JohnCh

The Cobra Racer Pro and Racer Pro V are only 450mm (~17.72 in) wide, so might be worth a look. I've had the Sparco Sprint in 2 cars and it's a nice seat for the money, although the fabric on the side bolsters wears easily. I use the optional kidney pads for additional lumber support which makes them tolerable. My Westifled has MOGs which are the most comfortable seat I've ever sat in. Full disclosure, I developed a very bad back 7 years ago, and most car seats generally become pretty painful after 20-30 minutes, with the MOGs though, my back actually feels better after a drive. Interestingly, and despite the outward similarities, the Tillets are not comfortable for me. In my experience, backs are like feet; everyone's are shaped a little differently, so what is comfortable for one person, may not be that great for someone else. If you have sensitivity in that area, it's worth trying before you buy. -John

Even though I only live about 15 miles from Bruce's shop, I still haven't had an opportunity to meet him. However, everyone I know who has dealt with him has very positive things to say. Definitely worth a call. -John

One of the other nice things about Schroth is their optional Flexi belt system. It allows you to individually configure either lap belt to pull-up or pull-down, and also position the belt adjuster closer to the buckle -- the latter is helpful for those who have wrap around seats like Tillets or MOGs. -John

I was thinking they all lost bets, or perhaps it was just pity, but I guess Tom's answer works too. :rofl:

Never said nor implied that. I just pointed out that if you are looking at the weight savings from the swap (which was the original question) that number comes with an asterisk. So Mike, exactly how much did you have to drink last night/this morning? :jester: -John

No drinking last night, and despite no more than 4 hours sleep any night last week, I still don't see the inaccuracy in my statement. The wheel assembly is considered unsprung weight. A cycle wing and its associated bracket attach to the wheel assembly, therefore they increase unsprung weight. The clamshell and bracket attaches to the body which is considered sprung weight. They don't add any unsprung weight. Therefore, all else being equal, a car with clamshells has less unsprung weight than a car with cycle wings -- i.e. comparatively there is a reduction/savings in unsprung weight -John

I'm surprised they're not lighter. The fiberglass cycle wings on my car are barely heavier at 1.9 lb. each. The brackets (also unsprung weight) add another 1.7 lb per side and the remainder of the weight mentioned above is for the headlight brackets, which are separate for the cycle wing setup, but integral with the clamshell brackets -- not sure if the same is true for the Caterham. The nice thing about clamshells is they do save a lot of unsprung weight. -John

When I rebuilt my Westfield I switched from clams to cycle fenders and weighed all the parts necessary for the conversion. The clams setup was double the weight: 16.32 lb. vs. 8.16 lb. The new fiberglass body parts were much lighter than the originals due to production changes over the years, so that may factor into part of the decrease, but doubt it's more than a pound. Although the Caterham weights are likely different, the 7-8 lb weight savings is probably similar. -John

Coventry, that was my car's spec before tearing it down to the frame in '03/'04 and going in a new direction. I might be able to help with some the issues, or at least provide more details on the car. Drop me a PM if you'd like to connect. -John

There is already a thread about this here. Please see post 11 from Mazda for the update. -John

Someone else reported spam from that same user, but he doesn't appear in the active or banned user list, so will need to investigate further. Mazda did install Spam-o-matic recently but it locked out a number of users and had to be removed. The hoster is upgrading us to the latest vBulletin software, which will hopefully allow us to install an anti-spam solution that actually works. -John

He did the same thing to someone else who forwarded me the message. StephenMt has been banned. -John

Will you please paste the message in a PM to me so I have a record and can take appropriate action? Thanks, John

To be fair, Mazda deserves the credit for restoring service. I was simply the messenger, and Croc helped uncover that it wasn't just an issue on my end. Therefore, we should honor Mazda by featuring some Frankenstein creations for sale, and Croc by eschewing my weekly threat to ban him -John

Sorry Croc, but I suck at multi-tasking, so don't have the bandwidth to consider your request. At the moment, I'm too busy debating your discipline for the implied comment below. :jester: -John (the power hungry admin)

