possumboy

We are talking about a bunch of car lovin' blokes here. I don't think you will find an English degree out there! Besides, often the words that seem ok when you think them or say them don't quite read right in text to some other person. I've had that problem.

Thanks I know that you get a bit fat over the sides, but up to a certain point it is ok. 70 profile is a bit 'tall' and the original spec tyres a fairly crappy. A 185 with 65 profile (same diameter as 175/70) would be much better, but I was not sure if a 195/60 (next size again) would be safe to fit to the rim. Tyre guys say '+ two sizes' (not quite what you are saying - are there two different rules of thumb that we are each talking about?) is ok, but the third size up (205/55?) would pull off the rim :o . Being a little fat over the side of the rim is good also because if you rub the curb when parking you don't mess up the edge of the alloys B) Think I will go the path of buying second hand Sportivo rims because they will bolt on, give me much better rubber (size and type) and they are Toyota items so the car will look OK and not give me insurance hassles etc. :D

I agree that it is a Toyota forum, but do we need to be this precious about it? What about a bit of fair discussion and comparing of notes on similar cars that occupy the same bit of the market? Once someone chooses to by a 206, then we can say goodbye. I read most of those posts and the Sportivo was coming out of it looking good (price, reliability of ECU etc). Not entirely sure we should shut down a discussion comparing the merits of a Toyota car and a non-Toyota car. This guy was asking you (us) to justify our stance as Toyota lovers to help him make a car buying decision - and what do we do? B!tch-slap him. I'm sure it won't affect his purchasing decision, but if he does get a Sportivo I don't think he will be back here in a hurry.

Thanks orrock. I checked with Toyota and the 175/70-14 are the correct size for the car. Spoke to a couple of tyre guys who would happily put either 185/65 or 195/60 tyres on these 14inch rims. They say the rolling diameter is almost exact for most tyre brands so no speedo problems. Both also thought the idea of buying a second hand set of Sportivo 16in rims was a top plan. I'll just ask about when it comes time to do it. Just gotta sell some 14's nice a cheap!

This forum is a bit empty so in a couple of weeks when my mum gets her new Prius I hope to be able to test drive it and report back to you all.

Hmmmm. My old AE86 had 14 inch rims which were the same size (5 inch wide) and I had 185/60 tyres on that, worked fine and were fitted by pros. Have noticed that the standard tyre on the newer cars is a 195/65 on a 15 inch. Wouldn't this give a different rolling diameter to my 175/70-14 set up? Think I might call Toyota to see what the rolling diameter should be for the car. Don't want to pick up any speeding fines because of dumbass stuff like this.

The standard tyres on the Corolla Ascent are not that great. I have just bought a 2002 which has alloy wheels (a dealer special deal at the time, they look like Echo ones, 8 spokes grouped like a 4 spoke) but they are only 14's (5J). Ok, my AE82 TwinCam had the same size rims, so not the end of the world. The tyres are 175/70 14. Would I be too nuts to put 195/60s on it? That would give me enough tyre to suit my driving needs (presume I get a quality sports tyre, have had Dunlop W10, Yokohama A509 in the past). The old AE82 had 175/65 on it standard and I put 185/60s on it. This would mean a different rolling diameter between the two cars on the same size rims. Don't know about this as that would be a problem for the speedo accuracy - I guess the models are different so the tyre/rim combo is not comparable. Or I could go completely nuts and buy bigger rims, possibly from a higher spec 'rolla. There have been a couple of guys advertising Sportivo rims and tyres for sale which the have (presumably) replaced with big, sick azz wheels. ideas? opinions? 2 cents worth?

When I was an exchange student and lived on a corn farm in Ohio (don't laugh, it's true!) I was passenger in a late 70's Buick LeSabre which had a worked V8 from a NASCAR in it. Guy's dad was a NASCAR race mechanic. We got to 180 miles per hour, as shown on his speedo. Probably a bit inaccurate, but that works out at about 290km/h. Lets say for sure that we were doing 250+. Scared the absolute bejeebers out of me. Fastest I have driven? 190kmh in a big 300 series Merc and 160kmh in my AE82 Twin Cam.

Spoke to Rex at JR Auto Concept and he was cool and switched on. Didn't have the artwork himself but could take it from me in the right file format. He couldn't give me a great quote over the phone because I had not measured the length of the bit we need (for the record it is 132 cm long and 6.5 cm high) but he guessed $30-50. I have taken a couple of close up and accurate (flat, level) pics and I will draw the artwork in Illustrator and make an eps file of it. I can email it to you and you can get a sign shop where you are to cut it for you. Should get it done this weekend. Jonny

Bass - they have a pretty big gallery and I didn't have time to go through it all. Can you remember which section the pics were in of the TwinCam? I have looked up JR Auto Concept in the phone book and will call tomorrow. Just had my car detailed and might give a new decal a miss (she looks good!) but I will get the cost etc for you.

I think the real problem is when there is a full load in some cars (people or stuff in the boot) and that weighs down the back and forces the lights to shine up. Some of the really new euro cars and a couple of the new Mazdas have the bluish xenon lights that just fry your eyes - especially in the wet as you said.

I'm also looking as I am selling my 86 AE82 and thought I might replace the sticker to make it look better for sale. Have yet to call Toyota to see if they still have it in stock. I am a graphic artist by trade and could get together computer artwork for the vinyl cutter at a signwriters easily enough if I had something to work from. Really don't want to get out there with a ruler etc - a nice quality pic might do it. Lets pool our resources here. If I can get the graphic going I will send it to you. If you find a good pic of it send it along. Guess I could also call Toyota parts tomorrow as well....

My AE82 twin cam was costing me about $550 with AAMI. When I first got it they said they would not have covered it if I was under 25 (I was 26 at the time). Just picked up a 2002 ZZE112 (ascent - yawn! Can't afford a Sportivo) and they only wanted an extra $40 bucks to cover it. Think the full year will be about $650-700. RACV quote was over $850. I have no mods other than the exhaust which is not a full system. I'm in eastern Melb and I am over 30 and a rating one. And I haven't had a ticket for 10 years - been pulled over a few times but I can spin a line of sh!t like you would not believe and those country coppers just warn me! :D

Fellas, looking to put keyless entry into a 2002 ZZE122 Corolla and have priced the genuine option part from Toyota (about $200 for the 'little black box' and 2 key tag button thingys). Parts guy said that it must be easy enough to do as they sell lots of them over the counter and it comes with instructions. Has anyone done this and can offer any insight or advice?