MDifficult’s E82 1M Coupe & Ariel Atom 3

[5mileofdeath]

Was the price difference decent enough? I'm looking at some new rubber once I have done a track day with my R53, so interested in this tbh.

Also have you got yourself down to B Road Hunting Club yet? As per my thread I managed to get down there Bank Holiday Monday just gone and it was really good.

Edited by 5mileofdeath on Tuesday 11th May 11:14

[MDifficult]

5mileofdeath said:

Was the price difference decent enough? I'm looking at some new rubber once I have done a track day with my R53, so interested in this tbh.

Also have you got yourself down to B Road Hunting Club yet? As per my thread I managed to get down there Bank Holiday Monday just gone and it was really good.

Well, Camskill (my usual preference) haven't had any for months. Getting them from Demon Tweeks (who do have them) would have been £590ish plus delivery. I got them from Tirendo (part of the MyTyres family of sites I think) for £460 delivered. £130 saving was worth it considering I was in no hurry and happy to wait. Brexit nonsense meant they took nearly a month to get here - but I might have just been unlucky. Date stamp was Dec 2020 so nice and fresh too.

Not been to B road Hunting Club yet but it's high on my list of 'to-do's. What's put me off is that the journey for me is M3, M25 & M23 AKA "the Gatwick run" i.e. the journey I hate most in the world!

Depart. Average speed cameras, speed cameras, average speed cameras, concrete road surface, average speed cameras, camera vans, average speed cameras, arrive.

I'm thinking when I go that I'll do my run directly south to the coast, then go along the coast. Much further but I won't hate every. single. second.

[5mileofdeath]

MDifficult said:

Well, Camskill (my usual preference) haven't had any for months. Getting them from Demon Tweeks (who do have them) would have been £590ish plus delivery. I got them from Tirendo (part of the MyTyres family of sites I think) for £460 delivered. £130 saving was worth it considering I was in no hurry and happy to wait. Brexit nonsense meant they took nearly a month to get here - but I might have just been unlucky. Date stamp was Dec 2020 so nice and fresh too.

Not been to B road Hunting Club yet but it's high on my list of 'to-do's. What's put me off is that the journey for me is M3, M25 & M23 AKA "the Gatwick run" i.e. the journey I hate most in the world!

Depart. Average speed cameras, speed cameras, average speed cameras, concrete road surface, average speed cameras, camera vans, average speed cameras, arrive.

I'm thinking when I go that I'll do my run directly south to the coast, then go along the coast. Much further but I won't hate every. single. second.

Yeah thats a really good saving.. I will look into it, thanks!

Oh jesus yeah that is an awful run down there.. mine is much more pleasant lol, loads of A and B road fun

[C70R]

If you haven't been before, you'll have a great time at Combe. Nice mix of fast, high-commitment sections and slower technical corners. I found this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eIZVvnm7xg&ab... really helpful viewing to prepare. Lots of deceptively late/narrow apexes.

I was there for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and actually ran into Mark in the paddock. Lovely chap. Sadly an errant bolt (likely from another car) shredded my drive belt just before lunchtime, so my day was cut short in steamy histrionics.

ETA - R888R is a great choice for the Mini. I run them (in 205-50-15) on mine, and they provide a great balance of grip, fun and durability. I typically tend to start mine around 23psi all round, and might have to adjust down a tiny bit after a long stint.

Edited by C70R on Tuesday 11th May 13:25

[Kaveney]

They look very nice and i have not tried the R888 before and only used the AR-1 semi slick tyres so would be good to get your thoughts on them .

I run 215/40/17 from the stock 205/40/17 on my Fiesta ST and i do not have any rubbing issues just for reference so you will hopefully be ok .

MDifficult said:

Some sexy rubber has just arrived from Germany for the MINI. Long wait but much cheaper than UK suppliers. Took a punt and went for 215/45/17 (vs 205/45/17) so I may be subjecting myself to some rubbing in exchange for more rubber on the ground while maintaining the bigger sidewall. If so, I'll either ease the arches or sell them on and try again.



Got both Brands and Castle Combe booked in the next two months so looking forward to seeing the difference vs sh@gged-out MPS4

[MDifficult]

Kaveney said:

They look very nice and i have not tried the R888 before and only used the AR-1 semi slick tyres so would be good to get your thoughts on them .

I run 215/40/17 from the stock 205/40/17 on my Fiesta ST and i do not have any rubbing issues just for reference so you will hopefully be ok .

Cheers - the risk is that I kept the 45 profile so compared to my MPS4 they'll be 10mm wider (215 vs 205) and a little taller (about 3mm by my maths) AND they'll have a squarer shoulder. Add all that together and it may be just too much for my arch gap. But - I did measure beforehand so lets see!

