Craig.

I'd hold off. In the next few years, I reckon Ford will stop making these utes with cart springs and fit IRS to the XR and FPV models at least if not the whole range. This will be a major upgrade in handling. This hasn't happened with the FG obviously but I am hopeful that it will happen in the next few years.

Its horses for courses. Are you a 1/4 mile addict or a track day junkie? Drive mainly on country roads or do you spend the majority of your time in grid lock, stop start traffic? I drove both before I bought. I thought that the ZF was a great box and did cosider it but I decided to go with the manual. Why? Because it puts a smile on my face driving a manual. I personally find autos boring and even in fully manual mode, the ZF doesn't have the same feel or character as a manual box. The whole car has a different character to it from one box to the other. Another consideration was the fact that no one had cracked the code on how to firm up the shifts on the ZF at that stage. As it was my plan to mod the car, I thought a T56 with a good clutch would be a better proposition than a manual that had to remain as it left the factory

I reckon an independant test is a great idea. Provided all of the vendors were allowed input into how the testing is to be done, having an independant source actually doing the testing should mean that if Chris, Kevin, Simon or Alex can't attend, at least they can have some peice of mind that the results can't be skewed in their absence to suit those present.

I take it then that this whole comparison is pointless because there is SFA difference between the products anyway? Actually I tend to agree with you SCRIBR. Whats more I believe that results will vary depending on which kits are used from vendor to vendor and how they are set up.

The fact that you are moving is a contributing factor. It is only 1 of many though. To aportion blame to speed is oversimplifying the problem at hand. The fac tthat the road toll remains pretty constant despite the crackdown on speed is testimony to the fact that the Speed Kills campaing is just not working. Death happens on the road because of the human element. Whether it is taking a corner faster than that drivers' ability can cope with, falling asleep on a long boring stretch of road and hitting a tree after a 12 hour night shift in a remote minesite (that's a favorite one up here), or trying to overtake and miss-judging the distance you require, ending up in a head on. These all involve speed but it isn't the major factor causing these accidents.

Mate this is just plain wrong. You can die in a car at 60 or 80kph. Try hitting a pole at these speeds. Whats more most deaths occur at legal speeds every day. In fact only something like 2% of deaths can be directly attributed to excessive speed like the young fella in his dads Beemer. The majority of fatalities that happen every year actually happen on country roads and are due to driver error or fatigue. The driver error can be taken out of this somewhat by actually training people to drive when they go for a licence how to control a car (rather than how to pass a road test based on your knowledge of parking a vehicle and the road rules). Our national road system is also a discrace ( it is akin to a 3rd world country in some parts) and improving it would also save lives. How? By having all major highways as dual carriageways with barricading on both sides of the roads as well as something that is impenetrable up the centre so that drivers don't take uneccesary risks while overtaking and so that they cant veer in front of oncoming traffic or off the side of the road and into a tree when they fall a sleep. Of course the government doesn't want to hear this. It costs too much to fix the roads and put in place a licencing system that actually trains you to control a car. They are much better off spending that money on speed cameras and then raking in the speed taxes that they have in place. So they have instead decided to put the blame back onto us as individuals with the Speed Kills Campaign.

If speed kills we'd all be dead! As you sit there in front of your computer you are actually doing something in the vicinity of 1500kph due to the earths rotation. Its always a combination of things which kills on our roads. More times than not fatigue is the killer but its easier to book someone for speeding than for being too tired.

Hey Mic. Just wondering if there was a reason your under the headlight CAI was getting wet? Is it happening all the time when it rains or just when the ute is washed? I take it all of the undergaurd/ bumper plastic is all in place? Where do you live too mate? The tropics somewhere ( lots of rain hence it is getting wet) or is the wet filter a result of running through the car wash and water coming at it from an unatural angle? Powerwise I am not actually sure what I'm running at the moment. My ute is an '07 BF MkII ripcurl. Had Seimens injectors, full zorst and edit done last week and the clutch started slipping like a bastage so we had to back her off. My tuner reckons it would have been making high 200s until he neutered it. We won't be bothering with the dyno until I get my clutch sorted ( which is happening in a week or 4 when I get around to it). Am also fitting either a stage 2 PW kit or the Plenum kit at the same time as I am looking to get a lazy, safe 330-340kw. Starting to lean toward the plenu, kit to avoid the cross engine heat that you mentioned and the fact that the PW plenum is sex on wheels! Interested in your thought on why that water is getting in there mate!

Just pick an oil that meets the car manufacturers specs and change it often! that's the secret to long component life. No need to take out a mortgage on the most expensive oil in the auto shop. The trick is to change the oil before it looses its lubricating properties. Penrite oil is fine. As are any of the others listed. If you want to use Penrite head to their web site and use there selector. It will tell you which oil they recommend for your make/model of car.

