Primordial

Check out Centrafuse too mate. Front end software is a matter of preference. Personally I have never like RoadRunner, but heaps of people do like it. Centrafuse is quite popular too, but is trialware for now. By the end of the year you may have to buy it if you want to continue using it. It's in beta testing for free by the general public now (you and me! ). The best thing about centrafuse though is that it has EVERYTHING bundled into one neat installer package, and is really easy to configure. The only thing you will need is the maps for Destinator (80mb off torrents). This is the same with any front end software though, you need the maps. I found RoadRunner and it's GPS software (separate plugin sort of thing) very frustrating to install and configure. Centrafuse: http://www.fluxmedia.net/

I manually have to turn mine on. I've hooked up a switch which is located just under the steering wheel, on that little panel (R33). Single press switches my laptop on. Single press again then sends the PC to Hibernate. If i forget to hibernate the PC, it automatically hibernates when battery reaches 90% so that the PC doesnt crash from no battery power. I'm running a laptop though - slightly different setup to parish. Personally I would recommend the laptop option if you can buy one cheap off ebay with a cracked screen or something. They are designed to be moved around more than PC components, and you dont have to worry about things stuffing up (as things usually do with custom PC's). Laptops are made to be shifted around, so they will marginally be able to cope better with the jolting of the car. I'm not just talking about the hard drive, but the motherboard mounts etc. The mini-pc option is sometimes cheaper though if you cant find a damaged laptop.

My GPS receiver is located on the back parcel shelf. It sits between the speaker and the window. It's black and only about the size of a matchbox so you cant even notice it's there. The only reason mine is located here is that my PC is under the drivers seat, so that was the shortest length possible. The GPS receiver needs line-of-sight to get a decent signal. When looking at the graph showing the satellite distrobution, the satellites located in front of the car have very low signal (due to the roof being in the way). The satellites behind the car get excellent signal even through the window. You only need 3-4 satellites to get a proper reading, and there is usually more than 20 satellites in view wherever you are.

I've been told that QFM pads are good for normal street use, so i'm getting a set of these as they are relatively cheap. I have a track day coming up though, and I thought of getting some RB74's for the fronts. I can't afford DS2500's at the moment so these will have to do. Will having RB74's on the front and QFM on the rears cause any problems? I've heard on the grape vine that it may cause some understeer. Is this true? ___________________________ I've been told that bendix ultimate are very harsh on the rotors, and give a ridiculous amount of dust. I was recommended the QFM's instead. Supposedly they were co-designed with one of the guys from Racebrakes. Does anyone know whether they are good for spirited street driving?

Yeah that was me that flashed you near the speed camera

Alternate power is hooking up your battery to a 12V car battery charger while you run updates etc.. Thats how I power mine when stationary and need to transfer music etc.

NEVER swerve around animals. It sounds mean, but NO animals life is worth more than your own. Just cop the damage from the mutt and live to fight another day. I've seen so many wrecked/killed city drivers that try to swerve around kangaroos at 120km/h and end up rolling their car 10 times and dying! This is obviously why the bull-bar was invented!

LoL

kewl! I'll PM you soon with a possible design. Cheers!

yeah my mate has got the 20D (Upgraded from an older nikon) and he says its absolutely awesome! im sure you wont be disappointed with the 30D

So what is the normal inscription (ie the inscription that doesnt cost any extra!) How much for a custom inscription?

I've got almost exactly the same setup in my R33. Same turbo, same cooler etc... I can vouch for the meaty midrange torque of this setup! Ultimately driveable on the street, and incredibly responsive! I'm sure whoever picks up this car will NOT be disappointed! Good luck with the sale mate.

Yeah i've heard about that dvd... you got a copy?

Yeah thats what you would expect... The read rate and transfer rate are two different things. The transfer rate of USB2 is up to 480MBit/s... Where an average HDD is only about 120Mbit/s... The READ rate (how quickly the drive can pick up data off the platter) on a HDD is usually between 30 and 70mbit/s... So the read rate on the USB flash could be faster or slower... Im not too sure. But the Bus/transfer rate on USB2 flash disks is certainly higher. Whether or not thats the actual rate that data is read off the flash chips is another kettle of fish! ^^ This isnt gospel... it's just what I understand from the small amount of research i've done! I guess the best way to test it would be to copy a 100MB file from a USB2 > HDD, and then do the same file from a HDD > HDD. If the HDD>HDD test is faster, then you've got your answer! There is a huge amount of issues regarding booting from USB2 disks though

Ahh ok.. yeah booting from flash would be very quick! I havent got pics at the moment.. I'll post some up tonight if I get a chance. The only thing you can see is the lilliput 7" motorised touchscreen in the dash. It's difficult to even see the laptop as it's mounted under the drivers seat on a docking station so i can remove it easily. Which front end are you running?

That shouldnt be an issue! Go to Mp3car.com and search "tweaks".. Find guides to disable services and crap the pc doesnt need etc... This will shave a lot of time off your boot up from cold. I havent optimised mine yet, and its running at about 20 sec's boot resuming from Hibernate! By the time I get into the car, and wait for the LCD screen to slide out and up, the thing is pretty much booted! I think I have to look at a black screen for only 2-3 seconds! Youre using Hibernate and not shutting it down every time are you?

not to mention the cost of tyres... it seems that the price jumps by a third just between 18 and 19 inch

Yeah they are fairly tough, but I dont expect mine to last much more than a year though... HDD's definitely dont like to be moving when they're spinning! The price of laptop hard drives is cheap now anyway.. You can get a 60GB for $110! The only way to counter this is with a flash hard drive, but they cost an arm, a leg, and your 1st born child's soul unfortunately. Like, try $117,887 (yes, ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN THOUSAND!) for a Memtech 98GB Flash SATA Hard Drive! Pretty silly when you remember that 4GB USB memory sticks are only $160 now!

You've made the first and most important choice - selling the vaults!

Mine is doing this too... If I'm on WOT, generally it doesnt do it (only sometimes)... Part throttle though, it will surge about twice a second while boosting, and give a noticible surging effect to the acceleration! Its very weird! It's almost as if an actuator isnt able to hold the pressure and is creeping open (or closed) when high boost is reached then it drops and then builds up again and so on... ???

Yo im very interested in the wheels... have you got pics? Are they full chrome or the shadow chrome?

Interesting software choice parish! I tried roadrunner but i didnt like it.. I use Centrafuse now which is awesome! Very stable and easy to use! There are some parts of every front end which I dont like though. It would be great to be able to mix & match between them!

Bugger.. sorry to hear you cant make it Adam!

Shotgun!