Member Since: 24 Dec 2010
Location: Borders
Posts: 11027
Disco 4....Evo letter of the month !
It turns out,after having 13 letters printed,including one last month that all I had to do was include the words "Land Rover Discovery 4" in my text and I finally got Letter of the Month,winning a Road Angel !
Thanks to those who confirmed that the manual option is no longer available on a D4..... "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool,than to speak out and remove all doubt" ?.....what rubbish...
Locking rear E-diff
RLD spare wheel protector & sump guard
Extended roof rails
Series 111 mudflaps
Black side tubes,grill and vents
Timed climate remote
Hids4u interior lights
D4 Firenze my2012 HSE
D3 Java 2005 SE manual (sold,sadly,thanks for the memories)
1966 '88 Series 2a....still starts in the morning better than I do...
24th Feb 2012 1:24 pm
mik
Member Since: 08 Feb 2010
Location: Skoatland
Posts: 912
Well done Euan
(Looks down at shiney Jorg Gray 6500 recently received for my "from the forums" grump on BMW's new "active sound" package 8) )
My subs copy hasn't popped through the door yet, but apparently the "me and my car" feature is on Bryn - another forum user who owns www.performancelegends.co.uk - keen to put a face to the name.
edit: forgot to say - I had a "letter of the month" printed a few years back - when there was no prize. I think they started supplying the Road Angel apprxo 2months after mine was printed.
edit2: so what do you drive to get your evo fix then? Our Disco belongs to Mrs Mik, and whilst I love it, I have to get my speed / tactility fixes elsewhere.
24th Feb 2012 2:59 pm
euangibson
Member Since: 24 Dec 2010
Location: Borders
Posts: 11027
Cheers mik.....going to start trying for the watch next.....wore them down with a constant bombardment of letters so it may take a while ...
Haven't got a non-Disco fix at the moment ......previously had some interesting cars,but they were all pre-dogs/kids etc.....can't justify extra ponies in the stable at the moment,the missus is only just coming round to the idea of "needing" to upgrade the D3 to a D4 "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool,than to speak out and remove all doubt" ?.....what rubbish...
Locking rear E-diff
RLD spare wheel protector & sump guard
Extended roof rails
Series 111 mudflaps
Black side tubes,grill and vents
Timed climate remote
Hids4u interior lights
D4 Firenze my2012 HSE
D3 Java 2005 SE manual (sold,sadly,thanks for the memories)
1966 '88 Series 2a....still starts in the morning better than I do...
24th Feb 2012 4:20 pm
mik
Member Since: 08 Feb 2010
Location: Skoatland
Posts: 912
Shame.
We'll if you are ever round my neck of the woods and need a v8 fix.... I can confirm that 6.2 litres with a fruity exhaust sounds flippin' great when extended in the Clyde Tunnel.
Member Since: 24 Dec 2010
Location: Borders
Posts: 11027
4L V8 is the best I can manage in the "mine's bigger than yours"! debate......
TVR Chimera....say what you like about TVR,but boy could they make a good sounding car....I used to put it in the garage just to get the full surround-sound experience when I started it up.... actually had not a minutes trouble with mine,contrary to some horror stories....
Imperial blue with cream leather....I still miss it..... "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool,than to speak out and remove all doubt" ?.....what rubbish...
Locking rear E-diff
RLD spare wheel protector & sump guard
Extended roof rails
Series 111 mudflaps
Black side tubes,grill and vents
Timed climate remote
Hids4u interior lights
D4 Firenze my2012 HSE
D3 Java 2005 SE manual (sold,sadly,thanks for the memories)
1966 '88 Series 2a....still starts in the morning better than I do...
24th Feb 2012 6:14 pm
mik
Member Since: 08 Feb 2010
Location: Skoatland
Posts: 912
The 4.0 "Chimp" I drove was lovely - belonged to a friend of mine (Adrian - he was in the Scottish TVR club for a while and did a couple of 'ring trips in it). He had a minor engine problem, but use it as an excuse to take the engine to 4.5 and fit some hairy cams.