I did look at AR-1 and a few other options too - but because I didn't want to take wets with me I wanted something that would be able to cope with a little bit of summer rain. Clearly, if its proper-chucking it down I'm going to be throwing all sorts of shapes but otherwise it should be okay. I'll deffo update the thread with whatever I learn!

[MDifficult]

C70R said:

If you haven't been before, you'll have a great time at Combe. Nice mix of fast, high-commitment sections and slower technical corners. I found this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eIZVvnm7xg&ab... really helpful viewing to prepare. Lots of deceptively late/narrow apexes.

I was there for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and actually ran into Mark in the paddock. Lovely chap. Sadly an errant bolt (likely from another car) shredded my drive belt just before lunchtime, so my day was cut short in steamy histrionics.

ETA - R888R is a great choice for the Mini. I run them (in 205-50-15) on mine, and they provide a great balance of grip, fun and durability. I typically tend to start mine around 23psi all round, and might have to adjust down a tiny bit after a long stint.

Cheers - that's really helpful, thank you! So many scare stories about Combe but as far as I can see it's mainly down to what you describe... late apexes. So people barrel into the key corners too fast, then find it's tightening when they expect it to be opening, run wide and then the close-up barriers come into play. I've shied away from the place with previous cars but now.. bring it on

Funny that you mention the shredded drive belt - 1320 mentioned exactly that issue to me which is why I'm now carrying a spare in my spares kit (and have the belt tool too). Must have been proper annoying for that to stop play.

Cheers for the advice on the tyres too. It's such a tricky game to find the right option but I was looking for something that would stand up to abuse, I wouldn't need to worry about cooling all the time (like the MPS4s), would close the gap to MrTouring on his Cup2s, would work in a sprinkling of rain and also be friendly and predictable. R888Rs seemed to fit that bill. We'll see!

[C70R]

MDifficult said:

C70R said:

If you haven't been before, you'll have a great time at Combe. Nice mix of fast, high-commitment sections and slower technical corners. I found this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eIZVvnm7xg&ab... really helpful viewing to prepare. Lots of deceptively late/narrow apexes.

I was there for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and actually ran into Mark in the paddock. Lovely chap. Sadly an errant bolt (likely from another car) shredded my drive belt just before lunchtime, so my day was cut short in steamy histrionics.

ETA - R888R is a great choice for the Mini. I run them (in 205-50-15) on mine, and they provide a great balance of grip, fun and durability. I typically tend to start mine around 23psi all round, and might have to adjust down a tiny bit after a long stint.

Cheers - that's really helpful, thank you! So many scare stories about Combe but as far as I can see it's mainly down to what you describe... late apexes. So people barrel into the key corners too fast, then find it's tightening when they expect it to be opening, run wide and then the close-up barriers come into play. I've shied away from the place with previous cars but now.. bring it on

Funny that you mention the shredded drive belt - 1320 mentioned exactly that issue to me which is why I'm now carrying a spare in my spares kit (and have the belt tool too). Must have been proper annoying for that to stop play.

Cheers for the advice on the tyres too. It's such a tricky game to find the right option but I was looking for something that would stand up to abuse, I wouldn't need to worry about cooling all the time (like the MPS4s), would close the gap to MrTouring on his Cup2s, would work in a sprinkling of rain and also be friendly and predictable. R888Rs seemed to fit that bill. We'll see!

I honestly think that, like brake pads, there's far too much opinion and far too little actual data about tyres. I suspect, but can't back it up, that the Average Joe probably wouldn't notice much difference between the various dedicated track tyres.

Having said all of that, I too run PS4s as road/wet and they are probably the best all-round tyre I've ever used.

Part of me did wonder about whether I should add the belt and tool to my kit, and I decided I couldn't be bothered with the hassle. I've no patience when it comes to spannering, and would probably have still called my mechanic to collect the broken car even if I did have the parts.

[MDifficult]

C70R said:

I honestly think that, like brake pads, there's far too much opinion and far too little actual data about tyres. I suspect, but can't back it up, that the Average Joe probably wouldn't notice much difference between the various dedicated track tyres.

You're almost certainly right! I'm a ham-fisted ape behind the wheel so I'm largely just happy with 'will they last' and 'will they go fast'

C70R said:

Having said all of that, I too run PS4s as road/wet and they are probably the best all-round tyre I've ever used.

Yeah, for a road tyre I only every really fit MPSS/MP4S etc. Not just the performance but they last and last and last.

C70R said:

Part of me did wonder about whether I should add the belt and tool to my kit, and I decided I couldn't be bothered with the hassle. I've no patience when it comes to spannering, and would probably have still called my mechanic to collect the broken car even if I did have the parts.

