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Taber Thank you for the correction. I speak American, and am learning English as a second language. Blaine

My favorite license plate was on a British “Yank tank” here in the States, a Land Rover. It read DOG, which I think, is no longer permitted because it can be a gender-based derogatory term. Anyway, you have to love a Rover named Dog. Blaine

Is it possible to lower the rack 3 inches and achieve the same result?

Can you post a picture?

If we just throw the Hummer guys under the bus, do you think that they will stand by us when Washington decides to get rid of funny little cars that are used primarily for recreation? This is America. Each individual should be able to decide what he wants to drive, without funding social programs via the gas pump.

And I ran across another one just today on totalkitcar.com. Lorry = Truck

Rich What do you call the side of the car around the wheels on your family sedan? Blaine

Although gaiters and dampers make more sense than their American equivalents, wings only make sense to me when referring to clam shells at speed (smile). Do wings only refer to exterior fenders, or are fenders on saloon cars also called wings? Saloon car = Sedan Blaine

Our cars are inspired by a British car, and in some cases are British or direct descendants of one. With history, parts, and information coming from England, and our new member from England (welcome West7se), I thought it may be useful (or amusing) to start an English American Dictionary of Automotive Terms. I recall in reading Ron Champion’s Build Your Own Sports Car where he was talking about the near side and off side, which of course is on the opposite side in the States, having to stop and think of just what part of the car he was talking about. Here are my contributions to help keep everyone on the same page. English / American Bonnet / Hood Hood / Top Gaiter / Boot (CV, steering rack, gear shift, etc.) Boot / Trunk Damper / Shock absorber Near side / Driver side Off side / Passenger side Upright / Knuckle Hill climb / Autocross I do not know the English word for the vertical motorcycle event that Americans call a “hill climb.” I am sure there are other words where Americans do not speak English, and I hope you will contribute them. Blaine

Good advice for Kitcat. I am glad you liked the article. Actually today's oils have more dispersant. Each EPA mandate that requires less emissions out the exhaust seems to blow more contaminants into the oil. Therefore, more dispersant is needed to deal with more contaminants. Machining is better than 15 years ago, and performance areas, other than anti-wear, of today's oil are gennerally better. With reasonable care, an engine can go over 200,000 miles. However, if you have modified the valvetrain, run at high RPM, run at higher than normal temperatures, etc., a slightly more viscous oil with additional ZDDP will make a big difference in engine life. Blaine

MNlotus A few years ago I got tired of reading the press relaeses from Ford in the lubrication publications that said SAE 5W-20 is best for both fuel economy and durability. I believed it was half right. So, I went into work one morning and found the largest Ford dealer in Europe on the internet, Dagenham Motors. I called in the morning Central Time, afternoon in England, and asked to speak with the service manager. I asked him what viscosity grade is required for the Ford Zetec engine. He said “5W-30.” I asked, “what about 5W-20?” After this uncomfortably long pause, and he replied with his classic British accent, “But sir, 5W-20 is not available.” My point is that if 5W-20 is really better, it is better on both sides of the pond, not just the side with the U.S. EPA imposing CAFÉ (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) requirements. For more than you ever wanted to know about this topic—I was invited by a hardcore lubrication magazine editor to write the following article, which is online here http://www.machinerylubrication.com/article_detail.asp?articleid=518 Again, I recommend avoiding oils meeting API SM or displaying the starburst symbol for most 7s. They have gutted the anti-wear package (zinc phosphate (ZDDP)) in these oils to make the cat last longer. Not a big deal in engines with rolling cam followers, but your DOHCs slide against the cam bucket, and in my opinion, you want more anti-wear additive. A racing oil with >1400 ppm zinc is a good choice, especially if you have a performance cam. An alternative that is far superior to a synthetic passenger car oil for your Zetec is a diesel engine oil (API CJ-4), which typically has about 1200 ppm zinc. At least in the Northern states, you should be able to find it in an SAE 10W-30 or 5W-40. Blaine

The CI-4 must be old inventory. I think the CJ-4 5W-40 would be much better for you than a passenger car oil, synthetic or otherwise. The first number in a multi-grade (the 5W in a 5W-40) indicates its viscosity at cold temperatures, around 0 F. The second number indicates its viscosity at 212 F. Assuming an operating temperature of 200 F, a 5W-40 would be thicker than a 10W-30. Unless you run very hot or have loose bearing tolerances, it should be thick enough. As for the TDI, VW has their own spec (505.01?) that Rotella does not meet. It is not that I think the Rotella will not work in a TDI, the question is over drain length. You may want to send a used oil sample to a lab for analysis just to be sure the 10,000 mile drain is still appropriate for that oil. Blaine

