March 2008
Following on from some points raised in the recent Tyre Tread Depth and when to replace thread about how new cheap tyres perform compared to worn premium ones I thought you might be interested to read the following.
Which? claim in their March 2008 edition that their tyre testing is more thorough than any other UK magazine. As a result of their latest test of tyres for medium size cars and super-minis they recommend Don?t Buy the following: QUOTE
175/65 R14T
We found the Avon CR322 Enviro was particularly poor in wet conditions A key weakness appeared to be when braking and gripping on a bend in wet conditions. Guide price: £43 Overall Score 28%
Even though the Tigar TG 621 was the cheapest tyre we tested, we certainly don?t think it is a bargain. We found that the tyre gave unsatisfactory wet grip and poor wet braking performance. £33 Score 25%
At around £35 the Trayal T400 might seem like a bargain. But we don?t think it is. We found it was the absolute worst of all the 175/65 R14T tyres we tested for gripping in both wet and dry conditions. £35 Score 20%
195/65R15V
We found the Wanli S1095 was so bad at braking in the wet that it travelled nearly 20m further before stopping than the best tyre on test. It was also poor for dry grip on both the straight and bends. £39 Score 10%
So when the car fitted with Pirelli P6 tyres stopped the same car with Wanlis was still doing 30mph ? that could be a severe shunt.
The score ignores price and is based on
Wet road grip 40%
Dry road grip 20%
Wear 20%
Rolling resistance 10%
Noise 10%
Test scores cannot be compared between the sizes.
As for cost, three Best Buys come in below average, the Fulda [EcoControl 175/65 R14T £40 Score 63%], the Dunlop [SP Sport Fastresponse 195/65R15V £53 Score 62%] and the Vredestein [Sporttrac 3 195/65R15V £57 Score 62%] gave top performance at a budget price.
END QUOTES
The winner of the 175/65 R14T was Pirelli P4 £48 Score 68%
The winner of the 195/65R15V was Bridgestone Turanza £64 Score 65%
The Fulda was the only tyre that was awarded Exceptional Value. More details of all Which? tyre tests at www.which.co.uk/tyres
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All the engineers at the company I work for have all been issued with 2007 Focus 1.8 TDCI estates. Not a bad car but rather dangerous at low revs on roundabouts and such like. It seems that unless you get the engine revving and slip the clutch we have no power available. This is even the case if the car is moving at walking pace in first gear.
I have had a couple of nasty turns trying to get onto roundabouts in London because of this flat spot. All three cars have the same problem, and it is much worse than on my old 2003 Mondao diesel estate. One of the guys had 2000 diesel Focus and he confirms the same deterioration. Any ideas??
ds
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I recently traded in my Mk 1 (2003) Focus 1.8TDCi. As someone has already pointed out, the stalling is deliberate if engine speed drops too low, to protect the DMF. The car was also fitted with a very low first gear, aparently to facilitate pulling away without stalling. The clutch was quite sudden, too, which didn't help, but I've not driven a later model 1.8 TDCi.
The car still needed some revs to pull away, though, and surely 1400rpm is not an excessive engine speed to use in order to pull away cleanly? Bear in mind that turbodiesels tend to have lower compression ratios that naturally-aspirated diesels and so will develop less torque at very low revs, before the turbo starts to boost, and are thus easier to stall....
Now little brother has sorted his missfire out, he complains of clutch judder.
Is a clutch change a practical DIY job?. He has a Haynes manual except it is for the older engine (not sure there is a newer one?) and it seems a fairly reasonable job.
We can get it in the air a bit and I've changed my MX5 clutch single handed. Read more
Yes, mf I probably was unlucky. Quite a bit of dismantling to change them in-situ. Didn't use any special tools though. Did use a smear of hylomar on the outside to seal the one I changed to the gearbox casing. You're right that the Ford seals come pre-lubricated.