Why make the intercoolers job harder than it needs to be? Cold dense air always burns better than hot thin air which equals more power. Heating the air up before putting it through the intercooler is doing nothing for you. Something like this would make better power and looks like it might go heaps cheaper than new too. ( No its not mine) http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...=tab%3DWatching

Don't quote me, but I believe that rust and paintwork is actually covered by a 5 year warranty. Check your owners manual to confirm. It is in there.

I would personally really like to see this get off the ground as an intercooler is my next purchase. Sounds like it might be a starter! Any set date yet? I am 1000klm north of Brisbane ( 3 hour plane trip to Melb but it could take all day by the time I wait for connecting flights), but if there is enough notice given here on a date and it coincides with my work roster, I would like to attend. If I am able to attend I will also throw in $100 to contribute to any expenses incurred during the day ( like beers and BBQ, etc).

Pretty is an understatement Luke. That thing looks awesome!!

Hi Mal. Does the change to the option 6 that mentioned in your first post here mean it is more user friendly on the street? I am about to have an edit/injectors done ( tomorrow) to my ute with further mods planned in the coming months, so will no doubt be contacting you within the next month or so for a new clutch ( like I'll have a choice with the power upgrade ). I was thinking option 3 but love the idea of the twin plate. I don't need such an extreme clutch as I only wish to mod to around the 300-320 RWKW mark but just look at the dam thing. Awesome! If the option 6 has some traffic manners it might be the go? I know the option 5 is probably a better road clutch. Just wondering if the option 6 now has improved manners? Would love to hear your thoughts. Cheers, Craig

Sheez Dags. that's a bit over the top mate. Its not like I got it for nothing. I actually had to fork out a couple of hundred to get it fitted!

I just did another search for CES exhausts here and realised that someone is trying to sell one in the classifieds section. I feel even better now. Mine has the HPC coating like the one for sale. http://www.fordxr6turbo.com/forum/index.ph...mp;#entry631307

Yep. Pretty much. The brand of the exhaust is CES. The guy in the exhaust told me he thought it was a herrod but obviously it isn't. that's what the plate on the side of the dump pipe says anyway. Anyone else have one of these fitted. I just found a pic on there website and this looks identical to what I got. I will try to attach here if I can work out how to do it.

Yeah it goes in for a tune/injectors on the 22nd. Until then I will be driving at a pretty sedate pace. I will only drive it a handful of times between now and then. The car is completely bone stock engine wise and I was not planning on swapping this out for a year or two. I just went to catch up with Dave today to do my first edit in the next month or two. This has brought my plans forward somewhat. When opportunity knocks though.........

Today I got the bargain of the century! I toddled off to meet blueboost for the first time to chat to him about getting my T tuned. He had just got off to one of the local exhaust shops. They were chasing a stock BF turbo ute exhaust and thought that Dave may have one laying around. The exhaust shop was doing a job for the local ford dealer. A secondhand Tornado that they had just sold to a young guy complete with full system ( minus a tune to suit ) had just let go. They were replacing the engine under warranty. Because they were paying for the engine, they also insisted on replacing the full zorst with a std one. Anyhow, Dave asks me if I want a full system in exchange for my stock one. I hadn't planned on it at this stage but couldn't see the point in letting this pass. He gets back on the phone and tells the exhaust guy that I have one on my ute and while not not really ready for it, I might be interested. A deal is struck and I get the full exhaust for the princely sum of labour costs to fit it to my ute!! I now have a full 3.5inch stainless system fitted, with 3.5 inch dump and seperate wastegate pipe fitted to my ute. This type of stuff usually happens to other people, not me. I'm a pretty happy camper at the moment!! WOO HOOO!

I can't see where I can place my vote for the Datsun 1200 though so I suppose I will have to vote for the T!

OK for dragging along the road and preventing gravel rash, but not so good on sharp edges by the look of it. I would have been in something similar. My leather pants only come out on special occasions. Glad to hear you weren't in shorts and thongs. Heal up quickly mate! You got a price to fix the bike yet? I take it those army bikes you have been riding for years don't pull 2nd gear power wheelies like a blade!

Mate you just got a little bit of a warning. What were you wearing on your legs? Did you have any gear on other than helmet? Shorts, jeans, leathers? Looks like you were lucky mate. Take care out there, keep her right side up and ride your own ride. Cheers, Craig.

2007 BF MK2 XR6T Rip Curl ute in Bionic. No performance mods as yet, but I have put a MW short throw shifter and a set of PPA gauges and tripod into her. Mods will follow! I just want to be able to use my Ford warranty once before I void it!

4000+ posts and that's all you got? WOW! 4000+ posts of nothingness. Thanks for contributing!