It's not just for carbs This is also a great tool for synching individual throttle bodies. -John

You're mixing up prayers. It begins: "I believe in Westfield the Se7en almighty. Creator of IRS and the widebody and fashioned from glassfibre the choice of Colin Chapman. Suffered under Croc from New York who called it a Birkin and a boat but ascended into victory in dedicated race series across the world." I could go on, but then I'd have to move this whole thread to the "Politics, Religion, and Controversy" forum. :jester: -John

Fortunately for you I was raised a strict Catholic, and recall the nuns always harping on about forgiveness (and burning in Hell, but that's a topic for another thread), so... go to your room, say three Hail Westfields, two Our Westfield who art at Laguna Seca, and two The Westfield Fabricator's Creed, and provided you also supply sufficient beer credits, we'll call it even. -John

Croc, the hush you hear over the forum is the collective realization that you are in gross violation of Rule #3 from the Forum Rules Though Shalt Obey: I hate to end the year like this, but sadly your transgression leaves me no choice; it is with a heavy heart I must inform you that banishment proceedings against you have begun. I'm happy to reconsider reinstatement once you have paid an obscenely high fine and have sufficiently groveled before me to atone for your offense. That doesn't meet the bar of sufficiently groveling, and my PayPal account is still empty. -John

I have the Comp 2 on my '91 Miata. It's a very good all around tire, but it's a noticeable step down from an Extreme Performance tire, let alone a proper R-compound. The Miata was intended mostly for track, so for my first season I opted for the Yoko AD08 (extreme performance class). It was a fun tire on the street and even worked acceptable well in the wet, but when standing water and freeway speeds combined, the car became, well...scary. Enter the Comp 2. Since the Miata sees a lot more daily driving duty than I ever intended, I needed something that wasn't going to try and kill me during a Seattle winter. That tire does the job and I wouldn't hesitate to buy them again, but the dry grip is not in the same ballpark as the AD08, nor is the steering feel. The Westfield is fitted with RA1s, and previously R888s. I think the latter will serve you well. They stick just fine when very cold -- in my experience better than the Toyo T1-S I used to use for touring -- and when they get hot, the stick is incredible. -John

Now that I know your secret, I do feel kind of silly for previously thinking you had a hoard of minions tasked to comb the web each night while you slept. This process seems a little more accessible -- and will give me something to do on another wet, and sadly blat free, Seattle weekend... -John

I'm a big fan of the EVO 2, which replaced a PC680 in the Westfield almost 3 years ago. So far it' s been flawless (I just screwed myself by writing that, didn't I?) and has even started the car in sub-freezing temps on a couple of occasions. Both times I followed Ballistic's recommendation to first warm up the battery by running the headlights for 10 seconds. -John

Sadly that's more likely down to driver (in)ability on my part, than it is to differences between the vehicles -John

Depends on what you want. If it's a se7en replacement, then I'd argue air cooled is better. ignoring specials like the GT2 & GT3, 911s have become more civilized and a little less involving to drive as the years progress, with a particularly large inflection point occurring with the launch of the water-cooled 996. Depending on your point of view, that's either a good thing or a bad thing. If you're replacing a se7en, then it might be the latter. I've had my 993 for almost 8 years. I also cross-shopped the 996, which at the time was effectively the same price, so the decision really came down to preference. After driving several examples of each model, I determined that the 996 was the better car. It has significantly better HVAC, more interior room and luggage space, it's quicker, gets better gas mileage, and pollutes less. That said, I bought the 993 because for me, it was the better experience. It was more engaging to drive, and consequently put a bigger smile on my face. YMMV. Go drive various models and see which you like best, and also visit rennlist.com to sift through the forums. Very friendly people and lots of great information. Oh and regarding the snow comment, the 964 & later cars are available in AWD :-) -John

When Jesse was having trouble joining the forum, I helped him under the condition that he makes a post stating that Westfield makes the best se7en. Now before anyone jumps all over me claiming abuse of power (Croc), in my defense, this is the first time in my life that anyone has actually done what I've instructed. No one is more surprised by this post than me :jester: Oh, and welcome to the forum! -John