JS
Hi all,
I really hope you can help me, I've been having a long running problem with my 1.4HDi 16V for the past few months now and nobdoy seems to have any clue what is wrong with it:
Symptoms:
I get this problem very intermittently and seemingly randomly about 2-3 times per week:
Driving along as normal, there is a very distinct and severe loss of power (undoubtedly no fuel being injected). The car stutters badly for 1-2 secs and then resumes as normal. Sometimes it happens again within a few minutes, other times it can go for days with no re-occurance of the problem.
When this happens it will often cancel cruise (when set on the motorway), and the car occasionally stalls when coming up to junctions and the clutch is depressed.
The car does it under both light and heavy acceleration, hot or cold engine.
Whatever the problem is, it is having a bizarre effect on other systems. Last week it did the usual stutter but instead of recovering as normal, it lost all turbo boost, the power steering didn't work and the rev counter needle disappeared!!! I managed to drive it home and out of interest, when i got there I turned the ignition off and back on again and everything was back to normal!!! No fault code stored.
Yesterday, I had the same brief cut in power which lasted a second or so but then the oil pressure warning light came on and the car drove as normal. A quick pull over to the side of the road to turn ignition on and off and all is well again.
No ECU lights are lit on the dash and Citroen say they cannot find any codes stored. They (randomly it seems) changed the throttle pot assy on the pedal but this has made no difference.
I'm now at my wits end with the thing - Citroen obviously have no idea what's wrong and it's so intermittent anyway they can never actually witness the problem when they test drive it.
If anybody could shed any light on this it would be most appreciated? Read more
To check if it is a major power failure you could connect a meter to the cigar lighter so you can see it while you are driving and look at it when the fault occurs.
I also was an electronics engineer for 50 years but I only just thought of that!
Hi,
Well, new to the site - found it in panic mode!
I'm in the Alps with an Estima that no-one in Austria recognises. Had it trailered home as breakdown guy did lots of scratching of head but could not repair.
Symptoms: Engine won't start at all.
Filter Ok, no water, primer button pumps and goes hard when full.
Battery OK, everthing else electrical works, engine turns OK.
Diesel in pump, but not at injectors. Diesel at solenoid cut-out valve (and the filter under it is clean).
Easy Start in air-intake makes engine fire - but won't carry on without the Easy Start.
Denso computer 89661-28580 (anyone got the pin-outs?)
I seem to have about 11.5 volts going into various pins on the ECU.
I have 9 volts to the fuel cut-off solenoid.
I have 5.4 volts at both wires on one of the 4 electonic valves on the pump that control fuel to the injectors on the pump.
Engine earth seems OK.
I did a diagnostic test - (the engine had not run since the ECU had been disconnected for a night).
I get flashes showing everything is wrong - coolent temp,intake air temp signal, alt register, turbo pressure sensor, fuel temp sensor, throttle position sensor.
To me (and this is the first diesel I've owned so I'm working in ignorance) it seems there is not the correct voltage from the ECU, so the sensors are not giving correct readings back - and the voltage out is not enough to open the solenoid or work the valves in the pump. BUT - that's just a guess thought out after a couple of nights dreaming - or more accurately nightmaring - about the problem.
Of course I also don't know if there should be a supply to the ECU that has failed as I don't know the pins.
I've put posts on Toyota forums, but after lots of suggestions Ive drawn a blank. I need a real expert to help with this one!
Hope someone can help,
Thanks,
Yodeller (well I can't really Yodel, but being in Austria I thought it sounded good!)
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Hello i have a problem with the glow plug timer. Glow plug just work in just less than a second. Is their a relay or timer that can prolong the time of heating
how do i check the rear axle bushes on a 2001 fiesta and if they need to be replaced is it a hard job to do,do i need a special tool to push them out any help please
????? some spare question marks for later use Read more
anybody got any vids of this being done? Would be nice to see someone who knows their stuff ??
My new to me Mondeo 2.0 Ghia X Estate ideally needs a couple of tyres, not due to tread depth but as all four are different and two are very cheap ones..... I want to work towards a set of four the same and of reasonable quality.
Two are "Extra Load" tyres and two normal, the size is 205/50x17 W rated.
