BXProject

Couple of months back, I had a tyre fail on the Hog's Back heading into work - the tyre came right off the rim. Changing it was no fun - I didn't have a torch so I managed to do it using the screen of my mobile phone for light...

Anyway, the spare had plenty of tread on it so I've dawdled getting the original fixed. Finally dropped it off into Merrow Tyres of Farnham yesterday, and asked them to have a go at patching it or replace it if not.

Just picked it up today, and more than impressed with the service - the tyre was fine, but it had fallen off because of corrosion on the rim. They've cleaned that up, balanced the wheel and refitted the tyre - all for £17! Not bad, when I'd budgeted for a new tyre.

I've put it back on, so now I've got a matching pair on each axle again. Looking more closely at the spare, it's not as good as I'd thought either - it's got plenty of tread, but it's also got a few chunks taken out of the rubber here and there.

not too shabby a price that.
I have a Uniroyal 550 sat downstairs, it's done fuck all mileage, and has a hole in the sidewall, a tiny fucking hole you can'r actually see it's that small..
Do you think I can find anyone willing to repair that? Even on a way receipt / no warranty situation?
Can I fuck....

When Michelin sort out the bugs in their Tweel and we fit it, we won't have to worry about punctures ever again!

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/tweel-airless-tire.htm

im sure i saw the Tweel on tomorrows world long before 2005....

Tweels are a very very old concept which Michelin had running on a test vehilce years ago. A bit like Citroen had start/stop technology on a Saxo in the mid/late nineties. Most of the issue is acceptance by the masses.

/\ I knew it was on a Xsara as a test type thingy around the same time, on a Top Gear type program. But now it's BMW (and Audi will feature it) who have the glory in making it into production yet where is it on a Cit?
It's been on the 'New Mini' for two or three years at least

Its been on the freelander for a few years too.

Vanny wrote:Tweels are a very very old concept which Michelin had running on a test vehilce years ago. A bit like Citroen had start/stop technology on a Saxo in the mid/late nineties. Most of the issue is acceptance by the masses.

Stop/start was described as an optional extra in the owners' handbook that came with my B-reg Passat...

I thought it was standard on all petrol VW's due to the piss poor electrics......

Vanny wrote:Tweels are a very very old concept which Michelin had running on a test vehilce years ago. A bit like Citroen had start/stop technology on a Saxo in the mid/late nineties. Most of the issue is acceptance by the masses.

Citroen had stop start and semi auto on ami's and 2CV's in the mid 60's.
Citroen also had variable power steering on CX's in 1975 yet fiat claimed its 'city' power steering was claimed to be the first in about 1998.

Nothing is new under the sun.

Stinkwheel(Matt) wrote:Citroen also had variable power steering on CX's in 1975 yet fiat claimed its 'city' power steering was claimed to be the first in about 1998.

Gaaahhhhhh this pisses me off!

Last time I lived abroad I still had my '76 CX, and frequently used the company Punto, which was a couple of years old at the time (this was 2004 or thereabouts).

I could never understand why the old CX adjusted its steering automatically, but I had to reach over and press a fucking button on the dash to activate the parking mode on the new car. What the fuck had car designers been doing for the intervening 30 years?

Tweels were on tomorrows world 60's 70's ish. They had the same problem then that they have now, they look shite.

They look worse than those Pug alloys on my BX

How about some nice blingy chrome wheel trims to cover 'em up?

Actually that's probably what they will do, but they need to increase the sidewall profile so it's at least 2and1/2" thick. Sort of the same as the lowest profiles they have now.

stu wrote:Gaaahhhhhh this pisses me off!

Last time I lived abroad I still had my '76 CX, and frequently used the company Punto, which was a couple of years old at the time (this was 2004 or thereabouts).

I could never understand why the old CX adjusted its steering automatically, but I had to reach over and press a fucking button on the dash to activate the parking mode on the new car. What the fuck had car designers been doing for the intervening 30 years?

I had cause to take a Punto PAS system to bits of late.
This one ONLY had the electric motor, that operated on the steering colomn, which in itself looked gash and over complicated to me, the ECU for it was EPIC and it didn't work.
Actually most of the rest of the car didn't work so meh... but anyhow, I've since come across the later Punto's that have not only the electric "city" motor, but have a hydraulic pump and pinion aswell..
I mean, WTF?!
Take a simple system that's worked for years, then arsehole it all up for no gain... Only the Italians

It had an EPIC pump, as in Lucas, for a steering pump? No wonder it didn't work!

Take a simple system that's worked for years, then arsehole it all up for no gain... Only the Italians

I personally thought that was the founding principle of most modern car design - anywhere. If it can be controlled with a unique electronic subassembly and made to work while the thing is new and the shitload of assorted sensors are new too, then who's to complain? Plenty of expensive reset/diagnosis/swappage work to follow in time, or just throw the whole lot away when it all falls out of kilter.

/\ Throw it away mate, that's the generation we're in. Bloody rediculous. The biggest aspect (IMO) of the extra gadgets/features etc is the incessant competition between manufacturers and not directly due to customer requirements.

Obviously safety has come on leaps and bounds and that's the best thing about modern cars, but I'm sure it removes the driver one step at a time, with each improvement, from the involvement with the car and thus the awareness of what it, other drivers and himself are doing thus increasing the risk of crash but not necessarily death.

One of the best non safety features is the dipping passenger mirror on the Xantia and XM!

I love the non-PAS on my 14 - it seems a lot more accurate than any of the PAS ones I've owned. I don't want any of the other gizmos either - but aircon would be good for the dog in summer.

I still won't use a SatNav and prefer to write a short list of important waypoints for the journey. Mind you, I'll only allow Radio 4 or nothing if I'm skippering.