58 replies to this topic

[bluesunbeam]

Just looked up the P5's but the smallest size they appear to do is 205 - no 195's.

[blackoctagon]

I use Nankang NS-2Rs in standard rear size and 195/45/17 fronts on OEM wheels.

I enjoy them, but be prepared to loosen your dampers a bit as the difference in sidewall stiffness between the Bridgestones and the NS-2R are night and day. If you like feeling cigarettes papers on the road through the steering wheel you'll like them.

Their water clearance is good, and while I wont say anything against the more extreme tyres the continuous grooves vs. the little scoops on those types of tyres make me feel more confident about being caught in the rain.
The trade-off is that they probably give away some grip to those other tyres, but i've never been left wanting for grip on the road.

[bluesunbeam]

Thanks your feedback blackoctagon . I'm not going to make any decisions until i have worked on the car and know what i am dealing with. I am going to get it up on axle stands so i can replace the worn brake discs and find out what sort of shocks it has on it; if it has good quality rebuildable shocks i will check the forum to see if they are worth hanging onto and getting a refurd done. If not i will get some Nitro NSS shocks- from what i have read these sound good for road use. I will take the wheels loose to get the tyres fitted ; i don't want to be worrying about people using jacks in the wrong place. Replacing the brake fluid, coolant and oil with good quality products will also be done before i start to run the car. The previous owner says he replaced the cambelt and tensioner and is sending me the receipts for the parts along with a few bits and pieces he forgot to give me when i bought the car. If anyone can think of anything to check when the car is up on axle stands, that a novice VX owner might not know to check thoroughly, please do advise me on it. Thanks.

                                                                                          Dave C

[Ivor]

I used the nitron street series, and I find them great on road and track

Edited by Ivor, 29 May 2024 - 05:02 AM.

[hairy]

 If anyone can think of anything to check when the car is up on axle stands, that a novice VX owner might not know to check thoroughly, please do advise me on it. Thanks.

                                                                                          Dave C

 

Safety checks: http://www.vx220.org...s/#entry1982907

[peteslag]

I had my old bilsteins refurbed, it made a huge difference to ride quality. With the knackered bilsteins fitted it was really jittery on country roads. Now, it doesn't offer bentley levels of ride quality but it certainly is much better.

[bluesunbeam]

Again, thanks to all of you for taking time to help and advise me. That's a great thread that you provided a link to hairy. 

I see that you are a beekeeper Billy No Mates. I made use of the BBA's excellent swarm map just last week to find a local beekeeper to collect a swarm from a neighbours property. Spent a happy ten minutes helping him to get to the main swarm in the depths of a shrub and then sat watching as the stragglers made there way into the temporary hive he brought with him. 

                                                                            Dave C

[bluesunbeam]

The car is up on axle stands now for various jobs. I was pleased to see how little rust there is on the suspension components and brake calipers . The discs still have a fair amount of wear left in them but are in poor condition overall ( ribs separating the two halves of the disc very corroded) so i have some new ones and will hopefully fit them tomorrow. Potentially bad news is that i tried to order the Nitron SS shocks from Seriously Lotus only to be told that they are no longer made. I tried phoning Nitrons HQ in Oxford to check this but the automated message said they were not taking calls until Wednesday due to stocktaking so i will have to wait. I will be very disappointed if they are NLA as they seem to be very good value for money from what i have read on the forum. Any advice on alternatives will be very welcome if it comes to that.

 Battery removal was time consuming as it is the first time i have done it- fortunately the battery has a built in handle so that made things a bit easier. Tyres are being fitted on Wednesday- i opted for the PS4's having gone through a lot of tyre performance comparison charts. It is quite frustrating that  there are some great tyres that are not made in the sizes that the VX needs. The Goodyear F1 Supersport had some great stats in dry conditions at a reasonable price but are not available in the right sizes.

