cainchapman

Arrow wheels, Kelston.

Well, my straw poll tonight shows that everyone driving without their lights on are just cocks that should have their license revoked. I flashed everyone that had no lights on, not chased, not shot, not dead. A most boring evening. Maybe, I was out a little early for the gang-members. Still at home waiting for Mummy to let them out after dinner. Or there aren't that many on Remuera Rd.

2 E34 540iS An E36 M3 and an E34 M5 Why would you want an Auto 8 series?

The wheels look OK. They make it look like you have Mazda 808 brakes on the car though. The rear spoiler that you stole from a shopping trolley needs to go though.

Managing change: what’s new for 2008 - Part Two It is not just the technical regulations that have changed for 2008. There have also been some important revisions to the sporting regulations - revisions that could have a major effect on the outcome of races this season. In the second of a two-part feature, Renault analyse the likely impact of a shortened Q3 qualifying session, the new four-race gearbox requirement, and more… Sporting Regulations, Article 22.1 22.1 a) Testing shall be considered any track running time undertaken by a competitor entered in the Championship with the exception of: i) promotional or demonstration events carried out using tyres provided specifically for this purpose by the appointed supplier; ii) young driver training, any such driver having not competed in an F1 World Championship Event in the preceding 24 months nor tested a Formula One car on more than four days in the same 24 month period. IMPACT: Exempting young driver evaluations from the annual limit on testing mileage removes one of the barriers to new drivers entering the sport; the difficulty of giving young drivers F1 seat time was an unintended consequence of last year’s blanket testing restrictions. Renault have already put this clause to good use, evaluating Alvaro Parente as his prize for winning the 2007 World Series by Renault. Teams are limited to a total of 350km during these evaluation days. Sporting Regulations, Article 28.1 28.1 Each competitor may have no more than two cars available for use at any one time during an Event. Any partially assembled survival cell will be deemed to be a car in this context if it is fitted with an engine, any front suspension, bodywork, radiators, oil tanks or heat exchangers. IMPACT: This regulation means the disappearance of spare cars from the team garages. This is a logical move towards greater cost-efficiency in an era of nearly flawless reliability up and down the pit-lane. Teams will likely take one less chassis to the races than in previous years (in most cases, a total of three in 2008, compared to four previously). Sporting Regulations, Article 28.6 28.6 a) Each driver may use no more than one gearbox for four consecutive Events in which his team competes. Should a driver use a replacement gearbox he will drop five places on the starting grid at that Event each time a further gearbox is used. Unless the driver fails to finish the race (see below) the gearbox fitted to the car at the end of the Event must remain in it for three further Events. Any driver who failed to finish the race at the first, second or third of the four Events for reasons beyond the control of the team or driver, may start the following Event with a different gearbox without a penalty being incurred. d) At the second, third and fourth Events seals may be broken once, under supervision and at any time prior to the start of the qualifying practice session, for the sole purpose of changing gear ratios and dog rings (excluding final drives or reduction gears). Gear ratios and dog rings (excluding final drives or reduction gears) may also be changed under supervision for others of identical specification at any time during an Event provided the FIA technical delegate is satisfied there is evident physical damage to the parts in question and that such changes are not being carried out on a systematic basis. IMPACT: Following the successful, phased introduction of long-life engines since 2004, the “long-life principle†has now been extended to include gearboxes. Each gearbox must last a total of four ‘events’ (an event comprising Saturday and Sunday of a GP weekend), a significant step over the unrestricted situation of 2007. Renault has worked hard to ensure the necessary levels of reliability without compromising the speed of its “quickshift†mechanism. Ratios can still be changed once each weekend, in order to match them to the requirements of the circuit. Sporting Regulations, Article 29.1 29.1 Fuel may not be added to nor removed from any car eligible to take part in Q3 between the start of Q3 and the start of the race (…) IMPACT: With refuelling no longer allowed between the end of qualifying and the race, the format more closely resembles that which was introduced in 2003, which saw single lap qualifying with cars carrying their fuel load for the first race stint. The change will naturally lead teams to run shorter stints at the start of the race, as pioneered by Renault in 2003; where ‘rearward-biased’ strategies were the norm in 2007, ‘forward-biased’ strategies are more likely in 2008. Sporting Regulations, Article 33 33) QUALIFYING PRACTICE 33.1 The qualifying practice session will take place on the day before the race from 14.00 to 15.00. The session will be run as follows: a) From 14.00 to 14.20 (Q1) all cars will be permitted on the track and at the end of this period the slowest seven cars will be prohibited from taking any further part in the session. Lap times achieved by the seventeen remaining cars will then be deleted. From 14.27 to 14.42 (Q2) the seventeen remaining cars will be permitted on the track and at the end of this period the slowest seven cars will be prohibited from taking any further part in the session. Lap times achieved by the ten remaining cars will then be deleted. c) From 14.50 to 15.00 (Q3) the ten remaining cars will be permitted on the track. The above procedure is based upon a Championship entry of 24 cars. If 22 cars are entered only six cars will be excluded after Q1 and Q2. IMPACT: The move to the 20/15/10 format for knockout qualifying will, when combined with Article 29.1, eliminate the wasteful fuel burning laps at the start of the third and final round. The new format will serve to further increase the tension of the exciting knockout format, with ever-decreasing time in each round to set a competitive time. The elimination of post-qualifying refuelling will also likely spell the end of cars waiting at the end of the pit-lane for the lights to go green, as there is no longer pressure to complete the maximum possible number of laps for the purpose of claiming ‘fuel credits’, as was the case in 2007.