I decided that 2 seats was a compromise too far for our 2nd car, otherwise there would almost certainly be a T350 sitting outside where the VXR8 is currently. (The idea of buying a cheap car with a blown engine and taking it to TVRPower for a stealthy 4.0 conversion for around £20k all-in is extremely appealing 8) (There is the 4.3 conversion too but its quite a bit more £s)).
25th Feb 2012 9:33 am
amazing
Member Since: 05 Mar 2011
Location: chengdu
Posts: 1542
for those without access to evo
err no copy of the letter then?It is better to have and not need it then need and not have it.
25th Feb 2012 9:36 am
euangibson
Member Since: 24 Dec 2010
Location: Borders
Posts: 11027
...coming up amazing..... "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool,than to speak out and remove all doubt" ?.....what rubbish...
Locking rear E-diff
RLD spare wheel protector & sump guard
Extended roof rails
Series 111 mudflaps
Black side tubes,grill and vents
Timed climate remote
Hids4u interior lights
D4 Firenze my2012 HSE
D3 Java 2005 SE manual (sold,sadly,thanks for the memories)
1966 '88 Series 2a....still starts in the morning better than I do...
25th Feb 2012 9:52 am
euangibson
Member Since: 24 Dec 2010
Location: Borders
Posts: 11027
..Here you go...
"A shift in expectations"
EVO has long championed the merits of manually changing gear in a sports car,so it is with concern that I have noticed a worrying trend recently:you have driven a number of cars where the manual is,in your opinion,the poorer option.
As a fan of manually matching revs to gears,and the satisfaction derived from getting it right using more than just an index finger,the march of "progress" seems to be taking its toll on the Thrill of Driving.
You recently tested a manual Panamera S (evo 165) littering the judgement,albeit reluctantly,with phrases like "awkward","cumbersome","notchy" and "ponderous",leaving the conclusion that a PDK-equipped car would have fared better in the test.
Ferrari does not even offer a manual option with the 458.The VW group is moving towards DSG-type boxes on even its smallest hatches.The Land Rover Discovery 4 can now only be ordered with an 8-speed auto with paddles.
If companies like this cannot be bothered to make a decent manual,are the obituaries already being written ?
The Honda S2000 that my wife owned may not have received universal dynamic acclaim,but it had a fine manual gearbox that was a joy to use.
I fear we are a scant couple of years away from 2 pedals only,and regardless of how good and quick auto boxes become,for the Thrill of Driving that cannot be a good thing."Better to remain silent and be thought a fool,than to speak out and remove all doubt" ?.....what rubbish...
Locking rear E-diff
RLD spare wheel protector & sump guard
Extended roof rails
Series 111 mudflaps
Black side tubes,grill and vents
Timed climate remote
Hids4u interior lights
D4 Firenze my2012 HSE
D3 Java 2005 SE manual (sold,sadly,thanks for the memories)
1966 '88 Series 2a....still starts in the morning better than I do...
25th Feb 2012 10:04 am
amazing
Member Since: 05 Mar 2011
Location: chengdu
Posts: 1542
only a luddite would be against these why should a gearbox be any different..
but there is something very satisfying about a good manual gearbox on a sports car....There for I declare myself a luddite of the first degree.
and I think its quite fun to hand crank an engine to start (E.G. my old 101)It is better to have and not need it then need and not have it.
25th Feb 2012 10:22 am
DG Site Moderator
Member Since: 12 Dec 2005
Location: The Gaff
Posts: 50934
Manuals are soooo last century 21 year LR veteran > D2 GS 2003 > D3 S 2006 > D3 HSE 2009 > D4 HSE 2013 > D4 HSE 2015 > D5 HSE 2018 > DS HSE R-Dynamic P300e 2021
25th Feb 2012 10:33 am
euangibson
Member Since: 24 Dec 2010
Location: Borders
Posts: 11027
Don't even get me started on Sat-nav....... .....it seems we can't even find the nearest McD's 5 minutes down the road without checking a large lump of metal orbiting 23,000 miles above the Earth first....
I once privately advertised an X5 I owned.....after a week I had to change the advert to read "No,it doesn't have sat-nav,so please don't ask" ! "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool,than to speak out and remove all doubt" ?.....what rubbish...
