sprinter2012

I use Avon ZZ3 tyres, excellent grip in dry and wet conditions, not ridiculously expensive and much quieter than the Bridgestone Potenza's I had on before.

It's way overpriced. If you want an induction kit, I can make you one for less than both of those, and that will be using lightweight aluminium tubing and the highly regarded Apexi cone filter. Not that foam rubbish powertec use :) I've actually just made one for another member on here B) Drop me a PM if you want more info.

Just saw this post on another forum, might be useful?

Seems harsh but they need teaching a lesson, its idiots like that who mean our insurance is through the roof despite never having been in an accident.

I'm not sure whether all models are heated, but I know my sport has heated mirrors. Either way I think his mum is gunna have a shock when she sees the bill... EDIT: I think you should be able to get them from Toyota, but I wouldn't have thought the Altezza had heated mirrors. So check that first.

I take it your looking for a decat one? Because you can get used standard ones on eBay for a LOT cheaper than that, here's 2 for under £100 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-IS200-200-exhaust-manifold-catalytic-cats-/140537166656?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item20b8aafb40 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LEXUS-IS200-TOYOTA-ALTEZZA-MANIFOLD-CATALYTIC-CAT-/220837031416?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item336ae9adf8 However if you want a decat one you can either just get an exhaust shop to cut out the cats on your existing one, or just wait for one to come up second hand.

Also, if you sit in the car with the engine off in a quiet location and flick the switch on and off you should be able to hear the relay clicking, just something to check.

What did you replace them with? LED or standard filament type?

By the sounds of it, your problems wern't the fault of blackcircles, they just got let down by their supplier/courier. And while not being called untill 5pm the day before may be frustrating, most couriers state drop offs can take place between 9am & 5pm, so they can't be sure they wont arrive untill its actually reached 5pm. I personally have used them a few times for wheel/tyre changes and geometry setups and have had no problems. But I guess everyone gets unlucky once in a while, even with a well respected company like blackcircles. Moral of the story...don't be put off :)

Can't see a pic?

A Japanese tuning company did a group test with a load of filters like K&N, HKS, Apexi etc., they were testing for airflow and particle filtration. And the Apexi came out on top in both tests so they are pretty good :)

I had a go myself last night with various settings, and in 2 different locations and here's what I ended up with...

This is a pic of some not on a car... And as far as I know its exactly the same process as the headlights, just heat them up, spray them and then re-seal them.

It's a really effective tool when used properly, see if you can find yourself a motorway bridge nearby aswell and try doing this with the same method...

If any of you do try this, remember you'll have to set the aperature to quite a high setting otherwise the light source will just wash out the picture after a few seconds.

That looks fantastic! I've done 'light painting' before with my SLR but never thought of doing it around such a large object before! Top Work.

Sorry but this is just nonsense... Firstly, nitrogen expands and contracts with temperature exactly the same as any other gas does - it obeys the same laws of physics as everything else does. So tyre pressure will rise and fall with tyre temperature whether it has air or pure nitrogen. You could fill them with any gas you choose and would see almost exactly the same effect. Secondly, normal air is 80% nitrogen anyway, and oxygen is of a similar molecular mass and makes up almost all the remaining 20% of 'normal air'. Therefore pressure stability will be pretty much identical. If there is any benefit, it's the nitrogen is less reactive and doesn't interact with the rubber. Oxygen can and does react with the inside of the tyre and leach through, which effectively reduces pressure over time. What part of what I said is nonsense exactly? Normal air contains moisture/humidity which affects pressure change more, so using pure nitrogen will stabilise it. Nitrogen particles are bigger than Oxygen and also inert, so if 20% of air is Oxygen. Using pure Nitrogen should decrease deflation by 20% Perhaps the only mistake I made was to say that Nitrogen doesn't expand and contract with heat, when infact what I should have said was that it contracts and expands LESS than just air. However if we're going to get picky, your statment of "You could fill them with any gas you choose and would see almost exactly the same effect" is completely untrue, as the expansion and contraction of gases can be vastly different depending on its structure.

Thanks for that. The only thing bothering me really was that if I fill my tyres to say 33psi with "cold" tyres and then drive a few miles they might then register, say, 40psi. I assume that this increase would not occur with nitrogen so I would then be running with a lower pressure than with "normal" air? Do the car manufacturers or tyre manufacturers not factor these increases in when laying down their recommendations? I'm sure they do take into account that the tyres will be slightly higher or lower pressure depending on temperature, but the pressure they state is the pressure they would aim for as an ideal average. How much heat you get in your tyres also depends on things like what sort of driving you do, how many corners you take, road surface and even what brand of tyre you have. So they can't be too specific.

Would inflating with nitrogen mean that tyre pressures would need to be modified too? I ask because if nitrogen doesn't suffer from alterations in pressure then surely they would need to be inflated to a higher pressure since as your tyres heat up with "normal" air the pressure also increases whereas the pressure would not increase with nitrogen. Also since inflation figures for cars seem to increase with extra weight and/or speed would it still be necessary to increase pressures if driving at over say 100mph? Typre pressure should just be exactly what the manufacturer recommends for normal air. When they give pressures they assume they will be filled at 'normal' temperature. i.e. not in blazing sunshine or in snow. But yes, you would still need to adjust pressures accordingly for high speeds or extra weight in the car as normal.

Pretty much same as above, its a more stable gas so it won't expand/contract with temperature fluctuation. Also, the actual particles of nitrogen are substantially bigger (relatively speaking) than normal air so it leaks less. However I think it would be a pain, because if you needed to top up your tyres at any point you couldn't just use normal air from you local petrol station or it would make it pointless. But I think its normall only about £1 per tyre for nitrogen filling IIRC

The light in the clock should go off when you lock the car. And the buttons on the key might not work because the battery in the key is flat, or it is not programmed fully to the car.

I think it probably cost about £130 all in, but I've ended up with nearly half a meter of aluminium tubing (£27 per meter!) left over because I wasn't sure how much I need. You could easily buy all the exact same stuff I used off eBay for under £100. And as for the cutting, a hacksaw would be absolutely fine because the cuts are hidden inside the silicone bits anwway, you'd just have to give them a quick sand over so they weren't sharp. That's another benefit of making it out of aluninium, apart from the fact its lighter than stainless steel, its a LOT easier to cut! :) Joking aside, I'll give you a few reasons I found why that twin cone one would actually be less effective than mine... 1. The route it takes is too long, the less distance the air has to travel the better 2. It has too many bends, every bend the air has to go round will increase its resistance getting to it's final destination 3. (probably the most important one) Those foam mushroom filters are a load of...rubbish. lol If nothing else, make sure you get an Apexi filter like I used on whatever kit you end up with as it has been proved to give the highest airflow and the best filtration against dirt :)

I've done all the research there is to do on induction kits, and my conclusion after hours of research and talking to people who have them... Buying an 'off the shelf' one is a total waste of money, they are ALL way overpriced for what they are comprised of. I made my own and also did a detailed write up on how to make your own including a full list of all the bits you need on the the link below. http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=73672&st=0&gopid=760650entry760650 The results are the same if not better than a retail purchased one as it gives you the chance to choose your own filter, colour of tubing/bends, where to route it etc. Main benefits are: Lovely noise from the engine under full throttle & Increased Fuel Economy (I think if I drove sensibly everywhere I could easily get 450 miles from a tank)

Not sure about the other guys with the same problem but mines a manual...