Synthetic oils (Group III and Group IV) have lower solvency than regular petroleum oils. Therefore, they do not penetrate into the seal as much and do not provide as much seal swell. So, if you have new seals, the synthetics cause some seal swell and the seals do their job. If you use a petroleum oil after that, you get a little more seal swell, and no problem. But if you follow a petroleum oil with a mineral oil, you can get a relative shrink back and seal leaks. This happened to trucks a few years ago. The factory fill for the axles was sometimes petroleum SAE 90 oil. After only 10,000 miles (remember a truck can last 1,000,000 miles), truck lines would change the gear lube to 75W-90 synthetic, and with some frequency these practically new seals would shrink and leak. Engines however, are a little different case. Proponents of synthetic oils claim how pure they are. But after a few miles, the blowby puts back most of the impurities refined out of synthetic oils. Theoretically, it should not be as big of a deal in the crankcase. Still, as passenger car oils transitioned to lower solvency oils (from Group I to Group II), there were a lot of reports of seal leaks in engines. The industry responded with “high mileage” oils that were made with Group I oil or a seal swell agent. They never bothered to tell you that they caused your leaks by changing their regular oil. If you really want synthetic oil, the risk is relatively low. If your engine does start to leak, simply switch back to petroleum oil quickly, before the seals get a chance to harden. Regardless of your base oil preference, I recommend avoiding oils meeting API SM or displaying the starburst symbol. They have gutted the anti-wear package (zinc phosphate (ZDDP)) in these oils to make the cat last longer. Not a big deal in engines with rolling cam followers, but your DOHCs slide against the lifter or cam bucket, and in my opinion, you want more anti-wear additive. A racing oil with >1400 ppm zinc is a good choice, especially if you have a performance cam. An alternative that is far superior to a synthetic passenger car oil for your Miata engine is a diesel engine oil (API CJ-4), which typically has about 1200 ppm zinc. If you prefer synthetic (I do not, but that is a whole other story) synthetic diesel engine oil (API CJ-4/SM) SAE 5W-40 is easy to find, at least in the Northern states. Blaine

Does anyone have an image of a girl draped across a 7 like a magazine cover? I will attempt (again) to post an image of a Texas Pit Crew that I got from Brian Anderson. Ask him about permission to use it for commercial purposes.

I bought my second Birkin from Hayes Harris at Wire Wheel. You cannot always tell how good a dealer is when everything goes smoothly. Not everything went smoothly for us, but it was not Hayes' fault. He went to bat for me and made it right. I would not hesitate to buy a car from him, and I recommend him highly. I have owned two Birkins. I drove the first one for about 2 years and 5000 miles (? I forget the miles, but that cannot be far off). I sold it so I could build a more powerful car. I get an email from the current owner every once in a while. He has had it for 6 years, drives it on the street, and he is still happy with it. I should have kept the second Birkin. The current owner traded his Caterham for it, and uses it for autocross and the occasional track day. Again, he is happy with the choice. I drove one of the new wide-track IRS Birkins recently. Given the diminutive size and quality that I want, it seems to be the biggest bang for the buck. I want one. Blaine

Another alternative is Real racing wheels http://www.realwheel.net/products.php?catid=19 The 13 x 8s are about $195. Not as pretty as some of the other wheels. Of course, Panasport makes 13-inch wheels, but pricey.

If you are going to have 2 sets of wheels and tires, you may consider 13-inch wheels for your more aggressive set, and the 15-inch for touring.

It seems to me that as workers became more productive, fewer workers were required, and then the economic downturn again lowered the need for labor. With people living longer and UAW pension plans, there were just too many people to support with too few workers. Although I am concerned about GM, I am more concerned that GM is just a model for the United States. I do not see Social Security and Medicare sustainable as more and more baby boomers retire, and fewer people produce. As far as managing the problem... the greedy businessmen at GM balanced their budget more recently than the people in Washington. We will all be screwed in a few years. Just my 2 cents.

By the way, you can attach the pedal pads to either side of the lever. So, you can pretty much space them out the way you want them.

Believe it or not, the Birkin pedal box is larger now than it was a few years ago. They enlarged it by making the transmission a tighter fit. With the older and smaller pedal box, I used tennis shoes or moccasins for the street. Tennis shoes just require a little twist so you avoid hitting two pedals at once. For autocross, I wore wrestling shoes, which gave me more than enough room. Blaine

I had some repair work done to my Elise, including the clear film. I bought the pre cut stuff from the Lotus dealer for the rocker panel, and then my body guy bought a roll of the same 3M material for a lot less (I think it was $70). He repaired the rocker panel and behind the rear wheel, painted those areas chrome orange (a perfect match from every angle), clear coated it, and applied the 3M film for $1000.

You got it right. However, I only recommend straight SAE 50 oil for extreme engines or conditions, and even then I prefer to see a pre-heater for start up.