Spiggsy

I hate sound stupid but, is the rear lower control arm the same part as the lower wishbone?

Can anyone comment on compatibility with control arms? I just came in need of a rear drivers side, and have found a V8 one available, but have a 90 SE. Thanks.

The thing I worried about ... if this speed chip monitoring ever took effect in Canada ... what would happen if say I am on a "fast" *cough* 100km/h highway and a 50km/h ancillary runs over it ... is the engine going to choke ... is the guy behind me in an older vehicle going to ram my arse as my fuel cuts-out ?

There was a discussion here in Canada (or maybe just Ontario) at one point about something very similar .... but wildly different ! There was talk of putting GPS sensors of some sort into new vehicles with a direct link to speed limiting. So when you are in a 50km/h area you cannot accelerate past it. I live in fear of that day ... it will be the end of modern motoring if it ever gets out.

I would refer you to a little classic ... Yes Minister. The thing I always loved about this show was the contrast and conflict between the 'power' (minister) and the influence (humphrey.) I would simplify it this way Power - decisions are acted on due requirements; this may be fear or chain of command. e.g. A superior tells you to do something, you do it because you "have to" and you fear the consequences. Influence - decisions are acted due to a change in feeling; this could be a conscious change or unconcsious change. e.g. You are influenced to buy something because an ad said it was good ... or ... you implemented a plan a given way because your colleagues "persuaded" you that it was best. The problem here is that realistically the two go hand in hand, and overlap in a big grey area. Thinking about it a little more ... and specifically the power "vs" influence part you mentioned. I would consider the army. The CO gives an order to a sergeant. The sargeant obeys. That is power. The sargeant knows from experience the reality of parts of the order. He changes the actual action a little, makes changes as required so that the order is succesful ... it could well 'appear' to be against the order itself, but the outcome is the same. The plan succeeds. That is an influence.

Maybe I missed something on the site ... but I cannot find any references for 'local' guys ... so thought I would start this thread. Post info of any Canadian mechanical or parts sources ... for me ... Sandor's Auto - Carleton Place, ON (just outside Ottawa) (613) 253-7544 - Seems like a decent chap. Experience of Esprit's when he was still in Germany. Did a little work for me and seemed reasonable.

Totally awesome ... and I thought I was doing well getting my wife's grandson a Hot Wheels V8 Esprit for his 2nd birthday the other day My old man, god rest his soul, arranged for me to be taken on a hoon around the back roads of Bedford with one of his friends in an Excel for my 16th. Got to make the most of it I think.

My vote would be to Mazda-Lotus 6 ... put the poxy MazdaSpeed to shame ... or Ford-Lotus Mustang, with actual real proper handling added !

1. It's fast, real fast... 2. It's too sexy for my shirt... 3. It's not Italian. 4. It's British 5. Looks Great 6. The handling: Makes any other car feel like it's going to topple in a corner it's so flat and sticks like glue! 7. Makes a big statement on the road. Says I haven't given up on life (and sticks 2 fingers up at the people who have, in their Citroen Picasso's / Vauxhall Zafira's). 8. Limited production run ensures exclusivity. 9. Every journey is special, it's a pleasure to just be in the car and explore it's potential each time you find a nice stretch of road. 10. It has a great Forum for owners to keep in contact with each other. 11. It's not an Elise 12. You get to know the very nice AA man 13. You get to be in the group "that knows the difference". 14. University girls really like it! 15. A 30 cal gun fits neatly in the front. 16. It's cheap to repair 17. It's cheap on fuel 18. It still looks like $100,000... which can be very deceptive to the "university girls" 19. It can tow a 3500kg caravan with ease. 20. Louise can drive it her heels. 21. The frozen packet of fish fingers you bought will be cooked by the time you get home. 22. It was built by a bloke called Colin. 23. Guaranteed to get you smiling every drive. 24. You never see a Chav driving one. (yet!) 25. You have a choice of 2 orifices into which to put your petrol pistol, which is always good news….obviously I mean so don't suffer ridicule when you pull it out and your at the wrong side. evil.gif 26. Sorry, using GKP's pc: Girls like cars too (and driving them and apparently spending weekends talking about them) 27. The smile people get on their face when you let them sit in it. For that matter, the smile I get on my face when I sit in. 28. It's beyond computation 29. It's good hand fitness (no power steering versions) 30.The look on the other guys face when you enter a corner and don't touch the brakes................exit stage hedgerow I know I shouldnt but I do 31. It's tun(z)ing car killer. 32. The Esprit design has enduring style. 33. James Bond had 2. 34. It reminds me how I used to feel when I was a kid. 35. The submarine option rocks. 36. THE most practical super car ? 37. Its a sports car that fat boys can fit in and drive it 38. I have one. 39. It's the only reason I watched Basic Instinct ... sad I know

The way I see it there are only what Lotus would return to F1. 1. We snap up a team the way out ... whether it's some sort of planned exit, or financially troubled. We then use what remnants there are from the team as a platform, and just hope that some of our boffins can make a difference as we throw ourselves to the lions. 2. We get involved little, by little. Lotus Engineering would design or 'aid' a design, maintaining some sort of proprietary rights to the designs ... and simply hold off until we have enough design parts to build an F1 car ... then throw ourselves to the lions. Personally I would much rather see Lotus out winning GT car racing ... maybe time for a Lotus-[mundane brand] cross-over again and get our name out into saloon cars and rally again.

I do actually agree with you Bibs ... but I have had so many problems getting things shipped to me from the UK that I now see it as a Russian Roulette !! I've seen things damaged beyond repair (and also beyond belief), boxes opened, items swiped by customs for 'investigation', items repackaged with parts missing, and items returned for no reason what so ever. As much as I want to get the right stuff ... I just have visions of waiting three weeks and ending up with empty bottles and soggy boxes ... or simply never receiving it and having to make a claim against the shipping company, that never gets resolved.

I will never complain if the food is not what I thought it would be ... if the portions are too small, or if it's not the taste I expected. I will complain every single time if the food is bad, uncooked, or not what the menu depicts. I will also walk from a restuarant if they do not have ground pepper.

What and where from for a driver in Canada ? I read a few threads on the fluid and it seems like the recommended stuff is not available, or readily available here ... so I thought I would open up the question of what people use and their experiences for fluid from this side of the pond. Cheers all !

So far I have done with about 5l plus one in top up ... and another couple of changes of 6l plus top ups. My first time I think I had the rear jacked way too much ... but on each time it's taken a fair bit of careful monitoring to get the oil in good zone. I guess for many of us it's second nature now, but the way the oil levels out and the length of the piping can make it a little confusing at first. In fact my initiation was thinking I overfilled, then finding I had underfilled a tad. I can only buy my oil in 1l bottles ... so I tend to buy a case and have 3 bungeed into the boot for safety.

Welcome to the Forum ... I too treated myself in advance of my 30th birthday ... I hope you get as much enjoyment as I do ... although hopefully less leaks