He obviously hasn't seen Gerry's old one. Less than 4,000 km per year. How do you do that? I think even our spare car does more than that each year.

It looks nice. The best value one of the 4 Autos posted so far IMO. None of the 540's will have an LSD unless it is a manual (I believe) as nobody bothered to up spec an already superb car. The guys buying them weren't looking to do doughnuts in them or take them to the track generally. And I wouldn't part with the 540LE for less than 3 times that amount.

That silver one is definitely the one to have. I still hate seeing them with arm chairs in the front. It looks like you are touring around in your Lounge.

And this is what you get when you break them down chemically. Chemistry of women MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET Woman--Chemical Analysis ELEMENT: Woman SYMBOL: WO+ DISCOVERER: Adam ATOMIC MAKE: Accepted as 110 lb. but known to vary from 100 to 550 pounds OCCURRENCE: Copious quantities in all urban areas PHYSICAL PROPERTIES: 1. Surface usually covered with a painted film 2. Boils at nothing, freezes without reason 3. Melts if given special treatment 4. Bitter if incorrectly used 5. Found in various stages ranging from virgin metal to common ore 6. Yields to pressure if applied to correct points CHEMICAL PROPERTIES: 1. Has a great affinity for Gold, Silver, Platinum and precious stones 2. Absorbs great quantities of expensive substances 3. May explode spontaneously without prior warning and for no known reason 4. Insoluble in liquids, but activity greatly increased by saturation with alcohol 5. Most powerful money-reducing agent known to man COMMON USES: 1. Highly ornamental, especially in sports cars 2. Can be a great aid to relaxation TASTE: 1. Pure specimen turns rosy pink when discovered in natural state 2. Turns green when placed beside a better specimen HAZARDS: 1. Highly dangerous except in experienced hands 2. Illegal to possess more than one at the same time

For the right price. Yes. Deb is looking for an excuse for me to buy her an RS4 wagon.

I have one.

It's not clipping (just to clear that up). It does sound like you are over-driving the amp. This is a current phenonema and putting larger cable will make it worse as you will be lowering the resistance of the system. Take it to an expert.

That thing leaps out of the box. I'd love to see the 60' time.

