Found the cheap ones.
Thin and nasty. The San remo has substance.

Quote from: Ardent on October  4, 2023, 07:40Found the cheap ones.
Thin and nasty. The San remo has substance.

I concur and the Nardi is a bit pricey.

Quote from: Joesson on October  3, 2023, 20:20I notice you've added another 20HP as well!

btw, seriously, she is véry quick now. As @Ardent pointed out adding lightness has increasing returns. As I also lightened the rotating mass of the engine, the effect on performance is surprising. Especially in second and third the direct response of the freed up natural aspiration is ... well... surprising. Quick is the word. Quick steering, quick responding.

The windshield mod has some strange. perhaps subjective perception, effects. Much like the hard top. That changes the whole feel of the car.
The totally different ´soft´ flexible nature of the Lexan changes the soúnd, the frequency of all sound waves bouncing back from it.
And the lightness this high up has an odd effect too. ALthough is obviously reduces MR² it fééls more stable on the undulating, constantly changing angles of the secondary twisties.

A minor benefit I had not mentioned is that the plastic blocks 98% of UV A and UV B light when compared to regular glass. So this windscreen is probably better for my aging very blue eyes.

FWIW most glass blocks most UV-B, and standard laminated windscreen glass blocks a lot of UV-A too, although non-treated side window glass doesn't.

Quote from: inigopete on October  5, 2023, 15:51although non-treated side window glass doesn't.

have those down anyway 

Detail of the fit: Have two different finishing ´covers´ on their way.
This and the aluminium Prius calipers are my favourite    modifications.

On a side note I found that the sound of the wiper motor running has markedly changed. I had accidentally switched it on and not having the arms fitted did not immediately séé so only heard it. Again the same; a deeper pitch.

Imo the Lexan scores positively in the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoacoustics 😜

´Did´ the gas pedal.
Verdict; by all means lubricate but leave it in situ unless one is dead set on removing the counter weight.Mine is the version with the blob under the pedal arm btw.
To take it out the cable needs to be hooked out and the plastic thule is like a chinese puzzle which will break when cold.

Me not being a flexi contortionist of miniature size, I had to take the seat out and have the door wíííde open. Put the floor matt outside to kneel/lie on. Well, that was the idea but the pup ´helped´   

I left the blob as it is without a doubt there for a reason, that reason being anti-rattle thus could have saved me the antics and simply lubed the pivot 

Was great fun though with the pup keeping me company and winding charming up. She gave up trying to keep the pup on the terrace and moved her chair from the sun on the terrace into the sun on the parking lot with view on my car and pup.
I am properly knackered now. Not so much from rolling about under the steering wheel but more from play sprinting with the pup. He could not get enough of it. I could. He is now in comatose sleep on my lap though 

So; dó lube the pivot as that doés make a difference.

Quote from: Petrus on October 28, 2023, 15:48Me not being a flexi contortionist of miniature size, I had to take the seat out and have the door wíííde open. Put the floor matt outside to kneel/lie on. Well, that was the idea but the pup ´helped´   

For a moment I thought you knelt on the pup.   

Quote from: Ardent on October 28, 2023, 20:25For a moment I thought you knelt on the pup.   

Would be impossible; he is >40 km/h now already with even faster reflexes, way faster  

A whole week of sunny weather forecasted. Just 50% chance of a shower Saturday.
So will take it out and spiritedly enjoy the nimbleness.

Also leave it out in the midday sun and have a go at the finishing molding strip.
Am véry pleased with the view without even the mirror bung and wipers btw.

Still have the passenger seat out so depending on the ambient temp  (and will roll the side windows up) may take the pup for a first cabrio ride.

The pup is proving the point of lightness btw.
Only 4 months old and it took him a few days to figure them out but he is só much faster/more nimble than our húnting! farm cats that he totally freaks them out: Yep, lightness makes ´you´ faster everywhere   

Alas too cccóld overnight and with the night temps forecasted to rise 10 degrees in the weekend, postponed applying the molding. Did try a 10 cm. bit on the most difficult bits. With the pup ´helping´ ofcourse.
Cold and all it went as good as I hoped for if warm. The cold now helped in limited stick 
Looks more OEM than the OEM one 
Do need a véry scalpel or such for fine trimming of both p.u. and the molding.
Actually looking forward to it now.