Locking rear E-diff
RLD spare wheel protector & sump guard
Extended roof rails
Series 111 mudflaps
Black side tubes,grill and vents
Timed climate remote
Hids4u interior lights
D4 Firenze my2012 HSE
D3 Java 2005 SE manual (sold,sadly,thanks for the memories)
1966 '88 Series 2a....still starts in the morning better than I do...
25th Feb 2012 10:40 am
euangibson
Member Since: 24 Dec 2010
Location: Borders
Posts: 11027
DG wrote:
Manuals are soooo last century
So am I..... apparently..... "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool,than to speak out and remove all doubt" ?.....what rubbish...
Locking rear E-diff
RLD spare wheel protector & sump guard
Extended roof rails
Series 111 mudflaps
Black side tubes,grill and vents
Timed climate remote
Hids4u interior lights
D4 Firenze my2012 HSE
D3 Java 2005 SE manual (sold,sadly,thanks for the memories)
1966 '88 Series 2a....still starts in the morning better than I do...
25th Feb 2012 10:45 am
mik
Member Since: 08 Feb 2010
Location: Skoatland
Posts: 912
Mag just arrived so I'd read your letter before I popped back on here. Couldn't agree more with the sentiment - so many cars no longer offering manuals is a great shame - I get huge satisfaction from stirring the stick and particularly from working three pedals simultaneously with only two feet.
Cut-and-paste of a post I made on another forum following my real dissapointment that the pedals on the VXR8 were so badly spaced for heel & toe, and with the throttle pedal being made of plastic - no option to bend it to a more suitable location.
Solved for £16 with some bodging It's not pretty but it is damned effective (and that engine is a pleasure to blip as you change down).
-----------------
I messed around with some old dishwasher bits and cable ties to prove that the accelerator just needed to be lifted up a bit and extended slightly towards the brakes pedal to allow comfortable H&T. It did. 8)
Click image to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
Ugly as hell, didn't leave the regulation 50mm gap between pedals, and didn't present the user (ie moi) with a rubber gripped surgace (another requirement), and therefore almost certainly invalidated my insurance. On the upside you could fit both spoons and forks in there.
After hunting in vain for a throttle pedal extension specifically designed to ease H&T, I finally bought a set of "Sparco" pedal covers from HERE. You can only buy them as full pedal sets and I realised I'd have to space-out the throttle pedal to lift it by the appropriate amount. When they arrived I realised that the hole spacing was the same on each, hence I could use the other pedals as spacers. Excellent.
This did require a longer set of bolts than comes with the pack, but I had something suitable in my "spare screws tub". I love my spare screws tub.
Click image to enlarge
So 10mins with a drill and I now have pedals that are appropriately spaced to do the job. Fantastic.
Click image to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
The "off car" shot above shows all three pedals stacked together, but with the slightly heavier curve on the pedal covers I felt only two pedals stacked was adquate. This lifted the pedal surface approx 20mm, and moved the surface approx 20mm closer to the brake pedal. Just over 50mm between pedals, so no issues there.
No it doesn't look gorgeous, but it works (certainly for my technique), and they say SPARCO on them and everyfing innit, so they must be leet. They can be taken off in approx 1 minute too, and since I drilled one hole at the edge of one of the original rubber grips it effectively becomes "invisible" (as the rubber relaxes back over the surface of said aperture) so only one 7mm drill hole can be seen on the metal part of the original pedal when you take them off.
Happy boy. :lol:
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that all I had to do was include the words "Land Rover Discovery 4" in my text and I finally got Letter of the Month,winning a Road Angel !
......previously had some interesting cars,but they were all pre-dogs/kids etc.....can't justify extra ponies in the stable at the moment,the missus is only just coming round to the idea of "needing" to upgrade the D3 to a D4 
(E.G. my old 101)
.....it seems we can't even find the nearest McD's 5 minutes down the road without checking a large lump of metal orbiting 23,000 miles above the Earth first.... 
It's not pretty but it is damned effective (and that engine is a pleasure to blip as you change down).
On the upside you could fit both spoons 