I can't find anyone who can explain exactly how extra load tyres are different and why my Mondeo might need them. So far tyre dealers have told me they are "because it's an estate" "because it will do 130mph" "because its a heavy car". There is nothing I can see in the handbook re needing extra loads.
My gut feeling is they might be needed on a big 4x4 but not an ordinary car. I wonder too if they are stiffer and give a harder more noisy ride??
Thanks,
David Read more
Thanks!
Those Accelera's look scary, but I think I might check out the Yokohama. Still need to find a local supplier though, but those look much more reasonable....
A comment by SL on the motorhome towing thread reminded me of something that has puzzled me for a while.
Is the only difference between a 2" ball and a 50mm one 0.8mm? And if so, why is this enough for the two to be incompatible? I don't doubt that they are, I've been told in no uncertain terms never to mix them up, but surely the latch on the trailer hitch would accomodate some play, to allow for wear in the ball etc.
Or are they different shapes or something? Read more
I have made some photos of my set up. I have a US style tow ball mount, but I am using a European suppled 50mm towball. This fits perfectly on to my 50mm coupling, but it is limited to US Class I rating and the ball is limited to 350KG mainly due to the 3/4" hole the ball is mounted on. I could not use a 2" ball as it simply would not fit either of the two 50mm couplings I tested.
Here is the photos promised with descriptions, showing why they are not compatible:...
If your Civic or Jazz gearbox is making noises, and you are unsure what it could be, please read on.
If the noise occurs when it is in neutral and in the lower gears but stops when you press the clutch in, it is most certainly the input shaft bearing that needs replacing (an expensive gearbox rebuild)
If the noise is present when the clutch is up or pressed, then it is your clutch release bearing (a new clutch kit is needed)
I had a major problem with my 2001 Honda Civics gearbox making worrying noises
Unfortunately for me, my problem was the input bearing, so, the story goes.....
I phoned my local honda, and after a 1320 quote for a gearbox rebuild, I started to worry. So I started searching the internet for advise on a trusted gearbox specialist, I don't know if you may have tried this, but I couldn't find any recommendations at all. After countless phone calls, the cheapest guarenteed rebuild was 650 all in.
Then I phoned a very informative and genuine gent who owns a company called Henderson Transmissions 01427 875 889 (in a small village called Sandtoft, near Doncaster, Sheffield etc) He advised me what to do and the rebuild was certainly the only option as he would not recommend buying a secondhand box from a breakers, as you do not know the history or genuine mileage of it, then you have the fitting and clutch cost on top.
After a quote of only 360 in vat for the removal of the box, strip and rebuild the box with all new bearings, and a refit, I was certainly interested. I slowly drove my civic to him on a Tuesday afternoon, and on Thursday the job was done, guarenteed and working perfect without any noise and the shift was perfect, excellent job.
So, if you live in Yorkshire or Lincolnshire and you have a problem with your gearbox of any kind, I would highly recommend this chap for his honesty, workmanship, overall service and a price that beats anybody by atleast 300.
Thanks for reading...
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ciiwiic....may I please draw your attention to the message of thanks to you which I have just posted on the other thread on the subject of Honda Jazz/Fit gearbox problems.
I am sure that I am not the only person who will be very grateful for the trouble you have taken to tell us about Hendersons.
As a newcomer to the Forum, may I also share with you one of my favourite sites:
www.hondabeat.com/highmiles.php
Enjoy.
My wife drove the car this morning, after a mile, the EPC light came on, the steering felt light and the car felt sluggish. After parking up for a few minutes, the engine was restarted & sounded weak. She took it to a local independant who recommended we take it to the main dealer, en route to the main dealer the light went out & the car felt normal.
The handbook says "EPC or exhaust emission system fault" The fault appears to be intermittent.
Does anybody have any ideas what it could be? Read more
Strictly speaking; the EPC light is specifically for a fault with the "fly-by-wire" electronic throttle controls. In reality; it can come on for all sorts of engine management faults.
The fact that the steering went light would suggest that checking the charge voltage is correct might be a good start. It shouldn't be in excess of 14.2 volts with no load.
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I am drawing two of them but I did work for 54 years and they went with the jobs.