...and done 





also put the passenger bucket back in. Fingers crossed the brownie points for that weigh heaviest.

Was a huge delight to have a dog ´helping´ again.

Lóvely drive today. Charming passenger bought me lunch. Minor set back is the engine blowing a bit through the exhaust manifold gasket.

While on the terrace a picture told more than a thousand words:






https://duckduckgo.com/?q=heavier+cars+are+more+dangerous&ia=web

Being a small cabrio user I feel increasingly vulnerable and with good reason.

Took the itsiebitsie to go to the Bierfest with charming company and pup. Was only a bit up the road so took a leisure detour.

A sunny 25 degrees (Centigrade), choice of lager and specialty beers, wider still choice of food. From the products of Hamburg and Frankfurt to those from Mexico, Chili, Argentine with local specialties in between. Very affordably priced.

Yes, good living here 

Good living indeed!

Júst above freezing, some frost on the ground, yet the now >8 years old undersize battery in itsiebitsie performed ok.
Pup relieved itself on command and charming... charming.

Off to the local watering hole for breakfast: Me having a half a mollete bien tostada, amply drizzled with virgen extra Montes del Guadalhorce (the trees in our view), grated sunripened tomato and a sprinkling of corse rock salt 

WRX girl was there already, having breakfast too, with two guests from the UK. She got up, we embraced, she kissed me full on the lips to ... dunno, prove a point? 

Next it was intro session to Giácomo, the pup. Let´s say he was a ´bit´ quicker than the near pension aged. He was continously not where they thought they had just seen him. Anyway, picked him up and he was simply adórable. Making full (ab)use of his ditto looks. Smothered with kisses he volunteered to go back into his bench. Which brings me to the lightness adding mods: Changed the mid brace behind the seats for a carbon fibre rod, deleting the plastics in the process. It liberated not only a few kilos but also yet more luggage space!!

The chilly night/morning temps up here in the mountains make me wonder about F1 in Vegas coming weekend. Pirelli is bringing their three softest compounds but that does not mean they  work at <10 degrees C.  If they don´t they will just wear fáster than harder compounds.
The rather hard desert temp resistant tarmac, akin the stuff used over here, so fresh it is still sweating under the sun. 
Both will add to the complications of braking hárd after the long straights with potentially too cooled brakes.
Fingers crossed it will be sideways fun instead of drivers pussyfooting it in line to keep out of the concrete barriers.

I'm interested in the mid brace carbon fibre rod mod - can you upload photos?

Quote from: inigopete on November 13, 2023, 13:02I'm interested in the mid brace carbon fibre rod mod - can you upload photos?

Of course, happy to share!

Ordered a 100 cm. long 32 mm. outer diameter proper cured cf tube (not cheap but free shipping from within EU kept it reasonable).
Took out the original, measured it all up, cut off the mounting brackets and the hood lock (yes, the angle grinder again), cut the cf tube to length.
Glued it all together again using JD weld.
Cut the plastic covers to size and fitted those covering the end brackets.
The tie wraps are to keep the side bags in place.
Done!












I think it one of the cooler, say top 10, mods on my car. The first idea was to refit all the plastic but this being réal cf for a change, thought it neat to keep it in sight and just ´hid´ the OEM steel mounting brackets.

Very tidy!

Quote from: inigopete on November 13, 2023, 15:28Very tidy!

Thanks.
Also 2,5 kgs of lightness and more luggage space.

The ever so slight blowing of the exhaust is one leaking flexi.
So put it on the bridge. Although the weather forecast says 0% rain, it also says sunny bu it is black clouds all around. Still, as it is not actually raining, not putting the roof up and thus fitted the tonneau.

Good idea that tonneau; ´t was all frosted up this morning so definitely not ideal to fold a ccccóld roof down yet clear blue sunny sky so     The heater on under the tonneau is oh so comfie.

yessss 

Ah pooh, one flexi is blowing a bit. Will weld in two new ones. Will take a week to get here though.

Switching to SHELL HELIX ULTRA 0W30 when I have it up. Not quite ´time´ but I feel good about that like about the half liter extra.

To distract myself a bit from ´waiting´ for the flexis, will wash the air (K&N) filter and clean the MAF.