I keep myself to the things I've a reasonable confidence of being able to do. Belt, sensors, plugs, pads etc. I also work on the basis that at a trackday, as long as I've got the bits to hand, even if I struggle there's bound to be a helpful 'someone' around who can fit them for me. Not to mention the added benefit that Sod's law will mean that if I've bought them... I won't ever need them. So it's effectively preventative

[5mileofdeath]

MDifficult, how is the harness setup in your R53?

Mine currently has single bucket seat with half cage. I really don't think my harnesses are connected in the correct place, be interested to see where yours are as I think we have a similar cage.

If you could post a pic would be most grateful.

[MDifficult]

5mileofdeath said:

MDifficult, how is the harness setup in your R53?

Mine currently has single bucket seat with half cage. I really don't think my harnesses are connected in the correct place, be interested to see where yours are as I think we have a similar cage.

If you could post a pic would be most grateful.

Yeah, no problem - are you particularly interested in the shoulder harnesses on the cage horizontal bar?, or where the lap belts are attached to the eyelets on the foot plates?

[5mileofdeath]

MDifficult said:

Yeah, no problem - are you particularly interested in the shoulder harnesses on the cage horizontal bar?, or where the lap belts are attached to the eyelets on the foot plates?

both please pal..

it looks as if both parts of my harnesses are connected to the bottom of the seat

[MDifficult]

5mileofdeath said:

both please pal..

it looks as if both parts of my harnesses are connected to the bottom of the seat

No worries - will get something for you this PM

[5mileofdeath]

MDifficult said:

No worries - will get something for you this PM

Absolute star thank you!

[C70R]

5mileofdeath said:

MDifficult, how is the harness setup in your R53?

Mine currently has single bucket seat with half cage. I really don't think my harnesses are connected in the correct place, be interested to see where yours are as I think we have a similar cage.

If you could post a pic would be most grateful.

For context, if you have a cage then using the harness bar (wrapping) is the best place for the shoulder straps. The lap straps should then go to the floor (with spreaders) or cage feet.

I don't run a cage for various reasons, and have the shoulder belts running to the rear seatbelt points with spreaders underneath. The good people of the internet hate this, while conveniently ignoring it's the way that some 'track-focused' models have come off the production line.

Net is that you don't need a harness bar on your cage to mount your shoulder straps safely, but it can help.

[Ben Lowden]

Love the supercharger whine on the MINI, sounds so good on track! Might have to pop down to Brands in June when you're next out...

[5mileofdeath]

C70R said:

For context, if you have a cage then using the harness bar (wrapping) is the best place for the shoulder straps. The lap straps should then go to the floor (with spreaders) or cage feet.

I don't run a cage for various reasons, and have the shoulder belts running to the rear seatbelt points with spreaders underneath. The good people of the internet hate this, while conveniently ignoring it's the way that some 'track-focused' models have come off the production line.

Net is that you don't need a harness bar on your cage to mount your shoulder straps safely, but it can help.

Thanks for the advice.

Only bought mine Saturday and whilst cleaning the interior yesterday I started looking at how the harnesses were hooked up and it just doesn't look right..

[MDifficult]

Ben Lowden said:

Love the supercharger whine on the MINI, sounds so good on track! Might have to pop down to Brands in June when you're next out...

Cheers Ben! Since those vids I've been playing with some improved mic locations to try to get rid of all the interior clatter. Above the exhaust sounds proper naughty, but under the bonnet is just hilarious. Only problem is that the audio clips like crazy because it's so loud! I'll be at Brands on the evening of the 16th June if you're around?

[MDifficult]

5mileofdeath said:

Thanks for the advice.

Only bought mine Saturday and whilst cleaning the interior yesterday I started looking at how the harnesses were hooked up and it just doesn't look right..

You definitely need to start your own thread... or put some details in here!

Here's some pics. So the shoulders just pass through the seat holes and then are fitted to the cage using the buckles. The excess is rolled and cable-tied but that's just to stop it flapping about I imagine?



As for the lap straps, on the outer side they attach to an eyelet on the footplate like so...



The inner strap is attached to an identical eyelet, which is let into the transmission tunnel. Sorry, didn't grab a picture of that. If you need it, let me know and I'll grab it for you.

[MDifficult]

In other news.. nipped to the tyre-fitters at lunch to fit up and trial fit one of the R888Rs and.... it doesn't fit at the front.

Arches aren't the issue, but when sat back on the ground the inner shoulder juuuuuust touches the adjustment collar for the shocks - I guess because of the aggressive negative camber on the front. No go. So put the old tyre back on and came home for a think.

Options are:

1. Take out some negative camber. Balls to that
2. Fit some spacers. Car already has ~6mm so I think moving up to a standard 12mm would more than do the job. But that puts me at risk on the outer arches I think.
3. Fit some tighter spacers. Going up from 6 to 10mm might be safer option.
4. Sell them on, and fit some 205s instead

Something to ponder on. All advice welcome.