.5 degrees (Haynes) [wishbone shim]
Front Castor : 2.75 degrees +/- 1 degree (Bentley & Haynes agree) [not adjustable]
My local Hunter equipped place said Hunter are sending them the TR5 settings but they can also just input the ones I supply. Does anyone have any thoughts on these numbers and any experienced based tips they have for setting up the geometry?
I haven't spoken to Moss yet, but do these shims come in different sizes or do you just make up your own?
I'd never really thought much about alignment in this level of detail, prior interest was just adjusting the tracking if the car pulled to one side after clonking a pothole or kerb but now I am assuming they will set the rears to run true with the line of the car then the fronts are adjusted to follow the reference provided by the rears thus giving true four wheel alignment?
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Even Wikipedia has a whole section on headlight flashing!
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I spoke to Pete Cox about this very topic. His thoughts were that 30 may be too thin for a road car but 40 just right. A read of Richard Michell's "What Oil" is quite enlightening or shoukd I say lubricating?
Don't forget that the thinner oil will find new places to leak from vs 90 grade.
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We don't know what Andrew sold it for but in his original post discussed here, he seemed happy with the price. The dealer would have naturally added his mark up, what, £3,4 or 5k?
The car will now be sold with a comforting warranty and dealer back up, something that may well atrract another new TR owner into the fold. Not everyone is confident on the spanners and these cars need to be right to start with then need more attention than a modern car. I think the price is not so much about speculation than the dealer covering himself and having a nice shiny example on his forecourt.
I've bought a couple of used Porsche in the past (the Boxster still on the drive). Because I don't understand them, both were bought from specialist independents for peace of mind. No doubt the dealer made a nice margin but more importantly I knew I could walk into the showroom and pick up a good one. How many TRs did the dealer look at before he chose Andrew's?
As they say, time is money.
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I understand the point of getting the cam positioned correctly before adjusting but given that you're adjusting when the valve is closed (ie on the heel of the cam), the majority of standard cams have (what looks like) plenty of "null". I've only ever done it by eye & rocking the opposite (9, 13 whatever) valve so it appears fully open. Looking at the shape of the cam heel, I reckon the valve you're adjusting has the same clearance for a good number of degrees of rotation but I would be interested to see what variation you guys get around the heel side rotation.
I decided to buy myself a dial gauge and put this to the test as I particularly like Alan's suggestion of using the dial gauge to actually measure the actual gap given the surfaces are not likely to be flat and therefore less suitable for a feeler gauge.
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How do the insurance companies view the fitting of non-standard wheels and tyres?
I don't know about others but as mentioned above, I bought bog standard Audi steel wheels with the correct size tyres. For good measure, I rang my insurer, they said "no charge". In fact I wanted a discount for putting myself forward as a lower risk.
As said earlier, people that are critiquing the use of winter tyres have clearly never tried them.
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what next - 'its raining tyres' surely a standard tyre can handle 99.9% of British weather
Sorry, that's just nonsense. You clearly haven't tried winter tyres. Since I used them in anger on pretty bad roads, I also find them very helful in the plus 5 to minus 5 degree slush that we tend to get for most of the winter.
Your post compelled me to assemble some of the footage I took when we were in the Cotswolds the winter before last. There is no way that standard tyres would have got me round those roads. For a total investment of £350, the wheels fitted with Continental Winter Contacts kept us mobile and safe for the best part of 3 months of this type of weather. The average motorist of course was out buying a 4x4 thinking that was the solution. The car is a 10 year old Audi A4 Avant, 2 wheel drive 1.9tdi (hence tractor sound track!).
PS, I haven't blurred my number plate, that was ice.
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John, I'd agree that putting it back how it came apart is the best option. If you have the budget, maybe an upgrade? I noticed play in my hubs and read the stories here about the poor quality of the replacements so I went for uprated hubs. I chose Richard Good items because of his recommendations to me and because they worked out a lot cheaper than sourcing in the UK.
A search here for "uprated drive shafts" or simply "drive shafts" will bring up loads of threads.
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My Audi came with 17" alloys. The base model has 15" steels, so I bought a set of those from the local Audi dealer (£37 each) and fitted a set of Continental Winter Contacts (£50 each). The larger profile and slimmer width of the tyre makes the car handling even better than simply fitting winter versions of wide low profile tyres to the car.
There is the added benefit of an easier switch in autumn and spring, less salt damage to the original alloys and a lower running cost in the winter. Assuming same wear rate, the summer low profiles cost £125 each and the winter tyres £50 each so it's cheaper rubber too.
The A4 now goes where much else doesn't on icy winter roads. And when it's simply cold and wet, the grip is much better too due to the low temp compound in the winter tyre.
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Good tips, I'm about to do mine since a couple rattle a bit. Will find out whether there is any valve seat recession too.
Will check if the 13 rule works on a six pot and report back.
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Thanks for the tip. I tend to start and go anyhow, so a forced increase of rpm not needed as I have my right foot. I think I'll adjust this "facility" out of the way.
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Work gloves
in General TR Technical
Posted
Pink, thanks for the tip. I seem to eat through boxes of the blue ones but ordered some of these and have been impressed. I have been restoring an old Victorian street lamp and a couple of petrol strimmers. Never mind their resistance to oil, when paint/rust removing and wire brushing, the latex ones would have fallen to bits. I'm still on the first pair of these and just rinse them with washing up liquid under the tap when I need to clean them.
A good find, thank you.