The answer ?

Quite well actually really enjoying the car im finding it very easy to drive and not anywhere near as tiring as the clio. fuel economy is good but im finding it hard to keep it economical, :( best i have had is 61.3mpg that was on sunday going across the a69 from newcastle to carlisle. whats the best way to keep it cheap whats the best rpm's ?

only thing i dont like is the brakes im finding them really quite bad at stopping me (compared to the clio) and there seems to be loads of travel on the pedal but im not sure if thats just me

now its done just over 12300 miles since i picked it up about 3 weeks ago (with 10500 on the clock)

oh and it rattles im not sure where from but its somewhere in the back grrrrr

and there seems to be loads of travel on the pedal but im not sure if thats just me

Ill second that, i find there's a too much travel on the brake pedal for my liking, can this be adjusted at all?

:( best i have had is 61.3mpg that was on sunday going across the a69 from newcastle to carlisle. whats the best way to keep it cheap whats the best rpm's ?

Keep it smooth and use the torque and not the revs. Not sure on the vRS, but mine will pull smartly from about 1500rpm (where the turbo starts spinning up I guess). Change up at 3500rpm will dump you nicely in the power band and continue to pull. I see >50mpg most days which involves a decent thrash down country lanes and got 56mpg on my way back from Brum this morning in pre-rush hour traffic (avg speed on the trip was 65mph )

Chris

hum i tend to find siting at 70-80 i only get about 50mpg

Whack the cruise control on if you get it fitted to see stupid MPG figures

i will do while little lady is away so i can actually go get it fitted

only thing i dont like is the brakes im finding them really quite bad at stopping me (compared to the clio) and there seems to be loads of travel on the pedal but im not sure if thats just me

Its not just you... get some 312mm discs installed

i found calipers and carriers for

The pedal travel is just something you will get used to (or probably not now, but nevermind), just use a bit more force. The brakes really are not that bad at stopping what is really a quite heavy car (as my mates will testify when I nearly put'em through the windscreen )

Its not just you... get some 312mm discs installed

I second that. Had mine done last weekend by Ross. Worth every penny

i have found once or twice they just really dont work aswell as the 172's did on my way to ilkley i almost put myself through a hedge twice as it just dont stop like they used too lol

I question the driving if you nearly end up in hedges.

Not sure why you expect a 1300kg diesel car to handle like a 1000kg hot hatch :confused:

Its funny how I drive at very spirited pace yet have none of the troubles that most people have.

BTW, I'm still not convinced that bigger discs and pads will reduce stopping distances, when the bottleneck is clearly the tyres.

BTW, I'm still not convinced that bigger discs and pads will reduce stopping distances, when the bottleneck is clearly the tyres.

Having gone the 312 route and put DS2500 pads on mine, I'd say your above comment is true in the wet.

Give it some nice dry tarmac however, and when at speed, it certainly does stop quicker than on stock setup. No question about that.

On the other side, I'd say pedal travel has increased with my newer brake setup. But I like it. Much more progressive and oodles more feel than before. But if you do stomp on it, you'll certainly feel it

How much better though? Have you tested it versus the standard brakes?

TBH, I thought that bigger discs and better pads would help primarily with brake fade, but unless I'm driving like I was running away from the police, I never experience it.

Have to agree with you again Paul. More than adequate for me too.

Bigger discs equals more leverage.

The four main factors of braking are

1.Co-efficient of friction,

2.Number of surfaces,

3.Mean average radius,

4.Clamping force.

Straight out of the 'Fundementals of motor vehicle technology' by Hillier and Pittock, the bible to trainee mechanics.

So bascially you want

1. Carbon pads

2. x 4 per caliper

3. 400mm rotors

4. Six pot calipers with **** hot brake fluid.

Have a look on the front of the Audi RS6 for all of the above, and thats a bloody great 2 tonne motor with a 4.2l Bi -Turbo V8 up the front and they stop, so i guess the theory works.

A brick wall puts paid to all this theoretical nonsense.

A brick wall puts paid to all this theoretical nonsense.

Indeed.

As far as I'm concerned, if the brakes can cause the tyres to lose grip (i.e. skid) and dont fade under spirited road driving, then they are good enough, IMHO.

As for the RS6 example, you are talking about a much heavier car, with huge tyres, and a much higher top speed, so obviously you are going to need better brakes

pbirkit its not the driving ability thats at fault its the fact that i have no confidence in them at all, there seems like no feel at all the pedal is squishy and seems to have no feedback that i can tell. i just have to operate on the feed back of the car thats just not seeming to be slowing down. ps when i say almost gone through a hedge i mean i was no where near but i could have if it had slowed down just a little slower. i know the brakings different between 172/vrs but tbh the vrs doesnt feel like it could out break a ford anglia !! lol

maybe my brakes arnt 100% who knows i shall just have to take chavyboy's out next month lol

maybe my brakes arnt 100% who knows i shall just have to take chavyboy's out next month lol

Must remember to check life insurance

best i have had is 61.3mpg

Isn't that good? I think with diesels the MPG figure will improve with mileage done on the car.

yes but thats on one trip never had anywhere near that before highest i have had in the 1500 other miles i have had it was about 55mpg. cars done almost 13000 now so unless its going to get even better maybe teh cruise will help

Do you not think 55mpg is good? Wish my octy did that, day to day I get around 35 - 40 mpg average!

oh yeah it is good but i find even that hard to get :( i know its cheap to run but i worked it out yesterday its costing between 7.36 and 8.34 ppm depending where i fill up (at 50mpg) compared to the 10.08 ppm of the 172 at about 36mpg. i dunno i suppose i hoped to be making savings hand over fist (i know thats the not right)