Hehe no probs - truth be told my friend did most of the physical work I tried not to think about it blowing up in my face.
Hehe no probs - truth be told my friend did most of the physical work I tried not to think about it blowing up in my face.
He occasionally buys repairable write-offs and fixes them up at a workshop in to sell for profit later on, but it's not his day-job. That's how I got my car so cheap (I won't mention the price, but I saved 5 digits compared to buying it new (in the same spec).
I don't know what the place is called or exactly what services are offered, but I do know they specialise in VW's + a few Audis and that the workshop is near the end of Southern Rd, Mentone (right near Morrabin airport), on the left. http://www.nearmap.com/?ll=-37.97747...h&nmd=20110820
Now that I've got the sporty steering wheel part of me keeps saying I need the metallic pedals to go with it (the other part of me says that $160 is a bit too much just for two pedals).
Since the new wheel isn't exactly round anymore, it's taken a little getting used to, esp with tight turns (i.e. multi-story carparks). It's also a little bit lighter (great for low-speed manuvers, not quite so awesome on faster corners. Maybe we just didn't do the wheel up quite as tight as before, or maybe it is in fact the lesser weight/size of this new wheel.
Anyway, are there any downsides to the sport pedals as well? I have carpet mats so being wet/slippery shouldn't be a massive issue.
You get used to the flat-bottom steering wheel. It's great for eating hamburgers with two hands / putting on your makeup (for girls) cause you just drive with your knee, lol.
But in all seriousness, the reasons it's flat is cause you shouldn't be using the entire wheel. 9 + 3 is all you need! (ok... so that's the theory, in practise, we don't all drive on race tracks). I find that you can get some pretty good leverage moving the hand down to the flat area and pulling the wheel up in quick tight corners though.
As for the pedals. The real metal pedals have the rubber "inserts", which actually protrude from the pedal. So your foot doesn't actually touch the metal, but the rubber. So being wet makes no difference. Note that I have seen some knock offs where the black insert is plastic... I wouldn't want to have them installed...
Yeah, sometimes I'll go for the hand over hand approach (i.e. 3 point turn) or I'll lazilly grab the the wheel at 10'o'clock and yank it right when in my street. I'll have to practice the racing driver arms flat out, never let go of the wheel technique.
I would've thought steering with the knees would be a tad easier with the larger wheel, since your knees wouldn't have to go up so high. That said, I've got the wheel as low as I can get it without obstructing my view of what gear I'm in on the MFI, but due to the wheel spoke design my hands are a bit higher than they were before. I might have to play with the seat adjustment as well to get all comfortable again.
Has anyone seen the OEM pedals for less than $160 AUD delivered? (RHD Automatic, no dead pedal). I'd prefer to get the price down closer to say $120.
Racing drivers don't have their arms flat out though.... open wheelers tend to have their arms most stretched out, but their wheel is tiny, and even then, they still have their elbows kinked a bit. Race drivers of touring car-sized cars, rally drivers, etc, often sit closer to the wheel than most road drivers. Certainly closer than the "rest your wrist on the top of the wheel" advice road users are usually given.
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