 Spitfire toe links are on the shopping list as are a new water pump, thermostat and high efficiency alloy radiator; not because of any overheating problems but just because they are probably the original items so will probably let go during the time i have the car if not replaced. The long vacuum hose has the red stripe on it but is perished so that is on the list as well. Once all of those jobs are done i will have to get the geo done for peace of mind- if anyone knows a good place in the Reading area or a place good enough to travel a long distance for i would be very grateful for the advice . After the geo is done i am just going to enjoy the car until October when it will be put away until May; during this time i will try and sort out the shabby and cracked bodywork. This is the first time in years that i have really enjoyed working on a car so whatever the outcome it was a very good buy for me.

                                                                           Dave C

[hairy]

For geo, Back on Track in Guildford know our cars well.

[bluesunbeam]

Thanks for the reply hairy. Just been through the Back on Track website and they look like a good choice. Nitron have confirmed that the Street Series is NLA since early 2023 and they no longer have a budget option to replace it. Probably a strategic sales decision made based on the SS being too good and taking sales away from their more expensive base level NTR shocks. The bloke i spoke to said they were still getting quite a lot of calls about the SS range. I will have another trawl through the shocks threads and see what else is OK.

[Ivor]

I've got SS fitted,

[bluesunbeam]

Just taken my wheels down to a Blackcircles premium rated tyre fitters. Quite pleased because they are about a two minute drive from me and they are PREMIUM so i felt i could trust them with my flawless ,immaculate, un-kerbed, original, never seen salty roads OE rims. I was a bit less confidant when i was told that the front tyres are too big for the rims. I said that people who know much better than me say they will. So they take the plunge and get the first front on. I had a feeling that i should watch the whole process so carried on as he did the second front. He got the tyre on and seated but was struggling to get the wheel off the mounting spigots that hold the tyre to the machine. His solution was to heave with both hands and of course it suddenly let go did a half flip and landed on the spoke side on concrete. One badly chipped paint job was the result. I can't quite express how pissed off i was. I went over and found the chunk of black paint that had come off and when the lads boss came back showed him what had happened. He suggested that i take the wheel to get it refurbished and they would pay .I'm not falling for that so suggested that that wasn't even close to being good enough. So he then phoned his boss who is on holiday and i spoke to him and he said that i could have a full refund plus the tyres or they would sort out the rims. I pointed out that all four rims must match and have the same finish so his company will have to sort them out to my satisfaction. I am aware that i would probably come out ahead by taking the refund but i don't want the aggro of trying to find a decent place whilst i have so many more enjoyable jobs to do on the car. I refused to take the wheels away with me and will be seeing the boss on Monday. Not a great day what with that and discovering that the Nitrons are no longer made.

  Going to cheer myself up by fitting the rear discs.

                                                                       Dave

[hairy]

If you can't get SS any more, Gaz monos or Quantum zeros are the usual alternatives. Second hand exige bilsteins are a cheaper option.

[spad]

Pretty Girls in your city

[hairy]

Pretty Girls in your city

 

How is their suspension?

[bluesunbeam]

Opted for the Gaz monos. Set of Spitfire toe links waiting to be fitted along with a B&G quick release and Momo Jet steering wheel. I had to get Blackcircles involved in the damaged wheel debacle and the result is that, as i feared, i would have been much better off accepting the garage owners initial offer of a full refund and then sorting the wheels out myself. After many e-mails and phone calls the upshot is that Blackcircles will do localized repairs on the two damaged areas and have promised that these areas will perfectly match the rest of the wheel; i will believe ti when i see it . I did manage to get one of the Blackcircles representatives to admit that the 'Premier' title that some tyre fitting centres sport in their adverts is not something that is earned through careful inspection by Blackcircles and good customer ratings over a reasonable period of time, but rather something that can be bought from Blackcircles by any garage that needs to bolster their reputation. 

 Overall i am really enjoying the work on the car and hope to have it done before July 5th when the wheel repairs are due to be done.

                                                                                                          Dave C

[C8RKH]

You have learned the hard way that labels like "Premier" or "Superior" etc are usually just marketing gimmicks to befuddle, confuse, and misdirect customers.  I hope the repairs are done well.

[oblomov]

Pretty Girls in your city

Do you actually have anything constructive to add to these threads or are you just trolling?

[Dashwood]

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[bluesunbeam]

I am still new and confused. Do i take it that you have to own a VX220 and be a pimp to be on the forum or is it a one or the other sort of deal ?

                                                                    Dave C