On the ECU. I hope they are installing a Control-Alt-Delete set of buttons on the wheel if Microsoft are writing the code! Managing change: what’s new for 2008 Each new Formula One season sees a raft of major and minor regulation updates, aimed at achieving a range of different objectives - and 2008 is no different. Some have been well publicised, such as the ban on traction control, others less so, such as the loss of qualifying’s ‘fuel burn’ phase. In a bid to analyse their impact, the Renault team guide us through the primary changes in the first of a two-part feature… Technical Regulations, Article 5; Sporting Regulations, Article 28.5 "As in 2007, only homologated engines may be used in the 2008 championship. For the new season, the homologation perimeter has been widened to include all elements included in Articles 5.4 and 5.17 of the Technical Regulations. Items included in Article 5.17 can be changed without penalty, but only with components of an identical design. The duration of the engine homologation period is likely to be five years, and competitors will now be able to make their first engine change during the season without a grid penalty being imposed. However, this change may only be made in the event of a genuine failure." IMPACT: The extension of the homologation perimeter is a logical step onwards from the homologation phase that began in 2007. Homologating engine ancillaries in addition to the V8 itself prevents teams from diverting significant spend into areas of very small return, such as the development of improved fuel pumps. The ‘free’ first engine change is a significant change to the rules, but cannot be exploited as a ‘joker’ owing to the fact that it must be as a result of a genuine technical failure. Technical Regulations, Article 8.2 "8.2 Control electronics: 8.2.1 All components of the engine and gearbox, including clutch, differential and all associated actuators must be controlled by an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) which has been manufactured by an FIA designated supplier to a specification determined by the FIA. The ECU may only be used with FIA approved software and may only be connected to the control system wiring loom, sensors and actuators in an manner specified by the FIA." IMPACT: The introduction of the Microsoft-MES SECU (Standard Electronic Control Unit) marks a significant change for the ING Renault F1 Team, which previously used the Magneti-Marelli Step 11. In technical terms, the SECU is about half as powerful as the outgoing system, with a quarter of the memory. The SECU package is composed of six units, with a weight gain of over 35 percent compared to the previous system. The introduction of the SECU eliminates a number of control systems, including traction control and EBS (engine braking system). In total, the loss of these systems will cost up to 0.4s per lap. Technical Regulations, Article 13.1.1 "A revised cockpit entry template for 2008 gives greater lateral driver head protection compared to the design used in 2007. The upper edge of the chassis side now sits 655mm above the reference plane (roughly 20mm above the highest point in 2007) and maintains this maximum height along a length of 270mm. The resulting head protection is more substantial than in previous years." IMPACT: The new head protection was introduced to reduce the risk of driver injury in the event of one car passing over another, following an incident at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix. This change has led the team to pay particular attention to the question of inboard or outboard placement of the mirrors, to ensure maximum visibility. This modification to the rules is a further example of the FIA drive to maintain Formula One at the pinnacle of motor sport and automotive safety. Technical Regulations, Article 15.1 "A list of permitted materials may be found in the Appendix to these regulations." IMPACT: The materials restrictions in force from 2008 means that the cars must be built from a list of approved materials. This eliminates some of the more exotic and expensive materials that were being used in small quantities by some teams, without forcing constructors into retrograde steps in technology. This restriction has been designed to prevent the diversion of spend into areas of diminishing return, as restrictions are imposed elsewhere in the regulations. Technical Regulations, Article 19.4.5 "19.4.5 A minimum of 5.75 percent (m/m) of the fuel must comprise oxygenates derived from biological sources. The percentage that each component is considered to originate from a biological source is calculated from the relative proportion of the molecular weight contributed by the biological starting material." IMPACT: Formula One fuel has been strictly regulated since 1993, when the FIA imposed unleaded fuel that had to meet the Euro 95 standard applied to pump fuel for normal road cars. Prior to 1992, Formula One racing had used leaded fuel with very high octane ratings for maximum power. Since specifying the use of ‘pump fuel’, the FIA’s has ensured Formula One racing operates in advance of standards in force for production cars. The introduction of a small percentage of bio-fuels anticipates 2010 road car norms. Coming soon in Part Two, changes to the sporting regulations, including the new four-race gearbox rule and amendments to the knockout qualifying format.

What's wrong with it now? Try and replicate Ernst Fuch's art car.

Well, until they are on your car. I'm going to reserve judgment. I don't think they'd suit my car. Looking forward to the final product.

Well derived argument. However, he's a mathematician, not an Engineer.

You have obviously got off lightly. Keeping the 540 serviced at McMillans is much cheaper than running my wife and daughter. Dealer prices seem OK to me, by comparison.

Looks great Ollie. Congrats.

And they all caused choas at Palmy airport this morning. The queue to check in was out the door.

Cheers, and it just got better. I've just found I can download 'The Hire' onto my iPod. Something to keep me entertained in Palmy.

I'd take them to Arrow wheels in Kelston and get Lance's opinion.

Haha, yes I've had a very good day thanks. I don't feel all that old (although a few greys have started poking through). No kids that I know of Brent! I'll have to find some scarfies to go drinking and be immature with in Palmy tomorrow night. Off to have my first beer for the day now. Cheers Cain

http://www.apple.com/nz/ You could also see Magnum Mac, they had a number of Macbooks that had been reconditioned for less the $700.

BMW will have an E92 M3 V8 laying around thanks to NZ Autocar.